Must Cancel Epic for Feb. - Airfare crazy!

[Cruzface]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

We are going to hold off on any cancelling until it gets closer & more airlines post their fares to make it more competative. I'm not going to book any air until I can get a round trip ticket & know the full cost for anyone. In the past, I didn't worry the return could be way more so I would book one way as it came up & do return when posted. We really don't want to pay over $400. r/t since we are paying for all our immed. familiy's costs. I'm just preparing for the worst (cancellation of cruise) because I can't imagine it dropping drastically. Though you never know. As someone mentioned, the world events effect all this and maybe if things simmer down so may the fares.

 

I'm not locked into using Delta, have some points but not enough to make that a deal breaker. We would like to use JFK cause its the closest & easiest for us to get to, especially since we're heading out after work on the Friday & time is limited.

 

I did realize later I had the date mixed up in posting. I checked the correct day for fares. I'm planning something else for a Friday the 13th & had that on my mind. We'd be leaving on Fri. 2/15 & sailing 2/16 - 2/23.

 

We did check into the train price & it was good. About $135. each way. We've taken it quite a few times to Florida when my kids were young. Miami is a 30 hr. train ride if you have no delays, which on a trip that long there almost always is something that throws you off schedule. Unfortunately, the schools we work for would not take kindly to us taking off the day before a vacation.

 

Well, I'm going to expect the worst & hope for the best! Thanks again folks for giving some hopeful light to the situation!!

 

I'm in the same boat as you. Literally. We are from LI and would like to fly to MIA for the Epic that week. But if the fares are not reasonable, we will drive down and fly back. I would never do Amtrak back again. Did it 2 years ago and it was awful. I would rather drive through the night. My oldest will have his license in a few months so he could share some of the driving with me and DW. Maybe even go straight through...:o

[Warmer Climes]

I'm in the same boat as you. Literally. We are from LI and would like to fly to MIA for the Epic that week. But if the fares are not reasonable, we will drive down and fly back. I would never do Amtrak back again. Did it 2 years ago and it was awful. I would rather drive through the night. My oldest will have his license in a few months so he could share some of the driving with me and DW. Maybe even go straight through...:o

 

I was going to suggest driving, too. We drive from NH every year. DH and I split the driving a do it in two days with an overnight in Richmond. We love the road trip part of our vacation. You get to see the country and we eat great barbecue along they way (especially at Dixie Bones in Woodbridge, VA.)

[nbsjcruiser]

I was going to suggest driving, too. We drive from NH every year. DH and I split the driving a do it in two days with an overnight in Richmond. We love the road trip part of our vacation. You get to see the country and we eat great barbecue along they way (especially at Dixie Bones in Woodbridge, VA.)

 

I've often thought of doing that as well but when you do the math on gas, hotels and food it really never paid to drive, at least for me. But as you say, if its part of the vacation and you enjoy it then perhaps that's ok.

[youngestof9]

Continental is gone, its UNITED now.:mad::D:rolleyes:

 

I know - but habit always makes me type continental.com. Totally irks me, so I'll keep typing it until it doesn't work. LOL!! :D

[pjnj40]

I found out that spirit is really cheaper then anything else. Since i lived in Nj, I usually tend to go to EWR. After researching around, it was high. I figure why not go to ACY(atlantic city airport) and found the price way low then ever seen, sort of half price then these major airliners.Distance wise seem little longer for us but it worth it. Even parking the car is half the price then EWR. One other note. When we coming back, Spirit to ACY was the only plane to leaves FLL on beautiful day while the rest country was in bad weather. EWR, JFK and LGA was all closed due to bad weather. The plane itself was bad at all. Just two and half hours flight.

[mpk218]

I agree , airfare is out of this world.

 

I tracked air for several months ( Chicago to Tampa) it never got below $500 pp(with stops) Non-stop $1400 and up .. I used to pay around $250. I finally booked 2 weeks ago for a cruise this weekend. I dont get it , its Tampa .

Oh, we are flying into Orlando and back out of Clearwater :p that was the cheapest rout.

Now if they would just put a ship on Lake Michigan we'd be Okay..

[penwah2002]

Just take the Gem or Jewel or even the Breakaway from NYC. My husband refuses to fly, (Chicken). $235.00 to park and your on vacation. I love the NY, NJ ports being from Upstate NY.

[SissasMomE]

Sailed the Epic a few months ago & LOVED it so much we booked our family & friends for Feb. 2013 - week NY schools closed (some of us have jobs in schools so must go when school's out). Most I've ever paid to go to FL was around $300. round trip. Fuel's high so we figured we may be paying near $400 r/t.

 

Delta released their fares shortly after midnight for flights on Friday evening, Feb. 13th. $550. ONE WAY to Miami!!! That still leaves the return fare on Sat. 2/21 as an unknown. Come on! Are people really going to pay a grand pp to get to and from Florida?? Then the cost of the cruise?

 

Guess we'll be cancelling that cruise : (

 

Why would you cancel a cruise a February 2013 cruise in March 2012?? Am I missing something here? Airfares are typically higher this far out. I would never even think to look for a flight more than 5 or 6 months out ...... even that is far. Right now, they are selling seats based on anticipated occupancy. Like anything else, if they flights don't book, the prices drop. There is no way you can get an accurate price for a flight a year out.

[Warmer Climes]

I've often thought of doing that as well but when you do the math on gas, hotels and food it really never paid to drive, at least for me. But as you say, if its part of the vacation and you enjoy it then perhaps that's ok.

 

Yes, we would do it regardless of the price comparison with flying. My husband dislikes the flying hassle.

 

This year there were four of us. It cost about $1000 to drive, staying at Residence Inn two bedroom suites along the way and driving a small suv. I am thinking the air fare for four during the peak week we have to cruise (last week of February) would have been somewhat more.

 

We can't sail out of NYC in 2014 because the Gem's trip would mean my daughter missing too much school and the Breakaway itinerary doesn't appeal.

 

It works for us.

[willysgrandma]

As a fellow Long Islander, wait until Southwest puts out their fares out of Islip. If you jump on them as soon as they are out, you can usually get a decent price. Fly to FLL and get SAS Transportation to take you to the pier.

 

Much less stressful going out of Islip if you can.

[crusinmama22]

we cruise Feb Presidents week also.

 

Yes flights are expensive. Sometimes it gets crazy and I book thru the cruise line.

 

This time for our upcoming in Feb 2013 we will book our own then wrap the insurance around everything the flight, hotel, and cruise.

 

I was nervous also when I was looking as flights were $800+ we leave out of New Orleans. But ofcourse I could not search the right dates and had to substitute dates and after checking last week I feel better.

 

We choose to fly from Albany NY as that is about 1 hr drive for us. We fly in a day ahead of the cruise and everything usually works out.

 

If we lived closer to NYC we would fly out of there at a lesser amount but we can figure on 500-600 round trip I think per person. THen there is baggage fees. So we are waiting for Southwest to put their fare up We will book then. Or at least that is the plan.

 

Just don't cancel yet you have time do somemore checking or postpone your trip if you have to but don't cancel unless there is no other way

 

Hope it all works out

[edsbeaker]

We were booked on this ship for Feb 9, 2013. Had the same issue with ridiculous airfare. We took a look at airfares for different dates and ended up moving the cruise up two weeks to Jan. 26th. Airfare was half the amount.

[dwjoe]

Delta released their fares shortly after midnight for flights on Friday evening, Feb. 13th. $550. ONE WAY to Miami!!! That still leaves the return fare on Sat. 2/21 as an unknown.

I wouldn't worry about the one way fares, they're often MORE than the cost of an ENTIRE round trip. Wait for round trip fares when they become available.

 

Other ideas to save $ on airfare:

Look at nearby airports

Use frequent flier points to get free seats. Check out Flyertalk.com for ways to get bonus points, often times airlines will offer 25k-50k points on credit card offers

[RNPJN]

If OP is cruising from MIA and flys into FLL it is about 45-60 minutes to get to the port.

 

Also Southwest doesn't have service to MIA.

 

Bill

I live in Fl and drive to Miami a lot it only takes 20 to 25 unless traffic is almost at a standstill then maybe 45-50 but if its that bad it will take the same from mia

[dalgirl]

Don't cancel your cruise - you are booking way too early. The "sweet spot" for airfares is usually around 4-6 months in advance. But it can be 9 or 10. Last week I booked airfare from Atlanta to Miami for Sept 2012 for $123 round trip! Fares had been running as high as $300, but they ran an unexpected sale. We are returning to Miami in Jan 2013, and I am already monitoring fares - right now they are anywhere from $244 to $336. I am holding out for anything under $150, but will settle for $200 if desperate.

 

There is a website that I am sure we aren't allowed to post "K----Y---K" - you can do whole month searches across multiple carriers. And forget to also sign up for fare alerts at the other major travel sites. I try to look at KYK every day, it is easy to monitor.

 

Another example of crazy fares: We are flying into Copenhagen in July. I started monitoring fares in August and they were anywhere from $900 to over $1,000. Well just randomly checking in Sept. and there was the flight for around $650, I thought I was dreaming, and I snatched it up. Now their "sale" for July is around $1,100.

 

Don't throw in the towel - you just have to be flexible in your schedule and vigilant in your search.

[flashdog_1]

Don't cancel your cruise - you are booking way too early. The "sweet spot" for airfares is usually around 4-6 months in advance. But it can be 9 or 10. Last week I booked airfare from Atlanta to Miami for Sept 2012 for $123 round trip! Fares had been running as high as $300, but they ran an unexpected sale. We are returning to Miami in Jan 2013, and I am already monitoring fares - right now they are anywhere from $244 to $336. I am holding out for anything under $150, but will settle for $200 if desperate.

 

That is such good news for me since we also fly out of ATL and haven't seen anything to MIA for less than $324 for this November. I do keep an eye out.

 

To the OP, Spirit flies from LGA to FLL. With prearranged cars to take you to and from the port to hotel , and port to airport, you should be able to get it all done for less than you'd think. Search the homeport board for information about cars in FLL and MIA. good luck!

 

Oh, but Spirit has really high baggage fares! Even carryon except your purse is charged extra.

[nursemommy7578]

this is why we changed to a different cruise. we are sad to not sail epic, but we'd rather put that 2500 or more for flights towards something else.

 

good luck!

[CrusinCyndi]

We are cruising in September out of New York. I booked/paid for our tickets in the middle of January for a price of $161 including taxes round trip per person on American. This was from Chicago to Newark.

 

A few days ago I priced them again and the price was $310 per person before taxes round trip.

 

I priced Southwest and even with the baggage fee/no baggage fee, American still came out way cheaper.

Edited March 22, 2012 by CrusinCyndi

[LynneL]

I'm in the same boat as you. Literally. We are from LI and would like to fly to MIA for the Epic that week. But if the fares are not reasonable, we will drive down and fly back. I would never do Amtrak back again. Did it 2 years ago and it was awful. I would rather drive through the night. My oldest will have his license in a few months so he could share some of the driving with me and DW. Maybe even go straight through...:o

 

Just found American for $134. for JFK to Miami! Got 7 tickets all at this price. You may want to look into it & you could fly down & drive back.

 

We started to consider doing a different vacation but I was disappointed. We're just hoping the return is decent. Hope your's works out well too.

[youngestof9]

Just found American for $134. for JFK to Miami! Got 7 tickets all at this price. You may want to look into it & you could fly down & drive back.

 

We started to consider doing a different vacation but I was disappointed. We're just hoping the return is decent. Hope your's works out well too.

 

So you bought 7 one-way tickets?

 

I'm hoping to fly from Newburgh to FLL or Newark, but will fly JFK if the price is right.

 

SEE YA ONBOARD!! We just got our school calendar for next year and we're only off Monday-Wednesday, so we have to pull them for Thursday/Friday (and the Friday before since we like to fly a day early in the winter).

[LynneL]

So you bought 7 one-way tickets?

 

I'm hoping to fly from Newburgh to FLL or Newark, but will fly JFK if the price is right.

 

SEE YA ONBOARD!! We just got our school calendar for next year and we're only off Monday-Wednesday, so we have to pull them for Thursday/Friday (and the Friday before since we like to fly a day early in the winter).

 

Yes, only got 7 one-way for now. Two of the people in that little group are a bit nervous with my decision to do so cause I'm not paying for their trip...my kids (young adults) thrilled cause I treat when they come with us so $$ not a problem - lol.

 

Thankfully, here we have the whole week off. SEE YA ONBOARD TOO!!! and maybe the week after cruise if we all don't get good fares to take us home - lol.

[SissasMomE]

Why would you cancel a cruise a February 2013 cruise in March 2012?? Am I missing something here? Airfares are typically higher this far out. I would never even think to look for a flight more than 5 or 6 months out ...... even that is far. Right now, they are selling seats based on anticipated occupancy. Like anything else, if they flights don't book, the prices drop. There is no way you can get an accurate price for a flight a year out.

 

Also - just to give you an example .... when I booked our upcoming cruise, it was probably a good 8 - 9 months out. When I first checked air to Fl from NJ, it was around $2900 for 3 of us! I nearly fell off my chair! Anyway, to make a long story short, I just kept checking .... and at the end of November I was able to book r/t for $350 pp ..... so it really may be that it's just too far out right now.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I wouldn't worry about the one way fares, they're often MORE than the cost of an ENTIRE round trip. Wait for round trip fares when they become available.

 

Other ideas to save $ on airfare:

Look at nearby airports

Use frequent flier points to get free seats. Check out Flyertalk.com for ways to get bonus points, often times airlines will offer 25k-50k points on credit card offers

 

Could you give me an example?

 

I say there is no difference. You are at least the 3rd person to have said this.

 

Granted it was that way in the past when saturday night stayovers were required but I am pretty sure those days are gone.

 

Bill

[dwjoe]

Could you give me an example?

 

I say there is no difference. You are at least the 3rd person to have said this.

 

Granted it was that way in the past when saturday night stayovers were required but I am pretty sure those days are gone.

I did some checking and it looks like for the NYC-MIA market in Jan/Feb 2013, a round trip is approx the same as two one ways.

 

The most recent examples I've seen for high one way fares were transcontinental/transatlantic flights. Maybe for well travelled short haul routes with lots of competition airlines no longer charge a penalty for one way like they used to do.

 

OP's trip on 2/13 or 2/15 from NYC to MIA shows me $115 on AA one way on travelocity.

 

In any case, I think it's premature to cancel a cruise based on one way fares published very early in the 330 day booking window.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Curious as to why you priced one-way? Of course the price will be more!