How Happy Were You With NCL Airfare Promotion?

[vpearlkc]

We have signed up for the NCL airfare promotion paying $124 pp with a departure the day before. We can cancel this offer at any time before the final payment. Just wondering how others feel about this promotion after using it. Was it a good experience? A bad one? Just hoping for some input. BTW the flight would cost us around $400 pp.

[Alatraveler1]

I'll reply if they ever actually let us know what airline, airport, flight, flight times, etc. 

[VPMJ]

Our cruise with the airfare promotion is coming up in a few weeks. We are happy with our flights. We were given direct flights in both directions on American...Newark/Miami. Flying two days early and getting in at 2pm. The flight after we disembark is not until 7:45 pm, but since it's direct we are happy and have booked a day rate at a hotel ($89) for an extra day of swimming. Originally, our return seats were not together, but a call to American quickly fixed that (they put in we were a family and they opened up upgraded seats for us to be together). 

[Alatraveler1]

46 minutes ago, VPMJ said:

Our cruise with the airfare promotion is coming up in a few weeks. We are happy with our flights. We were given direct flights in both directions on American...Newark/Miami. Flying two days early and getting in at 2pm. The flight after we disembark is not until 7:45 pm, but since it's direct we are happy and have booked a day rate at a hotel ($89) for an extra day of swimming. Originally, our return seats were not together, but a call to American quickly fixed that (they put in we were a family and they opened up upgraded seats for us to be together). 

This is one of my fears.  We disembark beginning at 7 a.m. but the flight home might not be until 10-12 hours later, putting us home after midnight.  Glad you were at least able to be on the same flight and sitting near each other.  I'd settle for a decent return flight time early afternoon and each of us in a middle seat in different rows.

[newmexicoNita]

 

so far we are fine with ours but our TA did have to call and get them adjusted as we were separated from our traveling companions, not even on the same airline. Anyway, all is well now. How will we feel after we sail. Well we have a few months before that happens. 

[dbrown84]

I was totally satisfied with my trip in April.  Direct flights between DC and Miami.  The flight down was at 6am but that was fine since I was flying in the day of the cruise so I didn't want to cut anything close.  Flight back home was at 12:30pm.  There was little to no wait time for the shuttle on both ends.  I do recommend checking your seat as soon as you get your flight info.  They do tend to put you in terrible seats.  I was originally put in middle seats on both flights, but it was no promblem changing them on the American airlines website

[Janetonboard]

I do not like how the free airfare works in general. I’m okay with it for our upcoming trip but only because we live close enough to only need short flights. It sounds like a good deal because we are saving ~$800 in flight costs, but I’d prefer to book my own flights and transfers and pay slightly less for the cruise. 

 

We are travelling from Toronto to a Canada/NE cruise from Quebec City to NYC.

 

Going to Quebec, flights from Toronto to QC are about the same cost as flights from Toronto to Montreal. I would have booked us on a flight to Quebec City with a short cab ride to the port. NCL has booked us on a flight to Montreal, followed by a 3-hour bus ride to the port. The NCL booked flight is going to result in a travel day that is twice as long as one I would have booked. 

 

On our way home from NYC, delta offers several flights throughout the day. Our ship gets into port at 7 am so I would have booked us on an afternoon flight home. NCL has booked us on a flight out of NYC at 8 pm (13 hours after we dock) So now we have to decide if we take the NCL transfer to the airport where we will have to sit around for many hours, or we skip the transfer (losing the money we’ve already paid for it) and wander around Manhattan for a few hours ( which will be a bit of a hassle with our luggage). With an 8 pm flight, it will be close to midnight when we get home, making for another unnecessarily long travel day. 

 

So, in this case I’m okay with NCL making the air reservations to save us some money, but if we were going on a trip further from home I’d much prefer to pay the money to make our own air arrangements at times that work best for us. 

[drvmywifecrzy]

I was totally satisfied.  Flight down landed in MIA at 9:30am day of sailing and left from FLL at 11:30am.  Sailing from MIA i was a little worried but I was at gate in FLL in time to make the 10:30AM flight from FLL if I had wanted.

[MotownVoice]

9 hours ago, Alatraveler1 said:

 We disembark beginning at 7 a.m. but the flight home might not be until 10-12 hours later, putting us home after midnight.

 

This is the precise reason I will never book a cruise without at least two recovery days at the end, 3 if it’s in the Mediterranean.  Even if I buy my own flights after weeks of research and patience, I have frequently had to tolerate layovers and delays to get it done in the best of circumstances.  The only way to avoid that always is to purchase a Lear and hire a pilot.