Posting this because I always see people say it’s impossible to board at the next port. At least with Virgin Voyages, it is possible.
I flew in the day of the cruise (bad idea, I know) during the big flight cancellation mess in November. Multiple delays, mechanical issues, airspace restrictions near Miami… long story short, I missed embarkation.
When I finally spoke to a Virgin rep at the port, they told me I didn’t qualify for future cruise credit since I flew same day, but they did give me the option to join the ship two days later in Costa Maya. I’d miss two nights of a six night cruise, but something was better than nothing.
I booked one way flights to Tulum the next morning, stayed overnight, then made my way to Costa Maya by colectivo. At the port, Mexican immigration checked my passport, then I was escorted directly to the ship and boarded with no drama. Paperwork was handled electronically in advance.
Downside: I was required to be first off the ship on disembarkation day at 6:30am, even though I had a late flight. That part sucked.
Lesson learned, I’ll never fly in same day again. But just wanted to share that boarding at the next port can happen, at least on Virgin.
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