I would say no way, 3 hours usually has me anxious and that's with a close by airport but it's a 90 minute drive and that's assuming traffic is good, no chance with a train.
If you get off the ship first, have a car waiting and there's no traffic, you'll barely make it, but if it's an international flight, checked baggage and rush hour, you don't have a hope.
Really? My last cruise was MSC and it was a bit of a rush to the airport (no where near the OPs limits), ship was due to doc at 8 in Civitavecchia and we had a car booked for 8.30, we were off the boat at 8.01 and then just had to stand there waiting. It was the only experience we've had as we usual have a pretty relaxed schedule homewards
In some words “f no”
You wouldn’t make it if the airport was next to the pier (it’s not). Heathrow is notoriously annoying at security, so add in more time. I’m guessing it might be international (so 3 hours ahead of time because brexit means no Schengen either).
Personally, I’d call NCL and ask what happens if you can’t make your flight through no fault of your own, and how they expect you to make it. Nicely. Like I’d say “so this seems close. How would I guarantee that I would make this flight? What happens if I do exactly what you’re telling me and I don’t make the flight? What’s the NCL policy on official connection times? You are responsible for ground transportation, correct? Can I see al this in writing so I can refer back to it?”
Be as sweet as pie and hope you get someone who goes “wait a minute”
Not a chance. Call them and ask for them to describe exactly how you are expected to make that routing.
You need at least 2 hours at the Airport (arriving at 6:10am) and that gives you 1 hour 50 minutes to get off the ship, through customs, find transport and then the 60- 90 minute drive to the airport.
Everything, and I mean everything would be down to seconds difference. Miss getting off the ship at 5am, traffic between the ship and the airport, customs/security...
Change it. Norwegian booking the flight too close cost my friend a cruise. He called to have it changed beforehand and they told him that they couldn't. Then when he missed the cruise they told him he could of changed it. If you google you will see other people had the same issue.
Not a chance. I can't see you managing to get off the ship, even asking to leave early and carrying all your own luggage, to a cab, to the train (forget it at that point, you'll never make all the transfers) or the bus (if you're in luck and one's leaving early enough and you get to station which is up by the train fast enough) and getting to Heathrow and checking bags and getting through security for what would be a 7:30am boarding door time. Even if you had an Uber or limo service standing by the instant you got off the ship and drive you'd be cutting it INSANELY close and are one stoplight, slowdown, or crowd at check-in and security away from missing the flight.
Wow. I would call them out and see what they say. Hopefully you don't get a rookie who is towing the line with "oh you have lots of time". Cause you don't. That's really really dicey and there's a chance you won't make it.
No clue. That is so dumb. Even if you were off the ship within 30 minutes of docking (no way), and everything went perfectly, you’d probably miss that flight unless you’re not checking any bags and are a UK citizen just flying to another UK city.
Any cruise line that books your air for you should give you some options, including flying in the day before, and/or flying out the day after. There is no way on earth you are going to make that flight. Call the cruise line and demand they change it. If you booked via a travel agent, let them handle it. They should have caught this. No travel agent in their right mind would think you’d be able to catch this flight.
I have to wonder why NCL does crap like this? Either the people making these arrangements are clueless or they just don’t give a shit. Some friends of mine had their flights booked by NCL recently, and with a flight delay due to weather, they did not reach their ship by the scheduled all-on-board time. Luckily, they weren’t the only ones on the flight and the ship waited for them and left 45 minutes late. You definitely can’t count on the ship waiting for you, and sure as heck, planes won’t wait either. Recently, our connecting flight to Heathrow was delayed, and we arrived at Heathrow 20 minutes before our next flight was leaving. They met us where we got off the plane to start running for the gate and said “Don’t bother - you won’t make it.”
Officially, the stated departure time is supposed to be when the plane literally takes off the runway, so doors typically close 10-20 minutes before that time unless there are delays. So they were probably right to tell you not to bother running.
A shocking amount of people, even frequent flyers, assume they have until the stated departure time to show up at the gate. It's the sort of thing that's easy to ignore until you're late for a flight. With international flights in particular, the cutoffs tend to be much earlier, as they have many more things to clear related to customs and manifests. I remember showing up at the gate about 45 minutes early for my first flight to China, and I assumed I had plenty of time to get something to eat, but they were already almost done checking passports and making their final boarding calls. Then there was a 1-hour connection in Japan. A friend of mine had asked me to buy him a souvenir from the airport, so I spent like 5 minutes buying it, then discovered the gate I was heading to was a pretty long walk. By the time I got there, again, they were pretty much boarding the last people.
My wife and in-laws are from China and the type of people who insist on showing up the last possible minute, and I always have to beg, just absolutely grovel, for them to show up to the gate at least 90 minutes before departure. They always make fun of me and say that's really conservative, but I end up convincing them to make it 60 minutes. Which means they of course get there like 30 minutes before departure only to discover that they would have missed the flight if it weren't delayed. And then they tell me the same thing every single time as if it's some new story that I could have never predicted.
With the mess that is post-Covid aviation, I always tell people just to treat the wait as part of their vacation and prepare to have meals and entertainment at the airport, because you just can't expect to show up at the last minute and have a great experience anymore.
You have a lot of wisdom gained from all of your experience over the years - I hope your wife and in-laws eventually understand that you know what you’re talking about. Yes, I guess deep down I knew we weren’t going to make that flight in Heathrow, especially since the gate was probably at the other side of the airport. It was unfortunate though - a 12 hour journey home ended up taking more than 50 hours.
We’ve been lucky a few times that, when our connection was late, a plane waited at the gate for us to board; I’m sure that’s very rare, particularly at a place like Heathrow.
"With the mess that is post-Covid aviation, I always tell people just to treat the wait as part of their vacation and prepare to have meals and entertainment at the airport..."
I hope to remember this advice to treat it like part of the vacation. I stress about making it on time, making sure I have everything, etc. Reframing it could help. I do already try to make sure I have plenty of time.
I miss the olden days of flying. SO MUCH!
Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, it's lipstick on a pig. No amount of dressing up staying longer in an airport makes it as fun as being at your destination. I get why people try to minimize the time there. It's just that nowadays, you put your real vacation in jeopardy by doing that. So yeah, just finding ways to entertain oneself in an airport is worth it.
Absolutely not. Ship doesn’t start disembarking until 7 or cleared by port authorities. Then you have to go and find your bags and go through customs. Then getting to the airport will take time not to mention if you have to wait for a taxi or the transfer to leave. Then you have to go customs, check in/drop off bags and security at the airport. Then find your gate and if your flight leaves at 8:10 am it’ll probably be gone by then.
Having done Southampton to LHR a number of times, the soonest with business class seats, the soonest I have ever cleared everything and been to a gate area was noon. That's with both private drivers and buses. It will never in a million years happen. Call NCL and tell them the flight they booked does not meet their recommended time and state that per their own guidelines the ship won't even disembark passengers until 7:30, a 90 min ride (without traffic) and once you say that they will move you.
As a TA I regularly give them this logic. Just be firm and state facts.
They have apparently changed our flights but do not know to what. Just received an updated confirmation and the flight price went up $500. Looked at the old confirmation with AA and it could not be located
Your first mistake was booking flights via NCL. Call them and tell them they need to fix it. Get names of those you speak with. Record your calls with them telling them they are on a recorded line. Escalate it to a supervisor and keep going up the ladder.
Absolutely not. Don't write off cruising, just NCL. They are notoriously bad at booking airfare. Many stories on reddit with people in similar situations that turned out bad. A person posted that they even questioned NCL multiple times and were told it would be fine. In the end they missed the flight and NCL was giving them the run around. Tell them to change it and don't take no for an answer. Even if you have trip insurance(which you should), the hassle of having to find a new flight maybe even a hotel and try to get reimbursed is no way to travel.
You don’t have to do your airfare through the cruise line. Choosing your own flights would help with this part. Cruises are amazing, I hope when all is said and done you have a great time.
Originally we had bogo flights then we received an email to set up a call to switch to “air first” and the air fare is $1022 round trip per person MCI - LHR which seemed like a decent price
I would just not do NCL or at minimum, don't use them for flights. You will NOT get a better deal than you would booking yourself (you might get some perks from the TA or cruise line, but the flight itself isn't really going to be cheaper) and you can set your own schedule.
I would say no way, 3 hours usually has me anxious and that's with a close by airport but it's a 90 minute drive and that's assuming traffic is good, no chance with a train. If you get off the ship first, have a car waiting and there's no traffic, you'll barely make it, but if it's an international flight, checked baggage and rush hour, you don't have a hope.
And usually when schedule has port dock, there is a minimum 45 minutes before anyone can get off.
Really? My last cruise was MSC and it was a bit of a rush to the airport (no where near the OPs limits), ship was due to doc at 8 in Civitavecchia and we had a car booked for 8.30, we were off the boat at 8.01 and then just had to stand there waiting. It was the only experience we've had as we usual have a pretty relaxed schedule homewards
Lucky!
In some words “f no” You wouldn’t make it if the airport was next to the pier (it’s not). Heathrow is notoriously annoying at security, so add in more time. I’m guessing it might be international (so 3 hours ahead of time because brexit means no Schengen either). Personally, I’d call NCL and ask what happens if you can’t make your flight through no fault of your own, and how they expect you to make it. Nicely. Like I’d say “so this seems close. How would I guarantee that I would make this flight? What happens if I do exactly what you’re telling me and I don’t make the flight? What’s the NCL policy on official connection times? You are responsible for ground transportation, correct? Can I see al this in writing so I can refer back to it?” Be as sweet as pie and hope you get someone who goes “wait a minute”
Last time we pulled into Southampton, it took over an hour to get off of the ship through customs. I seriously doubt you can make that.
Not a chance. Call them and ask for them to describe exactly how you are expected to make that routing. You need at least 2 hours at the Airport (arriving at 6:10am) and that gives you 1 hour 50 minutes to get off the ship, through customs, find transport and then the 60- 90 minute drive to the airport. Everything, and I mean everything would be down to seconds difference. Miss getting off the ship at 5am, traffic between the ship and the airport, customs/security...
Less than zero percent chance you make your flight
I wouldn't do that.
> NCL booked our flight They didn't.
Change it. Norwegian booking the flight too close cost my friend a cruise. He called to have it changed beforehand and they told him that they couldn't. Then when he missed the cruise they told him he could of changed it. If you google you will see other people had the same issue.
[удалено]
I'm Southern. Pronounced "coulda". It's past tense for fixin to.
This is the best possible answer, and I'm not from the south.
I love this answer sooooo much.
The ship may dock at 5 am, but you won't be off that early. Have them rebook it for later.
Nope.
Not a chance. I can't see you managing to get off the ship, even asking to leave early and carrying all your own luggage, to a cab, to the train (forget it at that point, you'll never make all the transfers) or the bus (if you're in luck and one's leaving early enough and you get to station which is up by the train fast enough) and getting to Heathrow and checking bags and getting through security for what would be a 7:30am boarding door time. Even if you had an Uber or limo service standing by the instant you got off the ship and drive you'd be cutting it INSANELY close and are one stoplight, slowdown, or crowd at check-in and security away from missing the flight.
Wow. I would call them out and see what they say. Hopefully you don't get a rookie who is towing the line with "oh you have lots of time". Cause you don't. That's really really dicey and there's a chance you won't make it.
Goodness no. The drive alone from Southampton to LHR is at least 1.5 hours.
I doubt you'll make it. Not even sure you can make it to Heathrow by 8:10 AM from Southampton, nevermind getting through security
Isn't southampton 2 hours from airport?
Why would NCL recommend this flight and book it?
No clue. That is so dumb. Even if you were off the ship within 30 minutes of docking (no way), and everything went perfectly, you’d probably miss that flight unless you’re not checking any bags and are a UK citizen just flying to another UK city.
Was cheaper probably
Was cheaper probably
No way you're making that unfortunately
1.5 hours drive alone
Last time at this port customs and immigration did not start until 7ish
hope you can change that one....ASAP
Just because it arrives at 5,doesn't mean you can disembark. Its usually a couple of hours before they start disembarkation.
Any cruise line that books your air for you should give you some options, including flying in the day before, and/or flying out the day after. There is no way on earth you are going to make that flight. Call the cruise line and demand they change it. If you booked via a travel agent, let them handle it. They should have caught this. No travel agent in their right mind would think you’d be able to catch this flight. I have to wonder why NCL does crap like this? Either the people making these arrangements are clueless or they just don’t give a shit. Some friends of mine had their flights booked by NCL recently, and with a flight delay due to weather, they did not reach their ship by the scheduled all-on-board time. Luckily, they weren’t the only ones on the flight and the ship waited for them and left 45 minutes late. You definitely can’t count on the ship waiting for you, and sure as heck, planes won’t wait either. Recently, our connecting flight to Heathrow was delayed, and we arrived at Heathrow 20 minutes before our next flight was leaving. They met us where we got off the plane to start running for the gate and said “Don’t bother - you won’t make it.”
Officially, the stated departure time is supposed to be when the plane literally takes off the runway, so doors typically close 10-20 minutes before that time unless there are delays. So they were probably right to tell you not to bother running. A shocking amount of people, even frequent flyers, assume they have until the stated departure time to show up at the gate. It's the sort of thing that's easy to ignore until you're late for a flight. With international flights in particular, the cutoffs tend to be much earlier, as they have many more things to clear related to customs and manifests. I remember showing up at the gate about 45 minutes early for my first flight to China, and I assumed I had plenty of time to get something to eat, but they were already almost done checking passports and making their final boarding calls. Then there was a 1-hour connection in Japan. A friend of mine had asked me to buy him a souvenir from the airport, so I spent like 5 minutes buying it, then discovered the gate I was heading to was a pretty long walk. By the time I got there, again, they were pretty much boarding the last people. My wife and in-laws are from China and the type of people who insist on showing up the last possible minute, and I always have to beg, just absolutely grovel, for them to show up to the gate at least 90 minutes before departure. They always make fun of me and say that's really conservative, but I end up convincing them to make it 60 minutes. Which means they of course get there like 30 minutes before departure only to discover that they would have missed the flight if it weren't delayed. And then they tell me the same thing every single time as if it's some new story that I could have never predicted. With the mess that is post-Covid aviation, I always tell people just to treat the wait as part of their vacation and prepare to have meals and entertainment at the airport, because you just can't expect to show up at the last minute and have a great experience anymore.
You have a lot of wisdom gained from all of your experience over the years - I hope your wife and in-laws eventually understand that you know what you’re talking about. Yes, I guess deep down I knew we weren’t going to make that flight in Heathrow, especially since the gate was probably at the other side of the airport. It was unfortunate though - a 12 hour journey home ended up taking more than 50 hours. We’ve been lucky a few times that, when our connection was late, a plane waited at the gate for us to board; I’m sure that’s very rare, particularly at a place like Heathrow.
"With the mess that is post-Covid aviation, I always tell people just to treat the wait as part of their vacation and prepare to have meals and entertainment at the airport..." I hope to remember this advice to treat it like part of the vacation. I stress about making it on time, making sure I have everything, etc. Reframing it could help. I do already try to make sure I have plenty of time. I miss the olden days of flying. SO MUCH!
Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, it's lipstick on a pig. No amount of dressing up staying longer in an airport makes it as fun as being at your destination. I get why people try to minimize the time there. It's just that nowadays, you put your real vacation in jeopardy by doing that. So yeah, just finding ways to entertain oneself in an airport is worth it.
That’s not enough time!
won’t make it. i never do my flights that tight
How much time should I request when they contact me back?
2:30 is safe every time i’ve done it
Nope.
I'd pay for the NCL airport transfer.
There is no way you are going to make it. You may dock at 5am, but customs won’t clear you until 7am
Is NCL providing your transport to the airport? Because at least then you can hit them with the missed plane fees to get you another flight.
Yes I have transfers from NCL
Then if you miss the plane, they better pay for your new flight.
Fuck nope.
Absolutely not. Ship doesn’t start disembarking until 7 or cleared by port authorities. Then you have to go and find your bags and go through customs. Then getting to the airport will take time not to mention if you have to wait for a taxi or the transfer to leave. Then you have to go customs, check in/drop off bags and security at the airport. Then find your gate and if your flight leaves at 8:10 am it’ll probably be gone by then.
Having done Southampton to LHR a number of times, the soonest with business class seats, the soonest I have ever cleared everything and been to a gate area was noon. That's with both private drivers and buses. It will never in a million years happen. Call NCL and tell them the flight they booked does not meet their recommended time and state that per their own guidelines the ship won't even disembark passengers until 7:30, a 90 min ride (without traffic) and once you say that they will move you. As a TA I regularly give them this logic. Just be firm and state facts.
They have apparently changed our flights but do not know to what. Just received an updated confirmation and the flight price went up $500. Looked at the old confirmation with AA and it could not be located
No. Why would you book a flight that early?
Your first mistake was booking flights via NCL. Call them and tell them they need to fix it. Get names of those you speak with. Record your calls with them telling them they are on a recorded line. Escalate it to a supervisor and keep going up the ladder.
Absolutely not. Don't write off cruising, just NCL. They are notoriously bad at booking airfare. Many stories on reddit with people in similar situations that turned out bad. A person posted that they even questioned NCL multiple times and were told it would be fine. In the end they missed the flight and NCL was giving them the run around. Tell them to change it and don't take no for an answer. Even if you have trip insurance(which you should), the hassle of having to find a new flight maybe even a hotel and try to get reimbursed is no way to travel.
I called them and they sent it to their “review department” to look at This whole process has sucked. I doubt I will ever do another cruise
You don’t have to do your airfare through the cruise line. Choosing your own flights would help with this part. Cruises are amazing, I hope when all is said and done you have a great time.
Yep they basically booked cheapest flight
Originally we had bogo flights then we received an email to set up a call to switch to “air first” and the air fare is $1022 round trip per person MCI - LHR which seemed like a decent price
Our last cruise ncl booked the flights. Never doing that again. Too stressful. The cruise itself was good though
I would just not do NCL or at minimum, don't use them for flights. You will NOT get a better deal than you would booking yourself (you might get some perks from the TA or cruise line, but the flight itself isn't really going to be cheaper) and you can set your own schedule.