styme123

2 hours ago, Ombud said:

Once you get your ticket # (which is different than the one that shows on Princess, call to get it) you can buy your seat from the Air Canada website or by calling them. I did. I only paid $25 more but wished I had paid $65 as that came with 1 bag free checked luggage + the front of the Montreal to SFO  nonstop flight

Do you mean once your ticketed and paid through EZAir or just booked a reservation you called.

6 hours ago, caribill said:

Need to watch connection times. "Legal" connection times may not be practical connections.

I have read on some reviews that EZAir can sometimes change your non-stop flight to a longer stop over one to keep their profit margin up. Meaning you book non stop, pay for your ticket then toward the time your ready to fly they change your ticket to a less desired stop over flight which might be cheaper for them but not what you want timing wise. The PCP that I spoke to said yes they can do that if they need to. They also said if the flight I'm on is canceled I would have to pay additional charges for a new flight. I would imagine the flights at the last minute would be very costly. I don't fly that often so I don't know know if that's the same if I booked directly with the airlines that would be the same.    

1 hour ago, frugaltravel said:

The biggest negative of EZ Air tickets is that they are not normal airline tickets. Princess purchases them in bulk, thus they are called "bulk" tickets. If everything goes as planned there is not an issue. But if there are issues with the airline operations the bulk tickets usually get last choice of rebooking. It does not happen often but it is something people should consider more often before purchasing such tickets.

I heard this as well. Also if there is a problem Princess wasn't much help to correct it. Where if you are booked directly with the airline they are more likely to. Not sure if that's true.

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Can't really answer your question as we are using EZ air for the first time, also flying to London (Norwegian fjords cruise). But, we immediately had seats assigned for our outgoing flight on British Airways. On our return flight, on a different airlines, the seats were not assigned at the time we made the booking though I was able later to call and got seats assigned.

Huh, when I try and pick the seats on my flight through EZAir it says to contact Brit Air directly to pick seats. Maybe it's because of the code sharing with AA. Did BA charge you to pick your seats? On their website it's $34 for the option and additional $84 for the ones we wanted in economy.

I've never used EZAir and am thinking about using it for international flight from NY to London for summer BI cruise. Has anyone had negative experiences with it? I've been hearing positive ones mostly.  When I was speaking to a PCP they did say that if I ticketed my flight and a good refare price came up I wouldn't be able to use the promo. Also that the ticket is not really mine until I pay for it, more of just holding it for me, so seats aren't always guaranteed. Some of the airlines also charge for seat assignment which is not factored into the price. That price could be as much as $120 (Brit Airways).  TIA

22 hours ago, markeb said:

Unless you're going to move to London, you can't see it. Pick some things you want to do, and enjoy them. And build in some time to just get lost. It's an amazing city that I could visit as often as possible.

That's such a good point. I think I usually tend to want to plan every minute to get the most out of it, almost as if I could never return. It often makes for grumpy travel companions as well. 😁

13 hours ago, GottaLuvCruising said:

Did you choose aft / mid aft?  I don't think the forward balconies have the extended coverage.  We've done this location twice and loved it.  We booked the same are on the Sky hoping for the same coverage.  Here's a shot looking aft from our mini-suite M522.  You can see how far beyond the railing that the Lido Deck extends.   A few months earlier we were on the Royal with a deck 14 balcony and noticed the extended coverage for balconies above us, so set our sights on that location.

That's exactly the large over hang I was looking for. We booked way back in aft almost at the end under the food court. The only thing that has me concerned now is I saw a photo of the decks from the back and the ship kind of tapers in. Don't know if we are too far back now. I couldn't find any other photos with different angles to see. 

Would you book your plane fare before sorting out all the details of what time and where you want to see things? or work the things you want to see around your flights. My basic idea for flight times was fly in early Fri about 8-9:00am and Fly out late around 7:00-9:00pm on Sat. I'm nervous that the flights will increase in price a lot as I'm planning. Planning takes me a while as I tend to over research/analyze everything. 

15 hours ago, Bob++ said:

If you are booked at a hotel, most of them will store your bags until check in. If you go to London for your first night, you need to book a hotel near Victoria or Waterloo Stations, for transport to Southampton on sailing day. 

 

Maybe take a trip down the river, which is a good and easy way to see some of the main attractions.

 

The river trip might be a nice relaxing option as well. Good ideas thank you!

14 hours ago, John Bull said:

Similar answer to Bob's.

 

There are various minor pros & cons for Heathrow vs Gatwick,  but much more significant will be the best airfare, flight times and your airline preference. So choose by those factors, and the airport will be what it will be.

...........................................

You don't really have time, and probably won't have the energy) to visit London pre-cruise - but if you want to do that I suggest an airport hotel, register & leave your bags at the hotel (no problem leaving your luggage ahead of check-in time) and go into London ........................... 

 

- from Heathrow by direct tube-line (London's metro) & get off at Piccadilly or the Heathrow Express train (buy HEX tickets months in advance because buying on-the-day will cost about four times as much) which goes direct to Paddington station.. 

Paddington isn't as convenient to London sights as Piccadilly. Return to hotel same-way.

In the morning travel to Southampton by Nat Express bus ( about £21, 2hrs 15 mins, do pre-book the bus)) and short taxi ride (about £8) from Southampton coach station to ship. Or by the International Friends' coach tour-transfer linked by Bob, which includes a diversion and entry tickets for Stonehenge - luggage travels on the coach.

 

- from Gatwick by direct Gatwick Express train to London Victoria station (or the regular stopping train takes only a couple of minutes longer & costs less if you buy advance tickets). Return to hotel same-way. In the morning take the direct hourly train to Southampton ( 2 hours. as low as £20 if you buy advance tickets, available from about 8 weeks out) and short taxi ride (about £8) from Southampton central to ship. (no Stonehenge option from Gatwick)

-------------------------------

 

A central London hotel will be expensive, particularly because you're unlikely to arrive in central London before early afternoon, and no time to sight-see on the morning of your cruise. But if that's what you choose, make it a hotel in Victoria, which is best-placed for travel from Gatwick by train or bus and from Heathrow by tube or bus and to Souhampton by bus.

It's also convenient to the ho-no bus routes, which I'd recommend for a whistle-stop tour of the sights without getting off (except at Buckingham Palace if you want to see it, because the buses don't pass the front of it). Ho-ho tickets include a short river cruise.

The Int Friends' Stonehenge tour-transfer is an option for travel to Southampton

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

To travel to Southampton from the airport, pre-book the Nat Express bus from Heathrow, or the train from Gatwick.

Choose one of the Southampton hotels on this web-page

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm

There's a useful sketch map at the foot of that page.

Note the rail & coach stations, and cruise terminals.

 

Depending on mood, weather, and energy levels you can visit Salisbury (recommended) by train and, if time allows, jump on the Stonehenge ho-ho tour at Salisbury station.

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/

Or a short train ride to Winchester (Bob had a brain malfunction when he mentioned Warwick, a couple of hundred miles away )

Or stay in Southampton - it's not a tourist  city but does have enough historic sights to amuse a visitor for a day.. And you'll have the time (if not the energy )  to explore Southampton on cruise morning.

There's no advantage in pre-booking trains to Salisbury or Winchester, or for the Stonehenge bus from Salisbury.

So you can make your own minds up on the day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Post-cruise you'll have a full day in London with mebbe a half-day each side of it.

Direct train or direct bus to central London (pre-booked both bus & train are cheap), choose a hotel in Waterloo (by train) or Victoria (by bus).

Or the International Friends' tour-transfer. Much better value in this direction because the timing is not constrained by check-in time for your cruise so there's time for Salisbury Cathedral & Windsor Castle as well, and you get dropped at - or a few yards from - your central London hotel.

Again, ho-ho is good for an over-view. But for inside visits to the sights it's a lot quicker to to get around by tube.

For you flights home, a hotel in Victoria  is good for travel to Gatwick and tolerably convenient by tube or Nat Express bus for Heathrow. Waterloo is less-convenient for either airport.

 

----------------------------------

 

Both pre-cruie & post-cruise hotels will store your luggage, usually without a fee, ahead of check-in and after check-out.

 

Lots of options there, each has its pros & cons.

To maximise your time choose an early flight in and a late flight back. But think about jet-lag and energy levels generally.

 

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/

https://www.theoriginaltour.com/en

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-bus-tours

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

(Don't bother printing off, tube maps are repeated on tourist maps, on leaflets and at tube stations.

 

JB 

 

 

Thank you Soooo much for your detailed response. It is so helpful and I appreciate all the time you took to put in all the options and links. It has so many good options to think about. 

13 hours ago, geoherb said:

There's never enough time in London. This fall, we had two nights in London before our cruise. We could not get away sooner. I booked a hotel near Trafalgar Square so we could be walking distance to see shows both nights. Our flight landed around noon, so by the time we made it through customs and immigration and took the Tube, we could check in. I walked to Leicester Square to get tickets for shows. DH rested since he had not slept on the plane. On our full day in London, we went to Kew Gardens to see the Chihuly exhibit there. It was a wonderful day. And then a nice dinner and a show that night. We took a National Express coach the morning of our cruise from Victoria Coach Station. 

 

My recommendation would be to try to add more time to your trip. We had six nights in London and one in Southampton last year before our transatlantic cruise.

I wish I could add more time. DH has to get back to work.

13 hours ago, GottaLuvCruising said:

The most overhang is mid-aft to aft on Marina Deck 15.  If it was me, I would book a regular balcony in that area (if available.)  I prefer my balcony shaded and in this area, the lido deck extends far beyond the balcony, making ours usable almost all the time.  

I do like having the extra seating area in the deluxe balcony, but it really isn't a lot of space.  

I just re-booked and went with your recommendation of Marina Deck. I felt like it was worth it saving money and being able to pick where I wanted to be. The large overhang for me is very important as I burn so quickly. Thank you

7 hours ago, patrickmoran said:

What itinerary? How long is the cruise? How many port days?

It's a very port intensive cruise of the British Isles, 12 days, 9 ports starting in Southampton, London.

30 minutes ago, Bob++ said:

Given that you have the time you could book a tour via Stonehenge on your return to Southampton. International Friends do one used by many on this forum. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/Southampton-Cruise-Tour-Transfer-To-London.html

Thanks for the feedback Bob. The international Friends tour was the one I was thinking about. Any ideas about luggage storage?

On 10/30/2019 at 4:41 PM, scottbee said:

Personally?  I'd likely fly into Gatwick, take the train to Southampton, drop luggage and explore the area (such as Portsmouth Harbour, or Stonehenge -- which are close to Southampton), get a good night's sleep and join the ship the next day. 

 

If you land at say 9:00a, by the time you've got your luggage, through immigration/customs and into the city, it will be noon, you'll be tired and cranky, and I doubt you'll get a huge amount of exploring done.

 

I like that idea and was looking into the tours that go to Stonehenge and a few other spots. That might be a more laid-back option to trying to see London sights on the same day we fly in. The cruise ends on a Thursday and we fly out Saturday night so maybe that would be a better time to see the sights in the city and fly out of Heathrow.

I'm currently booked on guaranteed Deluxe Balcony on the Regal this summer to BI. Would you go with a regular balcony where you can pick your location and room or go with the larger room and Princess picking for you?  The price for the larger Deluxe Balcony is only $100pp. I like the idea of the added room, just not the idea I could be anywhere.

Also which deck has the most overhang? I burn easily. I was thinking the decks toward the top but was also worried about noise from the clubs/buffets. I was thinking about Caribe deck as I heard positive reviews about it for being quiet.

Thank you

My DH and I will be on a BI cruise with Princess this summer. I'm hoping fellow CC can guide me on a few questions that I had.

 Does anyone have opinions about flying into Heathrow or Gatwick? Some airline reviews said Gatwick was less crowded. I was leaning toward Delta or Virgin Atlantic as a carrier.

We will be flying in from NY late Thursday night and landing on Fri morning early. The cruise leaves on Saturday. So we have one day pre-cruise I guess. What is realistic for us to see or do for the day or so before the cruise? I'm more of a runner that wants to get it all in, my husband is not. He would be happy with going to the hotel and taking a nap 😁 Will we burn ourselves out before the cruise even starts if we pack sights into the Fri we land?

The cruise returns on a Thurs and we will Fly back to NY on Saturday night so that gives us 2-3 days.

If the ship docks at 5:00am when would we be off by?

Should we plan much for the day we fly out? We can leave late like 9/10:00pm. 

Most of the sights I want to see are the usual touristy things like the Palace, Thames Bridge, Big Ben. I would also like to do the Stonehenge area tour. I haven't looked into how long each of these places take or how to get around.

I want to pick my flight times but I'm a little nervous to do so without having my days planned out.

On our last day or when we fly in, what do you do with your luggage while your sightseeing? We'll be flying in at about 8/10:00am most hotels don't let you check-in till later.

Thank you for all your feedback.   

4 hours ago, sumiandkage said:

A high mishandled luggage rate for an airline is 3 per 1000 passengers and the vast majority of mishandled bags are located and returned within a couple hours of scheduled passenger arrival. Delta mainline currently has the lowest mishandled bag rate at about 1.5 per 1000 passengers. 

 

I will also say good things about Delta's willingness in general to work hard to get me and my bags to a final destination when things go wrong (and Stuff Happens on even the best run airline- it's a hugely complex system with countless variables that may impact operations in a negative way) even in the days when I had no elite status and was flying in the cheapest possible fare class. They give their employees fairly broad power to fix things for passengers and a lot of those employees do use their powers for good. 

 

As for Comfort+ and other extra leg room seats the decision matrix has a couple of big questions- do you have tall people in your travel party? Are you picky about which meal you get on long haul flights? (But not so picky that you need to do a special meal request) At an international destination, does immigration tend to bottleneck and would being ahead of 100+ others in that line be a big advantage? 

 

I'm married to a 6'2" fella so tend to go to the C+ option right quick when the flight segments in question are more than 2 hours. 

My husband and I are both 5'8" so the height factor is good. It more of the leg room and not being claustrophobic. I don't care about the food or drinks really. I could just wait till we land if the food was that bad. It's only a 7 hr flight. I've never dealt with immigration before so not sure what that entails or how airline perks play into it. 

11 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Be careful tossing around the phrase "basic economy."  The way you've worded your post here, it's hard to tell if you are saying basic economy and really mean economy that isn't premium economy, or if you are talking about the actual booking class offered by some airlines that they all "basic economy." 

I can't speak to the details of Virgin, AA or BA, but as a Delta frequent flyer let me clarify their offerings:

Basic Economy:  this gets you a seat in the economy cabin but you are the very last to board and you can't pick your seat til check in

Main Cabin:  this gets you a seat in the economy cabin.  I have status so can always choose my seat ahead of time.  I'm not sure about non-status passengers but I *think* Delta still lets you choose ahead of time, at least for international flights, but the seats they offer may be limited to back of the plane, non exit-rows, etc.

Comfort Plus:  this also gets you a seat in the economy cabin, but it will be one of the first few rows of economy, which have been placed a littler further apart to allow a few inches of extra legroom.  You will board before Main Cabin, and should also be able to choose your seats in advance.  Note:  This is NOT "premium economy."  The cost likely isn't too much more than MC.

Premium Select:  This IS premium economy, but is not offered on all international routes.  The cost will generally be significantly more than Main Cabin.  In addition to more legroom, the actual seat is different than the seats in the economy cabin, and offer significantly more recline, a footrest, a better meal service, and a dedicated flight attendant for the PS cabin.

Delta One:  Delta's business class cabin which I won't detail since you are not considering this.

 

From everything you've said, I would suggest looking at Comfort Plus if you go with Delta.

Yeah I was referring to the entry level basic economy that gets you basically on the plane and in a seat. No picking the seat out, no other perks. 

11 hours ago, wowzz said:

Personally I wouldn't book with Norwegian until they get through this winter.  Their financials are improving, but they are not out of the woods yet.

If you can afford it, PE is a good compromise between economy and club. My preference is Virgin over BA, as you get free seat selection with VS, and, imho better service.

I wouldn't stress unduly about taking hold luggage - on direct,  non-stop flights, the chances of luggage going astray are small. If you decide  to down the  hand baggage only route, BA allow a massive 23kg, albeit within the proscribed luggage dimensions.

One of the advantages of flying with BA or VS, is that you are covered by  EU261 regulations in the event of certain delays.

That's a good point about the luggage not getting lost on a non-stop flight. I guess I was thinking that if they messed up and didn't even put it on the plane. I think it might be more automated now than years to avoid that but I could be wrong. After looking at a few airlines I think I've narrowed it down to 4, Delta, Virgin Atl, American, and BA. I've priced out Economy and Premium. Premium doubles my ticket and cost about $1,200 to 1,500pp, out of my budget. For me the most important aspect on the flight is the seat space and being able to pick my seat to sit next to my DH. Most of the airlines won't like you pick a seat at all in basic Econ, so I'll have to bump up to the next level any way. I'm trying to see if it's work going from that level to the next where you get 3 inches of more space. I'm not sure if that's a noticeable difference to make it worth a few hundred dollars more. 

We did want to try and fly into Heathrow to do some sightseeing when we got off the plane in the morning. Drop the bags at the hotel kind of thing and go. I'm not sure if that's a realistic idea or not. We would be flying overnight Thur into Fri morning, cruise leaves Sat morning. We do have 2/3 days post cruise as well.      

Thanks so much for the input on the seats, I guess the problem now is not being able to use the discount airfare if I'm going to refare later. I wonder if you can book your airfare with EZair after your deposit window passes? I wonder if the prices would still bet the direct airlines at that point?

3 minutes ago, PoohUnderstands said:

Just booked with BA on EZair for first/business flight and I was able to pick my seats while I booked my EZ air.  Went to BA site afterwards, and my seats are reflected there.  Glad I didn't have to pay extra!

 

Pooh

yeah I think you have to book first/business to not have to pay with BA.

8 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I picked my seats on AA, United, Delta, & Air New Zealand for free. Air Canada was $26. Air France was $150 & BA was $190 but that included upgrading seats. I've discovered that if I refare I need to immediately go to the airline website and reselect seats

I guess I might need to research which airlines don't charge and stick with stick them. I did notice at first glance though that the tickets for Delta were more expensive than BA. So I wonder if they just built the seat cost into the ticket already.

I spoke to my PVP last night and she said if I get "ticketed" using a promo discount of $200 off airfare, than I won't be able to refare later since you can't use that EZAir discount and any others. I was looking to refare in Feb as the prices usually drop again then and have some sort of promo added also. 

9 minutes ago, Tapi said:

New York to London is one of the busiest and most competitive routes in the world, which translates into affordable fares.

 

I’d recommend that you look at flight times and fares and pick the one that best suits your needs. I wouldn’t have any problems flying on any of the airlines that fly this route (Delta, American, Virgin, or British). The only airline that I would avoid is Norwegian (which flies into Gatwick). They are currently facing financial struggles, so even if they offer a lower fare, don’t take the bait.

 

Traditionally, Transatlantic flights operate during the night, leaving the US in the evening and arriving in Europe the next morning, but out of New York there are some flight that leave in the morning arriving that same evening, making it easier on your body and minimizing jet lag. I would take one of those flights if I were you. 

We were thinking of flying out late at night after 8:00 getting to London in early morning. My husband has to work that day. I was going to fly in on late Thurs night and sight see a little on Fri. Our ship leaves on Saturday. I have heard about the jet lag though. Don't know if I'm expected too much to do after getting off a flight. Trying to pack in as much as can to see in London. We will also have 2 days post cruise.

I'm booked on a BI cruise this Aug and was wondering if anyone had recommendations about airlines they liked/disliked flying out of NY (probably JFK to HLR but close to LGA also). I'm on a bit of a budget so it will probably need to be economy or premium economy I'm guessing. Is it better to fly on domestic plans like AA, Delta etc. or BA, KLM, Virgin? I've only flown twice in my life so not much experience. I've also been finding that you now have to pay to pick your seat? The price of that can almost add $300 to the tickets! Seems like they nickle and dime you. My DH and I will be flying with just carry-on so no checked bags needed. I'd rather pack lite than have my bags lost 😉 Any advice would be appreciated.