A cruiser wanting ahead to a Royal Caribbean trip has left a warning on-line. After a number of flight delays began piling up forward of the cruise, this traveler said the significance of flying nicely forward of embarkation.
Whereas it’s tempting to simply e-book a flight the identical day as embarkation day in your cruise, as a rule it’s simply inviting bother—or not less than some further stress.
It’s onerous sufficient for many individuals to get sufficient break day work to have a pleasant 7-day cruise, and the thought of flying into town of the cruise port not less than one or two days forward of time may look like overkill.
However after one Reddit person posted a warning about what occurred this week, much more vacationers are paying consideration.
An On-line Warning Turns Actual
With a publish entitled, “THIS is why you fly within the day earlier than”, person Mamm0nn gave a number of standing updates as they have been trying to fly from Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) to Fort Lauderdale for a Royal Caribbean cruise.
However what started as a minor inconvenience—a flight delay of some hours—shortly snowballed right into a worst-case state of affairs.
“On our third flight delay… whole of 5hr 30 minute delay to date… now getting in at 1AM the date of the cruise,” they posted late yesterday, nonetheless hopeful they’d make it to the ship after a late-night arrival.
Learn extra: 7 causes you need to by no means fly on embarkation day
From Delay to Catastrophe at O’Hare
Then got here the primary little bit of even worse information: the flight was canceled.
The traveler then rebooked on a 5:00 AM flight the subsequent morning, figuring they may catch just a few hours of shut-eye on the airport flooring and nonetheless get to the port in time.
So, now it was a same-day flight on cruise day, a scenario the particular person was making an attempt to keep away from within the first place.
However the dangerous information appeared to maintain getting worse. In a second replace, Mamm0nn shared the unhappy actuality:
“13 hours at O’Hare, 5 delays, 2 flight cancellations. We will’t get to Fort Lauderdale out of O’Hare till tomorrow night.”
By then, their ship can be lengthy gone. With no rental vehicles obtainable to flee again to Milwaukee, they confronted a bleak await a 6:30 AM bus, adopted by an Uber experience residence.
However there was not less than a small silver lining in all of this, which also needs to be a reminder to all cruise vacationers on the market.
“Glad we acquired the insurance coverage!!!” they added, a small win not less than after a string of losses.
Others Shared Their Personal Shut Calls and Recommendation
The publish racked up 211 upvotes, drawing dozens of feedback from fellow cruise lovers within the group.
Some provided sensible suggestions like suggesting testing flight delay compensation by means of the U.S. Division of Transportation—whereas others shared their very own guidelines of thumb:
“I’ve by no means been one to chop it shut. Our subsequent one, we’re getting into 3 days early.”
The feedback have been stuffed with tales of near-misses and hard-earned classes, from driving cross-country to keep away from flights altogether to last-minute buying sprees when baggage didn’t make it.
The unique poster’s story isn’t simply dangerous luck—it’s a textbook instance of why flying on departure day is a roll of the cube. Airways can have points for any variety of causes: storms, mechanical points, staffing issues.
Cruises, although? They stick with the clock. Miss the boarding window, and also you’re out of luck, watching your trip fade over the horizon.
Cruise Fever and most cruise consultants agree: arriving a day forward—and even two or three—isn’t overkill; it’s peace of thoughts. It provides you time to settle in, perhaps discover the port metropolis, and begin your journey refreshed as an alternative of prepared to tug your hair out.
This traveler’s cruise insurance coverage will doubtless soften the monetary blow, masking the cruise fare and further prices—relying on what kind they purchased–, however it might probably’t exchange the fun of taking a cruise.
So, subsequent time you’re eyeing that same-day flight to catch a cruise, consider this story. Consider being caught on the airport, dreaming of a ship you by no means acquired to board.
Flying in early means you need to spend further time away from residence and extra cash on lodges, but it surely’s a trip, and it’s imagined to be a soothing event.
However for those who e-book a brief cruise for a really low worth, and don’t thoughts taking the danger, by all means go for it. Simply bear in mind to inform us the story and if it was price it or not.
