Cruise Air

[spcl4cs_gal]

Just curious...is cruise air with HAL generally cheaper than booking directly with an airline?

[hammybee]

It depends on where you are flying from and into and returning from and time of year.

 

When the cruise is departing from one port and returning to another, HAL prices might be competitive and occasionally cheaper.

 

For cruises departing from and returning to FLL, NY, SEA and SD, pax can almost count on being able to arrange their airfare cheaper on their own.

The exception to this might be during Spring Break.

 

It pays to shop.

 

It makes a lot of sense to fly in the day before you cruise. Flight delays on cruise day may cause you to miss your cruise.

[MercedMike]

Cruise/air packages have a reputation for being very inconvenient. They are SOMETIMES cheaper. Many people (us included) always fly in the day before, just in case something happens (as did to us on our way to Westerdam last month!) to delay you.

 

The exception would be open jaw flights to unusual destinations, as when we boarded Regal Princess in Manaus, Brazil. There is not much other choice except cruise/air. (It was terrible -- but it did get us to the ship.)

 

This is where you need a good full service Travel Agent on your side to do all the research for you and compare the cruise/air price to independent air prices and schedules. Look for a CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor in a full service agency.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[spcl4cs_gal]

Well I know that right now Air Canada is charging almost $900 CAD to fly from Toronto to FLL, even on the day before the cruise departs. The outbound flight is quite cheap but the return, along with all of the Canadian and US taxes, cranks the price up sky high. I was going to consider JetBlue but they don't have their prices out yet for next March so I might have to just sit and wait for awhile. :(

[Jade13]

Last year Alaska air was cheaper though Hal including he $50pp diviation fee. We gave them the exact flights numbers we wanted, plus we paid for Hal's Platinum insurance which covered the air which could be canceled 24 hours prior to the cruise.

[grannynurse]

When we fly to a US port we book or own air but to or from Europe we get HAL air. When I booked last October for next October flights to Rome were running in excess of $1900 one way per person. We got HAL air for $879 pp ROUND TRIP. It may be less now but if we break even with the $50 deviation we'll be happy.

GN

[spcl4cs_gal]

Since my final payment date is in December, does that include the air fare if booked through HAL or do you have some extra time to pay that?

[Krazy Kruizers]

As a rule the cruise lines don't always get the best deals and certainly not the best schedules. A couple of people have reported that the air arranged by HAL and other cruise lines also required an overnight stay at a hotel which the cruise doesn't pay for. You do need to let HAL know right away if you intend to use their air - otherwise the price may go up.

 

I would shop around first.

[marycarhoman]

Well I know that right now Air Canada is charging almost $900 CAD to fly from Toronto to FLL, even on the day before the cruise departs. The outbound flight is quite cheap but the return, along with all of the Canadian and US taxes, cranks the price up sky high. I was going to consider JetBlue but they don't have their prices out yet for next March so I might have to just sit and wait for awhile. :(

 

I am assuming you are from Toronto? If so, you could consider flying Southwest or Jetblue out of Buffalo New York. Southwest doesn't allow you to make reservations until about 6 months before the date. But if you watch their web site, and book as soon as you can, you can get a better deal. We are paying $1532.00 (US) for four of us round trip leaving on 4/6/07 (Good Friday) and returning April 16 2007.

 

M

[Jade13]

Grannynurse, under $900.00 from the US to Rome through Hal? Which Airline did they use? They told me all air to Europe was $1,600. Perhaps I misunderstood.

 

I may look into Rome for 2008.

[spcl4cs_gal]

I am assuming you are from Toronto? If so, you could consider flying Southwest or Jetblue out of Buffalo New York. Southwest doesn't allow you to make reservations until about 6 months before the date. But if you watch their web site, and book as soon as you can, you can get a better deal. We are paying $1532.00 (US) for four of us round trip leaving on 4/6/07 (Good Friday) and returning April 16 2007.

 

M

 

JetBlue would definitely be my first choice in airlines. :)

[jhannah]

Right now, HAL air DFW to CPH is $795 per person round trip. This is for next July, so fares aren't posted on airline sites yet. But that is not a bad price.

 

We have purchased cruise air only once. It was a better deal for an open jaw flight. Other O/J flights I've done better independently ... and had control over my flight schedule to boot. I much prefer doing it myself, but will let the cruise line if there is a substantial difference in cost.

[grannynurse]

Jade,

I checked the airfare from HAL online and then my TA confirmed it. Our airfare is $879 RT pp from Tulsa to Rome and back. I got my independent fares from the Kayak website last October. We jumped on the HAL rate immediately to lock it in. BTW the return to Tulsa is from Fort Lauderdale as the cruise is a westbound transatlantic. I recently checked the HAL airfares for this same cruise online and they haven't changed.

We will get the $50 deviation so we can choose our airline and dates.

 

In 2003 we returned to Tulsa from Amsterdam after an eastbound TA (end of July) with HAL air at $1210 pp on Continental.

 

GN

[akaCruiser]

Well I know that right now Air Canada is charging almost $900 CAD to fly from Toronto to FLL, even on the day before the cruise departs. The outbound flight is quite cheap but the return, along with all of the Canadian and US taxes, cranks the price up sky high. I was going to consider JetBlue but they don't have their prices out yet for next March so I might have to just sit and wait for awhile. :(

 

There are always seat sales that you can get flights for around $500 CAD. You can sign up to Air Canada email notices so that you can book them as they come out. Also, you should check into WestJet as they also fly down to Florida departure points. I once book with AA for a good price. As per the other posters, just make sure you fly in the day before.

[earl_m]

I am flying from montreal to FLL in the fall an d its costing $550.00

on air Canada. I use to book through the cruise line but it was never straight there. Why transfer when I can find a direct flight there.sometimes between transfers i had 20 minutes to reach the other plane. I don't need the stress.

[spcl4cs_gal]

I really think the high prices have to do with it being Spring Break travel. They (airlines) always seem to stick it to passengers because they know they can I guess. :mad: Unfortunately whenever Air Canada or West Jet crossed the border into the US, they impose BOTH US and Canadian taxes and security fees onto the pax tickets. There has to be another way. :rolleyes:

[Jade13]

"Jade,

I checked the airfare from HAL online and then my TA confirmed it. Our airfare is $879 RT pp from Tulsa to Rome and back. I got my independent fares from the Kayak website last October. We jumped on the HAL rate immediately to lock it in. BTW the return to Tulsa is from Fort Lauderdale as the cruise is a westbound transatlantic. I recently checked the HAL airfares for this same cruise online and they haven't changed.

We will get the $50 deviation so we can choose our airline and dates."

 

Grannynurse, to clarify your flight is a great deal because only half is international since you end up in Fort Lauderdale, correct?

[grannynurse]

Jade,

I'm sure that if we flew home from Europe instead of sailing home the price would be higher. Ruth C. would know as she's flying to and from Amsterdam this summer. Hopefully she'll chime in.

GN

[san diego sue]

Hi everyone,

I was doing the Doc Dance this morning. Went to pick up my tickets from Travel agent. We are cruising from San Diego (our Home) on the 8th of May to Alaska so we only needed one way ticket home. I had decided to let Hal Air handle it, big mistake. the docs had us flying to San Diego from Vancouver on the 8th, instead of flying home from Vancouver on the 19th.Also the flight time was 8:30 A.M., so even if they change the date, flight time too early.

I went on line to see what airfares are now with airlines that fly to San Diego and they have gone up considerably since we booked. Also no direct flights available, all with change of plane and or terminal with long layovers. Hal better get us good flights. It's been a few hours and haven't heard back from my travel agent. I went on line to see if Hal fixed it, and it shows no air reservations.We are traveling with friends, so it's more than us involved.

San Diego Sue:confused:

[RuthC]

Jade,

I'm sure that if we flew home from Europe instead of sailing home the price would be higher. Ruth C. would know as she's flying to and from Amsterdam this summer. Hopefully she'll chime in.

GN

Huh? Whassup, grannynurse. Oh, flights to Europe.

I booked last August for this July---Boston to Amsterdam and return for $1000.

What I found amazing was that all but one of the flights came under what I call the "Christopher Columbus Method"---fly west to head east. Most flights from Boston would have sent me to Detroit to change planes, then non-stop to Amsterdam. Same thing coming back. Doubt that they'd let me parachute out passing over my house, either. :rolleyes: So I booked the only non-stop.

I never did check out HAL's prices for this.

[Two@Sea]

Ok, be patient with me folks, as I am new at this and don't quite understand the best way to handle air transportation on transatlantic cruises...

 

We are planning on the Zuiderdam from Lauderdale to Rome 03/15/08. I am getting quotes "including air" and have used Orlando as my selected airport as it is closer and easier for us than Lauderdale. So, I have to assume these quotes are based on airfare from Orlando to Lauderdale (how silly is THAT?), and then Rome back to Orlando.

 

Since we could easily get a ride to Lauderdale, is it possible (or better) to request one way airfare from Rome to Orlando only? I always thought one way fares were much higher? And, can we have our return flight after the cruise delayed if we wanted to stay a few extra days in Rome? Anybody care to tackle the "idiot question of the day" for me?

 

Or... should we just scrap the whole hassle and book the Rome round trip cruise a month later instead??? ;)

[jtl513]

Ok, be patient with me folks, as I am new at this and don't quite understand the best way to handle air transportation on transatlantic cruises...

 

We are planning on the Zuiderdam from Lauderdale to Rome 03/15/08. I am getting quotes "including air" and have used Orlando as my selected airport as it is closer and easier for us than Lauderdale. So, I have to assume these quotes are based on airfare from Orlando to Lauderdale (how silly is THAT?), and then Rome back to Orlando.

 

Since we could easily get a ride to Lauderdale, is it possible (or better) to request one way airfare from Rome to Orlando only? I always thought one way fares were much higher? And, can we have our return flight after the cruise delayed if we wanted to stay a few extra days in Rome? Anybody care to tackle the "idiot question of the day" for me?

 

Or... should we just scrap the whole hassle and book the Rome round trip cruise a month later instead??? ;)

I always take questions like this to a TA in Melbourne (FL) that we've come to trust. He checks, and sometimes recommends HAL air and sometimes not. You can definitely tack on extra time in Rome by paying an "air deviation" fee and picking the date you want to return. For US flights that's $50 pp, but I think it's $100 pp for flights to or from Europe. (For our 2 European cruises we booked HALs pre- or post-cruise excursion package, but that only adds one night, not "a few extra".)

[Two@Sea]

Thank you for the information... and, now I know what "air deviation" means too!

[grannynurse]

I have learned that air deviations for international flights are $75 pp.

 

We wanted to fly into Rome this October 3-4 days early but I waited too long to find a hotel in Rome. Instead, we took a one night HAL hotel and the price included transfers. We actually made out because Civitaveccia, the port for Rome, is quite a distance and would have cost 130 euros with private transportation, that, with the transfer to the hotel (42 euros) really made using HAL cost effective. Taking the whole HAL package, air and hotel with transfers really gave us a good price and eliminated the need for a deviation. That saved $150 plus the good rate of $879 pp RT works out well. I may not like the flight schedule I get but I guess if that happens we'll suck it up.

 

When leaving from US ports we get our own air and do better that way.

In 2003, however, we flew from Tulsa to Boston, had a HAL hotel for 2 days, sailed to Europe, and flew home from Amsterdam to Tulsa with air costing $1200 pp round trip with transfers.

GN

[haligonian37]

Since my final payment date is in December, does that include the air fare if booked through HAL or do you have some extra time to pay that?

 

The air fare is included in your final total. I have booked air through HAL twice now. Flying from Halifax to FLL, for both cruises have only included one stop each way, which would have been the same if I had booked it myself as there aren't any direct flights. Also, the price was right as well, about $700 return, once in early Feb. and the other one is this Dec.

 

For all of my other vacations, I book everything myself and I consider myself quite adept at it. But in these cases it's just one thing I don't have to worry about. I could've waited and watched for seat sales and in the end I might have saved $50-$75 but I now consider that an aggravation saver.