"Free Air Fare" for Dummies

[AdamOfCanaveral]

Can anyone explain how the "Free air fare" on some Oceania cruises works and how deviations work? I am seriously considering the transatlanic Regatta cossing from Barcelona to Miami next November 13th but have been unable to figure out how the free air works. My travel agent wasn't very helpful since she doesn't book airline tickets - only cruises.

 

I've found references here and there and a number of posters saying the deviation is better, but I haven't been able to find a "Free Air Fair for Dummies" type explanation.

 

Can anyone help?

 

Thanks.

[LHT28]

I am sure someone will explain it better but here is my simplified version

 

Free air... you still pay the air taxes, you get the flights that Oceania chooses ...could have many connections or not, inconvientent times, have to fly in the day of the cruise/leave right after the cruise

 

Deviation fee...you pay the $75. fee, you can choose your flights and may or may not have to pay an extra charge for the difference in the bulk fare Oceania get & what you have chosen.

You can arrive a earlier or stay later than the cruise dates

 

Air Credit...you can take the air credit that Oceania gives $200.-$1000. depending on the cruise choice. You then can book your own airfare, use FF miles (if you have them)

[Jancruz]

Your Travel agent should be able to tell you since the free air is in conjuction with the cruise..

Jan

*****

 

Can anyone explain how the "Free air fare" on some Oceania cruises works and how deviations work? I am seriously considering the transatlanic Regatta cossing from Barcelona to Miami next November 13th but have been unable to figure out how the free air works. My travel agent wasn't very helpful since she doesn't book airline tickets - only cruises.

 

I've found references here and there and a number of posters saying the deviation is better, but I haven't been able to find a "Free Air Fair for Dummies" type explanation.

 

Can anyone help?

 

Thanks.

[travelingduo]

I would concur with LHT28's explanation. A lot depends upon your city of origin. I have heard horror stories about OC air. We are booked on the Regatta TA from Miami to Marseille in March. We took the air deviation, chose our dates, flights, and paid the $75 pp. We got everything confirmed, direct flights, and even got our seat assignments from the airline. If you are not going to use ff miles, I would chose the deviation.

[potterhill]

Which all works great unless, on the date you're flying, and only on the date you're flying, your flight doesn't exist. Ask me how I know......

 

Mo

[happy cruzer]

Does anyone have actual experience with flights and times of arrivals booked by Oceania into Barcelona? I am looking at this same Transatlantic on Nov 13.

 

Any advice is welcome. My main goal is to get there and get on the ship with minimum cost. So if I can let Oceania book it without the air deviation fee; I will be happy.

 

Thanks

[travelphish]

Happy Cruzer

 

You may be better off booking your own flight and taking the credit.

 

One, the air from Oceania is not always the best.... usually a hassle.:eek:

 

Secondly, you can find cheap air on btstore.com... We did a TA from Barcelona last yr and our one way from Atlanta was 500p/p on Brit Air

We got in the day before and slept off the jet lag.... Saw some sites... great city.....

 

Just some food for thought....

 

travelphish

[merryecho]

btstore.com? When I enter it, I get an Italian software company??

For our trip this summer Oceania is offering us $800 if we do our own flight. Airfare for the exact same flights is $1,800 if I buy it myself, so DH is using it- I have to go early fto several cities for other reasons so still will buy my own.

[travelphish]

It's bt-store....dot com

 

It sure helps with those one way European tickets...yuck... Delta and others wanted over a 1k.

 

Lauren

[shedevil]

I cheated - a while back I posted this answer after researching Oceania's free air/2 for 1 versus booking on my own - I found it and reposted it here. I hope it helps you make a decision.

 

There is no simple answer for your question because there are many variables that impact the cost of airfare. A couple things that will impact the cost are where you are flying from, is it a one way ticket, time of the year, holidays, high travel times, exotic destination, etc....... For some passengers, especially those who live in or near airline hubs, it might be cheaper to book the cruise and flight separately. For others, the cruise/airfare deal can be cheaper or at least a break even proposition.

 

You should ask your travel agent how much of a credit (reduction in the cost of the cruise/airfare price) you would get and then check around to see if you can find airfare that is cheaper. If you were planning to use frequent flyer miles, see if the air credit amount makes cashing in those miles worth it.

 

A couple of personal examples:

I. Flying from LAX to LHR (London/Heathrow) and returning from Stockholm to LAX in July 2006, it was about $400+ less per person to book the cruise/airfare package with Oceania including the deviation charge rather than booking them separately. Our friend looked into using FF miles but it was cheaper to just use the cruise/airfare package and save the miles for another trip.

 

II. For our TransAtlantic cruise in March 2007, we are flying AA from LAX to Miami and Airfrance from Paris to LAX. We paid for a deviation because we wanted to fly earlier than the cruise date and are flying home 9 days after the cruise ends. We have lots of United miles but the Oceania airfare, even with the deviation charges, was cheaper than what we could find out of Southern California. If you live on the East coast, you could probably have saved the airfare by driving/booking own air to Miami.

 

Some tips about the air deviation & dealing with O booked tickets-

 

1. If taking the free air option and you are planning on arriving early to the departure city or spending a couple of days longer in the destination city, you will need to buy the air deviation. The air deviation lets your travel agent book you on flights other than just those flying within 24 hours of your ship sailing.

 

2. The air deviation lets your travel agent book your flight sooner. If you buy the cruise/airfare package without the deviation, the travel agent has to wait until about 2 months before your cruise departure date to book the flights. If you are sailing during a peak season, that can leave you with seats only in the middle of rows or right by the lavatory. Yikes!

 

3. When doing air through O with or without a deviation, do a little research and find the flights you want and give those to your travel agent. The travel agent will be able to better know what flights, schedule and seats you want.

 

4. The cruise lines reservations begin with a Q. It will signify that it is one of their block of seats. The travel agent can only book within that block of seats.

 

5. Have your travel agent book the seats as soon as they can. With your confirmation number in hand, you can call the airline directly and have them upgrade or find better seats. Being a frequent flyer with that airline or on one of their partner airlines will give you more seat options when getting reseated but isn't necessary.

 

6. The Q will also prevent you from being able to change seats on-line with some airlines.

 

7. The "Q" tickets are also not upgradable on some airlines. They will let you pay for an upgrade but if they are overbooked and are bumping people into business or first class - those with the Q tickets are usually not bumped up for free.

 

8. It seems that O gives the same amount of "air credit" for passengers on a specific cruise. You don't get extra $$ if you have booked a more expensive cabin/category.

 

9. Whether tickets are booked by O, your TA or you....check them a month before the trip, a week before the trip, 48 hours before the trip, and the day of the trip. It's amazing how quickly things change but if you keep an eye on it, you will be prepared.

 

10. Bad flights aren't usually the fault of Oceania or the TA - the flight delays, cancelled flights, and all of the headaches can happen no matter who does the booking. One way to protect yourself is to keep checking the status of your flight and have customer service phone numbers with you while you travel.

 

After all of that - I guess the real answer is ..... it depends. :D

 

It depends on how much credit the cruise line with give you, where you are flying out of, and how lucky you are at finding cheap flights. A little research might just save you time and aggravation.

 

Sharon

[jayl65]

I agree with Sharon. We took the deal from Oceaina for the Transatlantic this March and paid the deviation fee because we could not get the flights any less exspensive on our own. We need to fly out of ALbuquerque and the closest hub is in Pheonix. We ended up taking the free air deal from Pheonix and then purchased tickets from Albuquerque to Pheonix on our own. It was still less exspensive that booking the tickets for ourselves. My sister is a travel agent and she could'nt find anything for less. Also with the deviation we were able to choose our flights. So I guess it depends on where you are and how close you are to a hub. You just have to crunch all the numbers and weight whats best for you.

Jamie

[happy cruzer]

thanks I now understand how to find out if the air is a good value.

 

that bt- site is very good:)

 

So If I do an air deviation do I lose the Oceania transfers (i.e are they considered part of the air credit?)? Does it matter if you arrive the day of the cruise or the day before as far as transfers are concerned?

[hondorner]

Sharon's answer is the most complete I have ever seen. I can add only one minor thing. When you book your air through Oceania's Free Air program, only the airfare is free. Your invoice will also reflect air taxes, fuel charges and ticketing fees. On our upcoming transAtlantic, these charges amount to $374 per person.

 

When you book your own air, these charges will be removed from your invoice, and should therefore be added to the credit which Oceania grants if you book your own air. For example, say that the air credit is $1,00 per person and the taxes, etc. are $374 per person. You would have $1,374 per person to spend on your own airfare before you went past what the Oceania cost is.

 

We plan to go to Barcelona a few days early and return from Rio a day or so late, so we plan to use Oceania's deviation plan. We will pay $75 per person deviation fee, sort of an administrative fee for the extra work they go to to book individual flights. We will work with our TA, who will coordinate with Oceania. If the flights we end up choosing cost more than Oceania's rates, we will pay the difference in addition to the $75 deviation fee.

 

We will work with our TA and Oceania because we are not experienced airline passengers, and the amount of research is more than we want to tackle. Plus, if the flights are messed up, Oceania has more clout than we do. If we were planning to arrive the day of sailing, we would absolutely use Oceania without hesitation, because they will be much more likely to delay the sailing if it is their air arrangements which fail. On our recent cruise, the ship sailed 3 hours late from Miami due to a late flight from Seattle; I wonder if they would do that if you booked your own flights.

 

The transfers are separate from the airfare, are billed separately on the invoice, and you may accept them or use your own in any combination. Generally, however, I would think that anyone who booked their own air would also handle their own transfers, in part because I have read that Oceania's transfers are costly. Again, however, we will likely use the Oceania-booked transfers just for peace of mind. We usually take ship's tours for the same reason.

[happy cruzer]

thanks, this dummy can finally start talking to agents without them knowing i'm a dummy, well maybe:p

 

I appreciate the help!

[whyme]

I maybe wrong but, If you book the cruise without the air and then come back to re book.. with the air, you will pay the rate at the time of re booking.. So you have to be careful when you book and how soon you decide whether to use the air or not,,, Or visa a versa ..taking air and then canceling

[LHT28]

 

So If I do an air deviation do I lose the Oceania transfers (i.e are they considered part of the air credit?)? Does it matter if you arrive the day of the cruise or the day before as far as transfers are concerned?

 

 

Transfers are extra even with the free air!

You can usually get a taxi or private transfer cheaper than O's offerings!

[merryecho]

Wow- bt-store.com is amazing! They have the same flight I was ready to book on United for exactly half the cost. Even so, I will probably pay the higher fare as it is upgradable.

[serendipity1499]

Question..When Oceania advertises free air is that only to/from certain cities in the US...What about cruises which are Round-trip MIA?

 

What happens to those who don't need air at all & can drive to/from the port..Will Oceania or TA's offer some more on-board credits to compensate those who do not use O's air?:confused: Betty

[LHT28]

Question..When Oceania advertises free air is that only to/from certain cities in the US...What about cruises which are Round-trip MIA?

 

What happens to those who don't need air at all & can drive to/from the port..Will Oceania or TA's offer some more on-board credits to compensate those who do not use O's air?:confused: Betty

 

If you don't need the air package they give you an air credit (deduction from cruise fare) I think it is $250. check with your TA for the exact amount.

[serendipity1499]

If you don't need the air package they give you an air credit (deduction from cruise fare) I think it is $250. check with your TA for the exact amount.

Thanks..another pro:) ...Now have to decide if we should book or not..

[NAS-KARR]

Thnaks EVERYONE.Will be needing this info for the very near future, you have begun to clear up alot of smoke for me on this subject.

CIAO,

[shedevil]

Thanks..another pro:) ...Now have to decide if we should book or not..

 

To use the advertising tag line.....Just Do It!

 

We were very happy with a smaller boat, no broadway spectacle type shows, great food, great service and a cruise that made us want to cruise more....lots more.

[travelphish]

Oh come on you don't miss the belly flop and sexy leg contests:p and the constant announcements about bingo etc

 

Thanks goodness for variety.......

 

 

 

PS do you really live in the Mojave desert:confused:

[shedevil]

Oh come on you don't miss the belly flop and sexy leg contests:p and the constant announcements about bingo etc

 

Thanks goodness for variety.......

 

 

 

PS do you really live in the Mojave desert:confused:

 

I hate those sexy leg contests.....every time the husband enters one, he misses up a good pair of my high heels!

 

................Ridgecrest is a small town in the high Mojave, West of Vegas, East of Bakersfield and North of Lancaster/Palmdale. It is hot and dry but we love living here.......the desert is lovely and has a beauty that many don't see as they drive through at 75mph on the way to Las Vegas or Mammoth to ski.:cool: But we do like to visit Europe during the rainy season, so we might be a little crazy.:D

[serendipity1499]

To use the advertising tag line.....Just Do It!

 

We were very happy with a smaller boat, no broadway spectacle type shows, great food, great service and a cruise that made us want to cruise more....lots more.

 

We love smaller Ships ! That's why we are considering this trip... Only hesitating because we & our Friends haven't decided we all did same trip last year on the "Prinsendam" (also a small ship) & wonder if going back to the Amazon again is something we really want to do..:confused: Our Visa's & Yellow fever shots are still good, & only need to a new Malaria Pill prescription...

 

If we could only get our DH's to take a longer flight, we could go lots of other exotic places...They both get Grumpy & hate to fly because of their long legs..:(

 

We actually tried for the BOS to BOS a 35 day on Hal, but couldn't get the cabins at the price we wanted, so now considering something else..Then if we take this one, another big decision is do we go with an outside & spend the extra $$$ on fun things or do we take a Balcony & have less to spend...As said before if only $$$$ was no object! ;) LOL

 

Decisions! Decisions!:rolleyes: Betty