Booking air: Direct or through cruise lines?

[JPH814]

I thought this would be of interest to some other cruisers.

 

I always book my airfare directly. I want to be sure of airline, the day and the time and select my seats etc. I am very type A!). Plus, past research showed me the cost when booking through cruise lines was much more expensive than booking on your own.

 

I saw a promotion on Uniworld for $2000 per person credit on the cruise cost when booking business class air through Uniworld. I had already picked out my flights but not booked them. So I called Uniworld and asked how it would work.

 

The agent at Uniworld asked if I had an airline preference. I told her I did, and also the exact flight, date and times. She checked and the price she quoted for those flights was exactly the same as what I got if I booked directly. But - as a result of the promotion, our cruise fare was reduced $2000 per person. The only concession: you could not combine this promotion with a discount for paying in full at booking. Not a big deal to me.

 

So I did book my air with Uniworld when I booked the cruise. Bottom line, in essence - my wife and I are flying Business Class Philadelphia to Amsterdam for $700 per person.

 

So I would advise you to do your homework when considering how to book your airfare. Sometimes it is better on your own; sometimes it is better through the cruiseline.

[FlyerTalker]

Since you posted the exact same post in another forum, I'll post the exact same response:

 

As long as you are getting "published fare" tickets from the cruiseline (and that is a technical term in the airline industry that does NOT mean what you think), you likely will have tickets with significantly different fare rules than ones bought through the airline directly. Though you may find a price savings, know that you are not buying the same ticket. It's not apples to apples, but rather apples to oranges.

 

If price is your only consideration, go right ahead and act on that. But know the differences. If all goes well, you won't notice the difference. It's when you have irops or other issues when the differences rear the ugly head.

 

Caveat emptor.