Is Solstice worth it?

[lv2cruisgrl]

Hi everyone, We are scheduled to go on Solstice in April however we might cancel because the cost of flights from NY to FLL is twice what we usually spend. Just wondered if you think its worth paying double to be on this ship. We are RCI Diamond+ members and this is our first Celebrity cruise. We usually purchase our flights 6 months out but they were so high then we kept waiting...they have not come down. We usually spent between $400-550 total for 2 of us, now they are over $1000!!

[Denny01]

What something is 'worth' is totally subjective. Personally, I found the Solstice to be our favorite ship we've been on yet. And since you are RCL D+ I assume you've used the recip and wil be 'X' Elite which will add a good deal of enjoyment to your experience, I would guess.

 

We are waiting to see if we can get cheaper tickets to London for our Aug 11 cruise and it is Not cheap right now. And looks like it won't change much. Think we'll be living with these prices for a while...long while, but who knows. which means, if you are going to cruise out of Fla, or Europe or the West Coast/Alaska, be ready for higher airline tickets on any cruise, so it's kind of accademic which ship or cruise line it is.

 

enjoy!

 

Denny

[YOW]

We usually purchase our flights 6 months out but they were so high then we kept waiting...they have not come down. We usually spent between $400-550 total for 2 of us, now they are over $1000!!

 

That seems high. What airport combination and dates are you looking at?

[Denny01]

I did a quick search on Airfare.com and got $228 for flights from JFK and LGA to FLL but departing the day before your cruise and assuming its a 7-day cruise. Might check thost flights.

 

Den

[jsh1]

I have had the same problem with airfare. We just went on a cruise out of Miami a few months ago and paid about $240 RT per person. Now tickets are over $600 RT pp. We are on the Eclipse leaving out of Miami in March and were able to use some vouchers to help with some of the cost of the airfare.

[dkjretired]

I've also been pricing some flights for then, just unlucky that Easter is so late this year...

[hcat]

airfare is always a factor-- we paid alot for London in JUly & took B British Virgin over Delta b/c they had a much better deal..turns out the later flight home was cheaper & now we are glad we did that b/c heathrow can sometimes cause delays.. guess yo have to try alot of options...

 

if you can get to SWAir they usually have good prices to Florida..

[kitty9]

Only you can decide if something is worth it. But have you checked every flight option, even the low cost carriers?

[lv2cruisgrl]

Myself and my TA have checked it all....we are coming out of Rochester, NY to Ft Lauderdale, part of the issue seems to be the airlines know cruises are coming and going as the "perfect" flight times for cruisers are the most expensive. We are going down the day before but the flight home on sunday is 600 just for that....I hate to "give in" to the airlines so if we cant get a decent price we will cancel....I can always go on a mega shopping trip instead!

[constantcruiser]

Only you can decide what's worth the cost to you. But I will tell you that, out 30 cruises (23 on RCI), Solstice is my all-time favorite ship. When budgeting for that cruise, we had to figure in the cost of airfare from DFW....and in my opinion it was worth every penny.

[floridatravelersforlife]

How about flying into Orlando and driving 2 1/2 hours to the port? Competition into MCO is still intense. And you don;t have to worry about snow on the road. And rental cars are cheap.

 

We ve done the S Class and really enjoy them.

[Sailor Gal]

What if you stayed an extra day post-cruise? Might pay off.

[alexcturner]

The Solstice is fantastic!!!

[Lois R]

How about flying into Orlando and driving 2 1/2 hours to the port? Competition into MCO is still intense. And you don;t have to worry about snow on the road. And rental cars are cheap.

 

We ve done the S Class and really enjoy them.

 

That is a GREAT option:) I live in Jacksonville and sometimes will drive

to the 2 hours to Olrando when taking a flight to San Juan because

Airtran has way lower prices from MCO to SJU.

 

I would definitely 2nd your suggestion. To the OP, check flying into

Orlando and driving down to FLL.

[CathyCruises]

I would keep checking into alternate carriers. I got non-stop from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale (for a Miami cruise) for $109 each way next week on Virgin America! That is about half of what I was finding on traditional airlines through Kayak, Expedia, etc. The fact that I can fly coast to coast for $100 is amazing to me!

[psyfi]

Our flight to FLL was also rather expensive compared to what we normally pay. But since gas is the equivalent of $4.25 a gallon up here, I don't think airfare prices are going to come down anytime soon.