NCL-Booked Air Travel Delays

[stevex]

I booked a cruise on the Encore in December (yay!) and booked airfare through NCL.  Don't know the flight arrangements yet so I don't know how much leeway there is for flight delays, but what happens if the NCL-booked flight is cancelled or late?

 

If it was me booking the flight, I'd make sure to arrive early enough that if there were delays, I could accommodate.  But I don't know how NCL does it.  Anyone have experience with this?

 

Thanks

 -- Steve

 

[arpie05]

No experience but if your flight gets changed - you just go with it.  I understand that if you don't make it and they've made your travel arrangements - they're responsible for assisting you to get to the boat.

[hallux]

For a small fee, plus the cost of a hotel room, you can have them change you to a flight the day before you sail.  I believe you can book the room yourself at the hotel of your choosing.  Depending on how far you need to fly, this would be absolutely preferable. 

 

For example - when I cruised last month I flew in the day before, I had to fly cross-country.  My connecting flight was delayed and I ended up arriving almost 3 hours late, which would have been after the scheduled sail-away if I had flown in the day of the cruise.  I didn't book flights through NCL, I did that on my own (through a TA) so I would have been stranded.

[stevex]

That sounds like the way to go.  I don't mind paying for a hotel, and getting there the day before would make me feel a lot better.

[All-ready2cruise]

It's really the only way I'd be comfortable doing it. I fly to all the departure ports so there's no way I want to fly in same day.  Getting to the port a few minutes, or even a few hours prior to sail away, Yikes, that would really bother me. 

[* Angela *]

Flying in the day before is definitely the way to go.  If your air is booked through NCL, you only have to pay a $25pp deviation fee to fly in a day or two early.  My friend and I did that on our Breakaway cruise this October.