Help for flights for August Baltic Cruise

[Pearl64]

I tried posting this on the Baltic page but was told to post this under this forum. My husband and I are taking an Oceania Baltic cruise in August and will be spending a week post cruise doing Norway. I figured I needed to start checking on flights . We have only flown to Europe once before and had no problems but we were not trying to meet up with a cruise either. We will be flying out of Pittsburgh or Cleveland depending on the flights, cost, and connections. I have some questions: 1)We will be flying into one of the London airports. Typically they land in the am. Our cruise leaves out of Tilbury so we will need to figure out how to get there. I am not worried at this point about that as there are some options already mentioned here on CC. We are planning on staying near (about 5 blocks) Victoria Station as we know a good b and b that we used before. We will get there via the Tube.Is one day before the cruise enough or is two more practical? I know there is lots to do in London but I don't know if we would have two days worth of things we have not seen and are interested in. 2) Should we look for a flight that goes in and out of London and take a Ryan air or something similar from Norway to London and then fly out from there to the US. We probably should plan on staying another night in London unless there is quite a bit of time between the flight from Norway and the one to the US. Or should we look to do open jaw from Bergen? It doesn't seem to make much sense to drive back to Oslo unless that would end up being more reasonable. 3) I am investigating a straight flight from Cleveland to Heathrow. We have quite a few points on that airline but not enough for a free flight. I am trying to avoid a problem flying into an East Coast airport as many times those flights to there are cancelled or delayed, especially through Philadelphia. 4) Does anyone know what the baggage info is on international flights? I know it varies by airline but someplace I read that at least one bag is free?? 5) Cost--I am figuring around $1000 per person. Am I in the right ball park? I am not trying to sound cheap here, but I would rather spend my money on the side trips rather than on airfare and baggage.

 

Thank you so much. I apologize for the long thread. I will have later questions on how to get from Stockholm (where the cruise ends) to the fjord side of Norway--car, train, combo.

 

Pearl

[SelectSys]

...Is one day before the cruise enough or is two more practical? I know there is lots to do in London but I don't know if we would have two days worth of things we have not seen and are interested in.

 

Only you can answer this question. I can always find things to do in London regardless of my length of stay.

 

2) Should we look for a flight that goes in and out of London and take a Ryan air or something similar from Norway to London and then fly out from there to the US. We probably should plan on staying another night in London unless there is quite a bit of time between the flight from Norway and the one to the US. Or should we look to do open jaw from Bergen? It doesn't seem to make much sense to drive back to Oslo unless that would end up being more reasonable.

 

I would not look at Ryanair for something like this. You'll get laid away on the baggage charges and your arrival airport in the UK (e.g. Stansted) will require you to make a big time transfer to either Heathrow or Gatwick. Maybe flying into Dublin from Bergen would be better assuming that this is a served route but I still wouldn't mess with Ryanair for a cruise.

 

3) I am investigating a straight flight from Cleveland to Heathrow. We have quite a few points on that airline but not enough for a free flight. I am trying to avoid a problem flying into an East Coast airport as many times those flights to there are cancelled or delayed, especially through Philadelphia.

 

Which airline? Is it USAir because you mention Philadelphia? Many of the programs allow you to buy extra mile to get up to the award level. Using miles would certainly lower your total out of pocket expense.

 

4) Does anyone know what the baggage info is on international flights? I know it varies by airline but someplace I read that at least one bag is free??

 

Changes day by day. I think BA just added new charges. I would suggest you go on the web sites of all your candidate airlines and look up baggage fees. Once you buy the ticket, you'll be locked in on those terms of carriage. This could be a reason to buy the ticket earlier.

 

5) Cost--I am figuring around $1000 per person. Am I in the right ball park? I am not trying to sound cheap here, but I would rather spend my money on the side trips rather than on airfare and baggage.

 

Have you searched one of the big web sites? Expedia, Orbitz, Kayak? All of these will give you an idea of the current fare. I punched in random dates in August and came up with a fare around $1100.00/person.

[Globaliser]

1) ... Is one day before the cruise enough or is two more practical? I know there is lots to do in London but I don't know if we would have two days worth of things we have not seen and are interested in.

How much of London have you already seen? If you were a first-time visitor to London, you'd really need 4 to 6 weeks pre-cruise to do all of London. So how much time you allow this time will depend on how well you know the place already.

2) Should we look for a flight that goes in and out of London and take a Ryan air or something similar from Norway to London and then fly out from there to the US. We probably should plan on staying another night in London unless there is quite a bit of time between the flight from Norway and the one to the US. Or should we look to do open jaw from Bergen? It doesn't seem to make much sense to drive back to Oslo unless that would end up being more reasonable.

If your primary concern is to get back to the US, look for an open jaw itinerary. It really isn't worth your while to fly Ryanair to the UK, stay overnight (at extra cost), and trek from the airport that Ryanair uses to Heathrow or Gatwick. Flying Ryanair is not cheap if you're a cruise passenger with cruise luggage. Even if you buy a separate ticket to get from Bergen to London to connect with an onward flight, you're still likely to spend considerably less than if you fly Ryanair by the time you've paid for additional baggage, hotel and transport. Don't make the mistake of only looking at the headline fare - you must look at the total cost of travel.

3) I am investigating a straight flight from Cleveland to Heathrow. We have quite a few points on that airline but not enough for a free flight. I am trying to avoid a problem flying into an East Coast airport as many times those flights to there are cancelled or delayed, especially through Philadelphia.

AFAIK, there are no non-stop or direct flights from Cleveland to London. You will have to connect at an east coast airport.

4) Does anyone know what the baggage info is on international flights? I know it varies by airline but someplace I read that at least one bag is free??

Check with your airline, but I think that most airlines will still allow at least one bag of up to 23 kg (50 pounds) per person without additional charges on a trans-Atlantic itinerary.

[Pearl64]

Thanks to everyone who posted responses. Yes, I do know there is quite a bit to do in London, but some of the time will be spent adjusting to the time difference. Since we will be hitting museums heavily on our cruise, I thought those would not be an option. I do know to check the total package concerning baggages fees and other fees so the price is more accurate. As of late summer, there was one flight via Continental to Heathrow that was direct. Going from Pittsburgh to an east coast airport can cause headaches especially with USAir going through Philly. They are often cancelled or late thus causing one to miss a flight. We have even considered driving to the airport in Newark but that doesn't not make total sense on the return flight having to drive that distance home. I do appreciate the info about Ryanair. Yes, our goal would be just to get back to the USA. I will research the open jaw. I will use Kayak to get an idea of what airlines to look at more closely. It is still early so I have time to research several options.

 

Again, thank you.

Pearl

[SelectSys]

... but some of the time will be spent adjusting to the time difference. Since we will be hitting museums heavily on our cruise, I thought those would not be an option...

 

One of the best things that you can do is to be outside after a flight and fortunately London delivers in this regard as well. Any number of great parks to hang out in or just sitting out along the river. When I used to travel to London for work, I frequently would relax in the parks Sunday afternoon to get ready for work on Monday.

[PennyAgain]

To get a starting point, I would get a price for flights from your cruise company. You can accept that or do on your own, but at least you will have some ideas.

 

I never have too much time in London. I can always find something to do especially as I love to walk.