Christmas flight prices from YEG might sabotage our cruise

Due to my career as an educator and the timing of my children’s university Christmas breaks, DH, I, and our two kids are only able to cruise during the most expensive time of the year - the two weeks of Christmas and New Year’s.

The last 6 years, I have been able to find flight prices from Edmonton to Fort Lauderdale at Christmas time for approximately $800 per person return. We don’t enjoy paying these prices, but recognize that we are travelling from the far north and at the most expensive time of the year. This year, I did what I do each year, tried to purchase tickets on the very first day in early February when they become available for the following December. Unfortunately, this year, the return flights started at over $1100 per person and quickly settled at around $1400 return. I could fly to Europe and back for that much! With four people in our family, the flight prices are becoming cost prohibitive.

I have two weeks, back to back, on the Regal Princess already booked, but fear that I may have to cancel before final payment if flights do not come down. I’ve tried every imaginable online and brick-and-mortar agency that I can think of. I’ve also gone on Princess’ EzAir and that has been frustrating in itself. When I go on, it shows some excellent prices that are well below those on other sites. However, when I attempt to book, I get a message saying that those prices are not available or the prices have increased by two or three times.

I have been checking all sites daily since February and have alerts on many, to no avail. I’m hoping that, at some point, airlines will realize that nobody is willing to pay this much and the prices will drop. On the other hand, maybe others ARE paying these prices and the prices won’t ever come down. :(

Our winters in Edmonton are quite long, sometimes lasting for over six months, as is the case right now. We still have a fair bit of snow on the ground. My two week break from winter, enjoying the ocean, the excellent Princess service, and all the tropical paradises, truly does get me through our long winter months. Not sure if I’m looking for advice, solace, or simply a place to vent. Will continue checking and keeping my fingers crossed.

the only thing you can do is keep checking

I sign up for Air Canada emails so sometimes you get a notice of special deals

if nothing comes up in you comfort zone then cancel the cruise & do an all inclusive someplace

the only thing you can do is keep checking

I sign up for Air Canada emails so sometimes you get a notice of special deals

if nothing comes up in you comfort zone then cancel the cruise & do an all inclusive someplace

I’m definitely starting to realize that I might have to go the AI route, but am so loathe to give up my yearly Princess escape :(.

not sure what dates you can travel but looking at this site there are some fares in Dec for around $800 to $900

YEG to MIA some cheaper to FLL

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/#search:research=YEGFLL-FLLYEG

not sure what dates you can travel but looking at this site there are some fares in Dec for around $800 to $900

YEG to MIA some cheaper to FLL

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/#search:research=YEGFLL-FLLYEG

Thank you so much for checking. :hearteyes:

This is a new site for me and I will definitely keep it bookmarked. Unfortunately, when I put in my specific dates (which would be the Saturday before Christmas, returning on the Sunday after New Year’s), the price jumps to 1400. :loudcry:

I just checked EzAir. Round trip Edmonton to FLL return is $681.26 Dates used were Dec 15 to Dec 30 /18.

I just checked EzAir. Round trip Edmonton to FLL return is $681.26 Dates used were Dec 15 to Dec 30 /18.

Unfortunately, the Christmas break with Edmonton public is always the last Saturday before Christmas to the first Sunday after New Year’s (Dec 22-Jan 6 this coming year). With such inflexibility for my flight dates, I pay through the nose typically, but this year is looking so much worse than others. Appreciate you checking - thank you!

Have I mentioned how much I am looking forward to retirement (and off peak travelling) in three years? LOL

Glad that I don’t have final payment of the cruise until the end of Sept. Hoping flights might look better by this summer.

Thank you so much for checking. :hearteyes:

This is a new site for me and I will definitely keep it bookmarked. Unfortunately, when I put in my specific dates (which would be the Saturday before Christmas, returning on the Sunday after New Year’s), the price jumps to 1400. :loudcry:

yes that is prime time but keep checking they may have some sale before you need to cancel your cruise

Are there any airports close enough for you to drive that might have a cheaper rate? Just a thought.

There's a Cruise Air sub-forum. Some elementary analysis, a two week school break with a B2B cruise, means Sat-Sat or Sun-Sun, so you are limited to very specific flights from YEG with only FLL and MIA viable in FL, and the airline marketing algorithms know this.

If you wait til Sep, all the cheap alternative get-aways will be gone too.

You've done this before, so I guess it works. But I was talking to a US midwest couple a while ago in Florida in (mid-Jan?), their flight had been cancelled due to a blizzard, the next available seats were Tuesday.

I feel your pain on holiday prices as my husband and I are educators and have to pay peak prices to travel and cruise.

Something we have done to keep costs down is either travel by land instead if its close Europe(Obviously not an option for you) or do mini travel to another airport then fly. Some airports 3/4 hrs away are cheaper than our close one like Manchester was cheaper for us to fly to Asia this year than London Heathrow.

Also...I know its not ideal but you said you were doing a B2B. Could you cancel one half of it to make up flight costs? That way you would still get a cruise of some sorts.

There's a Cruise Air sub-forum. Some elementary analysis, a two week school break with a B2B cruise, means Sat-Sat or Sun-Sun, so you are limited to very specific flights from YEG with only FLL and MIA viable in FL, and the airline marketing algorithms know this.

If you wait til Sep, all the cheap alternative get-aways will be gone too.

You've done this before, so I guess it works. But I was talking to a US midwest couple a while ago in Florida in (mid-Jan?), their flight had been cancelled due to a blizzard, the next available seats were Tuesday.

No question, that the inflexibility of our travel plans and that we are travelling to one of the southernmost US areas means that the airlines have me by the @#@#! :')

We have been cruising at Christmas time since 2006 and have never seen airfare take such a huge, immediate jump as it did this year. I’m hoping to catch a small window in the next little bit where a miraculous seat sale occurs. If that does not happen, might have to look at cruising out of New Orleans on one of the newer Royal ships. Price for both air and cruise from there are lower.

I feel your pain. We were booked on Harmony’s inaugural cruise out of Barcelona 2years ago. I couldn’t find airfare for less than $1800 round trip from Chicago, $7200 for the 4 of us was more than I wanted to spend, so we cancelled the cruise. What really ticked me off was the following year airfare was only $800.

I feel your pain on holiday prices as my husband and I are educators and have to pay peak prices to travel and cruise.

 

Something we have done to keep costs down is either travel by land instead if its close Europe(Obviously not an option for you) or do mini travel to another airport then fly. Some airports 3/4 hrs away are cheaper than our close one like Manchester was cheaper for us to fly to Asia this year than London Heathrow.

 

Also...I know its not ideal but you said you were doing a B2B. Could you cancel one half of it to make up flight costs? That way you would still get a cruise of some sorts.

Definitely did look into just doing a one week cruise and having either a flexible going down date or coming back date. Unfortunately, air prices were still pretty similar as we are either going down on the first day of the holiday or coming back on the last day of the holiday and inflexibility of even that one date makes for extremely high prices.

Luvscruising2007 - We did also consider driving to the next major airport, three hours away, in Calgary, where there is a greater selection of flights. However, prices from there were only a little bit less than from Edmonton; given the precarious winter driving conditions between Edmonton and Calgary that can occur, it is not worth the risk for such a small price differential. Did also look at flying into Orlando and then driving to Fort Lauderdale, but prices were almost the same as for Fort Lauderdale.

I just checked tripadvisor and you could do it for about $1000 roundtrip on United.

Have you checked the fares to Orlando, Tampa, and possibly Melbourne?

United has a flight on Dec 22 from Edmonton to MIA that is $883.41 round trip per person. Return I chose was the first Saturday after New Years Day. I found this on Orbitz.

Have you checked the fares to Orlando, Tampa, and possibly Melbourne?

Orlando and MIA were exactly the same. Will check the other two as well.

SuiteTraveler and Nolatravelgirl - thank you so much for looking - the CC community is so fantastic! I have a feeling those rates are in US $$ and I have a pretty low CDN dollar to contend with right now. The Orbitz price puts me at just over 1100 CDN, so that's actually much better than the 1400 cdn I'm seeing for a Jan 6 return. Will highly consider that date.

A late December layover of less than an hour in Denver is begging for trouble.

There are alternatives: cruise for just one week out of Florida; look at flights/cruise from California or Gulf coast ports; check flights to other airports - Miami, Orlando, as far away as Atlanta, and rent a car for the rest of the way.

Bite the bullet and pay the high air fare, cutting down on other expenses for the next year to pay it off.

It would add a couple days for driving, but what about driving to Spokane and flying from there? That way it would be a domestic flight instead of an "international" one. The question would be are you up for the drive and probably two nights of hotel to save on airfare?

It would add a couple days for driving, but what about driving to Spokane and flying from there? That way it would be a domestic flight instead of an "international" one. The question would be are you up for the drive and probably two nights of hotel to save on airfare?

I've made the drive to Seattle many times (DH's brother lives there) and have easily done it in one day. However, going through the mountains to get to Spokane at that time of year would be taking my life in my hands! :D

I really envy all the Canadians who live close to the border and can take advantage of flying out from the States.

PS: for those of you wonder why I'm so desperate to get out of Dodge in winter...it snowed here again today! :loudcry:I wasn't kidding when I said our winters are interminably long and that two week break from it is the only thing that gets me through it.

Would Saskatoon work for you?

Popping your dates into ITA Matrix and punching in a bunch of possible airports, I found flights from YXU to MCO for $700.92, and to RSW for $741.86. Now, whether the times work for you is another matter, but it's enough cheaper to at least consider.

Have you checked RCL air2sea. Flights on Air Canada and Delta are priced at $741 or 621. round trip leaving on Friday the 14th or on the 21st. Air2sea has some of the best international prices you can find.

We couldn't find acceptable airfare or hotel prices spring break 2017 for embarking from Fort Lauderdale.

Decided to check out flying into a different airport. Worked beautifully to..... fly into West Palm beach, rent a car, stay night before cruise midway between airport and cruise port, return car at port, go cruise, come back, rent car, drive back to West Palm, stay overnight again, get on plane and fly home. All of this for less than the airfare to Ft Lauderdale and one night hotel there.

Just keep watching and checking all options. I actually did not find the lower airfare until about 4 months out from cruise. And yes I was starting to panic a little.