Mostly flight questions

[mlmdaisy]

We sailed with Oceania last summer and they did a good job with our flights to and from Seattle.  Now we're looking at a Caribbean itinerary, Barbados --> Miami.  Our home airport is Tampa.  Do their agents consistently book what seems to be the best options?  I can't remember, do they book basic fares and we add on seat selection and baggage?

 

We saved a lot by booking our Seattle flights with Oceania but for these flights, I can find options for very little (~$600 RT).  Nobody can fix the fact that we have to deal with MIA.  😞

 

Last time we were on Regatta, and we loved the ship.  How similar is Insignia to it?  Thanks in advance for any insight.

[Harters]

1 hour ago, mlmdaisy said:

Do their agents consistently book what seems to be the best options? 

In my one experience with O, they do not. Even though there were direct flights from our local airport to/from the two ports, O insisted on wanting to route us through an intermediate airport, adding hours to the journeys and, IIRC, adding cost as well. I could not get a satisfactory answer from O, as to why they do this but assume it must be something to do with the commercial arrangement they had with the carrier. The next cruise for which we needed a flight, we asked our travel agent who, within 15 minutes, was back with entirely satisfactory proposals (and cheaper than  we could have organised for ourselves). 

[babysteps]

5 hours ago, mlmdaisy said:

 

We saved a lot by booking our Seattle flights with Oceania but for these flights, I can find options for very little (~$600 RT).  Nobody can fix the fact that we have to deal with MIA.  😞

 

One more wrinkle - if you wish, you can get included air in just one direction. We did an Insignia Barbados - Miami in December 2023 and got our own flights.

 

In your situation I'd be tempted to do a one-way car rental to get back home to Tampa from Miami

[mlmdaisy]

That's exactly what we're trying to decide and we did confirm that Oceania can book only the flight from MIA to Barbados.  

 

It's a miserable 5+ hour drive from where we live and the last part in S. Florida is grueling for us.  We have to balance that against two flights to get home a few days before Christmas.

 

I'm looking for a hotel to stay the night before flying MIA to BGI, preferably where we can leave our car until we come back.  It's a lot of moving parts.

 

My dream is for there to be more interesting cruise options, on smaller ships, from Tampa.  It's an underutilized port and so much easier to get to than MIA and FLL.  Just my two cents.

[ORV]

2 hours ago, mlmdaisy said:

That's exactly what we're trying to decide and we did confirm that Oceania can book only the flight from MIA to Barbados.  

 

It's a miserable 5+ hour drive from where we live and the last part in S. Florida is grueling for us.  We have to balance that against two flights to get home a few days before Christmas.

 

I'm looking for a hotel to stay the night before flying MIA to BGI, preferably where we can leave our car until we come back.  It's a lot of moving parts.

 

My dream is for there to be more interesting cruise options, on smaller ships, from Tampa.  It's an underutilized port and so much easier to get to than MIA and FLL.  Just my two cents.

I believe there was recently an Oceania departure announced from Tampa. 

[mlmdaisy]

That would be FABULOUS!  I'll try to search for that, or is it in the distant future?

[EJL2023]

1 hour ago, mlmdaisy said:

That would be FABULOUS!  I'll try to search for that, or is it in the distant future?

They are in March, 2026. There are 2 that start and end in Tampa and one that ends in Miami.  All on Insignia. The 2 that start and end in Tampa are a 15 day (eastern Caribbean) and a 7 day (western Caribbean).

[edgee]

On 5/25/2024 at 8:46 AM, Harters said:

In my one experience with O, they do not. Even though there were direct flights from our local airport to/from the two ports, O insisted on wanting to route us through an intermediate airport, adding hours to the journeys and, IIRC, adding cost as well. I could not get a satisfactory answer from O, as to why they do this but assume it must be something to do with the commercial arrangement they had with the carrier. The next cruise for which we needed a flight, we asked our travel agent who, within 15 minutes, was back with entirely satisfactory proposals (and cheaper than  we could have organised for ourselves). 

 

[mlmdaisy]

Thanks, EJL, I did just check and saw those itineraries for March 2026.  I guess it was too much to expect southern Caribbean.  Tampa is much better suited for the western islands and we've already sailed through the Panama Canal.  I absolutely love Costa Rica, but Limon is not a great port to experience the country.

 

As for the flights, Oceania agents may be inconsistent.  There was only one nonstop flight to Seattle and that's what they booked for us.  They also got us home the best way possible, on two different airlines, so this took some effort.  I'll see what they find for us MIA --> BGI.  There are several nonstop flights on embarkation day and it would be nice to have them include the transfer in Barbados.  I do believe we can opt out if they do something different?

 

I think we've decided to drive to Miami.  I found a Hampton Inn with a "stay and park" option and free shuttles to both the airport and port.  The stay includes 7 days of parking and each extra day is only $10.  The deal breaker was realizing that we'd have to wait several hours in MIA for a flight home.  Even driving on I95 is more comfortable than that.

[edgee]

Met a couple on cruise which embarked Miami in January. Said they were starting their first O cruise on a bad note... rather angry due to their treatment by Oceania air dept. They live in Washington DC area so they figured it was fine for Oceania to pick their flights on morning of embarkation since there are numerous NS flights to Miami from both DC airports. On the day they received their itinerary they found that Oceania had routed then on United connecting through Newark, one of the most delay prone airports on the morning of the cruise. Oceania refused to correct the situation. They bought their own nonstop tickets and lost the money they had paid in their cruise fare for air..Oceania would not refund. I believe lesson here is that it is best to book your own flights, but if you do find it advantageous to use Oceania air, pay the fee to deviate and pick your own flights.

[mlmdaisy]

The official Oceania policy is that if you don't want the flights you book, and let them know within a short time, you get a refund.  I would confirm that with my travel agent before proceeding.  It's not a big deal, it's just a single flight and there's really only one option.  I can easily book it on my own.

 

I am wondering what we'd do near BGI all day.  We'd land by early afternoon and it looks like this cruise departs at 9 PM.  I'm thinking that we can't get on the ship before 5 PM.  If Oceania has many passengers coming in that day, I wonder what they'd suggest for them, assuming that we wouldn't be the only ones coming from Miami.  

[edgee]

47 minutes ago, mlmdaisy said:

The

 

47 minutes ago, mlmdaisy said:

The official Oceania policy is that if you don't want the flights you book, and let them know within a short time, you get a refund.  I would confirm that with my travel agent before proceeding.  It's not a big deal, it's just a single flight and there's really only one option.  I can easily book it on my own.

 

Problem is in many situations by the time you get the O flight info, if you want to turn it down and book on your own, you may be looking at no reasonably priced seats being available.

[Riverroad]

7 hours ago, mlmdaisy said:

The official Oceania policy is that if you don't want the flights you book, and let them know within a short time, you get a refund.  I would confirm that with my travel agent before proceeding.  It's not a big deal, it's just a single flight and there's really only one option.  I can easily book it on my own.

 

I am wondering what we'd do near BGI all day.  We'd land by early afternoon and it looks like this cruise departs at 9 PM.  I'm thinking that we can't get on the ship before 5 PM.  If Oceania has many passengers coming in that day, I wonder what they'd suggest for them, assuming that we wouldn't be the only ones coming from Miami.  

You will be able to get on the ship long before 5 pm, possibly as early as 11:00 depending on your cabin class. Take a taxi from the airport to the pier.

[mlmdaisy]

Thank you.  I would hope so.  We just took an Atlas cruise and they didn't let anyone on until 3 PM and that was for a 6 PM sailing.

 

There are so few flights from Miami to Barbados that the risk is minimal in this case.  Still, I will proceed carefully.  I'm an overthinker but it has served me well.  

[ronrick1943]

For us we always book are own flights, that way we have total control.  We always try to go non-stop whenever possible.  We also go a few days early just in case--it's always better to see the city, rest before you board the ship.

[Redtravel]

Book your own air.  I have booked Oair in specific situations.  Last summer, booked cruise a month before it sailed. I couldn’t find air at a decent price.  I booked O air.  They got us to and from the cruise. It wouldn’t be my choice of routing.  Philadelphia to Frankfort to Gatwick and 2 hour bus from Gatwick to Southampton. Got to ship 2 hours before it sailed.  Return was crazy. Oslo to Amsterdam to Minneapolis to Philadelphia.  We got home. Our bags didn’t.  Eventually we got them. 
Talking to other people onboard, they also had wild connections.

[mlmdaisy]

This does sound terrible, and I am holding on to these insights for future cruises.  The situation for this one, though, is much different.  Most likely we will just need one flight, Miami to Barbados.  Even if someone was trying to make it inconvenient, there are so few ways to do that.  Things are a different story if you're traveling much further, with alternate connections.

 

I had originally asked when we were contemplating flights from and back to TPA.  The best I could find myself connected us to Barbados via Atlanta.  Oceania might move us through JFK or Boston.  This is how things work from Tampa, and why we'd probably drive to Miami. 

 

What concerns me more is the report that it was impossible to opt out of the booked flights and get a refund.  I also understand the risk of finding our own flight closer to the date, but that risk is minimized during low peak travel time.  I have a lot of questions for the travel agent.

 

Edited May 27 by mlmdaisy

[ronrick1943]

6 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Book your own air.  I have booked Oair in specific situations.  Last summer, booked cruise a month before it sailed. I couldn’t find air at a decent price.  I booked O air.  They got us to and from the cruise. It wouldn’t be my choice of routing.  Philadelphia to Frankfort to Gatwick and 2 hour bus from Gatwick to Southampton. Got to ship 2 hours before it sailed.  Return was crazy. Oslo to Amsterdam to Minneapolis to Philadelphia.  We got home. Our bags didn’t.  Eventually we got them. 
Talking to other people onboard, they also had wild connections.

It would have to be a big huge saving before I'd try that--and mostly I wouldn't.  2 hours before sailing is cutting it short.  Don't know how you did that-I think my blood pressure would have been way up.  You're better than me.😀

[Redtravel]

4 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

It would have to be a big huge saving before I'd try that--and mostly I wouldn't.  2 hours before sailing is cutting it short.  Don't know how you did that-I think my blood pressure would have been way up.  You're better than me.😀

It was very stressful.  The plane to Gatwick was delayed. The bus from Gatwick to Southampton waited for other planes to arrive.  We were assured that the ship would wait for us.  Never again fly in same day.

[mlmdaisy]

Sorry to disagree, but depending upon the flight and time of year, we are often inclined to arrive the same day.  Flying from Florida to a Caribbean island when it's not hurricane season is mostly stress-free, especially when a cruise sails at 9PM and the flights arrive before 2 PM, and when the airport and port are a short taxi ride apart. 

 

That said, booking that one flight ourselves is no big deal.  My point now is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer here.  We saved hundreds pp when Oceania booked our flights to Seattle.  For those, of course, we arrived a previous day. 

[Redtravel]

Booking your own flights gives you control.  Booking Oceania air gives you no control.  Imagine my situation.  About 8 hours before my scheduled flight, I got a text from airline that said my flight was canceled.  More information later. I called the airline and was told that they wouldn’t talk to me because the air was booked by Oceania.  I called Oceania 24/7 emergency number. I got a recorded message that said call back during regular business hours. I waited until 9 am and called again. The rep said that I should call the airline.  I told her what the airline said.  Her response was that they don’t do anything to help if your plane is less than 24 hours away.  I told her about the recording on the 24/7 emergency number. She laughed and said that she’s heard it before. Sorry, we cannot help.  Everyone is passing the buck. Meanwhile I got another text from airline that they had booked us on another flight.  Flight time was same. Plane was smaller than the original. We were among the lucky ones who got seats on the replacement plane.   We were flying to Europe arriving one day before embarkation.  We later met people who rerouted and had another cancellation. They caught up with the cruise on the 2nd day.  
After that experience, I will book my own air…or just stay home.

[clo]

1 hour ago, Redtravel said:

Booking your own flights gives you control.  Booking Oceania air gives you no control.  Imagine my situation.  About 8 hours before my scheduled flight, I got a text from airline that said my flight was canceled.  More information later. I called the airline and was told that they wouldn’t talk to me because the air was booked by Oceania.  I called Oceania 24/7 emergency number. I got a recorded message that said call back during regular business hours. I waited until 9 am and called again. The rep said that I should call the airline.  I told her what the airline said.  Her response was that they don’t do anything to help if your plane is less than 24 hours away.  I told her about the recording on the 24/7 emergency number. She laughed and said that she’s heard it before. Sorry, we cannot help.  Everyone is passing the buck. Meanwhile I got another text from airline that they had booked us on another flight.  Flight time was same. Plane was smaller than the original. We were among the lucky ones who got seats on the replacement plane.   We were flying to Europe arriving one day before embarkation.  We later met people who rerouted and had another cancellation. They caught up with the cruise on the 2nd day.  
After that experience, I will book my own air…or just stay home.

Did you share this nightmare recently? Keep doing it. We've never let a cruise line or an escorted land tour company book our flights. And knowing this I never will. Thank you lots.

[ronrick1943]

I just couldn't agree more, never let "O" handle flights (for me, my opinion only).  We like to plan travel- and if you book early for your flight you can get some pretty good deals.  For a cruise that started in Cartagena we flown in a few days early and booked early--fare was 1st class and cheaper than coach for later booking.  When I use miles, you have a wider choice booking early.  We just enjoy taking are time when we travel without stress, taking a few days or more too get to the ship.

[edgee]

2 hours ago, Redtravel said:

After that experience, I will book my own air…or just stay home.

Thank you for telling your story. Hope it is widely read. The lack of even basic decency and customer service attitude on the part of O toward especially its customers who utilize O air is remarkably horrible. Some wonderful folks on the ships but their shoreline operation has so much room for improvement.

[clo]

41 minutes ago, edgee said:

Thank you for telling your story. Hope it is widely read. The lack of even basic decency and customer service attitude on the part of O toward especially its customers who utilize O air is remarkably horrible. Some wonderful folks on the ships but their shoreline operation has so much room for improvement.

In the trip insurance board I read about someone who booked their air through NCL. It turned into one missed flight after another and evidently the fine print said that NCL wasn't responsible for any flight issues. I didn't see this myself but....