Air travel with NCL

[galliegirlie]

Right now we are planning to use Air flight travel and transfers booked with NCL for our California to Rome flight for our Jade cruise in November. Our quote was from back in January, but we have not yet paid for anything (due beginning of September). Suprisingly, our quoted rate is right about equal to current airline prices. And since the NCL price includes ship transfers, this seems to work out to the better deal. I've never booked airflight with a cruiseline before, so I'm wondering how it all works. When do they tell you what airline & times that you are booked for? Is there a specific airline that they tend to book with more than others? Do they opt for the least amount of stops, or are you stuck with multiple layovers (or as I call them, chances for luggage to get lost)? I'm sure they plan everything correctly to get you to the ship ontime for departure, but I'm wondering if they get you there right when the ship opens, or if you don't get there until mid afternoon? The return flight I'm not too worried about since they would never book something too early not to make it, and we could always take a quick Rome excursion with NCL if it is a late flight.

 

Anyone have experiences to share?

[garycarla]

You will find plenty of people that would never book with the cruiseline. You give up control. I would not do it in 99% of the cases.

 

With that said, if the rate is VERY good, or the cost of transfer is VERY GOOD, then maybe. Rome is quite a distance from the port - well over an hour on the train, so it might make sense.

 

You will not learn anything until very late. You might get extra transfers or connections. You are NOT guaranteed you will make the sailing. You will probably fly in the same day as the cruise - most would do a day early.

[DAGVBSB]

I have had both good and bad experiences with NCL air.

 

1.) Good: we had good flights to San Fran for our Pride of Aloha cruise. Great times, etc. Although we had to rearrange our seats once we got to the airport because NCL had our group scattered all over the plane. We flew United all the way.

One of the flights that NCL had passengers on was delayed and NCL held the ship nearly two hours so that they could make it. We were told that becasue it was an NCL air issue, they had to wait.

 

2.) Really good: Our flight to New York for the Dawn in 2006 were good. (we were even seated together thanks to our TA). The Dawn ended up having engine problems and we had to slow down coming back to NYC. That caused us not to arrive until close to 11:00 a.m. (as opposed to 7:00 a.m.). Because we had booked NCL air, they re-arranged our flights for later and sent us notification and new ticket numbers to our cabin AND called us later to ask if we had any questions. This was great as I watched many people in the computer lab trying to reschedule and heard many on cell phones once we got back trying to do the same thing. Saved us the hassle.

 

3.) Really bad: Our flight for our first Hawaii cruise on the Star. We live 10 minutes from Port Columbus..a major International airport, but NCL couldn't or wouldn't book us out of PC. Instead they made us drive for 2 hours to the Akron/Canton REGIONAL airport for our first flight. (we had to get a hotel room that first night!). We then flew Akron Canton to Chicago, Chicago to Denver and Denver to Honolulu. The Return flights were Honolulu to LAX, LAX to Detroit and Detroit to Akron/Canton and then drive home. We flew to Hawaii on United and back on Northwest.

Once at the airports, we had to rearrange our seats once again because our group was scattered all over the planes. This became a real issue on the already full Denver to Honolulu flight. My daughter was four at the time and they had her near the back of the plane with both my wife and I near the front (but not next to each other.) I refused to give permission for her to fly alone so the airline had to rearrange the seats. I remember the Gate agent coming on the plane, looking at where my wife and I were and deciding to move the guy next to my wife. (since they were in the middle section and the guy I was next to had a window seat.) The guy he moved was not happy at all about it but the gate agent said he had no choice and even said he would give the guy at 50% discount coupon for his next flight. The guy moved, reluctantly (maybe because we were already 45 minutes late...). The gate agent mumbled as he left, "damn cruise lines."

*I even tried to drop the flight from Akron to Chicago and pay our own way to Chicago, but the ticket people said that NCL tickets cannot be altered or changed. (we would have even got into Chicago 30 minutes sooner!).

 

You won't get your flight numbers and times until about a month before your departure date.

 

 

I have also used Royal Carribeans air service and that was very good as well. Our flight from Columbus to Detroit was cancelled the MORNING we were to fly out. I got a call from RCCL at 5:30 a.m. to tell me and her first words were: "don't worry but we have a change" (I first thought the cruise was cancelled...lol). She told me that they had been monitoring our flights and that our first leg was cancelled and the make-up flight by NW would put us in too late for our connecting flight to Newark. SO.... RCCL had moved our entire party (12 of us) to a Continental flight that would leave Columbus about 20 minutes later but was direct to Newark. (and get us into Newark earlier.) She took my cell phone number and called me later to make sure we had no problems at the airport check in. What a great service.

 

 

So, as you can see, it can be good or it can be bad. Looks like luck of the draw.

[Single Cruiser]

Not sure how it works for you guys in the states but over here we have an email address for flights at NCL. I emailed them with my reservation ID and they said they hadn't booked the flights about 4 months out I emailed again and they sent the details back..

 

I was able to check-in online the day before direct with the airline and check/change the seats allocated..

 

I'm looking at my next NCL one out of Miami and whilst Europe/local they fly in the same day, they fly transatlantic in the day before and have a night in a hotel stay.

 

I would have thought they would do something similar flying the other way.

[mikewrit]

We booked air through NCL once for the Sun Baltic capitals cruise out of Dover and were glad we did so as the two very accommodating NCL staffers met our group at Heathrow, got us aboard the coach with stops at just two more terminals to fill the seats and thence to Dover with a very articulate driver to give us lots of informaion along the way. We arrived at the ship at the most opportune time for boarding

[weltek]

You are NOT guaranteed you will make the sailing. You will probably fly in the same day as the cruise - most would do a day early.

 

While you are not guaranteed to make the sailaway, it's my understanding you are guaranteed, at no extra cost, you will catch the ship. My sister long ago had cruiseline booked air. Flight delays made them miss the sailing day, so NCL flew them to the first port and paid for a room at a nice resort to wait until the ship arrived. They ended up really enjoying that time on the island!

[Sauer-kraut]

Used NCL for flights to London for a Dover departure. We had United over and American on the way back from Orlando. There was a bit of a row over the baggage fees from AA, I had called before we left and were told that they would honor the free checked bag as we had departed on United as an international flight. No matter how much I argued we were forced to pay the baggage fee by American.

 

This had nothing to do with NCL, but I will say for flying internationally they have comparable prices and with the ground transport included you don't have to worry about how to get to the port. I would use them again if going international, but would book my own for domestic cruises.

[beachchick]

While you are not guaranteed to make the sailaway, it's my understanding you are guaranteed, at no extra cost, you will catch the ship. My sister long ago had cruiseline booked air. Flight delays made them miss the sailing day, so NCL flew them to the first port and paid for a room at a nice resort to wait until the ship arrived. They ended up really enjoying that time on the island!

 

Actually, there is no guarantee of that either. The cruise lines specifically state that they are offering air as a courtesy for their passengers on a "pass through" basis. Many times, passengers who booked air through the cruise line have been delayed or had flights cancelled entirely. When they call the cruise line and say, "I booked through you, fix it," the cruise line says, "Your problem is with the airline, not us; ask them to fix it; if you miss the ship, we might help you catch up with it."

 

It's possible that the cruise lines used to guarantee that they'd get passengers to the ship at the cruise line's expense if they were delayed. I'd suspect that they stopped that long ago when airlines started dropping flights right and left, cancelling/delaying flights often, and overbooking. The cruise lines probably didn't want to be responsible for those increasing expenses. That's really just a guess, but I can say for sure that most mainstream cruise lines do not guarantee anything about flights they book for passengers and help stranded passengers only as a courtesy.

 

beachchick

[Single Cruiser]

Actually, there is no guarantee of that either. The cruise lines specifically state that they are offering air as a courtesy for their passengers on a "pass through" basis. Many times, passengers who booked air through the cruise line have been delayed or had flights cancelled entirely. When they call the cruise line and say, "I booked through you, fix it," the cruise line says, "Your problem is with the airline, not us; ask them to fix it; if you miss the ship, we might help you catch up with it."

 

It's possible that the cruise lines used to guarantee that they'd get passengers to the ship at the cruise line's expense if they were delayed. I'd suspect that they stopped that long ago when airlines started dropping flights right and left, cancelling/delaying flights often, and overbooking. The cruise lines probably didn't want to be responsible for those increasing expenses. That's really just a guess, but I can say for sure that most mainstream cruise lines do not guarantee anything about flights they book for passengers and help stranded passengers only as a courtesy.

 

beachchick

 

I think it depends on the cruise line. In the UK the likes of P&O etc charter flights for passengers. When these flights have been delayed the ship has waited in port for up to a day until the flights have arrived. Normally they have a sea day first day for such a situation and so pax onboard just have an extra day in embarkation port.

 

Now NCL for Epic charters Thomas Cook planes/flights from several UK airports and the expectation is that as the flight is not commercial - no later flight etc.. And the return charter trip brings the previous passengers home the ship would wait...