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Avalon Waterways Ticketing of Flights


kderr1
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Looking for others with experience.

 

We have booked and made final payment (In May) for our October 2018 river cruise from Vienna to Zurich. Earlier this year, Feb - Mar time frame, we had our TA book our airline arrangements through Avalon. The flights were made and we received confirmation through our eMaterials of the flights, including a United confirmation number. Fast forward to June, I was on the United website checking to see if I could get our seat assignments when I noticed a significant change to the reservations regarding connecting airports with extremely short layovers in a US connection as well as at our Europe entry port. (1 hour to transit Atlanta Hartsfield from domestic to international and less than 2 hours in Amsterdam for our connecting flight to Vienna). Some may say it is doable, but with one little hiccup in a flight delay, and missed flights would ruin the trip. I put my TA to work and after several phone calls (and now it is July), she said she worked with Avalon had gotten the flights changed back to the original flights.

 

Now a new road block, with everything that transpired, I asked my TA to have Avalon ticket the flights before any other changes could be made. Avalon has told her they will NOT ticket the flights until August. I have read MANY other posts that say all you have to do is ask and Avalon with ticket the flights. Did I miss something?

 

Thanks in advance for any and all replies.

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I have done two cruises with Avalon and would never let them organise a flight again. They have an aversion to direct flights and snobbery stops them from using the easiest direct route.

 

We were flown from Manchester, England to Prague, Czech Republic but had to go via Frankfurt. We had to leave for the airport at 2am, so no sleep the previous day, an hours gap in Frankfurt where our luggage was delayed and so a wait for our cases.

 

We were not impressed, the first cruise was similar, this time a stopover in Amsterdam.

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UPDATE - I attempted to contact Avalon myself yesterday to see why if I had made final payment in May I have to wait until August for flight ticketing. I was told they could not discuss arrangements of MY cruise as I had used a TA and they had financial arrangements with TAs. I told the person that I was not asking to change or alter the reservation, only that I wanted to know why they would not ticket the flights if they had received full payments months ago. When I asked to speak to a supervisor I was placed on hold for more than 30 minutes and was never connected to a supervisor. I guess I will have to try again today to speak to a supervisor.

 

I guess I have learned my lesson with allowing Avalon to make the flight reservation as part of the total cruise package.

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i suspect this is true for most cruise companies who are selling discounted air... it is not the same as booking your flight yourself where you know the exact seat you’re getting when you book. cruise lines are booking on potential unsold seats.... this is why sometimes the arrangements change, why confirmed seats come late and why often parties are not seated together... it’s not necessarily Avalon fault, you’re free to boomdirect with an airline at additional cost, but when you’re seeking the “free air” or lower prices this is sort of the arrangement you have to accept.

 

i booked my own air via TA, it was more expensive but i got the seats i needed, we are all together, it’s a direct flight in the extra legroom area of the cabin and i have confirmation already.

 

it’s about choices. often peace of mind vs cost.

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UPDATE - I attempted to contact Avalon myself yesterday to see why if I had made final payment in May I have to wait until August for flight ticketing. I was told they could not discuss arrangements of MY cruise as I had used a TA and they had financial arrangements with TAs. I told the person that I was not asking to change or alter the reservation, only that I wanted to know why they would not ticket the flights if they had received full payments months ago. When I asked to speak to a supervisor I was placed on hold for more than 30 minutes and was never connected to a supervisor. I guess I will have to try again today to speak to a supervisor.

 

I guess I have learned my lesson with allowing Avalon to make the flight reservation as part of the total cruise package.

 

As much as I love the Avalon product, their customer service often leaves much to be desired. I was promised a few things when my Myanmar trip was cancelled by them unexpectedly. I found out about that before my TA did. Long story short I almost cancelled my replacement cruise (Cambodia and Vietnam) when they started back pedaling on commitments. Booking my own flight did not cost me more than what they were charging, in fact I got my flights cheaper on my own, and saved me the stress of the unknown.

 

I wish you luck. Once they know you are using a TA they refuse to talk to you. It's CRAP.

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i suspect this is true for most cruise companies who are selling discounted air... it is not the same as booking your flight yourself where you know the exact seat you’re getting when you book. cruise lines are booking on potential unsold seats.... this is why sometimes the arrangements change, why confirmed seats come late and why often parties are not seated together... it’s not necessarily Avalon fault, you’re free to boomdirect with an airline at additional cost, but when you’re seeking the “free air” or lower prices this is sort of the arrangement you have to accept.

 

i booked my own air via TA, it was more expensive but i got the seats i needed, we are all together, it’s a direct flight in the extra legroom area of the cabin and i have confirmation already.

 

it’s about choices. often peace of mind vs cost.

 

Rawlus has it exactly right. Cruise lines and Tour companies book a block of unspecified seats on certain flights. The airlines sell these seats at a discount, some of which is passed on to you. The Cruise line may have booked 20 seats, for example, but those seats will not be assigned until shortly before the departure and will be the last 20 seats still available. That means a lot of middle seats and separated parties, or at least the possibility for such.

 

 

Your actual savings, in my mind, are not worth the stress and hassle. Plus, you probably won't get the miles or points on a discounted fare. We always book our own flights, choose the seats we want, upgrade if we choose to, and use miles earned since the previous trip.

 

Booking air through the cruise line gets you a free transfer between airports and the ship but you can purchase those separately. I'm not so sure it's really "free" anyway, rather than just built in.

 

 

This is all true for any cruise line or tour company. You're always better off booking your own flights.

 

I have not dealt with Avalon regarding flights but have found their customer service to be stellar.

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As much as I love the Avalon product, their customer service often leaves much to be desired. I was promised a few things when my Myanmar trip was cancelled by them unexpectedly. I found out about that before my TA did. Long story short I almost cancelled my replacement cruise (Cambodia and Vietnam) when they started back pedaling on commitments. Booking my own flight did not cost me more than what they were charging, in fact I got my flights cheaper on my own, and saved me the stress of the unknown.

 

I wish you luck. Once they know you are using a TA they refuse to talk to you. It's CRAP.

 

Why bother even using a Travel agent in this day and age when it's too easy to book directly with a cruise line. A few minutes online and you're done!

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Why bother even using a Travel agent in this day and age when it's too easy to book directly with a cruise line. A few minutes online and you're done!

 

Because she books all my travel and takes care of all my arrangements so things are exactly how I want them. When I had a couple issues (not cruise related) she handle them and I didn't have anything to worry about. She's a small, woman owned business and I like supporting her. There's no charge to me for her services and I get taken care of the way I am accustomed to. Win Win.

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Because she books all my travel and takes care of all my arrangements so things are exactly how I want them. When I had a couple issues (not cruise related) she handle them and I didn't have anything to worry about. She's a small, woman owned business and I like supporting her. There's no charge to me for her services and I get taken care of the way I am accustomed to. Win Win.

 

Fair enough. All very good reasons.

The only downside is that you technically become the customer of the TA, not the cruise line.

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Fair enough. All very good reasons.

The only downside is that you technically become the customer of the TA, not the cruise line.

 

Yes this is true but she works well on my behalf and it has only been to my benefit. All the nice little extras she makes happen for me make it worth it :).

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Will not use Avalon again. Did not get flight info until 3 weeks before departure. We were able to upgrade our seats, but the itinerary is horrendous. Will use Gate 1 travel next time, you can pick your flights before hand.

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I just got home from my Avalon cruise.

My air tickets were issued in October for July cruise and that is when I picked my seats.

We had awesome flights. Vancouver to Frankfurt to Budapest.

Home was Prague - Munich- Vancouver.

Can't complain about anything.

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  • 4 weeks later...
I just got home from my Avalon cruise.

My air tickets were issued in October for July cruise and that is when I picked my seats.

We had awesome flights. Vancouver to Frankfurt to Budapest.

Home was Prague - Munich- Vancouver.

Can't complain about anything.

Did you book your flight through Avalon or on your own?

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I usually look for the flights I want - and know the price they are.

 

I then ask my TA to contact the company to see what their air costs would be. She gives them the flights I want, and if I can get them for about what I would pay directly, I book through them. This way, I get transfers.

 

Of course, if I extend on either end, I book my own.

 

Avalon went out of their way to accommodate air for us last year. They had a "free air" promotion, but it was with Iceland Air - and included a long layover. I wasn't interested - and said I would take a % discount instead. When my TA called to book the cruise with them, they asked why I wasn't taking advantage of their free air. My TA explained - and they offered to book the flights I wanted if I would pay the difference between my flights and what they would be paying for the Iceland Air flights. I got return air (into Amsterdam, out of Brussels) for $275/pp.

 

Fran

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It's been a few years but I can't say enough good about Avalon's booking our flights. We booked the package through a TA. He could not meet or even get close to the Avalon air price. We had non-stop Calgary to Amsterdam with KLM, Avalon was waiting for us, and others, at the airport. Took us to the holding hotel where we checked in, grabbed a cup of coffee, then went exploring Amsterdam. Had some lunch then headed back to the holding hotel where we had another coffee and goodies then boarded a bus to the ship. Homeward it was take us to Budapest airport, flew to Amsterdam and then non-stop back to Calgary. Couldn't have gone smoother.

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