Heads up fellow cruisers - I've been tracking flight delays for my upcoming Norwegian Getaway sailing, and Newark's recent performance has me seriously rethinking my usual pre-cruise flight strategy. As someone who's done 30+ sailings out of NYC/NJ ports, I typically fly in the morning of embarkation (I know, I know - risky!). But with Newark now showing the worst delay rates among major US airports, I'm switching to flying in the night before, even for those pricey Manhattan hotel stays.
After crunching the actual delay stats from my last 6 sailings through EWR, I've noticed delays are particularly bad during summer afternoon thunderstorm season - exactly when most of us are trying to make those 4-5pm cruise check-in windows. For my August Caribbean sailing, I booked the 6pm arrival the night before instead of chancing the morning-of flights. Yes, it adds about $250 for the hotel, but that's way cheaper than missing the ship. Pro tip: the Newark Airport Marriott often has cruise passenger rates that include shuttle service both ways.
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