Planning WAY ahead - POA from Dallas with NCL precruise hotel/airfare

I've read several posts but not finding any specifics.

We're booked next June 22nd with the "free" pre-cruise night hotel and "discounted" airfare ($599/each) and I was wondering if anyone had stories (good or bad) about the flights you got, specifically from Dallas.

I LOVE cruising, but HATE flying and really don't want to "see the world" on the way to Hawaii. Anyone get non-stops or 1-stops with reasonably short layovers? I see some that estimate 23-25+ hours which sounds crazy. I can't find "cheap fares" under $900/each.

Likewise on return trip. We're planning to head home on Saturday morning but would like to be home before Sunday.

I've read several posts but not finding any specifics.

 

We're booked next June 22nd with the "free" pre-cruise night hotel and "discounted" airfare ($599/each) and I was wondering if anyone had stories (good or bad) about the flights you got, specifically from Dallas....

 

Likewise on return trip. We're planning to head home on Saturday morning but would like to be home before Sunday.

Looking at flight schedules, I see nothing that can get you home until Sunday morning. Matter of distance and time zones. There are non stops, but no idea what you will get until shortly before your trip.

Going. Again, lots of nonstops. No idea what you will get.

I've read several posts but not finding any specifics.

 

We're booked next June 22nd with the "free" pre-cruise night hotel and "discounted" airfare ($599/each) and I was wondering if anyone had stories (good or bad) about the flights you got, specifically from Dallas.

 

I LOVE cruising, but HATE flying and really don't want to "see the world" on the way to Hawaii. Anyone get non-stops or 1-stops with reasonably short layovers? I see some that estimate 23-25+ hours which sounds crazy. I can't find "cheap fares" under $900/each.

 

Likewise on return trip. We're planning to head home on Saturday morning but would like to be home before Sunday.

We have never used NCL's air or hotel packages, so I can't help you there, but we are from Dallas. On our POA cruise in '14 we flew over on AA, on a non-stop flight that left DFW on Friday at 11:15am, and arrived HNL at 2:50 pm. We wanted to get there a day early, of course, and it was a good thing we did as the jet lag really got to us that night.

On our return, we booked an AA non-stop flight that left HNL at 6:30 pm, and landed back in Dallas around 7am, I think. As it turned out, that flight was delayed until a 10:30 pm departure, but we were able to get onto an earlier flight and still got back around the same time.

To deal with our bags on the disembarkation day, we booked a Pearl Harbor and Honolulu tour through Roberts. Advantage was that we got to see Pearl Harbor (got the last ferry over to the Arizona Memorial that day due to weather) and our bags rode with us in the tour bus, which dropped us off at the airport after the tour, in good time for the flight home.

We prefer to be in charge of our flights and hotels, so we do not use NCL's services in that area. Being able to jump on an earlier flight home when our original flight was delayed is just one example of why we prefer to book our own. I doubt we could have done that with an NCL flight.

Leaving Honolulu in the morning and arriving in Dallas by evening isn't feasible. You can sometimes get a ~7am departure connecting on the west coast - but it's late afternoon by the time you reach LA or SFO. Otherwise any flights to the mainland leave late afternoon at the earliest and arrive early the next morning.

In regard to the return flights, after thinking about it, an overnight might not be bad. Just have to remember to pack sleeping pills to make sure I can sleep through it.

If you are flying from/to Dallas then American is most likely to be your best bet if you want a nonstop. As has been stated above, you aren't going to get a flight that you can catch after a cruise that arrives the same day. The 7.5 hour flight time plus 5 hour time difference means it isn't going to happen.

As you have booked via NCL you will get what you are given, to a large extent. I'd imagine there is a good chance it won't be nonstop, and will probably add a few hours on to the journey time to get back to Dallas.

There is a fair chance that the extra travel time may result in you leaving HNL earlier though, rather than arriving at Dallas later. The problem with that would be that you would be waiting around at somewhere like LA in what would be the early hours of the morning Hawaii time. Less opportunity to sleep as well, due to the journey being split.

I've read several posts but not finding any specifics.

 

We're booked next June 22nd with the "free" pre-cruise night hotel and "discounted" airfare ($599/each) and I was wondering if anyone had stories (good or bad) about the flights you got, specifically from Dallas.

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We did a POA package through NCL 01/29/ 2015.

(Stayed pre-cruise two nights, in an Ocean-view room, at the Marriott)

Both flights were direct.

AA flight # 5 out of Dallas - depart 1:15PM arrived in Honolulu 5:58PM

Return 02/07/2015 AA flight# 102 -depart 7:30PM arrived in Dallas 6:54AM

Everything was very good; more/better than we expected !

Hawaii and the POA were wonderful!

If you are uneasy about this (NCL) package deal, contact NCL Premium Air for more information.

Thanks for the positive feedback. Hoping they still do them as good as that next year.

Anyone else with any good/bad experience with NCL's air arrangements?

Called this week and was assured that IF non-stops are available (which they are on AA from DFW) that we SHOULD be on them and not have a layover in CA. Won't see actual bookings until 4/23 (60 days before) so hoping for the best.

Got air arrangements this morning!

Non-stops both ways, earlier (of 2) outbound which we wanted, got the earlier (of 2) return flights (leave @5pm, arrive @5am) wanted to get the 8pm arriving @8:30am but NCL said they can't change ANYTHING since it's "such a discounted fare" :(

Had rows 33 and 34, but paid $500 to upgrade to Main Cabin Extra to get some legroom.