Oceania "free air" vs. doing your own?

[twopats]

We live on the West Coast so in checking with Oceania re their policy of getting us to Miami for our 3/28/11 cruise, I learned it will be a "red eye." I have advised on the boards to do a deviation for $100 (probably pp so $200) which will allow us to go a day early and stay a day or two in Barcelona. However, in checking rates from Barcelona one-way, I found a very good rate, so am wondering if anyone has had experience in doing your own air, instead of with Oceania. Do they give you enough credit to make it worthwhile, and is it possible to wait to change until you find out if there are some good rates in April when we will be returning? If we use the deviation, are there strict restrictions or can we find a return to San Francisco from Barcelona with only one stop? Thanks for any help you can give us. Trish :cool:

[LHT28]

You should check with your TA regarding the air credit amount they differ according to cruise departures

 

You can see what flights O offers with a deviation or choose your own flights & they will either upcharge you or not depending on what contracts they have with the airlines

Lyn

The credits are not as good as they use to be;)

[Leonid]

Two good sites to check for airfares are ITASoftware.com & Kayak.com. With the former you have to register, but it's no big deal.

 

We have always done are own air...more flexibility and usually less than what the cruise lines offer. We have flown to Barcelona from both LAX and SFO...both are non stop flights.

[john2003]

On our TA last March we ended up doing our own air and managed to save. However we "cheated" a bit as we flew Victoria to Miami on Alaska, mostly using points. We flew Easyjet from Barcelona to London and Thomas Cook from London to Vancouver.

 

Outbound we had the added advantage of departing from Victoria as Vancouver is Oceania's gateway. We also wanted a brief stopover in London and extra days in Barcelona so we would have had to do a deviation with Oceania. We did end up with a redeye to Miami as Alaska only had one direct flight a day and it was a redeye.

 

However, for our March 2011 TA on the Marina, the air credit is much less so there is no way we could do better ourselves. You can ask your travel agent how much the air credit is or go on the Oceania website and pretend to book the trip with and without air included, to get the difference.

 

I understand, you can pretty much ask what you want for a deviation as long as you don't stay too long or change cities but they will ask for any incremental cost in addition to the deviation fee. I don't think you are committed to their air until final payment but the later you request the deviation the less choice there may be, and potentially higher cost. Once you pay to deviate this is non-refundable.

 

Hope this is useful, it is accurate to the best of my knowledge. Good luck with it.

[wripro]

The air credit for the Marina crossing is only $400 so even with the deviation fee you should be ahead of the game over booking on your own. I am on the same cruise and coming from Southern Ca. I took the credit and am booking my own air as I'll be using miles.

[Suefranss]

We always book our own flights. We like to be able to control which airlines and flights we travel on, so it's really about control for us. For us, the credits given by Oceania never add up to the cost of the flights we book for ourselves, but we just want to do our own thing.

[winegirl]

I took the credit and booked my own flight from Chicago to Barcelona via Frankfurt, and Amsterdam to Chicago nonstop. It cost me a bit more than the credit, but I was able to select a seat in the United Economy plus section which allows a bit more legroom. The flight is also relatively short, with fewer layovers compared to other options costing a bit less. I wanted control over the flight time, number of stops (preferring nonstop when possible,) flight duration and airports. I gladly pay more for control. I can also decide when I leave and when I'll get to my final destination (if all goes according to plan.) Last time I let the cruise line arrange the air, we had multiple stops resulting in a very, very long flight and some really tight connections which made the trip kind of nerve wracking. I try to avoid problem airports (O'Hare is unavoidable for us, though) and travel through airports with which I've had good experiences. I like to fly through Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich, which are clean, well run, have nice shops and restaurants to pass the time during a layover.

I also advise flying in the day before the cruise (or earlier if you have the time.) I would not want to be biting my nails about missing the cruise if my air was delayed. If your same day flight is delayed for some reason, I doubt that the cruise line will hold up the ship for more than a brief wait, even if they've arranged the air.

[hondorner]

Ask your travel agent for the amount of the air credit, and ask them to request a deviation proposal from Oceania. If your travel agent is not willing or able to do those, look for a new travel agent. If you are booked directly with Oceania, call them, but you should probably look for a good agent, as they often offer additional perks over booking direct, and a good agent will do all this work for you.

 

You do not have to accept the deviation proposal, and you are not liable for the $100 per person deviation fee until you have them do the booking. It's the best way to find out what they will do for you. If you do accept the proposed deviation, the $100 per person fee is payable immediately and nonrefundable; it's an administrative fee for the extra work they have done for you. The airfare itself will be included in your cruise fare, and is not payable until the date of final payment. When you make your own arrangements, it's usually payable immediately.

 

Also, if you have to cancel the cruise any time before the final payment, the air fare simply goes away and your deposit is refunded; when you make your own arrangements it is sometimes difficult to get a refund or switch the tickets to some future date.

 

Finally, Oceania has lowered the air credit to the point that it no longer pays to do your own booking unless you are using miles or manage to book on a bargain airline.

[neepawa]

We have used Oceania air on two of our three cruises on Regatta by paying the $100 deviation fee. On our Mediterranean cruise, we flew from Montreal to Venice via Munich and return form Barcelona via Munich after spending three extra days in Barcelona. We prefer Munich to Frankfurt or Heathrow. On our Panama Canal voyage, we went from Ottawa to Los Angeles via Chicago, arriving a day early, and returned from Miami via Washington. The flights on our trip to the Caribbean were booked using points.

 

Our TA made all the arrangements after we selected the flights and the dates we wanted to travel.

 

Don

[Paulchili]

Two good sites to check for airfares are ITASoftware.com & Kayak.com. With the former you have to register, but it's no big deal.

 

You do not have to register with ITA - just log in as a guest.

I always use them (I think they are the best) and have never registered.

[caribbeansun]

Yes, sadly it's messed me up completely with my SOP of taking the air credit and booking with points particularly with Europe where we seem to be going in a week beforehand and several days afterward.

 

The points burn isn't justified now either as the credits almost don't cover the airline taxes.

 

I for one wish they'd left their air program alone but such is not life...

 

Finally, Oceania has lowered the air credit to the point that it no longer pays to do your own booking unless you are using miles or manage to book on a bargain airline.

[caribbeansun]

Chicago?? With direct flights from Toronto? :confused:

 

When does O advise of the route for air - before or after final payment?

 

On our Panama Canal voyage, we went from Ottawa to Los Angeles via Chicago, arriving a day early, and returned from Miami via Washington.

[LHT28]

Chicago?? With direct flights from Toronto? :confused:

 

When does O advise of the route for air - before or after final payment?

If you do the deviation you know right away

 

I would do a deviation for a non stop flight rather connect :eek:

Lyn

[LAexNY]

Two good sites to check for airfares are ITASoftware.com & Kayak.com. With the former you have to register, but it's no big deal.

 

We have always done are own air...more flexibility and usually less than what the cruise lines offer. We have flown to Barcelona from both LAX and SFO...both are non stop flights.

 

I'd be curious to learn what airline flies non-stop LAX to BCN. I wasn't aware that any did.

[neepawa]

Although Ottawa is the capitol of Canada, there are very few direct flights to anywhere. That is why we took the train to and from Montreal in 2006, and had to fly through Chicago and Washington in 2008.

 

Don

[quivet c]

It probably depends on where you are flying from, from Chicago I always book my own airfare and usually I come out ahead with non-stop flights. For my upcoming cruise the credit ended up being exactly the same as the flight credit (which had some crazy tax included) but I got to chose my flights without paying the $100pp fee Oceania charges to request specific flights and airlines.

[Sharicruz]

Chicago?? With direct flights from Toronto? :confused:

 

When does O advise of the route for air - before or after final payment?

 

 

Air itineraries are done 75 days prior to sailing.

 

Shari

Sharicruz6

[caribbeansun]

Final payment is due 90 days out - so if O makes air arrangements that are terrible you've already paid for the air and are locked in to using them?

 

As an example - for the SFO -> MIA cruise next year the air credit is a paltry $250. The "logical" flight to take is AC direct YYZ/SFO. In this situation the air tax alone for YYZ/SFO/MIA/YYZ is $140 with $610 for the actual fare. Therefore, it would seem to merit payment of the $100 deviation fee in this case provided there isn't an additional fee for the carrier and times I'd prefer. It is a mystery to me what carrier is doing YYZ/SFO/MIA/YYZ for $110 though :rolleyes:

 

So what happens if in fact they do use the "logical" flight via the same carrier but you've paid the deviation because you fear the flight from hell? I guess you've dropped $100 x 2 extra for nothing.

 

I do see it from O's side as well - ie. why invest the time to do all of these routings prior to final payment when several could cancel. Just seems like there should be a happy median here somewhere to me...:confused:

 

Air itineraries are done 75 days prior to sailing.

 

Shari

Sharicruz6

[JimandStan]

Final payment is due 90 days out - so if O makes air arrangements that are terrible you've already paid for the air and are locked in to using them?

 

As an example - for the SFO -> MIA cruise next year the air credit is a paltry $250. The "logical" flight to take is AC direct YYZ/SFO. In this situation the air tax alone for YYZ/SFO/MIA/YYZ is $140 with $610 for the actual fare. Therefore, it would seem to merit payment of the $100 deviation fee in this case provided there isn't an additional fee for the carrier and times I'd prefer. It is a mystery to me what carrier is doing YYZ/SFO/MIA/YYZ for $110 though :rolleyes:

 

So what happens if in fact they do use the "logical" flight via the same carrier but you've paid the deviation because you fear the flight from hell? I guess you've dropped $100 x 2 extra for nothing.

 

I do see it from O's side as well - ie. why invest the time to do all of these routings prior to final payment when several could cancel. Just seems like there should be a happy median here somewhere to me...:confused:

 

Hondorner always suggests (and we have also done this for years) that you ask for an Air Deviation proposal from Oceania, before deciding which way to book it. Then, you can make an Apples to Apples comparison between what O is offering and the cost of the flights that you can book yourself.

 

Sometimes Oceania can get a rate that a private person could never get near. It stands to reason; if you were a consolidator, wouldnt you offer better rates to your bigger volume customers? Never think that the rates that WE see are the rates that THEY see. At the level that Oceania buys airline space, they have many more options than Joe Consumer.

 

On the other hand, some people don't even want to think about the details. They prefer to pay whatever fee and have it handled for them.

Oceania has to cater to those folks too, and hopefully make a profit while doing it.

[LHT28]

Final payment is due 90 days out - so if O makes air arrangements that are terrible you've already paid for the air and are locked in to using them?

 

As an example - for the SFO -> MIA cruise next year the air credit is a paltry $250. The "logical" flight to take is AC direct YYZ/SFO.

 

I priced out the flights I want & for 2 it is $1500 so I will do the deviation ..we will fly in the day before.

 

Lyn

[CarlsbadSally]

We usually book our own air arrangements, but last summer used Oceania. Our travel agent kept going back until they made a proposal that I accepted- they probably made 5-6 offers before I chose the one I preferred. We had been quoted deviation at the start to make a stop on the way and stay beyond the end of the cruise.

[Mura]

We have virtually always done our own air except for a T/A (Miami to BCN) where it was just impossible to get a decent open jaw on our own for NY-Miami, BCN-NY. We were expecting a late morning flight to Miami and were surprised to get a 7:30am flight ... but that turned out to be serendipity when I discovered I couldn't find my passport on Saturday morning for a Monday evening departure. So we took that 7:30 am flight, headed for the Passport Bureau and had my new passport in plenty of time to board the ship.

 

However, I don't think anyone has mentioned that if you book your own air you want to be sure to build in a cushion just in case you miss your flight or is it LATE. If you use Oceania air they will wait for you (unless they absolutely cannot which DID happen on our Panama Canal cruise in February 2004, although not to US) ... they won't wait if you don't get there in time and you did your own air.

 

When we book our own, we go in at least one day early ... which we would do anyway so as to see the departure port and not merely the pier!

 

We met some people on the Iceland cruise (Dover-Dover) in June 2006 who were using Oceania air from LA and it was totally fouled up. They didn't catch up to the ship until Oslo, two days after we left Dover. The ship presented them with a bottle of champagne as a means of apologizing, but these people were recovering alcoholics so the champagne was NOT appreciated!

 

That doesn't happen often, but it can ...

[LHT28]

As an example - for the SFO -> MIA cruise next year the air credit is a paltry $250. The "logical" flight to take is AC direct YYZ/SFO. In this situation the air tax alone for YYZ/SFO/MIA/YYZ is $140 with $610 for the actual fare. Therefore, it would seem to merit payment of the $100 deviation fee in this case provided there isn't an additional fee for the carrier and times I'd prefer.

 

Got our flights the other day O gave us AC non-stop both ways

no additional charge.

Worth the $100 deviation fee for us

 

Lyn

[hulamoon]

Lyn is that for the Miami- Barcelona? I am new to using cruise air.

[LHT28]

Lyn is that for the Miami- Barcelona? I am new to using cruise air.

No ..it is for the YYZ/SFO/MIA/YYZ (Panama cruise)

 

If you are thinking of doing a deviation just ask your TA to see what Oceania is offering in the way of air routing for your cruise

Then decide if it works for you or not

 

You can check 270 days out

 

Lyn