Booked the Air with NCL

[lucy2222]

So I know that this question should probably be in another section, but I'm sure this section gets more visitors.

 

We booked our air through NCL. We also booked a pre-hotel with NCL. So we will be flying in the day before our cruise.

 

I'm very concerned that they are going to book us a later flight, and our day will be wasted in Seattle.

 

I talked to the TA and she told me that it costs $100 for an air deviation, just to ask for a specific time of day to fly.

 

My first question is: When will I know when our flight is?

 

Is there anything I can do other than paying the $100 deviation to have an early flight?

[waterrats]

We book our own air. Search the boards for people that have booked through the cruiselines. what I have read is that they will wait until about 2 weeks prior before you get your flights. Depending on where you are flying from (DC here to FLL) it may be much cheaper to book your own air. We fly down the day before and pay half of what the cruiseline would charge us.

 

It seems one of the only benefits of booking through the cruiseline is that if your flight is delayed, canceled, or for any other reason, they will get you to the ship. Well that is why we carry cruise insurance. That and also if we have to cancel at the last moment.

[lucy2222]

We already booked our air through NCL, so there's no going back.

 

I'd really just like to know if the flights were at a reasonable time?

[just4kixx]

If you haven't made final payment, you should be able to cancel the air portion.

 

A~

[CruisinMatt]

Lucy, you probably won't know your air until you get your documents and I would prepare for the worst case scenario. But you never know, you might be surprised!

[greatam]

As CruisinMatt indicated, prepare for the worst and hope!!!

 

Have you made final payment? If not, you can cancel the air and book your own.

 

Cruise lines are notorious for buying consolidator fares. Bad connections, weird times. Airfares the airlines have trouble getting rid of are lumped into consolidator fares.

 

If you have paid final payment, you only alternative that I know of is pay the deviation fee, so you can pick your flights. Good Luck!!!

[alolewis]

I have used cruise airfare on 4 cruises and never had weird flight times, bad connections, etc, usually they were the flights I would have chosen myself. Your TA might be able to tell you the flights others have gotten on the same ship/itinerary which is no guarantee that you will get the same flights but would be a indicator. As the cruise lines are BIG customers of the airlines they won't them the dogs of flights with very long layovers, etc unless your trip only has connections with long layovers i.e. my last cruise the return was a flight from Fairbanks to San Jose, CA and their was only flights with a three hour connection in Seattle.