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

[FlyerTalker]

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

It likely won't in any broad way. It is possible that a specific flight may find downward price movement but you should not expect it. Nor expect anyone to be able to predict if you may get lucky.

 

Supply and demand. (And yes, it pretty much is as simple as that when you come right down to it).

[Cinnamon2]

Following this thread and I don't see anybody commenting on what I suggested in two previous posts. 0P, I cannot do it for you but you could call Carnival and see what their price for air is. Their new fly2fun program is cheaper than the old fly aweigh. It's worth a phone call. I found over the years that the flight from my closest airport to the cruise port is a set price no matter what day the cruise is. Possibly would work in your favor. Worth a phone call in my opinion.

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

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

 

I'm from Boston and its definitely one of those high cost airports where rates tend to stay high for awhile, but many times on Southwest you'll see a temporary reduction within 30 - 60 days (wanna get away fairs), then it goes back up. Over the years Jet Blue has generally been the best at low consistent prices. The good thing is that there are many options for flights since all the major carriers fly there. If all else fails try flying to ATL or Mobile, then renting a car.

Edited October 19, 2015 by ATL_Miami_Cruiser

[1midsun]

I wish I could find flights for $900 per person!!!

 

We are flying from Calgary to Miami for a cruise in February and it looks like we will be paying $1100 per person return!!!

[RaiderFaninNM]

One just has to be patient, as when I first started looking at the fare from NOLA to ABQ it was about $350PP!!! :eek:

 

Since then it has gone down to $165, SOLD! :D

 

This was with SWA, I have noticed other airlines also post big $$$ tickets then they tend to sway downwards, just have to be prepared and patient and live with your final $$ spent, oh and have fun!

[FlyerTalker]

Following this thread and I don't see anybody commenting on what I suggested in two previous posts. 0P, I cannot do it for you but you could call Carnival and see what their price for air is. Their new fly2fun program is cheaper than the old fly aweigh. It's worth a phone call. I found over the years that the flight from my closest airport to the cruise port is a set price no matter what day the cruise is. Possibly would work in your favor. Worth a phone call in my opinion.

Ok...challenge accepted.

 

Cruiseline provided air MAY, and I repeat, MAY provide a lower cost ticket to your cruise. However, be aware that what you buy through the cruiseline is most likely NOT the same ticket that you would get from the airline direct.

 

Bulk/negotiated/consolidator fares may be on the same flights at the same times but the underlying fare rules may be significantly different than those of published fares from the airline. When all goes well, you won't notice the difference. However, in any kind of irregular operation, you may very well have fewer options and rights than with a different ticket from the airline itself. When price is the only consideration, then it may be a no-brainer. But, be aware that you are not getting the same thing as from the airline.

 

Be an informed consumer and don't just buy on price. Unless that's your conscious decision.

[Sailor_Sally]

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.

It is only a four hour drive if you are going 80MPH . .

[Cinnamon2]

Flyer/Talker - I hear you - I was just suggesting that OP might want to call Carnival and get their price. It may or may not work for him/her - just a suggestion to look into it. I cut and pasted below from Carnival's site some info on their new Fly2Fun program.

 

In my case, air from ALB to FLL would be $359 using Carnival's old "Fly Aweigh" program where you had no choice for your flights. The new "Fly2Fun" program allows me to choose my flights and the price is $306. I just did a search and yes, as of today, there are flights for around the $200 range, but not the greatest times - might miss the ship, might not get off ship in time to make flight, and absolutely no help from the airline or Carnival if something goes wrong. I did a similar search a few weeks ago and the price was considerably higher.

 

I've used Carnival's Fly Aweigh program many times and it always worked out OK - and we at least had the peace of mind that Carnival would assist if we missed the ship. One time our plane was broken in the connecting city and the airline treated us like any other passenger, put us up in a hotel, meal and taxi vouchers, etc. and that trip was booked through Carnival's Fly Aweigh. Also, in the past, Carnival's air program was the same price no matter what the date of our cruise. The price went up gradually over the years, but no big jumps corresponding to time of year or supply and demand.

 

I cut and pasted the paragraph below from Carnival's Q&A's - there's a lot more information there if anyone wants more details - things like they will fly you to the next port if you miss the ship etc.

-------------------

Cut and pasted form Carnival:

What are the benefits of booking Carnivals new Fly2Fun Air Program?

There are several benefits to booking Carnival’s Fly2Fun Program. Our new air program allows you to select flights from most major U.S, Canadian, Caribbean, Mexico and Central/South America airports. We also provide flight protection in the event of airline flight cancellations or delays resulting from mechanicals or severe weather conditions. Flight Protection provides security and reassurance to our guests who are traveling.

 

Another benefit is with our Flexible Fares, guests can defer payment of their airline ticket until cruise final payment and they can make changes to their reservation prior to 60 days of cruise departure without penalty. This provides our guests extra flexibility to make changes* to their reservations and allows our guests additional time to pay off their remaining vacation balances......

-----------------------

[summersigh]

Following this thread and I don't see anybody commenting on what I suggested in two previous posts. 0P, I cannot do it for you but you could call Carnival and see what their price for air is. Their new fly2fun program is cheaper than the old fly aweigh. It's worth a phone call. I found over the years that the flight from my closest airport to the cruise port is a set price no matter what day the cruise is. Possibly would work in your favor. Worth a phone call in my opinion.

 

I suggested the same thing and have been checking in to see the result of the phone call.

In my post I gave examples of how booking through the cruise line was MUCH cheaper than trying to book myself.

[FlyerTalker]

I highly recommend that you go past the marketing phrases of "flight protection" and "security and reassurance" and check the actual terms and conditions of both the Carnival program and the tickets themself. There are no guarantees, and plenty of weasel words in the "fine print". As for flying you to the next port, there are loopholes big enough to sail a cruise ship through.

 

Again, if nothing goes wrong, you are OK. But don't buy on the basis of marketing terms. And for example, I'll just use the phrase "spacious cabin" to make the point.

[momof3cruisers]

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!!

 

Lol....I can sooo relate! We are sailing out of Miami on Jan 2nd. Oh sure....fly into Miami on New Year's Day which is a Friday to boot! Haha....we're driving too. Five people from Mpls. The RT including food and hotels should cost us about $800.

[realjd]

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.

 

 

Another heavy work flier here (2-3 trips each month). Across all airlines and destinations, the airlines to tend to adjust fares based on timeframe and demand. Last minute (less than a week) is either really expensive or really cheap depending on load. I consistently see price drops at around the 3 month mark, then again at around the 1 month mark. I can't promise it of course, but it is a consistent trend. Go play with the ITA Matrix calendar search and you can see it.

[SadieN]

I highly recommend that you go past the marketing phrases of "flight protection" and "security and reassurance" and check the actual terms and conditions of both the Carnival program and the tickets themself. There are no guarantees, and plenty of weasel words in the "fine print". As for flying you to the next port, there are loopholes big enough to sail a cruise ship through.

 

Again, if nothing goes wrong, you are OK. But don't buy on the basis of marketing terms. And for example, I'll just use the phrase "spacious cabin" to make the point.

 

 

Carnival's new program sounds a lot like Princess's.

There's a great thread on the Princess page-- Our Most Excellent Adventure.

Interesting reading about missing boarding and using a cruise air scheme.

[KatPem]

Is it the norm for people to book airfare this far out? Although flights are on sale , they usually don't have sale fares until closer to the actual date (30-90days prior). We try to fly SW. Out of 5 cruises to both San Juan and Miami, I started watching prices as soon as they went on sale but I didn't book until I found something I felt was a good price. By being flexible (going a day early or waiting til Monday to fly home) I have gotten decent flights. We are a family of 6 that fly out of Indianapolis. I have researched thru SWs site and its matrix and have looked at airports within a few hours drive. By being flexible and waiting, we have always gotten decent prices. Most of the 'wanna get away' fares don't show til closer. I use e low fare calendar to know what a good rate is.

[navyvet8395]

The cruise departs on Saturday March 26th, returns Sunday April 3rd. The return flight seems to be problem. I have found better fares, but they all leave too early on Sunday morning. I have been using google flights to check prices. Is there another site you would recommend?

 

Also, for those that recommended driving, I don't think the 4 and 7 year old will hold up to well on a 36 hour car ride!!

 

Sure they will.. I was 9 and my sister and brother was 7 and 4 back in 1972 when we drove the USA over 2 months (38 states).. Had a blast.. Back then there was NO Phones, no TV, NO DVDs like today.. I had to look out the window instead of having my face glued to a screen like they do today... Put a screen in front of there faces.. get in the car and drive........ LOL.

[Cinnamon2]

My point was - and still is - the OP should call Carnival and get their prices. Just an option. Do what you want.

 

Just for the record, one cruise we booked air on our own to fly to FLL the day before our cruise - and then almost didn't make it because due to a midwest snow storm messing up flights all over the country. Weather was fine where we were. Luckily we made it out the next morning and to our ship on time. If we hadn't made it, Carnival would not have helped in any way - we were on our own.

 

Of course there will be screw ups - always the potential when traveling.

[mcelromi1]

Hope you read this in time:

 

Jet Blue is having a Flash Sale and RT airfare would be $368 pp during the dates you need (If you don't mind flying into Ft Lauderdale and can fly home Monday instead of Sunday:confused:).

 

I always fly into Ft Lauderdale when cruising from Miami. Plenty of shuttle services to the Miami port.:D

 

Just FYI.

[wemjam]

Ran into the same problem here too... for a cruise one week later into April from Detroit area. Did some checking and all the flights in the entire month of April were ridiculous (tried MIA and FLL)...ended up pushing it two weeks into May and price for airfare dropped to $200/pp.... Same issue too, outbound seemed fine - return flight was the problem. Flying in night before not an issue as I can do after work, so tried both outbound days... but don't want to "eat" another vacation day just to stick around till Monday to get a flight home. Vacation days are too precious.

 

Just switched my cruise and ate the $50/pp... was cheaper in the long run due to airfare savings.

 

They did tell me I could fly into Palm Beach (I think that was it) for a lot less and rent a car and drive to Miami, but didn't want to deal with that headache... and airfare was still close to $300/pp.

 

I too thought about sticking it out and waiting until we were closer, but we got a better room on the May cruise that we really wanted so was worth it for us (and now I know we are all good airfare and cruise).

Edited October 20, 2015 by wemjam

[17andacruiseaddict]

I recently did this a couple of months ago and had no problem. We were booked on the Liberty for December but the flights to Puerto Rico from Chicago was waaaay to expensive and there were no direct flights. We were able to change our cruise to the Breeze for April and only had a small penalty fee of $50 (total). There was no other issue.

[Tapi]

Sure they will...

 

 

Not all kids are made the same. There may be some kids that can handle endlessly long car drives, but after several trials and errors, we've learned to draw the line at 7 hours, even if we split it. On the other hand, our kids can fly anywhere without issues, even 14 hour long nonstop flights with nothing more than a coloring book, snacks, and a headset, but I've seen plenty of kids that can't handle a one hour flight without melting down and making parents wish that they had never set foot on an airplane.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Tapi

[FlyerTalker]

Not all kids are made the same. There may be some kids that can handle endlessly long car drives, but after several trials and errors, we've learned to draw the line at 7 hours, even if we split it. On the other hand, our kids can fly anywhere without issues, even 14 hour long nonstop flights with nothing more than a coloring book, snacks, and a headset, but I've seen plenty of kids that can't handle a one hour flight without melting down and making parents wish that they had never set foot on an airplane.

Really curious how being in a far limited space for a longer time is doable, but half that time in a car is the limit?

 

Could you just give them the same coloring book and snacks? Get a cheap tablet with a headset?

 

Enquiring minds....

[luvtheships]

The cruise departs on Saturday March 26th, returns Sunday April 3rd. The return flight seems to be problem. I have found better fares, but they all leave too early on Sunday morning. I have been using google flights to check prices. Is there another site you would recommend?

 

 

 

Also, for those that recommended driving, I don't think the 4 and 7 year old will hold up to well on a 36 hour car ride!!

 

 

Fly back on Monday if possible. Try for a simple hotel and enjoy the beach one more day if the cost works out

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[bargainsniper]

Really curious how being in a far limited space for a longer time is doable, but half that time in a car is the limit?

 

Could you just give them the same coloring book and snacks? Get a cheap tablet with a headset?

 

Enquiring minds....

 

Well that is extremely easy to answer.

 

1. Car seats. Much, much less comfortable than airplane seats. Basically no padding. Like sitting on a hard wooden bench for hours. Younger children are strapped in with a harness, not just a lap belt like an airplane.

 

2. Very difficult to sleep if the child is no longer in a reclining car seat (after age 2). Child can lean against an adult or the window on a plane if needed.

 

3. You can get up and stretch your legs or walk the aisles with a whiny toddler on a plane and you won't delay getting to your destination.

 

4. Airplanes have food and snacks (certainly the 14 hour ones do). Fun new things to try and fizzy drinks and individual cups. You would be surprised how much of the time of a flight can be taken up by various drinks and snacks with little ones. On a road trip you have to stop to do these things, adding time to the trip.

 

5. Bathrooms are much easier to get to on a plane. Lots of options within 1-2 minutes on bigger planes. You can even sit right next to them when choosing seats if it is an issue. On a road trip the child might have to wait 10 minutes to find a bathroom off of an interstate exit (if you are lucky) and you hope they can wait that long if they are younger.

 

 

Shall I go on?

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Well that is extremely easy to answer.

 

1. Car seats. Much, much less comfortable than airplane seats. Basically no padding. Like sitting on a hard wooden bench for hours. Younger children are strapped in with a harness, not just a lap belt like an airplane.

 

2. Very difficult to sleep if the child is no longer in a reclining car seat (after age 2). Child can lean against an adult or the window on a plane if needed.

 

3. You can get up and stretch your legs or walk the aisles with a whiny toddler on a plane and you won't delay getting to your destination.

 

4. Airplanes have food and snacks (certainly the 14 hour ones do). Fun new things to try and fizzy drinks and individual cups. You would be surprised how much of the time of a flight can be taken up by various drinks and snacks with little ones. On a road trip you have to stop to do these things, adding time to the trip.

 

5. Bathrooms are much easier to get to on a plane. Lots of options within 1-2 minutes on bigger planes. You can even sit right next to them when choosing seats if it is an issue. On a road trip the child might have to wait 10 minutes to find a bathroom off of an interstate exit (if you are lucky) and you hope they can wait that long if they are younger.

 

 

Shall I go on?

 

My Grandbabies are in a car for 12 hours when they come to see me. They seem to survive quite well...in fact they love to travel by car and look at it as a real adventure. But then they are pretty used to it, love their in car movies, play on their I-pads (even the little ones). Mom and Dad do sing alongs with the kids, play the alphabet game with billboards. Stop for meals along the way.

 

Flying can have some awesome repercussions for kids. Young ones are not often comfortable with change in cabin pressure. Flight times are only part of the travel time. 2 hours early to the airport, the hassle of security, waiting in the departure lounge, expensive choices for food and drinks on the concourse, waiting for luggage to arrive, struggling with luggage from baggage claim to curbside and at some ports as much as an hour or more to get to the pier. Also, on a flight, kids are caught up in a predominately adult world where fellow passengers aren't often tolerant of an unruly or noisy child.

 

I think car travel and plane travel have their good and bad points but I don't necessarily see one as "better" than another.

[Tapi]

Really curious how being in a far limited space for a longer time is doable, but half that time in a car is the limit?...

 

 

Bargainsniper already hit several of the reasons why, but I will add that flying, whether long or short, is a far more stimulating and entertaining experience for my kids. They fly a lot (I work for the airlines, so they've been flying since they were a few months old and they do so every couple of weeks). My five year old can find his way through the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Int'l Airport better than some million-miler frequent flyers. These kids are very familiar with the entire routine, from the moment we park the car at the airport until we reach our destination, and they know what's expected of them and how they should behave, so that make the process MUCH easier. Overall, they just behave better when flying. Because of how frequently we travel by airplane, we've also learned to simplify things so we minimize the hassles that less frequent travelers normally magnify. Less packing, less stress, and we know exactly what we are doing.

 

Driving long distances pose more challenges for us simply because we don't do it as often so we are not as savvy as families that do it more frequently. Somehow we always end up making way too many pit stops, whether for food or bathroom breaks, we pack way too much extra junk that we "may or may not need", the car always looks like a bomb went off an hour into the drive, and moments of boredom almost always culminate in heart pumping sibling fights in the back seat, with the wife almost always begging for yet another pit stop for Starbucks to make it to yet another pit stop. And as the drive progresses, and patience keeps draining out as the "are we there yet" questions keep growing in frequency, the environment just keeps growing more hostile by the minute with me being blamed for anything that goes wrong. Not the way I want to begin a vacation, or worse, finish a vacation.

 

That's why we've learned to draw the line at about 7 hours when we drive (which invariably ends up being twice as long because of the aforementioned pit stops). Everybody still seems to be in pretty decent spirits by the time we get there. We did it last summer for our family cruise, and we may do it again for our next family cruise, which will be departing from a port (thankfully) 7 hours away.

Edited October 21, 2015 by Tapi