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New to cruising Fly-cruises

Navigating Airport Transfers and Pre-Cruise Stays: A Fly Cruise Guide

Discover just how easy it is – and how much bigger your world becomes – on a fly-cruise with Cunard.

5 min 23 Apr 2025

Flights

Getting to your ship in port - airport transfers

Hotel stays

Top travel tips for fly-cruises

Intrigued to see where our fly-cruises could take you?

Alaskan glaciers. Caribbean beaches. Asian temples. The world becomes so much bigger on a fly-cruise. If you’ve seen all there is to see on a cruise from Southampton or you’d simply like to explore further afield on our Queens, our fly-cruises are the perfect holiday choice.

Fly-cruising offers so many additional benefits, on top of those you already experience sailing with Cunard. Starting your cruise overseas makes it possible to discover far-off destinations, even when time is limited. Days usually spent sailing from or to Southampton are condensed to a flight, meaning more of your holiday is spent in the ports you want to see, rather than at sea.

What’s more, flying gives you the option to break up your journey or extend your holiday with a land-based stay at either end of your cruise – so you don’t have to head home as soon as you disembark your Queen.

Read on to learn more about navigating airport transfers and pre-cruise stays on a fly-cruise with Cunard, and the provisions we put in place to ensure your holiday is as effortless as our cruises from Southampton.

Flights

We want you to enjoy the ultimate freedom when it comes to your fly-cruise, so we offer you the option to add flights to your booking at your discretion, giving you the flexibility to source your own flights should you prefer.

There are, however, some benefits to booking your flights through us. The main one being the reassurance that if your flight is cancelled or delayed, we’ll step in to get to your ship – whatever the cost to us. Also, should your flight land during the night, we’ll book you into a hotel at our compliments, so you can embark your Queen feeling refreshed and well-rested the next day.

How to add a flight to your cruise booking

If you’re booking your fly-cruise directly through our website, you’ll be given the opportunity to add a flight to your booking at your voyage summary page. Simply click the ‘add a flight’ link and you’ll be taken to the flight options for your cruise. Once your flight is added, your voyage total will update to reflect that flights are included.

You can also book your flights by calling our Customer Contact Centre. They’ll talk through all of the options and offer advice on things like stateroom grades, accessibility, luggage, and dining.

Of course, there’s no need to add a flight to your booking straight away if you don’t want to. If you’d like a little more time to think it over, you can simply book your cruise only and call us back at a later date to add flights. This option applies for guests who booked their cruise directly through our website or via our Customer Contact Centre.

Sourcing your own flights for your voyage

If you decide to source your own flights, it’s vital that you factor in enough time to get to the cruise terminal from the airport. Don’t forget to account for the time it takes to pass through immigration and collect your bags, in addition to making the transfer to your ship in port.

Another important consideration is what you’ll do if your flight is delayed or cancelled. Make sure you protect yourself by taking out comprehensive travel insurance that includes cover for travel disruptions, cancellations, and missed embarkation, in any circumstances.

If you do book your flights independently of us, it may be wise to fly in the day before embarkation and stay in a hotel close to the cruise terminal. That way, if plans do go awry, you’ll hopefully have allowed enough time to complete your journey.

Getting to your ship in port - airport transfers

So, you’ve arrived at JFK to embark on your Westbound Transatlantic Crossing to Southampton, or Barcelona-El Prat for your cruise of the Mediterranean. You’re now in the same time zone as your Cunard Queen. All that’s left is to get yourself, and your luggage, to the cruise terminal.

For flights booked through us

If you booked your flights through us, you won’t have to concern yourself with these details. Complimentary airport transfers to and from your ship are automatically included with all Cunard flight bookings, and we’ll have Cunard team members on the ground to greet you at the airport as you make your way through arrivals towards the exit.

They’ll be monitoring your flight in real time, so even if you do arrive a little later, they’ll be waiting. You can then simply sit back and admire the scenery as you’re driven from the airport to your ship for embarkation.

For Cunard flight guests, the embarkation time on your boarding pass will reflect your flight and transfer times, and we’ll always get you to your ship, so you can relax and enjoy the journey.

For flights booked independently

For flights booked independently, you’ll need to arrange your own travel from the airport to the cruise terminal. Bear in mind that some airports (such as Rome) may be more than one hour’s drive away, and journey times may increase during rush hour.

If you’re making the connection by train or bus, we recommend keeping a copy of the relevant timetables to hand, just in case your planned route is impacted on the day of travel.

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Hotel stays

After being thoroughly (and deservedly) spoilt by White Star Service, illuminating entertainment, and exquisite dining on board your Cunard Queen, it can be disheartening to have to say goodbye. However, with a fly-cruise, your holiday doesn’t have to end when your cruise does.

By booking a hotel stay before or after your cruise, you can make your holiday last longer. After all, you’ve already gone to the effort of flying, so why not indulge in a smidge more exploring?

With handpicked hotels in ports all over the world, our hotel packages offer a simple way to extend your stay in your embarkation or disembarkation port – or another city of your choosing. All include breakfast (unless otherwise stated), along with luggage porterage and the services of a local Cunard representative. You’ll also benefit from complimentary local taxis throughout your stay and airport transfers when it’s time to check out.

Alternatively, why not add another destination to the mix with a hotel stay in a different country or city from the port you’re flying to? You could stop off for some sightseeing in New York on your way to Seattle, spend a little time admiring Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia in Barcelona en route to Rome, or soak-up the Floridian sunshine before flying back to London.

To take advantage, simply add a hotel to your cruise booking before checking out on our website or, to make more bespoke travel plans, give our Customer Contact Centre a call.

To find out more about our hotel offering, including our flagship hotel The Londoner, please visit our hotel packages page.

Top travel tips for fly-cruises

Carry a little local currency with you

Travelling with local currency is always a good idea on a fly-cruise, particularly as some smaller shops or cafés may operate minimum spend limits on card payments or only accept cash. Nominal charges also often apply to public toilets, so you may find yourself grateful that you had the foresight to come armed with some spare change.

Be aware of visa and local entry requirements

Another important to-do on a fly-cruise is making sure you’ve obtained any visas you need to travel. Visas (where applicable) will be required for all the countries you’re entering or passing through, so it’s vital you do your research and allow enough time to receive any visas you need for your voyage. Even if you don’t intend on disembarking your ship, visas still apply. The same goes for your passport’s validity. Entry requirements per country are known to differ, so after booking your holiday we highly recommend checking that your passport will meet local entry requirements and – if needs be – applying for a new passport in plenty of time for your cruise.

Remember your driver’s licence

A driver’s licence is essential if you plan on hiring a car at any point before or after your cruise. A valid licence may also be required if you want to embark on any self-driving Shore Experiences (subject to availability) during your holiday.

Pack your first day’s essentials in your hand luggage

When travelling on a fly-cruise it’s always wise to pack anything you will need for your first day on board in your hand luggage. This includes your travel documents – passports, boarding passes, insurance paperwork – as well as any medications you need. We also recommend packing a selection of toiletries and a spare change of clothes, in case your suitcases don’t reach your stateroom until later that evening.

Make bookings before you board

Whether you relish getting under the skin of a new city with a local guide or dining in a different restaurant each day, the beauty of a cruise is that you know exactly where in the world you’ll be on any given day. This makes it easy to plan and pre-book experiences to enjoy while you’re away. Simply log in to your My Cunard account and you’ll be able to access a day-by-day view of your itinerary that tells you which ports you’ll be in on which days.

All of the Shore Experiences for your cruise will be available to browse and book in advance of sailing, along with selected evening entertainment, dining, and spa treatments. How much (or how little) you reserve is up to you. You’ll have access to My Cunard up until the day before you embark your Cunard Queen, and your bookings will also appear in your My Voyage app on board, so you’ll never lose sight of your plans and appointments.

Intrigued to see where our fly-cruises could take you?

If you’re open to the idea of a holiday on our Queens that takes you a little further from home, why not explore our upcoming fly-cruises to see if there’s an itinerary that appeals?

With voyages sailing all around the world, offering you the same convenient way to travel as with our cruises from Southampton, you could soon find yourself stepping ashore in a destination you’ve always dreamed of visiting, or one you never imagined would be possible. Now, wouldn’t that be incredible?