Why Not to Buy Air/Transfer Packages

[Turtle Woman]

I hate admitting dumb mistakes, but maybe this will help someone else avoid the same problems. There is an article on the website that discusses much of the same information, but it is much more polite.

 

Why not to buy the "air" package:

1. Everything is done online. You have to search for the information on their website, and print it out yourself.

2. They don't give you any choice of times or carriers. One of the airlines they booked us on (American) charged $50 for each piece of checked luggage, the other (Delta) charged $25 each.

 

Why not to buy the "transfer" package:

1. Passengers from different flights are consolidated into busloads or vanloads, with resultant waits.

2. Arriving at the cruise terminal in a bus makes you part of a herd, with delays caused by ground crew having to deal with a large number of people at one time.

 

My experience:

 

I booked a cruise with air, hotel, and transfer, thinking that it would be less hassle. Dumb mistake. I guess I was expecting it to be more like a guided tour where someone holds your hand, but you are on your own.

 

First dismay was finding that I wasn't going to get any paper documents. I had to go online and find the information on the Carnival website. At first, the information wasn't showing up at all, or was incomplete, and I had to go back and forth with my travel agent to get this taken care of

 

At the airport, I was dismayed to find that American Airline wanted $50 a bag for checked baggage. So, Carnival gets a deal on the air package, but the cruise passenger has to pay extra. As we got onto the first plane I joked with my husband "Well, the seats can't be any worse than some of those you've gotten through Expedia" only to find that we had seats looking out at the engine. Not "over" the Engine, but "at" the engine. My husband, in the window seat, could see only a thin slice of sky ahead of the plane, all I could see was the engine. The second plane was delayed because of needing repairs and we arrived at New Orleans later than expected.

 

At arrival in New Orleans the directions said to check with the "Airport Shuttle Desk" to meet the Carnival representatives, but it turned out they were waiting by the baggage carousel. Nice folks, and they carefully walked us over to a waiting bus where we.....waited while two more flights with passengers for Carnival transfers arrived.

 

No problems with the hotel, but the info I'd printed from the Carnival website said "a welcome letter will be waiting for you with specific details about your pier transfer" but there was no letter at the front desk for us and we finally had to call Carnival and they told us to ask the front desk to print a letter for us. The next morning there were large groups of people waiting in the hotel lobby and the buses were late to arrive. Of course we had been waiting in the lobby since 1145.

 

Our bus left the hotel at 1215. By then some of the people waiting had already taken taxis, and when the "sign-in" sheet was passed around it turned out we had passengers who hadn't paid. The driver charged them $5 for the trip. We arrived at the terminal at 1230 and there was more waiting in the bus while they unloaded our luggage, then we waited to get the baggage handler's attention until we were allowed to walk back and get in the end of a long line entering the building. At this point it was 1245. At 1:05 I passed a table with water dispensers I guess meant for people in line, but there were no cups. At 1:07 I watched a small travel company van pool up and let its passengers (who looked very fit) off at the handicapped line entrance. At 1:15 I met a nice Carnival representative who directed me to yet another line. At 1:25 another line, with a health questionnaire. There were some announcements being made, but there was too much din to hear them. At 1:40 there was a baggage announcement, but again, it was not clear. At 1:45 another Carnival representative, Mary Smith, processed my paperwork. At 1:55 we were finally on the ship!

 

The long and short of it, almost two hours from hotel to inside the ship. The "transfer" didn't make anything shorter and we would have been much better off taking a taxi on our own, or even walking.

 

But leaving the ship to go back to the hotel was worse. When we exited the terminal building a representative took our names and told us where to put our suitcases and wait for transportation. I am embarrassed to say that when my husband got on a bus I followed him blindly. He said that the Carnival representative had motioned him to board, and since they picked up the suitcases where we had left them I didn't realize that we were on the wrong bus and heading to the airport, not our hotel! Here I fault the bus lines for not having a person at the bus door checking off names, or a sign on the door as you got in. (It was the same bus and driver who had taken us from the hotel - the sign on the bus just said "Carnival transfer").

 

From hotel to final shuttle was a bit smoother, although it was not clear WHERE we were supposed to get the shuttle. It turned out that it was on a different side of the hotel from the side where we got the bus. I also noticed that when had taken the bus from the cruise terminal to the airport (by mistake) the bus let everyone off at the same place, but the smaller van stopped where it was most convenient for each passenger.

 

Anyway, hope reading about my stumbling around is some use to someone. I would only use a transfer package again if there was a major cost difference.

 

By the way, the frames to both my bags were bent somewhere along the line.

[candigirl41]

Sorry about your experience. I used the combined package one time and everything went so smooth. I had my mother in a wheelchair and a 4 year old child as well as my husband. I guess I was extremely lucky because everything went so good. They even pre-boarded us at the hotel in the morning and that was nice because we avoided the terminal lines. Hope this doesn't sound rude, but don't always assume because people look fit they aren't disabled. If you looked at me you wouldn't think I was disabled at all, but I am. I have a hard time walking due to neuropathy, but I manage. Hope you have better luck next time. At least you were on the ship eventually. Hope you had a good time.

 

Candi

[riffatsea]

The price for baggage on airlines would have been the same had you booked the flight yourself.

Everything else though, would have been more under your control on your own , which is what I prefer.

I want to pick my airline and flight. I want to leave when I am ready and not have to wait for a bus to fill up etc.

I am sorry you had to go through this but at least you got to your cruise and presumably had a great time!

Now you know what to do for the next cruise!

[Jay B]

I totally agree with you, turtle woman. Cruise ships typically charge up to double the going rate for air and then put you on on inconvenient flights or those arriving about an hour before embarkation closes. Their transfers are usually twice the price that a couple would pay for a taxi and require lots of waiting. And their hotels are no bargain either. On our last several cruises, we booked our air to arrive a day before (we start by looking at the price on Southwest - no baggage fees), look at Tripadvisor and the ports section of Cruisecritic for ideas about a hotel (and see which ones offer free transportation from the airport and to the cruise ship terminal), and then look on line to get an idea of taxi prices for the trip back to the airport.

[firefly333]

I just flew American .. and refused to pay the checked baggage, so I did my cruise in carry on luggage .. my choice.

 

Carnival went to edocs only .. unless you paid $25 to have them sent a year ago, not news.

 

I also paid for a transfer back to the Miami airport, and did platinum early walk off .. and then had to wait the hour for the bus to fill up .. they said either one hour or when it fills up. The one hour came first.

 

I knew what I was getting into .. but still I was surprised to wait a entire hour for the bus to leave and how long it took to fill up the bus. Evidently not that many buy those transfers!!!

[nlktx49]

Were your bags overweight to be charged $50 for each? I just flew American in August on the Fly Away Program, and American was charging $25 for each bag. Our experience was fairly smooth.

[silverado44]

Southwest Airlines....No fee for first 2 bags.

[blindrid]

First dismay was finding that I wasn't going to get any paper documents. I had to go online and find the information on the Carnival website. At first, the information wasn't showing up at all, or was incomplete, and I had to go back and forth with my travel agent to get this taken care of

 

At the airport, I was dismayed to find that American Airline wanted $50 a bag for checked baggage.

 

"Well, the seats can't be any worse than some of those you've gotten through Expedia" only to find that we had seats looking out at the engine. Not "over" the Engine, but "at" the engine. My husband, in the window seat, could see only a thin slice of sky ahead of the plane, all I could see was the engine. The second plane was delayed because of needing repairs and we arrived at New Orleans later than expected.

 

 

No problems with the hotel, but the info I'd printed from the Carnival website said "a welcome letter will be waiting for you with specific details about your pier transfer" but there was no letter at the front desk for us and we finally had to call Carnival and they told us to ask the front desk to print a letter for us. The next morning there were large groups of people waiting in the hotel lobby and the buses were late to arrive. Of course we had been waiting in the lobby since 1145.

 

Our bus left the hotel at 1215. By then some of the people waiting had already taken taxis, and when the "sign-in" sheet was passed around it turned out we had passengers who hadn't paid.

 

then we waited to get the baggage handler's attention until we were allowed to walk back and get in the end of a long line entering the building. At this point it was 1245.

 

The long and short of it, almost two hours from hotel to inside the ship. The "transfer" didn't make anything shorter and we would have been much better off taking a taxi on our own, or even walking.

 

But leaving the ship to go back to the hotel was worse. When we exited the terminal building a representative took our names and told us where to put our suitcases and wait for transportation. I am embarrassed to say that when my husband got on a bus I followed him blindly. He said that the Carnival representative had motioned him to board, and since they picked up the suitcases where we had left them I didn't realize that we were on the wrong bus and heading to the airport, not our hotel!

 

Here I fault the bus lines for not having a person at the bus door checking off names, or a sign on the door as you got in. (It was the same bus and driver who had taken us from the hotel - the sign on the bus just said "Carnival transfer").

 

From hotel to final shuttle was a bit smoother, although it was not clear WHERE we were supposed to get the shuttle. It turned out that it was on a different side of the hotel from the side where we got the bus. I also noticed that when had taken the bus from the cruise terminal to the airport (by mistake) the bus let everyone off at the same place, but the smaller van stopped where it was most convenient for each passenger.

 

Anyway, hope reading about my stumbling around is some use to someone. I would only use a transfer package again if there was a major cost difference.

 

By the way, the frames to both my bags were bent somewhere along the line.

 

Couple of things: Overall I agree with NOT booking air with cruise. You get no selection on flights but some of your concerns were a result of you not understanding.

 

For example,

1) it makes no difference what the carrier is (with a few exceptions) there are luggage fees - not CCL's fault.

2) Seat selection is at the mercy of those handling the booking, there are very few "premium" seating anymore and those are either bulkhead or first 6 rows. Even if you would have booked the flight yourself, you may have ended up with same seats. I rarely look out the window anyway and am suprised that some people do. - not CCL's fault.

3) Of course the transfer would take longer. It's not like everyone arrives in the same plane, at the same time. There would be expected waits until the bus fills up - not CCL's fault.

4) Bus to port left 1/2 hour late. Your expectations may have been a bit much thinkingthat it would leave on time. I haven't seen one leave yet on time. A lot of the time, the passengers don't help much either - maybe partial CCL fault but probably sub contract bus company.

5) Two hours to get on ship. It has taken me two hourse to get on the ship from the terminal much less the hotel. - not CCL's fault - that's the way it is when you get there early.

6) Busses are typically marked. As to your husband getting on the wrong bus, I suggest that the employee thought you were going to the airport. They told your husband to board, he did. No questions asked, just followed along. - I'll give a partial to CCL on this one.

 

Overall, I believe one should never book cruise line flights but your expectaions were a bit skewed. I think overall you thought in buying the transfers and flight, you were buying a babysitter and subsequently thought there would be expedited service somehow.

 

It don't work that way and I think you should have known it.

[golfadj]

I have learned it is better to control what I can and not relay on cruise lines to handle transportation.

 

Every cruise we go on luggage will be damaged by someone. That is why I loved the United broke my guitar video.

 

Sorry for your aggravations.

[firefly333]

The only cruiseline I would even consider booking air thru would be RCL if I were diamond? I think its a diamond perk that they waive the fee for changing your flight (deviation fee).

 

Other than that, unless you know you can change flights if they give you one at times you dont like, you are pretty much stuck. It would have to be a huge savings to book thru the cruiseline to be worth it for me.

[Mekamax]

It's been 10 years since I used cruise air but would consider it again for the same reason I used it then. If you are going into one port and arriving at a different port on repositioning cruises I have thought it safer and cheaper to use their air and transfers. It was in the past for both our Hawaii to Vancover cruise and the Alcapulco to San Jun cruise but that again was over 10 years ago and things may have changed...

[Turtle Woman]

No, the checked bags were not overweight, but they charged us $50 each for two bags from San Diego to New Orleans (one per passenger). I guess my point should have been that if I had made my own travel arrangements I would have been able to factor in the baggage check cost before choosing an airline. I guess I'm lucky Carnival didn't put me on an airline that charged $75 for each checked bag!

 

On the busload of passengers who went into the "handicapped" entrance - I admit I don't know if they were really handicapped or just cutting in line. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions.

 

As for my husband getting on the wrong bus - he says it was the man who had checked our names off on the list and told us where to stand for the bus for the hotel who told him to get on board. My point here is that there was no one on the bus with a list to double-check.

 

But now I know, and I hope this post helps someone else avoid the same mistakes.

[wimsiecruise]

Too late, I've already allowed Carnival to book my flight (should have let my brother, who is a Delta employee manage my flight instead), and I've booked the airport/hotel/pier transfers because I don't know Miami well, I'm arriving late at night and traveling solo...I just thought it would be safer (and I still think so). The flight going to MIA is fabulous and barring any breakdowns and delays (mechanical or weather related), I should be at the hotel before 9:00pm the day prior to embarkation (I'm hoping to get a good night's sleep)... The flight coming home is via Montreal, and that could pose a problem with the weather, but I don't have to get home at any specific time, so I'll be OK even if the hour is late (almost 11:00 at night by the time I arrive on the West Coast. But I know my own city well and feel safe - not a problem). However, the wait to board the bus to go to the pier that the OP experienced is a bummer ! If that happens to me I will get anxious and cranky and I do not want to start my cruise on the wrong foot ! I could just as easily have booked a complimentary shuttle from the hotel...:eek: Oh well ! Thanks for the heads up anyway Turtle Woman.. Sorry you had to go through all of that !

[salty dingo]

One of the airlines they booked us on (American) charged $50 for each piece of checked luggage

This is not correct. American charges $25 per bag for the first checked bag for a customer, and $35 for a second bag.

 

Maybe the OP's bag was overweight and was charged extra for that, who knows, but AA does NOT charge $50 a bag.

[EmmasNana]

This is not correct. American charges $25 per bag for the first checked bag for a customer, and $35 for a second bag.

 

Maybe the OP's bag was overweight and was charged extra for that, who knows, but AA does NOT charge $50 a bag.

 

 

I am assuming the OP means $25 each way, so $50 total per person.

[Rob&Bonnie]

I'm not a big fan of cruise transportation extras, it just doesn't fit with my controlling nature :).

 

We did use cruise airport transfers once. It was our first cruise, we were flying into Ft Lauderdale and sailing out of Miami, so it made sense to use it then. Many of the things you were troubled by were explained in detail by our travel agent before we cruised. Yes, it can cause delays as you are waiting for others before the bus moves out. Yes it gets you to the ship along with 3 busloads of our recently made new friends causing lines, and yes, it was a bit chaotic. Fortunately we were well warned about how it would be, and knew ahead what to expect. It's unfortunate that your travel agent did not provide the same information to you.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. As you said, it can be helpful to others in either knowing what to expect or knowing what to avoid.

[PirateGal]

Thanks for sharing your experience. We have always booked our own flight and transfers but I have wondered what the experience would be like to have the cruise line arrange everything.

 

It is nice to have peace of mind that if you are late to embarkation, the ship will wait or have you transfered to the next port if you book the package with Carnival. But I say on the whole, if you fly in a day early, use a rental car or cabs, you will save a bit of time and aggravation.

[guxu]

Why not to buy the "air" package:

1. Everything is done online. You have to search for the information on their website, and print it out yourself.

When you book your own air, do they still give you the paper ticket/doc? For the past several years, I am traveling about once per month. I do not bring any paper doc to airports even for international flights.

[Yvonne]

We did the air/cruise package for our very first cruise, only because we had no idea what we were doing. It was expensive, and that was the last time we did it.

 

I did inquire for one other cruise (I forget which one exactly) about doing their air but they insisted we had to fly THE DAY OF the cruise. I said we are in Michigan, and we cruise in January, there is NO WAY I would want to fly in the day of the cruise. We wanted to fly down 1-2 days before, they said no. In turn I said no to their air/cruise package.

 

I always book everything (cruise, air, rental car, etc.) myself on-line now. That way I am in control of what we book. And it's less expensive that way too.

[Chigirlcruzin]

This is not correct. American charges $25 per bag for the first checked bag for a customer, and $35 for a second bag.

 

Maybe the OP's bag was overweight and was charged extra for that, who knows, but AA does NOT charge $50 a bag.

 

You are correct. I flew on American yesterday, and it was definitely "only" $25 a bag for the first bag; $35 for the second.

[saskcruiser]

Not sure about the air, but the transfers only seem reasonable if you are travelling by yourself (price). The first abroad trip I did with my wife we had everything booked for us because we thought it would be the most reliable, now we book everything ourselves including excursions and save a lot and have more flexibility ie: walking straight from the baggage pickup to the cab to the hotel.

[Hunwolf]

$50 a bag is correct. $25 each way...unless you don't plan on bringing your bag back with you. ;)

[chemistry]

Only once did I book an air package with Carnival because it seemed bit cheaper for the Alaska one-way flight.

 

However, once we arrived at the connecting airport, we had a four hour layover, even though there was another plane (same carrier) going to the same destination with only a two hour layover.

 

Airline check-in desk folks told me that sometimes cruiselines do this because they got a cheaper bulk rate on the less desirable flight time. I think it also saves the cruiseline money by herding their packaged cruisers onto the ship later (avoiding the early boarding crowds) when the buffett will be closed already.

 

Never again. I always read reviews, do online comparisons, and book my own transportation, transfers, and shore excursions.

[SuiteTraveler]

I've used the cruiseline's arranged air twice. The first time was with Princess - we were seated in First Class on American and our flight was to Puerto Rico. We got the same meal as all other passengers, however. Still, it was nice to sit in First Class for free. On the flight home, we were seated in First Class again. I don't know why - perhaps it was because we were first time cruisers?

 

The next time, I used the cruiseline's airfare it was for roundtrip out of Puerto Rico again - this time on RCCL. The flight to Puerto Rico was fine, but our return trip required a 6 hour wait at an extremely over-crowded airport where there were no chairs left to sit and wait for our flight because so many ships had come into port that day - this AFTER we took an all morning post cruise excursion so that the time would pass. We sat on the airport floor waiting for hours like many others - very boring.

 

After that second experience, I always arrange my own airfare so that I can control what time my flights are.