Airline Tickets (Choice Air via Celebrity vs. others)?

[viranpooja]

We would like to book our tickets to Venice from the states. Generally, we always book our flights through CheapOAir or Cheaptickets, or directly with the airline some times with major issues. In the past we used to use travel agents to book our tickets. Any recommendations? Has anyone used ChoiceAir via Celebrity/RCL? Any problems with it?

[6rugrats]

Maybe you will want to read this thread, linked below, it explains cruise air pretty well. There are also many other threads discussing this issue; you can pull them up doing a search:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=530322

 

Personally, I have never seen the need to book cruise air and I would never consider booking with CheapoAir, Vayama, eDreams, Cheaptickets, etc. We all make our own choices, but I would prefer to book directly with the airline. It's much easier to sort out any problems that way and you aren't paying the third party fees.

[Zach1213]

Just out of curiosity, what "major issues" have you had booking directly with the airline?

[FlyerTalker]

Or is it when you have major issues with Cheapo et al that you turn to the airline itself?

[waterbug123]

Just out of curiosity, what "major issues" have you had booking directly with the airline?

 

I was going to ask the same thing. Sometimes issues are issues, no matter the source of your ticket.

[iancal]

We have used Celebrity/RCI Choice air twice. Both were one way flights coming home (we often book one way flights when we are on an extended vacation).

 

This past Oct. we had excellent connections from Barcelona-Calgary on BA. The price was very attractive.. (to us) $475. USD. BA had multiple flights and good connections. No issues The only downer was connecting through Heathrow and having to change terminals.

 

We selected the flight ourselves on the Choice Air site. There were multiple options price/airline/time etc. We simply gave our on line TA the details and she booked our requested air with the cruise. It was inside the cancellation window so we wanted to ensure that we got both the air and the cruise since the cruise was Rome-Barcelona.

 

We would never book cruise air to an embarkation port unless we had a few days of pre cruise planned.

Edited April 29, 2015 by iancal

[FlyerTalker]

And the "missing OP" syndrome strikes again.

[Flafun888]

So long story short: I faxed a transfer request form to Celebrity last month to transfer a cruise I booked onboard to my travel agent. My confirm sheet showed it went through fine. But transfer never occurred. Called and they told me it takes 10-15 days. So I waited. Now they say they "have no record" of receiving it. In other words, they lost it and I'm out of luck since it's over 60 days and no longer transferrable. (Unfortunately, since I rarely fax, never noticed that the date/time stamp on my home fax reset to 2007 during my last power outage - so now I don't have any dated proof to prove I did request the transfer in time.) :(

 

So trying to make lemonade out of lemons - since the cruise is still booked with Celebrity, thinking I can transfer to a diff sailing, then transfer THAT one to TA, so I can still get extra benefits she's offering and keep original onboard booking OBC bonus. But I was planning on using Choice Air: now understand you can't transfer a booking if air tics are through CA?

 

Does anyone know why this isn't allowed? I'm just curious. Was hoping to choose the Choice Air savings ($200 per person) under pick your perk promo, but I guess that's not allowed if I want to transfer the cruise?

[greatam]

Does anyone know why this isn't allowed? I'm just curious. Was hoping to choose the Choice Air savings ($200 per person) under pick your perk promo, but I guess that's not allowed if I want to transfer the cruise?

 

 

Here's the limiter (again, READ THE FINE PRINT).

 

 

"** Choice air credits are only available where air is available for sale. Air is not available for sailings that depart July 2015 – April 2016, during the Offer period"

 

 

It appears NO CHOICE AIR tickets will get credit from July 2015 through April 2016. So unless you are booking a cruise further out than 11 months away, there aren't even Choice Air tickets AVAILABLE for credit.

[Flafun888]

Here's the limiter (again, READ THE FINE PRINT). "** Choice air credits are only available where air is available for sale. Air is not available for sailings that depart July 2015 – April 2016, during the Offer period" It appears NO CHOICE AIR tickets will get credit from July 2015 through April 2016. So unless you are booking a cruise further out than 11 months away, there aren't even Choice Air tickets AVAILABLE for credit.

 

Greatam...if this is true, you have saved me major aggravation and I thank you. I normally am obsessive about fine print, but this has been the booking from you know where and I may be missing important things. But I'm re-reading the fine print at bottom of website right now under PYP offer and do not see the above T&C...only a requirement to book by 5/31. See 2 bolded areas below. I am certainly not doubting you, but would you mind sharing where you found it? This is all I see re: Choice Air:

 

To Qualify for Pick Your Perk Offer, the following requirements must be satisfied. Cruise must be booked Apr. 8 – May 31, 2015 (the "Offer Period") and must be a 4-night or longer cruise that departs July 2015 – April 2016. Offer excludes Celebrity Xpedition, Transatlantic, Transpacific, and repositioning cruises. Offer requires ocean view or higher stateroom booking at the non-discounted standard cruise fare. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion or price program. Offer is applicable to new individual bookings and to staterooms in non-contracted group bookings, which must be named and deposited during the Offer Period. Bookings that meet all of these requirements are "Qualifying Bookings." The first two guests in a Qualifying Booking may choose one of the following options: Classic Beverage Package for Two, Free Gratuities for Two, or Onboard Credit ("OBC"). Guests booking air travel using Celebrity's ChoiceAir have the fourth option of a cruise fare savings. Celebrity's ChoiceAir must be purchased by May 31, 2015. One offer per stateroom. The first two guests in the stateroom must select the same option. On select cruises, triple and higher occupancy guests will each receive cruise fares savings; not applicable to Cruisetours. Taxes and fees are additional for all guests. Limit of one Offer per stateroom. All guests in the stateroom must book during the Offer Period. You must notify Celebrity of the option(s) you chose at the time of booking. Provide promo code PYPBEV for Beverage, PYPOBC for OBC, PYPGR for Gratuities and PYPAIR for Celebrity's ChoiceAir Savings.

[greatam]

Greatam...if this is true, you have saved me major aggravation and I thank you. I normally am obsessive about fine print, but this has been the booking from you know where and I may be missing important things. But I'm re-reading the fine print at bottom of website right now under PYP offer and do not see the above T&C...only a requirement to book by 5/31. See 2 bolded areas below. I am certainly not doubting you, but would you mind sharing where you found it? This is all I see re: Choice Air:

 

To Qualify for Pick Your Perk Offer, the following requirements must be satisfied. Cruise must be booked Apr. 8 – May 31, 2015 (the "Offer Period") and must be a 4-night or longer cruise that departs July 2015 – April 2016. Offer excludes Celebrity Xpedition, Transatlantic, Transpacific, and repositioning cruises. Offer requires ocean view or higher stateroom booking at the non-discounted standard cruise fare. Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion or price program. Offer is applicable to new individual bookings and to staterooms in non-contracted group bookings, which must be named and deposited during the Offer Period. Bookings that meet all of these requirements are "Qualifying Bookings." The first two guests in a Qualifying Booking may choose one of the following options: Classic Beverage Package for Two, Free Gratuities for Two, or Onboard Credit ("OBC"). Guests booking air travel using Celebrity's ChoiceAir have the fourth option of a cruise fare savings. Celebrity's ChoiceAir must be purchased by May 31, 2015. One offer per stateroom. The first two guests in the stateroom must select the same option. On select cruises, triple and higher occupancy guests will each receive cruise fares savings; not applicable to Cruisetours. Taxes and fees are additional for all guests. Limit of one Offer per stateroom. All guests in the stateroom must book during the Offer Period. You must notify Celebrity of the option(s) you chose at the time of booking. Provide promo code PYPBEV for Beverage, PYPOBC for OBC, PYPGR for Gratuities and PYPAIR for Celebrity's ChoiceAir Savings.

 

 

I cut and pasted if off the March email sent out by a well known TA that sells a A LOT of Celebrity. The deals were also sent out with the blast emails when RCCL sends their "specials of the week" (isn't that on Tuesdays?). What you posted states money will be taken off CRUISE FARE. The March email states money will be CREDITED to Choice Air booking (airline ticket, NOT CRUISE FARE) BUT then you read the fine print and NO Choice Air available.

 

I can see 4 different emails dating back to Sept 2014 with Pick your perk benefits enunciated. And they are just SLIGHTLY different. The ones in October and March have the limiter on Choice Air. The one from Sept 2014 has a different limitation on OBC and does not have the $100 per day per person drink benefit if you choose the drink package. The one in February states you must book Choice Air by the end of March when all the rest give you until the end of the promotion. And on and on and on with minute difference.

 

You will have to go to the date you actually booked the cruise and then try to find out EXACTLY what benefits your Pick Your Perk package included. You may have lucked out.

Edited May 16, 2015 by greatam

[Flafun888]

Thank you again - really appreciate your time. I haven't technically booked this sailing yet - I'm on another one that leaves from my home port (no air needed) and looking to transfer that to this one. So guess I'm subject to whatever the T&C is on the day (or more likely the particular minute/second) I do the transfer.

 

Really starting to think the $400 savings aren't worth the headache, as even if my sail date qualifies, I can't transfer the darn thing to a TA if it's choice air. May just book air direct w/airlines as so many here advise and just choose the drink or OBC perk.

 

Thank you again...I have very little experience with booking air for cruise - most cruises leave from my home port, so I appreciate the insights on this cruise air board.

[iancal]

We lucked out. We booked a late Oct. 2014 RCI cruise, Rome-Barcelona, inside the final payment window. It came with an offer to pay up to $1000 cruise air per stateroom.

 

We only needed air one way..2 tickets $475 USD each (a very good price) on Choice Air. We were charged separately for the air and then got a $950. credit that reduced the bottom line price of our cruise.

 

It was a very attractive deal for us. The cruise was was great price and the air fare was about $300. less than we could get anywhere else. We booked through our on line TA but she got us on a three way con call with RCI, her, and me to work out the booking. Since it was inside the final payment window we wanted to be certain of getting the air and the cabin vs booking the cabin and then logging back in for the air. It was a bit of a pain to work thru but it was well worth our while.