Need help in booking Air fare

[X-Junkie123]

First, let me say how impress I'm with the CC forum. Thanks for the wealth of knowledge you bring to this forum about cruising. I think I'm hook already...

 

 

I"ll be sailing on the Eclipse to the Caribbean in February 2012. I"ll be flying from NY to Miami. I noticed the airfare is around $400 which is too steep, I think.

 

Is it normal to pay that much to fly from NY to Miami during this time of year? Should I wait until close to sailing date to book or book now and pay?

 

Many thanks in advance

[subtchr]

There are never any guarantees (it's like a big game of chicken!), but for what it's worth, Bing says "wait".

 

For many routes, if you use Bing as the search engine for travel, it will give advice as to the historic trend of airfares.

 

I used Feb 17 as your outbound and Feb 25 as your return; if it's a different week it may be different, you can plug the actual dates in. Using those dates, any NYC airport, and MIA and adjacent airports in Florida, it says "Wait - fares dropping or steady - 80%+ confidence". Click here for the page: BING RESULTS

 

Again, it's no guarantee, but advice. You have to decide, are you feeling lucky? ;)

[BILL-WI]

First, let me say how impress I'm with the CC forum. Thanks for the wealth of knowledge you bring to this forum about cruising. I think I'm hook already...

 

 

I"ll be sailing on the Eclipse to the Caribbean in February 2012. I"ll be flying from NY to Miami. I noticed the airfare is around $400 which is too steep, I think.

 

Is it normal to pay that much to fly from NY to Miami during this time of year? Should I wait until close to sailing date to book or book now and pay?

 

Many thanks in advance

 

If you are fling during Presidents Week, or near it, you will pay a higher fare than if you are not. It could be as much as 50% higher. :eek::(

 

BILL

[Lsimon]

First, let me say how impress I'm with the CC forum. Thanks for the wealth of knowledge you bring to this forum about cruising. I think I'm hook already...

 

 

I"ll be sailing on the Eclipse to the Caribbean in February 2012. I"ll be flying from NY to Miami. I noticed the airfare is around $400 which is too steep, I think.

 

Is it normal to pay that much to fly from NY to Miami during this time of year? Should I wait until close to sailing date to book or book now and pay?

 

Many thanks in advance

 

To me airfare is always a crap shoot. While mid February isn't as much as a peak time as late March (spring break) in Florida it is 'in season' there so you could find prices going higher rather than lower. This is particularly true if you're flying the day the cruise begins or ends and even within a day of those dates. The Eclipse leaves on weekends and those are very popular cruise dates in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area with something like 30 to 40,000 people getting on cruise ships within a typical high season weekend.

 

We cruised the Eclipse in February last year with a last minute late booking. I don't recall the exact airfare prices from Chicago but I do recall they were high enough that we wouldn't have done the cruise at all if we didn't have enough frequent flyer miles to use for the airfare.

 

Personally, for cruises planned in advance I always like to have our airfare locked up before final payment for the cruise is due. I don't want to be committed to the cruise and then find the airfare escalating to even higher levels as the cruise gets close.

[phoenix_dream]

We use farewatcher software as well (don't recall if it is Bing or another). The big issue these days is that with the economy upside down and not always reacting in ways that are traditional, I have less confidence in these predictions than I used to. No one can really predict with the same level of accuracy that they could a few years ago.

 

I agree that if you are talking around President's Day, the fares may not drop. Otherwise, it is up to you if you feel confident in the fare predictions. I presume that from NY you have multiple airlines to choose from, so that would definitely factor in your decision. I would strongly recommend you check how many seats remain available on the flights you prefer. To me that is one of the best indicators as to whether the fare will drop or not. If the plane is filling up, I would not wait. If the plane is 1/2 full and farewatcher says wait, you might want to tough it out for a bit. If the plane is very empty, beware that as well as these days airlines often cancel those flights and cram everyone onto other flights - causing fare spikes on those.

 

Good luck. Enjoy your cruise

[librarylady19]

Have you considered flying into Ft. lauderdale instead? It is a short shuttle ride from Miami and fares are often much lower. We are doing this in 3 weeks, flying southwest from Chicago to Ft. L. Even before taking into consideration the 2 bag pp allowance, SW plus the cost of a shiuttle ($30 for 2 pax) is less expensive. Of course, the other benefit is we get to avoid O'Hare airport in Chicago!

[librarylady19]

Have you considered flying into Ft. lauderdale instead? It is a short shuttle ride from Miami and fares are often much lower. We are doing this in 3 weeks, flying southwest from Chicago to Ft. L. Even before taking into consideration the 2 bag pp allowance, SW plus the cost of a shuttle ($30 for 2 pax) is less expensive. Of course, the other benefit is we get to avoid O'Hare airport in Chicago!

[candbgirl]

I don't know when you are cruising but we went last February and were overrun by kids. Turns out that week (Feb 19-28)was winter break in NY and other Northeast states. Maybe that is a reason for high fares.

[CruisingChick]

I don't know when you are cruising but we went last February and were overrun by kids. Turns out that week (Feb 19-28)was winter break in NY and other Northeast states. Maybe that is a reason for high fares.

 

Yes, you hit the nail right on the head. We live in CT and would never go away on my son's winter break from school which is always President's Week here. Flights are very expensive from NY to Florida and again during April vacation and whenever Easter is - forget it - they charge an arm and a leg.

 

My DH and I actually drove to Fort Lauderdale in 2009 because they wanted $350+ roundtrip for flights, plus baggage fees. It would have cost us nearly $1,000 to fly if you included airfare, baggage fees and transportation to and from airports. We drove, it cost us around $450 total.

 

I remember the good old days when you could fly LGA to FLL for $79 one way and there were no baggage fees.

[X-Junkie123]

Have you considered flying into Ft. lauderdale instead? It is a short shuttle ride from Miami and fares are often much lower. We are doing this in 3 weeks, flying southwest from Chicago to Ft. L. Even before taking into consideration the 2 bag pp allowance, SW plus the cost of a shuttle ($30 for 2 pax) is less expensive. Of course, the other benefit is we get to avoid O'Hare airport in Chicago!

 

No, I haven't considered flying into Ft.,but I am now. How long is the shuttle ride to Miami? "What's $30 for 2 pax"?. Sorry for my ignorance.

 

Thanks

[DrJJ]

Have you considered flying into Ft. lauderdale instead? It is a short shuttle ride from Miami and fares are often much lower. We are doing this in 3 weeks, flying southwest from Chicago to Ft. L. Even before taking into consideration the 2 bag pp allowance, SW plus the cost of a shuttle ($30 for 2 pax) is less expensive. Of course, the other benefit is we get to avoid O'Hare airport in Chicago!

 

Try Kayak.com and select add nearby airports to get a quick comparison.

[Annecj]

Have you checked the prices with Choice Air? The prices are usually lower.

[cruise kitty]

I use I T T software (take our the spaces & do a search) you can't actually buy your airfare there, but it's a great springboard to find the best fares. It's not an agency, they don't sell anything, so I think it's ok to post here.

[alcpa1]

Please consider every option. Flying in February can present weather issues so think SERIOUSLY about flying in the day prior to your sailing.

Do not book a return flight prior to noon if you do fly into FLL and sail from POM. Actually I wouldn't book a flight before 11:30 from MIA either. Both airports get innundated on cruise days and neither is a real treat to begin with.

I don't think $400 is such a bad fare for busy February. There is always a lot going on in south Florida at the height of tourist season and the rules of supply and demand prevail.

I hope you can find flights soon and enjoy planning the rest of your cruise.

[Kellie Poodle]

First, let me say how impress I'm with the CC forum. Thanks for the wealth of knowledge you bring to this forum about cruising. I think I'm hook already...

 

 

I"ll be sailing on the Eclipse to the Caribbean in February 2012. I"ll be flying from NY to Miami. I noticed the airfare is around $400 which is too steep, I think.

 

Is it normal to pay that much to fly from NY to Miami during this time of year? Should I wait until close to sailing date to book or book now and pay?

 

Many thanks in advance

 

Don't exactly know where you are located, but my kids live in Central New Jersey a little closer to Liberty International (Newark Airport) than to Philadelphia International, but for 20 minutes more driving the fares are way cheaper from Philly than from any of the NY airports.

[librarylady19]

No, I haven't considered flying into Ft.,but I am now. How long is the shuttle ride to Miami? "What's $30 for 2 pax"?. Sorry for my ignorance.

 

Thanks

 

Sorry for not explaining fully. We used SAS shuttle service for transport from Ft. L to Miami. We stayed at the Doubletree in Fort Lauderdale and they picked us up in the morning in their van and, after a couple of stops at other hotels, we were driven to the Port of Miami. Would say the whole thing did t take much more than 90 minutes.

This time, we are having SAS pick us up at FLL airport and drop us at Intercontinental in Miami. Price is $30 for 2 passengers but you will likely have others in the van with you.

[rogfam]

We're from NY and do a great deal of cruising, almost always booking the flights ourselves. That said, I always book through the cruise line during Christmas and Feb in case of bad weather in NY. Remember if your flight is cancelled, you get the next available flight, which in busy travel periods can be a few days later. If so you will miss your cruise you are on your own.

[Valley Girl of VA]

For what's it worth - I have a cruise on the 19th out of FLL and found it was far less expensive to fly into Miami out of Washington DC

[dblane]

My sister and I are sailing on Solstice on Feb 5th for a 7 day cruise out of FLL. We are flying in the day before. It cost me around $400. for each of us. That includes seat fees, not counting baggage fees yet.:rolleyes:

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi X-Junkie123,

 

And I see that you are a NEW Member to Cruise Critic… so a BIG Welcome Aboard !!

 

As you can see I live in Canada… land of the "snowbirds"

 

As so many of us head south at some point over the winter… just about everyone up here has a theory on how to save money flying to and from Florida… (and many have been covered in this topic already… but perhaps let me group them together for you)

 

1- If you have the time (and patience) drive it… this is by far the cheapest option if there is more than one of you travelling (even when you add in accommodations, food, gas and parking). From NYCity to Fort Lauderdale is aprox 1300 Miles = can be done in two very long days (if there are 2 of you driving)… or 3 Days otherwise.

 

2- Fly in on a non-weekend day (Sunday thru Thursday)… mid-week has the lowest rates.

 

3- Florida is a big state, and has an abundance of major airports… and good Interstates. Look at flying into another city (Jacksonville, Daytona, Orlando, Tampa, Clearwater, Fort Meyers, West Palm Beach, or Fort Lauderdale)… and either using a Cruise Shuttle (Celebrity Runs one in Florida for their cruises), Bus or Rental Car to get where you need to go

 

4- Flying out of NYCity you are surrounded by other major airports… check what available pricing is by making combos of flying out of them to where you want to go, or the alternate Florida Cities... example a Discounter like JetBlue may be offering lower fares for less travelled Destinations.

 

5- Winter is an unpredictable season … if you can swing it, fly in the day before your cruise… (highly advised if you aren’t going to buy your airfare thru Celebrity) and book your departure from Florida late in the day your cruise ends (so you won’t be stressed out during disembarkation) or even the next day.

 

6- Buying your airfare thru Celebrity might be more expensive BUT it does ensure that if for some reason you don’t make the ship the day it sets sail… that they will fly you to the first port to catch up with it.

 

7- And no matter what you do… buy Travel Insurance.

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

[cruise kitty]

I use I T T software (take our the spaces & do a search) you can't actually buy your airfare there, but it's a great springboard to find the best fares. It's not an agency, they don't sell anything, so I think it's ok to post here.

 

***correction*** ITA, sorry bout that, one letter makes a big difference!