NCL Air: seems like there's *always* an issue; no comment from NCL? Should I get out while I still can?

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

I'm a regular cruiser with Royal/Celebrity, and we are booked for our first cruise with NCL on the Prima in April 2023. 

 

This trip is all a bunch of "new" stuff for us, aside from a new cruiseline: cruising out of NYC, staying overnight in port for multiple days, using the cruiseline's air program... 

 

We are coming from Toronto, so I figured it would be hard to screw up a route with something like 20 direct flights available every day and 1.5 hours gate-to-gate. But then I've been reading how so many people have been routed on crazy connecting flights and have missed connections or lost luggage. It's an insanely cheap add-on -- with the promo, it was only CAD$225 for two people return -- so I'm reluctant to cancel that feature and book direct. I'd be looking at flights around CAD$1000 booked separately.

 

How does NCL offer this service and seemingly execute so poorly? Should I cancel and rebook? Am I just being neurotic and giving too much credence to the horror stories on CruiseCritic? Airports will have to be better by April, won't they?

[RocketMan275]

AMTRAK?

[M4RK]

I have used NCL air twice, both with good flights and no problems. You have to realize that the people that tend to post are the ones that encounter problems. I am booked again in December and have the air promo booked again.

 

[deliver42]

People that are satisfied rarely post, so don't over think it. Enjoy your flight and cruise.

[GeezerCouple]

18 minutes ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

I'm a regular cruiser with Royal/Celebrity, and we are booked for our first cruise with NCL on the Prima in April 2023. 

 

This trip is all a bunch of "new" stuff for us, aside from a new cruiseline: cruising out of NYC, staying overnight in port for multiple days, using the cruiseline's air program... 

 

We are coming from Toronto, so I figured it would be hard to screw up a route with something like 20 direct flights available every day and 1.5 hours gate-to-gate. But then I've been reading how so many people have been routed on crazy connecting flights and have missed connections or lost luggage. It's an insanely cheap add-on -- with the promo, it was only CAD$225 for two people return -- so I'm reluctant to cancel that feature and book direct. I'd be looking at flights around CAD$1000 booked separately.

 

How does NCL offer this service and seemingly execute so poorly? Should I cancel and rebook? Am I just being neurotic and giving too much credence to the horror stories on CruiseCritic? Airports will have to be better by April, won't they?

 

We *always* make our own air reservations.

(For long-haul, we use awards and fly in comfort, but to get to another domestic port city, we just buy the tickets and keep an eye on things, including the weather.  It's not worth risking the entire vacation...)

 

Do a thought experiment:

 

How would you feel, next April, if it turned out that the Cheapie Tickets that NCL got for you were some connecting flights, however silly that might seem now.  They're going for "cheap", NOT "convenient".

... and then if there is bad weather (not to mention another wave of Covid or a Pox of some sort, or perhaps locusts  😠  !?), and things are very delayed or a flight is actually cancelled and there's no availability on "the next flight or the one after that", etc.

... and then you're thinking, for less than $800, we could have controlled our own reservations, "and be there already..."

 

Of course, there's no guarantee that even with you controlling your own air reservations, there won't be some sort of snafu, but... I'd certainly prefer those odds, including the ability to make any changes if necessary.

 

GC

 

[victory2020]

I was very happy with the flights I got last September. In fact they were the ones I most likely would have chosen myself

[phillygwm]

21 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

People that are satisfied rarely post, so don't over think it. Enjoy your flight and cruise.

This is so true. 

 

With regard to NCL Air, it depends on how flexible you are.  On my last cruise with friends, I booked my own air.  We arrived at the port early morning and I was on an 11:00 AM flight.  My friends with NCL Air were on a red eye.  

 

Realize, NCL is going to put you on the absolute cheapest flights possible (on a major carrier.)  Those will likely leave/arrive at inconvenient times but you'll ultimately make it to your destination.  As long as you can accept that going in, you'll be OK.  If that will be a problem, then I'd suggest you make your own flight arrangements.

Edited July 5, 2022 by phillygwm

[wil e coyote]

14 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

People that are satisfied rarely post, so don't over think it. Enjoy your flight and cruise.

This. We used NCL Air in June, and had no problems at all.

Remember that the industry-wide on-time rate right now is only about 77%. That is the worst it's been since 2014, but it has never been better than 82%. But for whatever reason, the media has latched onto the story of "terrible air travel," so we all hear a lot about it.

No matter who books your flights, there is a roughly 1 in 5 chance you'll have some sort of delay, unless you really research the flights and routes and pick the ones with fewer issues. Of course, this is a good argument for direct flights - the fewer flights the better!

Enjoy your trip!

[Shellbelle28]

1 hour ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

How does NCL offer this service and seemingly execute so poorly? Should I cancel and rebook? Am I just being neurotic and giving too much credence to the horror stories on CruiseCritic? Airports will have to be better by April, won't they?

I think many of the issues are a result of the mess the airlines are currently in, which is creating issues for all airline passengers, not just NCL booked flights.

If you go into the NCL offering with your eyes open, accepting that you get what you get and you can't make changes, that includes arrivals that seem too tight and long waits for return departures it might be worth the savings. If you're traveling with kids and need seating together, maybe avoid. If it will stress you out, maybe NCL air is not a good idea and most esepecially not a good idea until the airlines are running more smoothly.

Honestly, I would NOT do it with an international flight. We did an Australia/New Zealand cruise with NCL and because of the time differences, the different arrival and departure airports and needing to book hotels at either end, I felt MUCH more comfortable using a cruise travel agent for it all. I felt much better knowing I'd have someone to call if things went sideways and that I had someone who understood the ins and outs and could make changes if needed. We spent a LOT more money for the flights, but we had more peace of mind. 

Edited July 5, 2022 by Shellbelle28

[OGDN311]

We are booked on an NCL cruise that offers free air for 2 nd person. Sounded like a great deal until I received an updated invoice charging $1700+ for a RT flight from LAX to Athens, Greece. They won’t be booking the flight for several months and yet the quoted this high price. When I looked I found flights under $700 plus taxes. Am I missing something here or are they trying to pull a fast one?

[JoyrieM]

I am so frustrated with ncl's air dept that I just want to scream!!!  We're at day 27 & still no flight info. I've called, chatted, emailed & only response is WAIT. It started with you'll have the flight info within 45 days of your cruise, then 30, now they're saying check back in 24/48/72 hrs...maybe call us if you haven't heard anything by day 25. 'Your flights have been booked, but the air dept needs time to push through your confirmation email'...really, it takes that long to "push through" an email!!! 

[matterdog919]

Reasonably happy with my air  reservations for a cruise next week. After reading tons of forums; and seeing what everyone in my role call received (from all over the US and Europe headed into Barcelona). Seems like most folks have a 1 connection flights; and most are coming from locations where direct would have been impossible.

 

Obviously can't blame NCL if United loses my bags. You do get a $25 credit if you take a 1 or 2-day deviation on the front/back of your cruise. We took the $25 and got a hotel ourselves for the day before the cruise. If for some reason our luggage does go MIA United will have 24 hours to get it on the next flight... or I'll be calling my travel insurance and buying some new clothes in Spain 🙂

 

All in all - I agree with most folks here. Your airfare likely won't be super wildly inconvenient and for $200 return sounds like a stunning deal... I would take it. 

[debenson0723]

Not cruise related but a reflection of the airlines right now.  Coworker had a red-eye flight to DC last Friday night (7/1). They were on the plane, in their seat when the flight was cancelled! Got off with everyone else, first available flight was Sunday. Ironic part is his checked bag is still in DC...somehow it got there but he didn't! Full refund but no additional compensation from American.

2nd coworker had a flight for 7am Saturday morning to Philly. Got a phone call Friday at 6pm that flight was cancelled. If they could get to the airport in 2 hours, there were 2 seats on a flight to Philly with an 11 hour layover in Denver, otherwise Sunday. This was on American also.

I am going on Prima in September and arriving in Europe 6 days early. Just get me on the Continent and I will get to Southampton somehow!

[BermudaBound2014]

I want to control my own reservation at this point. SAS just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and there is lots of talk across social media about guests not being contacted by the cruise line with alternate flights. Overall very poor communication (which is somewhat expected since they just filed today and 60% of planes are on the ground). I wouldn't want to be held hostage to a NCL 1-800 line that may or may not be answered. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62048800

 

[complawyer]

personally, i would rather be able to pick and choose my flights. i usually like to fly into the embarkation and arrival  ports one or 2 days early . for european cites even possibly 3 days. i want to look around.

 

consequently, im booking flights on my own. sure, in todays travel markets, there may be some snafu's but i'll take my chance.  same with hotels. with cheapfare guru, or cheapoaire, as well as booking or hotels. com. your choices are significantly more than relying on ncl.

 

im not knocking their program, it's just i believe in the old adage "if you want something done right, do it yourself"

 

[SimplyAlbert]

I always book my own flights.   I'll even pay more to avoid connecting through certain airports.  For a domestic flight we usually fly in at least two days early.  For an international flight, at least four days early.   I realize that not everyone has this flexibility, but for us we like being in control of our flights and getting to the port early enough to have a few days to relax or, if something goes wrong with the flights, a couple of days buffer to get there.

[SeaShark]

15 hours ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

I'm a regular cruiser with Royal/Celebrity, and we are booked for our first cruise with NCL on the Prima in April 2023. 

 

This trip is all a bunch of "new" stuff for us, aside from a new cruiseline: cruising out of NYC, staying overnight in port for multiple days, using the cruiseline's air program... 

 

We are coming from Toronto, so I figured it would be hard to screw up a route with something like 20 direct flights available every day and 1.5 hours gate-to-gate. But then I've been reading how so many people have been routed on crazy connecting flights and have missed connections or lost luggage. It's an insanely cheap add-on -- with the promo, it was only CAD$225 for two people return -- so I'm reluctant to cancel that feature and book direct. I'd be looking at flights around CAD$1000 booked separately.

 

How does NCL offer this service and seemingly execute so poorly? Should I cancel and rebook? Am I just being neurotic and giving too much credence to the horror stories on CruiseCritic? Airports will have to be better by April, won't they?

 

First, the only "service" that NCL is offering is to purchase flights at the agreed upon price. Nothing more. NCL does not operate or control those flights, so I'm not sure where the question of poor execution comes in.

 

The real question that you have to ask yourself is this: Are there ever issues with flights that were NOT booked by NCL? If you book tickets yourself is that a 100% guarantee that your experience will be trouble-free?

[Markanddonna]

I have used Royal's Air2Sea where you book your own flights and doesn't seem to have a limit on the number of days before or after. Every traveler has to accept the possibility of delays and issues. NCL Air only allows a two day deviation and if you get stuck on a long flight, that could chew into the two days. The 2for1 prices are great and didn't change, but we dropped them before final payment and booked on our own so we could stay an extra week. For those flying over to Europe who have the time, why not add more days. If I didn't have my flights set in stone, I couldn't safely book hotels or plan an itinerary. NCL Air is a great price if you understand that the airlines won't typically talk with the traveler directly. We learned that during Super Storm Sandy and it was incredibly frustrating with Air2Sea not being responsive. All you need is one bad experience to learn that it is worth a few hundred dollars extra to handle your own booking.

[Keata]

17 hours ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

I'm a regular cruiser with Royal/Celebrity, and we are booked for our first cruise with NCL on the Prima in April 2023...... 

 

 

I was to fly out for my Beakaway cruise using NCL Air last Sunday.  Air Canada cancelled the flight from Ottawa to Toronto and could not put me on anything that would get me to the port on time.  I could not travel the day before due to a family commitment.  AC was not keen on dealing with me directly as NCL (viewed as a 3rd party travel agegnt) booked the flight.  Didn't make the cruise.  NCL gave me a FCC but I am going after AC for a paid upgrade and the cost of my Covid testing.  While cheap fare was great and the flights were good, airlines right now are a crap shoot and I personally believe I would have had more luck with Air Canada if NCL hadn't booked my air as a "bulk ticket" .  Lessons learned the hard way.....

[BirdTravels]

17 hours ago, deliver42 said:

People that are satisfied rarely post, so don't over think it. Enjoy your flight and cruise.

We cruise often and have never had “problems” with NCL air. Could I have got better times on my own, sure, but the cost savings offsets the extra time in the airport lounge. 

[SpacemanSpiff]

I do recognize that NCL is basically acting as a ticket agent, and that once the deed is done, everything is between us pax and the airline involved, and that NCL can't do anything about it.  I also know most of the problems are caused on the airline's side rather than caused by the cruise line.

 

That being said, I'm seriously considering s-canning the 2-for-1 airfare and going on my own.  Fortunately, our trip isn't until September of next year, so I have time to check out numbers.  But, as a sanity check, I've used airfare prices for the same days of the week in September this year as it would be next year, used some points to knock down the fare, and figure the cost of upgrading the seats from likely Basic Economy (re: back-of-the-bus, limited carryon, etc) that I'd likely pay for off of the NCL-purchased tix, and found that the extra cost would be about $100 to go it alone.

 

So... once airfare gets available for next year (late October this year), I'll play the exercise until final payment is due.  If I find similar numbers, I might decide that the extra $100 is worth it.  But at least I have options available.

[BermudaBound2014]

2 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

First, the only "service" that NCL is offering is to purchase flights at the agreed upon price. Nothing more. NCL does not operate or control those flights, so I'm not sure where the question of poor execution comes in.

 

The real question that you have to ask yourself is this: Are there ever issues with flights that were NOT booked by NCL? If you book tickets yourself is that a 100% guarantee that your experience will be trouble-free?

 

Silly and misleading.

 

We all know that regardless who books the tickets, trouble-free travel is never a guarantee. The more intelligent question to ask is: "What are my options when trouble comes knocking?"

 

A great example is taking place this very moment. Scandinavian Airlines SAS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday and has grounded 78% of it's flights including most to/from the USA.  I double checked and NCLair does contract with SAS airlines.

 

The issue for cruise passengers currently stranded in Copenhagen is that SAS will not work directly with them to find flight alternatives.  Instead, they are being asked to contact the cruise line air program directly. As you can expect, this is leading to additional frustration and delay.

 

Of course, there are benefits to purchasing air thru a cruise line, but it's important to weight both the pros and cons. For me, in the current environment, I would not give away decision making power especially when it comes to air travel. 

 

 

 

 

[SeaShark]

4 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Silly and misleading.

 

We all know that regardless who books the tickets, trouble-free travel is never a guarantee. The more intelligent question to ask is: "What are my options when trouble comes knocking?"

 

A great example is taking place this very moment. Scandinavian Airlines SAS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday and has grounded 78% of it's flights including most to/from the USA.  I double checked and NCLair does contract with SAS airlines.

 

The issue for cruise passengers currently stranded in Copenhagen is that SAS will not work directly with them to find flight alternatives.  Instead, they are being asked to contact the cruise line air program directly. As you can expect, this is leading to additional frustration and delay.

 

Of course, there are benefits to purchasing air thru a cruise line, but it's important to weight both the pros and cons. For me, in the current environment, I would not give away decision making power especially when it comes to air travel. 

 

 

 

 

 

That really is my point...just makes you wonder why the OP seems to think (based on their "executed so poorly" comment) that NCL is somehow to blame for airline troubles.

[complawyer]

i dont think he's trying to blame ncl for the airline troubles, but rather their failure to try and fix the problem.

 

i have always responded to posts like this one, book the air yourself, and save needless hassles

[SeaShark]

1 minute ago, complawyer said:

i dont think he's trying to blame ncl for the airline troubles, but rather their failure to try and fix the problem.

 

i have always responded to posts like this one, book the air yourself, and save needless hassles

 

How can NCL "fail" to fix the problems that airlines are experiencing? They are just a cruise line, they don't have authority and control over airlines any more than you or I.

 

Plus, if you read the OP's post, there actually is no problem. They're downing NCL for a perception of a problem.