cruise ship disembarkation time

On the airport's website they recommend that you arrive 2.5 to 3 hours before your flight. And depending on where your ship docks you can probably assume that it takes around 45 minutes to an hour to get to the airport. So yes, you are cutting it very close.

Where does your ship dock and which airport do you fly out of? Also is this a domestic flight for you or an international flight? Personally I wouldn’t attempt this via taxi or cruise bus transfer. Can you change your flight time or day?

Mona's questions are spot on.

If this is a flight back to the US, you absolutely want at least 3 hours at KEF. It can be total chaos once you get to security and then especially at the gates. They do not announce the gates until about 45 minutes before departure. If you are flying to the US, know that all flights leave out of the D gates, so go there before they even announce the gates. There are restaurants you can sit down at, and then there is limited seating in the gate areas.

I dont know anything about cruises in Iceland, but every one I've been on elsewhere, the disembarkation process takes a while (and is staged) because they have to unload all the baggage before the passengers. A 6:00 AM docking time may not mean the doors open at 6:00AM. Then there is a customs process if the ship has been outside the country. I'd check with CruiseCritic forum and see what people who've taken this cruise have experienced.

Depending on the size of your ship, you'll be competing with a fair number of people in a similar situation so getting a taxi might take just as long as the cruise transfer.

Assuming you're going back to US, most of the US bound flights are only one flight per day, so if you miss your flight you'll very likely have to wait at least overnight for the next one, possibly longer if they're booked up. If you don't have trip insurance that covers missed connections, you would be well served to look into getting a policy (if it isn't too late). Best of luck.

Our Windstar cruise left from the eastern cruise port and disembarked at the downtown cruise port. The airport check-in security line ( late afternoon) was so long they had to turn off the escalators.

I think you will not make your flight.

If you don't have trip insurance that covers missed connections, you would be well served to look into getting a policy

No insurer is going to pay out for a foreseeable event, like this where you quite simply do not have enough time in the schedule, even IF (a big if) the ship docks early, so the gangway is open actually at 6am, and you are self- disembarking- that is taking your own luggage off the ship.

If the ship actually docks at 6am, then your chances are effectively Nil, even with self disembark. The ship has procedures to go through on arrival, and it takes time to set up the gangway (those events happen concurrently). It is a gangway at any port in Iceland- not an "air bridge". At the main port in Reykjavik the taxis can't even come ship side- it is a shuttle bus from the ship to the terminal building where the taxis wait. The bus will leave when it is full, not just for you. If the ship docks at 6am, I can't see you being in a taxi before 6.45am at very best, which is 7.30am arrival at the airport.

In northern waters such as this, which are stormy even in mid summer, there is quite a good chance of a delayed arrival. Many other things (like medical emergencies, or assisting at an SOS call) can delay cruise ships.

If you have to wait for luggage and then the ship's order of disembarkation you may not even be out of the port by 9.30am.

From any cruise port, no matter where it is, I wouldn't even consider a flight before mid afternoon. If the only flight of the day is in the morning then book the next day's flight. That is just part of the cost of the vacation, as is the cost of an extra day off work.
Any other approach is a game of roulette.

Really good reply by isn31c. I mean this in a pleasant way, but I found that our 7-night cruise missed a lot of INLAND Iceland. If you can afford a vigorous day or two of bus touring, you may see a lot more.

Edit: By inland, I mean the Golden Circle and the South Coast, which many ships miss, although they do the Westman Islands. We didn't spend any serious time in Reykjavik. Personal choice. Most ships hit the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, but it's too big to see all of in one cruise docking.

Thank you for all your responses. They were very helpful. We have re-booked for a return flight to Canada for the next day. Casual morning getting off the ship and another day to explore sounds pretty good and much more relaxing. Appreciate your input!

Good job. I doubt you’ll regret your decision. I get the departure day jitters early on and by 4 am on arrival day I’m up and worrying! I sometimes think I’m awake before the captain, and all contribute to a stress filled long icky day. For future reference if I may: We cruise a lot and when I do make our own air I always start by asking the cruise line what is the earliest departure flight on port arrival day they will sell me, i.e., which earliest departure do you guarantee I will be able to make and that helps determine timelines. Also, our experience has generally been we find better deals on air cost booking through the cruise line than independently. YMMV. Have a wonderful trip and safe travels.