Search for Cruise and Airfare by price?

[us3r123]

Hello,

 

we are shopping for our next cruise and price is the deciding factor. is there anyway to shop for airfare and cruise options at once?

 

Thanks!

[kenish]

A bit unclear- are you saying you're interested in air booked through the cruiseline? If so, read the sticky at the top of this board first. If you're not dissuaded and want to do that, you have to check prices through the cruiseline.

 

If you're simply looking for good cruise fares and good airfares as separate purchases, narrow down where you want to go, what time of the year, and for how long. Going to an area you will find boring, going on a ship whose facilities, itenerary, or onboard facilites are not what you're looking for, or going to the Caribbean during hurricane season are all a risk of throwing away your money. Once you've developed a shortlist of where and when you'd like to cruise, check on any number of cruise booking websites (including Cruise Critic) to get a sense of prices.

 

Then, check airfares....keep in mind most low cost carriers like Southwest don't participate in consolidated fare search/booking sites so you will have to check them separately.

 

Finding good deals on cruises and airfares requires effort and you won't get a rock-bottom fare for 5 minutes of work. It's the good old cost/time balance which only you can decide.

 

Definitely keep asking questions once you've narrowed down your choices a bit.

[chipmaster]

Welcome to CC.

 

You'll find cruises lines and airlines are very different beasts and much comes into play when deciding on cruise price versus airlines.

 

As another poster said AVOID cruiseline package air! Shop for air thru Kayak or other internet search travel engine. Be flexible and a good rule of thumb is plan extra time for connections and do try to fly in at least a day early before cruise to avoid / minimize risk of missing the boat. Cheap can be had by booking very early, looking for specials, there is no sound rule for snagging the very best price.

 

Cruise prices on any given boat can vary by 4x easily between inside cabin to a suite. Cost between going carnival versus a high end like Sebourn can be another 2-3x for the same class. Then one needs to consider all one will spend on the ship; drinks, photos, souveniors, daily tips, and also shore excursion.

 

With google enter a few key words and you'll ber surpised at the resources that allow you to quickly price out various options. For the same cabin, boat, schedule the difference between TA and online will be small patatoes compared to all the other incidentals mentioned above.

 

Good luck,

 

Hello,

 

we are shopping for our next cruise and price is the deciding factor. is there anyway to shop for airfare and cruise options at once?

 

Thanks!

[Ashland]

I would book my cruise first..then start looking at air as far out as possible..I usually find the best air about 8 months out. Air prices can change sometimes a couple of times a day..you must have an idea of prices and be ready to buy it when you see it.that's why having your cruise booked first.....The price of your air should be secondary to your choice of a cruise ...JMHO of course...Good luck !!

[Twickenham]

I would book my cruise first..then start looking at air as far out as possible..I usually find the best air about 8 months out. Air prices can change sometimes a couple of times a day..you must have an idea of prices and be ready to buy it when you see it.that's why having your cruise booked first.....The price of your air should be secondary to your choice of a cruise ...JMHO of course...Good luck !!

 

I respectfully disagree with this opinion. Indeed, the impossibility of getting award air tickets on a weekend made me switch my last cruise from a 7-day to a 10-day itinerary. It's easy enough to take such a line in the US, but when you're flying from Canada or other places and a flight to FLL in winter can easily run you $700+, you need to be more selective...

How many times do we read threads posted by people who have booked cheap Europe cruises, then are outraged by how high the price of air is going to be? IMHO, the choice should be made together, balancing both to get the right price/time/cruise combination.

[CruisingBull]

I would book my cruise first..then start looking at air as far out as possible..I usually find the best air about 8 months out. Air prices can change sometimes a couple of times a day..you must have an idea of prices and be ready to buy it when you see it.that's why having your cruise booked first.....The price of your air should be secondary to your choice of a cruise ...JMHO of course...Good luck !!

 

 

I sometimes like to research a cruise and choose several possible dates. Then I will research airfare and find which one is cheapest and book my cruise after the air.

 

I know some people book their cruise first only to find out that the airfare can be as much as the cruise itself!

 

Just a thought.

[Ashland]

I respectfully disagree with this opinion. Indeed, the impossibility of getting award air tickets on a weekend made me switch my last cruise from a 7-day to a 10-day itinerary. It's easy enough to take such a line in the US, but when you're flying from Canada or other places and a flight to FLL in winter can easily run you $700+, you need to be more selective...

 

How many times do we read threads posted by people who have booked cheap Europe cruises, then are outraged by how high the price of air is going to be? IMHO, the choice should be made together, balancing both to get the right price/time/cruise combination.

Since the OP didn't give any particulars at all...SORRY...I answered from a US travel point of view...If booking a european cruise at a good price it can be a trade off for the price of air from the US..Sometimes something has to give to make it managable....

[Twickenham]

Since the OP didn't give any particulars at all...SORRY...I answered from a US travel point of view...If booking a european cruise at a good price it can be a trade off for the price of air from the US..Sometimes something has to give to make it managable....

 

No problem, I was just trying to show the other POV, especially for newbies who could be reading this thread. A lot of people book cruises without even considering the price of air, whereas it's becoming a larger and larger chunk of the total budget, especially for transatlantic travel.

[us3r123]

Hey everybody,

 

thanks for the input! i am shopping solely by price, and flying out of Minneapolis. Airfare is a large part of the whole equation. I was looking for a website like kayak that could search for both together. It looks like this isn't an option.

[Taxguy77]

Cruise = luxury

Air travel = near-luxury

 

Both on the cheap?:confused: sounds like an oxymoron.

[alidor]

Why don't you simplycontact your local travel agent instead of spinning your wheels?