I'll be on my 4th NCL cruise in March and so far I've had great experiences with the cruise-line flights. *knock on wood* 3 of them all used the cruise-line flights. The only time it didn't make sense was when I went on a flight from Chicago, to Minneapolis, to New Orleans. Otherwise the flights have always been nonstop, I get to the port early enough, and my flights after the cruise have been at reasonable times. I do however always compare flight rates. I know that I technically have until final payment date to cancel/remove airfare, so I usually book it through the cruise, and then shop around. If I find a better deal, I cancel, if I don't, I upgrade. Once you have your air confirmation it's easy to upgrade seats, cover luggage, etc.