Looking for Feedback on using X-air service

[kruisecat]

Hi! Just booked Mercury for 6/2007 Alaska and we are soooo excited. This will be our 3rd X cruise and first time in Alaska and frankly I think I'll explode with anticipation.

 

With that said, we opted to add the "air" portion to our fare. I would like to know what kind of experience people have had with this. Specifically with going to Alaska if possible.

 

We'll be flying in and out of Seattle. My general gutt feeling is that I'll be paying significantly more $$$ next spring for flights than what I'm locking in right now through X. But I don't want to do it if the majority of experiences are negative.

 

Any guidance will be appreciated.

[rjp111838]

relax, keep the celebrity air for now. you have untill final payment next spring to make changes, you can drop the air and keep the cruise. check independent air from time to time and make an informed decision before final payment time.

[C 2 C]

Air booked through cruiselines is generally more expensive but there is a level of stress reduction that is invaluable. If there are changes to sailing times caused by weather or technical difficulties Celebrity will make the changes. I have had cruises cancelled and weather delays that would have been costly if I had arranged my own travel. If flights are cheap and plentiful however, there is no problem doing your own air and arriving a day early.

[julieanne]

I agree with the above wholeheartedly! Transfers to and from the ship are included as well and they are responsible for getting you there and back. We always take their air and have never had any negatives.

[kruisecat]

Thank you for your responses! We've been lucky that our other cruises have all been out of FL and we drive to the ports (live in Tampa!) But this is a whole new experience and although a long way away (time wize) I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't making a mistake.

 

Thanks again!!

[C 2 C]

We've been lucky that our other cruises have all been out of FL and we drive to the ports (live in Tampa!)

 

I believe there was a cruise returning very late to Tampa last year as a result of fog and many people with early flights missed them. You are fortunate to live so close to so many choices... We drive I-75 from the Detroit area to many of our cruises and avoid flights as well.

Have a wonderful cruise.

[Jimsgirl]

I always book with the cruiseline, as past passenger with Celebrity, I can to some extent make choices that suit me (gateway city for instance). I like being met at airport, and having transport already arranged .

 

I have had only two bad experiences, neither with concerned Celebrity , one with Cunard,flight delayed, missed connection as plane from FL arrived after transatlantic plane had left no one at cruise line cared a d***, no one to meet me at airport in London, had to get myself out of the resulting mess.

 

Second was due to Travel Agencies shenanigins. I was told my flight/transport/hotel was with cruiseline. It wasn't agency used their own "plan", did not find out until after tickets arrived, Result, wrong gateway city, no waiting transport (you have to phone this number, did so and told I would have to wait an hour for transport to arrive) same for trans to ship, then on return , phone number was "no longer in service" and had to struggle for local taxis to airport.

 

I do suggest going a day early if you can, this does add to the cost, but is worth it , if you get into trouble you do have time to get things sorted out. If my snafu had happened on day of sailing with Cunard I would have missed the ship.

[Longboysfan]

relax, keep the celebrity air for now. you have untill final payment next spring to make changes, you can drop the air and keep the cruise. check independent air from time to time and make an informed decision before final payment time.

 

 

Exactly. Watch the air fares.

If they go lower - and include the ship transfers in the cost and the time involved - and I mean a bit lower book the air portion with the airline directly.

 

Ask about in the forums what type of transfers people are going to use this summer from Seattle to the pier. You may find a bargin and save a lot.

[CruisingChick]

So far (knock on wood, cross fingers) we have had very good experience with Celebrity air. Both in price and in accomodations.

 

First we used them round trip in 2003 for our Mediterranean cruise. We flew from NYC to Venice, Italy and return from Barcelona, Spain to NY. No problems, great flights and transfers were perfect.

 

We flew last year from NY to Anchorage via Seattle. Again no problems, great flights and we flew home from Vancouver, Canada to NY.

 

In July we are using Celebrity air to go from NYC to London. I could NOT find a lower price for flights since the price also includes transfers from London to Dover.

[flashdog_1]

I did the cruise/air with X last summer to Alaska from Atlanta. I was worried when I didn't find out the flights until about two weeks before cruising, but it was fine. They'd had a special of only $300 air so could not pass that up. They flew us to Minneapolis on NW airlines, and then on to Anchorage for the Southern route on Summit to Vancouver. They apparently had a charter of just cruise passengers, Delta non-stop from vancouver to Atlanta, only 5 hours. it was exhausting, but worth it to be able to experience Alaska. Someone was there to meet hundreds of incoming passengers in Anchorage, put us on a bus, and we arrived at the ship around 7 p.m. I felt that I'd missed the first day of the cruise, however.

 

Have a wonderful cruise and shore excursions!

[alolewis]

Did Celebrity air on cruise and tour to Alaska as going one way (boarded ship in Vancouver and left tour in Fairbanks) would have been much more expensive to book on own. Celebrity used the flights I would ahve chosen if booking on my own for schedule so worked out well. People on our cruise who missed the sailing due to late flights were wekll taken care of by Celebrity (hotel in Vancouver, flights to Ketchikan to catch up to ship and $500 per person shipboard credit) not sure what, if anything, Celebrity would have done if they missed the ship and had not booked with Celebrity.

But then on a cruise in and out of Fort Lauderdale on another line, booked own air using frequent flyer miles and had no problems either.

Either way use common sense and particularly on the going try to get long connecting times, go a day early, etc. Sitting an extra hour or two in an airport for a connecting flight is better than missing the ship altogether or in my case, worrying all day about making the conenctions, will the plane be late, etc. Well worth the price in a hotel for one night just for the peice of mind (plus Seattle is a GREAT place to spend an extra day) Probably not as important on the return as if your flight is late/missed etc, only miss a day of work instead of a day of yuor vacation.

[Old CA]

....In July we are using Celebrity air to go from NYC to London. I could NOT find a lower price for flights since the price also includes transfers from London to Dover.

 

This has been my experience, too. I'm booked on my first Celebrity cruise on Century's October crossing. Celbrity's price for LAX - Barcelona, Miami to LAX was $880 (Economy) while the best I found from the airlines, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. was $1,400+ :eek: . I could have it down to $1,000+ if I could arrange to be at the Miami airport and onboard my plane just a half hour after our supposed docking. :D Of course those fares didn't include getting to my Barcelona hotel then to the pier and from the dock to MIA.

 

I can only hope some hidden surcharges don't come along to change my :) to a :(

[kruisecat]

Again, thank you all for your input!!! I know it's a long time away I just wanted to start to get an idea of how things have gone for others. One additional question for those of you who have used it, I'm assuming I will need to do "custom air" to go in a day early, is this correct? And if so do they still include transfers? Or do I need to arrange that on my own?

 

I love these boards! I'm a good planner but this is the best way to get the scoop!!