How is anyone managing the chaos of Air travel and getting to the ship on time?

[AMHuntFerry]

17 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

I am afraid we have been stuck with air credits we probably would not use because we made DIY flight arrangements in the past.

Travel insurance coverage varies, but the kind we have covers unused flight credits the same as completely non-refundable fares. I believe you have to wait until the credits have expired to make the claim (would need to double check fine print). It's worth checking you policy if those credits go unused.

[jonthomas]

no cruise line charges this huge fee for deviation...even Viking is only 50...

 

at this unprecedented time, O should consider it....it doesnt cost them more to book flights that are two days before the cruise ...

 

just seems to me very good will to do so....yeah I know good will is rare these days...

[basor]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

no cruise line charges this huge fee for deviation...even Viking is only 50...

 

at this unprecedented time, O should consider it....it doesnt cost them more to book flights that are two days before the cruise ...

 

just seems to me very good will to do so....yeah I know good will is rare these days...

That is not correct: 

Copied from the Viking website:

 

"Viking Air Plus is not offered 65 days or less before departure. Based on the itinerary, $50 to $100 per guest non refundable fee applies, as well as any additional fees based on the difference between the selected air and the air price paid. Date or city deviations and stopover fees are typically between $100 and $300 additional. Airlines have advised that seat assignments are subject to change therefore are not part of the Air Plus program. "

 

To choose your own flights with no day deviation costs $50 -$100 per person and then they add an additional $100 - $300 per person to deviate date so a minimum of $150.00 per person to deviate  and fly in a day ahead......and generally costs more for International flights.  Oceania is charging close to or less than other cruise lines,

Edited July 18, 2022 by basor

[jonthomas]

We  have done 3 Viking cruises and have paid 50 pp for deviation. How many have you done?

[basor]

9 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

We  have done 3 Viking cruises and have paid 50 pp for deviation. How many have you done?

4 river and 3 Ocean plus have friends currently on a River cruise with 2 more planned,......did you pay $50.00 for flying in days ahead or just to pick your flights?   It clearly states that is is $50.00 pp to pick your own flights with no date or city deviation.  Why so defensive - I just posted what is on the Viking website and what we and our friends have experienced?

[DENIE]

Our flight segments for our 6/15 Rome-Barcelona cruise segments were Phoenix-London-Rome, and then Barcelona-London-Rome all on British Airways. We survived, although had a bag delayed and sent to our hotel in Rome (thank goodness we followed our rule of flying in 2 days in advance).  Not sure I would chance that now.  Extreme crowds and short-staff in London (I know London has always had issues), as well as Barcelona.  

 

Sadly, while I live in Phoenix and want to support our international service, I would probably do as others have said and fly to an east coast hub city (we use American Airlines/British Airways) and fly direct to the final destination.  

[pinotlover]

13 hours ago, jonthomas said:

 

 

at this unprecedented time, O should consider it....it doesnt cost them more to book flights that are two days before the cruise ...

 

 

This part is incorrect . Having (and still) ran Group trips on group rate fares, the airlines are very strict on certain timelines. One of those time lines is having a specific name on a seat/ticket/fare. Initially one can hold X seats without names. Then seats must be ticketed with a name. Beyond that date all the group rate seats are released . Any seats acquired after that cutoff date are done so at the then market price, not the bulk rate price. 
 

With all of the airlines currently flying full ons/or overbooked, how many tickets do you believe are available inside 30 days?

 

For those choosing to fly on cruise line bulk rate tickets, you do realize that your ticket class puts you first in line to be bumped, for itinerary changes , or cancellation? That ticket class, which appears on all tickets has a meaning.

[ORV]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

This part is incorrect

In all fairness I think he was saying that he wants to go in two days before the cruise without paying a deviation, not to book the ticket two days before the cruise. 

[pinotlover]

29 minutes ago, ORV said:

In all fairness I think he was saying that he wants to go in two days before the cruise without paying a deviation, not to book the ticket two days before the cruise. 

Perhaps you’re correct. Even then, destination and timing matters. In the middle of the summer, going somewhere in Europe, it should be no problem. Huge NCLH pool. Shoulder month or lower used area, the tickets might not be there.

 

Bulk discounted rate plane tickets are an entity of their own with multiple organizations, including cruise lines, chasing a limited number of such tickets.  If travel remains as hot as it is currently, and the specific airline issues don’t significantly decrease, it is easily predictable that the number of such seats available will plunge.They may have already done so.

[Hlitner]

Just curious about "O" fans and how they feel about O's air program.  Most other cruise lines do not charge a $175 fee (for deviation) or any fee!  And with most of the CCL and RCI air programs, folks can choose their own flights from a big menu (with no deviation fee) and get huge discounts (often in the 50% range) for International Business Class?  As a simple example, we recently took a Seabourn cruise from Miami to Monte Carlo.  After the cruise we traveled within Europe for a few weeks (on our own) and eventually flew home from Prague.  That Prague flight was booked through Seabourn's online air booking engine (which allows deviations and just about any reasonable airport).  We paid about $1000 per person for United Business Class from Prague to Harrisburg PA.  That same flight, booked directly with United, would have cost us over $4000!  So we saved $6000 (for two persons) by using Seabourn's air.  If we had been using O it would have likely cost about that same $4000 per person (plus a $175 deviation fee)?  Many "O" experts advise us that if booking business/first class with an O cruise to do it direct (not using O).   Bottom line is that we find it makes sense to cruise on Seabourn, Celebrity, HAL, etc. just because of the huge savings on Business/First class.

 

DW and I have happily cruised on 16 different lines and truly want to make "O" our 17th.  But, it is because of the horrendous "O" air program that we do not book several future "O" cruises.  We can actually cruise on Seabourn (and some other luxury lines) for less money than "O" because of the big savings on Business/First class air  

 

What we find sad about "O" is that they simply fail to adopt an air program similar to other cruise lines.  Many lines outsource their air to a large third party company that specializes in air and works with the cruise line and airlines to get steeply discounted rates.  It can also be done in-house if the line gives it the attention it deserves.  

 

Hank

 

[LHT28]

7 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Just curious about "O" fans and how they feel about O's air program.  Most other cruise lines do not charge a $175 fee (for deviation) or any fee!  And with most of the CCL and RCI air programs, folks can choose their own flights from a big menu (with no deviation fee) and get huge discounts (often in the 50% range) for International Business Class?  As a simple example, we recently took a Seabourn cruise from Miami to Monte Carlo.  After the cruise we traveled within Europe for a few weeks (on our own) and eventually flew home from Prague.  That Prague flight was booked through Seabourn's online air booking engine (which allows deviations and just about any reasonable airport).  We paid about $1000 per person for United Business Class from Prague to Harrisburg PA.  That same flight, booked directly with United, would have cost us over $4000!  So we saved $6000 (for two persons) by using Seabourn's air.  If we had been using O it would have likely cost about that same $4000 per person (plus a $175 deviation fee)?  Many "O" experts advise us that if booking business/first class with an O cruise to do it direct (not using O).   Bottom line is that we find it makes sense to cruise on Seabourn, Celebrity, HAL, etc. just because of the huge savings on Business/First class.

 

DW and I have happily cruised on 16 different lines and truly want to make "O" our 17th.  But, it is because of the horrendous "O" air program that we do not book several future "O" cruises.  We can actually cruise on Seabourn (and some other luxury lines) for less money than "O" because of the big savings on Business/First class air  

 

Hank

 

I am not really interested in sailing on Seabourn just to get  cheaper biz class flights

 Is the cruise fare  comparable  with O ?

So will just book our own air  or use O air  depending on the circumstances 

 

JMO

[Hlitner]

21 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I am not really interested in sailing on Seabourn just to get  cheaper biz class flights

 Is the cruise fare  comparable  with O ?

So will just book our own air  or use O air  depending on the circumstances 

 

JMO

We like Seabourn because it is an all-inclusive luxury line that has small ships (the largest is only 600 passenger) with excellent itineraries and service.   But we do look at the overall value of any trip and air can be a major cost item.  As to comparable fares with 'O" that would depend on the specific itinerary.  We have cruised on Seabourn for about $400 per person day and we have also paid twice that for a different itinerary.  Keep in mind that the $400 per person day range (for an Alaskan Cruise and another Caribbean itinerary) is basically all-inclusive.  If you want to compare to O you need to compare to a 300 sq foot suite with a large bathroom containing double sinks, a full size bathtub, and separate shower.  And that price also includes unlimited booze (not budget brands), little things like unlimited caviar, and a space ratio in excess of 70 tons per passenger.  There is also no tipping policy which is also a nice thing!   I guess if you want to compare the typical Seabourn suite to one of "R" ship cabins it would be like Days Inn vs the Ritz.

 

But my post was not intended to knock "O" since there are many O itineraries, we find attractive, and their newer ships do look interesting.  The purpose of my post was to simply point out that "O" (and NCLH) lags most of the industry when it comes to their air program.  Unlike their "R" ships this is something that "O" can easily fix.

 

Hank

[Z0nker]

Our last three cruises have been from a port that we can easily drive to. The next one will be as well. It's a low cost, low stress way to start a cruise vacation and I highly recommend it if you live driving distance from a port. But at some point we are going to run out of places to sail to from SF. I hope air travel has gotten back to normal by then.  If not, maybe we do some more road trips.

[Z0nker]

2 hours ago, ORV said:

In all fairness I think he was saying that he wants to go in two days before the cruise without paying a deviation, not to book the ticket two days before the cruise. 

The last time we cruised out of Florida (in the Before Times) we flew in two days early. That alleviated the stress of possibly missing the cruise if something happened to our flight and it gave us a day and two nights to see Tampa. The next time we cruise out of the East Coast, I would do that same.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

We like Seabourn because it is an all-inclusive luxury line that has small ships (the largest is only 600 passenger) with excellent itineraries and service.   But we do look at the overall value of any trip and air can be a major cost item.  As to comparable fares with 'O" that would depend on the specific itinerary.  We have cruised on Seabourn for about $400 per person day and we have also paid twice that for a different itinerary.  Keep in mind that the $400 per person day range (for an Alaskan Cruise and another Caribbean itinerary) is basically all-inclusive.  If you want to compare to O you need to compare to a 300 sq foot suite with a large bathroom containing double sinks, a full size bathtub, and separate shower.  And that price also includes unlimited booze (not budget brands), little things like unlimited caviar, and a space ratio in excess of 70 tons per passenger.  There is also no tipping policy which is also a nice thing!   I guess if you want to compare the typical Seabourn suite to one of "R" ship cabins it would be like Days Inn vs the Ritz.

 

 

Hank

Thanks

We tried Crystal & were not impressed  so Seabourn may not be for us either

The small ship would be nice  but  other things  may not be our cup of tea

Not stayed in either hotels   LOL

 

 

[jonthomas]

My research  found that it will be at least 6 months till airlines and airports get back to some kind of normal....

 

so not much hope that November will be far away enough for that to happen....

 

As soon as our air with O will be available for choosing, we will see what they will offer us. Yes, they do try and give you options. We have been very happy with the options in the past. 

 

Has anyone recently talked  with O air  reps?. Did they accommodate you in light of the current chaos?

 

I noticed that no one has responded that they pay for their deviation. So all the comments made here about my, defensiveness, lack of calmness etc was made by people whose deviation is included. Easy to make those comments when you are not in the same shoes.

 

I still maintain that during this time, in order to make the ship, O should wave the deviation and we will book a hotel in order to come in 2 or 3 days ahead of time. Otherwise O may face having to get us to the next port. Surely that is more expensive and problematic for them. 

 

Has anyone had their deviation waved?

[jonthomas]

It is not the up do date info that I need. It is the standard info the advantages of  O flights. 

 

Our flight will be available 75 days prior to cruise date. 

[LHT28]

47 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

I noticed that no one has responded that they pay for their deviation.

In the past  yes we have paid the deviation fee to fly in earlier   & choose our flights well ahead of time  (270 days out)

 It is worth the fee  to know what flights  I am on  as we prefer non stop when possible

 

 No issues  but we are not sailing during the new covid  World

Happy?

[jonthomas]

yes I understand why you would not sail in this new chaos....

 

but not sure I understand the Happy? part....

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

It is not the up do date info that I need. It is the standard info the advantages of  O flights. 

 

Our flight will be available 75 days prior to cruise date. 

If you are not happy with how they do business  then do not use  them 🙄

just my opinion

[jonthomas]

I never said I was not happy, in fact I am constantly saying that there is an advantage at this time to use O air, while others are telling me I am mistaken. 

[ORV]

Jon, have you ever read the Terms and Conditions from the actual Oceania website concerning air? Here it is, you might want to take a minute to read it. Especially the parts I have bolded. Also check out the second section I included. You can find this information on the real Oceania Website found here;  

 

Terms & Conditions | Oceania Cruises

 

I'm just not finding that part about guaranteeing to get you there.

 

Air Transportation
Oceania Cruises, as an added service to our Guests, offers arrangements for air travel in conjunction with a cruise. Air arrangements, including routings, are at Oceania Cruises' (or its agents') discretion, and are based on flight availability and agreements with airlines. Special requests, including class of service upgrades, specific carriers and routing, are at the discretion of Oceania Cruises. Occasionally, due to scheduling conflicts, an enroute overnight might be necessary. Costs associated with an overnight stay are at the Guest's expense. Upgrades apply to intercontinental flights only. Air allowance is subject to prevailing rates at time of change. In making these arrangements, Oceania Cruises acts only as an agent on the Guest's behalf, and does not operate, control, or supervise any airlines and is not responsible for carriers failing to meet schedules. Air tickets are refundable to Oceania Cruises only and considered a part of the total cruise tour fare. Any airline-imposed fees that result from changes to or cancellation of air arrangements are the sole responsibility of the Guest. Due to government regulations, if you are delayed or unable to board at embarkation, you may not be able to board at a later time. In such event, Carrier shall have no liability to refund any cruise or cruise tour fares.

 

Responsibility
Oceania Cruises accepts no liability or responsibility, whether occasioned by railroad, motor coach, private car, boat, aircraft or any other conveyance, for any injuries, damages, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be caused either by reason of defect through the acts or defaults of any company or person or in carrying out the arrangements of the cruise or cruise tour as a result of any cause beyond the control of Oceania Cruises. Guests specifically release Oceania Cruises from any and all claims for loss or damage to baggage or property or from personal injuries or death, or from loss or delay arising out the acts, omissions or negligence of any independent contractors, such as air carriers, hotels, shore excursion operations, restaurateurs, transportation providers, medical personnel or other providers of services or facilities. All arrangements made with independent contractors are made solely for the convenience of guests and are done at the guests' own risk

[jonthomas]

thank you for posting this, could you also post why O recommends that you take their air and the advantages to doing so?

 

I just spoke to an O rep and she reiterated all the advantages of flying with O, I should have asked her to send it to me in writing...

 

she also recommended that I write a letter to corporate regarding waving the deviation costs at this time instead of going through extraordinary tribulations to get people to the their ship....

[ORV]

23 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

thank you for posting this, could you also post why O recommends that you take their air and the advantages to doing so?

 

I just spoke to an O rep and she reiterated all the advantages of flying with O, I should have asked her to send it to me in writing...

 

she also recommended that I write a letter to corporate regarding waving the deviation costs at this time instead of going through extraordinary tribulations to get people to the their ship....

Could you post a link to where they show you their advantages. You did see the post letting you know that cut and paste you did is NOT from Oceania's site, but from a Travel Agent's site?

[Host Jazzbeau]

You can't post a link to a Travel Agency website.  Nor can you rely on what they wrote about Oceania's policies – or what an Oceania phone rep said – especially if you can't find that info on Oceania's actual website.