Tip: Arrive Day Before A Cruise

The story has gone viral, featuring a video of a woman who had a meltdown when her flight was delayed by 12 hours to Miami. This meant she and her family were going to miss their Disney cruise. And, of course, her arrest certainly didn’t help.  The press eventually reported that Disney Cruise Lines said all passengers had made the ship’s departure.

No one, no matter how bad the travel situation, should be abusive to airport staff. First, it usually isn’t the airport agent’s  fault, but on the rare times that it is, yelling doesn’t help.

The situation reminds me of another piece of advice I always give my clients — if you have to fly to a cruise port, fly the day before.

Arriving into a port city the day before the ship leaves will result in another hotel night, but compared to the overall price of a cruise, consider it an extra piece of insurance. If money is tight, there’s always the option for at least a relatively inexpensive airport hotel.

In this case,  the American Airlines plane was delayed 12 hours because of weather.

But there are a number of reasons why something can go wrong with a flight: mechanical issues, crew issues, overbooking, and the list goes on. There are even more reasons why someone could simply miss the plane, especially with TSA reporting longer lines at many airports.

Plus, let’s be honest, while your family vacation may be the most important thing to you, in the event of problems or delays, airlines tend to prioritize their most frequent travelers paying the highest fares, not families or couples on discount flights.

A good travel agent can help you re-book flights in case of problems, but sometimes alternatives aren’t possible.

In addition, even if the plane is on time, there’s always the chance that your luggage won’t be on it with you. My family took a cruise in Europe where we arrived into Venice the night before, and our luggage arrived the next day a couple hours before the ship sailed. We’ve been on more than a few cruises when some of our fellow passengers didn’t get their bags for days. (In many cases, even if the luggage is just barely late, the first day of a cruise is likely to be a sea day, so airlines have to get it to the next port. And, some ports are not that near to major airports.)

Being a day early also gives you time to get over any potential jet lag. You also can buy anything you might have forgotten. While most ships have shops on board, items from sunscreen to socks are generally much less expensive on shore.

Some travelers figure they will purchase insurance that could cover them if they can’t make it to the ship on time. But, not all situations are covered by insurance.  And, even if you do receive compensation, there’s no way to get the lost vacation time back.

As a northern California resident, I’ve even flown in early when a ship sails from Los Angeles or San Diego, figuring, while it’s theoretically possible to drive, by the time a flight issue becomes a problem, it’s probably too late.

The only exception to this rule is if air is included as part of the cruise package. Then the cruise line will “do their utmost” to help you get to the ship if you miss departure. Again, you lose at least one vacation day. I often suggest that travelers ask the cruise line for flights arriving a day in advance, even if they won’t include the hotel.

This same advice goes for anyone on an escorted tour, unless the trip spends the first night AND the day following at the first hotel.  Some tours may leave early in the morning on Day 2.

Now, of course, Travelers United readers would never make headlines by verbally abusing airline employees. However, when you’ve got money invested in a cruise, or tour, be proactive on choosing flights, and don’t put yourself in a position where you might be tempted.