A little (okay, ALOT) freaked out

[danibethb]

We are taking a bucket list trip at end of June on the Explorer. I decided to go all in the airfare package, because I liked the idea of it being all-inclusive and everything arranged by cruise line. I naively looked only at the departure to Vancouver (from DFW) with overnight stay and leaving on cruise the next day. Today I looked at Anchorage return flights back home after the early 2 hour bus trip from Seward and I was shocked! They seem like most are either very early or late evening, which would mean we would be in the Anchorage Airport all day , and then possibly 9-12 HOURS FLYING to get home? Then another 2 hours to get from airport to home?  My husband is not in best of health with blood clots in his leg, and this trip home sounds like a nightmare he might not survive. Can anyone enlighten me on the topic?  

[PhD-iva]

Your transfer (by coach bus) from the ship to the airport can/will include several stops along the way to the airport, like an excursion. This option is provided to pax with later flights. 
Only you (and your husband and perhaps his doctor) can decide if he is healthy enough to travel. 
 

Edited April 1 by PhD-iva
Edit

[jhenry1]

We are in Texas and flying from DFW to Vancouver on American and they have a non stop and from Anchorage to DFW non stop but the flight leaves Anchorage at 8:30 in the evening. We booked our own flights because Regent did not offer these non stop flights so we took the air credit and booked our own. You can hire a driver to meet you at the ship and provide a private tour of around 7 hours and take you to the airport. We are doing that so we are not at the airport for so long. Good luck.

[Nachosdelux]

I would recommend doing the trip in reverse order (Anchorage to Vancouver - so a different week)

 

Fly up to Anchorage a day or 2 early.

 

Take the scenic train from Anchorage to Seward the morning of the cruise - then get right on the ship.

 

End the cruise in Vancouver, quick taxi to airport, and much shorter travel day getting home.

 

Ideally, I would do Vancouver Round trip (back to back) if your time and budget permits.

Edited April 1 by Nachosdelux

[Dwtlion]

35 minutes ago, Nachosdelux said:

 

 

End the cruise in Vancouver, quick taxi to airport, and much shorter travel day getting home.

 

Ideally, I would do Vancouver Round trip (back to back) if your time and budget permits.

If you look at the air flights from Vancouver, you will see it is almost impossible to get a flight to the U.S. on the day you arrive. Most flights leave early in the AM-can't disembark & get to airport in time. I personally have this issue next month.

[doowopbob]

We are flying Vancouver to Dallas next month after our cruise and they have a flight that leaves at 11:40 am. Plenty of time to get from the port to the airport.

[danibethb]

Thank you for the replies, I am afraid I can’t change anything since I have made all my final payments, cabin reservations, etc.

[jeb_bud]

Regent doesn’t actually pay for the air until a couple of months before departure. Have you asked your TA about canceling the return flights and taking a credit?  After final payment the credit might have to be an OBC but at least it would open the door for you to book a better flight home. 
 

If it’s important enough you could probably just abandon the Regent flight and book your own. 

[Lonedaddy]

3 hours ago, jhenry1 said:

We are in Texas and flying from DFW to Vancouver on American and they have a non stop and from Anchorage to DFW non stop but the flight leaves Anchorage at 8:30 in the evening. We booked our own flights because Regent did not offer these non stop flights so we took the air credit and booked our own. You can hire a driver to meet you at the ship and provide a private tour of around 7 hours and take you to the airport. We are doing that so we are not at the airport for so long. Good luck.

highly recommend the private tour we did one that was great - went to the wildlife conservation center up the gondola to aleyska ( could have a nice meal up there as well) plus other sites like glaciers and salmon runs.  It would be at your pace and much more comfortable. 

[Pcardad]

2 hours ago, danibethb said:

Thank you for the replies, I am afraid I can’t change anything since I have made all my final payments, cabin reservations, etc.

You can still change your air. Have your TA research better flights and request them via a deviation.

[Dolebludger]

How about finding the flights you want, and asking Regent for a deviation? Sometimes this works out well.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

6 hours ago, doowopbob said:

We are flying Vancouver to Dallas next month after our cruise and they have a flight that leaves at 11:40 am. Plenty of time to get from the port to the airport.

Depends on how many ships are in Canada Place.  We just made our flight after disembarking and there were 8 ships in port.

[Dolebludger]

We never like to book a post disembarkation flight that departs before early afternoon. Last June after an Explorer Alaska cruise, we had a United Vancouver to Denver flight that departed around noon. We were greeted at the airport by a very long line before we could even get inside the airport rescheduling United passengers from cancelled flights.  Even though our flight had not been cancelled, we had to become somewhat hostile to even get into the airport, to check in for our flight. Other than that, we would have missed it. These days, we like to give airlines plenty of slack time, because airlines now are basically incompetent. Regent is certainly not incompetent, but has to depend on airlines, hotels, transit, and others that are.

[edgee]

11 hours ago, doowopbob said:

We are flying Vancouver to Dallas next month after our cruise and they have a flight that leaves at 11:40 am. Plenty of time to get from the port to the airport.

And clear U.S. Customs. and immigration prior to boarding? Probably just okay, but far short of "plenty of time."

[Nachosdelux]

another alternative is to overnight in Vancouver prior to flying home.

 

A beautiful city with great restaurants and lots to see.

 

Then catch an early flight the next morning.

[danibethb]

Unfortunately we disembark in Anchorage, but it looks like that getting a hotel tacked onto the trip is the only solution for trip home.

[notabigcruiser]

We are on that same cruise and connecting through DFW. We opted to book our own flights, but experienced the same frustration since the options were so limited. We decided to spend the day in and around Seward, take the Coastal Classic train to Anchorage at 6 pm and spend the night there. Our flight doesn’t leave until about 8 pm the next day but we will spend the day exploring Anchorage. The Coastal Classic is highly  rated. Good luck finding a solution that works. Hope to meet you on the cruise. We’re your neighbors from Baton Rouge.