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

[jimbo5544]

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.

 

 

Good post and so true.

[zqvol]

OP: I skimmed all the replies and didn't see this mentioned, but have you checked about flying into FLL? It is often much cheaper than flying into MIA because Southwest has a presence there.

 

Your biggest issue with flights is Easter and spring break. Everything is higher the weeks you are looking at because of that, and unfortunately don't expect to find cheap flights during that time. You might be better if you could stay an extra day in MIA before returning home.

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

For $298pp there's always the 3 day, 3 transfer journey on Amtrak. Just throwing it out there as an option :D

Edited October 17, 2015 by ATL_Miami_Cruiser

[Budget Queen]

There are a lot of posts here, who seem to think, there is some kind of magic time frame that prices are going to drop. Several references to "waiting", yep- it has always dropped for me- and my ONE time past situation- but I am going to tell you, it will happen for you too. :)

 

Nothing further from the truth. There is NO way to predict any - future prices or availability of airline seats.

 

I find it interesting- with the above thinking- BUT- what's going to happen- when, people do "wait"- now it is past final payment- AND the flights have gone up? Still wait?

 

All the "best" price thinking is hindsight. NOTHING to do with the future.

[Minkster1973]

We were originally scheduled to sail on Glory out of FL in February, but the airfare was really high, so we changed to Freedom out of Galveston and decided to begin our adventure with a road trip. So much cheaper and we don't have to worry about airline luggage guidelines. It will also take the stress off of debarkation and trying to get to the airport in time. We will move at our own pace to get on the highway and head back home to Kansas. Win/win!

[FlyerTalker]

I have the same problem every year. We can only cruise on spring break for the kids and it is very clear that airlines and cruise lines know when this is for our region.

No...it's that supply and demand are at work. More demand, due to spring break, means that pricing will end up higher. Especially if you follow the "advice" to wait until 16 (or whatever) weeks out.

 

It's Econ 101. Supply and demand. Not nefarious "greedy airlines".

[FlyerTalker]

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 .

If anyone would take a look at a map, Interstate 4 goes NORTHEAST from TPA towards Orlando and beyond. Miami is to the SOUTHEAST.

 

You would take I-75 from TPA to Miami - about a 4 hour drive. No major cities, though you do have some tolls.

[deborahjo]

We have came in on Sunday from a cruise and spent the night in Miami because the flights were cheaper on Monday. Just an option

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

There are a lot of posts here, who seem to think, there is some kind of magic time frame that prices are going to drop. Several references to "waiting", yep- it has always dropped for me- and my ONE time past situation- but I am going to tell you, it will happen for you too. :)

 

Nothing further from the truth. There is NO way to predict any - future prices or availability of airline seats.

 

I find it interesting- with the above thinking- BUT- what's going to happen- when, people do "wait"- now it is past final payment- AND the flights have gone up? Still wait?

 

All the "best" price thinking is hindsight. NOTHING to do with the future.

 

I fly at least once a month, both personally and for my job. And although I agree with you that there's no guarantee that prices will drop and that there's no magic time frame for booking flights. There is a sweet spot within 30 - 60 days out that prices tend to drop for a few days. It's all supply and demand and airlines want to fly as full as possible so within this sweet spot they'll drop prices to sell a few more seats to reach the break even point. From that point on it normally rises and its all profit from there on out. I've seen this pattern over the years on Delta, Southwest, Airtran and United. The only exception I've seen is with major holidays and peak travel days, the prices usually don't budge much.

 

But its always good to have a plan B and C for travel. Like flying to another airport and driving a few hours. If it saves them $1k in costs then it's well worth the extra time.

Edited October 17, 2015 by ATL_Miami_Cruiser

[Budget Queen]

I fly at least once a month, both personally and for my job. And although I agree with you that there's no guarantee that prices will drop and that there's no magic time frame for booking flights. There is a sweet spot within 30 - 60 days out that prices tend to drop for a few days. It's all supply and demand and airlines want to fly as full as possible so within this sweet spot they'll drop prices to sell a few more seats to reach the break even point. From that point on it normally rises and its all profit from there on out. I've seen this pattern over the years on Delta, Southwest, Airtran and United. The only exception I've seen is with major holidays and peak travel days, the prices usually don't budge much.

 

But its always good to have a plan B and C for travel. Like flying to another airport and driving a few hours. If it saves them $1k in costs then it's well worth the extra time.

 

You "fly every month"? And think that, in any way indicates your "sweet spot" idea, is valid? You fly from where, Atlanta?- do you think EVERYBODY else also flies from there?

 

And WHERE do you go- MIA, FLL, MSY, SEA- cruise ports- you fly on Friday's and weekends?

 

Sorry, but promoting your idea - for people to wait out booking flights- when they are PAST final payment- is a disservice, in my opinion.

 

I frequently fly more frequently than you, and see= a LOT of full flights, on multiple connections. Supply and demand runs the show.

[martinchem]

OP, I would consider spending another night in Florida with a rental car. You then can look for cheaper flights from most Florida airports at your convenience.

[naturalbeauty2011]

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

 

Agreed!! I have a cruise coming up in February the week of valentines days and those plane prices OMG:eek: . I didn't cancel my cruise. I just said screw it, we are driving and its going to take about 2-3 days since we leaving from ny to miami. Hey sacrifices are needed when you want to have a vacation and a less expensive one also. Im sure op will be fine with whatever she decided to do....enjoy your cruise!!

[Rosethorn40]

To OP,

 

You said you fell in love with the ship and ports. Until the Vista makes an appearance the Breeze is Carnival's newest ship. Is that important to you? I didn't see which ship you were considering switching to or what, if any, are the changes in ports, but if ship & ports are big deciding factors, then you have been given some very good options for ways to find a cheaper way to make it to Miami.

 

I hate paying too much for airfare when the majority of my trip is on a cruise ship so I love to play around on Expedia (I am sure other travel web sites are similar). I play with dates, and nearby airports until I can find a combination that works for us at a price I can afford. I am lucky that I have 3 major airports to choose to fly from (BWI, IAD, & Reagan), but I have even looked at Philly and Richmond VA to see if I can get a better deal. Of all the times I have sailed from southern Florida I have flown into Miami once, Orlando once and West Palm Beach once. All the other times Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Good luck, and I hope you find the perfect deal.

[KCpumkin]

Agreed!! I have a cruise coming up in February the week of valentines days and those plane prices OMG:eek: . I didn't cancel my cruise. I just said screw it, we are driving and its going to take about 2-3 days since we leaving from ny to miami. Hey sacrifices are needed when you want to have a vacation and a less expensive one also. Im sure op will be fine with whatever she decided to do....enjoy your cruise!!

 

 

What's up neighbors! Yep, we went from Connecticut to New Orleans. Broke it up in a few day too. Few hundred in gas, few hundred in hotels, and a extra $1000 for some Carnival Fun! Forces the kids to actually communicate too lol [emoji12]

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

You "fly every month"? And think that, in any way indicates your "sweet spot" idea, is valid? You fly from where, Atlanta?- do you think EVERYBODY else also flies from there?

 

And WHERE do you go- MIA, FLL, MSY, SEA- cruise ports- you fly on Friday's and weekends?

 

Sorry, but promoting your idea - for people to wait out booking flights- when they are PAST final payment- is a disservice, in my opinion.

 

I frequently fly more frequently than you, and see= a LOT of full flights, on multiple connections. Supply and demand runs the show.

 

Ummm why would I only fly to cruise ports? That's very short sighted of you to think I only fly to southeast cruise ports and that I've only lived in ATL :rolleyes:

 

Well lets see, I fly domestically AT LEAST once a month since 2001, internationally several times a year and on multi-leg trips. Departing from Boston, New York, DC, Philly and many other cities in the US. Now do the math on that and don't forget to factor in round trips. It doesn't matter how much more you've flown then me. The point is that there IS a pattern to it and it's all supply and demand like I and others have stated before. And just like I stated before the traveler should always have a plan B and C and that prices aren't guaranteed to go down.

 

Just think if everyone took your approached many people would just give up at 75 days and wouldn't cruise ever or travel at all.

Edited October 18, 2015 by ATL_Miami_Cruiser

[cruiser fanatic]

I agree, with some others that said fly into Orlando and then drive a few hours to Miami. The car rental fees are not bad at all.

[Budget Queen]

Ummm why would I only fly to cruise ports? That's very short sighted of you to think I only fly to southeast cruise ports and that I've only lived in ATL :rolleyes:

 

Well lets see, I fly domestically AT LEAST once a month since 2001, internationally several times a year and on multi-leg trips. Departing from Boston, New York, DC, Philly and many other cities in the US. Now do the math on that and don't forget to factor in round trips. It doesn't matter how much more you've flown then me. The point is that there IS a pattern to it and it's all supply and demand like I and others have stated before. And just like I stated before the traveler should always have a plan B and C and that prices aren't guaranteed to go down.

 

Just think if everyone took your approached many people would just give up at 75 days and wouldn't cruise ever or travel at all.

 

 

The point was, since you DON'T repetitively fly to cruise ports- how do YOU know your claim? Wow, it "worked" for you? A couple times, with cruising? -compared with thousands of people needing transportation every day.

 

NO I am not stating people shouldn't plan later- I do ALL the time, snagging plenty of last minute deals. But your posts, seems to give the illusion that - yep, low cost flights are going to be there- if you somehow, "look" hard enough and know the magic dates. There may not be much of a plan B or C for a lot of people past final payment. This is a good idea for those flexible.

[sprint180]

OP - hope you can find a flight that works (I chose not to read through the comments once they started to go south)

I feel your pain. air usually doubles the cost of our trips. :rolleyes:

[esdoorn]

Howdy folks!

 

Thought we found the perfect cruise for the family, but doesn’t look like it is going to work out. Eastern Caribbean, on the Breeze, sails March 26th, 2016. We fell in love with ship and ports, but when it came time to book airfare we were brought back to reality! We will be flying out of SLC, can’t find anything that works for less than $900 each. Family of four, can’t justify spending more on airfare than the cruise. Luckily, booked with the $50 deposit special, so I am only invested $200.

 

Question, we have found another cruise that we would like to switch to. Sails out of Port Canaveral in May, and flights can be found for around $300 per person. Our PVP said the deposit is non refundable, what are the chances they allow us to use the deposit towards another cruise?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Wow!

 

We sail on March 28th out of Miami and are flying to and from FLL (March 26th flight) from Ottawa (Canada) our return flight is Apr 3rd and our airfare is $600.00 CDN return per person.

Edited October 18, 2015 by esdoorn

[danacline]

One other thing to be aware of in FLL at spring break - the hotels have a max of 4 people in a room. On our last cruise out of FLL, we had 3 kids with us, and would have needed 2 rooms at $150/each or so. So we took a red-eye, arriving at FLL around 2 am. We rented a mini-van, parked it in the airport garage, and went to sleep. When we woke up, we went to breakfast and shopping, returned the van at the airport, and caught the free shuttle to the port. $35 for the van was much better than $300 for rooms we would hardly use.

[zqvol]

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!!!

 

Those times are perfectly logical with the time changes. You clearly don't fly across multiple time zones very often, but that's OK.

 

In the summer ATL - PHX shows about about 90 minutes, but PHX- ATL is almost 6 hours. IN actuality flight times are both about 4. 5 hours.

[zqvol]

One other thing to be aware of in FLL at spring break - the hotels have a max of 4 people in a room. On our last cruise out of FLL, we had 3 kids with us, and would have needed 2 rooms at $150/each or so. So we took a red-eye, arriving at FLL around 2 am. We rented a mini-van, parked it in the airport garage, and went to sleep. When we woke up, we went to breakfast and shopping, returned the van at the airport, and caught the free shuttle to the port. $35 for the van was much better than $300 for rooms we would hardly use.

 

Not all FLL hotels are that way at spring break, especially for families traveling together, you just have to look a bit and stay away from the beaches.

 

Sleeping in the van was a very irresponsible thing to do, it is just setting you up to be the victim of a crime and is not recommended.

[FlyerTalker]

Let me try this again.

 

The truth is:

 

1) There is no correlation between the cost of air travel and the cost of your cruise. Zero, zilch, nada. Any discussions that include that have no grounding in reality.

 

2) There is no great conspiracy to raise ticket prices when YOU want to fly. Ticket pricing is based upon a dynamic process known as yield management. It takes real-time sales data for every flight and adjusts inventory in various fare "buckets" to maximize revenue. Ever notice that those nice noon-time flights from your cruise always cost more. Guess what, that's supply and demand at work. When flights are selling well, there is no need for airlines to provide inventory in the cheaper buckets. When they aren't (such as a 6am departure from MIA), more inventory in the cheap buckets.

 

3) If you buy a cruise on the basis of hoping for a "deal" on air travel, you are not thinking the whole process through. Just because someone got a "deal" to Miami doesn't mean that you will. Same with thinking that you will get the same price that you did three years ago. Research is essential or you are just hoping.

 

4) Hope is not a strategy.

[Lduane1815]

I agree, airfare is outrageous! We are cruising out of New Orleans on April 17, 2016 flying from Boston and airfare is $500 each way!! When will it go down:mad::p

[mum2bradley]

Howdy folks!

 

Thought we found the perfect cruise for the family, but doesn’t look like it is going to work out. Eastern Caribbean, on the Breeze, sails March 26th, 2016. We fell in love with ship and ports, but when it came time to book airfare we were brought back to reality! We will be flying out of SLC, can’t find anything that works for less than $900 each. Family of four, can’t justify spending more on airfare than the cruise. Luckily, booked with the $50 deposit special, so I am only invested $200.

 

Question, we have found another cruise that we would like to switch to. Sails out of Port Canaveral in May, and flights can be found for around $300 per person. Our PVP said the deposit is non refundable, what are the chances they allow us to use the deposit towards another cruise?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Try being Canadian and travelling at Christmas. It cost me 37% more this year. That is a hard pill to swallow this year. But it is DS's last year in high school so last time we will need to pay through the nose for a holiday.

 

Hope you are able to find an option and don't have to cancel.