TA, Repositioning, and Airfare

[KuffMUp]

I tried to search but couldn't get an answer. I have looked at some Alaska north or southbound trips, or a Hawaii, or repositioning and have a question about airfare. Obviously one way air is expensive. When you can't drive between your embarkation and debarkation ports, how do you handle the second leg of your flight? We can drive to Vancouver, BC but would have to fly back from Hawaii. Been on 6 cruises and just now trying to figure out some of these other great trips out there that don't start and stop at the same port.

[reedprincess]

If you have to fly to/from different ports, you can buy a multi-city rund trip ticket, ie: a ticket TO point A, with the RETURN from point B. People do it all the time all over the world.

If it's just one way, then you buy a one way ticket. People do it all the time, and it's not always more expensive than. Round trip. Sometimes two one ways is much less expensive than a round trip. Plus, especially in the States, you have loads of airline combinations and options, shop around. Just pay attention to what ticket price exactly includes.

We have to fly to all our cruises, often multiple flights just to get to embarkation -it's just part of the cost of the trip. Same for people all over the world. Take all the money you've saved by driving to ports so far, and use it for your airfare in the future! Lol

Just shop around, check with ChoiceAir, especially for one ways, as often the are just as competitive as doing it on your own, and often better, especially for one ways...plus the added bonus of them being responsible for you getting to ship if something goes wrong on the flight over...

[mollyeilis]

You just book it. Since 9/11 there have been no good deals on roundtrip domestic tickets anyway, and there are no weird looks given you if you have a one way ticket somewhere.

 

Check to see if the multi-city option gives you a better deal, but it hasn't given me anything but the exact same things I can get just looking at two one way tickets on the same airline.

[sjb317]

I would encourage you to check prices on different airlines & online ticket sources, then check with Choice Air. We have used them for six different TAs and have found them to offer the best prices each time.

 

As others have said, very easy to book a one way flight no matter who you choose.

 

Sherri:)

[SC_Floaters]

Just did a quick check on Priceline...

 

Multi Destination from Charleston SC to Vancouver and then Anchorage to Charleston was listed at $596 pp

 

RT Charleston - Vancouver was $450 pp

 

RT Charleston - Anchorage was $705 pp

 

The Multidestination on Price line is about the average of the two Round Trips (RT).

 

Dennis & Sue

 

PS. I usually fly in a day early if I book the flights...

[JasonV1]

For mine next summer I did rt to Seattle, and a 1 way from a anchorage to Seattle (for return home leg on way back to Raleigh). The 1 way was only ~$100pp. I'm taking the train from Seattle to Vancouver for the embark ($31pp).

 

There are some reasonably priced 1 ticket return trips from anchorage to Raleigh, but I got better schedules by just returning to Seattle first as I'm staying a few days in Alaska before I leave and I want to maximize my time there.

 

Booking 1 ways isn't always more expensive, it just depends on what that segment costs as there may be fewer planes doing the return leg. San Juan is like this; lots of planes going there but fewer return to where they came from (at least it appeared this way on Delta).

Edited December 11, 2014 by JasonV1

[KuffMUp]

Thanks. I guess I haven't looked at one-ways for a while. They used to be spendy. I do consider the air to be part of the trip because unless it is from Vancouver or Seattle, I have to fly.

[SolocruiserMA]

I'd definitely check out Choice Air. Last week I booked a one way ticket from Boston to Barcelona for my transatlantic cruise next year and it was around $407.00 per person. Much better than I could find elsewhere.

[mollyeilis]

The 1 way was only ~$100pp. I'm taking the train from Seattle to Vancouver for the embark ($31pp).

 

Of course, if your'e taking the actual train, the timing of it means you are either staying a night in Seattle or in Vancouver. The earliest train leaves before a morning flight arrival could get there, and the late (second) train leaves after the cruise will leave. So it does add to the cost.

 

I personally, if I didn't live up here, would add two nights, because I'm just not comfortable taking the train on the same day as embarkation. Amtrak doesn't own the rails and anything can happen. The other night DH got on his commuter train home, got 250 feet away from the station, and they stopped. There had, horribly, been a fatal accident just south of the train yard, 30 minutes before. Not sure why they let anyone on the commuter train since they KNEW it was going to cause a stoppage, but that's a different story. They sat on the unmoving commuter train for 2 full hours. They could not back up because there was a freight train just behind them. There would have been no way for Amtrak to get past them up to King Street Station if it wasn't already there. Just a total shutdown.

 

I'm not comfy with that as a possibility the day I sail, so I would stay two full days. Takes away from the lower cost, that's for sure! But that's OK, we adore Vancouver. (and Seattle's a bit of fun as well)

[IWORK2CRUISE]

Shop around a bit for the airfare. If you really ant the cruise the rest can fall into place.

We sailed Vancouver to Hawaii in Sept and I kept searching as we needed airfare from NY.

I happen to have had points accrued with United and ended up flying free. However, I was totally surprised by that! I am sure that the first few times I checked, I had almost enough points for one RT ticket. So, the day that I saw we could both go free, I booked immediately! I was sure that it was one of those internet flukes that would later prove to be invalid. The return from HI was not direct and meant a small plane from Chicago to Newark but so what! It was free!

 

Actually, this was not our fist time on the same cruise itinerary from Vancouver to Hawaii. In each instance, I just kept searching for the best deal.

One time, I considered one-way flights on each end with different airlines, but patience persevered and we still got good deals.

[Proseknitic]

I tried to search but couldn't get an answer. I have looked at some Alaska north or southbound trips, or a Hawaii, or repositioning and have a question about airfare. Obviously one way air is expensive. When you can't drive between your embarkation and debarkation ports, how do you handle the second leg of your flight? We can drive to Vancouver, BC but would have to fly back from Hawaii. Been on 6 cruises and just now trying to figure out some of these other great trips out there that don't start and stop at the same port.

Then there is always the tried and true method of booking TWO cruises and a RT airfare.

 

You know you want to go again...... (grin)

 

-Holly

who left the Serenade in NOLA last month and will be returning there for the next repositioning in April ....

[whitshel]

If you have to fly to/from different ports, you can buy a multi-city rund trip ticket, ie: a ticket TO point A, with the RETURN from point B. People do it all the time all over the world.

If it's just one way, then you buy a one way ticket. People do it all the time, and it's not always more expensive than. Round trip. Sometimes two one ways is much less expensive than a round trip. Plus, especially in the States, you have loads of airline combinations and options, shop around. Just pay attention to what ticket price exactly includes.

We have to fly to all our cruises, often multiple flights just to get to embarkation -it's just part of the cost of the trip. Same for people all over the world. Take all the money you've saved by driving to ports so far, and use it for your airfare in the future! Lol

Just shop around, check with ChoiceAir, especially for one ways, as often the are just as competitive as doing it on your own, and often better, especially for one ways...plus the added bonus of them being responsible for you getting to ship if something goes wrong on the flight over...

 

Well Said!! I second this, I only look at one way tix these days. Don't forget to look at southwest too since it wont show up on any travel sites :D