Booking Air and Hotel through Royal Caribbean

[slp1323]

Please help...we have a trip booked on Enchantment for Thanksgiving week 2009. I've never booked air and hotel through Royal Caribbean but I'm considering it since it's during a holiday. How are the flights booked through the cruise line and how late are you usually booked leaving the day you end your cruise? If anyone has booked air and hotel in the past I would love your input. Thanks!

[Richk582]

Never booked an air package through the cruiseline, they tend to be more expensive then booking it yourself. Unless you are a platinum or higher member of C&A you would have to pay an extra fee to book "custom" air with them, otherwise they will just assign you to whatever flight they feel is best.

 

The cruise line only partners with a few select hotels, sometimes they offer good rates, like their new promo with universal studio's, but other times they arent any cheaper then something you can find yourself. Many times they do offer transportation to/from the hotel and the peir, but again its not always cheaper.

 

The advantage is they take care of everything, you dont have to worry about it, and many times this is appealing, so people will pay the extra $$.

[Vacation Nut]

On our first cruise I did everything through the cruiseline as we were newbies. We flew the day before the cruise, arriving at about 3:00 p.m. in Miami from Boston. We did not see our main baggage as that was taken by the cruiseline to load on the ship the next day - that worried me, but it worked out fine (RCCL luggage tags really work). We packed an overnight bag for the hotel. The hotel was close to the airport, and we were shuttled there. Nothing to write home about, but clean and served its purpose. In the morning at 9 a.m. everyone who had stayed in the hotel before the cruise assembled in a large room and we were then taken by bus to the ship at about 10:30. We were on the ship (after getting our card) by 11:00 as I remember. At the end of the cruise, our flight back to Boston was at about 1:00 so there was some waiting at the airport. Everything went fine, but it was much more expensive than doing it ourselves and so since that first cruise I have always booked everything.

[slp1323]

We usually book ourselves also...I'm just having a hard time finding reasonably priced airfare because our return is during a holiday weekend. Right now RC is actually a little cheaper. Thanks for all the information so far. If anyone else has had any experience with this please reply.

Thanks

[Greek50]

Since RCCL air and hotels are usually more expensive our policy is to book thru RCCL for overseas travel and do it on our own here in the States. We like the added protection and assurances when booking with RCCL. Our experience with RCCL airfare and hotels has always been excellent. If anything goes wrong RCCL handles it. A few years back our RCCL flight with Air France was delayed 6 hours leaving LAX so we missed our connecting flight. Without asking we were provided with LAX airport dinner vouchers, two hotel rooms in Paris, dinner and breakfast restaurant vouchers at the Paris hotel, transportation to and from the hotel in Paris, and reimbursement for our first night at a very expensive Barcelona hotel that we didn't get to stay in since we were in Paris. RCCL even reimbursed me for my 99 cents a minute calls to them from my cell phone (about $!00-I was on hold a lot). Excellent customer service and a cruise that could have had a terrible beginning did not. All I did was call that 800 number in the front of our cruise document book and they took care of everything else! Talk about stress-free!

 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Cruise!

[robinp]

Please help...we have a trip booked on Enchantment for Thanksgiving week 2009. I've never booked air and hotel through Royal Caribbean but I'm considering it since it's during a holiday. How are the flights booked through the cruise line and how late are you usually booked leaving the day you end your cruise? If anyone has booked air and hotel in the past I would love your input. Thanks!

 

I booked a transatlantic cruise just last night and the flights from Edinburgh to Heathrow to Miami and then Heathrow to Edinburgh, Overnight in Ft Lauderdale hilton and coach transfers all in cost only £595pp with RCCL. The cheapest I can find to fly to Heathrow to Miami for 1 of us is over £600pp alone!

 

I flew with RCCL for my first ever cruise 18 months ago and again to MIA it was half the cost of what it would have been to book myself. My upcoming cruise from Southampton is only £70pp return from Edinburgh. The cheapest flight for this cruise, flight only, is £150pp!

 

It has always been cheaper for me in the UK to book with RCCL and never had a complaint. Superb service. :D

[megr1125]

in short, cruise air tickets are booked in the cheapest class and most restrictive...and as a convenience to the traveler..........

 

if your flight gets cancelled, the airline only has to get you to your final destination...and that may be the day after your cruise!

 

go to the cruise air board here on CC, and read the sticky at the top about crusie air and deviation...............

 

you are better off doing it on your own...go a day ahead, book your own hotel.......chances are YOU will get a better fare............and hotel prices are listed PER PERSON...so you need to double the suggested rates in the brochure................

[cruisenfever]

On our first cruise I did everything through the cruiseline as we were newbies. We flew the day before the cruise, arriving at about 3:00 p.m. in Miami from Boston. We did not see our main baggage as that was taken by the cruiseline to load on the ship the next day - that worried me, but it worked out fine (RCCL luggage tags really work). We packed an overnight bag for the hotel. The hotel was close to the airport, and we were shuttled there. Nothing to write home about, but clean and served its purpose. In the morning at 9 a.m. everyone who had stayed in the hotel before the cruise assembled in a large room and we were then taken by bus to the ship at about 10:30. We were on the ship (after getting our card) by 11:00 as I remember. At the end of the cruise, our flight back to Boston was at about 1:00 so there was some waiting at the airport. Everything went fine, but it was much more expensive than doing it ourselves and so since that first cruise I have always booked everything.

Flying in the day before a cruise and having your luggage delivered to the ship must have been pre 9/11. That is not done any more. You must claim your luggage upon arrival and take it with you if you are doing a pre-cruise hotel through RCI. It is then loaded on a truck/bus on the day of embarkation and taken to the ship.

[ken_nyc]

From the onset of our first cruise we have always booked both on our own...it has always been a substantial savings and I have total control of the times and having non-stop flights. We also go at least the day before each cruise!

[tnt10]

While booking air and hotel yourself is usually less expensive, points to consider:

Airline cancellation fees, which are substantial for airline travel these days. If you cancel a cruise a before final cruise payment date, and have your own air booked, watch out!

Payment for airline tickets may be due well before your final payment date with the cruise line. Nice to have it all due, or changeable, at the same time.

While we have done both, booked ourselves and used cruise line air, we have not been unsatisfied with custom air through the cruise lines. Like a previous poster has noted, we tend to use cruise line air for international or open jaw tickets, and book the domestic fare ourselves.

As for hotels, it's a crap shoot. Remember, you will get the basic hotel room with the cruise line package. Depending on the hotel, may be good, may be not so good.

Just a couple of points to consider.

Happy Sailing,

TnT

[derrick22]

Over the years I have done both.

Depends on the situation. One year while traveling during spring break RCCL was cheaper. We have also used the recommended hotel on occasion.

 

Tomorrows trip was originally booked via RCCL but I was able to find cheaper air so I canceled with no penalty.

 

I wanted to book the hotel through them but they didn't offer the hotel where the cruise tour is staying. Doesn't make sense to me. I booked directly.

 

You can always cancel the cruise air if you find cheaper air on your own.

 

Have fun. I hate looking and looking for airfare. :(

 

Denise