Dielmann Cruise - R/T Paris

[Suzanne123]

I'm trying to arrange air travel for my elderly parents who are taking a cruise the first week of April. Has anyone used the Meet and Greet option from Dielmann? Can you tell me what is included and how it works? Their plane gets in at 9:15 AM and they can't board until 3:00 PM. Thanks.

[grfennell]

If you arrange air with Deilmann you will more than likely get what we got and never again will I do this. They will fly you on Lufthansa Air (Great airline) to Frankfort. Germany and then to Paris. It's a pain. Had to go through security again et Frankfort with multitudes of travelers, (10 gates to take care of everyone) with not much time to catch the flight to Paris. In Paris we landed at terminal 1 and we found out that we needed to be in terminal 2. We were were at a loss. Info counter called the travel company we were to connect with and they sent a car to pick us up. ( Luckey I had the info and phone number of the agency that handeled this). Take your info from Deilmann with you. As I stated Lufthansa is a GREAT airline but I would next time go direct to Paris. Going back was the same routine but easier as we knew what to expect.

[Suzanne123]

I'm booking their flight direct to Paris through AirCanada. I almost used the Deilmann air until I figured out the price in the brochure was one-way. Yikes! I can purchase the meet and greet option separately from Deilmann for $70 pp before and after the cruise. I was hoping the service included more than just a pick-up and drop-off at the airport. If my parents can't board until 3, will they have to spend 6 hours in the Paris airport? Any suggestions? Thanks.

[nyfeds]

Suzanne,

I was quite shocked when I found out that the Deilmann air was one way. It was very pricey; therefore, we booked our own air.

If your parents have 6 hours before they are able to embark, I have a few suggestions. You could look into a guide/private driver picking them up at the airport and they can tour for part of the day and then be taken to the vessel. If they are tired and wish to rest up before they embark, you might want to consider looking into a day room at a hotel for them to rest and freshen up in prior to embarkation.

I hope this helps.

[Suzanne123]

It does, thanks. I'm heading over to the fodors boards to see if anyone else has done what you suggested. I appreciate the tip!

[grfennell]

Even though you might not be able to get into your room, you can still go on board and relax in the lounge. They will more than likely have your rooms ready long before 3pm. They pick you up at airport with a private carrier (a bus) and they leave for the ship at 1pm. I don't think you will have a problem. At least this was what we did. They also use vans and cars. They are very good at this.

[nyfeds]

Good to know that you can embark earlier than 3:00.

At what time did they begin disembarking? We've arranged ample time for our flight home, as we were unsure of how early we were able to get to the airport.

Thanks, again, for sharing your experiences and answering our questions.