Should you book flights independently?

[serpsy]

Big question when booking your fly/cruise, do you book the flight as a package from RCCL or do it independently? I am more of an independent type, who usually books individual parts of a holiday to suit me, and save a bit of money too!

Last year we booked a cruise on Mariner, from Rome, which meant flying to meet a ship for the first time. My TA advised that I should book the flight with RCCL as a package because if there is any problem with the flight it is RCCL responsibility to get you to the ship. I took the advice and booked as a package.

On arrival at Rome, our case with our clothes in it went missing, (I pack clothes seperately to avoid leakages etc), finally catching the ship up 7 days later. RCCL were brilliant. They gave us some basic clothing, unlimited laundry vouchers, free Tux hire and loaned a ball gown to my wife, and had a dedicated member of the crew who constantly got in touch with the airline and baggage handlers to retrieve of lost case. Now I am not sure if they would have done the same if the flight was booked independently by me.

Does anyone else have any similar experiences, and, although maybe a bit more expensive to book as a package, is it a good insurance policy in case something does go wrong with the flight?

[highlandlassie]

I would go for a package, if your flight is delayed then RCC would hold the ship back. if you booked seperatley, you wouldn't have that piece of mind

[Jeannie333333]

Big question when booking your fly/cruise, do you book the flight as a package from RCCL or do it independently? I am more of an independent type, who usually books individual parts of a holiday to suit me, and save a bit of money too!

Last year we booked a cruise on Mariner, from Rome, which meant flying to meet a ship for the first time. My TA advised that I should book the flight with RCCL as a package because if there is any problem with the flight it is RCCL responsibility to get you to the ship. I took the advice and booked as a package.

On arrival at Rome, our case with our clothes in it went missing, (I pack clothes seperately to avoid leakages etc), finally catching the ship up 7 days later. RCCL were brilliant. They gave us some basic clothing, unlimited laundry vouchers, free Tux hire and loaned a ball gown to my wife, and had a dedicated member of the crew who constantly got in touch with the airline and baggage handlers to retrieve of lost case. Now I am not sure if they would have done the same if the flight was booked independently by me.

Does anyone else have any similar experiences, and, although maybe a bit more expensive to book as a package, is it a good insurance policy in case something does go wrong with the flight?

 

Hi,

 

There will be greatly differing opinions on this, but I note you are from the UK and so I will share my experience with you as we are UK also. :)

 

We have done both package and independent, but before booking I always check the cost of both options.

 

Its not just about cost though, following our a package / flight in 2005 from London to Miami which went via Atlanta. With a plane change at Atlantic, the journey took about 14 hours, so I started looking at the independent, direct flight cost / convenience. I really dont want an extra 5 hours or so added on to my journey time by a plane change when its already long enough. I am sure some people may disagree.

 

The next cruise, we booked independently we saved £700 between the two of us for direct transatlantic flights to Miami. We used part of that to enjoy a three night hotel stay, which took the stress out of any worry about a delayed flight etc.

 

The saving for Europe is usually not so dramatic, and RCI do include transfers in their costs, so less hassle / worry.

But again on another occasion, by booking direct Europe flights at a time convenient to us we saved £250 even after we paid for our own transfers etc.

 

If something goes wrong you know that RCI will look after you if you have the package, but that 'comfort blanket' comes at a financial cost.

 

Sometimes the cost of the package is not that much extra, sometimes it is, these are the things I take time to investigate and weight up the cost -v- convenience -v- risk.

 

 

Hope that helped :)

 

Jean

[villauk]

I would go for a package, if your flight is delayed then RCC would hold the ship back. if you booked seperatley, you wouldn't have that piece of mind

 

Won't hold the ship back just for you, but would sort additional flights to get you to the next port.

 

I agree with a lot Jean has to say. We have booked both independently and through the cruiseline depending on extra cost etc. If you are a family, even the Europe flights can be much less expensive booking yourself rather than using the cruiseline.

 

Check what the difference in cost would be, adding any additional costs for hotels and transfers and see what would work better for you. We never fly in the day of the cruise, always the day before or more when travelling further afield i.e. US or Australia. Even with the added hotel costs, we usually find, as a family of four, it's cheaper for us to book direct.

 

Frequently, RCI use the same budget airlines that you would book yourself e.g. Monarch or Jet2. We have sat next to pax that have booked through the cruiseline and we have booked independently for much less. Previously, we booked flights for 7 to Amsterdam for £700 which would have been the same rate for 3 with RCI. So, as the previous poster stated, check out all options before you book :).

 

We also were caught in NY during hurricane Irene when all the airports were closed. Luckily, we had booked our own flights. The passengers that had booked a package through Princess had to stay on the ship and travel back up to Canada before disembarking, pay for the additional days and claim the extra costs back on their insurance when they returned to the UK. So, I was glad we'd booked independently and had a few post cruise days. Others would quote the ash cloud scenario and praise booking with RCI - it's the luck of the draw ;).

 

FYI, we have been on a cruise where a honeymoon couple had booked their own flights and RCI still gave them some clothing to use during the cruise as their luggage also went wandering off their flight.

[crafty sue]

We have booked a RC fly cruise package for May to Barcelona, they had a deal where the flights were only £59 return from our local airport - I priced up the flights with baggage and meal on flight only the other day it came in just under £500 ! and then if we had booked separately we would have transfers added on. So for our cruise it worked out cheaper to do RC package plus we have the safety of if the flight was delayed or cancelled the RC rep would be there to sort it. We did the same on our other RC cruise - check in was at stupid o'clock 4am !! but there was a RC rep at the airport checking Ithat we were there. Then when we got on the flight they served us breakfast which we wasn't expecting. so if you want the security go for the fly cruise. If you do it independently I would always fly in the day before for your own piece of mind - ~Enjoy your Cruise

[villauk]

We have booked a RC fly cruise package for May to Barcelona, they had a deal where the flights were only £59 return from our local airport - I priced up the flights with baggage and meal on flight only the other day it came in just under £500 ! and then if we had booked separately we would have transfers added on. So for our cruise it worked out cheaper to do RC package plus we have the safety of if the flight was delayed or cancelled the RC rep would be there to sort it. We did the same on our other RC cruise - check in was at stupid o'clock 4am !! but there was a RC rep at the airport checking Ithat we were there. Then when we got on the flight they served us breakfast which we wasn't expecting. so if you want the security go for the fly cruise. If you do it independently I would always fly in the day before for your own piece of mind - ~Enjoy your Cruise

 

I think they are starting to offer these specials on flights as so many were booking independently. I know they were asking upto £300 each for those in previous years :eek:.

[cflower04]

Recently booked a B2B with flights (Ireland to San Juan, Puerto Rico) and transfers... was much cheaper to book everything through RCI rather than doing things separately!!

[sam49]

My first cruise we booked with RC, they sent us manchester to Dublin to new york to Florida! With delays it took 27 hours from leaving home to arriving in Florida.

If we had booked ourselves we could have gone directly to Florida from our local airport Birmingham and saved £600 each. I think that would have paid for a couple of nights in Florida to avoid problems with flight delays.

We have just booked a caribbean cruise for the summer going from NY, as you can imagine we have booked our own flights and have two nights in NY prior to the cruise as well.

[VABeach]

I've always booked my own. It's always been cheaper. Half the plane always seems to be other cruise passengers, some who were probably booked on the Package Deal. ;)

[Luvmesomeme]

I usually book my own due to past experiences of the flights being more expensive when booked through the cruise line. I had been checking on flights for my 2014 cruise recently and decided to do a mock flight booking through the cruise line (Choice Air) and the price came out to be exactly what the airline was charging. I was even able to choose my airline and whether or not I wanted a non stop flight as well as change the date for pre or post cruise activities. I was quite impressed. Maybe this is unique to RCCL as this is my first cruise with them

[Clarea]

I usually book my own due to past experiences of the flights being more expensive when booked through the cruise line. I had been checking on flights for my 2014 cruise recently and decided to do a mock flight booking through the cruise line (Choice Air) and the price came out to be exactly what the airline was charging. I was even able to choose my airline and whether or not I wanted a non stop flight as well as change the date for pre or post cruise activities. I was quite impressed. Maybe this is unique to RCCL as this is my first cruise with them

I've found it's common for Choice Air prices to be the same as airline websites for purely domestic travel. However, Choice Air generally has much better prices than airline websites for those one-way tickets to/from Europe that are needed for transatlantic cruises.

[NorbertsNiece]

I don't think we have the option of using Choice Air here in the UK.

 

I've done both; booked independently when I felt I was competent enough to organise my own transfers, pre-cruise hotel etc and booked the package for ease of having the whole thing taken of by someone else and I just show up. I'm a BA frequent flyer so it helps when they offer flights with BA that I can earn Air Miles on and get early seat selection.

[KPLIONMA]

Usually, if we are cruising in the Caribbean, we will book our own flights..our European cruises, we will book with AAA for a package including flight, pre-cruise hotel and the cruise itself. We've always been happy with AAA.

[bearette]

The only time I booked through RCCL the airline cancelled our flight. I booked because the airfare price was the same and they offered a $100 off per person if you used them. Fast forward to the cruise when I showed up for my departing flight only to be told that flight had been cancelled months ago! Grrrrr

 

I called my travel agent, who also had not been notified of the change. RCCL said they notified us, but both my travel agent and I had never heard a thing. As I was 20 weeks pregnant I was not happy. We had to book a hotel room in New Orleans on a day of a saints game as it was the last flight out at 6pm. It had been a nonstop flight as well so instead I had to fly to Charlston and then California- a lot out of the way. We barely found a room by the airport and had to pay $200. ( more then I paid for The Roosevelt during the same stay.).

 

Delta was nice about it and didn't charge me a change fee, but RCCL refused to pay for the hotel. I had travel insurance as well and they also didn't cover the hotel. Needless to say I was not to happy. they would have to be offering a super deal for me use their air again. So the moral of the story is the cruise line isn't always the best either.

[Stags14]

We book our own and get there a day or two early. Never had any issues... a lot of people we meet have had nightmares with the flight arrangements the cruiseline makes.

[Shak]

The only time I booked through RCCL the airline cancelled our flight. I booked because the airfare price was the same and they offered a $100 off per person if you used them. Fast forward to the cruise when I showed up for my departing flight only to be told that flight had been cancelled months ago! Grrrrr

 

I called my travel agent, who also had not been notified of the change. RCCL said they notified us, but both my travel agent and I had never heard a thing. As I was 20 weeks pregnant I was not happy. We had to book a hotel room in New Orleans on a day of a saints game as it was the last flight out at 6pm. It had been a nonstop flight as well so instead I had to fly to Charlston and then California- a lot out of the way. We barely found a room by the airport and had to pay $200. ( more then I paid for The Roosevelt during the same stay.).

 

Delta was nice about it and didn't charge me a change fee, but RCCL refused to pay for the hotel. I had travel insurance as well and they also didn't cover the hotel. Needless to say I was not to happy. they would have to be offering a super deal for me use their air again. So the moral of the story is the cruise line isn't always the best either.

 

bearette I certainly understand your frustration but I learned a long time ago to check air almost daily regardless who booked the air. Airlines are not very good at notifying you of changes in their flights too as I found out the hard way. I now have an app for whatever airline I am using and check my reservation daily. I find using an app easier because you don't have add the information every time as you do on the web.

 

 

Shak

[Luvmesomeme]

I usually book my own due to past experiences of the flights being more expensive when booked through the cruise line. I had been checking on flights for my 2014 cruise recently and decided to do a mock flight booking through the cruise line (Choice Air) and the price came out to be exactly what the airline was charging. I was even able to choose my airline and whether or not I wanted a non stop flight as well as change the date for pre or post cruise activities. I was quite impressed. Maybe this is unique to RCCL as this is my first cruise with them

 

Forgot to tell you about the $30 fee when you get to the end of the booking...I guess it's worth it if you get a great price but not if it's the same price as booking straight through the airline.

[yummymummy99]

Hi,

 

There will be greatly differing opinions on this, but I note you are from the UK and so I will share my experience with you as we are UK also. :)

 

We have done both package and independent, but before booking I always check the cost of both options.

 

Its not just about cost though, following our a package / flight in 2005 from London to Miami which went via Atlanta. With a plane change at Atlantic, the journey took about 14 hours, so I started looking at the independent, direct flight cost / convenience. I really dont want an extra 5 hours or so added on to my journey time by a plane change when its already long enough. I am sure some people may disagree.

 

The next cruise, we booked independently we saved £700 between the two of us for direct transatlantic flights to Miami. We used part of that to enjoy a three night hotel stay, which took the stress out of any worry about a delayed flight etc.

 

The saving for Europe is usually not so dramatic, and RCI do include transfers in their costs, so less hassle / worry.

But again on another occasion, by booking direct Europe flights at a time convenient to us we saved £250 even after we paid for our own transfers etc.

 

If something goes wrong you know that RCI will look after you if you have the package, but that 'comfort blanket' comes at a financial cost.

 

Sometimes the cost of the package is not that much extra, sometimes it is, these are the things I take time to investigate and weight up the cost -v- convenience -v- risk.

 

 

Hope that helped :)

 

Jean

 

Totally agree with you Jean! We have done both - once RCI routed us to Orlando via Dallas!! And from the NE of Scotland that left us with a mega journey! We ended up paying RCI a supplement (each!) and they upgraded our flights direct. Last year when we booked flights independently, we were on the same flights as princess and royal passengers and when we were really delayed on our home journey they got no better options/treatment ie they were still delayed and we all suffered at the hands of US airways (never choose them!!). This year we are avoiding extra costs and booked our own flights and going out early (as Jean did) so we can relax a little!! Definitely do your homework and search it (especially if going to US or Caribbean!)

 

Jackie

[CruisinGerman]

If the cost difference is not that much, I would book the RCCL package in the UK.

 

If the cost difference is significant, and anyway you are spending a few days pre-cruise so that there is time not to miss the departure of the ship in case anything goes wrong, then by all means book separately.

 

But remember, in the UK and in Europe if you book the "package" you are protected by a set of laws that are unique to us in Europe.

 

For example, if you book a package and your flights get mishandled or cancelled and you miss the cruise, in Europe RCCL is obligated to refund the cost of the cruise.

 

The United States does not have this protection and private travel insurance would have to kick in.

 

Let us know what you decide.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[retird]

I always check the flight times and airline I woul like to use and then I call the RCCL Rep that I made the cruise reservation through and she books the flights I request. So far choice air prices have always been cheaper. I feel more secure with the arrive guarantee of Choice air than booking on my own. I have a standing travel medical and trip cancellation/interruption insurance through my retirement as well.

[RJHNorthyorks]

We book our own flights in Europe and generally arrive a day or so earlier. On the one occasion we flew to Barcelona on the day of the cruise our budget airline had loads of other people joining the cruise who seemed to be on RCI packages. I've always compared prices and found it cheaper to book independently. I guess the trick is to book as soon as possible on the budget airlines.

On our recent cruise from San Juan we booked the flights through RCI and really wished we hadn't. We were routed from Manchester via Philadelphia and spent the night in a foul hotel at Philadelphia airport.

[Reina del Mar]

Have booked flight both independently and part of cruise package...just think it depends on your itinerary and the amount of extra days you have.

 

Cruising with another line out of Seattle booked our own flights as we were spending 4 days in Seattle prior to cruise and a fortnight afterwards travelling down to Denver......bags were delayed....but made their way to us prior to embarkation.

 

Another time When booked as part of package as only had one night in Miami prior to cruise and flying straight home afterwards, booked as part of package.....lucky really as BA strike was on and the cruise line sorted alternative flights to ensure we got there in time. However, we had to have the revised itinerary at their pace...which was a little slower than we could have arranged ourselves.

 

So consider if delays will affect you and fly in/out a few days before/ after cruise to suit you and time you have available. Also I think it depends on how confident you feel about arranging transfers/ car hire . In all scenarios we have holiday insurance...just in case !!!!:eek:

[aviator1945]

We're a retired couple living in Sweden and usually have plenty of time on our hands, so we normally book independently and make sure that we arrive at the port of embarkation at least two days before departure of the ship. Also, we make sure that we have plenty of connection time between flights if not travelling non-stop. Airports these days are large and crowded and it's not fun connecting with only minimum time between flights.

 

For folks who are less fortunate than us and don't have lots of free time, if the only option is to fly in on embarkation day, then definitely the RCCL flight arrangements are the way to go. On our most recent cruise, out of Barcelona, we had friends that were arriving from the United States on the day of embarkation but were delayed by Hurricane Sandy. RCCL flew them to the next port, Palma de Mallorca, and put them up in a nice hotel before they joined the cruise on Day 2.

[glituner32]

do all these post above only apply to international flights? or domestic flights also?

[1cat4jan]

We book independently because we don't want anyone else controlling our flight times and whether there is/where there is a connecting flight.

 

If you get travel insurance, make sure that if you book your flight yourself, it is covered under your insurance.

 

We booked independently for our two trips to Europe from the US, also. That was even more important because we wanted control of layovers and because there were three departure cities involved for our group.

 

I don't think we'd ever let the cruiseline control our flights. They would have to be giving away free flights for us to consider it.