Question about using NCL Transfers with no same day flight....

[TxTeach79]

Hey y'all! Quick question.... I just recently booked the Pearl out of Venice (Trieste), and we have our own air arrangements arriving on Air France the day prior to our cruise so we van enjoy a night in Venice. My question, which is probably a simple one, is whether it is possible for us to book the NCL transfers from the airport over to Trieste the next day. It's a good two hour trip, and with our luggage it would be more convenient to take the NCL bus rather than deal with a bus or train on our own (and way cheaper than a private car). On the website it makes me put a flight time in, and it won't accept a flight listed the previous day; do I just find a flight with an early arrival time and book it, or can I not do that? Thanks in advance!!

[www3traveler]

30 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

Hey y'all! Quick question.... I just recently booked the Pearl out of Venice (Trieste), and we have our own air arrangements arriving on Air France the day prior to our cruise so we van enjoy a night in Venice. My question, which is probably a simple one, is whether it is possible for us to book the NCL transfers from the airport over to Trieste the next day. It's a good two hour trip, and with our luggage it would be more convenient to take the NCL bus rather than deal with a bus or train on our own (and way cheaper than a private car). On the website it makes me put a flight time in, and it won't accept a flight listed the previous day; do I just find a flight with an early arrival time and book it, or can I not do that? Thanks in advance!!

You should be able to go back to the airport the morning of the cruise and take the bus from there.  I would check the baggage claim area when you arrive and see if you can find a Norwegian representative and ask them.  I would think those people working the claims area could direct to the correct place and person.

 

How did you book this cruise?  I would go back to them and ask them to add it.

 

 

[TxTeach79]

22 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

You should be able to go back to the airport the morning of the cruise and take the bus from there.  I would check the baggage claim area when you arrive and see if you can find a Norwegian representative and ask them.  I would think those people working the claims area could direct to the correct place and person.

 

How did you book this cruise?  I would go back to them and ask them to add it.

 

 

 

That was my only concern, will I be able to get into the baggage claim area to meet the NCL rep if I'm not ticketed that day... but then again, by that logic the rep will probably be right outside themselves.

 

I booked online with NCL; that's where it's asking me to put flight info in to reserve the transfer, but I get in from CDG the day before. I could probably pick a random flight that arrives that morning without a problem, but I want to make sure (and i'm not sure how early transfers start running)

[ontheweb]

We had BOGO air to Heathrow in London with a 1 day deviation. Our TA advised us that NCL would ONLY transfer from the airport. Since we did not intend to schlep our luggage into London and were booking a hotel by the terminal in which we came in, this did not matter to us.

 

And as previously posted, just go to the baggage claim area and you will see several NCL representatives carrying signs identifying themselves. They will get you to the bus.

[TxTeach79]

4 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

We had BOGO air to Heathrow in London with a 1 day deviation. Our TA advised us that NCL would ONLY transfer from the airport. Since we did not intend to schlep our luggage into London and were booking a hotel by the terminal in which we came in, this did not matter to us.

 

And as previously posted, just go to the baggage claim area and you will see several NCL representatives carrying signs identifying themselves. They will get you to the bus.

 

Yep, same scenario. We're staying a short distance and easy shuttle from the airport, so going back the next day won't be an issue at all. Thanks!

[quillwercruisers]

You could probably call NCL as well and have them add it. Maybe they would be able to tell you what time you would need to be back to the airport to catch the shuttle. Worth a try anyway.

[ontheweb]

7 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

 

Yep, same scenario. We're staying a short distance and easy shuttle from the airport, so going back the next day won't be an issue at all. Thanks!

You're welcome.

 

To @TxTeach79, I don't remember even putting down a time for the flight coming in. I did ask our TA what would be a good time to arrive at the airport for the transfer.

[julig22]

I have done this many times, although not specifically in Trieste. If you booked your own air, then just google flights and pick something that is arriving about the time you want to get on the shuttle.  I generally try for something around 9am. There will be people with NCL signs somewhere in the area after you go through customs.

 

It's a bigger issue when you use the BOGO airfare, so they know when your flight is arriving and they seem to have trouble understanding that sometimes people plan to return to the airport. Sheesh!  In Buenos Aires they actually pulled my transfer about a week before the trip, with some nonsense about it not being possible to go back to the airport due to security reasons??? They pick you up in the same place every other passenger gets picked up... Fortunately I was able to change hotels to something nearer the port and it worked out.

[TxTeach79]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

You're welcome.

 

To @TxTeach79, I don't remember even putting down a time for the flight coming in. I did ask our TA what would be a good time to arrive at the airport for the transfer.

 

Yeah, just something the NCL site requires. Probably doesn't really matter except for timing. 

[Cardex]

I did this last month in Newark. I flew in the day before and took the hotel shuttle back to the airport the next morning to catch the NCL shuttle bus. I emailed my NCL rep and I told him what I wanted to do and it was no problem. He added the transfer without me having to give a flight # or time. In the info sent to me was the time of the first shuttle pick up and where to meet - it was very easy to do.

[nimbex1970]

We recently used NCL transfer (we were driving) by finding a flight number online and inputting it.  No issues.  Now this was port of Miami and it was quite busy.  I would put a 30-minute load in the bus time, plus drive time to help you plan. 

[ve3ell]

NCL has us booked on a 1215pm flight from Houston to Toronto. We have the transfer with NCL booked back to the airport on January 26 2024. Would we be better to take a cab to the airport ? How much will it cost for 4 people ? This is for the January 19 2024 cruise on the Prima from Galveston.

[TxTeach79]

1 hour ago, ve3ell said:

NCL has us booked on a 1215pm flight from Houston to Toronto. We have the transfer with NCL booked back to the airport on January 26 2024. Would we be better to take a cab to the airport ? How much will it cost for 4 people ? This is for the January 19 2024 cruise on the Prima from Galveston.

 

I'd probably stick with the transfer. They'll get you off early and that's a long expensive cab/uber.

[hallux]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:47 AM, TxTeach79 said:

That was my only concern, will I be able to get into the baggage claim area to meet the NCL rep if I'm not ticketed that day

I'm not sure how airports overseas work, but in the US baggage claim is typically outside the secure area so you should have no issue getting there without a ticket for that day.  If that airport serves NO domestic flights and the baggage claim is strictly inside the customs/immigration area, then the NCL rep will be somewhere in the passenger pickup area where buses would be picking people up.

[ontheweb]

53 minutes ago, hallux said:

I'm not sure how airports overseas work, but in the US baggage claim is typically outside the secure area so you should have no issue getting there without a ticket for that day.  If that airport serves NO domestic flights and the baggage claim is strictly inside the customs/immigration area, then the NCL rep will be somewhere in the passenger pickup area where buses would be picking people up.

We had to find the NCL representatives at Heathrow in London. No problem, they were there in the baggage pickup area.

[UKstages]

On 12/4/2023 at 10:47 AM, TxTeach79 said:

do I just find a flight with an early arrival time and book it

 

yes. i've done exactly this before. they are not cross referencing your flight info... all they are doing is checking that the time or arrival for your "flight" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) corresponds to the available transfer schedules. that's it.

 

i've also done this after a cruise, when i intended to stay in town. taken the transfer back to the airport, then public transportation to the center of town. enter a bogus flight number that allows enough time for the transfer and to "check-in" for the fantasy flight.