Which Cruise Lines Include Airfare?

Cruises often offer flights as part of their packages or as an upgrade, saving travelers the hassle of booking flights to their destination. Princess EZair simplifies the process of finding flights, offering four cruise packages with airfare included in the price. These include Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and most mainstream cruises. Some high-end cruise lines include flights as a booking perk, such as Oceania Cruises offering economy airfare. Princess EZair offers two different pricing options, making it easy to find flights without going on a cruise.

Some of the best all-inclusive cruise lines include Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seven Seas Mariner, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises Tours, and Scenic Eclipse. Discover the best flight and cruise packages in 2024-2025, including flights and transfers from home to the ship. Book with confidence while saving on flights to your cruise port through the Air2Sea program. Enjoy exclusive flight savings of up to £100pp for select Celebrity Infinity European sailings and any other cruise.

NCLs Cruise Flights packages secure roundtrip flights, airport transfers, and more arrangements when you book, coordinating with other cruise companies.


📹 BOOKING FLIGHTS THROUGH THE CRUISE LINE WARNING

My Mailing Address is : Don’s Family Vacations PMB #471​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 900 Greenbank road Nepean …


What is not included in a cruise package?

Alcoholic beverages are not included in your cruise price, and since soft drinks come over the bar there is charge for them as well. Specialty coffees are also almost always additional. All beverage purchases are signed to your shipboard account and the service charge, a.k.a. the gratuity, is automatically added.

Which cruise lines include airfare from florida
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Are flights included on cruises?

Are flights included in the cruise price? Yes, both flights and transfers are included in the price of your holiday. However, the airport you’re allocated varies depending on what cruise you’ve booked. If you wish to change the airport you’ll be flying from, a supplement may apply.

✔ Upgrade to Premium Economy on selected Caribbean flights*

How does a fly-cruise work?. We’ve made it easy – your flights and your cruise holiday are included in the same booking.

1. Select your airport. When you book your fly-cruise, you can choose from a range of regional airports on the fly-cruise booking summary page.

Cruise and flight packages 2024
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Is airfare included in cruises?

Most mainstream cruise lines allow you to purchase airfare through them; however, it is rarely, if ever, actually included in the base fare. Even if a luxury cruise line is in your budget, you might be seeking a different experience. Sailing on Icon of the Seas, for instance, is going to be vastly different than cruising on a Silversea ship.

While Icon offers a contemporary atmosphere with an array of dining and entertainment options, Silversea provides an intimate setting to cater toward people who have a taste for refined elegance.

If you choose Icon, you will be responsible for booking your own flights, whether they’re through the airline’s website or Royal Caribbean’s Air2Sea program. Similarly, sometimes Norwegian Cruise Line will have a BOGO flight offer as part of their Free at Sea promotion.

Royal Caribbean cruise packages with airfare included
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Are Crystal Cruises high end?

What can you expect onboard Crystal Symphony?. From the moment you step onboard, welcomed by its spectacular signature lobby waterfall, you can tell the Crystal Symphony is a true luxury experience. In Jeremy’s words, “It makes you feel like you really are sailing on another level”.

Having been out of operation for a while, and now being overtaken by the luxury brand Abercrombie & Kent, Crystal ships have undergone a tremendous transformation. Going from a passenger ratio of up to 900 guests to barely 600, means many places in the Crystal Symphony have been transformed, allowing the brand to offer a more personalized experience and a greater crew-to-guest ratio.

Launched in 1995 and refurbished in 2023, the Crystal Symphony is a masterpiece of modern comfort. Think spacious suites with private balconies, butler service for select accommodations, stunning public spaces adorned with Italian marble and Murano glass, and a pool deck that feels like a private sanctuary. Excited already? Let us get to the details.

All-inclusive cruise and flight packages
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Do Royal Caribbeans organise flights?

Absolutely! When you reserve your cruise with Royal Caribbean, we can also assist with your flight arrangements. Our flight arrangements offer a seamless, worry-free way to get from your home airport to the cruise ship and back again. Using Air2Sea g…

Air2Sea allows guests to choose the same flights for everyone in their party, (up to 8 individuals at a time) or customize flight schedules for different individuals and pay using multiple credit cards.

At this time, we do not have the option to utilize points to purchase flights or upgrades. However, your frequent flyer details can be added to your Air2Sea reservation for earning mileage points.

All-inclusive cruise packages including alcohol and flight
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Do any river cruises include airfare?

Most river cruise deals also include flights and transfers in the price, and some also include excursions. A common question is, ‘Are drinks included in a river cruise?’ All inclusive river cruising means that meals and drinks are included in the price of your river cruise.

Each river cruise includes accommodation and meals on-board your river ship. Mostriver cruise deals also include flights and transfers in the price, and some also include excursions. A common question is, ‘Are drinks included in a river cruise?’

All inclusive river cruising means that meals and drinks are included in the price of your river cruise. Exactly what is offered varies by cruise line, with luxury river cruise lines offering truly all inclusive river cruises and more mainstream river cruise lines including only selected drinks at meal times, which is sometimes referred to as ‘fully-inclusive’.

Luxury All Inclusive River Cruises. When it comes to drinks, only the luxury river cruise lines offer truly all inclusive river cruises – with a wide selection of drinks on offer throughout the day and evening. The only drinks that are chargeable on these river cruises are certain speciality wines and spirits.

Royal Caribbean cruise and flight packages 2024
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Does Viking cruise include airfare?

Airfare & Transfers. Roundtrip airfare and airport-to-ship transfers are included in the price of your cruise or cruise and stay journey. Should you decide to make your own air arrangements, you will need to also arrange for transfers.

Seat Assignments. When you receive your flight reservation, it may or may not reflect a seating assignment. Airline policies concerning specific seat requests, random seat assignments, and check-in-only seat requests vary widely. Additionally, airlines sometimes change their schedules or change aircraft, resulting in a different configuration from the one in place when your reservation was made. Therefore, flight seats are not guaranteed and may be changed by the airline or by Viking. When you contact your airline, you can find out whether you have seat assignments and what their policy is regarding obtaining or changing seats.

Airline Fees. Most airlines now charge fees to check in your luggage and other services. These fees depend on the airline, on the passenger’s frequent flyer status, on the class of service purchased and so on. They can also change without notice at any time.

Best cruise and flight packages
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Does Uniworld book airfare?

To help make your vacation perfect before you even step onboard, Uniworld is pleased to book your air for you. We’lltake everything off your hands, so all that’s left for you is to enjoy your trip!

  • Our team will secure competitive, contracted rates for you.
  • We manage the entire booking process and any administration necessary up until the sailing date.
  • If you’ve purchased travel protection for your cruise, it covers your airfare as well.
  • No need to provide us with your flight information
  • we’ll already have everything we need to set up your airport transfers (note: transfers require that your flight times correspond to our transfer guidelines).

To book air for your upcoming cruise with Uniworld, please contactyour Preferred Travel Advisor or call our reservations team at 1-800-257-2407.

CUSTOM AIR SERVICE. For guests that have more elaborate air travel needs, Uniworld is proud to provide Custom Air Service. We offer freequotes on Custom Air, with only a USD $95 non-refundable fee per person if you choose to accept this option—or fly business classand have the fee waived. Complete the form below and we will get back to you within one business day.Custom air service is available once booking is confirmed with payment.

All-inclusive cruise packages including alcohol and flight 2024
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What is not included on a Viking cruise?

  • Gratuities: Tipping is not included in the cost of the cruise. An additional service fee of $15 per person per day will be charged to your shipboard account for gratuities to dining staff, stateroom attendants, and program directors. You are welcome to add more tips that you think would help deliver excellent service.
  • Premium Alcohol: If you are planning to indulge in premium spirits and cocktails, you will have to buy the Silver Spirits Beverage Package. This package entitles the holder to free drinks in any bar or dining establishment for drinks that do not cost more than $15.
  • Spa Treatments: Although the general public can visit the spa without charge, services such as massage, cryo sauna, hydro massage, and stone massage are charged and are additional.
  • Additional Shore Excursions: In addition to the free tour in each of the ports of call, there are other shore excursions available for purchase. These may include extended tours, wine and food, museums and shows, and performances. It is advisable to book these excursions online before you get to the destination.

Conclusion. Viking Ocean Cruises provides a list of complimentary amenities that includes Wi-Fi, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, excursions, and a spa, which makes the cruise even more enjoyable. Knowing what is included and what is not can help one plan for the trip and enjoy all the luxurious facilities of Viking Ocean Cruises. Whether you are visiting ancient cities, tasting exquisite cuisine, or enjoying a spa treatment, Viking guarantees an unforgettable and comfortable trip.

For the best cruising deals, visit CruiseBooking.com!

Cruise and flight packages 2025
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Do cruise ships pay for flights?

Do Cruise Ship Crew Pay for Their Flights? Most of the Time, No.. Most of the time cruise ship crew do not pay for their flights to and from the ship. Additionally, the cruise lines also provide or will pay for transportation to the ship from the airport or from a hotel.

While we could figure this is out of the generosity of their heart – it’s actually part of MLC 2006 or the Maritime Labour Convention 2006. This is a very large document that discusses the health and well being of seafarers as well as various rights they have. The majority of port-states that the cruise lines ships are registered to have agreed to participate in the MLC 2006 and provide those protections to their crew members.

MLC 2006, Title 2.5 “Repatriation” States as follows:

Carnival Cruise
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What are the pros and cons of Viking air?

The advantage of using Viking is often times the fare is cheaper. The other reason is if your flight is changed or cancelled while you are already cruising, if you miss a connection or have any trouble with your flights, Viking will help you.

The disadvantage is it’s harder to upgrade and you can’t use FF miles. Viking just gives you an itinerary and you have no say unless you get Air Plus. You lose the included transfers if you fly in days early or stay days after plus have to pay a Deviation fee if you do. You can’t get a firm seat assignment until Viking tickets which is usually 60 days before the cruise.

Is airfare included on Crystal cruises?
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Is airfare included on Crystal cruises?

The cruise fare does not include port, security and handling charges, fuel surcharges, other surcharges, airfare and transfers (unless otherwise noted), taxes, gratuities, visa fees, laundry or valet service, or any item or service whatsoever of a personal nature, such as medical treatment, expenses incurred on board or ashore in connection with medical treatment, condition or medical disembarkation, massage, spa services or hairstyling.

Shore excursions, sighting and meals ashore are not included in the cruise fare for cruises on the Crystal Serenity or the Crystal Symphony.

All offers may not be combinable with other promotions, apply to first two passengers in stateroom or suite, are capacity-controlled, subject to availability and may be changed or withdrawn at any time.


📹 15 easy tips to get best cruise deals

If you’re planning a cruise on a budget, then you’ll want to find a cheap cruise deal. No one wants to pay more than they have to …


Which Cruise Lines Include Airfare
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Debbie Green

I am a school teacher who was bitten by the travel bug many decades ago. My husband Billy has come along for the ride and now shares my dream to travel the world with our three children.The kids Pollyanna, 13, Cooper, 12 and Tommy 9 are in love with plane trips (thank goodness) and discovering new places, experiences and of course Disneyland.

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50 comments

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  • I book my flights with Princess. 30+ cruises and I have never had to call Princess when the airline changes my flight and I am concerned about making a connection. I guess I have been lucky. What a nightmare if it happens the night before you fly and can’t get hold of the cruise line until the morning!

  • We booked our flights through the cruise line and had to change flights AT the airport due to delayed flight which would’ve caused a missed connection. Just went to the gate agent. The airline rebooked us on a direct flight leaving one hour later but getting to our destination 2 hours earlier. We then called the cruise line to let them know.

  • HAL has an emergency flight phone number for those who booked through the line for last minute flight changes. Saved my bacon when my initial flight got delayed by 6 hrs. & wiped out my connection. They rebooked me on a different airline and got me in earlier than the original flight. No extra charges.

  • I worked at TPA for 17 years. I never book my airfare through a 3nd party. I want to pick my flights. Cruise co buys BULK ticket space so you have no say on the flight, class of service, ie economy economy comfort etc, seat assignments and as you stated if have and issue the airline tells you they are 3nd party reservations and can’t touch them.

  • I have an airline do this to me. The flight out was changed from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. And I was due to fly back Sunday evening. My weekend away was reduced to 30 minutes. Luckily I caught it and was able to get a refund but not an apology. Always check those airline emails. 9 out 10 it’s a trivial change but not always.

  • Do not count on cruise line to keep you informed. One time the cruise line did not send their money to the airline before cancellation time and airline cancelled our flight and Princess never told us. Another time the airline changed their seat policy and cancelled our assigned seats and once again Princess did not tell us. Luckily in both cases I occasionally checked via the airline site and Princess fixed both in time. In the first case we got new reservations for same price (even though price went up) and in second case we got the last 2 seats together and just lost our window.

  • Sound advice here. Booking via the cruise line ended up being a hassle for me (too early of flight, a canceled connecting flight, an extraordinarily long layover, flight scheduled to get to the cruise ship after boarding ended. I paid very close attention, and spent lots of hours on hold trying to get flights adjusted. In the end the original flights booked by the cruise were scrapped due to weather. And because of my vigilance we were able to get booked a day before the hurricane hit. I booked through the cruise line for peace of mind and for all the reasons you mentioned but didn’t find it peaceful.

  • Well on our last cruise that we took over Christmas, I initially booked our flights through Expedia, pick the flight the times and the seats. Well it was all great until American Airlines start canceling our flights and changing us to times that we were going to miss our flight. Then they changed us to fly to a city that was an hour away from Los Angeles California. We needed to be at LAX not Ontario California wherever that is. So needless to say I had a hassle with the insurance they didn’t want to refund us or money for the flight, Expedia didn’t want to refund the money for our flights. So I wound up paying double for flights the initial purchase that we made for the flight through Expedia, and then another purchase through Royal Caribbean so that we can get a flight so we wouldn’t miss the cruise. I want up spending over $3,000 on airfare and probably the same amount for the cruise. And we did not have a suite we only had a balcony cabin. But the reason American Airlines kept changing our flight was that they were sending in smaller aircraft, so that my wife’s power wheelchair that was initially approved and okayed to be on board the flight was no longer acceptable and would not fit on the plane.

  • You are forgetting one thing! Cruiseline air is available to you 24/7, whereas the Airlines works pretty much office hour. I think a hotel through the cruise line air while yiu wait for your new flights is more appealing than the airport floor! Or maybe fly down the day before so you don’t have any worries.

  • Good advice Don … all travel companies, even airlines, cruise lines, bus lines, AMTRAK, whoever, are registered as an IATA travel agent. When the airline sees they THEY did not book you from the 800 number or their captive website, they immediately absolve themselves of responsibility and may or may not help you. Whether you booked air through Travelocity, Hometown World of Travel – or your Princess Cruise, makes no difference. We assume that “someone” is looking out for us, when in fact, today you are where the buck stops … everything today is outsourced, and this dilutes accountability and leads to red tape, runaround and Catch-22’s very quickly. This is why you should book EVERYTHING thorough an experienced travel agent that you know and do business with regularly. In addition to sage advice (like Don), they frequently also have perks and upgrades for their better customers for loyalty …

  • Thanks Don! I always fly in a couple of days before because travel changes happen. If you are part of the “free airfare” via NCL they won’t let you know until 30 to 60 day before what flights you are on. The passengers in the same cabin must book & pay thier airfare through NCL & the passengers must leave out of the same airport. This was a problem in my latest cruise because my friend & I live in separate states. Not much of a complimentary offering in the end!😢

  • Cruise lines sometimes use “BOTS” to plan and purchase customer flight segments. They have no human checks on the flights picked. We booked business thru Regent for Norway cruise and they gave us 3 legs to Copenhagen which of course the first leg was Coach on WestJet to Toronto. We were pulling on the gate as our Iceland air flight was pushing off of the gate next to us. We missed 2 days of the cruise because of it and Regent even said they use BOTs to book but did nothing for us in return Catching up to the cruise was all on us, NEVER book through the cruise line period.

  • The airline change our flight from arriving a day ahead of time to same day as cruise. Then it changed again after speaking to cruise line. Our business class seats were changed to economy!!! Called cruise air again, kept asking for supervisor and eventually got it changed to arriving two days ahead in business class What a run around!!

  • I have every confidence in EZAir with Princess Cruises. They always let us know if there’s been a flight change. Of course, you should keep checking on the flights and make sure you have the seats you want. One thing I like about EZAir is that we don’t have to pay for the flights until we pay for the cruise. And if there’s a price drop on our cruise, Princess will handle the EZAir flights and change them over as well. I guess it depends on what cruise line you are booking through. Thanks for the heads up, Don.

  • Had a flight cancelled.due to engine issue. Next available.flight at 5:00pm. Cruise leaving ft lauderdale at 3:30pm. Flights booked through cruise line. Air line cannot deal directly with us. We have to go through the cruise line. Insufficient staff on a Sunday morning. Ultimately we cancelled everything. Cruise line accomodated us with rebooking the cruise but would.not refund. The airfare. Lesson: when you book directly and pay for flights you are in charge, no third party.

  • Don, hi, and thanks for this info! We are sailing 1st of July, and yes, flights were booked through cruise line. Now, we won’t receive knowledge of even what airline, nvm other info until 21 days prior to sailing or even closer! Ugh! Thankfully we do have insurance and are going in the day before. So there should be time to get things sorted should they need be. But can’t thank you enough for this! Will be sure to work through an agent for any next time.

  • I cancelled a cruise at the last minute last summer because of this. My flight was changed just days before my cruise to where I only had 30 minutes to switch flights at Charlotte airport. I saw I could take an earlier flight from my home airport to Charlotte on the same airline and have plenty of time. Royal Caribbean told me sorry that they couldn’t change my flight because I had already made final payment. They wouldn’t even call the cruise line to change it. All they did was message the airline and told me oh well who knows when they will even read the message.

  • I’ve booked our own international travel before. I let Viking book the air for our last cruise since it was included in the cruise fare as a promotion. The international reservation showed up in the account I have with the airline and I was able to choose seats. Viking gives you the option of different itineraries (and airlines) that may or may not change the fare. Viking also notified me when there was a change to the scheduled times for one of the flights. I would book my own domestic travel however as those logistics are simple.

  • Hi Don, I have had both scenarios happen. Booked through the airline and got the run around because the plane was late and wouldn’t make our flight to Miami. We were told to deal with it when our flight got to Toronto. I had to demand that they book us on a flight to Fort Lauderdale then before we left for Toronto which we arrived to our Hotel at 3:00 am. Was very stressful and will try and avoid that airline again. Have had this happen to us twice the second was on the way back and spent a bit of time in the airport when only half our group got the first plane home. My bags arrived the day before I did. So now I have mostly booked through the cruise line and will continue to do so. When booked through the cruise there was a bad storm going through the US and flights were cancelled all over the place including ours. Called and talked to cruise line called us back in 20 minutes and we were on our way with a different airline but made it there in lots of time. No stress smooth sailing. In fact that has happened twice and cannot say enough how easy it was. When booking through the cruise line you have many other options of airlines not just the one you are on.

  • I let NCL book my flights as they have 2 for 1 on sale sometimes. coming back from greece, air canada cancelled me off the flight. would not help me at all. I got the NCL rep and they were great. got me on the plane. first thing he told me was that NCL would take care of me. it was great. highly recommend them

  • I don’t think I/we will ever book our air travel with any cruise lines Don, it’s just too iffy with how the airlines are operating today, and the weather effecting them which just seems to be getting harder to predict. Last fall on our NCL European trip, immediately after boarding we headed to O’Sheans for lunch and to wait for our room to be ready as we usually do, and almost everyone we ran into at lunch there who we chatted with had horror stories to tell about their experiences with the NCL arranged air travel for their cruise. And I say this with both my wife and I being loyal NCL customers.

  • I almost always fly using NCL air and have never had issues, I have however saved thousands of dollars. Just an FYI if you do miss a connection (and you should know this as a travel agent) all you have to do is go to the airline desk and say “I am on a non voluntary deviation throught a cruise line” and they will get you on the next available flight at no cost to you, your travel agent can also do this for you. I know this is true as I have done it, maybe you need to check your facts

  • They offer free flithts on NCL and 2 for 1 on Viking, plus whem you cancel thru the cruise line you are protected. But indo agree it sucks. We are going to Iceland with another couple and they can’t guarantee we are even on the same ✈️ flight, even though we live 2 hrs from the airport and wanted to carpool to save $ on long term parking

  • This kind of flight change happened to us because of bad weather a couple of years ago. The day before we were scheduled to fly to FLL, our connecting flight was scheduled to take off 5 minutes before we landed! Luckily we booked through a travel agent. We called our travel agent and she took care of everything by working with Princess to fix our flights. My advice is to use a travel agent so they can help you in situations like this.

  • I booked our airfare through celebrity, I have always done it myself. The advantage was we could pay the airfare in payments. I was very happy with this until i was told that since we were coming in a day early, we would not be able to use the cruise lines transfer bus. We have always been able to pay and get back to the airport from the hotel and use the transfer on Carnival and Norwegian. I spent about 10 hours over a months time talking, begging for them to allow us to pay and use their transfer. (I’ve had two really bad taxi experiences and I’m not ok with Uber either. ) a couple of times the celebrity agent’s suggested we just wing it and show up at the airport transfer and hope they will take us. What? It’s about a 45 minute drive to the terminal. We finally found a van company to take us. But we will not go on Celebrity for this reason again. Also on a side note, we love the CHEFS TABLE, on Carnival and Norwegian, but Celebrity Chefs Table was very disappointing. We had premium drink pkg but said yes to their wine pairing not realizing it was another $150, (my bad) but the food, although good, it was just like the other specialty dinners we had. Nothing special if you’ve experienced other chef tables, don’t bother going to this one. On my review I suggested they send their chef to the Carnival or Norwegian to see how it can be done. Lol, I was very complimentary on other things like their Italian dining and music was fabulous. We were on the Solstice. Nice ship, nice staff, great buffet and specialty dinners but sadly, don’t bother with their Chefs table.

  • There can be significant savings and/or benefits booking air through a cruise line or tour company, but one has to be extremely vigilant checking schedule changes. Also, when possible, always book at least two hours connecting time in major hub cities. ALWAYS take a carry on with enough gear for at least four days. Clients were booked on United/Air Canada and one of the guest’s bags was lost by Err Canada, which refused to forward the bag to the ship. His travel insurance covered him for up to $300 for new clothes/toiletries. Another reason to always purchase travel insurance.

  • I’ve only booked through the cruise line once and we will never do it again. Airfare at the time was so unpredictable so I thought maybe it would be better to go with them for everything. My family likes to fly in the day before and that wasn’t possible with booking through them. By the time we got to the port, we were all tired from traveling and it seemed like we were one of the last ones to board. Not only had airfare gone down in the meantime but you have to factor in that you are also required to purchase their airport transfer service and pay for baggage (we usually fly SWA for this reason, 2 free bags) Even with BOGO free airfare, it still would have been cheaper for us to book our own, get a hotel and rental car.

  • we fly 3 days ahead no matter where we are going………on last Fall’s East Med Island Princess cruise we had 45 min to change planes going home in Zurich, we were stressed to the max trying to get off from the back of the 1’st plane to make the 2’nd plane. when we finally got off and down the jetway, guess what?………. the connecting flight was on the plane we just got off! Different seats of course but a happy ending other than my blood pressure! Never a problem (yet) with Princess EZ air………cruise on! 73 Mike & Jane from Boston

  • We booked our Air with NCL last Fall, foolishly thinking if there were flight issues, NCL would handle it. Our flights began at 8 a.m. from Calgary, then 3 pm from Toronto, then 8 pm from Montreal to Rome. 12+ hours travelling, and we hadn’t yet left Canada. Our Transat flight sat at our gate for 60+ minutes, before finally taking off. NEVER book flights with NCL.

  • I booked my last flight though the cruise line and the cruise line moved us out of seats, didn’t bother to call us and didn’t even put us in new seats! We suspected that they had given up our together seats for a frequent cruiser and we were right as we saw them in the together seats we had booked! We only found out that we didn’t have seats at all because we are anal about checking everything 10x. If we hadn’t been so obsessive we wouldn’t have had any seats on our flight. The cruise line didn’t care. Never will do that again! It saved $300 but it would have cost us more if we had we not checked our reservation because the airline had no obligation to call us because the cruiseline acted as our travel agent!

  • ANY time you’re flying (with or without a connection) keep in mind that the departure time is NOT the actual time you have to get to your plane. For example, your first flight is at 8am. The doors to the plane close 15 mins PRIOR to 8am. So, in actuality you have until 7:45 am to get to your gate/plane. However, if you have a connection you have 15 mins PRIOR to that connecting flight. Have you ever been on a plane where you need to IMMEDIATELY get to your connecting flight? Yes, I know the flight attendants will make an announcement for passengers to please allow connecting passengers time to get off the plane but oftentimes very few ppl remain seated to allow those connecting passengers to get off the plane.

  • My group got screwed royal by Carnival Cruise lines on their “Fly to the Fun” airline booking…it was a nightmare to get where we needed to be on our United Kingdom cruise back in 2022.As compensation, my wife and I did get First Class seats on our return flight from Heathrow Airport. I’ll never book another flight with Carnival Cruise lines ever again!!

  • We have always booked our own flights, I never feel comfortable letting others do it. The airlines have always been good about letting us know if anything changes. We always get a direct flight (thank goodness) unwise we would go in longer before our cruise. Flights are very tricky right now due to lack of crew and do cancel flights more often than you think.

  • Yes I remember we met a couple while we were headed to wdw and they were mad cuz they missed their cruise cuz they booked through the cruise line well we were delayed for our trip to wdw but their problem was worse than ours they missed their cruise but we were just late for Disney cuz flights that day were just horrible

  • We’ve booked 3 flights through the cruise lines. We’ve never had an issue, but we always go in 3 days early. Wait, we did have one issue, but that was with the plane which had a mechanical issue and we diverted to Gander, Newfoundland for 14 long hours making us late coming into Rome, but we had the time to spare.

  • So we had a major issue happen with us when we did our Princess Transatlantic cruise. Due to thunderstorms in Atlanta and it being spring break the entire airline’s broke down for three days. There were massive delays including our flight out. We were going to miss our connecting flight because of all of this. We even were setup to arrive in Ft Lauderdale a day early. We barely made our cruise. Because of all this we immediately called Princess and EZAir and there was nothing they could do to fix it. We ultimately went straight to the airport and worked with agent at the desk and she was able to change all of our flights. However this broke down again because of the Atlanta delays. We made it to Minnesota only to have our flight cancelled again at the gate at 12 midnight. We had to once again work with the agent at the desk to get flights to Ft Myers and we had to get a rental car to Ft Lauderdale. It was a complete mess. The comment that you have to work with the cruise line only is not completely accurate. You can work with the airlines regardless of who book the actual flight. Bottom line is the airline has to get you to the destination it promised you when the flight was booked. EZAir couldn’t help us either. Our only option was to work with Delta directly. We did have insurance so if bad came to worse we would have just claimed the insurance. These flight mess ups were so bad Princess ultimately waited until 10 pm before we even left instead of the normal 4 pm time. We even had 20 couples join the cruise in Bermuda.

  • I booked airfare through RC air 2 sea and missed my flight because they never sent the itinerary change where the flight was one hour earlier. AA was great but couldn’t do anything. RC would do anything but still me another ticket for$300 because they said they sent me an email itinerary update. I never delete emails and did not have it! Granted, i should have checked the airline, but i will never go through them again!!

  • I am glad I did not book thru cruise line. I saw several comments where they book thru cruise line and and airline cancelled and persons went back to cruise line said too bad we cannot do anything to help you. That is suck. Another things I found out if you book thru cruise line, check your travel insurance if your airline included with cruise, one person called insurance and it was only on cruise not cruise and airline.

  • I had that happen to me. And I didn’t know there was a change, They bumped my flight ahead and I had no clue they did that. As we got to our gate I thought it was an empty flight as nobody was there but the agents. Good thing I asked as we were the last people on the plane. They asked if I did not get the e-mail. I explained I do not own a cell phone and that I was on a 14-day cruise. I guess I had luck on my side that day.

  • and depending on who you talk to, you might be told, “Oh well, that’s a legal connection.” That’s what happened to me in Juneau on a non-cruise trip. I didn’t like the short 30 minute connection planned in Seattle. Then my first flight took off late. I made the rush connection in Seattle, but my luggage didn’t. It came on a later flight that night and was delivered to my hotel.

  • Cuts both ways. Booking through cruise makes it easier when cruise line changes things on their side and need to adjust your flights. But when cruise books it, but airline changes things, then you have less flexibility. Left between a rock and a hard place. However, when you book direct with airline, when airline changes schedule, they will often rebook you at their whim, and you then have to go on hold for hours and hours to speak to someone to explain that you’re on a cruise departing xxx and need to fly earlier. Since airlines no longer have effective telephone support unless you call at 03:00 and wait 2 hours on hold, you need to compare flexibility to adjust your onw itinerary on their web site vs what a travel agent (aka cruise line) can do and if the cruise line has effective telephon support for you.

  • We booked our flights through the cruise line, and like you said, the airline canceled one of our flights. It meant that we would get off the ship in the morning, and we would have to wait until 7:30 pm to leave. We called the cruise line, and it cost us $200 per person to change to a 12:40 pm flight. The $200 was actually a cancelation fee! Who knows why the airline couldn’t have put us on that flight when they canceled the original one? It could have saved us $200 per person!!

  • I hope your trip to Florida and Disney is enjoyable and even affords you a day or so to rest. I personally would rather be in charge of my own airfare, leaving me the ability to communicate directly with the airline. Every since the pandemic, I begun giving myself a two day lead way domestically and three or more internationally. You can never be too early to your cruise port town, but too late spells either a bag full of problems, including expensive airfare chasing the ship. Greater still is the possibility of a total disaster, entirely missing a non refundable cruise. A day or two of a extra hotel bill and a couple fast food runs seem minor in comparison.

  • We cruise (for now) exclusively NCL. The last few cruises, we’ve let Norwegian handle the air, and for the most part its been a trouble free experience. They don’t book it until you’re within 45 days of sailing, and we’ve always been on a direct flight. You do have the option to ask for a flight to arrive or depart a day before/after your sailing, but that request has to be made 60 days out. What I don’t like about their procedure is you have no say in what airline you’ll end up on. It’s all based on cost, or rather what is the cheapest air NCL can find. I did ask after our air was booked if it was possible to change it – quick answer, no. So then I asked, what if we just don’t show up at the airport and we somehow arrange for us (at our cost) to get ourselves there. I was told that if you don’t show up for your flight, NCL is notified, and you risk having the cruise cancelled. We are sailing this coming weekend out of Orlando and are perusal in the news that Southwest’s union voted to potentially strike if negotiations breakdown. While the likelyhood of this happening is very small, there’s still that remote possibility.

  • I was in Vegas and the airline emailed me at 11pm the night before my flight was cancelled… I panicked, but luckily I was able to get on another airline easily and for a reasonable price. But the new flight ended up being a connecting flight that left at 7am instead of a direct flight at noon and the connection had a 40 min connection I was scared as crap and of course the connecting flight was on the other side of the airport…

  • The only flight booking thru a cruise line that I ever considered successful was EZ air thru Princess because with their system, I could actually choose my flight. Obviously that doesn’t prevent changes in flights, but at least I can select something reasonable rather than a computer or an idiot doing what they think is best. Note….the air systems on any and all cruise lines may have changed, but my history with them is not good. Of course, my history of booking directly thru Delta isn’t particularly better!

  • Don’t EVER EVER book through the cruise line. They get the cheapest rate they can and your layovers can be hours and hours. Just go to your cruise port a day early, and if it cost more? Pay it! It’s not worth the hassle worrying about the ship leaving without you. Get a decent hotel and enjoy your night out before your cruise.

  • Travel insurance won’t pay if the flights are changed. What this article does not address is what happens if the cruise is canceled. I’ve been burned by not booking through the cruise line. Twice. Both times it was due to cruise lines canceling the cruise, and I was left holding the bag on flights I could no longer use. Travel insurance wouldn’t pay, and, even worse, they forced me to cancel the flight first. That way, I couldn’t wait it out and cancel if the flight times change. The second time was worse. I booked refundable flights, but Expedia actually issued non-refundable for one segment and pocketed the difference. When I went to refund, they refused. This time I waited it out, and got a flight change time over the threshold, and refused. Expedia still wanted to pocket the money, so they gave me credits instead of a refund. I took them to the BBB, and they agreed to refund. They didn’t. I changed tactics, reopened the case, and accused them of making a bad faith offer. They didn’t want to explain themselves, so they finally issued me a refund. That’s why I use the cruise line air. I also picked a six hour layover instead of the fastest one, just so I had time for myself and my bag to catch the connecting flight.

  • Hey Don check this story out. Had a flight thru Holland scheduled on Sat Oct 1 last year to Seattle from Ft Myers, FL. for a transpacific cruise on Oct 2nd. Well, hurricane Ian gave us a visit on the previous Wednesday. On Fri morning Alaska Air rebooked our flight to Sun apparently not realizing our airport would be closed for at least two weeks. That flight would have caused us to miss the cruise anyway. Called Alaska as you had mentioned and was told to call the cruise line. Alaska Air only had flights to Seattle that were not full on Friday out of Miami at 4:45. Remember we just survived a category 5 hurricane in which we were 4 miles from the eye. We were a bit stunned. So in 1 hour, we had Holland change the flight and finished packing (not completed as we were not supposed to leave till Saturday). We were busy preparing for the hurricane putting up shutters and taking everything inside that could blow away. Ok, we got that done now how to get to Miami 140 miles away. Nationwide and Aon travel insurance ran us around with hotel expenses as I booked our stay with points it took 2 months after I got the hotel “rack rate” for reimbursement. Because all rental cars, buses, and Ubers were affected by the hurricane our only way to make it to Miami 5 hours later was to drive. They still will not pay us any reimbursement for having our son transport us to Miami thru the destruction and traffic. They said that’s not a reimbursable expense as we did not use commercial travel. At least we made the cruise, but reimbursement for expenses could surely be much easier.

  • I made a stupid mistake. I am writing about it here to WARN you not to do what I did: The airline (American) sent me a change. I had made the reservation through Expedia. When I got the “change” I FAILED to turn the printer page over to see the connecting flight on the other side of the two-sided printed paper. I didn’t actually SEE the new connecting flight and thought the old one was still in place. There was not enough time to catch the (old) connecting flight. I didn’t see that American changed both flights. I called Expedia demanding to cancel the flight and correct the defect. They did, and it cost me a 478-dollar penalty. DON’T BE AN IDIOT LIKE ME. IF YOU GET AN AIRLINE MODIFICATION, LOOK AT THE ENTIRE MODIFICATION, NOT JUST THE STARTING FLIGHT. i am not proud of my idiocy. I am now 80 years old, but I think my brain is reasonably good. Perhaps not. Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)