What time should you book your flight home after a cruise? Our rule of thumb is to schedule your flight home no earlier than five hours after your ship docks at its homeport. But there are cases where you can make a flight that departs much earlier.
Why so much time? Truth is, there’s a dramatic difference between the day you get on the ship and the day you get off.
On cruise day, everyone is excited to board. Lots of passengers arrive early, standing in line for the opportunity to board early and be among the first on the ship. Show up early, and it might take some time to get aboard. But show up later in the day and the boarding process can take just minutes and you’ll hardly see another person in the terminal.
Debarkation day is completely different.
At that point, people can’t wait to get off the ship. They wake up early and often stand in line to get off the ship first and head back home. The result can be long lines and waits in some cases, meaning if you are in a rush to catch a flight, the stress can be high. There is also the potential of delays (such as fog or weather) meaning a late arrival.
At the same time, the debarkation process has gotten so good that many times you can just walk right off the ship.
It can be a guessing game on when you might be able to get off the ship. Most times it goes smoothly, but there’s always those cases where things get slowed down.
The Process of Getting Off a Cruise Ship
Getting off the ship once a cruise has ended used to be much more time-consuming than boarding.
That’s because before the ship can let passengers off, it has to be cleared by authorities to start debarking. And even then, once you depart the ship you now have to go through customs and immigration to declare anything you bought while you were abroad and be checked back into the country. Combine this delay with thousands of people trying to leave at once and you’ve got a recipe for long waits.
The good news is that ports have dramatically sped up the debarkation process.
First, ships have “self-assist” debarkation. This allows passengers who can carry all their luggage with them to depart first. So if you have an early flight and can carry all your bags, then you can be among the first to get off the ship.
The major issue is that most people seem to opt for this method, instead of waiting to leave later in the morning and not carry their luggage. We’ve seen lines around the ship first thing in the morning that took considerable to get off the ship and out of the terminal. Other times, we’ve literally left the room and haven’t stopped walking until out of the cruise terminal.
Other passengers opt wait for their selected debarkation time (the ship will assign a time to all passengers the day before the ship arrives home). While this means you won’t get off the ship first, the process of actually leaving is usually faster since the lines are shorter by that time.
Second, ports have switched to a facial recognition technology that dramatically speeds up getting through the terminal. It used to be you had to wait in line to meet with a border agent who would check your citizenship documents.
These days, you can often just take a photo that documents you leaving the ship and then walk right off. Note that if you are traveling with a birth certificate instead of a passport, this option isn’t always available and the debarkation will be slower.
When to Schedule Your Flight Home
What this all means is that often getting off the ship can sometimes take literally minutes. Other times, if can take hours. The good news is that debarking these days tends to be relatively quick in most cases.
In any case, given that it can take a considerable amount of time to get off the ship, what time should you book your departing flight?
We recommend scheduling a flight no earlier than five hours after your ship arrives back at home for most cruise ports. However, the absolute bare minimum should be no more than three hours before the ship returns (though we definitely suggest more time).
So if your ship is scheduled to get back home at 7:00 a.m., your flight shouldn’t leave any earlier than 12:00 p.m. to give you plenty of time. Most of the time, this five hours gives you a ton of extra time at the airport. However, it’s important that you leave yourself a cushion should anything go wrong.
If your ship returns at 7:00 a.m., the absolute earliest we think you can make your flight is 10:00 a.m., but that will be tight.
For some ports, we think you need to allow more time given the distance from the cruise port to the closest major airport.
Things That Could Delay You Getting To Your Flight
Unfortunately, getting off the ship isn’t just as simple of having it dock and then rolling your suitcase off. There are a number of factors that can delay things, which is why we recommend an ample cushion before your flight.
Weather Delays
One of the biggest headaches for a cruise ship is fog. Early morning arrivals in humid port cities are a perfect recipe for delays due to fog. It’s not unheard of for a ship to have to wait off the coast for several hours while the fog lifts before making it to port — especially spots like Galveston, which is notorious for fog in the winter months.
Debarkation Delays
We mentioned earlier how there can be huge lines to get off the ship first. With such a rush of people trying to debark at once, it can take up to two hours to make your way off the ship and collect your luggage. Thankfully, that’s a rare occurrence.
If you don’t want to physically wait in line, you can debark later in the day. While that saves you the hassle of just standing around, it doesn’t get you off the ship any earlier.
Customs & Immigration
Anything to declare? Even if you don’t, you’ll have to go through customs and immigration. This is another reason why it can take so long to get off the ship.
Most times it’s a breeze to go through, taking almost no time at all. In fact, you literally take a picture as you leave the ship and walk right out. We’ve also been where it’s a major delay that forces you to stand in line for an eternity.
One tip: Many ports have now implemented facial recognition technology for passengers. You simply take a photo, and you are on your way within seconds. Meanwhile, we’ve noticed those with birth certificates sometimes (not always) still have to stand in line and meet with an officer, which takes much longer. Having your passport could save you considerable time.
Getting to the Airport
Getting to the airport after your cruise can take 15 minutes or more than an hour. It really depends on the cruise port you are sailing from and traffic.
Cruise ports such as Port Canaveral and Galveston are far away (about an hour drive) from the closest airports. Others like Port Everglades are right near the airport.
If you are flying out of a distant port, remember to add drive time to your schedule. You should also factor in time to get picked up if you are taking a shuttle or other transportation to the airport. This can add an extra 10-15 minutes to your trip.
Airport Security
We don’t have to remind you of the potential for long security lines in airports these days. You’ll want to be sure to add in plenty of buffer time to your trip to account for potential delays getting through security and to your flight. This is where services like TSA Pre-Check can save you a lot of time.
You Might Have Plenty of Time at the Airport, But Why Stress?
Ultimately, we think the best thing you can do is pick a flight time that you are comfortable with making. You don’t want to be stressed as you try to make it to the airport. The five-hour cushion should be good if you plan to get off the ship right when it arrives.
If you’d like to plan to have lunch before your flight or take your time arriving at the airport, then plan a little more time.
Passengers sailing from ports with airports close by (meaning a short commute) could likely catch a flight that’s earlier, but keep in mind that adds more risk to catching your plane.
11/10 NCL Ship docking at 0700 at New York Flying out of La Guardia. Cruised several times but usually stay night of disembarkation but unable to do so this time. Our very first cruise(at least 20 years ago) disembarkation was delayed almost 3 hours (don’t remember what port) We are trying to decide if a 1245 flight is possible if I purchase priority access or if we should just plan to carry our bags off ourselves.
12:45 should be doable in my opinion.
Great info! I’m wondering if there is any other reason to book a later flight – in terms of how you feel physically. I’ve never been on a cruise before but I imagine I might feel happy to be on land for a beat before flying. Does that make sense? I’m trying to determine if I should stay overnight in my disembarkation city or if that’s overkill 🙂
Definite overkill. Most cruises you don’t even feel the ocean. If you do feel it, then it’s only occasional.
I actually find I feel the motion of an airplane much more than a cruise ship afterward.
Thank you for the quick reply! I failed to mention I’m going on an Antarctic cruise lol! So there is a good chance of feeling it. But even so, the more I think about it, I’d prefer to just get home rather than wait around that long.
Thanks for the info, Tanner. We are arriving back in Orlando at 6am on the Wonder of the Seas and have an 11am flight scheduled out of MCO. Do you think this will be enough time? Thanks!
If you have TSA Pre-check, I’d think you’re alright. If not, do your best to be the first off, be first on the shuttle, and first off. I think you should be able to do it, but hopefully there are no delays. MCO is actually the airport that convinced me to get pre-check because the regular lines there always seemed long.
If everything goes smoothly, you’ll likely be off the ship and out of security by 8/8:30 a.m., and to the airport by 9:30/10, assuming no delays. That would be plenty of time to get through security and to the plane.
Perfect. Thank you for the quick reply and info!
The cruise ll end its journey on Saturday 6am at Miami and the flight back to Europe is at 11.35am. Do you think it is doable without stress? And what is the best way to go to Miami airport form Miami port?
Thanks in advance
Keith
Flying international should be doable at that time, but obviously it will take a touch longer. You’ll likely be off the ship at 8-9 a.m. and then can catch a taxi or Uber/Lyft to the airport and be there by 9:30.
Our HAL cruise docks at 7:00 am in Fort Lauderdale on a Sunday. Do you think an 11:35 am flight from MIA doable?
Thank you.
I think that should be possible.
I think you have already covered this, but to be sure. We get in to Fort Lauderdale Port at 7am and we have a 10:50am flight. Do you think that gives us enough time? The next flight isn’t until 6:20pm and I don’t really want to wait around that long
If flying from Fort Lauderdale, that’s plenty of time. If flying from Miami, it’s tighter, but I think still doable.
Awesome, thank you. We have quite a few in our group and I planned the flight schedule, I don’t want to have a mob on my hands if I chose poorly 🙂
We are going on a closed loop cruise from FLL to the Bahamas. Will we go through customs upon arrival back in Fort Lauderdale?
Well, it’s customs but it’s not like you might find in an airport. Typically you just walk off the ship, take a photo at the kiosk and you are on your way.
Does this apply for Barcelona cruises, where all ports of calls (Spain, France & Italy) are Schengen countries and EU members as well?
Honestly, we’re not familiar with ports in that region. However, if anything getting to the airport should be easier there where public transportation is more widely available.
Getting a lot of information from your comments. Question: We are returning from an Alaskan Cruise into Seattle on July 22nd (6:00 AM) We are thinking of taking an 11:50 AM flight. Doable? Thanks for the info!
I think that should be plenty of time.
Our airline has changed our flights 3 times. We are currently booked for an 11:35 out of Miami on Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. Carnival has us arriving back at 8 am. We will be taking our luggage off ourselves. Is this doable?
I think so. I’d be sure to be up early on the morning of disembarkation and start making your way down. Still, should be enough time.
Thanks for the information. I read this yesterday and booked our flights for 6:15 pm on the day we disembark. (Which is at 7 am). The latest flights besides this was 10:50 am and it is Port Canaveral so I was worried we wouldn’t make our flight. Anyway, now I’ve realize that we have another problem. What are we going to do with all of our luggage for 8 plus hours? We could explore the area but with luggage for 8 people and Ubering, I can’t see how that will work. Any ideas?
Thanks so much!!
You mighhhht be able to make a 10:50 a.m. flight, but that’s cutting it very close in my opinion. Do you have a plan for what you want to do on the day you get back? Many large attractions (theme parks, etc.) should have a spot where you can keep your bags.
So this will be an “odd” one – we plan on taking the TRAIN down from Richmond Virginia (or Newport News – haven’t 100% decided yet) to Miami, the departure from Miami will be 11:40am – we are sailing on Virgin their arrival is at 6:30. We are sailing as Mega Rockstars so transportation to/from train station isn’t an issue. Do you think the 11:40 departure is cutting it too close on our arrival back to port day?
Also WHERE is the train station IRT the port? I’ve already looked into the hotel for the day before sailing, I’m just curious how far it will be from the hotel (near the port – NOT booked yet) we don’t sail until October this year (2023).
This is our FIRST time cruising – so yeah nerves gaLORE
Thank you for your help
Yep, never heard that one! Google shows the Miami Amtrak station about 10 miles northwest from the cruise port in Hialeah. As for the departure time, I think that would be no issue whatsoever since trains don’t have the same security process & long boarding as planes do. If you already have tickets, I assume it would be as long as you’re there at 11:39, you’re good to go, right?
Yeah, I think you are right – hubs and I did the train from Newport News to NYC (and back) and it was a “hurry and and wait” at the train station (unlike European trains that tend to run “on time”) – I’ll just ensure we are in once of the first groups to depart the ship when we pull in.
Thanks for the map help too.
Hi Tanner. Thanks for all of the great information. Our cruise iteniary states arriving in Miami at 6AM on a Sunday morning (Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas). We will be flying out of Fort Lauderdale. We will self disembark and also have “my key”, not sure if that allows us to get off faster or not.
Do you think a 10:30AM flight is doable? They have a 12PM, but it’s a lot more expensive for my family. I definitely don’t want to miss a flight.
10:30 a.m. from Fort Lauderdale would be doable IF everything goes right, but it’s cutting it extremely close in my opinion. Even with a 6 a.m. arrival, disembarkation beginning at 7:30 is more realistic (it takes time to clear the ship before people can get off). Say you get through quickly, that means you are out the terminal by 8 a.m. Then you’ll need a ride (45-60 minutes), plus adding in time to wait for the ride.
So I would think the earliest you could be at FLL would be 9 a.m. That’s plenty of time to catch the flight, but if there are delays anywhere in that process then it could cause trouble.
Honestly, I’d likely keep the 10:30 flight simply because you say there is a 12 p.m. flight after it that you could maybe be re-booked onto if you miss the earlier time. Most times things go off without a hitch. It’s when there’s an issue that having a little extra time is nice.
We come back to New Orleans on a Sunday and right now NCL has us on 6pm flight is it worth time to see if NCL would move us to a 3pm flight ?
Yes, unless you plan to go explore New Orleans. That’s a pretty late flight.
HI, WE WILL BE ARRIVING TO MIAMI PORT AT 6AM AND MY PLANE DEPARTURES TIME IS 10AM IN FORT LAUDERDALE. SHOULD I CHANGE MY FLIGHT?
Yes, I would suggest a flight time of 11 a.m. at the absolute earliest. Noon would be better.
If I am traveling from Port Canaveral, Fl to the Orlando airport, would it be too early to schedule a flight at 10:25? Carnival stated on the itinerary that we would be arriving at port at 8 AM.
Yes, I think that would be too early. Even if you got off the ship at 8:30, it’s about an hour to the airport and then you still have to get through security.
Hello: I plan on booking a flight out of Tampa that leaves at 10:20. The RCCL ship docks at 7:00. Do you think I can make it? This would happen in April.
Oh, that is borderline. I would lean yes, but it would be very tight.
We are cruising Royal Caribbean out of Fort Lauradel , we come back on 11/11 and says boat will arrrive at 6am to FLL, our flight leaves at 11:10 a.m. are we cutting ourselves too close to make our flight?
If sailing out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and flying out of Fort Lauderdale, that should be plenty of time.
We are cruising Carnival out of New Orleans, we come back on the 16 our flight leaves out of MSY at 11:45 a.m. are we cutting ourselves too close to make our flight?
That should be perfectly fine.
NCL has scheduled flight from seattle at 11:35 am (Aug 24) going to Toronto via Vancouver. Do you think this is feasible given today’s airport issues.
So you are flying from Seattle at 11:35 a.m. after a cruise? I think that should be fine. If you got off the ship at 9 a.m. and it took 45 minutes to get to the airport (usually shorter), then you’d still have more than 1.5 hours.
Our flight from Miami to Toronto, canada has been changed to 11:10am. Do I have enough time.
Should be plenty, although dealing with international travel can sometimes take a little longer. I think you should be fine, however
Our flight home from Seattle got pushed back an hour, from 2pm to 3pm PDT, so now with the time change coming home, we’ll be arriving at 10pm EDT. There is an earlier flight that leaves at noon PDT in Seattle. Is that cutting it too close?
You should be able to do noon. I think you’re good.
We are getting off our Alaskan cruise in Vancouver at 7:00AM . Our flight from Vancouver is at 4: 15 PM. That is a lot of time. Any suggestions what we can do?
Are you sure that you’re getting off at 7 AM or the ship returns then? Normally ships return around 7 AM and then it’s a couple of hours to get off the ship. With the port right downtown, you can explore that area if you like. Near the airport is River Rock Casino. Stanley Park is beautiful and right near the cruise ship.
Our MSC cruise arrives in Miami at 7:00am on a Saturday morning and we fly out of Ft. Lauderdale. The airline just changed my flights and we’re now scheduled to fly out at 12:50pm. Is that enough time, or should I try to reschedule our flights?
Thanks for the help!
I think that should be fine. Definitely use the option to carry your bags off unassisted to be among the first off the ship.
What airport should we fly home from on Disney Cruise NY (Manhattan cruise terminal)? With a 7:30 arrival, what is the earliest flight?
The Newark and LaGuardia airports are both about half an hour away. JFK is about an hour. We’d suggest making your flight no earlier than noon.
Thanks, I also didn’t tell you it is also a Monday (probably more commuters too).
how do you get from southampton england to gatwick airport. we do not have time problems because we fly out the next day. we are staying at the gatwick hilton close to tbe south terminal.
Unfortunately, we are focused on North American ports. Not sure about sailing in Europe.
You can get the train from the airport,and it takes about 2 hours to S/hampton,then a cheap taxi/uber to your terminal..its A LOT cheaper to book in advance..www.thetrainline.com
We will only fly out the next day. Our ship was fogged in at Galveston and instead of arriving at the port at 8:00 a.m. we arrived at 4:00 p.m. Hence, we were unable to make our 5:00 p.m. flight. It cost us $370 a person to rebook our flight. Lesson learned.
I want to fly from Houston to Seattle for an Alaskan cruise. Should I book a hotel room so I won’t be stressed when returning?
Flying back from Seattle after your cruise? We think that any flight after noon on the day you get back home would be fine. We do suggest coming in a day early for departure.
Our cruise is schedule to port at 5am. I want to book a flight that departs at 2:50pm. I don’t want the stress, but I don’t want another hotel stay either. I know we want to get home. I’m nervous though.
What port are you sailing from and what airport? A flight at 3 p.m. should be plenty of time to make your plane.
We’ll be taking a Europe river cruise in May. At the end of the cruise we arrive in Mainz Germany by 8:30am and fly out of Frankfurt, about 15 minutes by train to reach the airport. What time should we book a flight out on the same day?
We’d suggest nothing earlier than noon.
I am in total agreement that flights should not be scheduled soon after cruises. In fact, I actually prefer scheduling the flight for the day after I debark from the cruise ship. This way I have some time to relax and don’t have to worry about the lines on the cruise ship. It also means that I don’t often have to worry about the ship being delayed. All of this translates to less stress and an easier time arranging transportation to the airport.
That what a friend and I are doing. We are flying into Miami so that we have one full day in miami beach to sitesee and stay until the next day after our cruise. Just less stress.
That’s a great idea. We’ve done the same — a day/night at South Beach and then head to the cruise port the next day. It’s a fun way to start the trip!