Combined air cruise package input

[redglass]

In all my past cruises I have always handled my own air and transfers. This was primarily due to lots of frequent flier miles. I am just about out of FF miles and am going to need to buy my own air tickets for the next trip.

 

Any suggestions or comments on the air and transfer packages offered by Celebrity? :confused:

[BSeaBob]

My experience is that generally it's more expensive than booking your own. Tht being said cruises that leave from one port and finish in another likely will be cheaper.

If you leave the schedule to them you often end up on the flights from H*** that goes to all other places along the way.... but that again depends a lot on where you are to start with and which coast you are going too.

You can arrange custom air of course for extra cost or using their Captains club perks.

Advantage.. they will almost always get you to the ship and do that little extra in case of problems with weather and such. &

you just make and book with the one call/agent and that's it.... no surfing for flts, watching fares etc etc.

[Karynanne]

For the first time we are using Celebrity's air package. We have an upcoming Transatlantic this spring, and found (after our own research), that X's fare was the best way to go. Our flights are non-stop (San Francisco-Newark), and London-San Francisco), and this was a huge factor for us.

 

Karyn

[Bruin Steve]

I have used Celebrity's Air twice (as well as RCCL's air) and I've flown on frequent flyer miles as well...

 

But, I always compare the "do your own" option...

 

In fact, here's my primer on how to do it:

ALWAYS initially book your cruise WITH air...You can always delete it when and if you find a cheaper fare...

 

One great advantage to Celebrity air is that, if you end up having to cancel the cruise prior to final payment date, you pay zero...If you had booked your own, you may be sitting on noncancelable, nonrefundable tickets...

 

With your cruise air cost set in stone, you can now compare rates that come up from the airlines...

 

Be very careful--Remember to compare rates on an "apples-to-apples" basis...Make sure rates you are quoted INCLUDE ALL taxes, fees and incidental costs like ticketing charges and airport security charges...

 

ALSO, remember Celebrity Air typically INCLUDES "transfers" (ground transportation airport to ship to airport)...In some destinations, ie London, Venice, these can be worth quite a bit as the airport may be quite a distance from the ship or it may be quite costly to arrange a taxi...

 

Whether you find a cheaper rate has a lot to do with two major factors:

1) Where you are flying from; and

2) When you are cruising

 

The cruise lines tend to offer a blanket airfare that is evened out for large areas of the country, sometimes from the whole country...But, airline fares vary airport to airport...Flying from Nashville to London with the airlines may cost a whole lot more than flying from New York to London...but, the cruise line may charge the SAME

 

Airlines often drop rates or run sales in "off" months--But, in the summer, everything shoots up to full fare...Meanwhile, the cruise line typically won't distinguish whether you're flying in April or July...

 

We've used Celebrity Air to go to the Med and to go to Alaska...and each time have found it to be considerably less than doing it on our own...

 

AND, in my book, I'd have to save a SUBSTANTIAL amount to book my own--since booking my own and getting a good rate typically means shelling out the cash for a nonrefundable ticket way ahead of time...

 

Also note, that as a Captains Club member, "deviations" (where you can request specific flights and times) are FREE...

 

When we go on Oceania in July, we are using Oceania's air...They call it "Free Air", but, in reality, they will credit your cruise fare by $1099 per person if you opt out--so, you are really paying $1099 for the air...We requested a deviation, for which we are paying an extra $150 per person...and it's STILL CHEAPER than any airfare I've been able to find on our own...and, with the deviation, we are already booked into an excellent flight schedule...

 

Good luck...

[cechase]

Thank you Bruin Steve for your very good primer.

 

With the exception of our first cruise on Century, we have always booked our own air. We do that for several reasons, long air travel is very hard on my DW, so we book either first class or business class. I have tons of miles on United so I book the cheapest seats and then upgrade to either first or business. Doing this far in advance guarantees our choice of seats and we avoid that awful row 1.

 

Bruin Steve is really on target when he suggests using the web to find really good prices. For our travel from Reno Nevada to Rome, Italy for a 10 night cruise on Galaxy in October, I did a lot of research and found that business class on Delta from Reno to Rome with one stop in Atlanta was $5,000.00 per passenger less than what the other major airlines were charging. We had never flown on Delta before - and were amazed when we boarded their 767 in Atlanta. There is no first class on the plane, only coach and business class. The seats were really far apart, they literally made into a bed. Delta provided a real blanket and a much larger pillow than most airlines provide. The upshot is that on the Atlanta to Rome and Rome to Atlanta, my DW actually slept - which she never does. We also fly on American West [which is now U.S. Air] because they have very realistic fares for first class, much less than the other airlines.

 

We did use Celebrity Air for our travel from Reno to Fort Lauderdale and return. We did not know what our travel arrangements were until about three weeks before the cruise when we received our booklet containing our docs. We went on American West and came back on American, each with one stop. The problem was that we were not sitting together. I tried to change that but both flights were chocked full. We finally got aisle seats sitting across from each other. That was the negative. The positive was that a Celebrity representative was waiting for us, assisted us with our luggage to a bus which took us to the Sheraton Airport FFL hotel, where Celebrity put us up for the night in a very nice room. The next morning, we again received assistance with our luggage and the bus took us to Century for boarding. The package also included a transfer from Century to the airport when we disembarked. The hotel and transfers were included in our air fare.

 

Celebrity passengers who are boarding for a cruise in Rome should give some consideration to using Celebrity Air. The port for Rome is over an hours drive from the City itself, and the airport is a considerable drive also. The air includes all transfers as well as a hotel the night before embarkation. As I said we did this on our own in Oct., and our transfer from the airport to our hotel for two with luggage was 35 Euros with a 5 Euro tip. Our transfer from the hotel to the port for 4 pax with their luggage in a mini van was 145 Euros before tip. The hotel was 199 Euros per night. All of those amounts really add up.

 

The moral is as Bruin Steve says, do a lot of research and select what is best for you.

[flashdog_1]

If you are going to a port like Ft Lauderdale where the airport is only minutes away (or even Palm Beach's airport is only 45 minutes away, or Miami's the same) you probably don't need cruise/air except for the fact that the ship will probably not leave without you if your flight has been delayed because they know you are coming. I'm sure there have been exceptions when a delay was many hours. but in general that is one reason for booking air with the cruise line.

 

However, in foreign ports where you may not speak the language, have no idea of the different terminals, where to catch a train, bus, taxi, etc. it is sometimes worth while to pay the cruise/air fare package because of the convenience of having a Celebrity rep (or any other cruise line, too) to meet you at baggage claim and direct you. yes, you may have to wait while the bus/van etc. fills, but you know you will be on your way soon and the ship will be waiting for you.

 

I have never done an air/hotel/cruise package and only flown in on day of departure, to save the hotel rate. But in Alaska that was a mistake because 1) the first cruise day was about over by the time we arrived an hour or two before sail away, 2) the fatigue of traveling from one coast to the other for 14 hours, taking a bus ride etc, no matter how beautiful the scenery was, was a big drawback. Also, we'd traveled thousands of miles and did not get to see Anchorage or Seward. Next time I'll know better and arrive two days at least before sailing.

 

You can learn so much on these boards that will help you decide for yourself.

[redglass]

Thanks for all to good input. Looks like on my Trans Canal trip it might works out better to go with Celebrity air. One of the notes was a bit dissapointing that you did not get seats together.:(

 

Thanks again. :)

[Bruin Steve]

One of the notes was a bit dissapointing that you did not get seats together.

 

By using a deviation, you can get your flights way in advance and set up your seat assignment at that time...We already have our seat assignments for our July cruise.

 

If you don't do a deviation, the problem is that they don't let you know your air arrangements until after final payment. Make sure your TA keeps on top of it and gets you those arrangements ASAP. As soon as you know the flights, contact the airline. If you can't get seats together right off the bat, sometimes a little persistence helps. For one, they reserve the bulkhead seats (the ones in the front of a section, behind restrooms or kitchen area) right up until flight time--just in case someone has a "special" need--ie handicapped, leg in a cast, whatever...Sometimes they can be talked into giving you those...Also, keep trying back with the airline CONSTANTLY--You can even do this on most airline websites--where you link to the reservations page and it allows you to change seat assignments...If I don't have seats together, I do this several times a day--someone WITH seats together may always cancel their reservation and give up the seats--you have to jump in fast...AND, if all that fails, ask again when you check in...and, failing that, plead with your fellow passengers when you get on the plane...there's always a large chance that either the seat next to you or the one next to your spouse is filled with a "single" traveler who really doesn't care if he changes seats with one of you...

 

Barring all that, I'm not so sure my wife really wants to sit next to me anyway... :)

[Danno]

My only experience with Celebrity air was ok...actually I got to see A LOT of the USA while getting to FLL :D .

 

Now we book Air Canada direct. Three hours and we're there...costs a bit more, but much less stress.

[Karynanne]

By using a deviation, you can get your flights way in advance and set up your seat assignment at that time...We already have our seat assignments for our July cruise.

 

If you don't do a deviation, the problem is that they don't let you know your air arrangements until after final payment. Make sure your TA keeps on top of it and gets you those arrangements ASAP. As soon as you know the flights, contact the airline. If you can't get seats together right off the bat, sometimes a little persistence helps. For one, they reserve the bulkhead seats (the ones in the front of a section, behind restrooms or kitchen area) right up until flight time--just in case someone has a "special" need--ie handicapped, leg in a cast, whatever...Sometimes they can be talked into giving you those...Also, keep trying back with the airline CONSTANTLY--You can even do this on most airline websites--where you link to the reservations page and it allows you to change seat assignments...If I don't have seats together, I do this several times a day--someone WITH seats together may always cancel their reservation and give up the seats--you have to jump in fast...AND, if all that fails, ask again when you check in...and, failing that, plead with your fellow passengers when you get on the plane...there's always a large chance that either the seat next to you or the one next to your spouse is filled with a "single" traveler who really doesn't care if he changes seats with one of you...

 

Barring all that, I'm not so sure my wife really wants to sit next to me anyway... :)

 

I wanted to add that we are using the air deviation on our Transatlantic...we got the airline we wanted, and chose our seats already.

 

Karyn

[redglass]

I am not familiar with the term you are using "air deviation". Can you explain further?

 

Thanks

[Bruin Steve]

I am not familiar with the term you are using "air deviation". Can you explain further? Thanks

When you use the air program from any cruise line, they assign you flights, usually fairly close to your sail date, and you have no choice over which flights they assign you. Depending on how booked their air partners are at the time and what is available, the flights may not be the most convenient. They may have intermediate stops. And they will only get you to your embarkation port at some time on the day of the cruise and get you on a plane home leaving at some point on the disembarkation day. Despite what some people think, they DO try to get you the most reasonable flights, but often, they're just not available.

 

You can opt out of this, but still book through the cruise line by using what is called in the industrty a "Deviation". You typically pay a small fee, usually $50 or $75, although Celebrity, for example, waives this fee for its Captains Club members...and you pay any difference in airfare, if it exists, from whatever the line pays for the flights you call from the fare they would have paid had they had complete flexibility in assigning your flights. This allows you to "call your own" flights. You can either ask for specific flights...or you might merely request a change in schedule...such as "I want to fly in 3 days early and fly out 2 days after the cruise". The difference in doing this rather than just doing your own air is that 1) You still MAY get a better price through the cruise line and 2) You still don't have to purchase nonrefundable tickets in advance of your final payment date. However, note, that by doing a deviation, you typically give up the cruise line transfers IF they were included in your air deal (which, it seems most lines EXCEPT Oceania typically do).

 

I, for one, will usually NOT use a deviation just to call particular flights or airlines UNLESS I am going in early or leaving late and booking my own hotels.

I sort of do a comparison of the hotel deals the cruise line offers--and the premium they charge--versus the premium I pay for the deviation plus the difference in cost for transfers.

[greeneg]

Well said, Steve. I would stress that I think it always pays ( sometimes literally) to look at the Cruise-Air package. We actually are going to use it for our upcoming cruises in January. By using custom air via Celebrity, the airfare was about $400/pp cheaper than by booking it ourselves through USAir.

 

We ended up with the flight schedule that we wanted at a significant savings.

 

Happy Holidays, everyone.

[bob278]

Steve,

 

Great information on the rationale for booking with the cruise line or independently. I'd like to add a couple of observations on transfers with the various options. These are based on reading documents, Cruise Critic and in some cases personal experience.

 

Cruiseline air: Includes transfer to/from the pier if on the day of arrival/departure. Standard assumption is that you lose it if you come in early. Possible exception: If you arrive early, you might still be able to use the transfer by going back to the airport on the day the ship sails. I know of one person who did this, but it has been a couple of years.

 

Hotel package (no air): Will usually include transfer from hotel to pier (if pre-cruise) or pier to hotel if post-cruise). Does NOT usually include any airport transfers. Possible exception: Our Alaska cruisetour included transfer from airport to hotel, but only if we arrived between 3:00 and 9:00 on the official tour start day.

 

Hotel package AND air: Should include transfers between all points because the hotel package will account for any date modifications.

 

As I said, these are my observations and understanding. I do not guarantee them to be official Celebrity policy. Heck, even their Customer Service people can't do that.

[operafan]

In all my past cruises I have always handled my own air and transfers. This was primarily due to lots of frequent flier miles. I am just about out of FF miles and am going to need to buy my own air tickets for the next trip.

 

Any suggestions or comments on the air and transfer packages offered by Celebrity? :confused:

 

Hi,

 

We're using Celebrity air for our Med cruise in May. Hard as I tried, I couldn't find airfare (To Venice, return from Barcelona) cheaper than with Celebrity. That said, are you Captain's Club? We used the free air deviation offered to CC members and got great flights; Dfw to London, London to Venice on American and the return thru Atlanta on Delta. They, of course, originally chose the worst seats in the plane which we changed directly through the airline. We used Celebrity air once b4 without the air deviation and ended up with a flight that left at 7 am, routed us through Atlanta and got us into Miami about 8 hours later, totally exhausted. If you're CC and can get the free deviation, use it. If not, (it's $75) remember to factor in the cost of the transfers to and from the pier as well as the airfare before you make your decision.

[WeBeCruisin']

We have done it both ways. On our Mediterranean trip on RCCL's Brilliance last summer, we stayed an extra day on each end in Barcelona and got a free upgrade to a suite on the first night.

 

The airfare was comparable to doing it ourself, but by the time you factor in the transfers, we probably came out about even, since the hotel was probably a little more than we could have gotten it on our own.

 

It was great, though, to not have the hassle of taxis and transfers from airport to hotel to pier. Our flights were direct from Charlotte to Barcelona, with great seats and no problems of any kind. We flew Delta, and arrived at the hotel around 11 a.m. and the rooms were ready on both ends of the trip.

[redglass]

Thanks for all the input. One more question. I am a Capt Club member so I can use the deviations option but I believe someone said they did not get their air tickets until the rest of the Docs arrived, 2-3 weeks prior to sail. This is not much time to get better seats? Comments/ other experiences?

[seagulls]

I booked air fare through Celebrity for the first time earlier this year lathough it was our 7th Celebrity cruise. Our transatlantic cruise started in Barcelona and ended in Ft Lauderdale. We live in Myrtle Beach, SC, but Celebrity would only start our air from Atlanta so we had to book the short flight from MB to Atlanta ourselves. Celebrity booked us Atlanta to Paris and Paris to Barcelona. But on the return leg they booked us from Ft Lauderdale to Atlanta and Atlanta to Myrtle Beach. I don't understand why they could not start our entire air package in Myrtle Beach.

 

We have a Panama canal cruise booked for January 2007. It is too early for Celebrity to book our airfare. TA states that they will do that in July. I have put in a request that I want them to start the air travel from Myrtle Beach. I am going to try to push a little, so we will see if it does any good. Last time they booked us on Air France and if I had known thenwhat I know now I would have told them I wanted British Airways.

[hajekfam]

Steve,

 

Great information on the rationale for booking with the cruise line or independently. I'd like to add a couple of observations on transfers with the various options. These are based on reading documents, Cruise Critic and in some cases personal experience.

 

Cruiseline air: Includes transfer to/from the pier if on the day of arrival/departure. Standard assumption is that you lose it if you come in early. Possible exception: If you arrive early, you might still be able to use the transfer by going back to the airport on the day the ship sails. I know of one person who did this, but it has been a couple of years.

 

For our past two transatlantics, we used cruise air arriving in Barcelona early but booked our own hotel (we were able to get the same hotel Celeb. was offering at a much lower rate). In our ticket booklet was a transfer between the airport and ship for the day of sailing. I called to ask about transfer to see if we could use it from our hotel to the pier and was told that we could only use the transfer from the airport to pier and all we had to do was get to the airport at our own expense on the day of sailing. The cost by cab was much cheaper for us to go directly to the pier than back to the airport.

 

Also - when we ask for our deviation, our TA asks what airlines Celeb is dealing with and by booking one of those been able to avoid any increase in price.