Asia cruise 2021

[yorky]

Hi all

We are looking at an Asia cruise for early 2021. We like the itinerary but the downside is that due to work commitments we would probably need to fly out on a Saturday getting in Sunday evening. The cruise embarks in Hong Kong on the Sunday but starts with an overnight leaving the next day. We would normally fly out a day or two early, would it be a problem joining the ship on the Monday should we have a delay ?

[villauk]

Just keep X informed if you are delayed etc. We’ve sailed out of HK on Millie, leaving the following day, but did stay a couple of days prior. Next year, we’re doing the same on a Princess cruise (X moved Connie to Tampa for more exciting itineraries instead 🙄).

[chemmo]

12 hours ago, yorky said:

Hi all

We are looking at an Asia cruise for early 2021. We like the itinerary but the downside is that due to work commitments we would probably need to fly out on a Saturday getting in Sunday evening. The cruise embarks in Hong Kong on the Sunday but starts with an overnight leaving the next day. We would normally fly out a day or two early, would it be a problem joining the ship on the Monday should we have a delay ?

 

I honestly would never fly half way around the world for a cruise and not have a margin for error...Too many risks of flight cancellations or weather issues on long haul can result in a 24 hour plus delay. Even if everything goes according to plan you will be boarding tired and stressed. We experienced a flight cancellation for a hop across the pond to cruise last year and it was nightmarish and we had a 2 day margin.

 

With it being such a long time before you cruise could you not sort something with work to give you an extra day’s margin? Even in jobs like education which are very strict on time off you can request limited unpaid leave for a ‘special vacation’ (as long as you don’t ask too often!)...

 

If you do decide to go ahead I would obtain an email from Celebrity confirming that you can board on the Monday if necessary rather than rely on CC...Things do change over time.

[villauk]

9 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Even in jobs like education which are very strict on time off you can request limited unpaid leave for a ‘special vacation’ (as long as you don’t ask too often!)...

 

 

Not any more, especially when the kids get fined for doing it.

[chemmo]

16 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

Not any more, especially when the kids get fined for doing it.

 

A friend of mine has recently been allowed 2 days...First time she has asked in 20 years of teaching...I think most headteachers, governors and authorities show some understanding and compassion. I only requested one day off in over 35 years of teaching to enable me to fly to Antigua to celebrate my 50th birthday which was during half term.

 

I think the point I was trying to make to yorky is that a Far East Cruise is special and it seems a pity to mar the start by having a less than ideal flight which at best will be stressful and at worst difficult...With over a year until the cruise date it would be so much better if he could look at other options.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

 

A friend of mine has recently been allowed 2 days...First time she has asked in 20 years of teaching...I think most headteachers, governors and authorities show some understanding and compassion. I only requested one day off in over 35 years of teaching to enable me to fly to Antigua to celebrate my 50th birthday which was during half term.

 

I think the point I was trying to make to yorky is that a Far East Cruise is special and it seems a pity to mar the start by having a less than ideal flight which at best will be stressful and at worst difficult...With over a year until the cruise date it would be so much better if he could look at other options.

 

In NYC we are given 3 "personal business days" which we can use - but not on one side or the other of a holiday break (or the beginning or end of the year) - so for a week-long cruise, we're still looking at 2 sick days - and most principals would require a doctor's note for 2 in a row as opposed to them being "self-treat" days.

[mdpa]

I completely understand. Our family is going on our longest ever vacation and pushing the boundaries with a 2-week SE Asia cruise out of Hong Kong. We have decided to lead with 2-days and add an additional day in Singapore.

 

That said, I've got a solution! Use Flights by Celebrity and try to get a direct flight on the outbound. I haven't taken my flight yet but the process has been fantastic.

 

- Fully cancellable flights up to date of deposit (some exclusions)

- Allows you to "budget" and understand your worst case flight costs while booking cruise

- Price match guarantee...they already had the best prices but when our flight cost went down we rebooked and pocketed the savings

- Most flights will give you seat assignments right away (at least this happened with United)

- Can choose economy or premium seats. We chose regular economy, but if we had status or decided to pay the difference we can upgrade to premium economy online.

- Celebrity starts with recommended same day arrival flights that they will stand behind. I don't remember the exact fine print but I think it essentially says they will make reasonable attempts to ensure you make the cruise but not guarantee a non-interrupted vacation. I think this is the best part of booking with them...reduces much of the worry!

 

That said, we still prefer to arrive at least one day early. We never take trip insurance. Instead we will pocket the savings and use it towards a posh hotel on arrival (our trip insurance 😉).

[villauk]

2 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

A friend of mine has recently been allowed 2 days...First time she has asked in 20 years of teaching...I think most headteachers, governors and authorities show some understanding and compassion. I only requested one day off in over 35 years of teaching to enable me to fly to Antigua to celebrate my 50th birthday which was during half term.

 

I think the point I was trying to make to yorky is that a Far East Cruise is special and it seems a pity to mar the start by having a less than ideal flight which at best will be stressful and at worst difficult...With over a year until the cruise date it would be so much better if he could look at other options.

 

 

From experience, she was lucky as this is strictly not allowed in some educational settings now and can/does result in disciplinary action; 15 years ago would have been a different story. Sorry, I just wanted to make the point that as many schools are now academies, things have indeed changed from previous local authority policies.  However, I do agree about taking the extra time it at all possible for the cruise.

[dabear]

MDPA; Sorry to disagree with you but we just returned from an Asia cruise on Azamara( related to Celebrity) and used Choice Air for a non stop flight on Cathay Pacific (great airline). After final payment the flight cost dropped $800 on CP website. CA said there revised price was higher and we got only $360 refund, Evan after higher change fees and an undisclosed reissue fee). See the t & c of choice Air guarantees. More details on my post under Cruise Air on CC.

[mdpa]

1 hour ago, dabear said:

MDPA; Sorry to disagree with you but we just returned from an Asia cruise on Azamara( related to Celebrity) and used Choice Air for a non stop flight on Cathay Pacific (great airline). After final payment the flight cost dropped $800 on CP website. CA said there revised price was higher and we got only $360 refund, Evan after higher change fees and an undisclosed reissue fee). See the t & c of choice Air guarantees. More details on my post under Cruise Air on CC.

 

I didn't think they would do anything after final payment. I'm impressed that you received anything.

 

IMHO most people book long 2-week cruises far ahead of the 90-day window and won't necessarily take the risk of getting a better deal on the flight within the 90 day window.

 

My comparison is for someone considering booking a discounted non-refundable flight a year ahead vs. the benefits of using Flights by Celebrity and having no risk between booking and the 90-day final payment window.

 

Additional Info:

 

I decided to check since my flight is about 30-days out.

 

- Our Celebrity cost per flight with United from Newark,NJ to Hong Kong $796 (including taxes and fees)

- United's fares as of today for the exact same flight $1,654

 

My opinion still stands, I wouldn't want to risk a potential increase in flights based on a semi-fixed schedule that a cruise dictates.

Edited December 3, 2019 by mdpa

[dabear]

Why shouldn't CA reduce their price the same way as airlines do within or outside the 90 day window ? All airlines will permit you to change your air cost subject to a change fee and if you booked directly with them, you would have immediately paid.

Agree, most people book air far earlier than 30 days out, especially for international flights. We originally booked about 9 months out so that we could choose good seats in PE.

FYI, if you are staying in a Hong Kong hotel pre or post cruise, you may want to recheck your rates. Due to unrest in HK, tourism & business is down about 90% and hotel rates have also dropped. We saved alot for our 2 night precruise stay at the Hyatt Regency.

Edited December 3, 2019 by dabear

[yorky]

Thanks guys, did not know Celebrity even did their own air, we generally just book our own when the flights are released. We are now looking at flying out on the Friday getting in on the Saturday. That gives us a two day margin. With the cruise leaving port on the Monday. We always stay before and after the cruise, three days in the Singapore Shangri-La Hotel after the cruise this time which we will probably be using BA air miles to purchase. So we will be looking at the Saturday night in a Hong Kong before the cruise. It looks like in general the Asia cruises get cheaper later on so I don’t see a rush to book it until the flights are released in February. May wait until Celebrity have some offer on like free WiFi or an extra free perk. Even looking at flights for January/ February 2020 they still look reasonable at around £600 pp flying with Emirates via Dubai so again capacity looks fine with a big choice of flights. 

Edited December 8, 2019 by yorky

[yorky]

Already showing as 90% booked with Suites sold out for February 2021, surely not ?

[4774Papa]

We did a two cruises in 2015 in East Asia, one from Singapore to Dubai and the other from Tokyo to Hong Kong (4 ports in main Japanese island, Shanghai, Okinawa, Taiwan and Hong Kong).  Both were great cruises, but the flights were long and brutal.

 

If you insist on arriving the day your ship leaves, try to find flights as direct as possible, or as few connections as possible.

I understand working travelers that can only take off a certain amount of time, but frankly, it is a shame that you can't spend some pre or post cruise time in Asia.   Japan is wonderful.  You might consider waiting until you are retired and pick a closer destination.  Many people love Europe and even Asia, but ignore South America, which has some wonderful places to visit, especially Peru, Argentina and Chile.

[yorky]

1 hour ago, 4774Papa said:

We did a two cruises in 2015 in East Asia, one from Singapore to Dubai and the other from Tokyo to Hong Kong (4 ports in main Japanese island, Shanghai, Okinawa, Taiwan and Hong Kong).  Both were great cruises, but the flights were long and brutal.

 

If you insist on arriving the day your ship leaves, try to find flights as direct as possible, or as few connections as possible.

I understand working travelers that can only take off a certain amount of time, but frankly, it is a shame that you can't spend some pre or post cruise time in Asia.   Japan is wonderful.  You might consider waiting until you are retired and pick a closer destination.  Many people love Europe and even Asia, but ignore South America, which has some wonderful places to visit, especially Peru, Argentina and Chile.

We are actually flying on the Friday arriving Saturday now, the ship has an overnight in Hong Kong leaving Monday. We arrive in to Singapore Sunday for two days on the ship then Intend staying at the Shangri la hotel a further three nights.