Are you thinking of flying in the day of the cruise?

[jrabbit]

I am in the same "boat" as Jusacuz - being from the Northwest there are very few non stop flights from here to MCO. So with one stop (Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, Houston or Salt Lake) - leaving the day of the cruise gets you into MCO about 4pm if you can get a 6am flight out. And we would miss the boat.

For our next cruise we are taking a red eye two days before we sail. If the flights are on time we arrive 9am the day before the cruise. If the typical weather, mechanical, plane not full foul up happens we have the "whoe next day" (which is our scheduled arrival day) to try and arrive at MCO by 10:30/11pm that night.

 

[flexsmom]

Still flying in the day of. I enjoy both a challenge and going against the grain. And since everyone has told us not too...we'll be flying in the day of. Bring it on, rofl. Worse case scenario we'll contact DCL and see about transfering things to a WDW package instead.

DCL isn't WDW - they are a subsidiary of Disney as a whole. (I'm sure there's a better way to legally say that.) Anyhow - DCL contracts with WDW for the rooms they offer in conjunction with their Land/Sea vacations, but I have never heard of them offering to switch fully to a "WDW package" in lieu of a cruise, particularly if you don't have a Land/Sea booked.

I also don't know that I've heard of this done by anyone who has posted here - but I'm curious to see if any come out of the woodwork from this post.

Oh - before I hit "post" - I will say that maybe the one time was when the ship got into port in the middle of or after a hurricane and flights weren't active and DCL bussed people to WDW for temporary lodging, etc. But I wouldn't characterize that as a WDW package and it was a mass situation.

 

[cruisinmama06]

True, but as we have done this seven times without any issues I'm simply trying to offer reassurance as opposed to being all dramatic.

I don't think anyone is trying to be dramatic...least of which me, when I started this thread.

Most of us aren't on our first cruise, so we are speaking from experience.

 

[Grandma4ever]

I don't think anyone is trying to be dramatic...least of which me, when I started this thread.

Most of us aren't on our first cruise, so we are speaking from experience.

Well Said!

 

[eek40]

I have no idea if its possible for you, but we did do the drive, not to far from where you are in the midwest. It was a long one but it was so much more comfortable in the long run. Also, it ended up cheaper than flying. We took 2 days getting down to the port and three coming home! It is because of the crazy airline prices, rules, and changes that put us in the "mood" to drive. I do not regret it for a moment!
Aimee

The only way I would fly the day of is if DCL made my reservations. If they made the flights as part of your package they are responsible to get you to the cruise. But if you booked your flights and you miss the boat I would only hope you have insurance because it now becomes the customer's responsibility.

All Airlines are really going nuts. I had flights with Midwest and heard on the NEWS that they were not going to fly to Orlando. I still have not recieved any notice from Midwest. Took over on week to even get through to talk to a person to request a refund and another two weeks before I saw the refund. Then I had to assure I had flights again. I will never ever again attempt to fly in the day of a cruise. I will never book them (Flights) independently either. I will pay more to allow DCL to mess with the airlines. In 5 cruises I only flew in day of the 1st time. Didn't know any better. Now I either fly down the day before and stay at the Hyatt or I visit WDW before the cruise for several days.

I also check my flights almost weekly because they seem to think they have the right to subsitude my flights at their will with no regards to the customer. Anyone else is required to make notification if the product purscased is no longer available and ask if you desire a different product.

Can everyone tell I have had about all I can handle, I leave in only 37 more days. Only wish I was closer so it would be reasonable to drive

 

[WDWLVR]

We used to fly in the day of the cruise and never had a real problem. Now we live in Chicagoland so have a pretty big airport and non-stop flights. When we sailed in 2004 it was December so we decided to fly down the day before. What we found was that we really enjoyed the first day on board more because we were well rested. With flying down the day before we'd be up at 4 to get to the airport for our 7 am flight.

Now we fly in the day before and stay either at WDW or the port area. We get to sleep in a little the day of the cruise, enjoy a nice breakfast and really enjoy the day.

 

[JsMom2]

True, but as we have done this seven times without any issues I'm simply trying to offer reassurance as opposed to being all dramatic.

I don't think it's "dramatic" at all in this day and age when flights are cancelled and delayed left and right. When you spend a lot of time and money to plan a magical vacation, the last thing you want to happen is to miss the ship!

That said, there are times when you have no choice but to fly in the same day. If that is the case then be sure to get travel insurance! Then if your flight is cancelled or delayed you can get reimbursed for your transportation to the next port (check your policy to be sure you are buying the correct coverage).

 

[slk]

Now you are making me nervous.

I am flying SW on 8/21 for my cruise the same day. SW hasn't changed the flight and doesn't seem to be one of the airlines involved in this crazy rearranging of flights thing.

Has anyone flown SW to MCO recently? Any issues?

We land at 9:30 am --- I am hoping that is enough of a time cushion in case of mishaps.

We flew SW to MCO in May out of Pittsburgh and had no problems/delays
coming or going. We flew in the night before but still had no problems
with them at all.

 

[mmackeymouse]

Okay, forgive me for this little tangent here.

I obviously prefer flying 2 hours to 17 hours of driving.

That said, what the airlines have been doing is ridiculous. And, my momma has always told me that the only way for a service to change the way it does business is for a mass amount of people to stop using said service. The airlines have no incentive to straighten up their act, because people are flying at a record high rate.

They do not have to change their ways, because there will always be people willing to fly. In short, they screw people over because they can get away with it. This is why I am considering the loooooong drive. Principle, I suppose.

And sure, fuel is high. But, I read an article recently that said that fuel is really a scapegoat and not nearly as big a deal as the airlines are making it out to be. It's not just the high airfares; it is the cancellations, the way they treat their employees, the nickel and diming, etc etc.

There are some airlines out there that offer reasonable fares and safe travel. Southwest is one. It has a low cancellation and high on time percentage. But, there is no advance check in, which could be a concern. AirTran is another. Unfortunately, it has been having a lot of cancellation issues. However, cancellations and delays seem to be hit or miss.

What I would suggest to anyone flying in day of with concerns is to consistently check your particular flight number on the MCO and your departing airport. See what the ontime percentage for each airport is. When checking your particular flight, see what the average arrival times are. Also, if you can, check to see capacity. If the flight you book is 98% on time, and almost always full, hopefully that is a good sign. Something else to check is when the next available flight would be. Also, check on time percentages for any connecting airports.

One great thing about Southwest is that it does not have a ticket change fee. So, if your morning flight is not as consistently on time as you'd prefer, you may be able to change it to the night before. Also, it has mostly only nonstop flights, so you would not have to worry about being at the mercy of Hartfield-Jackson, for example. Something positive about Airtran is that it's flight selection is much wider (though its cancellation rate is also higher). It also flies much later on Friday evenings, for those who have work as a concern, like my family.

I have been almost convinced by those on this forum to do the Friday night flight. However, we would have to do the latest flight offered. So, if we are on the last flight of the day, and that one somehow gets cancelled, then we are again, kind of at the mercy of the first thing in the morning flights, if those will even have availabilities. My worry is what happens if we book a Friday evening, then it gets cancelled, and we cannot get a flight until noon the next day, because the morning flights are booked? And the morning flights leave on time, and if we had just taken those to begin with, we'd be fine. Ugh, so many what ifs, ya know?

Okay, I am done.

 

[cruisinmama06]

MackeyMouse - I agree 100%! What they are able to do is crazy. And most of them need some training in customer service.

Our last AirTran flight, they put us on Stand By because they oversold the flight (We bought our tickets 7 months in advance), THEN they put us all in different rows....my youngest was 3 years old. When I said to them "I can't sit away from my 3 year old" they said "Sorry, can't do anything about it." I was in tears!

Of course as soon as I got onboard, some nice passenger let me switch with him (no one would willingly sit next to a 3 year old...lol)

When I got back, I fired off letters to AirTran - who did issue a credit for our next flight with them - which is the ONLY reason I am using them this time.

But in between that time, we have used Delta - we got 3 cancelled flights - BUT, the customer service at the gates were TOP NOTCH. I couldn't have asked for nicer people. They tried everything to get us on different flights. They were being yelled at by other passengers and they STILL had a smile on their face. I don't think I could have been as nice.

So although our flights were changed/cancelled and rerouted, I would happily fly Delta again because their gate agents were HELPFUL.

After this next AirTran flight, I will never use them again.

 

[HoosierFrog]

Yes we did have the all inclusive package where DCL booked our insurance, flight and transportation. Otherwise I wouldn't be so gutsy, lol. Okay, okay, just so you know we may plan to drive down (18 hours ). Might visit family in Panama City before finishing the trip the next day. But yes, the only reason I would have kept our flight is because it was booked through Disney.

Edit: By switching over to a WDW vacate, I was more considering having the cruise refunded and simply apply those funds to a WDW spurt of the moment vacation. We really would be happy with either.

 

[cruisinmama06]

One thing to add, about "catching the ship"...make SURE you have passports if you want to try to catch the ship.

You cannot take a flight out of the country without passports but at this point, you can take a cruise out of the country leaving from US ports and returning to US ports using only birth certificate and photo ID.

So no passports, no catching the ship.

 

[mmackeymouse]

MackeyMouse - I agree 100%! What they are able to do is crazy. And most of them need some training in customer service.

Our last AirTran flight, they put us on Stand By because they oversold the flight (We bought our tickets 7 months in advance), THEN they put us all in different rows....my youngest was 3 years old. When I said to them "I can't sit away from my 3 year old" they said "Sorry, can't do anything about it." I was in tears!

Of course as soon as I got onboard, some nice passenger let me switch with him (no one would willingly sit next to a 3 year old...lol)

When I got back, I fired off letters to AirTran - who did issue a credit for our next flight with them - which is the ONLY reason I am using them this time.

But in between that time, we have used Delta - we got 3 cancelled flights - BUT, the customer service at the gates were TOP NOTCH. I couldn't have asked for nicer people. They tried everything to get us on different flights. They were being yelled at by other passengers and they STILL had a smile on their face. I don't think I could have been as nice.

So although our flights were changed/cancelled and rerouted, I would happily fly Delta again because their gate agents were HELPFUL.

After this next AirTran flight, I will never use them again.

Sorry to hear about your experience.

I work at a doctor's office, so we have a lot of "Sorry there is nothing we can do about it" moments. And I am usually the one delivering the bad news. So, I am not being apathetic to your situation, but your scheduling/seating debacle is actually the fault of the people that overbooked and/or cancelled the flights that may have led to the overbooking. And, the CSR's and stewardesses are the ones left to deal with the ramifications.

My parents actually just flew AirTran for the first time quite recently. They were not thrilled with it, but they did not hate it either. Our preferred airline is Northwest, but with the fares the way they are, we just cannot justify that Northwest would be worth twice the price of a SW/AT ticket. If Northwest was 20 or even 50 dollars more, we may consider NW worth the extra cost.

Anyway, AirTran was definitely no frills, but we expected that. If you have a layover, I think it is almost always, perhaps even always, in Atlanta, so delays are pretty common. But, they did say, if they had a nonstop flight or one with a different layover city, they wouldn't have problem flying AT again. We'd like to try SW, but the times are really quite limited.

 

[cruisinmama06]

Sorry to hear about your experience.

I work at a doctor's office, so we have a lot of "Sorry there is nothing we can do about it" moments. And I am usually the one delivering the bad news. So, I am not being apathetic to your situation, but your scheduling/seating debacle is actually the fault of the people that overbooked and/or cancelled the flights that may have led to the overbooking. And, the CSR's and stewardesses are the ones left to deal with the ramifications.

My parents actually just flew AirTran for the first time quite recently. They were not thrilled with it, but they did not hate it either. Our preferred airline is Northwest, but with the fares the way they are, we just cannot justify that Northwest would be worth twice the price of a SW/AT ticket. If Northwest was 20 or even 50 dollars more, we may consider NW worth the extra cost.

Anyway, AirTran was definitely no frills, but we expected that. If you have a layover, I think it is almost always, perhaps even always, in Atlanta, so delays are pretty common. But, they did say, if they had a nonstop flight or one with a different layover city, they wouldn't have problem flying AT again. We'd like to try SW, but the times are really quite limited.

Nope, no layover with AirTran, we always fly direct with kids. So it wasn't connecting flights that were the problem.

The seating/scheduling problem, it wasn't that they had no seats...I get that they overbook. It was their attitude, it was horrible. Just so rude and condescending. When I asked if they could find two seats together, they said NO without even looking. When I asked if there was ANYTHING they could do, the gate agent rolled his eyes, jumped on the loud speaker and said "Is anyone willing to give up their seat for a child?" Then looked at me and said "That's all I can do"

Of course NO ONE is going to jump up and say "Oh sure, take MY seat!"

We needed someone to trade seats, not give up a seat.

And of course, hindsight is 20/20. My TA booked the flight. When I went to check in online it wouldn't let me do it because I had "paper tickets". So when we got to the flight, everyone had checked in online and got seats together.

I book my own flights now. Live and learn.

 

[mmackeymouse]

And of course, hindsight is 20/20. My TA booked the flight. When I went to check in online it wouldn't let me do it because I had "paper tickets". So when we got to the flight, everyone had checked in online and got seats together.

I book my own flights now. Live and learn.

That's kind of what I figured happened. When we got online to check my mom and dad in, we were on the website exactly 24 hours prior, and there were only about 5-10 sets of two seats together, and then maybe another 15 solo seats dispersed throughout the plane. It is only $6 to guarantee a coach seat prior to check in, so perhaps people thinking it is worth the extra money to guarantee sitting together.

The staff likely knows the seating arrangement far before people board, so when you ask if there are two seats together, the answer might be no before checking, just because the answer really is no. For example, if a parent came in and asked if they could sit down and talk with the doctor for about 20 minutes about their child, I could immediately say no. I wouldn't have to look at the schedule; I would not have to double check anything. It may seem cold and callous, or like I am not trying, but if the truth is no, then the truth is no. Now, to make them feel better, half the time, I pretend like i am checking, but that just wastes their time and mine.

However, that does not excuse condescending behavior. Perhaps they were having a bad day. Perhaps this next flight, the staff will be peachy keen. Ya never know.

 

[Justthe8ofus]

Now you are making me nervous.

I am flying SW on 8/21 for my cruise the same day. SW hasn't changed the flight and doesn't seem to be one of the airlines involved in this crazy rearranging of flights thing.

Has anyone flown SW to MCO recently? Any issues?

We land at 9:30 am --- I am hoping that is enough of a time cushion in case of mishaps.

I fly SW MCO-PVD 6-8 times a year and they are very good. LOVE SW! Don't stress.

I have flown in the day of 4 times-2xs overseas-and never had a problem. Have a wonderful cruise!

 

[Justthe8ofus]

And of course, hindsight is 20/20. My TA booked the flight. When I went to check in online it wouldn't let me do it because I had "paper tickets". So when we got to the flight, everyone had checked in online and got seats together.

I book my own flights now. Live and learn.

Yes sounds like a bad TA. I have booked flights through the cruiseline for my overseas trips and my TA maked sure we get seats together. Most of the time I don't use a TA anymore. If I am getting OBC or something maybe but, it's easier for me to just do it myself. I planned my land trip to Paris last April all on my own and all turned out great. I did it all flight, hotel, transfers and tours. It's really not that hard.

 

[Holly724]

I booked my cruise for next March a few weeks ago through a travel agent. I was going to book the air travel with it just to be on the safe side, but the agent said there were no flights available out of Houston that I could book with the cruise. Now I am debating if I will fly in or actually drive. We drove to Disney World this past March, but I am not a big fan of being in a car that long. If we do fly, I'll probably book SW.

 

[cruisinmama06]

It is only $6 to guarantee a coach seat prior to check in, so perhaps people thinking it is worth the extra money to guarantee sitting together.

Yep, that's what the gate agent said "You just didn't want to pay $5 to guarantee a seat"

I said "Why would I pay $1,000 for tickets and NOT want to pay $5 for the seat assignments????"

Yep, like I said, live and learn. I have seat assignements for all flights now. And I book it myself.

 

[Justthe8ofus]

I booked my cruise for next March a few weeks ago through a travel agent. I was going to book the air travel with it just to be on the safe side, but the agent said there were no flights available out of Houston that I could book with the cruise. Now I am debating if I will fly in or actually drive. We drove to Disney World this past March, but I am not a big fan of being in a car that long. If we do fly, I'll probably book SW.

I feel your pain. I drove from Olando-Dallas when I was 4 months PG(and sick) with a 12month old and a 2 yr old. I am so bad that I am flying from MCO to FLL for a cruise in November just to avoid a 3-4 hr drive.

I am thinking about driving more now because I just don't want to part with that much $$ to fly. For a family of 8 it adds up fast. We are talking about driving to TN--10 hrs!