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Questions about booking air through RC (Air2Sea)


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Hi, I have never booked airfare through the cruise line before, and need some advice. How far in advance do I book? I tried to go on the website and see fares for a December 2018 cruise, and there was nothing available. Do people generally recommend booking this way, especially in winter where flights may be delayed or cancelled? Thanks!

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Hi, I have never booked airfare through the cruise line before, and need some advice. How far in advance do I book? I tried to go on the website and see fares for a December 2018 cruise, and there was nothing available. Do people generally recommend booking this way, especially in winter where flights may be delayed or cancelled? Thanks!

I would only recommend booking air via the cruise line if you are booking one-way international flights. If you are booking domestic flights, there's no real advantage to using the cruise air.

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, especially in winter where flights may be delayed or cancelled? !

 

Not sure what this part has to do with anything.

 

Booking thru their Air2Sea program does not make the weather go away, nor does it "Guarantee" that you'll get to the ship.

 

All their "Guarantee" says is that they will use all their resources to assist you to get to the ship.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithGallery.do?pagename=air_travel_programs

 

When your vacation comes around, you don't want to miss the ship because of flight delays or cancellations. Book airfare through us and we guarantee, should an issue arise, our Emergency Travel Team will work with our airline partners to get you to the first available port of call.







That last part only works if you have passports.

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If you book your own flights, do not arrive the day of your cruise.

 

So, are you saying: "If you use cruise air, it's OK to arrive the day of the cruise"?

 

 

If so, that's the biggest leap in logic. There's nothing about cruiseline air that makes it inherently "safer" than booking on your own. That is, aside from the "guarantee" that is nothing more than a pledge to try to help, but with nothing for sure.

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OP, I would say that most of the experienced cruisers (and fliers) would not recommend booking air through the cruise line in most instances as most experienced cruisers would not recommend booking a hotel through the cruise line.

 

Some people do book one and/or both for different reasons and in some cases it is because they don't want to do the work on their own to make the arrangements and for some (in some cases someone going solo or even a couple needing a lot of hand holding) they will go this route.

 

Personally even if it costs me more money I like controlling my own destiny and many years ago as a very new cruiser I did use cruise air one time but for me that was enough. The only exception to that was on some very long cruises we took where air was part of the program and in those cases I could still control my destiny.

 

What does that mean?

 

I like selecting the flights myself whether or not they involve one flight or changing planes.

 

I often do not go with the recommended flights when a change of plane is involved because I prefer much more time then the legal times for connecting flights.

 

I also prefer selecting airline, what time the flight is and being able to do my seat assignments sooner rather then later since I normally book the air months in advance.

 

I know with some cruise lines for an additional fee you can have more control but I like to have the control from the time I book the flight until I take the flight and that includes when changes happen with respect to schedules so if I don't like the change I can get directly with the airline.

 

Like most things you will get a range of opinions on this.

 

There is a sticky thread on this board about cruise air and air deviation. Too many posts to read them all but you might be able to find a few to read.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=530322

 

Good luck with all of this.

 

Keith

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Sounds like I need to explain more. We are coming a day early. Where we live, at that time of year, flights get cancelled. If I book through RC and my flight does not make it in time for the cruise, they will fly me to the first stop where I can then board the ship.

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If I book through RC and my flight does not make it in time for the cruise, they will fly me to the first stop where I can then board the ship.

 

You might want to read the fine print one more time. That is, assuming you already read it, rather than just relying on marketing hype.

 

They will not "fly you to the first stop". They may "work with" the airline to try to get you to your next destination, but there is no guarantee. Big difference and big assumptions. In addition, air travel will require you to hold valid passports, not just drivers licences.

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They actually told me by phone that they will fly me to the next stop. Not sure why they would say that if they don't do it.

 

Well, here's the thing. They may very well do everything they can to get you to the next stop, but there's really no guarantee. Let's say you're leaving out of Miami, and the next stop is St. Maarten (just picking a random place). They may do everything they can, but if the flights to St. Maarten are full, there's nothing they can do.

 

 

Mind you, it's the same booking with a regular airline - if the flights are full, they're full - but they don't make any promises they may not be able to keep.

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Sounds like I need to explain more. We are coming a day early. Where we live, at that time of year, flights get cancelled. If I book through RC and my flight does not make it in time for the cruise, they will fly me to the first stop where I can then board the ship.

 

Aside from the issue already mentioned (they will TRY, and it will depend on the availability of seats) it will also depend on your itinerary. If you have booked a closed loop cruise from a US port, and the first port call on the cruise is also part of the US (i.e. Puerto Rico, or St. Thomas) you won't be able to board there, as it would violate the PVSA, which says you can't board the cruise at one US port and disembark the cruise at another. If this was the case with your particular itinerary, you'd have to wait and fly to the 2nd, or possibly even the 3rd port of call. Allowing for the possibility of sea days in between, it's possible that one could miss a good chunk of their cruise.

 

 

Note: This may not be the case for your itinerary, but may help someone else reading who believes the "guarantee" hype has no limitations.

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To the OP, as you can probably tell, many of the regulars on this thread do not like cruiseline air. I've used it when it makes sense and have booked my own flights when it makes sense (making sense being a random set of variables including price, route, time of year).

 

IMHO many of the scenarios brought up are no better if you book your own air and miss the ship. If that happens you are still restricted on when/if you can join the ship and if you book the air yourself it's YOUR expense. The key is to understand that there is no magic by booking with Air2Sea. They do offer some "guarantees" but none of those can make your plane land on time or bypass laws. On one of my cruises where Choice Air (Celebrity) was used I missed my connection and was in jeopardy of missing the ship. The airline rebooked me on the next flight (Choice Air did not need to get involved) and during a quick discussion with Choice Air they said they would advise the ship of my delay and in the event I missed the ship would transport me to the next port (this was in Europe so no issues with arriving at the next port). Ultimately we made the ship and they were aware of my delay and were expecting me. Will I use Choice Air again, sure.

 

Key is to choose flights that give you the best chance of making it to the port on time. Understanding that things can go wrong and huge storms can hit that can play havoc with the best laid plans.

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To the OP, as you can probably tell, many of the regulars on this thread do not like cruiseline air.

 

It's not that we "don't like" cruise air; rather, we hear a lot of people make incorrect assumptions about cruise air and/or misinterpret the "guarantees" made by cruise air. Cruise air has the potential to save you a bunch of money, and it also has the advantage of possibly flying you to the next port at no additional cost (to you) if you miss the ship. But, there are also some potential restrictions with cruise air tickets, and some issues that cruise air can't solve (and to be fair, neither can the airline if one books with them), and one should go into it eyes wide open and fully understand what they are getting. Then and only then can one decide if cruise air is the best option for them.

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It's not that we "don't like" cruise air; rather, we hear a lot of people make incorrect assumptions about cruise air and/or misinterpret the "guarantees" made by cruise air. Cruise air has the potential to save you a bunch of money, and it also has the advantage of possibly flying you to the next port at no additional cost (to you) if you miss the ship. But, there are also some potential restrictions with cruise air tickets, and some issues that cruise air can't solve (and to be fair, neither can the airline if one books with them), and one should go into it eyes wide open and fully understand what they are getting. Then and only then can one decide if cruise air is the best option for them.

 

Completely concur.

 

I have no objections to anyone doing whatever they want with their money. That's what capitalism is all about - the freedom to make your own individual choices based upon your own priorities and needs.

 

However, a significant factor in that is for the consumer to do due dilligence in their purchases. Be a highly informed consumer who recognizes product differences and doesn't just reactively buy on price or some unsubstantiated hype. I try to provide information - the decision process though is yours.

 

 

Personally, cruiseline air is a niche product for my needs - when all the other alternatives are significantly worse propositions. Have I used cruiseline air in the past - yes. Will I in the future - perhaps. Is it automatically bad - no way would I make that kind of blanket assertion.

 

Caveat Emptor.

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Most of the guarantee of arrival with no additional cost is by the airline. If they have a problem such as a mechanical issue, they will get you to your arrival point with no additional cost. There may be a delay. They may do a bit more for a big cruise line type customer or not.

 

Weather and other things may cause many days delay that is covered by travel insurance.

 

There is no magic guarantee for arrival.

 

We plan to arrive one day early by taking air deviation and purchase travel insurance.

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I found air2sea extremely helpful last Feb.

 

We scheduled our flights to come in one day before but a winter storm shut down the airports on the east coast. The airline ( United) already rebooked me to the next day (cruise day). I was a ball of nerves. The flight left on time out of CMH to Washington. We boarded on time (7 am) out of Washington to FLL. However, we sat on the tarmac for 3 hours in total. During hour 2 I called air2sea and explained what was going on. The plane had let us de-board very briefly. The very kind lady told me the flight might be cancelled so she went ahead and booked us on another flight arriving in FLL at 2pm on another airline (cutting it close). Even though the flight cancellation was not confirmed and no added expense to me. We were ready to go check in when United told us they had another plane and we were reboarding.

 

The delayed flight finally took off and we arrived around noon. When I turned my phone back on she had called and left me a message saying she saw my flight took off and she cancelled the other reservations and to call her back if we had any trouble arriving. I found it very reassuring to know I had someone to call and work with when we had delay issues. I think I spent $60 in total fees booking with air2sea but it was well worth it.

 

We did talk about flying into our first port (Cozumel) if we missed the ship completely. She confirmed we had passports and advised if that happened we would spend the night either in Washington or FLL and would take a flight to Cozumel the next day to meet the ship.

 

Everything was handled so well.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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  • 6 months later...

Just want to add my recent experience in case others look to this thread. I had a tough time deciding if we should book air directly or through Royal Caribbean's Air2Sea (for the July/August 2018 Mediterranean cruise we just returned from). THANK GOD I booked through Air2Sea!! I ultimately decided to book through Air2Sea b/c there were tons of flight/airline options and they were all a couple hundred dollars cheaper than booking direct. (We flew Milwaukee, WI to Barcelona - with one layover on the east coast.) I learned literally minutes before my family of four was leaving the house for the airport that our United Airlines flight was cancelled (they did not email or phone me; I for whatever reason decided to log on and check right before leaving). My heart started racing and I felt sick to my stomach. While my husband called the in-laws (who were meeting us in Barcelona for this trip) I called United. I was on the phone with a nice lady for at least an hour. She tried all kinds of other flights and options and there was nothing she could do for us. We were booked on the same flight the next day. We would still make the cruise (we had planned to arrive a day early), but we would miss our Barcelona hotel stay and the three sites I had already purchased tickets for online (Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, and Casa Batllo). This was a trip we had been saving for and planning for years - a graduation celebration for our twins. I was nearly in tears. I decided to call Air2Sea next. Within about ten minutes the gentleman was able to book us on another airline (something United couldn't do for us) and we arrived in Barcelona just 2 hours after originally planned. Air2Sea saved our trip! I would like to kiss them and send them a Christmas gift this year!! :)

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  • 1 year later...
On 2/3/2018 at 4:57 PM, Host Clarea said:

I would only recommend booking air via the cruise line if you are booking one-way international flights. If you are booking domestic flights, there's no real advantage to using the cruise air.

I'm looking at booking a flight from Barcelona to Orlando one way next March 2020.  

I don't know whats included in the price?  Economy is about $500.  But how do we know the additional costs for things like seat selection, bags, meals etc.?  Premium Economy is $2,000?  I called Air2Sea and they told me I choose my flight and purchase it then contact the airline about choosing seats, paying for bags etc?

 

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1 hour ago, Grandma Mickey said:

I'm looking at booking a flight from Barcelona to Orlando one way next March 2020.  

I don't know whats included in the price?  Economy is about $500.  But how do we know the additional costs for things like seat selection, bags, meals etc.?  Premium Economy is $2,000?  I called Air2Sea and they told me I choose my flight and purchase it then contact the airline about choosing seats, paying for bags etc?

 

Go directly to the airlines website and see what they charge for luggage and baggage or even if they do charge additional. You'll at least know beforehand a worse case scenario if they do charge extra

 

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4 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Go directly to the airlines website and see what they charge for luggage and baggage or even if they do charge additional. You'll at least know beforehand a worse case scenario if they do charge extra

 

However, even if you know the airline, your various ancillary charges can vary greatly, even on a coach ticket.  Many airlines have different varieties of "economy", with different baggage allowances, seating policies and more.  Plus, the fees can vary too.

 

Unless the cruiseline can tell you which variety you are buying, and what the fare rules are (or can be found), you are buying a pig in a poke.  Caveat emptor.

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