AIR PROMO Beware

[Sauer-kraut]

13 hours ago, 17cruisesnsl said:

 Reading some of the stories about times and inability to choose seats, I am nervous and will continue to monitor flight prices and hope for the best.     

  Were you able to chose seats?  I have a decent amount of miles on AA and their platinum AA credit card so I hope we can choose seats at a minimum.  

 

Thanks for letting me express my concerns.  

 

Hope everyone has wonderful flights and calm seas

 

My experience with NCL booked flights was they booked me on a major carrier.  I live 10 mins away from ORD so that was a no brainer. I got my booking code from NCL and then went into the carrier's website and chose our seats, also put in frequent flyer numbers. 

I had no issues with the booking and flight. 

Edited October 14, 2019 by Sauer-kraut

[snow1]

On 10/13/2019 at 6:45 PM, 17cruisesnsl said:

Were you able to chose seats?  I have a decent amount of miles on AA and their platinum AA credit card so I hope we can choose seats at a minimum.  

 

 We finally got our seats at 38 days out.  Originally told 60....then 50....then 40-45.  We are flying on United non stop SFO to HNL.  United let us upgrade to United Plus  (extra legroom) for no additional charge.  I didn't ask why......I think it's because we have miles with their frequent flier program.   I tried to upgrade to First Class.....no go !!  We happen to be on the same flights that they called the "placeholders" from months ago.  We would have picked the same flights if we paid ourselves.  After following the many posts about this, we are very lucky with the flights that NCL finally ticketed for us.    Yes, we saved almost $1000 for the 2 of us.  But the waiting and waiting was really hard, not knowing what  we would end up with.  Don't know if we would do it again. 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by snow1

[hallux]

@snow1 I have no status with AA (I don't even have an account with them) and I was able to select seats.  If you want any of the premium seats in the main cabin you can also pull out the credit card and pay for those.

[don't-use-real-name]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

@snow1 I have no status with AA (I don't even have an account with them) and I was able to select seats.  If you want any of the premium seats in the main cabin you can also pull out the credit card and pay for those.

 

You would not need status on the airline that NCL books your flight - BUT IT DOES HELP !

NCL books reservations on an airline that will satisfy getting its guests to the ship timely at minimum cost.

More in likely it will be on a major carrier with the schedule that meets NCLs requirements.

You probably don't have a magnifying glass to read the 7 pages of fine print of the Terms and Conditions (T&C)

but never fear thousands of guests get to their ship on time with the flights that NCL schedules.

 

About those seat selections - once the reservation has been made you can go to that airline website and select

the seats in the fare class that NCL has booked - have trouble doing this call the airline and have the agent do it for you.

 

And in regard to having status frequent flyer mileage affinity this may help getting a better seat/location on the flight.

It may be complimentary and then it may require round-to-its mileage or good ole plastic-cash - you decide if you need

more comfortable space - on a short flight it may not be important - but a non-stop multi hour flight it may be worth it

for your comfort instead of peeling yourself out of a sardine can on arrival.

 

 

[17cruisesnsl]

Thanks again to everyone on this thread who provided ticketing and seating information and calmed my nerves.  

Finished entering check-in documents yesterday, day 52 to go, and the ticket information was available on the e-docs.   The ticket locator wasn't valid, likely a placeholder but I called NCL, no wait, and received the valid ticket locator. 

Flights aren't the best but the price was right as we were hitting against Miami pre-Super Bowl events so ticket prices were unusually high.  

Direct flights -- 6:43 am going and 8pm return.   Seats were available together although return wasn't ticketed as seated together.   Both trips, seats were in the back of the plane.    Upgraded online to more room ($135 total) as it is closer to front as DM is older and will use wheelchair assistance to the plane but walk on board.   

Based on another posting, I added my middle name to NCL reservation but it didn't make it to the air reservation and won't match my Pre-check.  AA doesn't allow a name change online but will wait until after the holiday, as I have time and the airlines reservations staff need to assist all the Thanksgiving travelers impacted by the nasty weather occurring.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Cruising

[Gomer67]

I am in Toronto and had NCL book our flights. They include transfers to the port so they should be paying for the shuttle from Ft. Lauderdale. We are on a direct, non-stop flight to the ship but on the way back it is not direct. 

 

If the cruise line books your flight travel, then THEY are responsible to get you to the ship. At their expense. If your flight is delayed, they deal with it.  I would take the good with the bad. Book your own and there is an issue?.......you could miss your cruise.

 

Just sayin....

 

 

[Firepath]

How often and when does NCL offer flight deals? All I see at the moment are Hawaii during random times all off season. I would love to get a break on a flight since we live so far from just about every port.

Edited November 29, 2019 by Firepath

[Gomer67]

They offered deals on the Dec 14 Escape cruise based on cabin class I believe. I would imagine they do it multiple times a year, but keep looking online. 

[timf2001]

7 hours ago, Firepath said:

How often and when does NCL offer flight deals? All I see at the moment are Hawaii during random times all off season. I would love to get a break on a flight since we live so far from just about every port.

 

They were offering Free & Discounted Air from November 2018 until October 2019.  There are no current plans to bring it back, but you can still book flights through NCL for the normal price.  This may or may not be less than you can buy it directly from the airlines for.

[Budget Queen]

16 hours ago, Gomer67 said:

. 

 

If the cruise line books your flight travel, then THEY are responsible to get you to the ship. At their expense. If your flight is delayed, they deal with it.  I would take the good with the bad. Book your own and there is an issue?.......you could miss your cruise.

 

Just sayin....

 

 

You’re making very wrong assumptions.    The cruise line is a booking agent.   They do not operate the flights.    You are far better off going directly to the airline when there are problems.    You are wasting valuable time playing phone tag going through NCL.     Add to the mix-  the restrictions of your ticket.   There certainly will not be any priority on a discounted contacted bulk ticket.    

 

These people certainly can miss the ship.   

[Gomer67]

It is not an assumption. They will tell you themselves.  Yes they can miss the ship. It happened to my aunt. However, they are responsible to get you to the cruise. It is a fact.

 

My aunt's flight was delayed. They put her up in a nice hotel, flew my aunt to Mexico, and then put her in a cab to the port to meet the ship. All at their cost. 

 

You assume it took a long time and I played phone tag. In fact, it was fast and easy and we all got the flights for free! But by all means do what you are comfortable with. 

[Nebr.cruiser]

I guess we will see; booked a Tahiti to Hawaii cruise with $149 air from La, round trip per person.

 

Hopefully it is not a 40 hour flight with 8 stops or something!

 

Can't get any where close to that price booking air on our own; and I looked. 

 

As to the Fort Lauderdale to Miami thing, I'd say more than half of our flights there go to the 'wrong' airport for the cruise we are taking due to price or schedule  It's not a big deal or very expensive to do the transfer.

 

I can see that it would be more difficult with someone having mobility issues.  

 

 

Edited November 30, 2019 by Nebr.cruiser

[astridwilson]

As original poster, I wanted to say what we ended up doing.  I cancelled the NCL flights and rebooked.  The promo was $100 per ticket.  Bag fees would have been $180.  So original cost was $480. 
 

I opened a AA credit card, so 3 tickets were $400, no baggage fees and $50 in taxis.  So $450 versus $480, but I had to eat $75 per ticket as NCL only credited back $25 per ticket.  So it cost me $675, versus $480.  
 

it wasn’t just about the money or the extra travel it was that they quoted me one thing and booked another that was 45 minutes earlier in the morning and almost 5 hours later at night.  Way too much for my elderly mom.  The trip was supposed to be fun, not that stressful.  It was her last cruise. 
 

so for me, I will never allow a cruise line to book my air.  

[Gomer67]

I understand that completely. Because cruise line was responsible to get you to the ship, they get you on the earliest possible flight there to avoid issues.

 

But the return home they just go for the cheapest solution regardless. It is too bad that it didn't work out better through NCL, but I am glad you got a solution that is better for all of you.

 

I sincerely  hope the end result will be a great time for all. 

 

Happy Sailing!

[Fk3908]

I won’t ever take this promo again- NCL booked us from Minneapolis connecting in NEW YORK before flying to Miami. So we get to fly out to the east coast before flying south to Florida. Ridiculous 

[Fk3908]

On 11/27/2019 at 10:32 AM, 17cruisesnsl said:

Thanks again to everyone on this thread who provided ticketing and seating information and calmed my nerves.  

Finished entering check-in documents yesterday, day 52 to go, and the ticket information was available on the e-docs.   The ticket locator wasn't valid, likely a placeholder but I called NCL, no wait, and received the valid ticket locator. 

Flights aren't the best but the price was right as we were hitting against Miami pre-Super Bowl events so ticket prices were unusually high.  

Direct flights -- 6:43 am going and 8pm return.   Seats were available together although return wasn't ticketed as seated together.   Both trips, seats were in the back of the plane.    Upgraded online to more room ($135 total) as it is closer to front as DM is older and will use wheelchair assistance to the plane but walk on board.   

Based on another posting, I added my middle name to NCL reservation but it didn't make it to the air reservation and won't match my Pre-check.  AA doesn't allow a name change online but will wait until after the holiday, as I have time and the airlines reservations staff need to assist all the Thanksgiving travelers impacted by the nasty weather occurring.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Cruising

Just go on to the AA website, find your Rez, and add your PreTsa number to your info. As long as first and last name are accurate, you’ll be fine 

[ray98]

On 10/14/2019 at 7:48 AM, erdoran said:

Re transfers - I did a mock booking with free air, and it clearly stated that “transfers are included” which gave me the impression that they were FREE because there was no price disclosed or stated.  But....when I went into Details, we were being charged $70 per person for the “included” transfers.  

 

I stand by “deceptive” because “included” says nothing about “and the charge has been added to your total” or the price of the “included” transfers.

 

You may want to start reading thing twice.....

[warburg]

 We flew from Manhattan to South Beach many times from LGA, and Jet Blue was a better choice. Getting to/from JFK  can be a horror, while the drive to/from FFL is usually acceptable. MIA is one of the worst airports anywhere. Many domestic flights leave from Terminal D, and getting there is no fun at all if you are short of time.  A poster was complaining about the drive from FFL to P of M. The new State bird of Florida is the Construction Crane, and there are many throughout the Miami area. They nest everywhere and cause serious delays. Their eggs are cement trucks, also everywhere. Paradise has a dark side. Fortunately for us, we live on South Beach, South of Fifth, and it is a 25 minute drive to the P OF M. In fact, we have been following the construction of NCL's new terminal. It will probably be finished my our November 2020 cruise on the Joy.  We are Gold on NCL but haven't sailed with her lately.

Mary