For Brit Customers using Fly/Cruise

[Joecors]

Don't know whether anyone flying out of LHR for a Quest cruise at 8.35(or thereabouts) on 20th Sept experienced the same problem as we did with Az. use of block booking of flight tickets: this resulted in the blocking of boarding passes until arrival at LHR, and also the return journey until arrival at Rome Airport. Have a feeing that some of you did as the captain who flew us out apologised for having so many partners sitting apart. If you had seats together could have been your lucky day; should have bought a lottery ticket!!

We spoke to the Az. rep at LHR and she provided us with a number which she said would help us get in advance boarding passes for the return journey. Bum steer!!

I have complained to Az./RCCL at Addlestone who have stated that they are looking into the problem. I know the some of the ships' officers scan the Cruise Critc site daily, taking reports seriously. Any contributions that you care to make will give strength to my elbow or alternatively any suggestions that you care to make to "crack the system" will give me "strength to carry on"

Thanks

Sam

[Albert Ross]

Perhaps you should post this on the ACC boards where recent ACC cruisers appear to be busy posting what a fabulous cruise it was.!!

 

If ACC book the flights as a group allocation you cannot do online checkin etc. Your agent should have advised you that it was a group allocation.

I do not believe there is a 'system to crack' - that is how it is with group bookings I'm afraid. Goodluck.

[Project_gal]

We have been with both Azamara and Celebrity and have always booked our flights through the cruise line. There were definitely others from the same cruise on our Azamara flight and we have had no such problems. Our flights have always been with BA [altough our last return flight had to be on Delta due to being so close to Thanksgiving]. We have two more cruises lined up with flights already booked and assigned [one Az and one X] and have been able to manage our flights on the BA website with no problems.

 

Did you book one of the current "flight included" booking through Azamara rather than booking the normal "packaged air". Perhaps a block booking is the price you pay for "free air"?

 

Sue

[Joecors]

Did you book one of the current "flight included" booking through Azamara rather than booking the normal "packaged air". Perhaps a block booking is the price you pay for "free air"?

 

 

Not too sure, but thanks for the advice anyway

[Joecors]

....

Yes! Thanks for noticing this! Time I paid a visit to the opticians

[Project_gal]

....

Yes! Thanks for noticing this! Time I paid a visit to the opticians

 

No really a problem because it is the same air team who arrange Royal Carribean, Celebrity and Azamara flights in the UK. What applies to one most likely applies to all three.

 

Sue

[hooked cruiser]

We are travelling BA at Christmas time from LHW and although I managed to get the Locator number to enter the BA site when i did it stated that as this was a block booking that we would have to contact our TA. (They are the ones who gave me the Locator number)

[uktog]

We have had this issue with Celebrity in the past, even when paying for an upgrade to business class through them which is why we stopped booking flights through them. Given all the ash issues of the last year we were about to add some flights to an Azamara booking for December 2011 but it would be an 11 hour flight and there is no way I do not want to be beside DH

 

There are glitches in the BA systems at present that they are trying to sort out as they integrate the Iberia and Amercan air products (lots of posts about this on Flyer talk) so lets hope it was just a temp glitch.

 

Can people who fly in the next couple of months let us know if it resolves itself

[Project_gal]

We have had this issue with Celebrity in the past, even when paying for an upgrade to business class through them which is why we stopped booking flights through them. Given all the ash issues of the last year we were about to add some flights to an Azamara booking for December 2011 but it would be an 11 hour flight and there is no way I do not want to be beside DH

 

There are glitches in the BA systems at present that they are trying to sort out as they integrate the Iberia and Amercan air products (lots of posts about this on Flyer talk) so lets hope it was just a temp glitch.

 

Can people who fly in the next couple of months let us know if it resolves itself

 

Ann

 

We are flying in less than a month and I will willing report back but, as we can access our booking wth no message about it being a block booking, I am not expecting any problems.

 

We were thinking of booking independantly for our February cruise because Azamara had some problems openning up their BA flights and they wanted us to fly Quantas via HK to Singapore but then the ash cloud happened and we decided to stick with Azamara and they did, eventually, get their BA flights sorted. It costs a little extra but it is worth it for the convenience and piece of mind.

 

Sue

[Jade13]

I recommend Choice Air. You go through the Celebrity web site and pay. The confirmation will have an airline record locater. You can than call the airline directly to select your seats.

[Project_gal]

I recommend Choice Air. You go through the Celebrity web site and pay. The confirmation will have an airline record locater. You can than call the airline directly to select your seats.

 

Not available if you are from the UK.

 

Sue

[uktog]

Thanks Sue, yes that is the frustration, I wonder why we cannot have access to choice air. We may have Azamara do a booking next year if I change our plans slightly and include a second cruise on our SA trip = if I do by my reckoning we would need a flight Christmas night or boxing day at the latest and I can see that being a high risk one

 

Has anyone from the UK booked business class with X lately, their rates previously were awful compared to a direct booking with BA which is another reason I have been doing the bookings myself - when I say awful I mean £1000 awful on a flight to the USA

[Project_gal]

Has anyone from the UK booked business class with X lately, their rates previously were awful compared to a direct booking with BA which is another reason I have been doing the bookings myself - when I say awful I mean £1000 awful on a flight to the USA

 

Ann

 

Yes, our next cruise is business class on BA through Celebrity. But that would have been booked in December last year and I can no longer remember what BA's rates were when we booked but I think the sums were similar to when we were looking at the SE Asia on Azamara more recently [June this year]. i.e. if you look at the fully flexible and lowest price BA are offering, the Celebrity price is approximately mid-way between the two. As we have some flexibility with a Celebrity booking and do not pay up-front [as you do with the lowest fare on BA] it seems reasonable especially for the package protection and convenience as it includes transfers. We would probably also feel the need to take out additional insurance to cover strikes and "volcanic ash" type events. However, if price is the over-riding criteria, then booking through Celebrity is not the best.

 

Sue

[excitedofharpenden]

Ann, I'm booked on Virgin Upper Class next month done through Celebrity. It's one-way after a transatlantic so not apples to apples comparison, but it was much cheaper through them than me doing it myself because of the expensive fare code those one-ways have. Looking at what I paid one-way it's not a million miles away from what I would pay for a return doing it myself which is what I normally do when flying out and back. Having been given my locator number when I upgraded the flight with Celebrity I've been able to go onto the Virgin website and pick my seat no problem. I've always had more success with Virgin than BA with this in the past, even when doing it myself as the seat map doesn't seem to open until very late with BA (at least on the fare codes I book), but straight away with Virgin.

 

Phil

[uktog]

Thanks Sue and Phil

Good point about the late payment for the flight costs Sue

Phil on BA they have changed their seat allocation policy and unless you are a silver or gold cardholder nothing will open up for you until 24 hours before the flight - there is one way round this, it is called pay to choose your seat but at £60 a seat per leg of international journey its not worth it. Based on some flights we have in the offing we will be back to silver before our 2011 flights anyway

 

I see you mention upgrading your flight Phil, the one thing I would love to be able to do is book BA ecnonomy through X and then do an MFU given we have buckets of BA miles at present - actually enough to do the whole thing on reward points but we will probably not go down that route

 

A

 

oops jargon - MFU= miles for upgrade

[scotslizzy]

So can I just contact BA (now have the flight locator) and upgrade myself. Celebrity charges are much higher for some reason ?

 

Thanks

 

Scotlsizzy

[waggie]

No really a problem because it is the same air team who arrange Royal Carribean, Celebrity and Azamara flights in the UK. What applies to one most likely applies to all three.

 

Sue

As usual, such sound advice!!

Could you let me have the contact details for the air team as I want to contact them about our flight arrangements for September 2011.

Many thanks,

Ruth

[Project_gal]

As usual, such sound advice!!

Could you let me have the contact details for the air team as I want to contact them about our flight arrangements for September 2011.

Many thanks,

Ruth

 

Ruth

 

Sorry, I do not have it. I usually arrange it all through our normal Personal Cruise Consultant [at Ce;ebrity/Azamara] and he contacts the team for us. I think however, it may be an option on the main telephone number. However, I ring the main number so rarely I cannot remember for certain.

 

Sue

[Project_gal]

So can I just contact BA (now have the flight locator) and upgrade myself. Celebrity charges are much higher for some reason ?

 

Thanks

 

Scotlsizzy

 

I have a feeling that the answer is no but I do not know. Can you post back here and let us know when you find out, please?

 

Sue