Choice Air - are full refunds given if cancelled prior to final cruise payment

Scenario:

• plan to take a xmas cruise from Ft. Lauderdale.
  
• Flying from Canada.
  
• Not sure if work holiday will be approved, but I want to have air booked while it is cheaper/available.
  

Questions:

• Is it better to purchase airline tickets direct with airline, use Choice Air, or use Aeroplan points (which are quite inflated at holiday time).
  
• Are Choice Air costs fully refundable if the cruise is cancelled prior to final payment?
  
• Would Celebrity Insurance help in this scenario (where i may cancel BEFORE final payment, NOT for medical reasons, but due to not being able to get time off work)
  

I am confused since I am under the impression that with Princess, if you use their air and add it to a booking, you don't have to pay for it until final payment, and if you cancel the cruise before final payment, you can cancel the flight as well without penalty (I may be wrong on this).

Any guidance would be great!

I would think you would have to purchase a refundable ticket or at least one that has more leeway. Our Choice Air tickets overseas for business/first have always been non-refundable, so I purchase separate insurance, unless I am using points, then it just depends. I would call them and also find it in writing...

Think of Choice are as Travelocity. It's basically the same thing, other than possibly price there's not much advantage in booking choice air. They supposedly have some service that helps if there are problems with your flight...who knows. I know that the ship isn't waiting for you if your flights delayed. If the price is cheaper I book choice air, if it isn't I don't. Tickets, just like booking any other site will be priced according to restrictions. The cheap ones are usually not refundable.

Think of Choice are as Travelocity. It's basically the same thing, other than possibly price there's not much advantage in booking choice air. They supposedly have some service that helps if there are problems with your flight...who knows. I know that the ship isn't waiting for you if your flights delayed. If the price is cheaper I book choice air, if it isn't I don't. Tickets, just like booking any other site will be priced according to restrictions. The cheap ones are usually not refundable.

Thank you. I like the analogy you provided.

Too bad - it would be nice if choice air worked like Princess' Air....

Choice air does assured arrival. Meaning if your flight is delayed or canceled and you will miss the ship, Choice Air will cover your cost to get you to the ship. Booking flights on your own will not cover those cause certainly if it’s weather related. When sailing over winter months or cruises involving me to travel to globally to the embarkation point, I use Choice Air. My last Christmas cruise I used choice air and the north east was hit with bad weather, choice air jumped in and got me to Miami. Many people missed the ship and I talked to one guy who spent $1,400 to catch up to the ship because he booked his air on his own. Use Choice Air.

Choice air does assured arrival. Meaning if your flight is delayed or canceled and you will miss the ship, Choice Air will cover your cost to get you to the ship. Booking flights on your own will not cover those cause certainly if it’s weather related. When sailing over winter months or cruises involving me to travel to globally to the embarkation point, I use Choice Air. My last Christmas cruise I used choice air and the north east was hit with bad weather, choice air jumped in and got me to Miami. Many people missed the ship and I talked to one guy who spent $1,400 to catch up to the ship because he booked his air on his own. Use Choice Air.

Agree! Our cruise company booked coach seats were upgraded to business class to get us to Europe in time to catch the ship! Bad weather created the initial problems that cancelled and backed up flights for days. If my memory serves me correctly, about 10% of the guests didn't make the sailing.

I think it depends.

When selecting flights YOU can select refundable or non refundable.

As someone else mentioned the really cheap fares are not refundable.

You can look for free and see what’s your best deal.

We usually book air AFTER final payment and we are sure to go baring a family emergency. Trip insurance is also recommended.

You need to purchase refundable flights and they are generally more expensive.

Choice Air is just cruise air. Celebrity is acting as a travel agent and terms vary.

If you can use points I think that is your best option to cancel for any reason. Typically, depending on the airline or type of flight booked you may just have to pay to re- bank the points.

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Would choice air issue refund if Celebrity cancels the cruise, like Infinity April 2?

Would choice air issue refund if Celebrity cancels the cruise, like Infinity April 2?

Historically, Choice Air/Celebrity arrange for reimbursement when that happens.

I just checked rates on route that I would fly to MIA...

Cheapest non-refundable ticket was $350, same flight, cheapest refundable ticket was $1,350.

I guess it would depend on your risk tolerance if you wanted to gamble with the $1,000 savings.

 

Questions:

 

• Would Celebrity Insurance help in this scenario (where i may cancel BEFORE final payment, NOT for medical reasons, but due to not being able to get time off work)

I do not think travel insurance will cover you in case you are denied permission at work.

You would have to buy a refundable ticket.

Agree! Our cruise company booked coach seats were upgraded to business class to get us to Europe in time to catch the ship! Bad weather created the initial problems that cancelled and backed up flights for days. If my memory serves me correctly, about 10% of the guests didn't make the sailing.

I thought Cruise Air is just a travel agent. Any costs may be covered if they want to but usually not by the Cruise Air dept. Airlines do reschedule for various reasons like mechanical issues and eat the cost. Travel insurance will cover cost of delays for the defined problems if that is included in the policy.

Typically Cruise Air just like a travel agent will rebook you (at your cost if there is a difference) IF they are available at the time you have the issue. Would love to see in a contract (not marketing) that Cruise Air covers extra costs for all delays; then they definitely would be worth looking at because they basically become an insurance policy.

...

Typically Cruise Air just like a travel agent will rebook you (at your cost if there is a difference) IF they are available at the time you have the issue. Would love to see in a contract (not marketing) that Cruise Air covers extra costs for all delays; then they definitely would be worth looking at because they basically become an insurance policy.

I don't think the quoted part is true.

If there is a problem getting to departing city, they will get you to the ship (at their expense)...If you used a regular online site, or even just booked directly with the airline they would do NOTHING to get you to a different city (to catch up with the ship), without you paying 100% for it.

And if you have some kind of "same day" issue with just getting to your destination, choice air potentially could get you on different airline to get you there on time...again no chance if not using them (without paying)

Choice Air is fully refundable except for $150 per person booking, for any reason. I have only used them to book one way and I do not know if it is $300 cancellation for a round trip ticket.

I thought Cruise Air is just a travel agent. Any costs may be covered if they want to but usually not by the Cruise Air dept. Airlines do reschedule for various reasons like mechanical issues and eat the cost. Travel insurance will cover cost of delays for the defined problems if that is included in the policy.

Typically Cruise Air just like a travel agent will rebook you (at your cost if there is a difference) IF they are available at the time you have the issue. Would love to see in a contract (not marketing) that Cruise Air covers extra costs for all delays; then they definitely would be worth looking at because they basically become an insurance policy.

Well - I do not know if your statements are true or not; however on our trip we had booked flights through the cruise company's air program. We had booked coach to Europe, got stuck at DFW due to weather, they changed our flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta, we waited a bit, upgraded to First Class over the pond and into Europe, missed the 'normal' group transportation to the ship, were provide a special makeup transport just for us, and made the ship just in time for departure.

As a side note, our luggage didn't make when we did, but some of it showed up a few days later. (A good reason to pack suitcases half and half for a party of 2!)

Coming back from Europe we landed very late in Atlanta and missed our follow-on flight home; by the time I could make contact with them, they had rebooked us on another (later) flight home.

I do not think travel insurance will cover you in case you are denied permission at work.

You would have to buy a refundable ticket.

I believe some types of travel insurance cover work related cancellations. I do not know if Celebrity's insurance does. You would need to read all the fine print.

I don't think the quoted part is true.

 

If there is a problem getting to departing city, they will get you to the ship (at their expense)...If you used a regular online site, or even just booked directly with the airline they would do NOTHING to get you to a different city (to catch up with the ship), without you paying 100% for it.

 

And if you have some kind of "same day" issue with just getting to your destination, choice air potentially could get you on different airline to get you there on time...again no chance if not using them (without paying)

And parts of your post may not be entirely true either. If you book through the airline, miss the ship and have to fly elsewhere, then yes, the responsibility to re-book and pay is on you. BUT, it might not involve paying 100%. Depending on the reason for the delay/cancellation, the airline may automatically rebook you, you may or may not have to pay a change fee (to fly to a different city), you may or may not have to pay a difference in fare, and they may or may not rebook you on another airline. There are lots of possibilities, depending on the circumstances. I'm not saying everyone should book directly through the airline, but people often suggest that doing so guarantees that you'll be left stranded with no recourse if there are delays/cancellations, and that simply isn't necessarily true.

Choice Air is fully refundable except for $150 per person booking, for any reason. I have only used them to book one way and I do not know if it is $300 cancellation for a round trip ticket.

Is this only if you purchase a "fully refundable" ticket (which are much more expensive to begin with)?

Thank you to all who have posted/commented.

My understanding with Princess Cruise's air program is that you can book the air and have it added to your cruise reservation without paying the air until everything gets is due at final payment...but that you can cancel prior to final payment date with no penalties.... If this is correct, then that is ideal... Wish celebrity choice Air worked that way.

And parts of your post may not be entirely true either. If you book through the airline, miss the ship and have to fly elsewhere, then yes, the responsibility to re-book and pay is on you. BUT, it might not involve paying 100%. Depending on the reason for the delay/cancellation, the airline may automatically rebook you, you may or may not have to pay a change fee (to fly to a different city), you may or may not have to pay a difference in fare, and they may or may not rebook you on another airline. There are lots of possibilities, depending on the circumstances. I'm not saying everyone should book directly through the airline, but people often suggest that doing so guarantees that you'll be left stranded with no recourse if there are delays/cancellations, and that simply isn't necessarily true.

I'm sorry, but if you are flying A to B and you are delayed and now have to get to C, the airline (I guess I shouldn't use absolutes...so lets say 99.9% of the time) will do nothing to get you from A to C without the entire full cost being paid by you.

I have never had an airline let me change a non-refundable/non-changeable ticket without the fee, and I have never met anyone that has had a airline (for free) book them on a different airline to get from A to C.

What the airline will do is let you change flights when there is a schedule change...They are pretty flexible on working with you...even potentially letting you fly a different day.

I'm sorry, but if you are flying A to B and you are delayed and now have to get to C, the airline (I guess I shouldn't use absolutes...so lets say 99.9% of the time) will do nothing to get you from A to C without the entire full cost being paid by you.

 

I have never had an airline let me change a non-refundable/non-changeable ticket without the fee, and I have never met anyone that has had a airline (for free) book them on a different airline to get from A to C.

 

What the airline will do is let you change flights when there is a schedule change...They are pretty flexible on working with you...even potentially letting you fly a different day.

As far as needing to get to a new city to catch up to the ship,this is the one place where cruise air definitely has an advantage. But people often make booking independently sound worse than it is.

When i said you might not have to pay 100%, what i mean is you might not have to buy a whole new ticket, eating the entire cost of the forfeited ticket. I've changed flights and only been responsible for the fare difference in the two tickets. Sometimes that has actually resulted in getting a refund. Yes, really!

I have also, on more than one occasion, had an airline waive the change fee for either a change in travel day or a change in departure city... neither of which were necessitated by weather or anything that was the fault of the airline.

Should one expect this to always happen? Of course not, but booking independently doesn't necessarily leave you up the creek without a paddle if something goes wrong, as many would have folks believe.

Booking with Choice Air is like using any Travel Agency...but there's one major difference.

1) If you book through choice air on a non-refundable ticket, you are subject to whatever the airline policy is on cancellations.

2) The major difference is that if you cancel your cruise, Choice Air will automatically cancel the flights you booked through them. This is a major problem is you decide to cancel that trip, but still fly on the flights and do a land tour or something else. This doesn't happen very often, but it can be a big gotcha if you aren't very careful. If you find yourself in this situation, call Choice Air before you cancel the cruise and discuss.

Choice Air is fully refundable except for $150 per person booking, for any reason. I have only used them to book one way and I do not know if it is $300 cancellation for a round trip ticket.

ONLY TRUE IF IT IS A REFUNDABLE TICKET!

From the Choice Air website.....

Appreciate all the comments... Thank you!

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