Disembarking Cruise and Plane Times

[Gildwulf]

Here is an awkward exchange I'm in the process of resolving with cruises@partypoker.com

Them:

"Yada yada, cruise...

The ship departs Fort Lauderdale Port at 5:00 pm on Sunday, March 12, 2006. If you are traveling by plane, schedule your arriving Fort Lauderdale flight no later that 2:00 pm on the date of the cruise. Boarding will start at approx. 12:00 pm (noon). No boarding will be allowed after 3:30 pm.

The departure pier will be printed on the tickets and are not specified yet. The tickets will be dispatched by Card Player Cruises two weeks before the departure. The ship arrives back in Fort Lauderdale at 8:00 am on Sunday, March 19, 2006. Do not schedule your returning flight home until at 2:00 pm."

Me:

"Hi,

You said the ship gets in at 8am. How long will it take to disembark and how far away is the airport by cab? Would an 11'o clock flight to Boston be OK, giving us an hour to get there (8-9am)? Please let us know because an 11am or 12am flight would be much easier and less expensive. "

Them:
"Zach:

While the ship is scheduled to return to port at 8:00 a.m., by the time it clears customs and everyone gets off and clears customs it could be as late as 12:00 noon.

Plus it depends on which airport you fly in to, Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

I would suggest not booking a flight out before 2:30 p.m., maybe a bit later if you are flying out of Miami due to the travel distance."

Me:

"Hi Dan,

Argh. The only flight that worked with the very very specific itinerary leaves at 11:45AM from Fort Lauderdale. My girlfriend and I are also flying into Boston and then driving back to Montreal so I can go to work on Monday. I assumed from the first email that even if we don't get off until 10am that still leaves us an hour and a half before departure with a 15 minute cab ride.

What is the approximate time to taxi from the boat to the airport in Fort Lauderdale? Would it be possible if my girlfriend and I could be some of the first off the boat? I have work on Monday in Montreal and really cannot miss that plane."

So...are they blowing smoke up my ass? Can anyone who has gone on these cruises (i.e. MicroBob and TheMetreon, [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]) let me know if I'm screwed or not? I have an 1145AM flight leaving from the airport that is non-refundable and it was literally the only schedule that worked with the times they gave me. I assumed that even if it takes two hours to disembark (10am) that it would be a 15 minute cab ride to the airport or so, which still gives me an hour an a half before my flight. Am I totally wrong? Anyways, let me know because I absolutely need to be at work on Monday in Montreal.

Thanks guys,
Zach

[chalk7]

i was wondering about this as well. i tend to think they are being very cautious with their time frames, but i have never been on a cruise.

[Nick-Zack]

The noon flight will work fine. A few days before the ship returns to port go to the main desk in the lobby. Tell them that you have an early flight and they will let you off the ship first. I have been at the airport by 10:00 AM on several cruises.

[PokerAl]

I suggest you email or call Card Player Cruises, as they are hosting the cruise and tournament. Their contact info at on their website at -
http://www.CardPlayerCruises.com

[MicroBob]

do as nick-zack suggests. you will need to request to be one of the first off.

chances you get stopped for very long (if at all) by customs are probably slim.

finding your luggage and what-not can be a pain.

I sure wouldn't want an 11:30a flight as I think you will be pushing it a little bit.


It's spring-break time in south Florida. Traffic can really really really suck.
However at 9am-ish on a Sunday morning you should hopefully have mostly smooth sailing.
The cabs will be waiting right there to pick you up and you should be able to pull it off I suspect.


You'll also have to clear the foreign check-out thingee early in the morning I think because you're Canadian...but they don't let anyone off the boat until every non-American is accounted for on this...so it's not something that would delay you specifically.
My gf had to do this and said it wasn't a big deal.
They called Vince Van Patten's name over the speakers for this about 9-zillion times (not sure why, would have assumed he was American).

[Gildwulf]

Vince Van Patton is clearly a Latverian baron.

My girlfriend and I are both dual citizens (American and Canadian) so that shouldn't be a problem at all.

Thanks for the help, Bob and Nick-Zack and Al.

Zach

[Nick-Zack]

The easiest way off these cruises is to pack real light. I only bring one bag and don't set it out the night before. They I leave whenever I want. The big delay is waiting to get called so you can go find your bag. Carry your bag with you and cruise right on out.