Royal Caribbean AIR2SEA

Is anyone able to tell me exactly what the Royal Caribbean AIR2SEA is? My cousin booked an airline flight through AIR2SEA. She was bumped off her flight and missed the cruise. Royal Caribbean told her there was nothing they could do. Luckily she had travel insurance but now I wonder what the benefits of AIR2SEA are?

There are none. When one uses cruise line airfares, they get rock bottom tickets that have the least priority for rebooking and no value to be transferred to another carrier. Far too many believe the cruise line will hold the ship or fly them elsewhere, nope.

Hard lesson to learn.

Hopefully in the future she will have her own airfare booked by her directly through the airline, have a passport to be able to fly and catch up with the ship, and fly in a day early, two for Europe, Asia, etc.

Glad to hear she had insurance and had to learn the hard way. Hopefully she can use the refund to take a different vacation.

Thank you. You are obviously correct! What confuses

me, though, is this information on the Royal Caribbean web page - "When your vacation comes around, you don't want to miss the ship because of flight delays or cancellations. Book airfare through us and we guarantee our travel experts will get you to your cruise." That seems just a little bit misleading. I need to find a way to contact them directly and vent :) I'm going to remember your advise, though, and consider booking through them a bad option!

Post this over on the Royal Caribbean board where I'm sure there are many with the missing the ship happening to them , and what their resolution was .

After all they do make promises .I can't see them flat out saying that we can't help you ? :confused:

I am stepping out in a limb here, but it is quite possible that they couldn't book her to join the ship at the first port because she didn't have a passport for air travel to another country.

It may have had something to do with customs? The ship sailed from Vancouver with the remaining ports in the states. I did just put this on the Royal Caribbean board also. What makes this so hard to let go of is that this was a family reunion cruise. The rest of us had a nice enough cruise except when we thought about the cousins.

It may have had something to do with customs? The ship sailed from Vancouver with the remaining ports in the states. I did just put this on the Royal Caribbean board also. What makes this so hard to let go of is that this was a family reunion cruise. The rest of us had a nice enough cruise except when we thought about the cousins.

That is probably it, and I am sure that there is an asterisk by that guarantee with a lot of fine print.

I'm going to search for that asterisk ;) Now I've got myself irritated again! Now I'm also thinking about how they didn't even offer them a refund. I need to sign off the computer for awhile, maybe a couple of days ... Thank you for the thoughts!

We have used them many times and have never had a problem, several years back when hurricane Sandy hit we were rebooked from American Airlines to a flight on Air France with a connection on Air Italia traveling from LA to Rome. The Air France flight was several hundred dollars more but we were not charged anything extra and also given a complete refund on the charges we paid to AA to use their club lounge at the NYC airport. Traveling on International flights the fares for one way travel are about 40% cheaper. Our last flight on Lufthansa for Lax to Barcelona in preferred seating was $806.00 pp, economy was under $600.00, Once your ticket is booked the airline doesn't care if you booked through Air2Sea, travelzoo, Cheap tickets or any of the other hundred ticketing sites.. happy cruising

We'll see. I was curious as to what others have experienced. I've already emailed Royal Caribbean and will call them if I don't hear back by later next week. I'll update the post when I know exactly what happened and why, either to clear their name or to give others a heads up ;)

We'll see. I was curious as to what others have experienced. I've already emailed Royal Caribbean and will call them if I don't hear back by later next week. I'll update the post when I know exactly what happened and why, either to clear their name or to give others a heads up ;)

Who are you emailing at Royal Caribbean? and what are you going to ask them?

You cousin booked through Air2Sea. I don't think Royal Caribbean will talk to you about her situation. On her Air2Sea flight paperwork it says "If you arrive at the airport and experience a service issue with your carrier concerning airlines tickets, please contact our Emergency Travel Team at 800 256-6649 or 305 539-4107." Did you cousin call them right after she was bumped? They are the ones who would assist her.

I have booked with Air2Sea several times and this information has been on all my flight paperwork.

I'm also going to post this on the other thread you started.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=50400314#post50400314

I didn't know that you had 2 threads. Okay, you were departing from Vancouver. All the rest of the ports are US ports. Under the Passenger Services Act, there were no foreign ports on the cruise where the cousin could have boarded. Passengers are prohibited from joining the cruise at another US port and then disembarking in Seward. (also a US port.)

You're right. They may not talk to me about her specific situation but hopefully they will discuss a hypothetical situation. I think the problem was that it was an Alaskan cruise leaving out of Vancouver. The first port was Ketchikan. I want to say they could not fly her from the states to Ketchikan because of some customs issue. I am not at all sure this is what happened but it's my best guess at this time. This was discussed extensively with other passengers during our cruise. I think our entire half of the dining room knew about the cousins. Something about the customs part sounds plausible to me. If that were the case, I'm wondering why they did not fly her to Canada and then get her to Ketchikan. If too impractical, it seems to me they would give her a refund since they weren't able to help her. I'm incredibly persistent so I expect I will eventually get an explanation.

Read the post above your last one. It would be a violation of the PVSA to transport her from Ketchikan to Seward no matter how she got to Ketchikan Why she got bumped is an issue you need to find out from her. I doubt any agency will give you the info on what happened to her pre cruise and by privacy laws they should not.

So there is a law which prohibited her from joining the cruise? That, to me, is a perfect answer as to why they could not help her to join the cruise. Thank you! I did ask her more about being bumped but have not heard back from her yet. I'm not especially interested in pursuing that part of the issue.

I had started one thread and someone suggested I should have started it at another location, hence two threads.

I posted on your other thread too. I left a letter out. The PVSA prohibits cruise lines from transporting passengers between two different US ports without visiting a foreign port. That is the simple explanation.

On an Alaska cruise, there was no other place, other than Vancouver, that your cousin would have been allowed to board the ship.

So there is a law which prohibited her from joining the cruise? That, to me, is a perfect answer as to why they could not help her to join the cruise. Thank you! I did ask her more about being bumped but have not heard back from her yet. I'm not especially interested in pursuing that part of the issue.

 

I had started one thread and someone suggested I should have started it at another location, hence two threads.

Here is another post with more detailed info on the PVSA

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2138689&page=17

Here is another post with more detailed info on the PVSA

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2138689&page=17

Except that what you posted there, "That is why Panama Canal cruises stop in Cartagena or Aruba" is not true, and incorrect, wheezedr.

Panama Canal cruises don't have to stop in a distant foreign port, because there is an exemption in the PVSA for Puerto Rico. It depends on where your Canal cruise leaves from. No one likes wading through the whole act, because it is quite complex. But it is worth reading.

Except that what you posted there, "That is why Panama Canal cruises stop in Cartagena or Aruba" is not true, and incorrect, wheezedr.

 

Panama Canal cruises don't have to stop in a distant foreign port, because there is an exemption in the PVSA for Puerto Rico. It depends on where your Canal cruise leaves from. No one likes wading through the whole act, because it is quite complex. But it is worth reading.

It is exactly why they stop in the ABC's or Cartagena. The lines I have cruised ,Princess being the primary, do not go into PR on their canal cruise when they sail from either SF or LA to FLL . PR may work but so do the others. Speaking from actual experience.

Actually the PR exemption is to allow carriers to transport passengers from the mainland to PR, not to represent the distant foreign port requirement

It is exactly why they stop in the ABC's or Cartagena. The lines I have cruised ,Princess being the primary, do not go into PR on their canal cruise when they sail from either SF or LA to FLL . PR may work but so do the others. Speaking from actual experience.

Actually the PR exemption is to allow carriers to transport passengers from the mainland to PR, not to represent the distant foreign port requirement

So am I, and you are wrong. You need to read the actual act: https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pvsa_icp_3.pdf

It may have had something to do with customs? The ship sailed from Vancouver with the remaining ports in the states.

 

....when we thought about the cousins.

One cousin or multiple cousins?

If they were on the LAST flight into Vancouver from wherever they started, then yes, it's very likely it was the issue of having nowhere else to join the cruise.

I want to say they could not fly her from the states to Ketchikan because of some customs issue.... If that were the case, I'm wondering why they did not fly her to Canada and then get her to Ketchikan.

That wouldn't have been the issue keeping her off the flight.

It would be a reason for them not getting her to Canada after that flight was gone, if there were no more.

One big reason people aren't allowed to enter Canada is if they've had DUIs in their past or other trouble with the law. Yep, even in another country. Any chance of that being an issue?

As for not refunding...that sounds unlikely (unless she had not complied with one of the rules air2sea might have had). Was she actually talking with the right people?

Even without a reason for them to not allow her into Canada, if she was (they were? you have said "cousins" more than once) involuntarily bumped AND there were no further flights to Vancouver, or elsewhere that might have allowed her to get there in time, then there was absolutely nothing to be done.

This is the third recent thread (not just here) about (possible) misunderstandings about having the cruiseline arrange air. If there are no other ports where a person could join the cruise, and if there are no flights leading to the originating port, there is literally nothing they can do.

One cousin or multiple cousins?

 

One big reason people aren't allowed to enter Canada is if they've had DUIs in their past or other trouble with the law. Yep, even in another country. Any chance of that being an issue?

 

As for not refunding...that sounds unlikely (unless she had not complied with one of the rules air2sea might have had). Was she actually talking with the right people?

This post on the Roll Call indicates there were 2 cousins. Curious if both of them were bumped or just one? And was the Emergency Travel Team called from the airport?

Four more. A friend and I from Arkansas and two of my cousins from Pennsylvania. First time Alaska cruise for all of us and we're excited!

I understand what happened now. My cousin made her plane reservation in early January. She arrived for her flight an hour early, possibly the last to check in. The airline asked for volunteers to be bumped and one person did volunteer. When my cousin had her boarding pass scanned to board the plane, she was told that she was being bumped. She called the air2sea people and was told there was nothing they could do. I expect they could not get her on a flight that would get her into Vancouver on time. The airline did send her the $1,350 compensation.

The lesson to be learned is to plan to arrive early just in case. My cousin was upset while this was happening and not thinking clearly. If I was Royal Caribbean, I think I would have made sure she understood what the problem was, maybe even a follow up phone call or email. When she told me what happened, the Passenger Services Act never entered my mind. After someone mentioned it, I thought that might sound vaguely familiar. I had to look it up ;)

Just the one cousin was bumped but the other opted to not continue without her.

We have used them many times and have never had a problem, several years back when hurricane Sandy hit we were rebooked from American Airlines to a flight on Air France with a connection on Air Italia traveling from LA to Rome. The Air France flight was several hundred dollars more but we were not charged anything extra and also given a complete refund on the charges we paid to AA to use their club lounge at the NYC airport. Traveling on International flights the fares for one way travel are about 40% cheaper. Our last flight on Lufthansa for Lax to Barcelona in preferred seating was $806.00 pp, economy was under $600.00, Once your ticket is booked the airline doesn't care if you booked through Air2Sea, travelzoo, Cheap tickets or any of the other hundred ticketing sites.. happy cruising

There's some misinformation in the above post.

One way international flights can sometimes be exactly (or close to) the same price as the round trip ticket (for example, Papeete to L.A.).

Ticketing sites other than the airline's own can pose a problem with rebooking. Not all of those websites allow inclusion of frequent flier numbers, which would automatically allow priority rebooking for high loyalty categories. Likewise, full access to all flights open to using points or point/dollar combinations often depends on frequent flier status. Finally, where multiple carriers within a confederation (e.g., Star Alliance) are involved and you have used a member airline site for ticketing, there is most often cross referencing of your flights, which will certainly ease the challenge of rebooking.