New to Cruising...questions

[aandk]

My fiance and I are booking a cruise for our Dec. 2005 honeymoon. I have a question about booking air travel. What are the pros and cons of booking your air travel yourself versus choosing it when you book the cruise? I have seen cruise lines picking people up at the airport, do they only do this if you book through them?

[pconkli1]

Two key things new and honeymoon. Let RCCL handle all your air, transfers, and tickets. This way they are responsible for getting you on the ship. Learn how to be thrifty some other time.

 

Enjoy your cruise with nothing to worry about. You are on your honeymoon!!!

 

Cheers,

 

P&V

[everyotheryear]

If you book your airlines with the cruise they will not leave you, and they will transfer from airport to the ship, and if you are real late they will makes arrangements for you to catch up to the cruise. If you book on your own you have no guarantees. Booking with cruise line usually cost more. If you book your airlines on your own I would suggest you fly in a day early where ever you are boarding the cruise. Hope this answers some of you questions. Good Luck!

[bUU]

And be sure to get the best cruise and travel insurance you possibly can.

[mammallama]

You do not need to book your air with the airlines in order for them to pick you up at the airport. You can purchase transfers through the cruise line and they will transport you to the ship. Transfers vary in price but generally run about $25-27/pp. Cabs can be much cheaper and are easily obtained outside the airport.

It's true that if you book your air through the cruise line, they will wait for you or arrange for you to meet up with the ship in the event of a plane delay. If you book air on your own, I would recommend arriving in the city of departure a day early, if possible.

Good luck to both of you, and congrats on your upcoming wedding and cruise. :D

[RiverRev]

AandK, you asked for pros and cons so let me try and flesh these out.

 

Pros

 

• As was mentioned, letting the cruiseline do the booking guarantees your cruise in some ways - they'll hold the ship etc.
  
• You also will not get "bumped" should the airline overbook your flight.
  

Cons:

• The price is usually pretty steep compared to what you might be able to snag through a regular carrier. You do not mention where you live or where you are going so I cannot completely address the issue, but a flight into Fort Lauderdale for a cruise out of Miami could save you 50% over the cruise line airfare.
  
• You fly when the cruiseline wants you to fly. Sometimes, its a charter and other times its a regularly scheduled flight. If its a charter, it may be subject to the whims of the airport and the airline they rent their gate from.
  

Making your own arrangements

 

Pros

 

• The cost issue. Alternate airports may get you fantastic deals, especially this far out. You may book flights 331 days in advance on the majors and four months out on the new players like Southwest and Jetblue. If you live in NY consider the ride to Hartford, Atlantic City, or Philadelphia (pick a first night hotel within an hour of the airport).
  
• Transfers are still available to scheduled flight cruisers. The cost from FLL to Miami is about $30.
  

Cons

 

The cruise lline has NO allegiance to you. If you miss the cruise because the plane is snowed in, you get bumped, or who knows what yo will be finding a hotel in Florida/embaraktion port. BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE!!!!

[Magicat]

Go a day or two before your cruise...see the sights in your departure city. No worries, no rush!

[stbmom]

I would suggest booking on your own and flying in a day before. From what I have read on the message board, not only are the flights more expensive through the cruise line, they also don't care if there are connections or not.

If you are near a major airport with lots of competition, you should be able to get a great airfare with as few connections as possible. You also get to decide what time of day you fly, etc.

Also, if you go the day before, you can book a hotel the offers free transfer from the airport as well as free transfer to the port. This could still end up costing less than it would have booking through the cruise line.

Check around on the internet to see what you can find.

Also, I would highly recommend travel insurance.

[redwings1958]

Having taken 4 december cruises, I know what it is like to have weather an issue.

 

If this is your 1st cruise, you might opt to let RCCL do the whole thing for you. Yes it will be more expensive, but you will not have to worry as much. If cost is an issue,

then book a cruise only honeymoon and book the airfare and xfers yourself. Many helpful hints on this websight. And yes do get travel insurance!!

[djkk]

I personally would suggest arranging your own flights. I booked air through RCI six months before my cruise, and they had my family flying from Hartford to Atlanta, Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, and a bus to Miami. On the way back, we flew from Miami to Chicago and Chicago to Hartford. With delays, we were home at 11:30p.m., when it should be a 3-31/2 hour trip. Do fly in a day early and purchase transfers if you'd like,and insurance.

[xpcdoojk]

I agree with most of the advice posted here. RiverRev highlighted the issues very well. I am a do my own booking person, because my time is valueable, and I like to maximize my experience. To me frequently, the cruise air connections are not the best. So, I always fly into the departure port a day early, you can do this with or without booking the air with the cruise, you just have to pay for an air deviation. This will 99.9% of the time resolve the worries about missing the boat. Insurance is reasonably priced if you buy it from second sources and not from the cruiseline. I don't buy it for myself because I prefer to be self insured, but for many people the extra money spent is worth the peace of mind. It is a personal choice issue. Since you are less than 60 days out from the cruise, you need to make your decision now I guess, and you should check expedia, travelocity, orbitz, qixo, southwest airlines, and other discount carriers that may service your local airport etc. to see what kind of savings can be had. If the savings are not significant compared to cruise airfare combination, then you have an easy answer for your situation. If they are significant then you have a choice. Remember to ask your travel agent what is the cost of an air deviation for flying in a day before the cruise if you can do this it will generally enhance your vacation reduce stress and help to get you into that honeymoon experience by booking a nice hotel in the port city, and having a nice dinner, etc, rather than rushing to and from your home to the cruise ship all in the same day.

 

jc

[wallie5446]

Lots of good info by all here. Bottom line is you have to do what you are very comfortable with, and just finishing the wedding and beginning the Honeymoon the less hassel the better. If this is your 1st cruise I would do everything thru your TA and the line, all set and you can enjoy ea other.

 

Then once you are 'hooked' on cruiseing for a vacation you can start makeing all the details fit together on your own, which is more cost effective, for your next one.