Is expensive air travel changing your cruise plans?

[TeanneTX]

Just TODAY, I booked our Delta/Alitalia flight from middle-of-nowhere Fargo, ND to Rome to meet up with Reflection for her transatlantic this October. :)

 

I thought $550pp to fly a quarter of the way around the world, was VERY reasonable. :cool:

 

(Although not as good as last year when it was only $508pp! :eek: :D )

 

Getting a 15 night cruise on Reflection for $649pp with $350 OBC wasn't bad either. ;)

 

Wow thats a great fare to Rome. We're flying out of Austin TX to Rome on 10/2 and I had a horrible time getting the flights and seats. Even using Choice Air the best deal I could get was $ 1075 PP. I had to pay an additional $ 40 per ticket for British Airways if I wanted to select my seat more than 48 hrs prior to the flight. I will never fly BA again since they have that policy. I know its only $ 80 but that seems riduculous. I flew to Rome on Delta in early Dec '13 and had great seats for nearly half that price. And no extra fee for seat selections and no problems making the reservations. But airfare is getting really pricey these days.

 

Teanne

[Sloop-JohnB]

I have found , more direct flights and cheaper out of Toronto then Buffalo, one way to Rome $420 , with only one connect, nothing out of Buffalo could touch that

I will stick with Person

 

Yowxzer... That is an excellent price.

 

And we to have discovered when it comes to flights one really has to explore all the options... Convenience - Time - and Cost (Canadian Airports vs Cross Border Airports - Direct vs thru a US Hub - and Cdn vs US Dollars)

 

Chees!

[hulamoon]

Disappointed in hours and prices to San Juan. Last year the hours were shorter and the prices just over getting to FLL. This year it is terrible. So yes, taking some time to shop before final.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Wow thats a great fare to Rome. We're flying out of Austin TX to Rome on 10/2 and I had a horrible time getting the flights and seats. Even using Choice Air the best deal I could get was $ 1075 PP. I had to pay an additional $ 40 per ticket for British Airways if I wanted to select my seat more than 48 hrs prior to the flight. I will never fly BA again since they have that policy. I know its only $ 80 but that seems riduculous. I flew to Rome on Delta in early Dec '13 and had great seats for nearly half that price. And no extra fee for seat selections and no problems making the reservations. But airfare is getting really pricey these days.

 

Teanne

It is actually 24 hours not 48 in the cheap seats on BA

Flights from Europe to Toronto I was a book seats months a head

Toronto to Europe , could only pick the seat 24 hours before , always got good seats

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Yowxzer... That is an excellent price.

 

And we to have discovered when it comes to flights one really has to explore all the options... Convenience - Time - and Cost (Canadian Airports vs Cross Border Airports - Direct vs thru a US Hub - and Cdn vs US Dollars)

 

Chees!

We have done 4 TAs in the last 2 years , alway used Choice Air, and it always been on BA

Here a price from Toronto to Rome , for Nov 5 cruise $457 flying out Nov 3, and get there a day early

Edited August 10, 2014 by Airbalancer

[teecee60]

Doing the 23 night Century transpacific cruise from San Francisco to Sydney.

 

Just booked one way return flight from Sydney to LAX on Hawaiian through Choice Air.

 

VERY close to 12,000 miles. Almost exactly half way around the Earth...

 

$619pp :eek: :D :cool:

 

It was this ridiculously INEXPENSIVE airfare that made me book the cruise.

Edited August 10, 2014 by teecee60

[Tiggertastic]

Op! I hope when you get back after experiencing the ncl specialty restaurants that you no longer think ncl to be 'yuck'.

 

Try the flight prices from the uk. Our taxes are now more than the flight price.

 

An economy London to miami is now over $800 a person

[Nebr.cruiser]

Yes, air prices are affecting our cruise plans. I'm sure I'll be cancelling our Thanksgiving cruise before final payment, as air prices are running $600 and up pp.

 

It's our 50th anniversary and we need to fly 13 people to Ft. Lauderdale! Air would be more than the cruise is costing us. I realize it's Thanksgiving break, but wow.

 

We are used to using FF miles, so prices really seem high. We don't have enough FF miles for everyone, of course. Flying out of 'smaller' markets like Omaha is not so easy anymore; be grateful if you are close to a major hub.

[kelmac]

Op! I hope when you get back after experiencing the ncl specialty restaurants that you no longer think ncl to be 'yuck'.

 

Try the flight prices from the uk. Our taxes are now more than the flight price.

 

An economy London to miami is now over $800 a person

 

Hi Tt,

 

NCL looks like they have some great ships and I'm doing what I can to have a positive experience. The UDP looks like an excellent idea, and since our last cruise with them was 13 years ago, they deserve a new look from us.

I've always rated NCL's food as near the bottom in quality, but hey, I need to give them another chance to wow me by eating all our meals in alternative restaurants. Hope it works, so we can add them to our rotation.:)

 

We gave Royal Caribbean a new look a few years ago and we were impressed. As of late, Princess and Holland America are sliding out of favor with us. Celebrity is our favorite and Cunard, Oceania, Azamara are all great if you can get a "deal"!:rolleyes:

 

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[SPacificbound]

Wow thats a great fare to Rome. We're flying out of Austin TX to Rome on 10/2 and I had a horrible time getting the flights and seats. Even using Choice Air the best deal I could get was $ 1075 PP. I had to pay an additional $ 40 per ticket for British Airways if I wanted to select my seat more than 48 hrs prior to the flight. I will never fly BA again since they have that policy. I know its only $ 80 but that seems riduculous. I flew to Rome on Delta in early Dec '13 and had great seats for nearly half that price. And no extra fee for seat selections and no problems making the reservations. But airfare is getting really pricey these days.

 

Teanne

 

Have you checked IAH to FCO?

 

It's not that far to drive to Austin to Houston if the airfare is better then what you are seeing.

[runnerandme]

We had a complicated routing due to all three of us wanting to connect in a US airport before the long flight RT to Rome. For three we paid just over 4K. Yikes. And I looked hard to find other flights. Finally just gave up and booked. So I will just do one cruise this year.

 

 

Connie

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I like the connect in London

Quick custom check and you you are done for the trip

Pick up up your bags at FCO and walk out of the airport

[kelmac]

We like to break up our travel to Europe into segments and we will probably do it again for our two cruises next summer.

We can get a Southwest non-stop to BWI and spend the night near the airport. The next day we take the train into NYC and spend two days there. We love that British Air flight that leaves in the morning and arrives a LHR early evening (Virgin Atlantic has one too). We will spend two or three days in London and then take EasyJet to FCO to catch our Reflection cruise.

No Jet-lag and the journey becomes part of the vacation.:)

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[BEACHBARB]

When Southwest opened flights for our 2/13/15 Equinox cruise, I was SHOCKED at the prices to fly to FLL on 2/12 (Thursday) and return on 2/23 (Monday). Two of us are flying from Pittsburgh and one from Baltimore. I used points for one of the PIT tickets and the other was over $450 RT. The Baltimore flight was a little over $500. But I almost made a mistake booking the return flight to Baltimore and saw a big price reduction. So after the fact I checked going to FLL on Wednesday 2/11 and coming home Tuesday 2/24 - big price difference (lower). Had 24 hours to cancel and rebook and was able to use points for one PIT and one BWI so we figured we'd rather spend the money on hotels and meals than just flights. Really can make a difference what day of the week you are able to fly.

[miched]

Sometimes The price is a factor but it is more of the whole flying experience that makes it not enjoyable.

 

Lately we have been driving to the ports so we don't book cruises that involve flying. For us driving from MI to Fl cost more than flying but it is more pleasant.

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Lastdance]

Yes, air fare prancing is affecting our plans to Europe, but for 2015, I am hoping to snag business for only $550 additional + 20,000 mi. one way pp. Coming home I am fine with coach/extra leg room. But 1,950+ pp. is really steep for multiple destinations! I am hoping it will come down, especially since we don't leave until June! eyeing the Dolomites again and Cinque Terre, are worth the price, I guess. The cruise is only 7 days and to Barcelona. I only wish I liked to cruise in the Caribbean, but I don't. In 2016, Europe might have to wait...the $$$ goes on...

Edited August 11, 2014 by Lastdance

[teacherman]

Airlines are a business. It is simple supply and demand. I, also, am a former teacher who swore that when I retired I would never take another vacation during school breaks, as it is usually the most expensive time. But when I was working, it always came down to did I really want to go. If I did, I found a way to pay for it. Or take a different flight that cost less. I have recently found Easter week cruises, and airfares, that are quite reasonable. But it takes a bit of research to find them. Also, if you are a "member", you may want to check out C----O Tr---l. I used them for our last 3 cruises.

[ISABELLA]

I feel the pain. We are booked on Equinox over Thanksgiving and return frights to Boston on Jet Blue December 1 is over $400 one way. Checking the plane seating- 20% sold. Still waiting for a price drop. I flu to London last year for less money than flying from FL.

[diesel1973]

When I decide to take a trip I start monitoring fares. Went to Alaska twice this year fishing once in March and again from June till August. Booked last fall n/s Chicago to Anchorage Alaska Air $449 r/t. Cheapest I've found in years. Starting to look for next year. Was also considering Med. cruise next year but between the airfare and cruise fare looks like I would need to rob a bank!!!LOL

[phoenix_dream]

I feel the pain. We are booked on Equinox over Thanksgiving and return frights to Boston on Jet Blue December 1 is over $400 one way. Checking the plane seating- 20% sold. Still waiting for a price drop. I flu to London last year for less money than flying from FL.

I personally think prices for flying to/from FLL (and for that matter Miami) are kept artificially high because they can. With all the new cruise ships in recent years, and each one larger than the next, they know they have us where they want us so they have no need to lower prices. I was just looking at an October Florida cruise and overnight while I was deciding the price for the flight I wanted went up almost $50, with virtually the same capacity booked. That's ridiculous. I will be paying considerably more (percentage wise) flying to/from Florida than I will be paying for a trip I am taking to California in September, even though the distance there is greater.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I agree--we can get much cheaper fares to the west coast. I realize we are (probably) closer.

 

If I could fly from Chicago, I'd be happy--seems like much better prices, to me.

[TommyD3]

Doing the 23 night Century transpacific cruise from San Francisco to Sydney.

 

Just booked one way return flight from Sydney to LAX on Hawaiian through Choice Air.

 

VERY close to 12,000 miles. Almost exactly half way around the Earth...

 

It is NOT 12,000 miles. Planes only go 500 MPH today. That would be over 24 hours in the air. They don't have a range of 12,000 miles and don't do in flight refueling like fighter jets:)

 

We did Sydney to LAX a few years ago on Quantas, don't remember the exact duration, maybe 12 hours.

 

We were booked on the same cruise and were going to fly from Sydney to Istanbul to catch the Connie (including TA) and make it an around the world trip. I only fly business class when over 10 hours in the air. The flight from Sydney to Istanbul in business was going to be more $$$ than 40+ days of cruising. Business class is absurd - $5000+ pp.

 

Rebooked to Caribbean cruises that we can drive to.

[teecee60]

It is NOT 12,000 miles. Planes only go 500 MPH today. That would be over 24 hours in the air. They don't have a range of 12,000 miles and don't do in flight refueling like fighter jets :mad:

 

We did Sydney to LAX a few years ago on Quantas, don't remember the exact duration, maybe 12 hours.

 

We were booked on the same cruise and were going to fly from Sydney to Istanbul to catch the Connie (including TA) and make it an around the world trip. I only fly business class when over 10 hours in the air. The flight from Sydney to Istanbul in business was going to be more $$$ than 40+ days of cruising. Business class is absurd - $5000+ pp.

 

Rebooked to Caribbean cruises that we can drive to.

 

 

Sorry, I neglected to mention the stop in Honolulu to change planes. :(

 

I did screw up and over estimate the distance... by more than I would like to admit. (but I was REALLY close in KILOMETERS!!!) :o

 

The straight line mileage SYD-HNL-LAX is just over 7,600 miles. Don't know how much extra for air traffic control departure and arrival sequencing. But STILL not a bad price for that trip. (and LOTS better than travel on Phoebe Dunbar :eek:)

 

There ARE a fair number of regularly scheduled 16 hour nonstop airline flights.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-stop_flight

 

I have been stalking that B2B on Constellation for a couple of years now. REALLY nice itinerary. I just checked with Choice Air and can fly to ISTANBUL for $490pp. :cool:

 

I don't particularly care for sitting on a plane in cramped coach seating either, but until my rich cousin comes through...

 

I'll suck it up in coach and take the 40 days (and 40 nights!) of cruising.

Edited August 13, 2014 by teecee60

[herbanrenewal]

Try the flight prices from the uk. Our taxes are now more than the flight price.

An economy London to miami is now over $800 a person

 

I fly with FF miles as much as possible (from DC, Baltimore, Philly or NYC)

I know that flying through LHR will add $356 to the cost of my "free" trip.

Flying into Rome also costs $328. While flying into Milan cost exactly $5, and Frankfurt Germany $118.

 

I will fly in to / out of nearby cities with good rail connections and add a couple days to my trip to save $356. Since my budget is limited but I can extend vacation time when I need I enjoy the added days that usually cost less than the airport fee may have been.

 

Bottom line - the taxes and airport charges make the cost of travel look even worse. Sometimes its cheaper and easier to add a travel day and fly into or out of a cheaper airport.

[north29]

We travel at a minimum of 10 weeks a year probably more, Air prices have us adjusting what we do, and the length of the trip. Instead of doing just what is planned by a agency, we lengthen the trip to go on our own before or after a cruise. I say cruise, because a Trans ocean/regular cruise is a great way to travel to see a lot of the world. We do this for land tours as well.