Which is better?

[smalltownmomwa]

We want to take the family on a European/Mediterranean cruise in the next few years. Budget is, of course, very tight. I've been to Europe, but the rest of the family hasn't, so we would be very open to any itinerary.

 

Is it generally better to choose a well-priced cruise, say during Kids Sail Free, and then watch for the best airfare prices, or watch for good airfare and then hope to find a cruise?

 

I did a mock booking of a Kids Sail Free cruise and the airfare was 50% more than the cost of the cruise. Same thing happened when I did a mock book to FL/Caribbean.

 

Are there any ports that are generally less expensive to fly into? Or times of year that are generally less expensive?

 

Thanks!

[mom says]

I'm assuming that you are aiming for dates in summer. This is tourist season so airfares will be high compared to other times of the year. All you can hope for is a seat sale that you might be able to grab. But no guarantees of when or if they will happen. I doubt you'll be lucky enough to get both a cruise AND an airfare sale. Best of luck.

[smalltownmomwa]

We will gladly pull the kids from school, and actually want to avoid summer as it is the only time of year DH is guaranteed to work. (And he doesn't get vacation pay, so crushing during bad weather here is much more cost effective.)

 

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[Twickenham]

It's an interesting problem to ponder. Firstly, I must congratulate you on considering your airfare before looking at cruises - too often, people pick a cruise, then have a minor heart attack when they start shopping for airfare :D. It's the combination of the 2 that is important when looking at total cost.

One thing I would start considering at this point is your air miles options. Lots of sign-up bonuses out there, and with using it regularly you could easily have enough for a couple of free tickets by the time you're ready too book.

Another thing: be flexible on your departure/arrival airports. For instance, for cruises out of Venice, look at flights into Milan as well - it's an easy train trip, and there may be better pricing for your dates. Also, if you plan on some time pre- or post-cruise, that widens your possible travel dates, giving you more flexibility for looking at flights. The more flexible you are, the more able you will be to take advantage of deals when they come.

[Karysa]

We want to take the family on a European/Mediterranean cruise in the next few years. Budget is, of course, very tight. I've been to Europe, but the rest of the family hasn't, so we would be very open to any itinerary.

 

Is it generally better to choose a well-priced cruise, say during Kids Sail Free, and then watch for the best airfare prices, or watch for good airfare and then hope to find a cruise?

 

I did a mock booking of a Kids Sail Free cruise and the airfare was 50% more than the cost of the cruise. Same thing happened when I did a mock book to FL/Caribbean.

 

Are there any ports that are generally less expensive to fly into? Or times of year that are generally less expensive?

 

Thanks!

 

You say that you want to go on this cruise in the next few years. How can you plan cruise deals like kids sail free and airfare that far ahead?

 

I would pick the ports first myself. And you could possibly book a couple of cruises say one from Barcelona and one from Venice and if the price of airfare to one place is much higher, making that cruise less attractive you can cancel that cruise and go with the other one before the penalty phase.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Karysa
Sp

[sailawaybellaluna]

We want to take the family on a European/Mediterranean cruise in the next few years. Budget is, of course, very tight. I've been to Europe, but the rest of the family hasn't, so we would be very open to any itinerary.

 

Is it generally better to choose a well-priced cruise, say during Kids Sail Free, and then watch for the best airfare prices, or watch for good airfare and then hope to find a cruise?

 

I did a mock booking of a Kids Sail Free cruise and the airfare was 50% more than the cost of the cruise. Same thing happened when I did a mock book to FL/Caribbean.

 

Are there any ports that are generally less expensive to fly into? Or times of year that are generally less expensive?

 

Thanks!

 

Hi! I had to respond when I saw your location because I'm originally from Moses Lake and my dad used to work in Royal City! So, I've been to Othello many times. :)

 

We recently did a Med cruise during the shoulder season (mid-September when rates drastically drop but the weather is still beautiful), and we really got a bargain. I chose an itinerary that really interested us, with ports we wanted. I already planned to travel during the shoulder season, so it was substantially cheaper than June - August.

 

Once we booked it, I put in an airfare alert on one of the popular booking comparison websites (it is similar to narrow boat dot com). Several weeks later, I got an alert that the fare had dropped several hundred dollars, so we booked!

 

It's worth noting that many of the Med cruises begin in Venice or Barcelona and end in the opposite city. It may be worth considering one that begins and ends in the same city, than you won't have to pay for a multi-city airline ticket, only a round-trip.

 

Also keep in mind that most cruise lines will adjust your price from the time of the initial booking (when you pay your deposit) until your final payment is due. So, if they have yet another sale, you can get a price adjustment.

 

For me, I'd book the cruise first and then the airfare!

 

If you're interested, I did a complete photo review of our trip which can be found in the link below (Carnival Breeze). Carnival pulled out of Europe but the itinerary is exactly the same as those found on other cruiselines.

 

Best to you and have fun planning!

[paul929207]

The cheapest airfares are usually non-refundable. So if you get the air and can't find a cruise that meets your needs, you are stuck. On the other hand, the cruise is usually refundable until final payment (about 75 days before sailing), so booking the cruise first gives you more flexibility

[smalltownmomwa]

Hi! I had to respond when I saw your location because I'm originally from Moses Lake and my dad used to work in Royal City! So, I've been to Othello many times. :)

 

We recently did a Med cruise during the shoulder season (mid-September when rates drastically drop but the weather is still beautiful), and we really got a bargain. I chose an itinerary that really interested us, with ports we wanted. I already planned to travel during the shoulder season, so it was substantially cheaper than June - August.

 

Once we booked it, I put in an airfare alert on one of the popular booking comparison websites (it is similar to narrow boat dot com). Several weeks later, I got an alert that the fare had dropped several hundred dollars, so we booked!

 

It's worth noting that many of the Med cruises begin in Venice or Barcelona and end in the opposite city. It may be worth considering one that begins and ends in the same city, than you won't have to pay for a multi-city airline ticket, only a round-trip.

 

Also keep in mind that most cruise lines will adjust your price from the time of the initial booking (when you pay your deposit) until your final payment is due. So, if they have yet another sale, you can get a price adjustment.

 

For me, I'd book the cruise first and then the airfare!

 

If you're interested, I did a complete photo review of our trip which can be found in the link below (Carnival Breeze). Carnival pulled out of Europe but the itinerary is exactly the same as those found on other cruiselines.

 

Best to you and have fun planning!

 

Thanks! That was very helpful. We will work on picking our cruise first. And, save for worst-case airfare. If we get better prices, more to spend on the trip!

 

We are no longer in Othello. :( moved back to the wet/grey side. I miss sun!

 

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[trish1c]

Some of the upscale & river cruises sometimes offer free air or at least 50% off air. They do require long advanced booking to get those deals.