Cruise Provided Air vs Self Obtained?

Interested in hearing from those with experience the relative merits of Cruise vs Self Air Arangements, especially as relates to US-Europe RT.

If it's US to Europe and you're arriving/flying from the the same airport in Europe, then by all means book your own air. Just be sure to give yourself enough time for transfers and those type of things. Doing this allows you to pick your airline across the pond (and not all are created equal) and pick your flight times & gate-way cities. For cruise air you could be stuck on an US domestic carrier's tattered, cramped. & no-frills 757 vs. flying in the relative luxury of say, a Virgin Atlantic 747.

If you are coming into Europe in one city and leaving from a different one, then things get a bit different and will need to be evaluated on a case by case basis. But the one thing to remember is that with cruise air, you never know which airline or routing you'll be on until fairly close to your cruise date. By doing your own, even if it costs more, you are in complete control of your flight arrangements.

Keep in mind that what you may read some helpful and some quite scary replies :p But remember most replies will be based off personal preference and/or experience and other replies will be neutral. I have my air booked through RCCI for my Med. cruise next may but if I find cheaper air for business class the closer it gets to departure then I will cancel Cruise Air to snatch it...The down falls would be having to find my own transfers from the airport to hotel, from cruise to airport(don't know about you, but I really dint feel like getting of a 8+ hour flight and having to worry about getting Euros right away for a cab), purchase own trip insurance, not knowing flight info for up to a few weeks before departure date if I am not mistaken. The advantage maybe getting a cheaper hotel for my precruise stay that is cheaper than RCCI hotel package and the peace of mind of knowing that every thing has been taken care of for my first trip to Europe

By the way when is your trip?? And where are you planning on departing from

Keep in mind that what you may read some helpful and some quite scary replies :p But remember most replies will be based off personal preference and/or experience and other replies will be neutral. I have my air booked through RCCI for my Med. cruise next may but if I find cheaper air for business class the closer it gets to departure then I will cancel Cruise Air to snatch it...The down falls would be having to find my own transfers from the airport to hotel, from cruise to airport(don't know about you, but I really dint feel like getting of a 8+ hour flight and having to worry about getting Euros right away for a cab), purchase own trip insurance, not knowing flight info for up to a few weeks before departure date if I am not mistaken. The advantage maybe getting a cheaper hotel for my precruise stay that is cheaper than RCCI hotel package and the peace of mind of knowing that every thing has been taken care of for my first trip to Europe

By the way when is your trip?? And where are you planning on departing from

VERY little of what you read in the cruise air forum is based on personal experience. Frequent fliers as a general rule DO NOT use cruise air.

To solve your problem, most large banks in the US (Chase, B of A, Wells Fargo, etc) can get Euros. In fact, most of the larger banks in larger cities have Euros and GBP on hand.

Purchasing cruise line trip insurance is another bad move. The coverage is generally inferior to what you can purchase on your own. Most cruiseline policies are SECONDARY coverage-meaning you have to file with your own health insurance, homeowner's, auto, etc. BEFORE the trip insurance comes into play. Your premiums for personal insurance COULD go up, due to a travel claim.

Hotels booked through the cruise line are generally DOUBLE what you can book independently. Cruise fares are charge PER PERSON.

There is now a wealth of airlines offering one way tickets to/from Europe. Silverjet, EOS and MaxJet all sell one way tickets with either business or first class seats/service. I have booked MaxJet for $581.00 one way NONSTOP from Los Angeles to London for my QE2 cruise in January. I can't even upgrade my PURCHASED AA ticket for that price ($300 co pay + 25,000 miles). These airlines fly into London airports, so if you are going further on the Continent, you will have to book another flight.

Aer Lingus offers VERY reasonably priced one way tickets for coach passengers to all of Europe. And a really nice thing about flying Aer Lingus through Dublin/Shannon-you clear USA immigration in Ireland, so NO standing in line in the USA for immigration. Only have to clear Customs when you return.

After March, 2008, I would anticipate there will be even more European airlines selling one way tickets to/from Europe at relative bargain prices.

To the OP:read the sticky at the top of the page. And pay attention to the NON ENDORSABLE part of the explanation. What it means to you: IF XXX airline has a problem (doesn't matter what kind) and cannot get you to your destination on time, you CANNOT use your cruise air tickets to board another airline.

Your cruise air tickets have NO value to another airline-only the originating airline. So unless the originating airline, through customer goodwill, agrees to purchase IN CASH another ticket on another airline, you are essentially STUCK until originating airline has space available seating. You very easily could miss 2/3 days of your cruise.

We have done both. We usually purchase our cruise with air unless the cruise leaves from Florida - it is usually much less to go with a discount airlines there. We then go and look for our own air. If we can find it for less than the cruise air, then we book that air and cancel the cruise air. You can cancel cruise air with no penalty up to final payment.

For our first transatlantic cruise from Barcelona, we booked our air and hotel through the cruiseline as we had no idea about the hotels or the city. After that one trip, we booked our transatlantic one way air through the cruiseline and the hotel on our own. We were able to get the same hotel as the cruiseline for a lot less even paying for our own cab rides from airport to hotel and hotel to pier. But we were never really able to beat the cruiseline air price for the one way to Europe. We do one way because we can usually do the return flight from Florida cheaper on our own, plus we always spend some days after the cruise in Florida visiting our grandkids so we don't want to fly out of Ft. Lauderdale.

This year, we decided to book cruise air (one way) and hotel because we are flying to Venice for the first time. As we will have the maximum allowed luggage and since we have no idea about the city, we booked our air and hotel through them figuring that they are responsible for getting us and our luggage between airport-hotel-pier.

We have always found out our flights early, in fact for our cruise this Nov., we have had our flight and seats on the airline we wanted since February. As members of the past passenger club for the cruiseline, we have used the custom air benefit whenever we use cruise air.

We have done both. We usually purchase our cruise with air unless the cruise leaves from Florida - it is usually much less to go with a discount airlines there. We then go and look for our own air. If we can find it for less than the cruise air, then we book that air and cancel the cruise air. You can cancel cruise air with no penalty up to final payment.

For our first transatlantic cruise from Barcelona, we booked our air and hotel through the cruiseline as we had no idea about the hotels or the city. After that one trip, we booked our transatlantic one way air through the cruiseline and the hotel on our own. We were able to get the same hotel as the cruiseline for a lot less even paying for our own cab rides from airport to hotel and hotel to pier. But we were never really able to beat the cruiseline air price for the one way to Europe. We do one way because we can usually do the return flight from Florida cheaper on our own, plus we always spend some days after the cruise in Florida visiting our grandkids so we don't want to fly out of Ft. Lauderdale.

This year, we decided to book cruise air (one way) and hotel because we are flying to Venice for the first time. As we will have the maximum allowed luggage and since we have no idea about the city, we booked our air and hotel through them figuring that they are responsible for getting us and our luggage between airport-hotel-pier.

We have always found out our flights early, in fact for our cruise this Nov., we have had our flight and seats on the airline we wanted since February. As members of the past passenger club for the cruiseline, we have used the custom air benefit whenever we use cruise air.

I think that hajekfam worded it better than I:D... My comments about Euros was that I dont want to worry about hitting the exchange at JFK before my flight or in Barcelona on arrival just to have the $$$ to pay for a cab cause I did not want to use Cruise air/transfers. I always get trip Insurance through my TA so even if I got my own air I would still get insurance.I have noticed hotels are cheaper on your own as opposed to through cruise line which will make my decision a lot easier if I can find that decent priced business class...I'd pay a little more since I would be saving on the hotel end by booking that myself. Thanx hajekfam for the tip on the one way

We don't usually fly anywhere enough to have any miles to use towards anything.

Whe we went to Alaska (out of Vancouver) a couple years back, we kept the cruiseair as it was a good deal.

We are booked for the Med in October and Royal wanted $1289 for each ticket. We booked through Delta with the times we wanted for $880.

We are also going the the Caribbean in 02/08. Cruiseair is $540.....so far the tickets we've found are running $360. I think we can do better even than that, I'm still researching.

Fares come out I think it's 330 days prior, so you just really need to be on the computer everyday, looking at every website and make an educated decision.

VERY little of what you read in the cruise air forum is based on personal experience. Frequent fliers as a general rule DO NOT use cruise air.

 

To solve your problem, most large banks in the US (Chase, B of A, Wells Fargo, etc) can get Euros. In fact, most of the larger banks in larger cities have Euros and GBP on hand.

 

Purchasing cruise line trip insurance is another bad move. The coverage is generally inferior to what you can purchase on your own. Most cruiseline policies are SECONDARY coverage-meaning you have to file with your own health insurance, homeowner's, auto, etc. BEFORE the trip insurance comes into play. Your premiums for personal insurance COULD go up, due to a travel claim.

 

Hotels booked through the cruise line are generally DOUBLE what you can book independently. Cruise fares are charge PER PERSON.

 

There is now a wealth of airlines offering one way tickets to/from Europe. Silverjet, EOS and MaxJet all sell one way tickets with either business or first class seats/service. I have booked MaxJet for $581.00 one way NONSTOP from Los Angeles to London for my QE2 cruise in January. I can't even upgrade my PURCHASED AA ticket for that price ($300 co pay + 25,000 miles). These airlines fly into London airports, so if you are going further on the Continent, you will have to book another flight.

 

Aer Lingus offers VERY reasonably priced one way tickets for coach passengers to all of Europe. And a really nice thing about flying Aer Lingus through Dublin/Shannon-you clear USA immigration in Ireland, so NO standing in line in the USA for immigration. Only have to clear Customs when you return.

 

After March, 2008, I would anticipate there will be even more European airlines selling one way tickets to/from Europe at relative bargain prices.

 

To the OP:read the sticky at the top of the page. And pay attention to the NON ENDORSABLE part of the explanation. What it means to you: IF XXX airline has a problem (doesn't matter what kind) and cannot get you to your destination on time, you CANNOT use your cruise air tickets to board another airline.

 

Your cruise air tickets have NO value to another airline-only the originating airline. So unless the originating airline, through customer goodwill, agrees to purchase IN CASH another ticket on another airline, you are essentially STUCK until originating airline has space available seating. You very easily could miss 2/3 days of your cruise.

A couple of points since we have done both. Last year we used HAL's air to Alaska. Why? Because it was cheaper than what we could get on our own. Even with an air diviation fee (We gave HAL the exact flights we wanted the day earlier based on who they had contracts with) we saved $50 per person. Also regarding Cruise insurance. With HAL anyway, we have determined that the cruise lines insurance is better than any others (for us). We could have canceled 24 hours in advance and it would have covered the air. We could have gotten 90% back on our credit card (cash) for cancelation FOR ANY REASON. They do not require you to give a reason. This year we bookeed our own air to Rome (FFMiles) and used HAL's insurance and my stepdaughter decided not to go 31 days in advance. We got back 95% on my credit card. Now this insurance is secondary and only 10K in medical but our policy pays at 70% anywhere in the World. So, I would not make a blanket statement that buying on your own is always better.

Now another example, we are going on Celebrity in Feb. Right now the air (East cost to Miami or Ft L) is cheaper than we can get on our own during the Presidents week vacation at about $478.00 with tax. US Airways is at $950 (coach) and Air Tran and Jet Blue at about $700 plus (over $350 each way). If we find something cheaper we will grab it, but right now we can't.

Also, I work for a big company so my premiums would not go up if I filed a claim. Also, right now Celebritys hotel deal is better ($300 for 4 persons with transfers) because if I have to use their air and come a day early I would have to pay $200 in air diviation fees unless I use their hotel. Our TA can not match the price at the Radisson. Now, if I can get my own flights, I will also look for a hotel but would have to factor in another $100 for three transfers (with tips and luggage for 4 persons).

 

We are also going the the Caribbean in 02/08. Cruiseair is $540.....so far the tickets we've found are running $360. I think we can do better even than that, I'm still researching.

 

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Must not be during the Presidents week holiday? What airline are you looking at?

A couple of points since we have done both. Last year we used HAL's air to Alaska. Why? Because it was cheaper than what we could get on our own. Even with an air diviation fee (We gave HAL the exact flights we wanted the day earlier based on who they had contracts with) we saved $50 per person.

You most likely still ended up with CONSOLIDATOR class tickets, IF there would have been a problem with your originating airline, you could NOT have used your cruise air tickets to board another airline. You would have been essentially STUCK with the originating airline, waiting for space available seating.

Also regarding Cruise insurance. With HAL anyway, we have determined that the cruise lines insurance is better than any others (for us). We could have canceled 24 hours in advance and it would have covered the air. We could have gotten 90% back on our credit card (cash) for cancelation FOR ANY REASON. They do not require you to give a reason. This year we bookeed our own air to Rome (FFMiles) and used HAL's insurance and my stepdaughter decided not to go 31 days in advance. We got back 95% on my credit card. Now this insurance is secondary and only 10K in medical but our policy pays at 70% anywhere in the World. So, I would not make a blanket statement that buying on your own is always better.

HAL is one of the few cruise line policies that actually gives you cash back on the "cancel for any reason" provision of the insurance policy. MOST of the mass market line policies only give you 75-80% FUTURE cruise credit. Cruise line policies also do NOT cover self booked air, so if you miss the ship through no fault of your own, there is generally no coverage for transport, hotels, taxis, food, etc to get you to the next port. In the Caribbean, that could easily amount to 2/3 days of your cruise missed AND over $1000.00 just in airfare for 2.

10K is certainly not enough for medical, as you well realize. And you are very fortunate to have a corporate policy that covers you throughout the world. MOST company policies do not, as well as Medicare.

The balance of your post addresses a cruise during President's Week. To save money, it may be advisable to book everything through the cruise line during that SPECIFIC time frame. However, the discount airfares WERE available until Sept. 1, as well as decently priced hotel rooms. Once colleges get back in session, things book up VERY rapidly.

I'm in a situation where I've purchased cruise air for my HAL cruise in December, my final payment is due next Friday and I've found a fare that's almost $300 cheaper that what HAL has booked for me. I've just e-mailed my TA to see if it's possible to cancel and not to incur any penalties. I was prepared to stay with the cruise air until I found this fare with AC,and the $300 saving is too much for me to ignore. I'm also flying in the day before sailing, so there was a deviation fee involved as well.

I have used HAL's cruise air successfully in the past and that's what led me to use it for my next cruise so I can see both sides of the discussion.

I'm in a situation where I've purchased cruise air for my HAL cruise in December, my final payment is due next Friday and I've found a fare that's almost $300 cheaper that what HAL has booked for me. I've just e-mailed my TA to see if it's possible to cancel and not to incur any penalties. I was prepared to stay with the cruise air until I found this fare with AC,and the $300 saving is too much for me to ignore. I'm also flying in the day before sailing, so there was a deviation fee involved as well.

 

I have used HAL's cruise air successfully in the past and that's what led me to use it for my next cruise so I can see both sides of the discussion.

$300 is prob worth it to book yourself. If you used HAL's insurance it will not cover cancelation on the air for a medical reason. I've noticed on-line that the airlines (At least I've noticed with AirTran) have insurance for medical cancelation, so you may want to add that cost in and factor it into the $300.

Also, if you are already paying the diviation fee to HAL, you can ask who they use and request an exact flight. In Alaska, we took the 6:00am out the day before (so, elevated the oversold seat possibility) as well as arived in Anchorage the earliest possible at about 12:15pm, which allowed sightseeing that day and the train (incredible) down to Seward the next morning. Its possible we would have also paid slightly more to get the exact flight we wanted too.

Right now with Celebrity I am not getting any information who who they may use. There is a big diff to us to arrive at 2:00pm vs 9:00pm the day before.

A couple of points since we have done both. Last year we used HAL's air to Alaska. Why? Because it was cheaper than what we could get on our own. Even with an air diviation fee (We gave HAL the exact flights we wanted the day earlier based on who they had contracts with) we saved $50 per person. Also regarding Cruise insurance. With HAL anyway, we have determined that the cruise lines insurance is better than any others (for us). We could have canceled 24 hours in advance and it would have covered the air. We could have gotten 90% back on our credit card (cash) for cancelation FOR ANY REASON. They do not require you to give a reason. This year we bookeed our own air to Rome (FFMiles) and used HAL's insurance and my stepdaughter decided not to go 31 days in advance. We got back 95% on my credit card. Now this insurance is secondary and only 10K in medical but our policy pays at 70% anywhere in the World. So, I would not make a blanket statement that buying on your own is always better.

 

Now another example, we are going on Celebrity in Feb. Right now the air (East cost to Miami or Ft L) is cheaper than we can get on our own during the Presidents week vacation at about $478.00 with tax. US Airways is at $950 (coach) and Air Tran and Jet Blue at about $700 plus (over $350 each way). If we find something cheaper we will grab it, but right now we can't.

 

Also, I work for a big company so my premiums would not go up if I filed a claim. Also, right now Celebritys hotel deal is better ($300 for 4 persons with transfers) because if I have to use their air and come a day early I would have to pay $200 in air diviation fees unless I use their hotel. Our TA can not match the price at the Radisson. Now, if I can get my own flights, I will also look for a hotel but would have to factor in another $100 for three transfers (with tips and luggage for 4 persons).

When can you tell the cruise lines about a diviation that you want? How do you know what airlines the cruise line will use? How many tickets do they have for each airline? I don't understand how or when you tell the cruise line what flights that you want and times that you would perfer........Please explain to me..Thanks,

We have only cruised Celebrity, so I can only explain what happens on them. When we request air deviation, our travel agent finds out what airlines Celebrity is dealing with. She then contacts us about the airline options and we choose the one that we would like. For our cruise this November, we were able to pick out our flight in February - by dealing with an airline the cruiseline was using, we had no addtional charge (our deviation fee was waived as a repeaters club benefit) and got a flight that we wanted on the airline we wanted. We actually arranged our air shortly after booking the cruise knowing that we would probably use cruise air because we were doing a one way flight.

When can you tell the cruise lines about a diviation that you want? How do you know what airlines the cruise line will use? How many tickets do they have for each airline? I don't understand how or when you tell the cruise line what flights that you want and times that you would perfer........Please explain to me..Thanks,

I can only speak for HAL (It sounds like Celebrity is the same). We requested cruise air since we could not find a cheaper flight to Alaska in August 2006, even with a $50pp air diviation fee. We asked out TA if HAL contracted with US Airways or United and they did not. We were given the options which included Northwest and I think Alaska Air ampong others. We gave the TA our first choice with exact flight number and that is what we got.

A big thanks to both of you for your responses...I have one more question. We have booked a Cruise for next October 2008, and since it is over 330 days out, the Cruise line will not say who they have,,,so when it reaches 330 days out, do I then call them and ask them if they use the airline that I would like.....would that be an air diviation? Thanks :rolleyes:

Well, I'm back with good news. My TA contacted me today to let me know I could back out of the cruise air with no penalty, free and clear. So I've booked the cheaper fare myself and saved $280 in the process. I'm so glad I found that fare before final payment (only 4 days to spare)...I don't know if I have my TA to thank or HAL, in any case, I'm one happy camper! :)