Airfare

[stephlovesdogs]

We are about to book our Dec 12th Caribbean cruise on the Riviera. Do folks usually take the airfare deal or book it on their own. We would save a little bit of money booking it through them, but we are worried they will put us on a horrible flight, or a connecting flight. We are going from Boston to Miami.

 

What experiences do folks have with using Oceania

 

Thanks

[billy.qc]

We are about to book our Dec 12th Caribbean cruise on the Riviera. Do folks usually take the airfare deal or book it on their own. We would save a little bit of money booking it through them, but we are worried they will put us on a horrible flight, or a connecting flight. We are going from Boston to Miami.

 

What experiences do folks have with using Oceania

 

Thanks

If it comes out to 'nearly' the same I would book my own flights & take the credit. You have more control & can book in advance & choose the seats, use FF points etc... I would also consider flying in a day before, the recent snowstorms are a reminder of how flying in Dec. could derail your plans. If you choose this plan with O you would have to pay a 300$ deviation so I think DIY is the best option.

[DOJO466]

We are about to book our Dec 12th Caribbean cruise on the Riviera. Do folks usually take the airfare deal or book it on their own. We would save a little bit of money booking it through them, but we are worried they will put us on a horrible flight, or a connecting flight. We are going from Boston to Miami.

 

What experiences do folks have with using Oceania

 

Thanks

We usually take Jet Blue to Fort Lauderdale from BOS, then a shared van to the port ($15) and do the same on return. This way we can avoid Miami Airport which is not a favorite of ours. You can ask your travel agent how much the airfare credit will be from Oceania. Even when we have to pay more we have avoided using "O" air when sailing to/from MIA as the one flight back to BOS from MIA was via way of Detroit with a short layover barely enough to make the connection. "O" does not utilize Jet Blue but we find it a comfortable, easy way to travel. We ALWAYS go at least a day before the cruise as storms at this time of year in New England can happen. The shuttle (SAS) picks us up from the hotel and then again right at the pier for return. If you have any questions you can contact me via email debocon at metrocast dot net.

[DOJO466]

And if you do decide on O air do not take their transfers to/from airport. Cab fare is $25 each way..O is WAY much more expensive.

[Barrheadlass]

I appreciated reading this info too. We have an O trip booked for 2014, also flying Boston to Miami. Certainly it never occurred to me they might take us via Detroit! We'll be taking deviation so to go a day early. When flights open up I'll do more research. Thank you!

[DOJO466]

I appreciated reading this info too. We have an O trip booked for 2014, also flying Boston to Miami. Certainly it never occurred to me they might take us via Detroit! We'll be taking deviation so to go a day early. When flights open up I'll do more research. Thank you!

 

I would not pay for the deviation which is $300 for two. Take the credit they give you (perhaps about $200 each, you can ask your travel agent) and get the flights you want anytime you want.

[Mura]

It's not just "free" flights that can run in strange directions.

 

Back in 1998 we had a flight from JFK to Zurich on American that went by way of CHICAGO! And then there was a delay in Chicago while they fixed the plain. I gave DH a severe talking to about that schedule ...

 

There were also a number of times when I was checking on Continental flights to Europe from NYC. They all seemed to head for Dallas/Ft Worth first ... and for the privilege of all that extra flying time, they tripled the price.

 

Not common, but it can happen!

 

Mura

[Hawaiidan]

is a commuter flight...like 2.5 hours tops.... Its not like flying to Hong Kong!! Quit stressing, dont take the deviation..its a crazy waste of $300. the devation will cost you more than the flight..

Heck.... you could even take the train.... its such a short run....:D

[RetiredFL]

Mura,

I can top your stories.

Our next cruise starts in Singapore and we thought we would spend a few days in Hawaii to adjust to the time and have a shorter flight to Singapore.

Much to our surprise and consternation, many of the Honolulu to Tokyo flights go from Honolulu to San Francisco to Tokyo. Not a small deviation!! There were a few through Manila or Guam but at a higher cost.

Needless to say we are not going to Hawaii this trip:mad:

[Mura]

Hawaiidan has alluded to some of those flight schedules (I think on another thread)! As I recall he is hoping his flight to Papete from Honolulu doesn't go through LAX!

 

These stories do make NYC-Chicago-Zurich pale in comparison.

 

Mura

[Barrheadlass]

is a commuter flight...like 2.5 hours tops.... Its not like flying to Hong Kong!! Quit stressing, dont take the deviation..its a crazy waste of $300. the devation will cost you more than the flight..

Heck.... you could even take the train.... its such a short run....:D

 

I didn't make myself clear...it is a TA Miami to Barcelona, so more involved than just the flight to Miami. I am definitely going to ask how much O would credit me...Thanks

 

And Dan! The train from Boston to FL is not a short run! I took the train to Philly in March and enjoyed it, but to FL? Not so much.

[BEEZLEE]

We were a bit unclear on the deviation fee and appears you have 2 choices...

 

1. If you cancel the original O flight and have O rebook an alternative, the O air deviation fee would apply

 

2. If you cancel the original O flight and you (or your TA) book an alternative flight there is no deviation fee !!

 

- O credits you $400. / person for flight

- we did option #2 for our upcoming March '13 cruise as we wished to fly to Miami a couple days early from Canada due to possible weather issues

- it worked out to be wash $$ and would not have been any advantage if O charged the deviation fee

[JimandStan]

We were a bit unclear on the deviation fee and appears you have 2 choices...

 

1. If you cancel the original O flight and have O rebook an alternative, the O air deviation fee would apply

 

2. If you cancel the original O flight and you (or your TA) book an alternative flight there is no deviation fee !!

 

- O credits you $400. / person for flight

- we did option #2 for our upcoming March '13 cruise as we wished to fly to Miami a couple days early from Canada due to possible weather issues

- it worked out to be wash $$ and would not have been any advantage if O charged the deviation fee

 

Careful, we need to keep in mind that Air Credits vary dependent on the cruise booked and the area where the passenger is coming from. Posting a specific dollar amount here might do more harm than good.

 

As far as the "advantage" of using Oceania Air arrangements versus booking privately, that cannot always be measured in dollars and cents. When travelling to an area of the World where there is unrest, for example, knowing that the Cruise Line is handling one's plans can be an enormous source of comfort.

[DOJO466]

I appreciated reading this info too. We have an O trip booked for 2014, also flying Boston to Miami. Certainly it never occurred to me they might take us via Detroit! We'll be taking deviation so to go a day early. When flights open up I'll do more research. Thank you!

Barrheadlass: I know it is early yet for you but I wanted to let you know my air itinerary ..if you would conatct me a debocon466 at yahhoo dot com have some interesting info for you. Deb

[Barrheadlass]

Have just emailed you, Dojo.

[spindrift]

Before you accept O's air, make sure you have detailed info about all the flights available for your trip. I LOVE O, but the taste in my mouth is bad right now as I have ended up with a most unsatisfactory flight arrangement when I booked the cruise way far out and expected a decent arrangement. Not so. They apparently do not pay attention to that fact nor your level of cruises with them. The air makes a lot of difference to us. I never thought that I should have booked a deviation to get decent seats.

 

When you get to the ship, you will love O--just work with the air dept. or book your own. Don't just sit and wait to see what you get.

[Hawaiidan]

Mura,

I can top your stories.

Our next cruise starts in Singapore and we thought we would spend a few days in Hawaii to adjust to the time and have a shorter flight to Singapore.

Much to our surprise and consternation, many of the Honolulu to Tokyo flights go from Honolulu to San Francisco to Tokyo. Not a small deviation!! There were a few through Manila or Guam but at a higher cost.

Needless to say we are not going to Hawaii this trip:mad:

 

UAL is now doing 747 service to Honolulu 5 hr, from SFO. You change in Tokyo after 8 hour flight HNL/NRT Then on a 777 to SING 7 hour

 

Done that.. as a trans pac flight you get a stop over in one direction so you could elect either Honolulu, or Tokyo...

:D

[DOJO466]

Have just emailed you, Dojo.

I did not get it..perhaps because I had at yahhoo and it should be yahoo:rolleyes:

[Barrheadlass]

Just sent it again, Dojo...I had a typo..not you.

[CanadaTraveller]

Careful, we need to keep in mind that Air Credits vary dependent on the cruise booked and the area where the passenger is coming from. Posting a specific dollar amount here might do more harm than good.

 

As far as the "advantage" of using Oceania Air arrangements versus booking privately, that cannot always be measured in dollars and cents. When travelling to an area of the World where there is unrest, for example, knowing that the Cruise Line is handling one's plans can be an enormous source of comfort.

 

I have to agree. Comfort can be worth the loss of control.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Andromeda93]

Regarding using O's air - or not: I learned recently that the O airfare credit could be 'split', which was news to me. You can request that half the credit be applied to your account, and use the other half to take an O-booked flight (either their flight choice, or yours if you also pay a one-way deviation fee).

 

For an upcoming TA cruise, I needed US-domestic tickets to New York w/ a return international flight back from London. Having not booked an open-jaw ticket before w/ one domestic and one international leg, I didn't know that this combination can be ruinously expensive, even if booking with partner airlines. At the time I was searching, flights to NY on a domestic carrier and back from the UK on an international partner were all well over $2k round-trip pp - for economy seats :eek:.

 

Luckily I found a low-cost one-way fare to New York, and was able to use the O air plus a deviation fee for a return flight, much more affordably than booking the return on my own. I paid for a deviation as we're staying on for several days in London, but got exactly the carrier/flight I wanted for the return, all without an additional air supplement beyond the 'loss' of the 50% air credit and the deviation fee.

 

Of course YMMV and I don't know if the split-air-credit option is available to passengers booking directly w/ O or only through travel agents (we used a TA). But it was a minor miracle for us.