Let RCI Book Airfare or Do It Yourself?

[gooselover]

I know this subject has been talked about alot, but unfortunately, I can't find the information, so I apologize for beating a dead horse.

 

My question is, the airfare for our cruise is $895 through RCI. We are booked on the Mariner in November 2007 and will be flying from Tulsa to ??? (really, I don't know where we will be flying into?). I am finding that if I book my own air, flying into Tampa or Orlando, I could save about $200. However, I would then need to rent a car, drive to the port, stay the night, and then what? Drop off the car one way???? Keep it for 7 days sitting there in a motel parking lot?

 

I know before when we cruised with Carnival, there was a problem with customs getting out of the Port of Galveston after the cruise, and we missed our flight. Carnival was on top of it and we got out of the Houston airport just 45 minutes after our original flight was to leave. I guess this MAY be one of the reasons to book thru the cruise lines?

 

What do you all normally do????????

[truffles2]

We usually let RCI book the air because we do not live in or near a hub and their price is usually better than what we can do. Also, you get a bit more consideration if anything goes wrong. From Orlando to the pier is a good little bit and if I recall correctly it was about $35 just to purchase the transfers--which are included when they book the air.

[Cruising89143]

I let RCI book my air for my cruise to the Med next year. That is the first time that I have ever let a cruise line do this. So far the price is less expensive than what I could find for direct flights coming and going. Also if you are Diamond RCI waives the air deviation fee. I also have my seat assignments already so unless something comes up that is direct with a much better price then I will keep it and see how it works.

[Happy ks]

I don't think there is any one solid answer to your question.

 

We have only purchased cruise air once and it was a horrid experience, so we have done it ourselves ever since. To date, we have always found airfare that saved us enough to more than pay for a hotel room, ground transportation and meals the day before and after the cruise.

 

But, you have to investigate each trip individually, there is not a one-size-fits-all scenario for everyone.

 

We would consider cruise air in the future if it saved us a lot of money, or ground transportation would be difficult on our own. But, we very much prefer control of our own destiny in most situations.

 

The biggest downside to cruise-air is the choice of flights. The choices are not always the best, the most direct nor the most convenient and you have little control over it without paying additional. Our situation found us with a very undesirable (for us) red-eye flight and we were not seated together with our young children. Fortunately, another pax changed seats so I could sit with our (then 6 year old) daughter. Our 9 year old son was seated behind me, my husband was 6 rows ahead of us.

 

FYI, if you have good travel insurance, a missed flight would be covered and the agency should also assist you with changing flights. We always take along a cell phone for any problems like this that may crop up.

[Cuizer2]

I know this subject has been talked about alot, but unfortunately, I can't find the information, so I apologize for beating a dead horse.

 

My question is, the airfare for our cruise is $895 through RCI. We are booked on the Mariner in November 2007 and will be flying from Tulsa to ??? (really, I don't know where we will be flying into?). I am finding that if I book my own air, flying into Tampa or Orlando, I could save about $200. However, I would then need to rent a car, drive to the port, stay the night, and then what? Drop off the car one way???? Keep it for 7 days sitting there in a motel parking lot?

 

I know before when we cruised with Carnival, there was a problem with customs getting out of the Port of Galveston after the cruise, and we missed our flight. Carnival was on top of it and we got out of the Houston airport just 45 minutes after our original flight was to leave. I guess this MAY be one of the reasons to book thru the cruise lines?

 

What do you all normally do????????

 

I never book air through the cruise line. They pick the worst possible flights. If you can save $200, you can rent a car, drop it off near the port, take a free shuttle to the port, cruise, take a free shuttle back to the rental office (in Cocoa Beach) get a rental car, drive to the airport, drop off the rental car and still save money.

 

The closest airport is Melborne (MLB). However, only Delta flys there. The next closest airport is Orlando (MCO) and everyone flys there. Avis, Budget, Hertz & Thrifty all have rental offices in Cocoa Beach (all within two miles of each other) and all will rent you a car at the airport. I did this when I rented from Avis. Avis has a free shuttle to and from the port.

 

You can also book your own air and still use RCI's shuttle service (you just have to pay extra for it - I don't know how much, for Carnival it was $25).

 

You can book a private shuttle. Art's is very popular (use a search engine and search for Art's Shuttle in Orlando). I believe Art's is about $50 - $65.

 

I do not recommend flying in the day your cruise leaves. If anything happens that causes a delay, you could miss the ship. Most knowledgeable people fly in the day before. The following is from RCI's web site ...

 

What if my flight is delayed?

If you miss the departure of your trip due to carrier-caused delays or other covered reasons, CruiseCare® Travel Insurance reimburses you for additional accommodations, meals and "catch-up" transportation expenses. Otherwise, you are responsible for any expense incurred to meet the ship at its next port of call. For this reason, many guests find it is easiest to arrive a day prior to sailing and stay in a hotel the night before to avoid any possible delays.

[katiel53]

We never use the cruisline air. We choose to do our own arrangements and usually fly in a day before. (Now we live in Fl so we can drive to most Fl ports, but previously we lived upstate NY) We only need to fly to distant ports, ie Vancouver or Seattle for Alaska, and San Juan for southern caribbean cruises.

 

If I were flying to Orlando from a northern location in November, I would fly in a day early, rent a car for a day and save money. (I say that even if I had the cruiseline do my air, I would fly in a day early.) Some of the car rental agencies mentioned previously have cars at the airport. They all have shuttles to the pier. I would also rent a car for the return trip. If you have time before your flight, you could find some things to do in the Orlando area.

 

No matter which option you choose, enjoy your cruise on Mariner.

 

Katie

[EggDropErin]

We also book our own airfare and fly in the day before. We find that it saves us money that way.

[isujim]

Please always check the cruiseline airfare..........sometimes they ARE cheaper.

 

We did Celebrity air for $300 roundtrip to Hawaii

RC air $99 roundtrip to Houston........

 

Usually you can book cheaper on your own, but always check the cruiseline airfare.......sometimes, they fool us all:)

[Laoghaire]

Hello...We always use RCI for our air. We pick an airline and the flight numbers, go to Custom Air, and almost always get what we want. It helps to be Diamonds, so we don't have to pay the $50.00 pp...Helen

[Calicruisefamily]

After the nightmare I have been going through I will "NEVER" book our air with RC again. Next time I will use a TA at least they care about making sure your family is sitting together and not putting a child in a row my themselves ! I Thank RC for that one !

Cali

Voyager W. Caribbean 12/16/06 "Our First AFT 1688"

Voyager E. Caribbean 11/05

S.S. Azure Seas Baja 11/90

[Calicruisefamily]

Hello...We always use RCI for our air. We pick an airline and the flight numbers, go to Custom Air, and almost always get what we want. It helps to be Diamonds, so we don't have to pay the $50.00 pp...Helen

 

 

 

 

You are right ! I bet if I would have paid for the extra service I would have been treated better by RC, But I thought If I am booking a package deal all with RC they would take care of me. I guess I was wrong. $$$$ talks

Cali ;)

[Cruising89143]

You are right ! I bet if I would have paid for the extra service I would have been treated better by RC, But I thought If I am booking a package deal all with RC they would take care of me. I guess I was wrong. $$$$ talks

 

 

Cali ;)

 

How many other cruise lines have you booked air through? They all do it the same way UNLESS you choose to use air deviation(Custom Air). Yes there is an extra fee cost unless you are Diamond or above but no different than the other cruise lines. I have read this some complaint on just about every board on this site. As I posted above, I was able to choose my flight times and seat assignment due to using the air deviation. It pays to do a little homework.

[Happy ks]

After the nightmare I have been going through I will "NEVER" book our air with RC again. Next time I will use a TA at least they care about making sure your family is sitting together and not putting a child in a row my themselves ! I Thank RC for that one !

 

Cali

 

 

 

Voyager W. Caribbean 12/16/06 "Our First AFT 1688"

Voyager E. Caribbean 11/05

S.S. Azure Seas Baja 11/90

 

Since you are on the internet, why not just book your own air through the airline and bypass the TA or cruiseline air altogether? We're always able to select our own seats after paying for tickets.

 

I guess I just prefer to do it myself and save the extra fees TA's have to charge for booking air travel. I also find we can save a lot booking our own hotels, insurance and just grab a cab or shuttle outside the door of baggage claim.

[luv2sweat]

I book my own air and fly in the day before. I also make my own travel arrangements to the pier. I like the choice/control that doing it myself offers.

[lovemylab]

I book my airfare through my TA. We don't pay any administrative fees for her services and her prices are just as cheap as those I have found online.

 

I was told the RCCL will book your flights for the same day as your cruise and I prefer to fly in a day early.

[Cruising89143]

I book my airfare through my TA. We don't pay any administrative fees for her services and her prices are just as cheap as those I have found online.

 

I was told the RCCL will book your flights for the same day as your cruise and I prefer to fly in a day early.

 

Again it depends on buying the Custom Air and picking your own flight times. Like Jim stated above, check both ways and see which one is less expensive. Usually it is less expensive to book on your own but not always. If I didn't have the choice to pick my own flights and seating assignments then no way would I allow the airlines to book my flights.

[wrp96]

It really depends on where you live and where you are flying out of and when you are cruising. For 5 of my 7 previous cruises, cruise air was less expensive, even doing custom air and going in a day early one time. For my February cruise, if I wasn't traveling on an airline voucher, cruise air would be less expensive. It's always best to shop and compare.

 

As to whether or not you are treated better when you booked directly with the airline versus with the cruiseline, a few years ago I missed a flight coming home from a cruise that the cruiseline had booked for me. The airline treated me wonderfully and bumped me up to business class to get me home that day. The year before that, travelling not for a cruise so booked directly with the airline, I had the exact opposite experience with the same airline. They cancelled the flight 4 hours before it left but didn't want to rebook us on anything that would actually work for us, we had to do all the work ourselves to find another flight, were left on hold for hours, hung up on by the airline, etc.

 

Oh, and the lack of seat assignments has happened to me when I've booked directly with an airline myself so it isn't just a cruiseline issue.