Question: Are flights and hotels better if they are booked separately

[SC LTC]

It’s probably here somewhere in posts but can’t find it, so here it goes 

are flights and hotels better if they are booked separately thanks 

[hallasm]

Booking flights and hotels separately from a cruise can offer certain advantages and disadvantages. whether booking flights and hotels separately from a cruise is better depends on your specific preferences, priorities, and circumstances. Consider factors such as cost, flexibility, convenience, and your comfort level in managing the various aspects of your trip independently.

 

Here are some factors to consider:

Advantages of booking flights and hotels separately:

Flexibility: Booking flights and hotels separately allows you greater flexibility in choosing the specific flights and accommodations that best suit your needs, preferences, and budget.

Cost savings: By booking flights and hotels separately, you have the opportunity to compare prices across different airlines and hotels, potentially finding better deals and saving money.

 

Disadvantages of booking flights and hotels separately:

Coordination: You'll need to handle the logistics of coordinating your flights and hotel stays with the cruise departure and arrival times.

Responsibility for disruptions: If there are any delays or cancellations with your flights or cruise, you may bear the responsibility of arranging alternate transportation to reach the cruise ship on time.

Package deals: In some cases, cruise lines may offer package deals that include flights and hotel stays, which can provide convenience and potentially cost savings. 

[mom says]

Define  "better".

 

Hotels are almost always better booked separately. First, you have a greater selection. Second, the same hotel can be much cheaper. Consider that cruise lines charge a premium price PER PERSON per night, whereas booking directly wifh the hotel, you pay the going rate for the room, whether for 1 person or 2.

 

Cruise air has its pros and cons. Some flights may be cheaper than booking directly with the airline, but come with the problem of having to deal with a middle man whenever a problem such as schedule changes or cancellations arise, as they so frequently do now.

[StollyBolly]

That’s a hard one.  We have had some great flight deals with lines so we have used them to book, and other times we’ve managed to beat the price.    I’m not sure there is one answer to this.   You may just need to do your own comparison.  
 

The answers above have all been great advice 

Edited June 10, 2023 by StollyBolly

[SC LTC]

12 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Booking flights and hotels separately from a cruise can offer certain advantages and disadvantages. whether booking flights and hotels separately from a cruise is better depends on your specific preferences, priorities, and circumstances. Consider factors such as cost, flexibility, convenience, and your comfort level in managing the various aspects of your trip independently.

 

Here are some factors to consider:

Advantages of booking flights and hotels separately:

Flexibility: Booking flights and hotels separately allows you greater flexibility in choosing the specific flights and accommodations that best suit your needs, preferences, and budget.

Cost savings: By booking flights and hotels separately, you have the opportunity to compare prices across different airlines and hotels, potentially finding better deals and saving money.

 

Disadvantages of booking flights and hotels separately:

Coordination: You'll need to handle the logistics of coordinating your flights and hotel stays with the cruise departure and arrival times.

Responsibility for disruptions: If there are any delays or cancellations with your flights or cruise, you may bear the responsibility of arranging alternate transportation to reach the cruise ship on time.

Package deals: In some cases, cruise lines may offer package deals that include flights and hotel stays, which can provide convenience and potentially cost savings. 

NCL does but after reading other posts on this site and FB Has me wondering

[Mary229]

It always pays to compare.  I have done very well with both methods for hotels and air fare.  It is important to understand what you will receive for the price.  Depending on the cruise line the hotel may come with transfers, breakfast and early checkin.  Also some of those transfers may be a full city tour. 
 

also when I fly overnight into a non-English speaking country it is nice to have some one greet me at the airport, transport me and check me in to the hotel.  I always compare. 

[CruiserBruce]

26 minutes ago, SC LTC said:

NCL does but after reading other posts on this site and FB Has me wondering

And there is a thread going on the Cruise Air board that gives a great example of how things that can go south on a NCL booked air package:

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

The only time we book hotels or transfers through the cruise line is a very late or complicated arrival (particularly if language is an issue). Otherwise we always book our own.

 

Cruise line air fares can be cheaper at times, particularly on one way international flights. But we haven't booked air through a cruise line in 30 years.

[jsn55]

"Better" is just what you think is better ... for you personally.  If you're inexperienced at booking hotels and air, sometimes working with the cruiseline is a good idea.  I don't want a 'middleman' between me and my travel arrangements ... if there's an issue, I want to deal directly with the hotel or airline.  If flying to a country where I think communication might be an issue, I arrange for a driver to meet our flight.  And I only book chain hotels that I'm familiar with ... I don't want to deal with the hotel if I can't communicate.  I remember checking in the Beijing JWMarriott a couple of years ago.  The sweet ladies at the front desk spoke just enough English to cause problems; it took us forever to check in ... after a 15-hour flight and a two-hour ride in from the airport.  I'm always willing to let people try to do their jobs, I don't want to insult them; I'm not one of those dunderheads who thinks everyone should speak English.  After about half an hour, I finally was able to catch someone's eye and he came right over to get us all settled.  The hotel was definitely worth it, we loved the place.

[SPacificbound]

I always book flights and hotels separately, personal preference. I don't like to intermingle the reservations. Three different parts of travel, three different reservations.

[martincath]

The only way you can ever fairly compare is by researching the available flights and hotels yourself, then checking whether the cruiseline can beat the prices. If it's actually cheaper, then it's worth consideration even if you are generally more of an 'in control' person, only you can assess whether the savings are enough to feel worth giving up your control; if it's more expensive, but you are someone who would rather have your hand held, the opposite - how much extra is the hand-holding worth to you?

 

Unless you insist on Hotel X/Airline Y and the line doesn't want to book one of them at all, you can always do a comparison shop! If your cruise package doesn't offer all the possible hotels and flights, and the ones most of interest to you are not available, only you can decide what compromising on these things is worth to you...

 

But do make sure you use Apples to Apples: you may get 'free' transfers with a flight/hotel/cruise package, so you need to check on the taxi/transit/rideshare etc. pricing and ease of use; you may get a 'free' breakfast at a hotel booked independently but not via the cruise (or vice versa), different room categories might be listed; and of course all the cruise pricing is generally Per Person so it's simplest if you always use the actual number of pax in your party for your potential flight, hotel, and transfer costings to get the total independent rate and compare it with the total cruise package price.

[ldubs]

For us it has not been better so far, better being what we consider $ value.   So far we have not booked a flight, lodging, or cruise together in any combination.   I should not say "we".  Mrs Ldubs handles this aspect of our travels.   

[cruisemom42]

As you can see, there's no easy answer. Many variables to consider including cost, convenience, comfort level, etc.

 

I always book my travel separately, but I have good reasons for it, at least in my own mind. 😄

 

For hotels, I like to be in the center or the midst of things as I prefer to sightsee on my own. Many times hotels book places that are not centrally located, making it harder to just walk around and enjoy the city, or find places to eat, etc. I prefer boutique or local hotels to chains. Also, cruise lines tend to add on a middleman cost to hotel rooms, plus as a solo passenger they charge me TWICE for a 2-person room. (It's bad enough I get the dreaded solo supplement onboard, but with hotels I am paying for a family of 4???)

 

For flights, I live in Delta's main US hub and prefer that all my flights be on Delta to maximize my FF status. I also am picky about flights and flight times/connection times. And finally, I often like to arrive several days ahead of the cruise to enjoy the city -- but most of my cruises are outside the US. Cruise lines often charge a deviation fee for these kinds of early arrivals or custom itineraries.

 

I did second-guess myself a bit during Covid, when there were lots of cancelations going on, since no one knew when things would re-start. If there ever was an argument for booking airfare with the cruise lines, it was then: if your cruise got canceled, your air was also taken care of. However, the airlines pretty quickly made it painless to get a credit for a booked flight, so (since I travel frequently) I stopped worrying about it.

 

[John Bull]

Cruise lines always choose good hotels.

Sadly they don't always choose hotels in good locations. EG a hotel in Hong Kong in a residential area about 6 miles from the harbour & tourist spots and with poor transportation links.

And one in Istanbul at the top of a steep hill over a mile beyond the far end of the tram route.

 

Cruise lines have their own pet airlines (beg pardon, their "preferred air partners").and will use them come-hell-or-high-water even if the routing or timing are seriously flawed

We flew British Airways direct from London Heathrow to Istanbul, and were out exploring by lunchtime. Those using RCI Cruise Air went via a looooong layover in Schipol airport Amsterdam and arrived early evening.

Friends chose NCL's cruise air for London to New Orleans. There are direct flights with other airlines but theirs was via a change in Atlanta, then switched at short notice to somewhere else - again with a long & frustrating layover.

In all the cases that we know of, the passengers using cruise air were not told which airline, route or timings until a few days before their cruise.

 

Clearly cruise lines get better prices than those who book their own hotels or flights. but it seems that they don't always pass on any of that to their passengers.

 

One exception - cruise lines which charter aircraft, common in the UK but presumably impractical in the USA because of its size ('though I have heard of it in eastern Canada().

P&O and Marella and occasionally others like Fred Olsen offer chartered flights from several UK airports, all passengers on the aircraft are clients of the cruise line, transfers to the ship always included and often by-passing immigration & luggage carousel - direct from aircraft to transfer bus, luggage follows in a truck an is never seen between UK airport and ship's cabin door. And on the last day passengers have the run of the ship (except cabin) until their transfer to the airport is called.

 

Those chartered flights also share the one significant advantage of cruise-air and (presumably) hotels.

If either the flight or the cruise is cancelled the passenger is entitled to a full refund of both elements.

Such cancelations are rare, but if flights and cruise are booked separately (even if booked at the same time by the same agent) passengers are entitled to only a refund for the part that was cancelled.

Middle-east cruise out of Doha cancelled?  I guess you'll have to find accommodation for a three-week stay in Doha 😮

 

JB 🙂

[ldubs]

As the last two poster's say, when it comes to hotels, there are three things:  Location, Location, Location.  😀