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Booking Airfare - Cruiseline or Self


rickcohen2

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As seen on other threads:

 

If the air is booked through Windstar then they will hold the ship if the flight is delayed... the cruise line is responsible to get you to the next stop... If you make it to the ship on time, but your baggage doesn't, then they will get it to you later...

 

...the lead travel agent/supervisor at windstar by the name of "James" a few times today...everyone (today) told me that one never should book the air with a cruise company for this very reason...

 

Do you think it is best to book air transport through the cruiseline or on your own.

 

We have always done it ourselves. But it appears by soing so we are assuming some risks the cruiseline would otherwise assume. And, the cruiseline seems they would rather you do so.

 

Doesn't the line make ANY money on airfares?

 

What's best for ME? And, what are the trade-offs?

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I have always made my air reservations myself. This way I can select the airline, routing and time I desire. I always arrive in the departure city at least a day or two before the cruise leaves. That way I can get adjusted to the time change and also have time to see the departure city. If you think of where the cruises depart from (Lisbon, Barcelona, Nice, Rome, Athens etc) you need a couple of days to see those locations. Take full advantage of your vacation.

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I agree with the previous comments.

 

The cruise lines should be used for air only as the default option after one tries all other possibilities. Rome, for example, is not easy to get to from the USA for a decent fare, so on a 14 day sail from Rome to Athens we flew into Milan and took the train down. Our return was from Athens where we were successful at getting a cheap flight back to Milan. However the hassle with luggage on the train suggested that we try flying next time.

 

Had I to do it again, because the itinerary required an "open jaw" air booking, I would see what the cruise line can do both on price and airlines before going on our own.

 

Remember that Windstar completed a cruise in Rome and started a cruise in Athens, so they could block round trip space on the airlines where we could not.

 

My rule now is, if we can round trip our flight to Europe (or wherever) we will do our own. If we need to "open jaw" we'll give the cruise line a shot before we book on our own.

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We have found that even with "open jaw" tickets it is better to book on our own. The price on an open jaw often depends on which two cities you are flying from. We have often used this as an excuse to visit another city that we would not have visited otherwise. Another thing to remember that if you are looking to fly within Europe you generally need to book a round trip ticket and toss the return away - it is much cheaper than making one way reservations. The better choice than flying within Europe is to take the train if at all possible. Much cheaper and allows you to see the country up close and personal.

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