EZAir Europe prices...yikes

[Loreni]

We are in the planning stages of a 2014 cruise from Venice. I am shocked that the airfare on EZ air is around 1,800 from the US. Does this sound right?

[chrysalis]

Per person?

 

High season?

 

Connections in the US?

 

Connections in Europe?

 

Lots of variables on that one.

[thinfool]

We are in the planning stages of a 2014 cruise from Venice. I am shocked that the airfare on EZ air is around 1,800 from the US. Does this sound right?

 

Not totally out of line. Are you also pricing your air on other sites like http://matrix.itasoftware.com?

 

I would also suggest that you set up a watch list on kayak.com that will send you daily results. Airfares can change a lot, sometimes more than once a day.

Edited December 19, 2013 by thinfool

[TLC535]

International airfare is CRAZY :eek: you might try 1800flyeurope (dot) com - we used them last year for our Royal TA & and saved about $ 800 / $900....Good luck :)

[Loreni]

Thanks for the tips and links. So, 1,800 is from the Midwest in June, in October, it drops to 1,200. We were actually considering October anyway. For sure, we won't go in August...been there in August and found it much too hot. I was expecting somewhere between $900 and $1200, so October is in line with this.

 

Does anyone know if we will receive United frequent flyer miles if we use EZ Air. Alternately, would using our United miles for the flight be a good idea?

[azdmelani]

Not totally out of line. Are you also pricing your air on other sites like http://matrix.itasoftware.com?

 

I would also suggest that you set up a watch list on kayak.com that will send you daily results. Airfares can change a lot, sometimes more than once a day.

 

Thanks for posting that website, as this will save $100 on our flights. Are you able to call up your cruise TA and give them the booking codes in order to get that airfare for you? I booked this cruise through a large discount TA.

 

Thanks!

[Astro Flyer]

Is this roundtrip Venice? If so, it's not as bad as other rates I've seen but by checking online you may find a better price. For a non-stop flight from LAX to Rome & back from Ft Lauderdale for this past October it was under $900 through Princess Air. Check the price for both types of tickets because sometimes I've found the flexible fares to cost less than the restricted fares.

[Babr]

Does anyone know if we will receive United frequent flyer miles if we use EZ Air. Alternately, would using our United miles for the flight be a good idea?

 

You will still get the miles, but you will have to pay baggage fees because you are not paying United directly but through a third party - Princess - even if you are using a United branded credit card.

 

Most people who are knowledgable about frequent-flyer programs advise using miles for international travel rather than domestic since you get greater value that way. Unless you are trying to accumulate miles for a big trip later, you might as well use them. Be advised that the rules for using United miles are changing Feb. 1, and some award seats will require more miles. You can find the new charts on the United website. Another reason to use them now.

[thinfool]

Thanks for posting that website, as this will save $100 on our flights. Are you able to call up your cruise TA and give them the booking codes in order to get that airfare for you?

Thanks!

 

No, it is unlikely that a cruise TA will do you any good in this matter. Instead check the actual airline shown in the ITA listing. You can often find the flights on the airline website. If not, then you can call the airline and give them the codes. Note that some airlines may have a fee for actually interacting with a non-robotic entity. (human) :rolleyes::D

 

Also, suggest that you go to the Cruise Air forum here on CC and read up (check the 'stickies') on the various types of fares that are out there. Pay particular attention to the description and restrictions if you think you want to buy a consolidator ticket.

Edited December 19, 2013 by thinfool

[wilfros]

We are in the planning stages of a 2014 cruise from Venice. I am shocked that the airfare on EZ air is around 1,800 from the US. Does this sound right?

 

We found the same thing thus we are in the process of changing everything. Believe it or not here is what we are now planning and it is LESS than air to and from Europe with a 12 day cruise on the Mediterranean.

 

New York to Southampton 7 days QM II

TGV (train) Southampton to Barcelona Spain (1 day)

Barcelona to Venice 12 days Regal Princess

Venice to Fort Lauderdale 17 days Regal Princess

 

A cruise dream of a lifetime all for less than flying over and back with a 12 day cruise out of Venice.

 

Isn't retirement Great?? I know that not everyone can do this, and so do the airlines!! :eek:

[Loreni]

We found the same thing thus we are in the process of changing everything. Believe it or not here is what we are now planning and it is LESS than air to and from Europe with a 12 day cruise on the Mediterranean.

 

New York to Southampton 7 days QM II

TGV (train) Southampton to Barcelona Spain (1 day)

Barcelona to Venice 12 days Regal Princess

Venice to Fort Lauderdale 17 days Regal Princess

 

A cruise dream of a lifetime all for less than flying over and back with a 12 day cruise out of Venice.

 

Isn't retirement Great?? I know that not everyone can do this, and so do the airlines!! :eek:

 

Not only that, you avoid the discomforts of flying!

[Astro Flyer]

We found the same thing thus we are in the process of changing everything. Believe it or not here is what we are now planning and it is LESS than air to and from Europe with a 12 day cruise on the Mediterranean.

 

New York to Southampton 7 days QM II

TGV (train) Southampton to Barcelona Spain (1 day)

Barcelona to Venice 12 days Regal Princess

Venice to Fort Lauderdale 17 days Regal Princess

 

A cruise dream of a lifetime all for less than flying over and back with a 12 day cruise out of Venice.

 

Isn't retirement Great?? I know that not everyone can do this, and so do the airlines!! :eek:

This would be great & I know others who have done the same thing. Traveling from the west coast it may not be as cost effective for us however your itinerary definitely is a great way to travel between North America & Europe. :D

[wilfros]

This would be great & I know others who have done the same thing. Traveling from the west coast it may not be as cost effective for us however your itinerary definitely is a great way to travel between North America & Europe. :D

 

The reverse holds true for you, with reference to Hawaii. We sailed on Golden 2 years back and the airfare almost killed the deal.

 

IMHO there is little to compare with Hawaii and I found the West Coast truly beautiful. I would love to return. :D

[yvr49]

We flew to Venice last May from Vancouver - I have always got the best fares using Expedia and had planned to book the flights independent of Princess. At that time the fare was about $1600 but then Princess offered a promotion with a substantial discount using EZ Air. I can't remember the details but we ended up paying about $1100 per ticket. If you can wait you might see if something like that comes up in the next couple of months.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We flew to Venice last May from Vancouver - I have always got the best fares using Expedia and had planned to book the flights independent of Princess. At that time the fare was about $1600 but then Princess offered a promotion with a substantial discount using EZ Air. I can't remember the details but we ended up paying about $1100 per ticket. If you can wait you might see if something like that comes up in the next couple of months.

 

Our group of six all took advantage of that EZAir $500 off air promo as well...some flew from North Carolina and some from Ohio...our cruise started in Barcelona and ended in Venice, and the tickets ended up costing in the range of $900 each. Keep your eyes on the Princess promos...my guess is that if people can't get decent airfares to Europe then the cruises won't sell very well.

Edited December 19, 2013 by sunsetbeachgal

[Steviewonder1]

On our Eastern Med Cruise we watched airfares on Delta (our only airline we fly), for 4 months before booking on EZ-Air with a 35% cost savings on the fare. EZ-Air gave us 6 different flights to choose from and we chose the same Delta flights we had been tracking down to the same flight number and seating. Yes, we did get our frequent flyer miles and had a blast. The only issue was the connection going to Barcelona Spain was at Paris CDG Airport. In the rain at 6AM also in the dark, we had a stair truck drive up to the plane and we walked down the covered deck to the tarmac and then 150 feet in the rain with luggage to the Airport Bus to take us to the airport. We then did the OJ Run thru CDG to our connection thru customs and security! You never know what the connection info is going to be ahead of time.

[piper28]

We are in the planning stages of a 2014 cruise from Venice. I am shocked that the airfare on EZ air is around 1,800 from the US. Does this sound right?

 

I'd probably say it's still a little early to book airfare for europe for next year, especially for the later part of the summer. But these days, yeah, that's not all that surprising a price. My guess is it might come down a little, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if it doesn't go below $1500.

[caribill]

You will still get the miles, but you will have to pay baggage fees because you are not paying United directly but through a third party - Princess - even if you are using a United branded credit card.

 

 

For flights to/from Europe, the first bag (coach, not overweight) is free on United. So not using the United card directly would only affect the cost of a second bag.

[Mississippian]

We are in the planning stages of a 2014 cruise from Venice. I am shocked that the airfare on EZ air is around 1,800 from the US. Does this sound right?

My personal opinion is that the best time to shop for summer fares is late February to early March. Sad to say, but $1,800 is not out of the ball park for a round-trip to Venice from a secondary city, although it is a bit on the high side.

 

I suggest when searching for fares that you check out lots of city pairs. If you are willing to drive a few hours sometimes you can save a lot. Also, if you have extra couple of days you might consider flying in to Germany if there are cheap fares. Munich is a pleasant six-hour train trip, and the tickets cost about 39 Euros each way if purchased in advance. It might be cheaper to fly into Milan and buy a train ticket through the Trenitalia site. Never use RailEurope as they charge triple.

[flamomo]

Can you hold off onbooking your air for a while?

Perhaps Princess will have a EZAir fare sale, as they did last year, and I was able to get a one way flight to London for $400.

[RickT]

Thanks for posting that website, as this will save $100 on our flights. Are you able to call up your cruise TA and give them the booking codes in order to get that airfare for you? I booked this cruise through a large discount TA.

 

Thanks!

 

No, it is unlikely that a cruise TA will do you any good in this matter. Instead check the actual airline shown in the ITA listing. You can often find the flights on the airline website. If not, then you can call the airline and give them the codes. Note that some airlines may have a fee for actually interacting with a non-robotic entity. (human) :rolleyes::D

 

Also, suggest that you go to the Cruise Air forum here on CC and read up (check the 'stickies') on the various types of fares that are out there. Pay particular attention to the description and restrictions if you think you want to buy a consolidator ticket.

 

I guess it depends on who your TA is. We did exactly this for our trip last year and the TA was able to get the exact same flights/pricing. That being said once you know the exact routing you may simply be able to buy it directly from the airline whichever makes the most sense for you.

 

And I may be wrong, but I don't believe ITA lists any sort of consolidator fares. In my experience they have only listed regular fares available with the airline.

[Minoushka]

If you are near Toronto check out the charter flights

[chamima]

We found the same thing thus we are in the process of changing everything. Believe it or not here is what we are now planning and it is LESS than air to and from Europe with a 12 day cruise on the Mediterranean.

 

New York to Southampton 7 days QM II

TGV (train) Southampton to Barcelona Spain (1 day)

Barcelona to Venice 12 days Regal Princess

Venice to Fort Lauderdale 17 days Regal Princess

 

A cruise dream of a lifetime all for less than flying over and back with a 12 day cruise out of Venice.

 

Isn't retirement Great?? I know that not everyone can do this, and so do the airlines!! :eek:

 

Hi Wilfros

I know this post is a little old but we're also looking at flying to/from Venice.

Your itinerary intrigues me.

Just curious what kind of cabins you booked to get this bargain?

Thanks!

[matchgary]

We purchased air online from Boise to Venice and return from Barcelona to Boise for July and it cost $1874 per person roundtrip.