Overnight flights?

PaminMaine · Post by **PaminMaine** » Thu Aug 09, 2012 6:44 pm

As I was researching flights, I came across someones trip report about taking the red eye flight to St John, and arrive early morning to gain a day and also save a little bit of money on the airfare. To help sleep on the flight they bring nips on board and use a tylenol PM

... So, it got me thinking.. I like the whole extra day theory... and 8 hours in the air I could sleep some? Probably be as much as I get anyways the night before a flight, as I am like a kid at xmas !! haha

Anyone one on the forum take red eye? And if so, do you recommend?? Pro's/ cons?

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 7:00 am

Is it on Jet Blue?

It has been years since I did a long haul overnight flight. Back then, I could get by on two or three hours of sleep if I had to do so. No way could I do that anymore. I would need a handful of pills to be able to sleep on the plane.

zamboni27 · Post by **zamboni27** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:06 pm

We tried this on our last trip in May and loved it. When booking flights, the non-red eye ones we looked at arrived in STT around 5-6pm. We didn't like the idea of getting there that late, so we took Jet Blue from BWI to Boston to San Juan. Got to San Juan around 2:30am and stayed in the airport until our flight left for STT at 6:30. It was a little eerie being in a deserted airport that early am, but we found a coffee stand that was open, camped out next to that and felt a little better.

Gotta say after previous trips arriving mid to late afternoon, it was awesome to step off the ferry at 8:20am and have the whole extra day ahead of you. Don't know that this would be for everybody, but we'll be looking for these flights when we head down again in 2013. We always try to find the latest possible flights coming home too - love the bonus day at the beginning and end of a trip!

One thing that really helped us was we were staying at the Donald Schnell apartment and had given them advance notice we'd be arriving early. We stopped in the art studio, got checked in but our room wasn't ready yet - totally understandable as the previous guests had just checked out. They allowed us to leave our bags in the studio, we walked into town and had breakfast and a little walk and by the time we got back they had the room ready. We did nap for a little just to get refreshed but were so excited to be back it couldn't have been for more than an hour. If you try the overnight flight, I'd recommend contacting the place you're staying as they may be able to get you in a little earlier?

Oh, the biggest downside we saw - no sample rum shots in the STT airport that early!

Bonny in CA · Post by **Bonny in CA** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:24 pm

Flying from California, we leave 10 - 11 pm and we don't arrive on St. Thomas until around 3 or 4 in the afternoon depending on layovers...
Our first trip was last year, and I did take a handful of pills and was still wide awake for the entire flight. I guess it works for us, because I was exhausted when it got dark that first night there! My hubby bought me some Bose headphones for Christmas specifically to drown out all of the noise on the plane this year! Maybe I will get some sleep this time!
The red-eye's are still the most affordable flights. But now I'm really thinking that we need to arrive earlier in the day so we don't miss the first day!

PaminMaine · Post by **PaminMaine** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:59 pm

St John Newbie - ask your doctor for some ambien! Guarantee you will not be able to stay awake. My only worry is what I might look like passed out with the sleeping pill??? Prob drool all over myself. .LOL The flight I am looking at lands around 8 am... takes off at 11:55pm !

Zambonie... good point, will have to check to see if we can arrive early.. if not, I dont mind being a beach bum for the day!

PA girl.. pretty sure it was jet blue!

samoka · Post by **samoka** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 6:19 pm

Paminmaine we just booked the red eye from bos to san Juan connecting with cape air getting into stt about 9 am:-). I figured that since I never sleep much the night before a trip might s well pick up th extra time on stj.

PaminMaine · Post by **PaminMaine** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:38 pm

Samoka.... I see you bought your tickets already for your trip next spring. I am have been thinking I should wait for the price to come down a little bit. Last year we bought our tickets on Xmas morning .. got a fabulous deal! Right now I see the flight for around 550-600ish.. Did you find something cheaper?

samoka · Post by **samoka** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 8:50 pm

PaminMaine wrote:Samoka.... I see you bought your tickets already for your trip next spring. I am have been thinking I should wait for the price to come down a little bit. Last year we bought our tickets on Xmas morning .. got a fabulous deal! Right now I see the flight for around 550-600ish.. Did you find something cheaper?

We got them for $487. I jumped on it just in case.

EagleRayLover · Post by **EagleRayLover** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:46 am

I am sitting here giggling as I read this about the ambien as I took one about six hours and have not fallen asleep yet and may lose my mind

so unfortunately not everyone has the same luck with it! Congrats on your upcoming trip!!

samoka · Post by **samoka** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 8:32 am

I find that Ativan works.better and I am awake when I want/
need to be.

PaminMaine · Post by **PaminMaine** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 8:35 am

Eagleraylover- Are you getting the 12.5mg ??!

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 12:43 pm

samoka wrote:I find that Ativan works.better and I am awake when I want/
need to be.

Me too. It relaxes me enough that I can stop worrying about not being able to fall asleep. (on the ground, I would probably need horse tranquilizers to sleep on a plane)

PaminMaine · Post by **PaminMaine** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 1:39 pm

I think my worry would be that I wouldn't wake up when we land in San Juan! There is a 3 hour wait for a 7 am flight to STT , I suppose the airport will be deserted, so we could go back to sleep there...

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