Experience with Flights in and out of JFK provided by Oceania

[Ciref]

My wife and I  just booked a cruise on Oceania from Haifa to Civitavecchia.  We are currently taking their included airfare.  However we would prefer not to have connections.  Oceania cannot guarantee non-stops.  I would like to hear from Oceania cruisers who have flown between JFK and Europe and/or Israel, if they were given non-stop flights and if the flight times were at reasonable hours.   

 

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.  

 

Eric

[PhD-iva]

In August I traveled to Eastern Europe for a Danube River cruise on Uniworld, an upscale/luxury river cruise line. I upgraded to business class and paid a hefty fee. I locked in nonstop from Austin to Frankfurt, and everything else were good flights as well.
Over the 10 or 12 weeks before my cruise departed, the flights changed multiple times, never for the better. A lot of passengers on many cruise lines are finding that the airlines are causing the negative customer dissatisfaction. Not the cruise lines. The problem are the airlines canceling flights sometimes only a few days before departure.

[pinotlover]

Remember United Airlines has ceased operations from JFK. UA will fly you into EWR or LaGuardia and you must transfer to JFK. Do let them book you on United with a connection at JFK!

[edgee]

5 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Remember United Airlines has ceased operations from JFK. UA will fly you into EWR or LaGuardia and you must transfer to JFK. Do let them book you on United with a connection at JFK!

The original poster lives in NY metro area. So not sure how your mention of connecting from LGA or EWR on UA relates to his question. BTW UA has resumed service to JFK albeit so far only from LAX and SFO.

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by edgee

[Hlitner]

So let me try to understand the op’s concern.  They are booking “pot luck” air from “O” and have concerns.  Maybe you get lucky and maybe not so lucky.  Folks can give you anecdotal stories which means little.  If you want some

assurance pay the $175 fee and choose your flights or simply book your own air.  Otherwise it is anyone’s guess what you will get.  

 

Hank
 

 

[Mura]

I'm going back MANY years to when Renaissance was O's predecessor and offered similar "free" air.

 

On our first cruise with Ren (from Lisbon to Barcelona) we used our own air.  But once on board we heard terrible stories about long flights, multiple airports,etc.

 

I'm NOT saying that O has done this because we have never taken their air.  But the lesson we took from what we heard on that first Renaissance cruise was:  book your own air if you can!

 

Another reason why we book our own air is because we will go in a day or two before the cruise, and return at least a day or two after.  Sometimes (not often) we have done a land tour on our own after the cruise ends.

 

These days with Covid restrictions, it's different I think ... which is why we aren't traveling right how.

 

And as NYC residents, we don't mind leaving/returning to JFK or EWR.

 

 

[Ciref]

Thanks everyone for all your helpful replies.  We have investigated airfares ourselves and think we will just book our own flights. I liked having transfers included but I think having control over the flights is more important.  

[PhD-iva]

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

If you want some

assurance pay the $175 fee and choose your flights or simply book your own air.  Otherwise it is anyone’s guess what you will get.  

 

For my 17 Nov TA on Riviera, I paid the $175 fee and upgraded to bizclass. Chose wonderful flights, great connections. Its been changed since. In these Covid days, its still anyone’s guess what your flights will be.
However, paying the customization fee gives you a line of communication w O Air. They will talk to your TA and you’ll have more information pre-cruise what the itin is. 
BTW, I recently called O directly to ask a silly question, but they just said, “we’ve sent your changed itin to your TA. Talk to her.” Yup, it had changed without notice to either of us. If I hadn’t called, when would I have found out?

[Acrusa]

I would do the $175.00 fee ,only because you can choose your flights but also in these uncertain times if cruise is cancelled you  would get full refund from O.

[pinotlover]

Currently, international flights are being cancelled and/or changing regularly. Paying the $175 probably buys one little unless flying in early.

 

Hopefully, by next summer, air travel loads return to some normalcy thus flight schedules can be a bit more secure. Then booking those better connections early, and perhaps even paying a premium for them, will make sense. We are a months from that. For our Jan S.A. Cruise, entire international airline routes have been dropped meaning our then one stop via DFW has become a two stop via DFW and MIA with a much earlier departure. We’re paying the price of a one stop for what is now a two stop! 🤬