I made a BIG, dumb mistake!!!

[PaulMedik]

Allegiant flys out of Appleton WI to Orlando on the 10th and returns on the 20th for $506/passenger round trip. Bags extra. They fly on the same dates from Grand Rapids MI to Fort Lauderdale for $487 / passenger round trip and you'd have to add bag fees. Appleton is 109 miles and Grand Rapids is 327 and you'd be going thru Chi town which you don't want to do.

 

If I were you I'd tell them to meet me in Miami for the cruise....

[Klo n Rox]

This has all the makings for another "Miss Tori" saga...

 

 

I remember that thread:p

[spleenstomper]

Airfare is obscene right now. I hear you on that one...

 

I would never cancel on a client, though, so I'd hold your nose and try putting it down as business expenses.

[cdamion]

I've tried priceline, expedia, travelocity, nothing reasonable.

 

Madison Wiscosin is where I live. I don't want to leave out of Milwaukee because the flight is just 50.00 cheaper, which isn't worth driving an hour away and possibly encountering a snowstorm on the way back. Chicago is almost three hours one way and the price isn't much better. I'm pretty much screwed!

 

When is the cruise? That is a ridiculously high fare for Miami. Absurdly high!!!!

 

If it is more than a couple of months out, the fares are bound to come down, unless there is some kind of special event going on in Miami.

 

Also, you would do much better by flying out of MKE, ORD, or MDW. Yes the drive would be a pain, but the fare from any of those 3 cities should be down in the $200-$300 range.

[mondello]

I found a cruise, 7 days, very reasonably priced for $350.00 per person, sailing out of Miami (Liberty), this Saturday. I booked it for two of my clients and myself. I should have checked airfare first, but I didn't. The cheapest airfare I'm seeing is hovering at close to $800.00!! I really don't want to pay this, considering cutting my losses and just not going on the cruise, but my clients would be bitterly disappointed. I really dropped the ball on this one. I don't know what I was thinking.

Leaving this Saturday?! Airfare has always required an advance purchase of 7-14-or 21 days to get the better fares.

[PA Dutchman]

Before we book a cruise we always check the air and hotel prices. Sometime we have to change the date of the cruise or the port. If it keeps up like this I may have to live on the Pride, no air or hotel rooms needed. Really getting out of hand. Got to really do some homework these days.

[jordanaire]

I found a cruise, 7 days, very reasonably priced for $350.00 per person, sailing out of Miami (Liberty), this Saturday. I booked it for two of my clients and myself. I should have checked airfare first, but I didn't. The cheapest airfare I'm seeing is hovering at close to $800.00!! I really don't want to pay this, considering cutting my losses and just not going on the cruise, but my clients would be bitterly disappointed. I really dropped the ball on this one. I don't know what I was thinking.

 

I'm sure that you've already tried, but look into flying into West Palm Beach and renting a vehicle ONE-WAY to Miami. We did that and saved a bunch of money! We rented a car and drove to the Miami airport (80 miles), turned the car in and took a taxi to the port. The flights were $200pp flying into West Palm Beach than Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

 

I just checked flying from Milwaukee to West Palm Beach on Delta (on their website) and the cost is $375 per person!

 

Just an idea!

 

:cool:Bill

[Aplmac]

Air fares are the perennial cruise-killer! :cool:

 

I learned some time ago to check out the airfares involved, before booking the cruise!

.

[KPGirl]

I say drive there !!!!!

[ibcnusoon]

Air fares are the perennial cruise-killer! :cool:

 

I learned some time ago to check out the airfares involved, before booking the cruise!

.

 

 

Very true. I do the same thing.

 

When using search engines, remember that airlines such as Spirit, JetBlue, and Southwest and NOT integrated in the search engines (kayak, etc). so you'll need to go directly to their websites to check the price of airfare.

 

That being said, I would find any airport that you are comfortable flying out of and land anywhere in Florida. Try Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers, West Palm Beach, Miami, or Fort Lauderdale. Airfare fluctuates with supply-and-demand, it may be cheaper to fly to Tampa than Fort Lauderdale. Then rent a car one-way. One thing good about Florida is that most major car rental agencies don't charge a drop off fee for one way service.

 

If you are still at the point of cancelling, heck, I would look into flying to Atlanta and driving down. In fact, I'd be behind the wheel tomorow if I had to be in Florida by Friday.

[lady_cruiser]

WOW. I just happen to stumble into this thread because my mouse click on this one instead of the one below it. You guys and gals are awesome with all the help you are giving the OP. A+ to all of you.

[sjn911]

Gee..well good luck..there are great ideas...it was all 850 and up from here when i saw a good rate too..but from Wisconsin...that is bad...it is the oil thing I think...making it when they can...outrageous....and it always is from here..not right...Sarah

[picklebongo]

Before we book a cruise we always check the air and hotel prices. Sometime we have to change the date of the cruise or the port. If it keeps up like this I may have to live on the Pride, no air or hotel rooms needed. Really getting out of hand. Got to really do some homework these days.

 

I have cruised nine times and this is what I've always done. But this time, admittedly, I dropped the ball. That's why I started by saying it was a dumb mistake.

 

AAA is working on this for me, hope they come up with something.

[Vanessa L]

Airfare has gotten so out of hand to south Florida that we never even attempt to start thinking about a cruise until we know what those fares are first. Often times they are twice as much as the cruise itself. Hope this works out for you--but--I also know it is a lesson learned :o

[jzcruiser57]

I just found AA. Fly out Fri. night @ 7pm fly back the following Sat. @10:40 am out of Ohare. $1558 for three tix.I live in Janesville and it is nowhere near 3hr. one way to Ohare. more like 2 max. from Madtown.

[bigdaddyvoges]

I found out of Midway with stops on Delta for $522pp. Madison to Midway is a 3hr and 4 minute drive.

[gtalum]

You could try to drive. Google Maps says 26 hours.

 

Your clients might not find that too special though. :)

 

Airfare is high everywhere this year.

[loohoo1]

I found out of Midway with stops on Delta for $522pp. Madison to Midway is a 3hr and 4 minute drive.

 

 

I just saw Delta $362 pp MKE-FLL 2/10-2/18

[HeidiHo]

Have you tried checking airfare from Minneapolis?

[jzcruiser57]

I've tried priceline, expedia, travelocity, nothing reasonable.

 

Madison Wiscosin is where I live. I don't want to leave out of Milwaukee because the flight is just 50.00 cheaper, which isn't worth driving an hour away and possibly encountering a snowstorm on the way back. Chicago is almost three hours one way and the price isn't much better. I'm pretty much screwed!

Seems like you are not that desperate as there seems to be a lot of things you won't do. You won't go to Milwaukee because it might snow. So why would you fly? It might crash. You won't go to Chicago because it is three hours away, NOT more like two at the most. You are not really open to any solutions that require you to leave Madison which has a tiny county airport with high prices.

[rnvattes]

I found a cruise, 7 days, very reasonably priced for $350.00 per person, sailing out of Miami (Liberty), this Saturday. I booked it for two of my clients and myself. I should have checked airfare first, but I didn't. The cheapest airfare I'm seeing is hovering at close to $800.00!! I really don't want to pay this, considering cutting my losses and just not going on the cruise, but my clients would be bitterly disappointed. I really dropped the ball on this one. I don't know what I was thinking.

 

Miami is AWFUL to fly into (spenny wise). Even FLL is getting outrageous.

 

We are sailing out of Jacksonville next go because we had to rule out Miami due to cost of airfare.

[martini_guy]

I don't really understand. How is $1150/pp really that bad to pay for a 7 day cruise? Seems fine to me. I don't think I've ever paid less than that. Most of the time just the room almost costs that much.

 

Secondly I never get when I hear this...

 

Q "Did you try priceline?"

 

A "Yes. The price wasn't good."

 

Q "How low did you bid?"

 

A "I didn't bid"

 

Q ????

[krdougan]

I would by tickets from Milwaukee to West Palm Beach, FL. I saw tickets for around $375 on Southwest if you fly in Friday afternoon. I would then take the Tri Rail railroad from West Palm Beach to Miami. I would spend the night in Miami and then be ready for the cruise on Saturday.

[cdamion]

I don't really understand. How is $1150/pp really that bad to pay for a 7 day cruise? Seems fine to me. I don't think I've ever paid less than that. Most of the time just the room almost costs that much.

 

Secondly I never get when I hear this...

 

Q "Did you try priceline?"

 

A "Yes. The price wasn't good."

 

Q "How low did you bid?"

 

A "I didn't bid"

 

Q ????

 

Re your "secondly". People that aren't as savvy with booking travel don't readily see the "name your own price" feature of Priceline. Despite it being the whole purpose of Priceline, people will still go on there and just book their stuff directly and never even bid - of course they end up paying the same or more than they would on other sites.

 

I have not priced out fares, but the quoted fares of $800/person to fly are way too high. I would certainly drive to Chicago or Milwaukee to save on fares. Heck I am in Chicago and sometimes I go to MKE to save a couple hundred dollars or more - but then Im only 90 minutes from MKE. (20 from ORD).

[Chigirlcruzin]

Seems like you are not that desperate as there seems to be a lot of things you won't do. You won't go to Milwaukee because it might snow. So why would you fly? It might crash. You won't go to Chicago because it is three hours away, NOT more like two at the most. You are not really open to any solutions that require you to leave Madison which has a tiny county airport with high prices.

 

I agree. Heck, I live 18 miles from ORD; 20 from MDW. If the price is right (and it sometimes is), I'll make the two hour trek up to Milwaukee and fly out of MDW. Madison is not a good option for non-regional flights.