If you are thinking about cruising from San Juan....

[Xcitdcruiser]

QANTAS currently has flights for under $1800 from Sydney return!!

I think the sale is until the end of the month for flights until November.

 

I am on the hunt for inexpensive flights for Feb 2014. Thye are currently prices at $2.8k!

[Bob&Janet]

QANTAS currently has flights for under $1800 from Sydney return!!

I think the sale is until the end of the month for flights until November.

 

I am on the hunt for inexpensive flights for Feb 2014. Thye are currently prices at $2.8k!

 

It's really a bit too early to be looking for Feb 2014 flights. Most airlines don't book more than 330 days (11 months) in advance and the booking window for some only goes out about 6 months.

 

$2,800 is way too expensive. When we flew home from San Juan a couple of years ago, we paid about $1,200 return to LA (admitted on special) and under $200 to fly from San Juan to LA. We cruised the other way from LA to Florida.

 

I would suggest you look at splitting your flight and having a stopover in LA or somewhere on American west coast ... San Juan to Sydney is a real killer!! Odds are that will be able to book your LA flights separately from the San Juan ones this way and probably get more competitive overall pricing. The going price for LA to San Juan return still seems to be less than $200 each way, and I have little doubt that somewhere along the way QF, Delta, Virgin and United, not to mention others like ANZ, Hawaiian, Air Pacific, will all have specials to LA.

 

Cheers

Bob

[Xcitdcruiser]

It's really a bit too early to be looking for Feb 2014 flights. Most airlines don't book more than 330 days (11 months) in advance and the booking window for some only goes out about 6 months.

 

$2,800 is way too expensive. When we flew home from San Juan a couple of years ago, we paid about $1,200 return to LA (admitted on special) and under $200 to fly from San Juan to LA. We cruised the other way from LA to Florida.

 

I would suggest you look at splitting your flight and having a stopover in LA or somewhere on American west coast ... San Juan to Sydney is a real killer!! Odds are that will be able to book your LA flights separately from the San Juan ones this way and probably get more competitive overall pricing. The going price for LA to San Juan return still seems to be less than $200 each way, and I have little doubt that somewhere along the way QF, Delta, Virgin and United, not to mention others like ANZ, Hawaiian, Air Pacific, will all have specials to LA.

 

Cheers

Bob

 

Hi Bob! I've had the cruise booked for a while, the trip is for our honeymoon so i cannot help but look :)

 

We've only got 2 x weeks so I was trying to minimise our flying time. Anything other than the Qantas (via Dallas) route increase that by about 10 hours. We have no desire to stop off in LA... so maybe a 'big' flight to Miami would be cheaper, stay a couple of nights then fly to SJU... mm... I don't want to break up the 'big' ticket in case there are delays / missed flights.

 

I'd be happy to hear any other suggestions!

[Xcitdcruiser]

mmm.... or maybe even New York!!

[Bob&Janet]

Hi Bob! I've had the cruise booked for a while, the trip is for our honeymoon so i cannot help but look :)

 

We've only got 2 x weeks so I was trying to minimise our flying time. Anything other than the Qantas (via Dallas) route increase that by about 10 hours. We have no desire to stop off in LA... so maybe a 'big' flight to Miami would be cheaper, stay a couple of nights then fly to SJU... mm... I don't want to break up the 'big' ticket in case there are delays / missed flights.

 

I'd be happy to hear any other suggestions!

 

 

Let me know what cruise you are on and the earliest and latest dates you can leave/arrive home (and where will you be flying from) and I'll see what options I can find. As I said before, though, many airlines don't open bookings till about 6 months out so no need to rush and book now ... but good to keep looking ...

 

Cheers

Bob

[Mercruiser]

Hi Bob! I've had the cruise booked for a while, the trip is for our honeymoon so i cannot help but look :)

 

We've only got 2 x weeks so I was trying to minimise our flying time. Anything other than the Qantas (via Dallas) route increase that by about 10 hours. We have no desire to stop off in LA... so maybe a 'big' flight to Miami would be cheaper, stay a couple of nights then fly to SJU... mm... I don't want to break up the 'big' ticket in case there are delays / missed flights.

 

I'd be happy to hear any other suggestions!

 

I think you have already found the best option if you want to minimize your flying time. The Qantas SYD-DFW, American DFW-SJU combination allows you to get to SJU in only two flight segments. Any other option will require three flights.

 

If you do this trip in one go, you will have a 3+ hour layover in DFW. Qantas arrives in Terminal D. American departs in Terminal A. From what I see on flyer talk, it should take about 75 minutes to clear US immigration/customs, re-check you baggage, go through security screening, and then transfer between terminals using the Skylink people mover. Three hours gives you plenty of contingency for extra delays.

If you stay overnight in DFW, there are dozens of airport hotels with free shuttle buses. Presently, American has three flights a day to/from SJU.

 

The flight to SJU is handled as a domestic flight since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. There is no immigration/customs check between SJU and US airports.

 

We had a great time in Puerto Rico for our Panama Canal cruise. Read about it here: http://mercruiser.wordpress.com/

[Xcitdcruiser]

Let me know what cruise you are on and the earliest and latest dates you can leave/arrive home (and where will you be flying from) and I'll see what options I can find. As I said before, though, many airlines don't open bookings till about 6 months out so no need to rush and book now ... but good to keep looking ...

 

Cheers

Bob

 

Hi Bob!

Thanks for your help! Our cruise is on the 22/2/14 - we are thinking of arriving in PR a week or so before hand. Or maybe 3 to 4 days on either side of the cruise. Ideally our flight would be departing from Adelaide, but happy for the segment to start & end in Sydney.

Just talking about it all is pretty exciting!!

[Xcitdcruiser]

I think you have already found the best option if you want to minimize your flying time. The Qantas SYD-DFW, American DFW-SJU combination allows you to get to SJU in only two flight segments. Any other option will require three flights.

 

If you do this trip in one go, you will have a 3+ hour layover in DFW. Qantas arrives in Terminal D. American departs in Terminal A. From what I see on flyer talk, it should take about 75 minutes to clear US immigration/customs, re-check you baggage, go through security screening, and then transfer between terminals using the Skylink people mover. Three hours gives you plenty of contingency for extra delays.

If you stay overnight in DFW, there are dozens of airport hotels with free shuttle buses. Presently, American has three flights a day to/from SJU.

 

The flight to SJU is handled as a domestic flight since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. There is no immigration/customs check between SJU and US airports.

 

We had a great time in Puerto Rico for our Panama Canal cruise. Read about it here: http://mercruiser.wordpress.com/

 

Thank you for that info!! It is the most direct flight, I just hope that it becomes affordable with a Qantas sale!

Would we really have to re-check our baggage in Dallas? I was hoping that it would go straight through...

 

About it enjoy my cup of tea & read about your trip! Thank you!

[Bob&Janet]

Thank you for that info!! It is the most direct flight, I just hope that it becomes affordable with a Qantas sale!

Would we really have to re-check our baggage in Dallas? I was hoping that it would go straight through...

 

About it enjoy my cup of tea & read about your trip! Thank you!

 

As Mercruiser indicated, it is a fact that passengers arriving in the USA have to clear customs and immigration at whatever their first point of entry is ... so yes, this means you will need to collect and then re-check your baggage at whatever airport you connect through (be it Dallas or LAX or San Francisco), regardless of whether you are continuing on to SJU on the same airline or not.

 

That is why I am happy, if I can do a better deal by doing so, to book each flight separately on different airlines, eg Virgin to LAX, JetBlue to SJU via Fort Lauderdale, New York or Boston. The only real advantage of booking a single ticket from ADL or SYD to SJU is that you will usually get your boarding passes for your connecting flight to SJU right at the outset ... but since you have to re-check your bags, the advantage is questionable, so what it really boils down to is what combination of flights offers the best price relative to travel time and comfort.

[Bob&Janet]

Hi Bob!

Thanks for your help! Our cruise is on the 22/2/14 - we are thinking of arriving in PR a week or so before hand. Or maybe 3 to 4 days on either side of the cruise. Ideally our flight would be departing from Adelaide, but happy for the segment to start & end in Sydney.

Just talking about it all is pretty exciting!!

 

 

So you must be going on Celebrity Summit or Jewel of the Seas ... both their itineraries are really great and offer a real diversity of ports/cultures/experiences. One thing though, both are quite port intensive, so you might find that you will appreciate a day or 2 "chill" time after the cruise. And I agree, it would be good to get to San Juan a bit early ... it is a wonderful city that is well worth spending a few days exploring.

 

I will look at what flight options there might be over the next few weeks for you but keep an eye out yourself for specials/promotions that come up.

 

Cheers

Bob

[Mercruiser]

As Mercruiser indicated, it is a fact that passengers arriving in the USA have to clear customs and immigration at whatever their first point of entry is ... so yes, this means you will need to collect and then re-check your baggage at whatever airport you connect through (be it Dallas or LAX or San Francisco), regardless of whether you are continuing on to SJU on the same airline or not. . .

Bob is correct. Let me add a bit of detail to clarify the baggage re-check process. When entering the US, you will first go through the immigration line where you show your passport to the officer. Next, you wait at a baggage carousel, located within the customs area, to collect all of your baggage. Free baggage trolleys are available. Then you walk your baggage through the green, "nothing to declare" line. The customs officer will collect your customs declaration form.

 

The next step depends on if your luggage is checked through to your final destination.

 

• If Qantas checked your luggage through to SJU, you simply drop your luggage off at the bag drop for connecting flights. This is located just as you exit the customs processing area.
  
  
• If Qantas checked your luggage through to DFW, you take your luggage to the American airlines transfer desk. The agent will check your luggage through to SJU and give you a boarding pass for your next flight if needed. This is located just as you exit the customs processing area.
  OR
  Worst case, if your connection is on a budget airline, like Spirit Airlines or Southwest, they might not have a transfer desk in the customs area. In that case you may have to take your luggage to that airline's departure check-in counter at whatever terminal they happen to be. You will not have this problem with the major airlines like American, Delta, United, US Air, etc.
  
  

Lastly, as with all incoming international flights, you will have to go through security re-screening. You can then proceed to the gate for your connecting flight.

 

I wrote this as if you were flying on Qantas and American via DFW. It works the same on other airlines and airports.

 

Happy cruise planning!