Transatlantic cruise

[preschool teacher]

We just booked our first transatlantic....for next year....would love any tips and advice.....

also we leave out of Tampa and fly home from Amsterdam.....

what is the best to book the flight home?

when I search I get the price in euros....

also how far out can I book the flight...ours is in May 2020

 

thank you!!!!

[MCC retired]

330 days out is usually the earliest to book a flight.

OP did not mention the cruise line but several have reduced 1 way TA air rates .

[Turtles06]

Using frequent flyer miles is a good way to book a one-way flight, as they typically don't "cost" more the same way cash does for a one-way ticket.   (That is, if 60,000 miles would get you a RT ticket, usually 30,000 will get you a one-way ticket.  If you are paying cash for the ticket, on many airlines you pay a premium for a one-way ticket -- much more than half of a RT ticket.  There are, however, some airlines, including Icelandair, that I believe don't charge those types of premiums.) 

 

I don't know where you are seeing prices in Euros.  For example, if I were in the U.S. and looking at flights on United's web site, the prices would be in U.S. dollars.

 

We love transatlantics.  Don't forget that you will have a bunch of 23 hour days (six of them I believe) on your cruise.  While losing an hour in a day may not sound like much, we found it does get tiresome after four or five in a row.  (Which is why we prefer westbound TAs.)  Just don't over schedule yourself in the mornings. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Turtles06

[shipgeeks]

What cruiseline?  Many have air programs that can provide greatly reduced rates.

[flamomo]

I have done a number of transatlantic cruises with Princess cruises, and always book my flights thru the cruiseline. The fares have been really great. We're flying to Venice in the Fall to board the Pacific Princess for a 29 day cruise thru the Med and then crossing the Atlantic to FLL, and our one-way flights to Venice are costing us about $370 each. I researched the same flights if  booked directly with the same major U.S. airline and those fares was over twice as much! Also, Expedia, and like booking sites, can't begin to match the fares we got.

[Markanddonna]

I prefer spring time transatlantic cruises. You will have more daylight hours in the spring which makes those 23 hour days not an issue. Look on Skyscanner or Norwegian airlines for good prices. 

[Zach1213]

14 hours ago, preschool teacher said:

when I search I get the price in euros....

 

Well, you're looking for flights leaving out of the Eurozone so usually they'll be priced in the local currency.

[preschool teacher]

The cruise line is Royal Caribbean....

[taglovestocruise]

12 minutes ago, preschool teacher said:

The cruise line is Royal Caribbean....

Checkout Royals Air2Sea program, they have great prices for oneway international.  Usually opens up 11 months before cruise. 

[kadeycat]

Air2sea has great return flights from Europe. We got Venice to Denver for $400 each. Book as early as possible when they are available. 

[Turtles06]

On 2/4/2019 at 9:12 AM, Zach1213 said:

 

Well, you're looking for flights leaving out of the Eurozone so usually they'll be priced in the local currency.

 

Not if you're in the United States searching on American web sites 

[Zach1213]

10 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Not if you're in the United States searching on American web sites 

 

Depends. I've definitely gone to several European airlines' main sites from a US computer and had prices quoted in the local currency, be it Pound, Euro, Franc or Krona.

[VMax1700]

35 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Depends. I've definitely gone to several European airlines' main sites from a US computer and had prices quoted in the local currency, be it Pound, Euro, Franc or Krona.

 

Specially when booking a One Way ticket!

[D&L Thomas]

This is so crazy I can’t believe it myself, but it’s booked so it’s real! We are on a TA in April that ends in Copenhagen. Flying home from there was prohibitive even through the cruise air program (Princess).

 

Being retired with more free time than good sense, we decided to spend some time in another country and fly home from there. Brussels was on the table but Amsterdam won.

 

Now comes the crazy part: For roughly half the cost of the one-way flight home, we booked a round-trip multi-city flight with the return trip in the fall. So we fly home from Amsterdam In May, than fly back (but to Edinburgh) where we will spend a week before taking another Transatlantic cruise home.

 

Even if we didn’t want that (or don’t end up doing it), the RT ticket is still half the cost of the one-way. So do a mock booking as a round-trip and see what you get!

 

All this is on Air Lingus.

[Underwatr]

If you don't mind a connecting flight, Aer Lingus typically has low one-way fares and a good coach class experience. As a bonus, you'll clear US customs & immigration in Dublin before boarding the transatlantic leg home, which makes arrival or connections in the US quicker and low-hassle. Aer Lingus has nonstop flights from Dublin to Orlando so if that's convenient to you it might be worth investigating.

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, D&L Thomas said:

This is so crazy I can’t believe it myself, but it’s booked so it’s real! We are on a TA in April that ends in Copenhagen. Flying home from there was prohibitive even through the cruise air program (Princess).

 

Being retired with more free time than good sense, we decided to spend some time in another country and fly home from there. Brussels was on the table but Amsterdam won.

 

Now comes the crazy part: For roughly half the cost of the one-way flight home, we booked a round-trip multi-city flight with the return trip in the fall. So we fly home from Amsterdam In May, than fly back (but to Edinburgh) where we will spend a week before taking another Transatlantic cruise home.

 

Even if we didn’t want that (or don’t end up doing it), the RT ticket is still half the cost of the one-way. So do a mock booking as a round-trip and see what you get!

 

All this is on Air Lingus.

We have used a similar strategy quite a few times on TAs/repo cruises :).  And by the way, since you are using Aer Lingus you might want to consider that you can do a stop-over in Ireland (it used to be for up to 2 weeks) for no additional air charge.  We have taken advantage of this Aer Lingus offer on 2 occasions and added a relatively low cost trip extension in parts of Ireland.

 

Hank

[preschool teacher]

Thank you so much to all who gave great advice!!!!

 

I love CC!!