Free at Sea - Air question

[KEG21552]

My cruise is still over a year away but I have been reading about the air accommodations included with “Free at Sea”.   This is more than likely my one and only trip to Europe and would like to stay a few days before and a few days after.  From what I have read, this isn’t possible.  

Is it possible to cancel the air portion without affecting the rest of the pricing?  I have called my personal cruise planner 5 times over the last 7 day and received no return phone call.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

[doolfan]

I booked a cruise to Europe for next year and I am also planning to stay longer. I booked the free at sea airfare for the flight there only, for 2 days early. It was a substantial savings. The flight there was only about 850 total for both of us versus current prices that I’m seeing of over 2000 per person to Europe!  We’re staying a couple of weeks in Europe after the cruise and I actually looked into booking another cruise at the end of our trip just for airfare home!  Dates don’t line up but I’d actually consider it if they did!  I know a lot of people have had bad airfare experiences but flights to Europe for 2 for 850 instead of 4500 was too good to pass up!!

[hallux]

26 minutes ago, KEG21552 said:

would like to stay a few days before and a few days after.  From what I have read, this isn’t possible

It IS possible.  You, your TA or PCC needs to add the deviation request prior to 75 days before sailing.  You can 2 days and get a $25 credit per person for doing so.

 

By the way - this is referenced in the T&C's of the promotion https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions

• Deviation Requests:
  • Deviation requests up to 2 days pre/post cruise will be credited $25 USD per person per deviation for guests 1 and 3-8 on the reservation. No other deviation requests will be permitted.
  • Date deviations can be added up to 75 days prior to embarkation.
  • Secondary land package must be selected.
  • Hotel add-on is not required for deviation request to apply.
  • Deviation credit is non-refundable and non-transferable.

 

You can also request up to 2 days AFTER the cruise as well.  I believe if you want to come in 3 or more days pre-cruise you can but you need to book accommodations and transportation through NCL, your TA, PCC or whoever you speak to at NCL when you call to set this up can advise on that.

 

Just note - with the BOGO air program they will book you to arrive 2 days before the cruise, if that's your request, but that means you may arrive in the evening 2 days before the cruise which would give you only one day before embarkation day.

[julig22]

40 minutes ago, KEG21552 said:

 Is it possible to cancel the air portion without affecting the rest of the pricing?  I have called my personal cruise planner 5 times over the last 7 day and received no return phone call.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Yes, you can cancel the air without affecting your reservation, as long as you do it before the final payment date.  If you requested a deviation, you would lose the $25 credit.  They also cancelled and refunded the airport transfers on mine so I had to add them back in later.

[KEG21552]

Thank you everyone!

[schmoopie17]

You need a new PCC. Ours answers his phone or calls back a few minutes later.

[amypintx]

Yes, you can cancel the air part. I did the same thing and do not regret it at all after reading all the posts here. Here's what happened to me... when I originally booked, I got assigned a PCC since this was our first cruise with NCL in over 10 years. About 6 months later, I noticed that the cruise fare had gone down and emailed her to find out how NCL handles price drops (she had told me when I booked that she would be watching and would let me know, but I didn't hear anything from her). She was super snippy with me and said that there wasn't a drop. The problem was that there was a drop in the cruise fare but an increase in the airfare so the overall price wasn't lower. (note: we were still over a year out from the cruise). I tried to argue that the actual cruise part was lower but she refused to change it. At this point I'd read horror stories about NCL air and had also decided that I wanted more of a deviation than they would allow anyway so I called the regular customer service number and they were able to cancel the airfare part AND price match the lower cruise fare I'd seen. We're definitely paying more for the airfare now without the deal but it's totally worth it for my peace of mind getting to pick my own flights, as well as getting to go earlier and stay later since this will likely be a once in a lifetime trip for us too. I've also called the regular number to price match again and ask questions and they've always been super helpful and quick. I'll definitely never contact that PCC again.

[julig22]

27 minutes ago, amypintx said:

The problem was that there was a drop in the cruise fare but an increase in the airfare so the overall price wasn't lower. (note: we were still over a year out from the cruise). I tried to argue that the actual cruise part was lower but she refused to change it. At this point I'd read horror stories about NCL air and had also decided that I wanted more of a deviation than they would allow anyway so I called the regular customer service number and they were able to cancel the airfare part AND price match the lower cruise fare I'd seen. 

With price drops you have to take the good with the bad, it's not just the fare.  Some things stay, some are part of the package.  Sometimes prices go down but you may also see changes in the terms of the promos (BOGO is a promo).  Your PCC/TA/NCL rep has no control over what changes, what stays the same.  They put in the request for the price adjustment, the computer spits out the price and promos.

[GORDONCHICK]

This really helps clear up some things for me for our possible upcoming cruise.  And it's really too bad.  We wanted to spend three extra days in the disembarkation port but it sounds like that's really an option.

[amypintx]

29 minutes ago, julig22 said:

With price drops you have to take the good with the bad, it's not just the fare.  Some things stay, some are part of the package.  Sometimes prices go down but you may also see changes in the terms of the promos (BOGO is a promo).  Your PCC/TA/NCL rep has no control over what changes, what stays the same.  They put in the request for the price adjustment, the computer spits out the price and promos.

 

Yes, I get it... now. Just one more thing to learn about different procedures/policies between cruise lines. We've been sailing mostly Carnival for the past 10 years since that's where my husband gets the best casino offers and that's not how they handle it so it was a learning experience for sure.  It just would have been so simple for her to explain it to me instead of just rudely blowing me off, leaving me to figure it all out on my own.

 

For me, though, the whole package/price drop thing is just one more reason to not take the air. I would have missed out on 2 price drops that gave us more money to put toward our own air where we can pick our days/times/flights. It's a trade off for sure but, for a big European trip, well worth it in my opinion.

[KEG21552]

Amy

I’m with you.  After reading of some not great flight times (from DFW) and long layovers, I decided I would rather pay more to have complete control.  Also, we are a group of 5 on 3 different reservations and we all want to fly together.  We want a specific airline and want business class.  Like I said, a once in a lifetime trip.  

I have given up on PCC and will just contact the regular customer service line.

Thanks again to everyone for the help

[fredflint]

We were able to get a 3 day deviation but  we did fly on Thanksgiving day thinking the planes and airports in the US would not be that busy.  But like most things one people find something out they all move that way.  All of our  flights were full and airport seemed very crowded.

It never hurts to ask but don't book a non refundable hotel until you get your flight.

Depending on your airline you could even ask them to change a date.

 

Asking nicely costs nothing!