"Free airfare" a good deal, or a trap?

[mandwcruise]

Some cruise lines (NCL +  Celebrity for example) are advertising free airfare. I've never taken up a cruise line on any of these offers and wanted to see if anyone had good experiences with them:

 

• how much money did you end up saving?
• how much advance notice did the cruise line give you as to your flight plan?
• how many connections were there each way?
• how much time was there between the plane's arrival and your time to board the ship?
• was customer service good about resolving issues?
• did the cruise line offer flexibility e.g. letting you move your arrival flight up a day or your departing flight back a day?

 

 

My major concern is that I save a few bucks and the cruise line gives me a 3-leg trip that has way too many points of failure i.e. I end up missing the cruise departure or I end up way too exhausted from unnecessarily long air travel.

[Flatbush Flyer]

34 minutes ago, mandwcruise said:

Some cruise lines (NCL +  Celebrity for example) are advertising free airfare. I've never taken up a cruise line on any of these offers and wanted to see if anyone had good experiences with them:

 

• how much money did you end up saving?
• how much advance notice did the cruise line give you as to your flight plan?
• how many connections were there each way?
• how much time was there between the plane's arrival and your time to board the ship?
• was customer service good about resolving issues?
• did the cruise line offer flexibility e.g. letting you move your arrival flight up a day or your departing flight back a day?

 

 

My major concern is that I save a few bucks and the cruise line gives me a 3-leg trip that has way too many points of failure i.e. I end up missing the cruise departure or I end up way too exhausted from unnecessarily long air travel.

Marketing BS from many mainstream lines. Most often, the fare has been increased just before the “free air” perk is advertised. 
However, there are some premium/luxury lines whose regular prices not only include the airfare, the tix value actually can be credited to you should you prefer to DIY on the air.

[Markanddonna]

The free airfare from NCL and Celebrity would be two different animals.

 

We booked a rather complicated airfare through Celebrity for open jaw flights starting in TPA and returning from Warsaw, which is not the disembarkation port of Barcelona for $578 PP. Only one stop.  We selected our flights and are staying an extra two weeks after Barcelona. A great deal and we controlled the selection and details.

 

We chose not to book the same sort of flights through NCL because 1. they only allow you to spend an extra 1-2 days on each side of the cruise and 2. you have no idea of the days and timing of the flight.  You are not allowed to select your flights or days. I paid $300 total more than I would have with NCL which was worth having an extra six days in Israel and knowing the exact dates and flight times.  When you pay that much for a cruise and flight and want to stay longer, it doesn't make sense to go with NCL. However, if you are flexible and understand these issues, NCL offers very appealing fares. I want to know the details of my trip more than 30 days ahead of the cruise. 

[navybankerteacher]

Of course NCL convinces a lot of their passengers that they get “free drinks” just because they buy a package which includes drinks.  Any part of a package purchase should be seen as purchased.   I have in the past been able to buy one way trans-Atlantic air through cruise lines’ connections at prices lower than otherwise available — but anyone who thinks that part of a package he pays for is “free” is also likely to think that the wheels which came on his car were also “free”.

[mjkacmom]

11 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course NCL convinces a lot of their passengers that they get “free drinks” just because they buy a package which includes drinks.  Any part of a package purchase should be seen as purchased.   I have in the past been able to buy one way trans-Atlantic air through cruise lines’ connections at prices lower than otherwise available — but anyone who thinks that part of a package he pays for is “free” is also likely to think that the wheels which came on his car were also “free”.

 

11 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course NCL convinces a lot of their passengers that they get “free drinks” just because they buy a package which includes drinks.  Any part of a package purchase should be seen as purchased.   I have in the past been able to buy one way trans-Atlantic air through cruise lines’ connections at prices lower than otherwise available — but anyone who thinks that part of a package he pays for is “free” is also likely to think that the wheels which came on his car were also “free”.

The gratuity of $20 per person per day is still way cheaper than buying drinks OOP.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

 

The gratuity of $20 per person per day is still way cheaper than buying drinks OOP.

But the passenger who is being charged that $20 per day gratuity paid for a package which included those drinks. And isn’t he also separately charged a 15% service charge for each of the “free” drinks he orders?

[ColeThornton]

1 minute ago, navybankerteacher said:

But the passenger who is being charged that $20 per day gratuity paid for a package which included those drinks. And isn’t he also separately charged a 15% service charge for each of the “free” drinks he orders?

No.

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, navybankerteacher said:

But the passenger who is being charged that $20 per day gratuity paid for a package which included those drinks. And isn’t he also separately charged a 15% service charge for each of the “free” drinks he orders?

No, the package is free, not an extra charge, the passenger just pays $20 per day for the gratuity. There are no charges on the free drinks, order and take, walk away, no need to swipe the card.

[iancal]

Just try asking for the free air without the cruise.

 

There is no free lunch.

[ldubs]

This has turned into a debate over words.  I suggest we agree to say "package" or "included" instead of "free" so we can move back to the OP's airfare topic. 

 

I'm surprised to hear that someone not wanting the airfare package would not pay a lower cruise fare.  That seems nuts to me.   

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course NCL convinces a lot of their passengers that they get “free drinks” just because they buy a package which includes drinks.  Any part of a package purchase should be seen as purchased.   I have in the past been able to buy one way trans-Atlantic air through cruise lines’ connections at prices lower than otherwise available — but anyone who thinks that part of a package he pays for is “free” is also likely to think that the wheels which came on his car were also “free”.

There are some free things associated with cruises.A TA company that I used at one time offered Free travel insurance to anyone who booked a cruise with them.

[navybankerteacher]

59 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

 

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

There are some free things associated with cruises.A TA company that I used at one time offered Free travel insurance to anyone who booked a cruise with them.

If it was only offered to those who booked a cruise - and not to anyone who asked - it is obvious that booking the cruise (i.e. paying for that cruise) was what someone had to do to get the travel insurance.  When you have to do something to get a benefit, it is absurd to call that benefit “free”.  Of course, the advertising industry has been convincing folks for years that they are getting more than they are paying for.

[LHT28]

nothing is free

 We will sometimes take the cruise air   or we take the lower cruise only fare

You have to do the math & see what works best for your situation

 It works best on TA  cruises   for the overseas portion of the air  for us

 We will pay the deviation fee to choose the flights & fly in/out on other days  than the cruise

 

Find the cost from the cruise line  then check  with the airlines  for the same routing  then make an informed decision based on the facts  not speculation

JMO

 

[iancal]

As a general rule we do not like bundling of any sort.  Happy to pay as we go.  Happy to book our air on our own or on these very few occasions where cruise air make sense. 

 

Our preference is to get down to the very basic balcony cabin cost, plus gratuities, and then add on those options that appeal to us. 

 

Despite numerous trips, we have only once found a one way economy cruise air fare from or to Europe to be particularly advantageous from a cost or routing perspective over what we could book on our own.

Edited September 4, 2022 by iancal

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

No, the package is free, not an extra charge, the passenger just pays $20 per day for the gratuity. There are no charges on the free drinks, order and take, walk away, no need to swipe the card.

 

The package may be "Included" but like everything else in the World, it most definitely isn't free.

 

While they may not add the retail price of drinks to the cruise fare, they have at least added the product cost, which is minimal (duty free pricing). Back in my days, bottles cost less than $1.00 and even 10-yrs ago, when son worked for Princess, they were less than $4.00 and the cruise line still made profit selling to the officers.

 

The $20 gratuity you pay per day more than pays for the cost of the drinks, and still provides money for the crew.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

Back in my days, bottles cost less than $1.00 and even 10-yrs ago, when son worked for Princess, they were less than $4.00 and the cruise line still made profit selling to the officers.

 

So you think back in the day pricing still exist today ?

😉

 

 

[Sea Hag]

We only did this once, on NCL. It was a package deal for a 10 day circle island Hawaii cruise that was supposed to go to Fanning Island (we never made it there, another story). It was very inexpensive, but we had no control over our flights. Flight out was fine, but we really hated the trip back. That was a redeye that got into LAX at ridiculous-early-oclock. We couldn't even get coffee to tide us over a two hour layover until the flight to San Jose. I would never do this again without having control over what flights we got.

[Hlitner]

There is no such thing as a free lunch.  Cruise lines are always running various promos that are like smoke and mirrors.   Also beware of ANY cruise line that includes air because that is generally the air they choose.  So if they fly you in a budget airline from NYC to San Francisco to Miami (where you get your cruise) you might be upset.  No problem as you can usually pay extra for something better :). My advice is if you use cruise air make sure you can choose your flights.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

There is no such thing as a free lunch.  ...

This axiom bears repeating:  there are many on these boards who remain convinced about the FREE things they get.

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, iancal said:

As a general rule we do not like bundling of any sort.  Happy to pay as we go.  Happy to book our air on our own or on these very few occasions where cruise air make sense. 

 

Our preference is to get down to the very basic balcony cabin cost, plus gratuities, and then add on those options that appeal to us. 

 

Despite numerous trips, we have only once found a one way economy cruise air fare from or to Europe to be particularly advantageous from a cost or routing perspective over what we could book on our own.

 

We are similar in approach when it comes to bundling.  I've never booked air though a cruise line. The advantages I would see booking via the cruise line, in this case EZAir, would be cost and customer service.  So far it seems there could be a cost savings.  Not sure about customer service.   

 

Additionally, I would never book airfare without specific seat selection.  

 

 

Edited September 5, 2022 by ldubs
After thought.

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

So you think back in the day pricing still exist today ?

😉

 

 

 

 I think the incredible mark-ups on alcohol still exist!  Whether on land or sea. 

[jsn55]

No point in going on about the meaning of 'free, included, special promo' anything.  If people can't sit down and figure out the true cost of things, then there's no hope.  I've booked air through a cruise line several times, but only if I could be on the phone with the Air Desk and approve exactly what was offered and got the airline's confirmation.  I can usually upgrade air one way or the other, so I rarely need the cruise line's offer. I do remember Viking booking Cathay Pacific first class home from Hong Kong at less than half what CP was quoting that morning.  The horror stories you hear from others once you're at sea/river are enough to make me never relinquish control of the details.  We have yet to take an NCL cruise (we sail 9/23) so I don't know if all the 'freebies' just mask a sub-standard product.  When I first booked four years ago, it seemed like a fairly safe experiment.  At least it's not Princess and the never-ending tales of their Medallion system not working!

Edited September 5, 2022 by jsn55

[mandwcruise]

7 hours ago, Sea Hag said:

We only did this once, on NCL. It was a package deal for a 10 day circle island Hawaii cruise that was supposed to go to Fanning Island (we never made it there, another story). It was very inexpensive, but we had no control over our flights. Flight out was fine, but we really hated the trip back. That was a redeye that got into LAX at ridiculous-early-oclock. We couldn't even get coffee to tide us over a two hour layover until the flight to San Jose. I would never do this again without having control over what flights we got.

 

Thanks for your input on this, @Sea Hag

[Gwendy]

There’s no such thing as free anything.  Look at the total price for your deal and do some research to break it down.  I took a “free business class airfare, Brisbane to London to join world cruise in 2019.  It was a reasonable deal as a solo cruiser, but I had to fly, Brisbane to Singapore, to Dubai,to London.  I usually do the 14 hour Brisbane to Dubai, then on to London.

Do your homework, then decide if it’s right for you.

[Heidi13]

20 hours ago, LHT28 said:

So you think back in the day pricing still exist today ?

😉

 

 

 

I don't expect the duty-free prices have increased significantly. They were < $4 about 10-yrs ago, so probably still < $5 today for a bottle