last minute booking?

[Hlitner]

You will get a much better air fare if you book it using the line's cruise air connection.

 

Maybe yes, maybe no :). As an example, a few weeks ago we booked a HAL cruise that departs (and ends) next month out of Copenhagen. We were able to get a better airline deal on our own (just using Kayak) then we could have gotten through HAL. We always check the cruise line air offerings, and also do a comparison against several online search engines. Having taken dozens of European, Asian and down under cruises, there has only been 2 times when it made sense to use cruise air.

 

Hank

[iancal]

We have only found cruise line transatlantic air advantageous once. On a one way home from Barcelona. We have done multiple return flights and at least two one ways where cruise air was not price competitive.

We tried to get cruise air home, one way, from Australia. The offer was considerably higher than we could get on our own routing.

 

I don't think there is a rule of thumb. Very hit and miss since in many instances cruise air is essentially a consolidator type of ticket.

Edited June 15, 2016 by iancal

[cruising cockroach]

Now you are speaking my language...when it comes to last minute good deals. The best deals we have gotten, over the years, have all come through various high volume cruise agencies. Since we always book our cruises (about 100 days a year) with reputable cruise agencies, dealing with them comes natural.

 

Just wondering how one finds these? Would that cruise competitive site be a good place to find them?

[marco]

It maybe depends on the line, but for 6 TA's/European cruises, all on "X"..... their air was $200 to $460 less pp than anything I could find on my own. Note...I'm kinda' responding to what this thread has morphed into which is not what the OP was originally inquiring about.

Edited June 17, 2016 by marco