Airfare day before--need help

[jpurdy]

8 of us on Fascination in Jan. 05. Want to go day before to avoid stress. Is it worth using Carnival to arrange with so many or can I do it myself easily? Or will they only arrange air that is same day as cruise? Also, can I book multiple hotel rooms on Priceline? Is it safe to wait till October for Southwest (they don't post rates too far ahead). Thanks. J.

[sun&sea]

I booked 10 of us for the Victory this past Jan. It was difficult to find 10 seats at a decent price. I did book on ATA but used a travel agent since I would have had to pay for them all. (this way everyone charged their own credit card) Should you use Carnival? Figure out how much it is and compare.

 

Priceline should be easier. You can bid for 4 rooms all at once, so you will all be together. Just remember, when you get it, it is yours, and it cannot be changed if plans change. You may want to wait some on the rooms.

 

Janet

[imlulu]

SWA usuualy opens up their fares for that time period the 2nd week in Sept. If it is not a popular week, I would shop around. Try the individual airline sites also. You could book 4 and someone else book the other 4 at same time. Best of luck!

[TinafromNJ]

This is always tough to recommend which way to book air. I'm a travel agent and I usually prefer that customer books their air through the cruise line. Let me explain why I perfer this method. As you mentioned, you're cruising in January - I'm not sure where you live but, I live in the snowy Northeast in NJ. If a customer books their air on their own...that's it, you're on your own. More than likely the Cruise Line will do little or nothing to help you should your flight be delayed or cancelled. If air is booked by the cruise line, they are more than helpful and will do everything in their power to get you to the ship in time for departure. However, in cases like yours, when you wish to fly down a day ahead of time, at least you have a day's grace should anything go wrong. It's something you need to discuss with your group and make sure everyone knows the pluses and minuses of booking your own air. The biggest plus is being able to select your own airline and route and more than likely get a better price than what the cruise line will charge you. Also, if your cruise is already booked, it's never too early to shop for your air. Right now there are some really good prices out there - for example as of today vs yesterday prices (in my NY/NJ market) here are some air fares:

 

Newark, NJ (EWR) to New Orleans, LA (MSY) - Roundtrip

New Price: $103.00 Old Price: $223.00 You save:$120.00

 

Newark, NJ (EWR) to West Palm Beach, FL (PBI) - Roundtrip

New Price: $103.00 Old Price: $215.00 You save: $112.00

 

Also, I want to make everyone aware that airline prices change rapidly and that's why booking when you see a low price is very important. I've made reservations for people and lost the great price because they wait too long to make up their minds. I would highly recommend signing up with Travelocity at http://www.travelocity.com/ and on that home page you'll see "Airfare Updates by Email!" this is a FREE service that allows you to keep track of airline prices. It's really easy to set up and use, it will take the headaches out of fare watching!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Tina from NJ

[marco]

When leaving out of Fla, we always go the day before, book our own air and hotel. Our air/hotel/dinner that evening and maybe a night's entertainment ends up still being cheaper than cruiseline's air, flying down the day of the cruise. Not to mention an extra day of vacation and getting up at a decent time on sailing day and arriving at the ship not too frazzled. Flying on sailing day is tiring, even when everything goes smoothly. Also, four of the last 5 times we flew anywhere, SW was NOT the least expensive. Check regularly, and if you find a good deal, grab it now. Same with a hotel. Should not be a problem getting something decent in the $60-$80 a night range. With what you're investing in the trip, I wouldn't hold out trying to save an extra 20 bucks and end up holding the bag, or having to end up paying $250 for a night's lodging.

[jima53]

With enough time to plan I would schedule my own flight for the day before. THe price savings should be tremendous compared to the cruise line. I'm a fan of using the cruise line for excursions, but for the flight I would do it on my own with enough advance planning time.

 

Jim

[wizfourfam]

We have booked a 3 nite cruise on the Fantasy(running away from home). Cruiseline air is MORE than the cruise portion of the trip!

 

We want to book our own airfare to Orlando. We plan to arrive the night before to allow for possible delays. The cruise is Nov 4 so weather (think snow) shouldn't be an issue. Can anyone recommend WHERE to stay either at the airport or Cocoa Beach? We understand Carnival charges 50.00 pp for Mears transportation. What can you recommend for alternative transportation?

[michelle319]

Debbie-

 

We are staying at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cocoa Beach next month before our Glory cruise. We were going to rent a car but will probably end up using Arts Shuttle which has come highly recommended on these boards. They appear to have the most reasonable rates and are much cheaper than Mears.