RCI Air - Experiences with European flights

[Freelancer]

My DH and I are seriously considering the Voyageur transatlantic May 6/06. The airfare through RCI is much cheaper than anywhere else.

 

Can anyone offer comments about using RCI air--the good, bad or the ugly. We will be travelling from Canada to Miami and back from Barcelona.

 

Thank you in advance for you help.

[truffles2]

We did air with RCI a few years ago. No problems. It was Delta all the way with a new inaugural flight on the return.....which was quite interesting.

[Cindi314]

We just used RCI air for our Med cruise. I was very pleased with it. We flew from Lufthansa from Boston to Munich to Barcelona then coming back it was Air France from Barcelona to Paris to Boston. There was only a 1 hour layover each time. My only complaint (and it has nothing to do with RCI) is the Barcelona airport. The most unorganized airport I've ever been in.

[RickT]

Hi Fellow Ottawa resident!! Never done the europe flights with RCCL but so far I've flown Air Canada and Delta when booking them. You could probably call and find out what Airlines they are using these days. I booked my own flight when I did the med a few years back and at that time getting to Barcelona from ottawa was next to impossible. I ultimately flew Air Canada to heathrow and Midland to Barcelona.

 

Enjoy your trip... I'm envious.

[negc]

Check to see what flight schedules best fit your needs and then call RCI's custom air department (or have your travel agent do so) and see if you can get those flights. You may have to pay the customair fee which for international flights is, I believe $75USD, (and you will only be charged that fee if they accommodate your request), since you are not at least a Platinum level member of C&A. If there is a difference in the airfare between what they are charging for their regular offerings and what you are requesting (usually there is not), you might also have to pay the difference. In any case, check out these options before you decide what to do. If you can do better by purchasing airfare on your own, that option is also there for you, but you may have to pay separately for any land transfers involved. We are using RCI's Custom Air for our flight from Boston to London and got a great price as well as the flight we wanted at no extra cost.

[bubbadog]

no complaints here just used it in oct to barcelona from california,was good used klm flights very nice:))

[Ladylouwho]

We booked five flights for our family through Royal Caribbean on American airlines and paid the $75 deviation fee each to get the exact, nonstop flights on a 777 (personal TV screens for each passenger) we wanted. We flew nonstop Dallas to London, Gatwick, roundtrip to sail on the Jewel of the Seas 12 night British Isle/Norwegian Fiords cruise (A MUST for any cruise fanatic, do it if you have the time and can afford it, it is wonderful).The amount RCCL charged for the flight was lower than anything else I could find. Now that we are Platinum, we will not have to pay the deviation fee. The added plus of using RCCL to book your flights is that the ground transportation is included. London Gatwick to Harwich port was @ $80 per person for the coach each way ( a savings of $ 800 for my family). Plus, if you get your airfare through RCCL they will make sure you make the sailing or get you to the ship. When we cleared customs in London on our way to the Jewel of the Seas we were greeted by two wonderful British Reps of RCCL and we felt like we were met by family. They took care of us, our luggage, and we were on the bus on our way to the port in short order. A nice touch to be taken care of and told what to do and where to go when you are so tired and out of it from an overnight flight. Luckily, we had no problems with flights or luggage on our trip and we had the trip of a lifetime. Good luck to all who sail!

[sailor moon]

We are using RCCL air for our Greek Isle cruise next June. I felt better giving them the responsibility of a Europe trip. We do get the custom deviation fee waived.

[jaxon41]

Just be sure that if you book through RCL, you check your flights weekly to see if there has been any changes. I have used Celebrity custom air for Europe with no problem, but RCL custom to Canada made a mess of it because the airline changed its itinerary but the cruise line never notified us so that we could adjust accordingly. We ended up having to book on our own and then fight like heck to get RCL to pay the difference.

 

I think there is less deviation in flights abroad, however. Just check your flights every week -- do not depend on the cruise line to stay on top of it.

[WeBeCruisin']

We just returned from the July 23 Brilliance Mediterranean trip, and used RCCL's air and hotel package both ways, with an extra day in Barcelona on each end. We had absolutely no problems.

 

We flew from Charlotte to Atlanta on Delta and had a 1:45 layover, and then non-stop to Barcelona. The transfers were quick and efficient and when you factor in the cost of taxis to and from the hotel, airport, and pier, the cost was very little more than it would have been by doing it on our own, and the lack of hassle and the emotional security of not having to worry about anything was well worth whatever extra it cost.

 

We even got upgraded on the pre-cruise to one of the four suites (out of 125 rooms) at the Gran Havana Hotel. It was gorgeous and about 900 to 1,000 square feet of polished mahogany and marble, with two bathrooms.

 

The return flights were smooth, on time, and with the same 1:45 layover in Atlanta. On all four of the flights, they had given me an aisle seat, which is really nice on the transatlantic part as far as not having to wake someone up to get past them to go to the bathroom or being awakened by someone else.

 

We had done our own air on our last four or five cruises, but were really glad we let RCCL handle it this time, particularly since it involved transatlantic flights. It made everything far more relaxing.

 

Allen

[cme]

I just used the cruise air in June. I flew from Seattle to Amsterdam and then to Barcelona. It was on Northwest and KLM. Great flights with tons of food served. On the way home I flew Delta from BCN to ATL. The only problem I had is that I missed my connection from ATL to Seattle. I was pleasently suprised to find that they had put me on the very next flight and in first class.:D

 

 

Carrie

[jbettlam]

Flew N.O. to London July, 2005 w/ RCCL used an online TA. Flew United N.O.-Dulles-Heathrow. Had a few requests re: seats, transportation (due to being in wheelchair) from airport-hotel-ship. Got to England evidently no notice had been sent to RCCL in London. wasted a lot of time in London insuring that further requests were honored. They still were screwed up on return flight, after the cruise.

It might have been better had I booked directly w/ RCCL. Got very poor service from someone in the TA-RCCL-UA chain.

I'm not satisfied w/ the service I got.

jim :mad: