UK Cruisers-flights for Transatlantics

[Elizanessie]

For those of you who do Transatlantics how do you work it with regards to your flights ?

 

Do you book them with the cruiseline or do you book them on your own?

[Elaine0138]

I have done both

[Elizanessie]

I have done both

 

Hi Elaine :)

 

When you booked them yourself...did you do an Eastbound TA and buy a return ticket for using another time?

 

I am looking at a Westbound TA...but going round in circles trying to work out how to do the flights...any help/advice you can give would be much appreciated.

[upwarduk]

This time we have taken our air with Celebrity, as I do not want to try to work out how to return from Ensenda, Mexico .I know from another thread that the transfer to San Diego would cost $90.

Celebrity do all hotel over nights & transfers, which I consider much safer.

As yet I don't know the flight times as we are just less than a year away from our cruise.

 

So no help to you, but when you put your search in you will need to put the port where you disembark, them your British airport. I know some site will allow you to do that.

[Goldryder]

I can do without the headache of doing flights to fit ships, so the cruise line deals with it every cruise (regardless as to where it is).

 

Monday I fly to Argentina, originally Costa had me on BA flights but I requested Air France instead cos I hate BA, they changed them within a couple hours. I am flying back from Nice with BA but shorthauls are bearable (just) with that airline, so I left them as is.

 

Even if I had the plastic required to get my own flights, I would still have the cruise line deal with it all...so far not had any tight connections or any real problems doing it that way....only once did my case have 30 hours extra holiday on the way home but that was Iberia's fault, not the cruise line that organised the flights.

 

So far all been a very positive experience with cruise line air :)

[Missus Makkem]

Hi Elaine :)

 

When you booked them yourself...did you do an Eastbound TA and buy a return ticket for using another time?

 

I am looking at a Westbound TA...but going round in circles trying to work out how to do the flights...any help/advice you can give would be much appreciated.

 

single trips are expensive unless you get a package with a cruise line

Round trips if your are planning to follow up & take a East bound, then selecting which ship, it could be cheaper this way & not bother with return leg ?

As for time to book a flight, we book close to the date of our West bound sailing date, that also is usually the time when the major airlines have specials

[Goldryder]

Hi Elaine :)

 

When you booked them yourself...did you do an Eastbound TA and buy a return ticket for using another time?

 

I am looking at a Westbound TA...but going round in circles trying to work out how to do the flights...any help/advice you can give would be much appreciated.

 

Liz, regardless as to whether you us an airline website or one of the bucket shop websites, you should be able to cost up (and time) inbound & outbound flights very easily (so long as you are 52 weeks out or less from the return flight home)

 

Basically, go onto the website of your choice and click on 'multi destination flights' (or a link with similar wording to that).

 

That will open up windows of around 2-4 flight segments.

 

Put your departure airport, date & time in the first flight choice set of boxes.

Put you homeward departure point (ie nearest the port you get off the ship), date & time in the second flight choice set of boxes.

Hit search and the website will cough up a variety of options/airlines whatever and you can choose each segment, once chosen, it then gives you the total flight cost for the return trip.

 

Sounds complicated but it really isn't. If you are still unsure, post your dates & port/airport info and I will see what is availble for you on a variety of airlines.

[AnDeNo.UK]

We have done 5 Eastbound TA's. We always book our own flights. Spend some time in Florida before cruising home. The last one we did, we booked a return flight (threw away the return segment) because it was so much cheaper than a one way. :eek: Aer Lingus have quite a good price for one way flights. ;) Virgin is the way to go.......direct flights.

[C U Onboard]

Hi Liz,

We book two TA's (one in each direction) within a given year and that way are able to buy a return air ticket to cover both cruises. You can do this even if the cruises embark/disembark at different ports (last year we had outward Edinburgh to Miami and return Boston to Edinburgh).

If you are only need a ticket to cover one TA I believe that Icelandair and Aer Lingus offer good prices for one way travel but the routing may not be ideal. Next to that, your lowest price option will be to buy a return and keep the return portion as a souvenir :D

[Elizanessie]

Wow you are all so helpful...thank you so much :D

 

The thing that seems to be confusing me :o is...would I be able to buy a return ticket but use the first part of it from Fort Lauderdale...like could I do a Westbound say Oct 2012...and have the return part for 2013..if I did an Eastbound then say in April 2013.

 

Am I making sense :o

[Elaine0138]

Hi Elaine :)

 

When you booked them yourself...did you do an Eastbound TA and buy a return ticket for using another time?

 

I am looking at a Westbound TA...but going round in circles trying to work out how to do the flights...any help/advice you can give would be much appreciated.

 

See you have already had lots of ideas lol

 

Use travel search engine and see who has flights that you would like,I then shop around for the best airfares, we spend at least one night in the US just incase there are delays on disembarkation.

I always check out how much the cruisline are charging too and if they are cheaper I go for that

[Goldryder]

Wow you are all so helpful...thank you so much :D

 

The thing that seems to be confusing me :o is...would I be able to buy a return ticket but use the first part of it from Fort Lauderdale...like could I do a Westbound say Oct 2012...and have the return part for 2013..if I did an Eastbound then say in April 2013.

 

Am I making sense :o

 

You would need to get individual returns for each cruise Liz or two singles (one for each cruise if departing from the Med to US) or assuming its UK to US and then a few months later US to UK, espcially if you are coming back to the UK tween each cruise.

 

Obviously we can only go 52 weeks from departure, so an example fare, one way with BA from Miami to Heathrow comes in at $1270 in October this year.

 

As an example, a flight from Heathrow to Miami this spring with BA is £776 one way.

 

To get exact fares you will need to wait til at least December 2011 for October 2012 and at least and May 2012 for the fares for March 2013.

 

I would seriously doubt that an open return could be had...ie so you could use on way one year and the return portion the next year, you'll need to go for singles.

[Goldryder]

The good thing in regard to using a cruise line for longhaul air is that you will likely be one of several on board the flight, so since the cruise line get group rates on flights, they could well be cheaper on one way flights than if you go independently.

 

I am lucky with my cruise line as they give the cost of the flight(s) on the booking confirmation and so far even the longhaul returns have been a good 25% less than if I had booked independently.

 

The flights for my cruise in a couple days cost me £650...that is Manchester-Paris-Buenos Aires and Nice-Heathrow-Manchester. I tried to see if I could get cheaper independently using a variety of airline & bucket shop websites and the cruise air fares could not be beaten. I have had the same experience with my Singapore & Honk Kong cruises too, never more than £700 all in for the flight segments.

[Elaine0138]

My DIL buys open returns all the time it isn't difficult but they do tend to be more expensive and yes you can buy a return flight starting from FFL

[upwarduk]

We have paid £949 for Heathrow to LA

Over night in LA

LA to Honolulu

Overnight on board before sail away.

All transfers are Included, especially Ensenda to San Diego which costs 90 US dollars if booked separately.

San Diego to Heathrow.

I think we have done well, but so far have not been told whether we are flying BA or Virgin as the cruise is on 23rd March 2012.

If we had flown from Manchester we would have had 2 changes in USA, but my son lives in Surrey, so we may go there first.

[SadmanCruiser]

If you wait to book flights until 11 months before the second TA you should find good prices. I booked return flights Feb 2010 for two TA's.

Booked with Continental on their UK site. April 2010 from Heathrow to Miami for westbound and from San Juan to Heathrow (via Washington) in Dec 2010.

This year booked return ticket with BA for April 26th for the Eastbound and November 20th for the westbound - £420 return. I normally use Amex travel or Expedia - better prices than with airline direct.

 

A couple of years ago we booked Virgin Heathrow to Miami with a return from Newark, New Jersey. Picked this route as it was the cheapest ticket we could get. Used the outward to Miami for a TA and dumped the return. Still worked out cheaper than a single.

 

Pete & Carol

[Elizanessie]

My DIL buys open returns all the time it isn't difficult but they do tend to be more expensive and yes you can buy a return flight starting from FFL

 

Thank you Elaine ...phew now I feel better :D

 

Last time I did a Transatlantic it was booked through RCCL UK but now I book my cruises with a US TA so it is a bittie different this time.

[Elizanessie]

If you wait to book flights until 11 months before the second TA you should find good prices. I booked return flights Feb 2010 for two TA's.

Booked with Continental on their UK site. April 2010 from Heathrow to Miami for westbound and from San Juan to Heathrow (via Washington) in Dec 2010.

This year booked return ticket with BA for April 26th for the Eastbound and November 20th for the westbound - £420 return. I normally use Amex travel or Expedia - better prices than with airline direct.

 

A couple of years ago we booked Virgin Heathrow to Miami with a return from Newark, New Jersey. Picked this route as it was the cheapest ticket we could get. Used the outward to Miami for a TA and dumped the return. Still worked out cheaper than a single.

 

Pete & Carol

 

Thank you Pete & Carol...some good tips there. Would never have thought of the choosing cheapest way back/dump ticket idea.

 

I didn't realise we had so many experienced Transatlantic cruisers on here :D

 

Lots of great advice..thanks everyone :D

[nirmd01]

We only book cruises when flights are included in the price but then we are lucky in that we can travel at any time so get some great last minute bargains. We would never book a cruise months let alone years in advance- way too expensive.

[sunnyduny]

this year we have booked with the cruise line as we could not find a cheper flight plus hotel stay and transfers for less than £700 keep in mind we are flying from Scotland to Miami but coming back 8 day later;)

[insidecabin]

Flying back from the US there are a couple of good US web sites that will sell one ways at decent rates.

 

Going to the US is more expensive because of the taxes out of the UK.

 

Look for alternative routes via europe with seperate booking.

 

The do two TA cruises and get a return can work

 

Another option is to check the Cunard TAs to see if there is one that as good matcing dates the extra cost can make the cruise option relatively cheap if you have the time.

 

 

This next TA we are on(4april) we have taken cruise line flights, Azamara 13n package £750 which is a bargain.

[M&A]

We are doing an Eastbound TA, May 6th and we booked our return air through Royal Caribbeans Choice Air. We got the non-stop Gatwick to Tampa on BA for $650, we have previously booked our air separately but this time we couldn't find any one way fares from the UK to Florida under $900.