Lots of NCL BOGO Flight Questions

[sjmbruce]

DH and I are looking at a cruise deal that includes BOGO flights. I have always booked our flights, so I'm a little nervous.

1. We're in the US, the cruise is in Europe.  Will they fly us in the day before the cruise? Or will they cut it close on the same day? 

2. Can we request to fly in a day or two early and fly out a day or two after we disembark?

3. Will our seats be next to each other?

4. How reasonable are they regarding layovers?  A super long or incredibly short layover would not be fun. 

[jkbec101]

Here are answers:

 

1. If you don't request a deviation no less than 75 days prior, you will be flown in the same day as embarkation.

2. Yes, but must be requested 75 days prior.

3. Only if you select seats next to each other.  NCL does not assign seats.

4. We had a 3 hour layover in Toronto on our way to Barcelona and 4 hours on the way home through Montreal.  You will want a longer layover rather than shorter if changing planes outside of the US.  

[PATRLR]

43 minutes ago, jkbec101 said:

3. Only if you select seats next to each other.  NCL does not assign seats.

 

 

I think that answer should be adjusted to say "Only if there are seats next to each other when you are able to select seats, and you select those seats.  You may not be able to choose seats until you checkin.  NCL does not assign seats."

 

43 minutes ago, jkbec101 said:

4. We had a 3 hour layover in Toronto on our way to Barcelona and 4 hours on the way home through Montreal.  You will want a longer layover rather than shorter if changing planes outside of the US.  

I've heard many stories of crazy long layovers and a few stories of extremly tight connections.  I think it's safe to assume no one at NCL is looking out for your connection times.  

@sjmbruce - Personally, I would never leave my flight arrangements to someone else.  I just wouldn't do it.  I believe your "I'm a little nervous" feeling is very justified based on many reports I've read.  Now maybe I'm only seeing the bad reports and maybe those reports are a mere fraction of the total, but, just the same I'd never leave my flight arrangements to someone else.

 

[CrazyTrain2]

DON'T Just DON'T use NCL Air

 

I'm going to take it a step further.  Double check the pricing on the "Free at sea promotion".  If I was to do it all over again - I would have saved hundreds by NOT choosing "Free {a comical statement} at sea" and simply doing a la carte as we went along.  NCL is pricing WAY TOO high after all their add-ons and mandatory gratuities on products you are not even using.

 

It seems like a good deal at first, then you dive in and you are actually getting ripped off.  NCL is proud of their profitability and I would argue they are little more than used car salesman selling scotch guarding on the floor mats - at this point.

Edited October 11, 2022 by CrazyTrain2

[sjmbruce]

2 hours ago, jkbec101 said:

Here are answers:

 

1. If you don't request a deviation no less than 75 days prior, you will be flown in the same day as embarkation.

2. Yes, but must be requested 75 days prior.

3. Only if you select seats next to each other.  NCL does not assign seats.

4. We had a 3 hour layover in Toronto on our way to Barcelona and 4 hours on the way home through Montreal.  You will want a longer layover rather than shorter if changing planes outside of the US.  

So it sounds like NCL basically books you on the flights, then you call the airline to request seat assignments? 

Also, who would I contact to have flights scheduled a few days before and after the cruise? I'd make that request at least 75 days prior to sailing,  but how soon before thst could I call?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! 

[hallux]

10 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

NCL is pricing WAY TOO high after all their add-ons and mandatory gratuities on products you are not even using.

Sorry, you lost some credibility here.  If you're not using the drink package or the specialty dining you can choose not to get them and won't pay gratuities on them.  But, if you're going to go that far you might as well not get the FAS offers.  I have a cruise booked and didn't pay gratuities on a package I had no plans to use, I just chose during the booking to not include that offer.

 

Your points are entirely valid in that instance - you can certainly save money on the fare if you're not planning to get those.  However - if you plan on using the drink and dining package it absolutely pays to get the promo.

 

Something you lose by not taking the offers is the option to select your cabin at the time of booking.  Can it be changed once it's assinged?  Maybe, but you're getting to choose from whatever is left.

 

For the OP - it seems actual answers to your questions have been accurately provided in other posts.  Just a reminder that some of what you asked is answered in the T&C's of the promo...

[sjmbruce]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

 

I think that answer should be adjusted to say "Only if there are seats next to each other when you are able to select seats, and you select those seats.  You may not be able to choose seats until you checkin.  NCL does not assign seats."

 

I've heard many stories of crazy long layovers and a few stories of extremly tight connections.  I think it's safe to assume no one at NCL is looking out for your connection times.  

@sjmbruce - Personally, I would never leave my flight arrangements to someone else.  I just wouldn't do it.  I believe your "I'm a little nervous" feeling is very justified based on many reports I've read.  Now maybe I'm only seeing the bad reports and maybe those reports are a mere fraction of the total, but, just the same I'd never leave my flight arrangements to someone else.

 

Ugh, yes. Not only do I love to plan our travels,  but my nervousness also makes me like having some control over the planning phase. My extended family took a cruise earlier this year and my Dad wanted all of us to use his travel agent. I was not a fan. 

[hallux]

1 minute ago, sjmbruce said:

So it sounds like NCL basically books you on the flights, then you call the airline to request seat assignments?

You arrange them through the airline once you have the reservation number.  It can be done on the airline website, if they allow you to choose seats.

 

2 minutes ago, sjmbruce said:

Also, who would I contact to have flights scheduled a few days before and after the cruise? I'd make that request at least 75 days prior to sailing,  but how soon before thst could I call?

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! 

You would arrange that through whoever you booked your cruise.  If you used a TA - contact them and have them set it up.  If you booked direct with NCL, call the reservations number.  If you used an NCL PCC, contact them.  I would suggest making that request ASAP, don't wait until the last minute.

[sjmbruce]

Alright I think I have my last question:

 

During booking, when I choose airfare, ground transportation is automatically added at a price of over $300. If we plan to arrive a few days before the cruise and leave a couple days after disembarking, we wouldn't be using their shuttle. Can that be refunded (even OBC would be fine) or is that a cost we'd just eat? Or given the distance from port to city (like Le Havre to Paris) maybe it would make sense to take their transportation to the airport and just leave from there in a cab. 

[sjmbruce]

52 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

DON'T Just DON'T use NCL Air

 

I'm going to take it a step further.  Double check the pricing on the "Free at sea promotion".  If I was to do it all over again - I would have saved hundreds by NOT choosing "Free {a comical statement} at sea" and simply doing a la carte as we went along.  NCL is pricing WAY TOO high after all their add-ons and mandatory gratuities on products you are not even using.

 

It seems like a good deal at first, then you dive in and you are actually getting ripped off.  NCL is proud of their profitability and I would argue they are little more than used car salesman selling scotch guarding on the floor mats - at this point.

I'm definitely debating about the air. Especially since I like to have some control over my bookings. 

The extra cost for the free at sea seems to work for my DH and I. For approximately $560.00 in gratuity fees, we'll have an open bar and a few specialty meals. I'm thinking we'll most likely eat and drink our money's worth - at least enough to break even. It looks like the website is allowing us to forgo those choices too and not spend the $560 if we don't want to. 

[Sailing12Away]

We've used the NCL air about 4 times and have never had a problem. Who booked your cruise - was it directly through NCL or through a travel agent? If through NCL, just call them to request an air deviation and let them know how many days pre and post you want to stay longer. You'll get a $25 credit per person for each deviation. If you booked through a TA - you need to have the TA make those changes.

 

If you don't want the NCL transfers, you can call right now to get those removed. They're not mandatory at all. So when you call for the deviation, you can also request the transfers be removed at that time too.

 

The biggest key is to keep checking for your documents about 60 days out (don't quote me on the # of days, it keeps changing). Once the flights are booked you'll get your record locator number. Take that directly to the airline website and use it to secure whatever seats you want. Depending on the airline, you may be charged for the convenience to pick seats - that's an airline thing, not NCL. If you have status with the particular airline, you can enter your account info in to get all your perks with them.

 

It honestly depends on where you're going and how much flights are going for now. Even if its far away, just get a ballpark feel from google flights or something. If the average price on your own is $900/person but NCL is giving it to you truly for half that... it's up to you to decide how nice that extra $450 is.

[CrazyTrain2]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

Sorry, you lost some credibility here.  If you're not using the drink package or the specialty dining you can choose not to get them and won't pay gratuities on them.  But, if you're going to go that far you might as well not get the FAS offers.  I have a cruise booked and didn't pay gratuities on a package I had no plans to use, I just chose during the booking to not include that offer.

 

Your points are entirely valid in that instance - you can certainly save money on the fare if you're not planning to get those.  However - if you plan on using the drink and dining package it absolutely pays to get the promo.

 

Something you lose by not taking the offers is the option to select your cabin at the time of booking.  Can it be changed once it's assinged?  Maybe, but you're getting to choose from whatever is left.

 

For the OP - it seems actual answers to your questions have been accurately provided in other posts.  Just a reminder that some of what you asked is answered in the T&C's of the promo...

Along the way, NCL discounts the A la carte to the point were for US it did not make sense.  The break even on the base drink package is about 10 drinks per day.  My wife and I are no where near 10 per day - EVERY Day - Port or at sea.  The specialty dining can be bought for way less then they are charging you.  Again, no pressure to use it or lose it.  As far as air goes, NCL books sub standard fare basis that allows no baggage even in the overhead.  It's super cheap to NCL because the airlines know you are going to be spending $75 -$100+ additional on baggage/ seat assignment/ bathroom privileges! each way.  NCL Air booked us on TERRIBLE red eye flights with long layovers in the middle of the night (yes, we even purchased a deviation - so they brought us in 2 days earlier) with no recourse - we are screwed.  The OBC/Discounted excursions are always a ripoff compared to doing it yourself and not being elbow to elbow with 50-200 other people being treated like cattle.

 

Needless to say - this is my last cruise with NCL.  They simply missed the boat at every opportunity and I have been feeling like they have been reaching into my pocket the entire time.  The ability to Choose my cabin is literally being extorted into a bloated bill.

 

Not the vacation experience I am looking for.  I don't want to play games, I just want to relax and enjoy.

[LoveThatCorgi]

1 hour ago, sjmbruce said:

Alright I think I have my last question:

 

During booking, when I choose airfare, ground transportation is automatically added at a price of over $300. If we plan to arrive a few days before the cruise and leave a couple days after disembarking, we wouldn't be using their shuttle. Can that be refunded (even OBC would be fine) or is that a cost we'd just eat? Or given the distance from port to city (like Le Havre to Paris) maybe it would make sense to take their transportation to the airport and just leave from there in a cab. 

We have our first NCL cruise booked.  I went through the booking process making all of our selections, then I put it on hold instead of paying the deposit.  I had already been assigned a Personal Cruise Consultant, so I called him.  He went over the booking with me and made the changes I wanted - coming in two days before the cruise, leaving two days after the cruise, and removing the transfers. 

 

I am a bit nervous about the BOGO air also, so we chose to drive two hours to fly out of a major international airport rather than flying out of our smaller local airport.  That will eliminate one connection and hopefully open the door for direct flights.

[jbcallender]

5 hours ago, sjmbruce said:

DH and I are looking at a cruise deal that includes BOGO flights. I have always booked our flights, so I'm a little nervous.

1. We're in the US, the cruise is in Europe.  Will they fly us in the day before the cruise? Or will they cut it close on the same day? 

2. Can we request to fly in a day or two early and fly out a day or two after we disembark?

3. Will our seats be next to each other?

4. How reasonable are they regarding layovers?  A super long or incredibly short layover would not be fun. 

They will find the most cost effective way to get you from point "A" to point "b".  They dont care what time, length of layover or no layover.  If you are going to request a change in anything, before or after you MUST do so prior to 75 days out for they will not even consider a change after that point. 

[julig22]

13 minutes ago, LoveThatCorgi said:

I am a bit nervous about the BOGO air also, so we chose to drive two hours to fly out of a major international airport rather than flying out of our smaller local airport.  That will eliminate one connection and hopefully open the door for direct flights.

There is a major flaw in your logic, unfortunately.  They attempt to limit to 3 flights.  So if you are flying from a major hub they have more options than if you're coming from a local airport and have to use at least 1 leg to get to a hub.  Last year I flew to Denver, then Toronto to Rome.  There were a number of passengers from Toronto that had layovers, nothing direct at all.  

[Middleager]

3 hours ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

DON'T Just DON'T use NCL Air

 

I'm going to take it a step further.  Double check the pricing on the "Free at sea promotion".  If I was to do it all over again - I would have saved hundreds by NOT choosing "Free {a comical statement} at sea" and simply doing a la carte as we went along.  NCL is pricing WAY TOO high after all their add-ons and mandatory gratuities on products you are not even using.

 

It seems like a good deal at first, then you dive in and you are actually getting ripped off.  NCL is proud of their profitability and I would argue they are little more than used car salesman selling scotch guarding on the floor mats - at this point.

Agree this poster lost credibility with the description.

 

The BOGO airfare does give you free airfare for the 2nd person, which is great.  You don't choose the flights/connections, doesn't mean they are always terrible.  We used it twice, and had pretty good flight/connections.  Will I use it again?  Yes, and I know the risk, we could get bad time/connections next time.  But at least we get the 2nd fare free.

 

If NCL is "pricing WAY TOO high after all their add-ons and mandatory gratuities on products you are not even using"  that means the poster is not buying smartly, i.e. buying things "you are not even using".  I think most buyers don't behave like that, and that's why this poster lost credibility.   As has already been said, if you don't like drinks package you don't have to buy it, just like you have a choice not to buy NCL insurance, or pay/buy NCL ground transportation, etc.

[DebA2]

I was nervous; we always booked our own, but the price and having NCL on the hook during turbulent times pushed me over. The itinerary (into Rome out of Tel Aviv) are exactly what I would have chosen. Short duration and one layover each way. My status on Delta let me upgrade to Delta Comfort.  It was definitely worth the $1200 savings for us.

[KeithJenner]

7 hours ago, hallux said:

Sorry, you lost some credibility here.  If you're not using the drink package or the specialty dining you can choose not to get them and won't pay gratuities on them.  But, if you're going to go that far you might as well not get the FAS offers.  I have a cruise booked and didn't pay gratuities on a package I had no plans to use, I just chose during the booking to not include that offer.

 

Your points are entirely valid in that instance - you can certainly save money on the fare if you're not planning to get those.  However - if you plan on using the drink and dining package it absolutely pays to get the promo.

 

Something you lose by not taking the offers is the option to select your cabin at the time of booking.  Can it be changed once it's assinged?  Maybe, but you're getting to choose from whatever is left.

 

For the OP - it seems actual answers to your questions have been accurately provided in other posts.  Just a reminder that some of what you asked is answered in the T&C's of the promo...

In other words, if you select things that you aren’t going to use when booking your cruise then don’t be surprised to find that you have paid for things that you don’t use.

[PATRLR]

10 hours ago, sjmbruce said:

The extra cost for the free at sea seems to work for my DH and I. For approximately $560.00 in gratuity fees, we'll have an open bar and a few specialty meals. I'm thinking we'll most likely eat and drink our money's worth - at least enough to break even. 

FWIW, the break even point for the drink package for you and your husband combined is 4 drinks per day.  If between the two of you you are likely consume on average 2 drinks each, then paying the gratuities on the drink package is worth it.  The gratuities on the dining package is peanuts to the point that I don't even remember - taking the dining option is a no brainer IMO.

[PATRLR]

7 hours ago, DebA2 said:

I was nervous; we always booked our own, but the price and having NCL on the hook during turbulent times pushed me over. 

I'm not sure what you mean by "having NCL on the hook during turbulent times", but everything I've read is that if anything goes sideways with your air travel, NCL will tell you to talk to the airline.  My sense is that NCL is on the hook to buy you an airline ticket and that is all.  Once they buy the ticket for you, they are out of the picture and you get to deal with the airline yourself.

Edited October 12, 2022 by PATRLR

[PATRLR]

11 hours ago, hallux said:

Sorry, you lost some credibility here.  If you're not using the drink package or the specialty dining you can choose not to get them and won't pay gratuities on them.  But, if you're going to go that far you might as well not get the FAS offers. 

I don't understand why you say the poster lost credibility but then suggest exactly what the poster said.  You say not get the FAS and so did the poster:

12 hours ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

If I was to do it all over again - I would have saved hundreds by NOT choosing "Free {a comical statement} at sea" and simply doing a la carte as we went along. 

I assume when one writes to "not get the FAS offers" they are talking about booking Sail Away.  I posted back in April, in detail, just how much I was saving by skipping the FAS on my coming Encore cruise.  In my case we don't drink much so paying ala carte for a couple drinks a day and a couple Specialty Dining meals was savings us hundreds.  The key is the drinks.  If you don't drink, or, between both passengers don't drink much, there is a very good chance it is cheaper to skip the FAS offers.

 

 

[hallux]

37 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

they are talking about booking Sail Away.

That's exactly what I meant.

 

Oh, and I have found at least one sail-away fare that was HIGHER than the fare with free-at-sea.  Solo guest, October 23, 2022, Canada/New England cruise out of NY.

 

11 hours ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

As far as air goes, NCL books sub standard fare basis that allows no baggage even in the overhead

That's funny - when I used the NCL air perk in 2019 I was able to choose (within the fare class) my seat AND utilize the overhead baggage bins on both Delta and American.  Are you saying they changed the policies?

 

Have you even used this "product" or are you just basing your comments on what you've read online?

[CrazyTrain2]

29 minutes ago, hallux said:

That's exactly what I meant.

 

Oh, and I have found at least one sail-away fare that was HIGHER than the fare with free-at-sea.  Solo guest, October 23, 2022, Canada/New England cruise out of NY.

 

That's funny - when I used the NCL air perk in 2019 I was able to choose (within the fare class) my seat AND utilize the overhead baggage bins on both Delta and American.  Are you saying they changed the policies?

 

Have you even used this "product" or are you just basing your comments on what you've read online?

I leave in 8 days on NCL air and it is horrible - so yes, I am using the service currently - but this odyssey started 2 years ago.  In my case, they are using Jet blue (red eye overnight with a 3 hour layover in the middle) with NOTHING for free. We arrive in NYC at the crack of dawn - tired with no place to stay unless I book a room for 5 hours of use.  The return is on United with slightly better options but we either need to optimize packing for Jet Blue or United - either way is gonna cost us.  If I would have booked my self, I would have chosen better flights, chosen seats with less total cost.  It's a sales gimmick that may work for some but has been a horrible experience for us.  But no worries, this will be my last cruise with NCL - fool me once, shame on you as they say.

[KeithJenner]

8 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

If I would have booked my self, I would have chosen better flights, chosen seats with less total cost.

Why didn’t you do that then?

 

Genuine question. I often hear people in situations like yours and wonder how this situation arose.

[PATRLR]

8 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

Why didn’t you do that then?

 

Genuine question. I often hear people in situations like yours and wonder how this situation arose.

Really, genuine question?  I suspect most people are swayed by a perceived cost savings?