NCL Flights

[carverkarla]

I booked my first ever cruise for June 7-14 on the Spirit from Seward to Vancouver.  This is the trip my son wanted for his highschool graduation so it is a pretty big deal to both of us.  I used the BOGO flight deal when I purchased as it seemed like the better deal.  Months and months later, I find this website and start reading all of the horror stories about the NCL flights.  I tried to get in a day early when I started reading these stories but was told that it was too late for me to make those arrangements so we have to fly in the day off.  We are flying in from Detroit so it will be an all day ordeal.  I am 31 days from this trip and still no word on our flights from NCL.  The rep assured me that all was fine and there would be no issues.  I'm pretty sick to my stomach at this point worrying that this is going to turn into a nightmare.  Does anyone have any POSITIVE stories using the NCL flights to reassure me?  Ugh.

[jrt.mom]

I had a similar situation, when we booked our air through NCL we said we wanted to arrive two days early, but that request fell through the cracks and when I finally got my flight info they hadn't done it, and wouldn't change it because it was less than 75 days until the cruise.  Long story short, I got the flight info, went on the airline's website and made the changes myself. If the flight costs more you'll have to pay the difference,  but in our case it didn't cost us anything.  Just be sure to notify NCL if you do this.

[Sthrngary]

Yes you are reading lots of issues with ALL Cruise Brand Flights.  To be fair, it every flight was a mess, the cruise line would stop offering them.  The majority of the flights get the guest from point A to point B in time to board. Just like everything else online or in Social Media, the real emotions are when things don't workout.  If you are angry, you write and want everyone to agree with your emotion.  Just human nature.

 

Part of your issue is you have not gotten your flights yet and the anticipation of a bad itinerary. I hesitate to make the following recommendations because I only have 5 million miles and 40 years of air flight experience.  It seems, those year don't matter to some online so called experts yet I will risk giving some thoughts. 

 

In live never believe everything you read and think what makes the most business sense.  When you get your flights, adjustments are usually not allowed.  The key word is usually.  You only really know when you ask.  It the weather looks bad or your flights seem to not give you enough cushion to get to the ship on time, call the airline direct and be nice.  They don't have to do a darn thing.  You see, the airlines really does not want you to be delayed or miss your cruise.  It creates bad guest experience. There is the business motivation.

 

Second, this instant send an email, and more importantly "Certified Next Day" request directly to NCL head quarters asking for your flight to get in a day earlier.  You have not gotten your flights because they "Most Likely" have not been booked yet.  The POWER of a well written and framed business letter is under utilized.  For all those that want to say my advice on sending a letter won't work, I am not the guy to say that too.  I have used this technique for decades with great results.  Remember, a real live letter on paper, never threaten, explain your situation, and make a reasonable request.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[happy cruzer]

Hopefully it all works out; no one posts when when things go well.  We have used cruise air many times and yes it does help mitigate risk to fly one day early. BUT, even that is not guaranteed - there have been events that would require three or more days early to cover.  So there never is a guarantee, just better probablities.  Do you have travel insurance to cover the possible air delay/ trip cancellation?

 

Do the things that you can and then relax and start enjoying looking forward to the trip and the trip itself.

[kby1216]

We have used NCL BOGO flights twice and have our third one booked for July. We have had no problems with any of our trips. The first one was to Greece and we flew in day of which was a little stressful just because we had never done it before but we got to the ship in plenty of time and had no problems. The second trip we flew in a day early just for our own peace of mind but not because of anything NCL had done. 

 

I do suggest that you go to the airline's website and try and pick your seats ahead of time. I usually just choose seats that are not an extra cost so that my husband and I can sit together. It is very easy, just use the confirmation number that is on your flight information. Once you land there is usually an NCL rep very visible by the baggage claim or right outside of it gathering the group for the ride to the port.

 

Have fun! I am sure you will have a great time.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, kby1216 said:

We have used NCL BOGO flights twice and have our third one booked for July. We have had no problems with any of our trips. The first one was to Greece and we flew in day of which was a little stressful just because we had never done it before but we got to the ship in plenty of time and had no problems. The second trip we flew in a day early just for our own peace of mind but not because of anything NCL had done. 

 

I do suggest that you go to the airline's website and try and pick your seats ahead of time. I usually just choose seats that are not an extra cost so that my husband and I can sit together. It is very easy, just use the confirmation number that is on your flight information. Once you land there is usually an NCL rep very visible by the baggage claim or right outside of it gathering the group for the ride to the port.

 

Have fun! I am sure you will have a great time.

It is nice to see someone post their positive experience as there are those who seem to post that the experience is always negative.

[cruiseny4life]

You'll probably be fine. I had a great experience with NCL air. My clients had an alright experience. Like you, they did not receive their flights by 30 days out. I called and she called. Around day 20, NCL claimed they might not get their tickets until the day before travel. She politely, but firmly, said that was not reasonable. She asked the agent to check with the air department and ask them to book her tickets. 

 

Once you're within the 30 day window (so, Wednesday, I think), you should call NCL and ask where your tickets are. Be polite, but be firm. You should be able to get them fairly soon after calling. If not, well, then, just keep calling until you get them. 

 

But really, after receiving your tickets, just roll with the flights/layovers, and plan a great vacation. Hopefully their won't be a lot of middle of the country thunderstorms/tornados on the day of travel. Be prepared to watch the forecast and hop in a car to drive/rebook yourself (and eat the cost of tickets) if needed.

 

Best wishes! Thousands of people a week use NCL's flights. Maybe five to ten people a week come to Cruise Critic to complain. 

[julig22]

3 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Second, this instant send an email, and more importantly "Certified Next Day" request directly to NCL head quarters asking for your flight to get in a day earlier.  You have not gotten your flights because they "Most Likely" have not been booked yet.  The POWER of a well written and framed business letter is under utilized.  For all those that want to say my advice on sending a letter won't work, I am not the guy to say that too.  I have used this technique for decades with great results.  Remember, a real live letter on paper, never threaten, explain your situation, and make a reasonable request.  

Excellent advice. Most likely, contacting NCL air department will get you nowhere.  They have their policies, they stick to them (although I was told a little while ago that they were changing management).  But those policies can be overridden, on a case-by-case basis if you calmly make a reasonable request PRIOR to your flights getting booked.  Been there, done that.

 

vicepresidentguestservices@ncl.com

[julig22]

13 hours ago, carverkarla said:

I booked my first ever cruise for June 7-14 on the Spirit from Seward to Vancouver. 

Not on your specific cruise, going later in the summer.  

I've used NCL air a number of times, will continue to do so, although I did not for this specific cruise, as I will just be flying from Seattle and have a voucher that I need to use up.

Assuming they haven't booked your flights yet (doubtful at this late date), book the NCL pre-cruise train excursion that takes you from Anchorage to Seward.  If you have a pre or post-cruise excursion booked when they book your plane tickets they will attempt to make sure your flights allow you to make the excursion.  That might make the difference between an early or late flight.  And if you call the excursion desk, rather than booking online, they might also be willing to look to see if your flights have been booked.

[barbuda]

Totally understand the concern of flying in the day of embarkation.  We used NCL air last year for our cruise out of Rome.  We took the chance and flew in the day of cruise (have to say very stressful on me as there were 6 of us in our family group that I was arranging this whole trip).  We had excellent flights in and out of Rome back to Chicago (direct over and only a stop in Lisbon home).  We didn't take the deviation in Rome as the cost of hotels and transportation were very costly, so we decided to chance it and it all worked out well.  I questioned it many times with PCC and was told they really didn't have any issues with missing flights/cruise.  I think flying international might be a bit less of a headache than flying within the states these days as that seems to be more unreliable.  With all this being said, we are headed out on another European cruise out of Bilbao Spain in Sept, and due to this being a much smaller airport, we decided to go in 2 days early and the hotel/transportation costs are much less than they were in Rome.  All in all, I trust NCL will do their best to accommodate you as I truly think they want to provide the best they can and have you as a return customer.

 

Fly/Sail safe - enjoy your time and RELAX and HAVE FUN!

 

[bluesea777]

On 5/15/2023 at 12:25 AM, carverkarla said:

I booked my first ever cruise for June 7-14 on the Spirit from Seward to Vancouver.  This is the trip my son wanted for his highschool graduation so it is a pretty big deal to both of us.  

 

Spirit June 7-14 is from Vancouver to Seward.

 

We're on Spirit May 31-June 7 Seward-Vancouver and June 7-14 Vancouver-Seward.

 

We booked our own air. Getting to Anchorage 3 days before cruise.

 

P.S. Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

 

Edited May 20, 2023 by bluesea777

[carverkarla]

On 5/15/2023 at 9:10 AM, happy cruzer said:

Do you have travel insurance to cover the possible air delay/ trip cancellation?

 

Do the things that you can and then relax and start enjoying looking forward to the trip and the trip itself.

Yes I most definitely got the insurance!  I'm trying to just relax and not panic...unfortunately I am super type A and am having difficulty letting go of things I cannot control lol.

[carverkarla]

On 5/15/2023 at 10:26 AM, kby1216 said:

We have used NCL BOGO flights twice and have our third one booked for July. We have had no problems with any of our trips. The first one was to Greece and we flew in day of which was a little stressful just because we had never done it before but we got to the ship in plenty of time and had no problems. The second trip we flew in a day early just for our own peace of mind but not because of anything NCL had done. 

 

I do suggest that you go to the airline's website and try and pick your seats ahead of time. I usually just choose seats that are not an extra cost so that my husband and I can sit together. It is very easy, just use the confirmation number that is on your flight information. Once you land there is usually an NCL rep very visible by the baggage claim or right outside of it gathering the group for the ride to the port.

 

Have fun! I am sure you will have a great time.

Thank you for the positive story!  As soon as I got our flights I picked our seats.  I did have one flight where we could not sit together but beings that he turns 18 a few weeks before we leave, I'm sure he will be thrilled not to have mom nearby lol.

[carverkarla]

On 5/20/2023 at 10:51 AM, barbuda said:

Totally understand the concern of flying in the day of embarkation.  We used NCL air last year for our cruise out of Rome.  We took the chance and flew in the day of cruise (have to say very stressful on me as there were 6 of us in our family group that I was arranging this whole trip).  We had excellent flights in and out of Rome back to Chicago (direct over and only a stop in Lisbon home).  We didn't take the deviation in Rome as the cost of hotels and transportation were very costly, so we decided to chance it and it all worked out well.  I questioned it many times with PCC and was told they really didn't have any issues with missing flights/cruise.  I think flying international might be a bit less of a headache than flying within the states these days as that seems to be more unreliable.  With all this being said, we are headed out on another European cruise out of Bilbao Spain in Sept, and due to this being a much smaller airport, we decided to go in 2 days early and the hotel/transportation costs are much less than they were in Rome.  All in all, I trust NCL will do their best to accommodate you as I truly think they want to provide the best they can and have you as a return customer.

 

Fly/Sail safe - enjoy your time and RELAX and HAVE FUN!

 

Thank you for the positive story, I greatly appreciate it!

[carverkarla]

On 5/20/2023 at 2:37 PM, bluesea777 said:

 

Spirit June 7-14 is from Vancouver to Seward.

 

We're on Spirit May 31-June 7 Seward-Vancouver and June 7-14 Vancouver-Seward.

 

We booked our own air. Getting to Anchorage 3 days before cruise.

 

P.S. Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

 

You are correct, we are going the 14-21 Seward to Vancouver, not the 7-14, I got excited and tried to get us there early lol.

[carverkarla]

After I got done reply to everyone I realized there was a "multi-quote" function so apologies for the multiple posts!

 

I ended up calling a few days past the 30 day mark because I could now see where our flight connections were in the NCL app, but I didn't have flight info.  They told me that they had been having an issue w/ people not getting emailed their details?  Anyway, flights are probably the ones that I was most hoping not to get as we are going to likely be getting to the ship right around 5-6pm (8pm disembarkation) BUT I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope all goes well!  Thank you for the positives and suggestions. 

[jrt.mom]

Our return flights from Seattle were

a disaster...we had to be off the boat at 11 am but our flight wasn't until midnight!  So I called the airline directly and they gave me a much better itinerary at no charge even though I booked through NCL air. You might try that, I agree you're cutting it close.

Edited May 21, 2023 by jrt.mom

[happy cruzer]

Also remember if the airline makes a change to your flights, then you get to negotiate with them for a flight that makes you happy.

 

Hope it all works for you!

[wil e coyote]

We have also used NCL Air multiple times over the years, with no issues. As others have noted, there are lots of happy (and quiet) people for every one who is unhappy and loud.

Are you using the NCL bus transfer from Anchorage to Seward? It's a 2-3 hour ride, but once you're on the bus, you should be safe to make the ship.

Enjoy! We just did Seward-Vancouver on the Jewel last week and it was fantastic!

[Sailing12Away]

We've used the NCL air 6 times, our 7th is coming up in September. Only 1 issue where we almost missed the ship, and it was an airline issue not an NCL issue. The amount of money we've saved has more than made up for the stress of that day, which is why when the price is right we will continue to use them.