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Avoid flying on the day of your cruise if you can — but sometimes you can’t

In the picture you see here, it’s 11:45 am, and I’m about to board a cruise ship. Just about seven hours earlier, I’d woken up in my bed in North Carolina. That bemused look you see is probably because I knew I’d gotten away with something: flying to the port on the day of my cruise.

Travel agents the world over universally agree on one thing: You should always fly to the port the day before your cruise. This advice has only gotten better over the years, as air travel has become more complicated and prone to delays. One computer glitch can knock out travel for a whole day for a certain airport or even a whole airline.

But my cruise was leaving Friday, and I had to teach a class on Thursday night. So I flew in the day of my cruise, and it worked. It worked so well, in fact, it almost made me reconsider my travel plans for the future. Did I really need to fly in the day before every time?

The answer is still yes. 😂 But if you have no choice but to fly the day of your cruise, here’s some advice:

Fly nonstop if you can. This is a no brainer — it just makes sense to only risk it with one flight, instead of two. Sometimes this might mean driving to an alternate airport to get a nonstop flight, but it’s worth it.

Choose your airport wisely. If possible, try to fly out of a larger airport or hub that has lots of flight options, in case your original flight is canceled.

Pick the earliest flight you can. It’s worth paying a little more to have the earliest flight so you’ll have more options if you get canceled or delayed.

Consider a backup flight. This is probably a better option for solos or couples, and especially for people who travel a lot. I’ll sometimes buy tickets on two different airlines, especially if I have the option to buy one with miles and have it refunded if I don’t need to use it. That way, I already have an option booked if something goes wrong with my original flight.

Flying in the day of your cruise can work — I’m living proof of that — but it’s a gamble, not a strategy. If you have the flexibility, give yourself that extra day and make sure you arrive at your port city with plenty of time. And if you don’t? Plan smart, stack the odds in your favor, and maybe you’ll get away with it too.