NCL Airfare program thoughts

[Gail & Dan]

So I understand this you are notified of flights before final payment right?

 

[julig22]

15 minutes ago, Gail & Dan said:

So I understand this you are notified of flights before final payment right?

 

No!!!!

In the past it was 45- 60 days.  Hard to say what it is now, between the instability of airline flights and 60 day final payment schedule.

Sometimes they will give you a tentative schedule but that is subject to change.  They aren't going to actually buy tickets for an individual until the cruise is paid for.

[Gail & Dan]

oh really catch 22 there I guess I wont pay on a pig in a polk I like to know I am not sitting in airports for hours and seats flight airlines it all matters ! 

[hallux]

27 minutes ago, Gail & Dan said:

I like to know I am not sitting in airports for hours

Can always do as I did in May and November, 2019.  My flights (one was self-booked, the other was NCL-booked) and find some sightseeing to do during the day.  I had 11 PM flights from Vancouver and LAX to head East as there simply weren't many other options that could be made in time when departing a cruise ship.

[Gail & Dan]

Just now, hallux said:

Can always do as I did in May and November, 2019.  My flights (one was self-booked, the other was NCL-booked) and find some sightseeing to do during the day.  I had 11 PM flights from Vancouver and LAX to head East as there simply weren't many other options that could be made in time when departing a cruise ship.

This is Vancouver to Amsterdam Long enough as it is With KLM and arrives the next day 

We would like to upgrade the seats and not be a pretzel when we arrive LOL 

Cheers Dan 

[ClevelandCruisin]

We always choose a deviation to arrive a day early. It's a $25 charge pp. Ncl air is just too crazy the day of the cruise flying to anywhere from Cleveland. Although about 50% of the time using their air, the flight home is us sitting for hours in the airport. We will usually choose ncls excursion to the airport then.

[hallux]

32 minutes ago, Gail & Dan said:

We would like to upgrade the seats and not be a pretzel when we arrive LOL

When I used the NCL air perk, once I had the confirmation numbers I could go on to the carrier's website, select my seats and pre-pay for baggage.  I may also have had the option to upgrade my seat if I wanted to pay additional.  Those were US domestic flights though...

[Gail & Dan]

Still left with the original  Problem I am not spending the cash if I do not know the flight 

they could do like everyone else and show flight options !

seems to work nil allergic to happy customers ?

[hallux]

2 hours ago, Gail & Dan said:

they could do like everyone else and show flight options

If you want to book using NCL's Air-to-sea option you can see and choose your preferred flights, just as other cruise lines allow you to do.  In order for NCL to offer the flights as a perk they need to control what flights you're on so they can get the best airfare.  Taking the perk is an agreement to accept whatever flights NCL picks, simple as that.

 

Now that you know how the perk works, you can make the informed decision to not accept it and just book your own flights.

[CruizinKittie40]

I've not ever used it before, October will be my first time and will be my first time sailing with NCL.  After I discovered this program I will never cruise with Carnival again.  Not sure why Carnival doesn't offer flights like this but I love the way NCL does things so far.  I have anxiety driving in larger cities and prefer to fly.  I can drive a couple of hours to a small airport, transfer to ATL then to Orlando where my cruise is in December....all for TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS for two people.  It would cost me more than that to drive there because there's no way I could drive there in one day and make it on time.  You are looking at gas, purchasing meals on the road and a hotel room.  So that's way cheaper than what I would pay to drive myself.  

[mammajamma2013]

We received flight information about 3 days ago, approx 15 days before sailing, so after final payment date. We're on a domestic flight with American Airlines, economy. Per the AA rep I spoke to this morning, I can carry on one piece of luggage and one personal item at no charge. If I want to check a bag, there is a fee. We chose our seats this morning and were able to upgrade our seats for a fee if we chose to. I believe thaose upgrades change your bag options . There was a very limited selection for the "free" seats; I would suggest choosing your seats as soon as you are able. 

 

This is the first time I've booked air with any cruiseline.

[Gail & Dan]

10 hours ago, hallux said:

If you want to book using NCL's Air-to-sea option you can see and choose your preferred flights, just as other cruise lines allow you to do.  In order for NCL to offer the flights as a perk they need to control what flights you're on so they can get the best airfare.  Taking the perk is an agreement to accept whatever flights NCL picks, simple as that.

 

Now that you know how the perk works, you can make the informed decision to not accept it and just book your own flights.

Halux there is absolutely no reason to withhold the information till  5 min before you leave that’s just ridiculous seriously flights are shown a full 16 months out 

give your head a shake man  this is not 1942 we all need this to make a proper dissuasion period and there is no reason to withhold it 

 

[hallux]

7 minutes ago, Gail & Dan said:

Halux there is absolutely no reason to withhold the information till  5 min before you leave that’s just ridiculous seriously flights are shown a full 16 months out 

give your head a shake man  this is not 1942 we all need this to make a proper dissuasion period and there is no reason to withhold it 

 

What you still fail to understand is that it's not JUST about knowing what flights are out there but also PRICE.  Basing this on the strict deadlines for decisions on flights (that you'll take the offer at all and if you want to deviate on either end), not based on any actual knowledge of the process but simply a logical deduction of how it happens.  Once NCL knows how many flights they need to book and on what days they can then negotiate the bulk rate with the airlines based on that number AND based on the flights they can book people on (which I imagine the airline would pick within the time parameters NCL provides).

 

NCL is giving you airfare (by the way, your base fare doesn't go down if you choose not to take the BOGO airfare portion of the offers, except by not paying for the first airfare) at a reduced cost.  You either accept that NCL can book whatever flights they want for you or you can choose not to take that risk and go book it yourself.

 

When I used the free/reduced air in 2019 I did a one day deviation to fly in the day before.  They still booked me on a 6 AM flight from my home airport and I was in LA by 11 AM, even with a plane change (wasn't much of a layover due to weather, just enough time for the restroom and a stop at Dunkin') in ATL.  My return flight?  11 PM Pacific redeye from LAX, got home around 10 or 11 AM Eastern the following day after a plane change in Philly.  Was I happy about this?  Not THRILLED, in fact I even tried to change to an earlier flight leaving LA but because of the fare code booked by NCL it couldn't be done (another cost savings).  However, I knew what to expect based on having done some reading here so I accepted it just as my travel companions did because I prepared them for the possibility.

 

Bottom line - if you want control of your flight times, BOOK THEM YOURSELF....

[Named-Tawny]

1 hour ago, Gail & Dan said:

Halux there is absolutely no reason to withhold the information till  5 min before you leave that’s just ridiculous seriously flights are shown a full 16 months out 

give your head a shake man  this is not 1942 we all need this to make a proper dissuasion period and there is no reason to withhold it 

 

Flights are available 11 months out, but they're not going to buy those flights.
 

Cheap flights are generally non-refundable.  If they buy your flights before final payment, and you back out, then they're out of that money.  Why would they do that?

(And if you want refundable flights a year out, you're not going to ever find them that cheap)

Edited August 18, 2021 by Named-Tawny

[julig22]

22 minutes ago, Named-Tawny said:

Flights are available 11 months out, but they're not going to buy those flights.
 

Cheap flights are generally non-refundable.  If they buy your flights before final payment, and you back out, then they're out of that money.  Why would they do that?

(And if you want refundable flights a year out, you're not going to ever find them that cheap)

Nor is there any guarantee that flights you book that far in advance will remain the same.

[CardFanDubG]

We used the NCL Airfare Perk on our Panama Canal Cruise in 2019. We were concerned about a 35 minute layover in Atlanta on our flight to LAX. This was the last Delta flight from ATL to LAX. We tried to get the flight changed through NCL to no avail. Delta could not change it as it belonged to NCL. Delta advised us to try flying stand-by. We checked the Delta flight schedule and saw that there were three flights prior to ours. We decided to show up early for the first scheduled flight and try to get on stand-by. We were able to accomplish this and arrived in Atlanta early. It was a good thing that we did that as the original flight from Louisville was delayed and was landing in Atlanta as our flight to LAX was taking off. We would have missed the flight. Our return trip was no problem at all.  

[Gail & Dan]

I do understand what you are saying and I am just exploring options  but I don’t understand is why anyone would pay for a unknown an uninformed decision  is a bad decision. These are clearly standby seats and it random who gets what.  But the more stops the better chance of loosing luggage and that is not fun 

why you think money would change hands 30-45 days out is nuts they are partnered with the airlines none the less 

I would understand a schedule saying this is past flights no guarantee

until it’s paid . But to randomly hand out cash on a promise is just nuts  

but your right it is cheap so I guess you take your chances 

 

[1226sas]

I just booked FAS, traveling from NY to our cruise leaving from Athens next July.  It never occurred to me there was the possibility it would not be a direct flight.  Just looking for anyone in the same situation to see if they had direct flights, or were given connecting flights?  

[hallux]

2 minutes ago, 1226sas said:

I just booked FAS, traveling from NY to our cruise leaving from Athens next July.  It never occurred to me there was the possibility it would not be a direct flight.  Just looking for anyone in the same situation to see if they had direct flights, or were given connecting flights?  

Depends on if you're flying from NYC, or elsewhere in NY State.  NYC has a CHANCE for a direct flight (from JFK or EWR), but NCL won't guarantee a direct flight.

 

As has been noted in the numerous threads on the FAS airfare, NCL will put placeholders on your itinerary, with final ticketing not happening until 45 days or prior to the trip so don't. take the airports/cities in that flights section as gospel.

[1226sas]

1 minute ago, hallux said:

Depends on if you're flying from NYC, or elsewhere in NY State.  NYC has a CHANCE for a direct flight (from JFK or EWR), but NCL won't guarantee a direct flight.

 

As has been noted in the numerous threads on the FAS airfare, NCL will put placeholders on your itinerary, with final ticketing not happening until 45 days or prior to the trip so don't. take the airports/cities in that flights section as gospel.

Thanks- flying out of NYC. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and prep the cranky hubby 🙂

[Mimichris12]

I thought we had to pay for transfers to and from the airport and pier.

 

[julig22]

14 minutes ago, Mimichris12 said:

I thought we had to pay for transfers to and from the airport and pier.

 

You are correct - they are automatically added when you choose the airfare promo.  You can call and have them removed if you choose to get your own transportation.

[victory2020]

On 8/22/2021 at 5:43 AM, 1226sas said:

I just booked FAS, traveling from NY to our cruise leaving from Athens next July.  It never occurred to me there was the possibility it would not be a direct flight.  Just looking for anyone in the same situation to see if they had direct flights, or were given connecting flights?  

My LA to Rome was originally down as direct going & 1 stop coming back but ended up being 1stop going because it ended up as no airline did direct flights.