Unless tourists live close to a cruise port, they’ll usually have to fly to their starting destination. However, experienced cruisers have warned guests to never fly on the day of their cruise.
On Reddit, ‘loops3804’ said: “With all the issues with airlines recently, I’m not risking it. A night in a hotel, even an expensive one, is less than last minute fares if you miss the sailing.”
Another guest added: “Last month all three of my flights were delayed. The second one was so delayed, it made me have to reschedule my final one.”
If a flight is delayed, cruise passengers could run the risk of missing their cruise. The ship will not be able to wait for late passengers.
The exception to this rule is if guests have booked their flights with the cruise line. In this case, the ship may wait a little longer for the late passengers.
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‘Nope-ugh’ said: “I couldn’t handle the stress! I like a full day before I embark from the USA and two days from Europe.”
Passengers who land one or two days early will have more time to explore the city and won’t feel stressed about missing the ship.
However, they will have to pay for an extra night or two in a hotel, which could significantly increase the price of their holiday.
For many cruise passengers, the extra cost is worth it to avoid the stress of possibly missing the cruise.
‘CatH2222’ said: “I flew in the day before and truly enjoyed my night stay in Miami. We counted it as the start of our vacation.
“No fear of flight delays, a great dinner, night’s sleep and leisure morning before Ubering to the port.
“Why take the chance of something going wrong and missing your long anticipated cruise? Find a great hotel, make dinner reservations and explore a new place.”
Sometimes guests don’t get a lot of time to explore their starting destination so arriving early could be a great chance to see a new city.
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‘SEIowa1234’ added: “It’s doable (to fly in on the day) but risky with all the flight problems going on right now.”
Last summer, British tourists experienced a summer of travel chaos as airlines struggled to cope with staff shortages.
Although it is hoped that this year will be different, passengers who fly in on the day do run the risk of being hit by flight delays.
Despite the risk, some passengers said they just caught a flight on the day with plenty of time to spare before the cruise.
‘Mommalove586’ said: “I have never flown in the day before and have not missed a cruise yet! I think I am at 26 cruises next week, so I’m no expert but pretty seasoned.”
Guests who do want to arrive on the day of their cruise will need to book an early flight to make sure they have enough time to reach the port.
Cruise ports are sometimes quite far from the centre of the city and it may take a long time to reach the port from the airport.
In the worst case, passengers will need to pay to fly to join the cruise from its next stop, but this may be very expensive.
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