Cheapest Air-Vancouver to Warm Ports March 2014

[Mom2008]

Hi:

 

We have our heart set on a warm weather vacation, hoping for something on the Atlantic side. We've already done Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas). We'd like to travel during our son's spring break, March 15 to 30, but could move to another time if the price was a lot better.

 

I made the mistake of doing a search on flight times from Vancouver to Florida and it came up with six hours so I thought, OK, that's doable. But...i's only six hours if it's direct, as the crow flies, and there are no such flights. There's always at least one stop, either in Toronto, LA or Houston, and trip times are 11 to 12 hours, or more.

 

Also, when I first checked, the prices were $500 to $600. Tonight, checked again, each time we check, the price goes up, and it's up to $900 for a flight to Miami. I've signed up for some alerts, to let me know when the price goes down, but I don't know if they ever will.

 

Can't decide whether to just book one of the very cheap cruises, as we're into the deep discount period, and hope to find a decent price for a flight (or just pay the $900 for a flight). Or find a place with the cheapest flight, then book a cruise to match. We'd probably ending up booking a hotel, at least for arrival, but that's another discussion.

 

I'm hoping to keep to a budget of $2,000 per person for six people, all expenses, for the entire trip.

 

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Thank you.

[RickT]

A good site to use for this is http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ Many of us on this forum refer to this site when looking at various flight options. Unlike other travel sites you actually can't book anything using this site, but can definitely look and see what is available and sort if by whatever is important to you.

 

Features of this site that I really like are:

 

1) You can choose multiple departure airports. Given where you are you can also looks at flights departing out of Seattle or Bellingham just in case they offer better routes or prices.

2) You can choose multiple arrival airports. When flying to Florida we always look at Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. (keep in mind however that when you choose multiple departure or arrival airports your flights can be from one airport to another on the flight down, and a different combination on the way back. The only time this will concern you is if it has you flying out of Vancouver and back into Seattle. As long as you pay attention you can eliminate those choices however).

3) You can choose to only look at direct flights.

4) You can short by total travel time.

5) You can choose to search by specific departure or arrival times

 

Play around with the site and see what it gives you as choices. Once you find a flight you can then contact a TA, the airline direct or perhaps see if it shows up on various travel sites. When I use it I often see Air Canada routes that do not show up on the Air Canada site.

[CruiserBruce]

Last minute airfares to someplace warm, from someplace cold, during Spring Break ARE NOT going to go down.

[epixx]

I have some suggestions. First, check flights from Seattle. We rode the Bolt Bus round trip from Seattle to Vancouver and spent under $100 for four round trip. Second, although this might appear at first to be counter-intuitive, consider flying to SJU and taking one of the Southern Caribbean itineraries. The flights for your dates are currently in the $700 range ($642 on United if you can depart 3/15 and return 3/24). The cruises departing San Juan tend to be less expensive, possibly due to reduced demand from expected extra travel costs/time. The Southern Caribbean itineraries are very nice, and when you get off the airplane you're pretty much assured of warm weather right away!

[Gardyloo]

Using ITA it took me precisely 30 seconds to find numerous sub-$500 airfares from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale or Miami around your times, some under $400. Take the train or bus, or drive and park your car somewhere near the airport, badda bing.

 

On ITA you can input several origin points separated by commas, for example, From: YVR,SEA,BLI and do the same with destinations, e.g. To: MIA,FLL,PBI,SJU. Uncheck the box that says "Allow airport changes" so you don't get a fare to Fort Lauderdale but returning from San Juan. Also try for non-weekend trips, they'll be cheaper.

 

So it takes a little homework, but you're up to it.

[FlyerTalker]

I made the mistake of doing a search on flight times from Vancouver to Florida and it came up with six hours so I thought, OK, that's doable. But...i's only six hours if it's direct, as the crow flies, and there are no such flights.

 

Also, when I first checked, the prices were $500 to $600. Tonight, checked again, each time we check, the price goes up, and it's up to $900 for a flight to Miami.

 

I have to satisfy my curiosity.....just where/how did you make a search that told you it was a six hour trip, but there were no such trips in existence? Same with the pricing....if the trip didn't exist, where did you get the 500-600 price?

[cruiseryyc]

Quite frankly you've left it very late to be booking a cruise during spring break; good luck with that much less trying to get cheap airfare. I suggest you find a cruise first and then worry about the flights.

[Mom2008]

I have to satisfy my curiosity.....just where/how did you make a search that told you it was a six hour trip, but there were no such trips in existence? Same with the pricing....if the trip didn't exist, where did you get the 500-600 price?

 

Flight time: http://www.travelmath.com/flying-time/from/Vancouver,+Canada/to/Miami,+FL Which in retrospect, does not give me the information I am looking for.

 

And from what I'm reading above, I still might be able to get $500to $600 range. Also, if I were to fly and return on a Tuesday, it would be within that range. Now that I have specific dates, the price has escalated.

 

Thanks.

[Mom2008]

I have some suggestions. First, check flights from Seattle. We rode the Bolt Bus round trip from Seattle to Vancouver and spent under $100 for four round trip. Second, although this might appear at first to be counter-intuitive, consider flying to SJU and taking one of the Southern Caribbean itineraries. The flights for your dates are currently in the $700 range ($642 on United if you can depart 3/15 and return 3/24). The cruises departing San Juan tend to be less expensive, possibly due to reduced demand from expected extra travel costs/time. The Southern Caribbean itineraries are very nice, and when you get off the airplane you're pretty much assured of warm weather right away!

 

Wow wow wow. Never heard of Bolt Bus. I knew the oracle of CC would come through. We don't have a car, so flying out of Bellingham or Seattle sounded onerous, or I thought it would add too much to the total cost.

 

I'll check out SJU flights, but a quick look at those itineraries they tend to have few sea days, and my 84 year old Dad is coming with us (he's flying from Winnipeg, a whole other issue). A port-intensive itinerary may not be ideal, 3-4 ports is ideal. I would so much LOVE the idea of visiting a French port like Martinique, but none of those appear to originate at US ports. I've had some other good suggestions for lowering the flight cost so we'll re-start the searches.

 

Planning is so much fun, back to the drawing board. My husband and I sit at the kitchen table, each with our own laptop, doing searches, bouncing ideas off each other. I have my Excel spreadsheet to calculate costs. I've posted other enquiries, gotten feedback, changed plans, I know this will work out.

 

Thank you thank you.

[Mom2008]

Quite frankly you've left it very late to be booking a cruise during spring break; good luck with that much less trying to get cheap airfare. I suggest you find a cruise first and then worry about the flights.

 

It's a bit of a long story as to how we got to this point, but this thread shows some of the history http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1948545. Long story short, we started planning a summer 2014 Mediterranean cruise, but money per person available dropped and it was no longer an option. Then we started looking at the dropping prices of Caribbean cruises, and coupled with what looked like good air fares, and thought, This is it!

 

My Dad made the offer to each of the six kids (plus a seventh, the oldest who was given up for adoption) to pay for a cruise for their family that he would accompany them on. The oldest has booked a Jan 2014 cruise, but she's going without my Dad, she's my Mom's daughter. This would be the first opportunity for my Dad to go, everyone else is planning for 2015, so I want to find something that will work.

 

Fingers crossed that it will. It's looking hopeful.

[Mom2008]

Last minute airfares to someplace warm, from someplace cold, during Spring Break ARE NOT going to go down.

 

Vancouver isn't too cold, it's rainy, we rarely get snow, winters are gray and dreary, still good to get away from, but I know what you're saying. I'm an optimist. It's taking a lot of work and research, but gosh darn it, we'll make it fit.

[Mom2008]

Using ITA it took me precisely 30 seconds to find numerous sub-$500 airfares from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale or Miami around your times, some under $400. Take the train or bus, or drive and park your car somewhere near the airport, badda bing.

 

On ITA you can input several origin points separated by commas, for example, From: YVR,SEA,BLI and do the same with destinations, e.g. To: MIA,FLL,PBI,SJU. Uncheck the box that says "Allow airport changes" so you don't get a fare to Fort Lauderdale but returning from San Juan. Also try for non-weekend trips, they'll be cheaper.

 

So it takes a little homework, but you're up to it.

 

Oh yeah! Thanks for the search suggestions. We are reconfiguring‎ our parameters and it feels like we're heading down the home stretch.

[Mom2008]

A good site to use for this is http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ Many of us on this forum refer to this site when looking at various flight options. Unlike other travel sites you actually can't book anything using this site, but can definitely look and see what is available and sort if by whatever is important to you.

 

Features of this site that I really like are:

 

1) You can choose multiple departure airports. Given where you are you can also looks at flights departing out of Seattle or Bellingham just in case they offer better routes or prices.

2) You can choose multiple arrival airports. When flying to Florida we always look at Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. (keep in mind however that when you choose multiple departure or arrival airports your flights can be from one airport to another on the flight down, and a different combination on the way back. The only time this will concern you is if it has you flying out of Vancouver and back into Seattle. As long as you pay attention you can eliminate those choices however).

3) You can choose to only look at direct flights.

4) You can short by total travel time.

5) You can choose to search by specific departure or arrival times

 

Play around with the site and see what it gives you as choices. Once you find a flight you can then contact a TA, the airline direct or perhaps see if it shows up on various travel sites. When I use it I often see Air Canada routes that do not show up on the Air Canada site.

 

Yes, this will help enormously. Thank you.

[RickT]

Quite frankly you've left it very late to be booking a cruise during spring break; good luck with that much less trying to get cheap airfare. I suggest you find a cruise first and then worry about the flights.

 

Never had a problem. I usually wait until January to book my cruise (prices are usually lower since final payment date has passed) and flight availability usually isn't an issue especially if you have the luxury of leaving or staying an extra day.

 

To the OP, good luck. Hope you find flights and a decent cruise.

[Mom2008]

Thank you RickT for the link to Matrix for researching airfares. I was able to spend some time on there and find some awesome deals that none of the TAs who were looking for airfares independently even came close to matching. Then I called Flight Centre (no affiliation), and booked the flights. They have a fare matching policy so were able to match the fares that were quoted in $Cdn. If I find any fares lower than what I paid, they will match it (refund the difference) and give me a $20 credit for future travel.

 

Thank you to epixx for telling me about the Bolt Bus. We will definitely book this. Amtrak only leaves at 6 am or pm and Greyhound at 5:50am. Bolt has four departures.

 

We booked the Norwegian Epic, sailing out of Miami March 16 to 23. We fly to Miami from Seattle on the 15th and directly back to Vancouver on the 24th. I have decided to accompany my Dad from Winnipeg so two airfares from Winnipeg to Miami. Total for six people is $3,600.

 

So far, total cost, cruise, taxes, gratuities and airfare for six people $8,400. Still need to book hotels and pay for food and transportation before and after cruise, but that leaves enough for some fun times in port and on the ship. We want to swim with dolphins.

 

To choose a TA, I went here http://www.cruisecritic.com/shipshop/ and chose the second company. When I told them the cruise and dates I was interested in, they transferred me to an agent who specialized in NCL and has not only done my itinerary, but has sailed on the Epic more than once. She's been amazing.

 

I can say, I would not have gotten such good deals without the great advice I've received on CC

 

I never could have pulled this off in the days before the internet.

[A Libra]

I have read your thread since your Eastern Med. thread. We are scheuled on the Epic the same week as your wedding celebration. We are scheduled for the Western Med. out of Rome and leaving out of Venice for the US. There are so many things to see in Rome that we are there for three nights before boarding the Epic and two nights in Venice afterward.

 

Now I see you are scheduled for the Epic and I think you made a wise decision for a much slower paced vacation. I have never been on any NCL ship but I am excited about being on the Epic. There is one problem that arose for us and that is the ships bathroom configuration. I hope your consultant informed you about the lack of privacy in their cabins. For some, it works okay but for other people the design is awful. We booked a two bedroom, two bath villa in The Haven to have more privacy. And it would be worth checking out to see if you could get something in The Haven. The biggest perk for me is going to be dining in the private dining room just down the hall. That would be so convenient for your dad to walk a short distance if a cabin is on deck 16 along with the dining room, lounge and courtyard. The other big perk is the special boarding VIP treatment on and off the ship for the week. And then there is the butler and concierge sevice. It would be worth a try to see what the cost would be since your agent got you such a good deal for your BA cabins. Have her explain The Haven to you and visit Epic The Haven on cc.

 

We spent a couple nights in Vancouver and a day trip to Vancouver Island before our Alaska trip a few years ago and loved our stay there. You live in a great city.

 

Please post after your cruise. I would like to hear about it.

[Mom2008]

I have read your thread since your Eastern Med. thread. We are scheuled on the Epic the same week as your wedding celebration. We are scheduled for the Western Med. out of Rome and leaving out of Venice for the US. There are so many things to see in Rome that we are there for three nights before boarding the Epic and two nights in Venice afterward.

 

Now I see you are scheduled for the Epic and I think you made a wise decision for a much slower paced vacation. I have never been on any NCL ship but I am excited about being on the Epic. There is one problem that arose for us and that is the ships bathroom configuration. I hope your consultant informed you about the lack of privacy in their cabins. For some, it works okay but for other people the design is awful. We booked a two bedroom, two bath villa in The Haven to have more privacy. And it would be worth checking out to see if you could get something in The Haven. The biggest perk for me is going to be dining in the private dining room just down the hall. That would be so convenient for your dad to walk a short distance if a cabin is on deck 16 along with the dining room, lounge and courtyard. The other big perk is the special boarding VIP treatment on and off the ship for the week. And then there is the butler and concierge sevice. It would be worth a try to see what the cost would be since your agent got you such a good deal for your BA cabins. Have her explain The Haven to you and visit Epic The Haven on cc.

 

We spent a couple nights in Vancouver and a day trip to Vancouver Island before our Alaska trip a few years ago and loved our stay there. You live in a great city.

 

Please post after your cruise. I would like to hear about it.

 

That's amazing. So serendipitous. I'm also a libra.

 

Once we've made the final payment, we can start playing the upgrade game. The Haven sounds like it would be wonderful for my Dad. Sounds similar to the Neptune Suite we had on the Oosterdam in Mexico. It was great as the kids were younger, and there we had the lounge close by. It would certainly give my Dad more room to move around.

 

From what I've read and seen about the bathrooms, there is a curtain you can pull over the bathroom area. He'll be rooming with my 16 year old son.

 

Last night we went to YouTube and searched "Norwegian Epic," the kids were so excited to see the climbing wall, the water slides, and we saw a few tours of the balcony rooms. It looks like an awesome. TA said if you're going to eat in one of the special restaurants for dinner, book it online, and book the first night, as that tends to be the most busy in the "free" dining room.

 

I'll keep everyone posted.

[Cruise Junky]

I'd be renting a house in Hawaii and flying out of Bellingham :)

[Mom2008]

I'd be renting a house in Hawaii and flying out of Bellingham :)

 

Next time we plan a family vacation without my Dad, just the four of us living at home, that's likely what we would do. Thank you.

 

Merry Christmas!

[Mom2008]

I'd be renting a house in Hawaii and flying out of Bellingham :)

 

That will be a future trip for just the four of us. We've chosen Western Caribbean on the Norwegian Epic out of Miami, March 2014.