Are Airfares Affecting Your Cruise Plans?

[aubreyc1988]

4 minutes ago, poocher said:

How is SW more because of the checked bags?  SW doesn’t charge for checked bags.

I mean, nothing is free, it's baked into the fare somehow.  I find that SW is usually more expensive than American/Delta/United, but SW does have "free" bags so that does factor in for some people who check stuff. 

 

I've waited HOURS for bags from SW so while I like them, I usually don't take advantage of the checked bags and just do carry ons. I dislike waiting for checked bags and I've had some close calls in terms of losing bags. 

Edited July 14, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[poocher]

And truly, experience is everything.  Most issues I’ve had with flights were on legacy carriers.  Out of our mid-sized airport in CT, Southwest is 90% of the time the best choice - Jet Blue gets the other 10%.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, BeginnercruiserHD said:

We had originally booked through TAP portugal a year ago, but they changed their flight schedules to where return flight was a day earlier.  We booked a different airline for the return trip.  We wanted business class on the way out, so I kept an eye out and found a deal for roughly the same price with a much better itinerary (arriving at 9 AM instead of 7:30 PM), only 3 1/2 hour layover.

 

We're really excited that the original airline changed their dates, because we were able to get a better time slot.  IT did end up costing us about twice as much as the original tickets, but the return tickets + the original tickets were roughly the same price and  at least now our transport times are much slower.

 

Long layovers in the premium lounges are a fun way to pass the time🍺

[John&LaLa]

Some of y'all are more obsessed with SWA than I am with CAT'S 😹😹

Edited July 14, 2022 by John&LaLa

[Biker19]

31 minutes ago, poocher said:

 I use it only when checking in at 24 hrs is a problem, like when I’m on a cruise!

Pro tip: You can get about 15 minutes of free Stream by clicking on the App/Play store icon in the app.

[BeginnercruiserHD]

15 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Long layovers in the premium lounges are a fun way to pass the time🍺

 

True, but I'd rather have the 12 extra hours in Rome.

[SummerBeee]

On 7/11/2022 at 7:27 AM, John&LaLa said:

 

FL cruises ate lame enough after a while. I couldn't imagine just going out of Galveston over and over.

 

PC is doing new southern itineraries to Bermuda and also Southern Caribbean.  Those have added some new life into our choices.

Very excited to sail to Bermuda next month without having to fly north. 

[poocher]

5 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Pro tip: You can get about 15 minutes of free Stream by clicking on the App/Play store icon in the app.

Yeah but then I have to stop whatever I’m doing to check in.  My CC reimburses me for it so it’s just easier to let SWA check me in.

[broadwaybaby123]

Airfare doesn't affect me, we drive to most of the ports.

[rudeney]

8 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Used to live in Huntsville, we'd drive to Birmingham for flights on occasion 🤣🤣

 

 

So what's really funny is that your drive from Huntsville to BHM airport was probably just 15 minutes longer than my drive and I live in Birmingham!  Actually we live in the southern suburban city of Pelham, but we live in the back of a massive golf course community and it takes us 15 minutes just to get out of the neighborhood.  That's one reason I drive to ATL to fly to Richmond - there's a back way out of our neighborhood that gets me to I-20 in Pell City in about 45 minutes.  

 

[rudeney]

7 hours ago, AlohaLivin said:

 He seems like you might’ve reacted a bit strongly to what I said. I’m saying you can get a reserved seat on Delta, but with SW you end up paying nearly as much even if you pay a lot extra to get on early to get a decent seat. And most flights are not non-stop on SW going to FL.  I have been flying out of ATL pretty much since 1960, I am very well aware of the options. But I was directly responding to John about a very specific topic, it wasn’t an indictment of SW but a report on our legit experiences (which is that time and again Delta makes more sense for us). 

 

Sorry, I think I might come across as "abrupt" in my written communications.  I guess it is from years of written technical and legal communications that I deal with.  

 

I rarely pay extra for Early Birch check-in with SWA.  The only time I do it is when I know that I'll be busy 24 hours before departure.  Otherwise, I just use the app and almost always get an A boarding card.  I think a few times I've had a B, and that's fine, too.  I'm good as long as I don't have a center seat.  

 

I am just jealous of all of you who live near big airports like ATL.  Flying out of BHM, is just a chore.  The airport is small which makes parking and access convenient, but we just don't have a great selection of flights.  Most everything is a connection through ATL.  And that's one thing I like about SWA - they offer many (well, more so before COVID) direct flights from BHM to other cities, like Las Vegas, Denver, Houston, Chicago, etc.  

 

I used to fly a lot and almost exclusively Delta.  I was be a Delta Million-Miler before they changed the program and my "grandfather clause" expired.  I used to hate SWA back when they overbooked flights and check-in was an hour prior to departure.  Years ago, when they changed that, I tried them again and have been very happy.  My last two Delta flights were disasters.  But that's just my experience!

[rudeney]

As I mentioned, I booked our flights for our October cruise out of Boston on SWA.  I did this on March 30th, as soon as the flight schedules opened with direct flights from Nashville to Boston on points.  For both of us round-trip, it "cost" about 26K points total.  Back in June, I was considering changing the outbound flight, and saw that the same flight we booked was 2K points (total) less, so I re-booked and got that difference refunded. 

 

I was looking today just to see if anything had changed and boy did it!  The same outbound flight (same Wanna Get Away fare) is now 15K points MORE!  Given that the original cost for two of us on that outbound flight was about 12K, that means it's really 27K, which is more than I paid for the whole trip!  And the return flight is now 10K more.  Airfares have really gone crazy!

[gabbygal99]

On 7/10/2022 at 8:30 PM, HicksRA said:

Are any others rethinking some cruises based on the current steep airfares?  

I found a pretty good deal on an Alaskan cruise last month, but airfares were so high I decided not to book it although I would have otherwise. 
 

I have a NZ cruise booked for March out of Brisbane that is the result of several cancellations and L&S’s, but the airfare is over $4300 for 2 people so I’ll probably end up cancelling unless prices drop. Before, it was a repositioning on Radiance to Singapore and the airfare was $1400. 

I’m not booking anything else requiring a flight until/unless fares go back to normal. 

 

Absolutely!!! I have only been on 1 Royal cruise a Mediterranean cruise in 2012 on Liberty of the Seas. My family has been doing NCL consistently for the past few years, but I’m soooo tired of being “nickeled and dimed” to death by them!!!! I decided I was going to try Royal Caribbean again! 
 

I found a GREAT New Zealand itinerary from Sydney, on an AMAZING sounding ship, with really cool amenities, that the kids were very excited about (skydiving?! Surfing?! Bumper cars?! Awesome!), for an excellent price for two connecting balconies. 
 

Unfortunately, Royal doesn’t offer airfare inclusive pricing, like Norwegian does??? So before I booked (because they also do NON-refundable deposits?! What the hell is THAT about???) I checked for airline tickets, since we are flying from East Coast USA - so literally the other side of the world. 
 

There are 4 of us, we are all tall (husband is 6’4”, our 17 year old son is already 6’ and growing each minute, etc), and I get claustrophobic on long plane rides, so we need upgraded seats. Premium economy (not even first class!!!) was $18k for 4 tickets from Boston to Sydney! So, no, we are NOT going to New Zealand next year on Ovation!
 

I ended up booking a British Isles cruise on NCL, because they included airfare for about the same price Royal was charging for their similar itinerary on Jewel of the Seas (and I still would need to buy airfare, and a drinks package, and internet package, etc, but all that’s included with NCL).

[Jimbo]

4 hours ago, gabbygal99 said:

 

Absolutely!!! I have only been on 1 Royal cruise a Mediterranean cruise in 2012 on Liberty of the Seas. My family has been doing NCL consistently for the past few years, but I’m soooo tired of being “nickeled and dimed” to death by them!!!! I decided I was going to try Royal Caribbean again! 
 

I found a GREAT New Zealand itinerary from Sydney, on an AMAZING sounding ship, with really cool amenities, that the kids were very excited about (skydiving?! Surfing?! Bumper cars?! Awesome!), for an excellent price for two connecting balconies. 
 

Unfortunately, Royal doesn’t offer airfare inclusive pricing, like Norwegian does??? So before I booked (because they also do NON-refundable deposits?! What the hell is THAT about???) I checked for airline tickets, since we are flying from East Coast USA - so literally the other side of the world. 
 

There are 4 of us, we are all tall (husband is 6’4”, our 17 year old son is already 6’ and growing each minute, etc), and I get claustrophobic on long plane rides, so we need upgraded seats. Premium economy (not even first class!!!) was $18k for 4 tickets from Boston to Sydney! So, no, we are NOT going to New Zealand next year on Ovation!
 

I ended up booking a British Isles cruise on NCL, because they included airfare for about the same price Royal was charging for their similar itinerary on Jewel of the Seas (and I still would need to buy airfare, and a drinks package, and internet package, etc, but all that’s included with NCL).

Yes, I think right now because of air prices are out of control for flying out of the country. I believe NCL is the way to go no doubt about it.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Jimbo

[Nunagoras]

As many have stated; my main concern for now is not price as it is now, but the high possibility of at least a severely delayed flight, to not talk about a cancelled one. Fortunately Lisbon, my own city is starting to have some nice embarkation/debarkation options out there industry wise. Reliable trains from here to Barcelona, which is the Miami of southern Med cruises, are set to start only by 2028, so from there on I have a lot more options with no flights considering. I'd just to book a train ride by the previous night to the cruise and enjoy the journey to there and return the night after the cruise. Until there I'll to stick with those ones Lisbon is offering. Sadly things won't return the before the pandemic way anymore. First because the post pandemic will be full of health restrictions one or the other way. Second because, sadly, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to divide the world again, and so the world will need some 10 years to readjust to its new geopolitical form.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Nunagoras

[seasidemama]

I always look at home port cruises (NY) before anything else just to avoid flying. I wish there was a bigger selection of itineraries but paying an extra $1,400+ for all the flights + 1-2 nights in a hotel + food + ubers from airport to hotel to port to airport doesn't make sense for me at this point. It easily adds another $2,000 to the vacation budget. I'd rather go on another cruise instead.. For those that don't have sailings close to home I see how this would be prohibitive.

 

[seasidemama]

On 7/14/2022 at 2:16 PM, aubreyc1988 said:

I mean, nothing is free, it's baked into the fare somehow.  I find that SW is usually more expensive than American/Delta/United, but SW does have "free" bags so that does factor in for some people who check stuff. 

 

I've waited HOURS for bags from SW so while I like them, I usually don't take advantage of the checked bags and just do carry ons. I dislike waiting for checked bags and I've had some close calls in terms of losing bags. 

 

The only reason I keep my delta gold card is because I get free checked luggage as a perk. Annual fee is $100 - if we do just one flight a year as a family I'm ahead of the game. I think Jetblue has a card with the same perk but not sure.

[firefly333]

American seems to be largely ignored in this thread. I paid over $500 for my ticket next spring break but it includes my carry on and I could pick my window seat when I booked. I noticed delta charges extra to pick a seat. At least I dont have extra add on charges. Price has now gone up around $850. I choose a nothing special flight with one stop over in new orleans, arrives mid afternoon for $20 more than  base, but saw later there were other non extra choices I didnt see that flew further with smaller stop overs. 

 

Dfw to FTL and back seems cheaper than flying into miami or I could have gotten a non stop to FTL arriving a bit earlier would have also been good choices. SW isnt out yet for arriving 3/11/23 but the flights now out are all higher than when I booked and I think what I'm paying is too much. I keep hearing the average cost is like $375 .. but cant find anything that cheap. 

 

Some on Bellas cruise with John are waiting hoping SW will be cheaper. .. idk. Maybe this fall people will all say ok we are in a recession and stop booking flights? Anyone think by fall prices will drop?

[ARandomTraveler]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

American seems to be largely ignored in this thread. I paid over $500 for my ticket next spring break but it includes my carry on and I could pick my window seat when I booked. I noticed delta charges extra to pick a seat. At least I dont have extra add on charges. Price has now gone up around $850. I choose a nothing special flight with one stop over in new orleans, arrives mid afternoon for $20 more than  base, but saw later there were other non extra choices I didnt see that flew further with smaller stop overs. 

 

Dfw to FTL and back seems cheaper than flying into miami or I could have gotten a non stop to FTL arriving a bit earlier would have also been good choices. SW isnt out yet for arriving 3/11/23 but the flights now out are all higher than when I booked and I think what I'm paying is too much. I keep hearing the average cost is like $375 .. but cant find anything that cheap. 

 

Some on Bellas cruise with John are waiting hoping SW will be cheaper. .. idk. Maybe this fall people will all say ok we are in a recession and stop booking flights? Anyone think by fall prices will drop?

It's hard to say. I look around me and it doesn't seem like anyone is slowing their spending, so I'd be inclined to say no, prices probably won't drop.

It seems (at least where I'm at) that prices keep going up, and demand hasn't changed at all. Restaurants are packed, hotels are fully booked, there's cars all over the highway despite gas prices, housing prices continue to skyrocket, rents are through the roof. People are complaining about it, but nobody has slowed their spending from what I can see.
 

I feel like prices will have to go up even higher before people stop buying things or traveling. I assume other parts of the country are the same way, since things like airfare and hotel prices and items I buy online continue to be high, meaning other people in other cities and states are still spending money. But who knows, I hear things on tv and read the paper and those make it sound like people are struggling more than the norm, I just don't see that anywhere around me so it's hard to believe people will stop spending or that prices will go down. 

Edited July 17, 2022 by ARandomTraveler

[smokeybandit]

My flights for cruises this year have all surprisingly been on time.

[Tlbecker1]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

My flights for cruises this year have all surprisingly been on time.

Ours also and we have had 10 and one of them was international.  I sure hope that our luck doesn’t change.

[Markmom18]

After reading up on cancellations & delays etc . I called American Air and moved our flight up a day . Our cruise isn’t for a couple months. It was more $ but I have peace of mind.  
 

So, now we’ll be getting into Orlando Friday for our Sunday Harmony cruise.  Non Stop flight. ✈️
 

🛳🛳

Bobbi

Edited July 17, 2022 by Markmom18

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I feel like prices will have to go up even higher before people stop buying things or traveling. I assume other parts of the country are the same way, since things like airfare and hotel prices and items I buy online continue to be high, meaning other people in other cities and states are still spending money. But who knows, I hear things on tv and read the paper and those make it sound like people are struggling more than the norm, I just don't see that anywhere around me so it's hard to believe people will stop spending or that prices will go down. 

Maybe people will stop spending when the bills come in?

[ARandomTraveler]

13 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Maybe people will stop spending when the bills come in?

Maybe

Edited July 17, 2022 by ARandomTraveler

[firefly333]

5 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

It's hard to say. I look around me and it doesn't seem like anyone is slowing their spending, so I'd be inclined to say no, prices probably won't drop.

It seems (at least where I'm at) that prices keep going up, and demand hasn't changed at all. Restaurants are packed, hotels are fully booked, there's cars all over the highway despite gas prices, housing prices continue to skyrocket, rents are through the roof. People are complaining about it, but nobody has slowed their spending from what I can see.
 

I feel like prices will have to go up even higher before people stop buying things or traveling. I assume other parts of the country are the same way, since things like airfare and hotel prices and items I buy online continue to be high, meaning other people in other cities and states are still spending money. But who knows, I hear things on tv and read the paper and those make it sound like people are struggling more than the norm, I just don't see that anywhere around me so it's hard to believe people will stop spending or that prices will go down. 

I'm with you and see little sign people are actually cutting back. See lots of politicians claiming oh woe is me people cant afford this. 

 

Friday dow ran up like 650 pts because consumer spending was up. People took it as the consumer wasnt being much affected by higher prices. Might have been up because stuff costs more, but it was up. People dont like paying more but they are and not staying home, especially flying. Big demand to fly right now. I see airlines cherry picking. They used to fly some less profitable routes but now slash anything they dont like but yet american is adding a bunch of more profitable routes this fall and winter. To vail and another ski resort and some more. Miami direct flight to ski and another austin TX to ski were 2 of the new ones added.