Never done air through cruiseline, a few questions

[sblahars]

We've never done the air through the cruiseline, and I had a few questions.

 

1) Do they try to get you on a non-stop flight, or is it completely up to the fare at the time and they happen to choose the lowest (we are going from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale...or I suppose maybe even Miami, and there are non-stop flights to both)

 

2) Is it pretty much set in stone when we find our flight info, 2 or 3 weeks before, or can it be much earlier or even much later we we get that information.

 

3) What else can I expect, this is pretty new to me.

[wrp96]

Some of this info depends on your cruiseline but

 

1) They will put you on the flight(s) that are within their contract that will get you there in time. If the only option is that non-stop, then that is what they will put you on. But if there is a milk-run route flight in their contract that gets you there in time and is less than the non-stop, that is what they will put you on. And you are right, you might either fly into Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. One cruise they flew us into FLL and out of MIA. The only way to really determine which flights you will have is to pay the fee and do an air deviation. On RCI, it's only $50 and you get to choose your own flights.

 

2) Really depends on your cruiseline. Generally they make the bookings at about 60 days out. I know with RCI your TA can call and get your flight info at about 30 days out. Usually though you have to wait until your docs come which varies from 6 weeks to 2 weeks out.

 

One thing: have you checked to see how inexpensive it would be to book on your own. Usually, but not always, especially when you are coming from an area with a choice of flights, like Detroit, you can get the airfare cheaper on your own. If you're not sure and have a while before your cruise, what you can do is book the cruise air but look around for cheaper flights on your own. If you find cheaper flights BEFORE final payment, you can cancel the cruise air for no fee.

[sblahars]

One thing: have you checked to see how inexpensive it would be to book on your own. Usually, but not always, especially when you are coming from an area with a choice of flights, like Detroit, you can get the airfare cheaper on your own. If you're not sure and have a while before your cruise, what you can do is book the cruise air but look around for cheaper flights on your own. If you find cheaper flights BEFORE final payment, you can cancel the cruise air for no fee.

 

Thanks for answering. And yes, I'm aware of all this, I've done 3 cruises before and always did the air myself (for much much cheaper). But this one is different because it is a family vacation that my grandmother is paying for, and she doesn't want to pay for a hotel the night before (and no one else in the family does either), and she doesn't want to risk a delay if we buy plane tickets on our own, so we are doing the cruiseline air for more of a peace of mind.

[Keith1010]

It will vary by cruise line and destination. It is true that you run the risk of getting on flights that are not direct. Tickets are normally done about a month before you go and the key as soon as they are done is to get your seat assigments as the cruise line won't do that for you. Either you do it yourself or your TA does it for you but do that right away as if you are traveling with a few people there might not be too many open seats a month before.

 

Some cruise lines for a slightly higher fee have custom air (it varies by line) but sometimes is about 100.00 per person more. With that you can usually specify the specific flights that you want. You might want to inquire about that.

 

Keith

[jcanino]

Some cruise lines for a slightly higher fee have custom air (it varies by line) but sometimes is about 100.00 per person more. With that you can usually specify the specific flights that you want. You might want to inquire about that.

 

Don't forget that besides the air deviation fee, you also have to pay any additional costs if the specific flights you want cost more.

[nyer]

For various reasons, I booked my air through RCI on my last cruise and also for my cruise next month. Last year, I was on a non-stop flight coming home, but had to stop on the way there. This year, I have non-stop both ways (NY to MIA). My cruise is not for about 7 weeks, but I found out my air arrangements this week by calling RCI Air-Sea Dept. They told me that they do the air arrangements after final payment is made.

[cherylandtk]

..she doesn't want to risk a delay if we buy plane tickets on our own, so we are doing the cruiseline air for more of a peace of mind.

A common misconception is that the cruiseline will always hold the ship if you are coming in late on cruise air. If the delay is only an hour or so and/or there are a lot of cruise passengers on late flights, the captain may decide to wait. But he is not obligated to do so, and there are many instances of cruise air passengers missing the ship. You WILL get more assistance from the cruise line if this happens than if you book your own air, and you usually will get paid flights to the first port whether or not you have travel insurance, but it is up to the cruise line in each case as to what they choose to provide. You don't say where you all live or what time of year you are travelling, but that may also factor into your actual risks. Just so you are all fully informed.

[cterry]

how interesting that I found this today. We just got our flight info from our TA for our cruise on March 6. We are flying from Detroit to Port Canaveral. They had us stopping both ways. coming and going. a 2 1/2 hour flight will end up taking us 4 hours. I am a flight wimp and am petrified of flying. The thought of having to have a layover both ways with a change of planes makes me nuts. We have been debating booking a nonstop on our own or paying the extra $50 per person to have them change our flights. Because we are flying out of Detroit in March we feel like we need the security of booking through the cruise line so I think we are going to pay the extra $50 ea. The real crappy thing here is for a flight that would cost us $450 round trip for 2 people we will be paying $842. I will NEVER do this again. I am really dissapointed in RC. I wrongly thought that if I book cruise/flight together that they would get us the best flight possible due to the exhorborant charges. Guess not!! It's a shame that people take advantage so much!!

[m.v.explorer]

I will never book my airfare through the TA/Cruiseline again either. I also am paying $1756.00 for 4 people flying round trip to Miami. $440.00 per person. On top of that on the return trip home we have a layover in Atlanta. :mad:

[mutual]

We have always gotten a cruise/air package from our travel agent (who I assume got it from the cruise line). Each time we found ourselves traveling with others going on the same cruise. When we arrived at the port city, the package included transfers to the ship. We never missed a cruise that way. If we had missed the ship, so would a lot of other people.

 

We are booked on back to back cruises with RCI in April (Jewel transatlantic and Baltic). They are part of a cruise/air package. For safety and price, I believe it is best to go with a package.

[greatam]

We have always gotten a cruise/air package from our travel agent (who I assume got it from the cruise line). Each time we found ourselves traveling with others going on the same cruise. When we arrived at the port city, the package included transfers to the ship. We never missed a cruise that way. If we had missed the ship, so would a lot of other people.

 

We are booked on back to back cruises with RCI in April (Jewel transatlantic and Baltic). They are part of a cruise/air package. For safety and price, I believe it is best to go with a package.

 

Your TA is definitely getting the air from the cruiseline. About the only way TA's get commission on air anymore.

 

You can always buy transfers to the ship independently from air.

 

Sorry for the reality check, but your package is probably WELL overpriced for what you could have done on your own. If the air isn't overpriced, the hotel sure as heck is. And the hotel booked through the cruiseline is PER PERSON, not per room.

 

An example-Peninsula Bangkok-booked on the hotel website-deluxe room-$320.00. Booked at LHW ( Leading Hotels of the World) website-$270.00 Booked through the cruiseline-$210.00per person. Why would I want to give $150.00 of my money to Princess cruises? Seems like an easy decision.

 

Sure, it's easier just to let a TA book everything through the cruiseline. And they are VERY happy to do it, as they make commission on the entire package. But safety???? If you mean something goes wrong and you get help from the cruiseline, better look again. You will be in a foreign country. You will have the local port agent's phone number. They may or may not be able to help without consulting the American offices. IF you need help,most likely, plan on a long distance international phone bill to resolve your problems.