Most frustrating part of cruising for me, FLIGHTS!

[AbbyGirl]

Just venting - I HATE trying to book flights!

 

Do we go the day before or the day of? Which airport? Which airline... UGH!

 

I just wish I was smart enough and rich enough to create a website where I can say these are my travel dates and I'm willing to fly out of any of these 6 airports, give me the best results. Instead I have to keep changing my search criteria for each date and airport...

 

And then you figure out what flights work out best and then you look them up the next day to book and everything changed...

 

Again, just venting! Happy flight scheduling for all. :rolleyes:

[FSUNole]

Just venting - I HATE trying to book flights!

 

Do we go the day before or the day of? Which airport? Which airline... UGH!

 

I just wish I was smart enough and rich enough to create a website where I can say these are my travel dates and I'm willing to fly out of any of these 6 airports, give me the best results. Instead I have to keep changing my search criteria for each date and airport...

 

And then you figure out what flights work out best and then you look them up the next day to book and everything changed...

 

Again, just venting! Happy flight scheduling for all. :rolleyes:

 

You always go the day before. Focus... pic the two closest airports.

[ibcnusoon]

I thought you were going to complain about the price (so glad I don't need to book flights for this cruise).

 

Yes, you want to fly our the day/night before, find a pre-cruise hotel that has free airport pick-up, free breakfast, and close enough to transportation (van, taxi) to the port the next morning.

 

Try kayak . com or a site that searches all the airlines, then book directly with the airlines. Sometimes they'll show give you options for alternate airports nearby, like flying out of Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami.

[Buffettfan 225]

Also use kayak myself...it finds best options, alternate options too. It then takes you to the airline website. I think they get paid for each time a person clicks or visits site, not a booking. Have been using it for years.

Also -unrelated -seat guru lets you check out plane configurations for best seat choice.

[AbbyGirl]

Of course the flight prices stink, but that should just be a given!

 

We've flown in the day before and the day of cruises without an issues in the past, its not that I worry about flying in the day of (I know a HUGE point of debate on this board). It just comes down to the flight times more than anything... The times are terrible! I don't want to sit in an airport for 6 hours and then travel for 8-10 hrs with a 1 year old...

[yogimax]

You always go the day before. Focus... pic the two closest airports.

 

Sorry, but not everyone can do this.

 

Stuff like one's job may make it impossible!

[ibcnusoon]

Can't you find direct flights to San Juan? Try a major city.

[Bad Boy B]

I hear you with the flights. One of the reasons why we have done the NYC Port so much instead of Florida. Im crusing in May and done the Islands before but at least its a different ship

[Tapi]

Sorry, but not everyone can do this.

 

Stuff like one's job may make it impossible!

 

I wonder if people who only get 7 days off for vacation would consider booking a 6 day cruise so that they can actually fly in the day before their cruise...

 

Personally, I'd book a 6 night cruise (so that I can fly down the day prior) before I book a 7 night cruise (with no room to play with). But that's just me and my silly common sense....

[Yuridog]

I agree that flights are frustrating. Just when you book the flight, a few days later the times change--sometimes significantly.

[big_duck]

Day before if you can, day after if your really, really can.

 

For coming back, avoid flights that leave too early. Not worth the stress.

[yogimax]

I wonder if people who only get 7 days off for vacation would consider booking a 6 day cruise so that they can actually fly in the day before their cruise...

 

Personally, I'd book a 6 night cruise (so that I can fly down the day prior) before I book a 7 night cruise (with no room to play with). But that's just me and my silly common sense....

 

Nice in theory... but seriously....

 

How many 6 night cruises are there in comparison to seven night cruises?

[yogimax]

For coming back, avoid flights that leave too early. Not worth the stress.

 

Agree!

 

How many posts have we read about folks wanting to fly out at 8AM or 9AM?

 

Worth the stress?

 

Absolutely not!

[skittl1321]

Flights are definetly our most frustrating part too. We had found decent sailings out of Tampa, and then found out flights would be $650pp as the BEST option. NO WAY!

[jsfromsc]

Just venting - I HATE trying to book flights!

 

Do we go the day before or the day of? Which airport? Which airline... UGH!

 

I just wish I was smart enough and rich enough to create a website where I can say these are my travel dates and I'm willing to fly out of any of these 6 airports, give me the best results. Instead I have to keep changing my search criteria for each date and airport...

 

And then you figure out what flights work out best and then you look them up the next day to book and everything changed...

 

Again, just venting! Happy flight scheduling for all. :rolleyes:

 

It is a pain, but I definitely recommend flying in the day before for your own peace of mind. Airlines are not user friendly, but you have to get to your port. Several years ago my husband and I tried to take a trip to England using our frequent (haha - we're not really frequent fliers) flier miles. We gave them a range of dates and airports. We would fly into any city and return from any city in the UK within a 2-3 week period. We were on the phone for 2 hours with the airline and they kept saying they didn't have anything. This was not last minute scheduling either. We thought we were very flexible but it really seemed that although they offered frequent flier miles, they really didn't want you to actually get a free flight. But eventually it worked out.

 

On our last cruise, Delta canceled our flight the night before we were supposed to fly, and it was around 10:00 p.m. You couldn't reach anyone to resolve the issue. The first leg of the flight was to Atlanta and was the problem. We could have driven to Atlanta and caught the 2nd leg of the flight, but no, they canceled both legs without even giving us the option. We ended up taking the refund and driving from SC to Ft. Lauderdale. But if we had lived further away, that wouldn't have worked. And if we had booked the flight for the day of the cruise and that had happened to us, we would have had to drive all night with no sleep to get there on time.

[ibcnusoon]

I gave up on the $$$$ on flights, pre-cruise hotels, meals, transportation and am so happy to be booked on a cruise where I am less than 2 hours door-to-door of the cruise.

 

Best of luck to all who are trying to get decent airfare. I feel your pain, I had a cruise scheduled for Thanksgiving, paid over $600 per person round-trip, plus hundreds on per-cruise hotels, another hundreds on meals, etc.

[joepeka]

The airline portion of a cruise trip is the most frustrating and stressful portion for us too, so I share the OP's annoyance. Like others, we always fly in the day prior and also make sure to use only direct flights on the trip to the port city. Direct flights definitely limit the choices and may cost more but they also reduce the risks of something getting fubar'd by the airline (e.g. cancelled connecting flight or lost luggage while transferring to another plane). One time a few years ago, my mother and aunt booked the Glory out of Canaveral and let CCL book their airline also (Phoenix to Orlando). When they got their airline itin, CCL had routed them through Chicago... in January! They cancelled those airline plans and rebooked on their own, using a southern route and good thing: the weekend they were to fly, a big snow storm hit Chicago and they would have been stranded there overnight. Ugh! :mad:

[Fourkids4us]

I am doing the flight dance now. The flights from NY dropped about $30/pp and I need 6 tickets so pretty worth it. I just dont know if its too early to book for November. Its $208RT to Miami. I feel like just taking it, but I cant pull the trigger. Its quite absurd really.

 

Its NJ week in Florida(for those not familiar, its a week in November when school is out 3 of the 5 days(T,R,F) and everybody goes on vacation!). It should be a no brainer that flight will be pricy soon. Sigh.

[yogimax]

I am doing the flight dance now. The flights from NY dropped about $30/pp and I need 6 tickets so pretty worth it. I just dont know if its too early to book for November. Its $208RT to Miami. I feel like just taking it, but I cant pull the trigger. Its quite absurd really.

 

 

Seriously, jump on a $208 R/T to Miami.

 

How much lower can it go? Very little, if any!

 

How much higher can it go? A lot!

[Fourkids4us]

Seriously, jump on a $208 R/T to Miami.

 

How much lower can it go? Very little, if any!

 

How much higher can it go? A lot!

 

See thats all I needed, lol

[jayisgerman]

I am doing the flight dance now. The flights from NY dropped about $30/pp and I need 6 tickets so pretty worth it. I just dont know if its too early to book for November. Its $208RT to Miami. I feel like just taking it, but I cant pull the trigger. Its quite absurd really.

 

Its NJ week in Florida(for those not familiar, its a week in November when school is out 3 of the 5 days(T,R,F) and everybody goes on vacation!). It should be a no brainer that flight will be pricy soon. Sigh.

 

I just booked our flights today for leaving on Thanksgiving night. (LAX to FLL). I realize it is early in the game, but I know these prices will not hold and I'd rather have it locked in. :D

[1midsun]

Seriously, jump on a $208 R/T to Miami.

 

How much lower can it go? Very little, if any!

 

How much higher can it go? A lot!

 

Wish I could flights for this price!!!

 

We went on the Liberty in November, there were four of us. To fly from Calgary to Toronto then Miami on Westjet would have cost $4000 total return for the four of us.

 

Instead we got a bargain, flew United Airlines from Calgary to Houston then Miami on the way there, and Miami - Chicago - Calgary on the way back $2500 total return for the four of us.

 

If we lived closer to a US airport would have been even less expensive, I have family that lives in Winnipeg, and they drive to Minneapolis and fly out from there, saves a couple hundred dollars each person.

[Sparky2]

I am doing the flight dance now. The flights from NY dropped about $30/pp and I need 6 tickets so pretty worth it. I just dont know if its too early to book for November. Its $208RT to Miami. I feel like just taking it, but I cant pull the trigger. Its quite absurd really.

 

Its NJ week in Florida(for those not familiar, its a week in November when school is out 3 of the 5 days(T,R,F) and everybody goes on vacation!). It should be a no brainer that flight will be pricy soon. Sigh.

 

It definitely is not too early. We booked our flight from Detroit to Miami (January 2014) the day that it opened up on Delta (direct flight). The price is now almost $200 more each than what we paid. I've monitored prices the last 2 cruises and it's never gone back to what we paid when prices first opened up. We booked 3/7/12 for 1/17/13 - 2/1/13.

[kingoftheicedragons]

I don't mind booking flights....that's easy and convenient, and I don't mind checking multiple sites such as kayak, expedia, the airline directly, etc. What I don't like is the hassle of actually needing to get to the airport, worrying about if the flight is going to go okay, if I'm going to make my connections, etc.

 

But you should always go the day before your cruise, if not earlier. I would never advise anyone to fly the day of, unless you know for sure that 1) there is not going to be any weather related issues anywhere in the country on the day of your flight that may cause a system-wide delay, 2) you know for sure that there aren't going to any mechanical issues involved with the planes that may cause delays, 3) you live close enough to the port that you can make a last minute decision to drive to the port and still make it on time should you need to.

[sjcruiser]

We were looking for flights from PHL, EWR or JFK to MIA or FLL for late summer. The prices using one airline roundtrip was over $300.00 for the flights and times we wanted. We we broke down the flights to one way, using different airlines, the flights were $275.00 pp total. It is Labor Day weekend, so we figured around $250-$275, so that price is good.

 

I am doing the flight dance now. The flights from NY dropped about $30/pp and I need 6 tickets so pretty worth it. I just dont know if its too early to book for November. Its $208RT to Miami. I feel like just taking it, but I cant pull the trigger. Its quite absurd really.

 

Its NJ week in Florida(for those not familiar, its a week in November when school is out 3 of the 5 days(T,R,F) and everybody goes on vacation!). It should be a no brainer that flight will be pricy soon. Sigh.