Have to cancel... airfare is a nightmare!!

[summersigh]

Have you checked with Carnival about the price of airfare booked through them?

 

More than once we've done so and it was considerably cheaper than we could do ourselves.

 

If you call, have the flight numbers you'd like best and the days of the week you want to travel. They may or may not be able to accommodate the specific flights but they'll do the days. You can choose to fly in a day or more before the cruise and stay a few days after if you choose. Be careful about trying to fly in the day of the cruise in case of problems.

 

It's just a thought .... :)

[Last Salmon Man]

Have you checked with Carnival about the price of airfare booked through them?

 

More than once we've done so and it was considerably cheaper than we could do ourselves.

 

If you call, have the flight numbers you'd like best and the days of the week you want to travel. They may or may not be able to accommodate the specific flights but they'll do the days. You can choose to fly in a day or more before the cruise and stay a few days after if you choose. Be careful about trying to fly in the day of the cruise in case of problems.

 

It's just a thought .... :)

 

I didn't even know this was an option. thanks!

[KCpumkin]

Yea, we drove 24 Hours to the port because airfare was so brutal. The money we saved paid for lots of FUN on the ship :D

[krismas_tina]

I know what you mean about crazy airfare prices. We booked this same cruise and booked our airfare. I was okay with the price at $800 rt for 2 from Chicago to Miami. I checked the price a couple weeks ago as my sisters were thinking about booking the same cruise, and the airfare was $1500 per person! That's what we paid to fly to Italy a couple years ago!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mistycruiser]

Have you checked with Southwest? They fly to FLL not MIA but it's easy to get a shuttle over to the cruiseport from FLL. Also, going to MCO isn't a bad idea either. We found lots more flight options and prices going to MCO and as others have mentioned it really wasn't a bad drive as long as you can build an extra day or days into the schedule. Plus Southwest doesn't charge for bags or change fees. They also fly to Tampa.

[Cinnamon2]

Carnival has a new "Fly2Fun" I believe it's called - they book our flights and they are less than their old "Fly Aweigh" flights. We were able to choose airlines and times. Hope it works out for you.

[Sailor_Sally]

Do not fly to Tampa for a cruise out of Miami . it may seem like an easy drive but route 4 is an awful road . It cuts across Florida from Tampa to Orlando and passes all the disney parks . The traffic is horrendous and there are always accidents on that road . Fly into Fort Lauderdale or West Palm or anywhere but Tampa .

[semichigan]

Also to check Southwest flights, you have to go to their website directly, as my understanding is they refuse to participate in the group searches such as Expedia, Google, etc. if you fly into FLL and need a shuttle to Port of Miami, I recommend SAS

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

From ATL I generally find the best prices for March/April flights to Miami/Fort Lauderdale in February. The prices on Delta and Southwest will be much higher before and after that month for some reason. Like others have said wait awhile and keep checking closer to the date. Finding alternative airports and doing a hybrid fly/drive approach may work out better as well.

[Elaine5715]

What about flying in to FLL on Friday and out Monday?

[Jeepenfun]

I was going to say look into Spirit airlines into Fort Lauderdale. They are dirt cheap but they dont fly out of Salt lake city. you would need to fly to Denver or another nearby city then take Spirit on to Fort Lauderdale.

 

I just looked into Spirit airlines for our Cruise in April and round trip for me and my wife its $450 from Denver to Fort Lauderdale and back.

 

But if you could get a cheap flight to Denver you could fly Spirit into FLL for $353 pp. and then depending on how many checked bags each person in your family has its $21 for the first bag. family of 4, 4 checked bags of $84 baggage fees each way.

 

Las Vegas is a little more with a base fare of $408 per passenger.

[Jeepenfun]

Just looked at Southwest and their $642 pp round trip and that includes baggage up to 2 bags pp. but its also flying out on Friday and returning Monday there was only 1 "wanna getaway" price on Sunday that left at 9:50 am and you would be able to get off the ship and get to the airport in time for that flight

[Tapi]

I was going to say look into Spirit airlines.

 

 

Ugh, Spirit is awful. They charge you for basically everything except breathing. And it's not only for checked bags, but also for carry ons that don't fit under the seat, EVERYTHING served onboard, even water, seat assignments (even if you pick the crappiest middle seat on the last row by the lavatory), and even to print your boarding pass at the kiosk at the airport! By the time it's all said and done, that "dirt cheap" ticket is not as "dirt cheap" as one may think. And with zero entertainment and one of the worst seat pitch in the entire airline industry, get ready to suffer because you'll be one bored canned sardine. Doable on a shorter flight, but not when flying across the country. Oh, and if your flight cancels or is delayed? Surprise! No interline agreements so you're stuck with them until they can get you on another Spirit flight, whenever that may be. [emoji31]

Edited October 17, 2015 by Tapi

[lahlah57]

I just did a quick search and found a nonstop JetBlue flight leaving 10:50 p.m. on 3/25/16 from SLC into MCO on 3/26/16 at 5:00 a.m., and returning 8:20 p.m. on 4/4/16 from MCO into SLC at 11:08 p.m. for $337 per person. Sure it is a red eye flight and you have to take an extra day off, but with four people I think the saving is worth the hassle.

 

Yes.....this does sound good for the $ and sacrifices do have to be made for the saving aspect.

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

Ugh, Spirit is awful. They charge you for basically everything except breathing. And it's not only for checked bags, but also for carry ons that don't fit under the seat, EVERYTHING served onboard, even water, seat assignments (even if you pick the crappiest middle seat on the last row by the lavatory), and even to print your boarding pass at the kiosk at the airport! By the time it's all said and done, that "dirt cheap" ticket is not as "dirt cheap" as one may think. And with zero entertainment and one of the worst seat pitch in the entire airline industry, get ready to suffer because you'll be one bored canned sardine. Doable on a shorter flight, but not when flying across the country. Oh, and if your flight cancels or is delayed? Surprise! No interline agreements so you're stuck with them until they can get you on another Spirit flight, whenever that may be. [emoji31]

 

You forgot to mention flights taking off 25 minutes early and Spirit giving away your seat to standby's even when you're checked in and making your way to the gate. What a horrible company.

 

http://www.cbs46.com/story/30272997/cbs46-investigates-atlanta-flights-leaving-early-without-passengers

 

"ATLANTA (CBS46) -

 

Usually when a flight takes off early, that's considered a good thing. But not when some of the passengers are left behind.

 

CBS46 received a series of complaints over the past week that Spirit Airlines is repeatedly flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport before the scheduled takeoff time.

 

Greg Irvine describes what happened at the airport on Oct. 8.

 

"I was early and there were also fourteen other people who were early too. I mean, everybody was heated. Everybody was perturbed about it,” said Irvine.

 

Irvine said he missed a job interview because his 6 a.m. flight left at least 25 minutes early. He said he was at the gate by 5:35 a.m. and by then, the plane was already gone.

 

"I missed the interview completely. I've been out of work and they would not work with me,” said Irvine.

 

Spirit Airlines said Irvine and other passengers are all mistaken. They insist that none of their recent flights out of Atlanta have taken off more than eight minutes early. If Irvine thought the flight left more than 25 minutes early, they think he must have been at the wrong gate.

 

CBS46 asked the U.S. Department of Transportation if they knew what time the flight in question left, but the records are only available two months afterward. That means we'll have to wait until December.

 

But get this -- the records the government relies on come from the airlines. The Department of Transportation counts on airlines to observe the honor system when they say what time a flight left.

 

The company defends its actions, pointing to fine print that states all airlines are entitled to leave as early as fifteen minutes before the scheduled time, even if passengers are checked in and making their way to the gate.

 

So, why would they want to leave without their passengers?

Spirit Airlines tends to have people waiting on standby for any given flight and if enough standbys get there before you, even if it's before the scheduled time to leave, they reserve the right to give your seat away.

 

A recent Consumer Reports study gave Spirit the lowest marks out of any airline for customer service.

 

According to the Department of Transportation, Spirit Airlines accounts for nearly 40% of all complaints made against airlines with 12 other airlines sharing the remaining 60%.

 

Spirit Airlines may have the cheapest prices, but it seems like you get what you pay for."

Edited October 17, 2015 by ATL_Miami_Cruiser

[Jeepenfun]

Ugh, Spirit is awful. They charge you for basically everything except breathing. And it's not only for checked bags, but also for carry ons that don't fit under the seat, EVERYTHING served onboard, even water, seat assignments (even if you pick the crappiest middle seat on the last row by the lavatory), and even to print your boarding pass at the kiosk at the airport! By the time it's all said and done, that "dirt cheap" ticket is not as "dirt cheap" as one may think. And with zero entertainment and one of the worst seat pitch in the entire airline industry, get ready to suffer because you'll be one bored canned sardine. Doable on a shorter flight, but not when flying across the country. Oh, and if your flight cancels or is delayed? Surprise! No interline agreements so you're stuck with them until they can get you on another Spirit flight, whenever that may be. [emoji31]

 

So does United, Frontier, Delta, US airways, American Airlines, jetblue, bla bla bla bla. they all charge for bags except Southwest. Most also all charge for carry ons, food and drinks. I fly Southwest most of the time and they charge for food, drinks, Wifi service. TV just like everyone else.

 

You get what you pay for. Thats why their a no frills airlines. they get you from point A to point B. its transportation only. not a flying resort. Thats what your flying to but it floats on water.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Jeepenfun

[Tapi]

So does United, Frontier, Delta, US airways, American Airlines, jetblue, bla bla bla bla.

 

 

Uh, No they don't. The majors may charge you for a seat in a premium location or to check a bag, but they don't charge you to select ANY seat. And they definitely don't charge you to bring a carry on onboard. And they most definitely don't charge you to print a boarding pass or give you a cup of water! And most importantly they have interline agreements and don't jam an extra 20 seats on the airplane or limit seat recline. One of the most repulsive things that Spirit does is that they will charge you $100 right at the gate if your carry on happens to be too big to fit under your seat, while most other airlines will just check it right there for free

 

Spirit has received so many negative reviews for their "no frills" and unorthodox approach to flying that they have started painting their airplanes bright yellow with black letters with the words "home of the bare fare", just so that people understand what they are getting themselves into. There's no sugar coating what Spirit is about, even by their own admission.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Tapi

[jandb6266]

In response to PCHENG saying that he found airfare leaving SLC nonstop

at 10:50PM and arriving at MCO at 5:00AM and then returning on 4/4/16

at 8:20PM and arriving at SLC at 11:08PM. These times do not add up.

At the times you stated it takes 6-1/2 hours to get to MCO but it only

takes les than three hours to get back to SLC. It does not sound right.

The price is great at 337.00 pp. I agree they should look for a later

return flight that would be a lot cheaper. HAPPY SAILING!!!

[Kadeeu]

In response to PCHENG saying that he found airfare leaving SLC nonstop

at 10:50PM and arriving at MCO at 5:00AM and then returning on 4/4/16

at 8:20PM and arriving at SLC at 11:08PM. These times do not add up.

At the times you stated it takes 6-1/2 hours to get to MCO but it only

takes les than three hours to get back to SLC. It does not sound right.

The price is great at 337.00 pp. I agree they should look for a later

return flight that would be a lot cheaper. HAPPY SAILING!!!

 

You might want to google the term "time zones".

[Podna's]

In response to PCHENG saying that he found airfare leaving SLC nonstop

 

at 10:50PM and arriving at MCO at 5:00AM and then returning on 4/4/16

 

at 8:20PM and arriving at SLC at 11:08PM. These times do not add up.

 

At the times you stated it takes 6-1/2 hours to get to MCO but it only

 

takes les than three hours to get back to SLC. It does not sound right.

 

The price is great at 337.00 pp. I agree they should look for a later

 

return flight that would be a lot cheaper. HAPPY SAILING!!!

 

 

Mountain time to Eastern time and back. Makes perfect sense. :)

[DUCHESSRN]

Spring Break on Breeze is not for the feint hearted .....many memories of feeling very old , entertaining muster drill with 2 very drunk people being carted off by security ...I have never seen a crew work so hard on a cruise ....I felt bad for them .....we had a great time but felt badly for Staff .

Hope you get your flights sorted it is a frustrating task.

[vwrestler171]

As a fellow cruiser out of SLC, I sympathize with you. I am dreading flights to MIA/FLL for my Vista cruise with my kids. It's amazing how fast flight went up. in 2010, I paid $240/pp from SLC-MIA and a year later I paid $480.

[Alexv500]

I would constantly check on Kayak for airfare deals. Booked my flight to Miami for my March 19th Cruise aboard the Glory, and got my tickets for $323 pp roundtrip from LAX, nonstop on American Airlines. Outstanding deal if you ask me; still in shock that we scored such a great deal. We've been waiting for so long on the airfare and were about to give up till today we grabbed an amazing deal! You just gotta constantly check kayak because the prices are always changing!! You can give up on the airfare, there'll be a great deal for you, you just gotta be patient with the prices :)

Edited October 17, 2015 by Alexv500

[manmachine]

Did you check Ft. Lauderdale (FLL). Flights seem to be a little cheaper. Expedia apprx. 750.00. Also, you may want to wait til you get closer to final payment. Flight are cheapest 45 days out. Also, cheapest rate are Tuesday afternoon. I don't know that for a fact just something I read.

 

Also West Palm Beach. Often the cheapest choice.

[Cinnamon2]

OP, just curious, did you ask Carnival what their price would be for Fly2Fun? doesn't hurt to ask . . .

Edited October 17, 2015 by Cinnamon2