Bad ChoiceAir arrangements, really bad!

We decided to book directly through Celebrity this time just to see how it works out. Not good. First of all, this is a transatlantic flight out of Boston. We fully expected this but it leaves at around 10:45 pm. On checking the seat arrangements we are 3 rows apart. No big deal, I straightened it out. It is a non-stop flight to Rome arriving at 12:45 the next day (Oct. 8th) and we secured transfers to the port which is about 90 minutes away. Yesterday we got our email docs and when I looked at the transfer page it noted we were to take a taxi to a hotel in Rome where we would be picked up at 1:30. I guess they figured we would breeze through customs and luggage in no time at all. So, I called Celebrity customer service and after a long-long time on hold was told they changed the transfer pick-up to "Airport." Celebrity guarantees we will get to the ship or they will arrange to get us to the first port. I've kind of lost faith in ChoiceAir and Celebrity customer service. What exactly happens if we don't make it to the ship?? This is our 33 cruise so we are not newbees but still are pretty nervous. The ship is Silhouette, 14 nights October 8th. I know a lot of people will say we should have booked a night in Rome but "been there, done that" and we were not eager to spend another $400 for a night in Rome.

Looks like to save $400. you are flying in the day of your cruise and arriving at port around 2pm. Good luck.

When we used Choice Air for our cruise last month we did a couple of things.

First, we booked 9 months ahead of time.

We also looked at various flights and times on our own using google air.

When we went to Choice Air site we saw over 50 different choices. We knew our price limit and the flights we wanted. When we called choice Air to book we asked for the speciic flights. I save $250 and my sister ,flying from another city, saved $300. by booking though Choice air instead of booking directly with the specific airline. We would have gotten even cheaper price but did not like the times or the connections of the other options.

We flew in two night before the cruise and stayed one night after cruise.

We liked using Choice Air for our trip this summer. It did save us some money.

Looks like to save $400. you are flying in the day of your cruise and arriving at port around 2pm. Good luck.

 

Looks like a great cruise!

There are five ships departing that day. Sounds like a busy day at the airport.

IF you have no flight delay, you may get to the ship in time. But nowadays, delays seem more the norm. :(

Will you have checked baggage to wait for?

With a 5pm sail away time, you could be just fine. But if you miss that, it looks like Celebrity will either hold the ship or transport (bus) you to Salerno, (your first port) the next day.

Too much stress for me. I'd have flown a day early. Just my 2 cents.

Cheers!

I believe that you'll be fine. Done what you are doing many times.

Thanks for the encouragement. We usually do fly in a day early from NH when we cruise the Caribbean in the winter but decided to do this same day arrival as it has always worked in the past. Non-stop is also a factor. $400 might not seem like a lot to some people but we would rather spend it on a nice tour or a better stateroom. I just noticed that the ship departure has been changed to 5pm from the original 3:30pm, probably because of the many ships departing from Civi. We will rest a little easier because of this. Happy sailing fellow cruisers!

I'm a little confused. While Choice Air will give you various flight options/prices you are the one who makes the final decision on whether or not that particular flight works for you.

For our recent cruise Choice Air first came up with a time/route that did not appeal to us but with a bit of seaching we found the perfect flight/route. If you weren't keen on a departure/arrival that late why did you select it? I looked and saw that is the ONLY direct flight on that day so if it was a direct flight you want it wouldn't have mattered if it was Choice Air or booking it direct.

And as far as the transfers, sounds like a simple mistake that was fixed.

As others have said, baring any travel issues you shouldn't have any problem making the cruise so don't fret about this. We've used Choice Air a number of times and have had no issues. They've even come in handy when a connection was missed. I've thankfully never missed a ship but reports are good that Choice Air does a decent job of getting you caught up to the ship.

And as far as Rome, I'm at a loss to know where everyone books and pays $400 a night (perhaps known North American brands) but we've been to Rome a number of times before and never paid more than $200. I just checked now and found over 100 4 star hotels for less than $200. Something to keep in mind in the future (perhaps you were only looking at what was on the Celebrity pre-post stay list).

BTW, once you get on the Silhouette (we just got off her in Amsterdam yesterday) you'll forget all about this :D

We are seasoned travelers - 45 yrs married with many cruises and land trips. We were always "fly in the day you board, etc". However we had a horrible experience last year - not a cruise - but it was an eye opener as to how things have changed in travel. We rented a villa in Sicily with 3 other family couples. We flew in the day our villa rental began - unfortunately for some reason our luggage did not arrive for 3 days. It was annoying to say the least (beautiful infinity pool overlooking the Mediterranean with no bathing suits!) but thankfully we were at one location for that week and our luggage found us. The following week we were driving throughout Sicily staying at varius B&Bs for a night and chances are our luggage would have just missed us each time. My point is we have vowed never to cut it that close again. Unless you only use carry on there is always a chance your luggage may not arrive when you do - even with a direct flight there is a chance it is put on the wrong plane, etc. Our next cruise is fairly simple - Caribbean b2b in October - but we are looking to do a transatlantic next spring and you can be sure even though we have seen Rome several times (that is the port we will most likely board from) we will just build into our cruise cost the cost of a night prior in Rome. No way do you have to spend $400 for one night in Rome - we use bookingdotcom and get great rates on hotels and B&Bs. Your vacation is supposed to be exciting and relaxing - not stressful. We have never used Choice Air but will check it out next time and absolutely add in a buffer of one night. Air travel has changed considerably and there are too many "what ifs" to factor in . . flight delays generally, computers going down (Delta a few weeks ago), weather (even if not snow extreme weather seems the norm in many places now), strikes at airports, etc. A "boring been there" extra day in Rome would be fine instead of agonizing as to whether you will make the ship. The cost of one night at a reasonable hotel is far mentally cheaper than perhaps missing your ship and having to pick it up at the next port or worrying about luggage arriving, etc.

I'm a little confused. While Choice Air will give you various flight options/prices you are the one who makes the final decision on whether or not that particular flight works for you.

 

For our recent cruise Choice Air first came up with a time/route that did not appeal to us but with a bit of seaching we found the perfect flight/route. If you weren't keen on a departure/arrival that late why did you select it? I looked and saw that is the ONLY direct flight on that day so if it was a direct flight you want it wouldn't have mattered if it was Choice Air or booking it direct.

 

And as far as the transfers, sounds like a simple mistake that was fixed.

 

As others have said, baring any travel issues you shouldn't have any problem making the cruise so don't fret about this. We've used Choice Air a number of times and have had no issues. They've even come in handy when a connection was missed. I've thankfully never missed a ship but reports are good that Choice Air does a decent job of getting you caught up to the ship.

 

And as far as Rome, I'm at a loss to know where everyone books and pays $400 a night (perhaps known North American brands) but we've been to Rome a number of times before and never paid more than $200. I just checked now and found over 100 4 star hotels for less than $200. Something to keep in mind in the future (perhaps you were only looking at what was on the Celebrity pre-post stay list).

 

BTW, once you get on the Silhouette (we just got off her in Amsterdam yesterday) you'll forget all about this :D

I am using ChoiceAir to fly to EU this October; I chose my flights but they were changed about month ago. I am not sure if it was the airline or Celebrity so you never really know what the final flights will be. Even if you book yourself flights can change.

I am using ChoiceAir to fly to EU this October; I chose my flights but they were changed about month ago. I am not sure if it was the airline or Celebrity so you never really know what the final flights will be. Even if you book yourself flights can change.

We had a similar situation last year where we booked thru Choice Air ( we selected the flights we wanted) and about 2 months before sailing the flights were changed. It turned out the the airline had stopped flying that route on Mondays. A call to Choice Air and a wait of about a day while the rebooking dept worked on it and we had flights that we were happy with.

I am using ChoiceAir to fly to EU this October; I chose my flights but they were changed about month ago. I am not sure if it was the airline or Celebrity so you never really know what the final flights will be. Even if you book yourself flights can change.

I think it's pretty safe to say that Celebrity doesn't change the airlines' flight schedules! If they get changed, it's the airlines that are doing it.

Choice Air does give you "choices". But it's up to you to always have a alternate plan in mind. If your flight is delayed, or canceled, call Choice Air, along with arranging new flights with the airline. Always have a Plan B in mind.

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Flights change all the time and fights are often delayed which is why I don't chance same day arrival however, for me, a lot depends on my tolerance for risk.

If the overseas flight is delayed by a few hours and you miss the ship, how much of your cruise do you miss? I won't fly into Miami same day as an eastbound transatlantic because if my flight has mechanical issues and I miss the ship, I miss 7 days or so of my vacation.

If the very next day is a port and its not a port I have anything planned, then maybe I'd risk a same day arrival. Just up to you and your tolerance for risk.

Overseas flights can have delays just like others - just the flight history of on time arrivals. I use flight aware which tells me my flight from Miami to London is an average of 1 1/2 hours late. I'll try to get a screen shot for you.

Top right of this screen shot from flight aware shows where I can find out statistics on my flight

Think positive and next time just remember the feeing you have today... Good luck! Vacations are always full of little issues when flying nowadays, but that doesn't mean you can't beat the odds!

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Top right of this screen shot from flight aware shows where I can find out statistics on my flight

 

Lisah101 ... Am I reading this screen shot correctly?

It seems to show that this flight (AA56) typically leaves an hour late (7-day average) and arrives an hour and a half late?:eek:

Golly!

Off to visit that site.

Looks like to save $400. you are flying in the day of your cruise and arriving at port around 2pm. Good luck.

 

When we used Choice Air for our cruise last month we did a couple of things.

First, we booked 9 months ahead of time.

We also looked at various flights and times on our own using google air.

When we went to Choice Air site we saw over 50 different choices. We knew our price limit and the flights we wanted. When we called choice Air to book we asked for the speciic flights. I save $250 and my sister ,flying from another city, saved $300. by booking though Choice air instead of booking directly with the specific airline. We would have gotten even cheaper price but did not like the times or the connections of the other options.

We flew in two night before the cruise and stayed one night after cruise.

We liked using Choice Air for our trip this summer. It did save us some money.

Looks like you did exactly what we did for our upcoming cruise, a little research. Also, I agree with the earlier poster about the airlines changing the flights/schedule and Choice having nothing to do with it.

We both have the airline rebooking number on our phones. We were booked with Choice Air on AA, LAX to Pisa (spending three nights in Lucca prior to Constellation TA), change of planes at JFK and an overnight at LHR. Our JFK connection was about 3 hours. We had to abort take off at LAX and return to gate. Were told they could fix it, then it was going to be an equipment change. Fairly sure we would miss our connection at JFK which was the last one to LHR that evening. While still stuck on the plane AA rebooked us on non stop BA flight and everything worked out. Not sure if Choice Air would have worked this all out for us. Sure we would make the ship but our pre cruise stay would have been a bust.

Lisah101 ... Am I reading this screen shot correctly?

 

It seems to show that this flight (AA56) typically leaves an hour late (7-day average) and arrives an hour and a half late?:eek:

 

Golly!

 

Off to visit that site.

Yes, you read that right! That is exactly why I use this website when I'm booking flights. I'm on this flight in October but booked a long layover so I'm covered. If the flight is on time, I'll take Heathrow express into London for a quick tour, if it's late, I'll hang out in the airport lounge and not stress over a missed connection.

Another tip for those with bad airline routings - have a plan before you call the airline. Find flight options that work and ask to have to flights changed to those instead of telling them you have an issue. I find they tend to be friendlier if I call with a solution rather than just a problem.

Thanks for the encouragement. We usually do fly in a day early from NH when we cruise the Caribbean in the winter but decided to do this same day arrival as it has always worked in the past. Non-stop is also a factor. $400 might not seem like a lot to some people but we would rather spend it on a nice tour or a better stateroom. I just noticed that the ship departure has been changed to 5pm from the original 3:30pm, probably because of the many ships departing from Civi. We will rest a little easier because of this. Happy sailing fellow cruisers!

As many have said, you can choose your flights with Choice Air. There are plenty of nice hotel rooms in Civitavecchia for $100 or less. Why not call Choice Air to see if you can arrive the day before without penalty and make sure you don't miss the ship. It's a cute little town with plenty of restaurants.

As many have said, you can choose your flights with Choice Air. There are plenty of nice hotel rooms in Civitavecchia for $100 or less. Why not call Choice Air to see if you can arrive the day before without penalty and make sure you don't miss the ship. It's a cute little town with plenty of restaurants.

We have used Choiceair several times. We always go two days early and have never paid a penalty.

We have used Choiceair several times. We always go two days early and have never paid a penalty.

If there is a penalty, it would be an airline "change" fee.

I sure would give it a try. We like to make sure our luggage isn't delayed.

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Lisah101 ... Am I reading this screen shot correctly?

 

It seems to show that this flight (AA56) typically leaves an hour late (7-day average) and arrives an hour and a half late?:eek:

 

Golly!

 

Off to visit that site.

This is an excellent site. I use it all the time. It even tells/shows you where your plane is coming from that your suppose to board and how delayed that flight is.

We have arrived in Pisa as much as four days before the cruise sailing from Civitavecchia and flown home from a cruise ending in Civitavecchia ten days later out of Milan. Never a penalty.

We have arrived in Pisa as much as four days before the cruise sailing from Civitavecchia and flown home from a cruise ending in Civitavecchia ten days later out of Milan. Never a penalty.

The penalty would be for changing the reservation she already has. (A change fee) There is never any penalty for making reservations earlier or later. They may or may not want to charge a change fee. Depends on the airline.

Yes, you read that right! That is exactly why I use this website when I'm booking flights. I'm on this flight in October but booked a long layover so I'm covered. If the flight is on time, I'll take Heathrow express into London for a quick tour, if it's late, I'll hang out in the airport lounge and not stress over a missed connection.

 

Another tip for those with bad airline routings - have a plan before you call the airline. Find flight options that work and ask to have to flights changed to those instead of telling them you have an issue. I find they tend to be friendlier if I call with a solution rather than just a problem.

Flightaware also has "track inbound flight" to see if your scheduled plane is running late. If it is in the air and running late, still hang out near the scheduled gate and keep your ears tuned to the announcements, eyes on the gate desk! The airline might do an equipment swap and leave on time.

I also like using Flightaware (with sign in) and flight stats to see if I should pad my connections. Some airports and airlines are fine with 35 min international connection time while others need wary travelers taking weather into consideration to "self protect". Most airlines also pad their flight duration a bit these days to allow for smaller delays to come in "on time".

It is also wise when traveling from inclement weather to take one of the earlier flights per day and check alternative connections and non-stops. Many of the low cost carriers don't have agreements to put you on a legacy carrier but you might be able to get there with miles/points/cash.

Choice Air allows US customers to choose their flights, pick refundable or non, and call them to ask for fare class and change/cancel policies if mileage earning or flexibility is important. I usually prefer to arrange my own ground transportation and they've never tried to upsell me on that.