Booking own air

Has anyone ever booked their own air to go on a cruise and is it cheaper to get from the airport to ship by taxi rather than set it up thru cruise line?

I have always found it cheaper to book my own air. Cruiseline transfers are expensive; taking a taxi is faster and usually cheaper.

Yes, many, perhaps most, book their own air fares. Yes, in most cases, there are better/cheaper ways than cruise transfers to get from airport to port. Taxi in many cases, but not all.

Hopefully you are not planning on flying in the day you are sailing.

I have almost always booked my own air. One exception was a flight out of Ushuaia, where the cruiseline had a charter to Buenos Aires. And for some trans-oceanic trips, it can require some creative nested booking.

As for transfers, they are usually more expensive than what you can get on your own. A couple exceptions may occur when the port is far from the city and difficult to arrange (Cairo/Port Said for example). By and large, buying from the cruiseline is buying the convenience. Only you can determine if that is worth it to your value judgements.

I have always found it cheaper to book my own air. Cruiseline transfers are expensive; taking a taxi is faster and usually cheaper.

ditto. with a cruise transfer, you usually have to wait for a bus to fill.

As for transfers, they are usually more expensive than what you can get on your own. A couple exceptions may occur when the port is far from the city and difficult to arrange (Cairo/Port Said for example). By and large, buying from the cruiseline is buying the convenience. Only you can determine if that is worth it to your value judgements.

and ditto. check your rollcall and see if anyone is putting a shared transfer together.

I have almost always booked my own air. One exception was a flight out of Ushuaia, where the cruiseline had a charter to Buenos Aires. And for some trans-oceanic trips, it can require some creative nested booking.

If you have enough air-miles, they are the way to go in getting trans-pond flight tickets for the trans-pond cruises.

I prefer to book my own air because I want to control the options. I will work much harder to get a flight that suits me than the random assignment of the groups of tickets that the supplier has. Unless there is a good reason not to, I prefer to buy directly from the airline then it is them and me to negotiate and I can hold my interest number 1 and not have to deal with whatever the supplier wants to give to me. :rolleyes: It is hard to tell the economy ticket from the buckets to the specific ticket bought from the airline but if the flight is delayed, cancelled, or you miss a flight the rules and regulations on the two tickets can be vastly different.

Education time: Read the sticky at the top of cruise air and then read it again until you understand what you are buying from cruiseline or the discounter. The cheapest price is not always your best buy! All tickets are not the same though the tickets all look like they get you a cramped seat in the plane for the ride to whereever. What are your priorities? time, money, legroom, schedule. Know what you want to focus on because you rarely get it all. Watch the prices for the trip you are taking and get a realistic view of the price. No magic but luck does have a place -- if you see a fare that looks like it is good and the trip is "good" for you buy it. Waiting around it can be gone in a second. After you buy, don't worry about it. You did your homework, you made a good decision, let the chips fall ;) (OK so this is the hardest part for me too:p).

Ask folks here! They help so much and if you hang around and read the posts you get an education in booking flights. You have a much better chance of pleasing you than some clerk in a cubical will. If at all possible fly yourself at least a day before your cruise. If at all possible I choose the non stop over multi stops and direct flights (stay on same plane) over those you have to get off and on. If you have to ask "Can I make this flight" the answer is probably NO. Hey good luck. Have a great flight and a great cruise.

For transfers I most often have a private guide drop us at pier after sightseeing in the embarkation city (we go up to a week early). I haven't done a cruiseline transfer in many years but for the very long trip from Tianjin cruise terminal to the Beijing airport it seems that the transfer is the thing that is easiest to work. Remember if using a taxi or a car that they are often small by American standards and your luggage (even for 2 folks) can overwhelm the trunk and car interior. We usually travel with a 25 inch suitcase and a single rolling tote bag each and sometimes some of the luggage has to share the interior with us.

The big question is - where and when are you going?

Everyone's advice is spot on. Domestically, fly in at least a day prior to your cruise booking your own air. Most, but not all, airports are within a $10 -$30 taxi ride. That beat waiting on the bus/cruise transfer.

For foreign travel it's a toss up. It certainly depends on your ports of embarkation and disembarkation.

There is information in the Sticky about cruise air programs and there is plenty of information about car services on the Ports of Call boards too.

If you have specifics in mind do not hesitate to ask before you book.

If you have enough air-miles, they are the way to go in getting trans-pond flight tickets for the trans-pond cruises.

The trans-oceanic generally involve nesting one trip to overlap with another. Far better than using twice the miles for a one-way SkyPesos ticket.

Has anyone ever booked their own air to go on a cruise and is it cheaper to get from the airport to ship by taxi rather than set it up thru cruise line?

I always recommend looking at both options each time you cruise; cruise air and booking on your own.

Two items related to cruise air. When I go with cruise air I pay more for their custom air so I can request specific flights. I never like to let them book flights without customer air because I have my own preferences. Second, sometimes those transfers that might be included with the ships air are quite valuable if the distances between ship and airport are great. With that said, I am a big believer in flying in one or more days before your cruise so that a flight cancellation or delay does not cause you to meet the ship. In most cases if you arrive a day or more before the cruise the first transfer (airport to ship) would not be part of the package.

Again, look at both options and make the one that works best for you which normally is based on costs.

Keith

If at all possible I choose the non stop over multi stops and direct flights (stay on same plane) over those you have to get off and on. If you have to ask "Can I make this flight" the answer is probably NO. Hey good luck. Have a great flight and a great cruise.

 

Technically, you can have a direct flight but still have a plane change. "Direct" can refer to two legs that have the same flight number, but not necessarily the same aircraft.