Help! Awful flight times

[aasmama]

Really hoping someone can advise me - first time cruiser. Booked a fly-cruise but flight times were not available when I booked. When I got them they were awful! We arrive back in port at 5am and disembark by 9 am, but our flight home is not until 10.30pm! The company are refusing to change them unless I fork out another £500 or have said I can cancel the flights which will cost me £200, neither of which I am prepared to do. They also keep trying to get me to book an excursion on that day before we fly to kill time. I am disabled and will have small children with me, we will all just want to go home! Am I being fleeced? I have no idea how these things work but expecting us to hang around an airport for 13 hours seems unreasonable. Can anyone advise? :-(

[CruiserBruce]

Without specific...airline, airports, etc, it is very hard to help you.

 

You probably booked the flight package as it was the cheapest way to go. However, the cheapest is rarely the best routing or most convenient timing. That is why those fares were cheaper!

 

The cruise line may offer excursions that you can do, and that will drop you at the airport later in the day.

Edited October 18, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[Cruise Junky]

which port? If you don't want to do an excursion then maybe a day room is a possibility

[aasmama]

The port is Barcelona and the flight is a BA one to Gatwick. I just wanted to make the whole process as easy as possible, hence letting them organise the flights. I know there is a much earlier one, I don't understand why they won't put us on it. And I don't want to do an excursion, they aren't that easy for me as I am wheelchair-bound. I just want to get home at the end of a holiday!

[GeezerCouple]

Sorry this won't help now, but for future reference, this is why many of us always make our own travel arrangements rather than getting it included with the cruise.

Then *we* get to decide from the start what days and times we fly to the cruise and then home again.

(And if something goes wrong, WE are in control of the travel arrangements, and can adjust directly with airline, rather than waiting for some third party, who may not even respond promptly.)

 

We also ALWAYS fly in at least a day early, in case of delays.

There are often things to see in that location, or we just rest and get an early start to "vacation relaxation".

 

The suggestions to get a day room locally or to go on a full day tour of the area are both good.

 

You might also want to look at other subforums, such as "Cruise Air", and browse to learn from others' experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

 

Good luck.

Edited October 18, 2016 by GeezerCouple

[LHT28]

Check what it would cost to do the early flights if you book your own?

Then see if it is worth cancelling the flights with the cruise line or TA whoever booked them

 

Otherwise check for a day room near the airport & rest until time to check in for your flight

Edited October 18, 2016 by LHT28

[paul929207]

I notice that so far all your responses are from people on this side of the pond. As mentioned above the fly/cruise packages are not used much over here. Do you have friends that use these packages If so, they may be able to help you with suggestions. I am sure the flight selection was made with only one factor in mind and that is cost.

 

Good Luck.

[Cruise Junky]

I notice that so far all your responses are from people on this side of the pond. As mentioned above the fly/cruise packages are not used much over here. Do you have friends that use these packages If so, they may be able to help you with suggestions. I am sure the flight selection was made with only one factor in mind and that is cost.

 

Good Luck.

 

Exactly. Whole different ball game booking from the UK

[Elaine5715]

The port is Barcelona and the flight is a BA one to Gatwick. I just wanted to make the whole process as easy as possible, hence letting them organise the flights. I know there is a much earlier one, I don't understand why they won't put us on it. And I don't want to do an excursion, they aren't that easy for me as I am wheelchair-bound. I just want to get home at the end of a holiday!

 

They won't put you on it because the cruise line buys the cheapest seats and that's on the less desirable fight times.

[candycaramel]

It's 500 to change to the earlier flight time. Its more convenient, you'll wont' have to wait around with children at the airport. Just pay the price requested and enjoy the cruise without worrying about the flight home any longer. :)

[klfrodo]

The port is Barcelona and the flight is a BA one to Gatwick. I just wanted to make the whole process as easy as possible, hence letting them organise the flights. I know there is a much earlier one, I don't understand why they won't put us on it. And I don't want to do an excursion, they aren't that easy for me as I am wheelchair-bound. I just want to get home at the end of a holiday!

 

unfortunately, you got exactly what you paid for and whomever you booked thru didn't communicate very well or just treated you poorly.

 

Here in the States, most companies that sell the full package offer for an additional fee the option to pick your flight times. However, these flights will be more expensive.

 

Then again, if you told them you wanted the cheapest,,, you got what you paid for.

[mjkacmom]

The reason why they don't put you on the more convenient flight is that it's more expensive. I'd only book air through the cruise line if it were significantly less expensive, because they are going to put you on the cheapest flight.

[Hlitner]

When you book a fly-cruise package without knowing the air arrangements you are simply rolling the dice on flight schedules. At least they are not giving you a flight with 4 stopovers :). So if the packager will not change your flights (for a reasonable fee) you might consider making the best of the situation. We would probably just take a taxi to the train station and put our luggage in the storage facility (this will cost you a few Euros). You can then enjoy a nice full day in Barcelona and do your own thing. Then later in the day you simply retrieve your luggage and take your own transportation (taxi, bus, or train) out to BCN to check-in for your flight home. This would likely be a lot less money then paying for an all day excursion....and you would be free to do as you please.

 

Hank

[EGG]

Because of the late time I would rule out the excursion. These usually get to the airport midafternoon. You would still have a marathon wait at the airport.

 

I would go with a room at a hotel with a pool that the kids can enjoy. When we were in Barcelona the hotel rooms were very reasonable. Or maybe a hotel near a sight that you would like to see and that can accommodate your disability.

 

Good luck. On one of our first cruises we heard someone complaining that they had a 7 pm flight and because that comes with transfer to the airport, an early transfer. Someone else from the east coast of the US complained about a flight to Chicago and then 3 hours back to their home airport after a long layover. Enough said. You are not alone.

 

If you ask, people on this site will help you with questions.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

[Essiesmom]

If you go to the forum here for the cruise line you booked with you may get some suggestions from others who use that line. EM

[BlueRiband]

The OP said that she is a full time wheelchair user AND traveling with young children. Hopping into a taxi to kill time sightseeing isn't going to work in this situation. (That, and who knows what the taxi accessibility situation is in Barcelona.)

 

assmama, I hear you when you say that you don't want to pay extra, tour, and just want to get home. However you are getting what you paid for and you cannot get a better flight without paying more. A cruise line will pick the cheapest, not most convenient, air schedule to get passengers back home. In this case the only two options seem to be paying the cost difference to change flights or cancel them and book air on her own. This is a big cost difference and has to be weighed against the hassle factor of waiting 13 hours.

[babs135]

I can only speak from the one time this happened to us. We were due to disembark the NCL Spirit in Barcelona with a late flight home. Our Ta suggested staying overnight and taking a more reasonably timed flight the following day. They found us a reasonably priced hotel (full of other Brits in the same situation) and we had a lovely time exploring Barcelona. Seem to remember it didn't break the bank pricewise either.

 

Could you do something like this?

[Flatbush Flyer]

Sorry this won't help now, but for future reference, this is why many of us always make our own travel arrangements rather than getting it included with the cruise.

Then *we* get to decide from the start what days and times we fly to the cruise and then home again.

(And if something goes wrong, WE are in control of the travel arrangements, and can adjust directly with airline, rather than waiting for some third party, who may not even respond promptly.)

 

We also ALWAYS fly in at least a day early, in case of delays.

There are often things to see in that location, or we just rest and get an early start to "vacation relaxation".

 

The suggestions to get a day room locally or to go on a full day tour of the area are both good.

 

You might also want to look at other subforums, such as "Cruise Air", and browse to learn from others' experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

 

Good luck.

 

 

Agreed except that two days prior port arrival is better than one given potential air issues and dwindling number of available seats on the "next flight out."

[candycaramel]

A few years ago, my hubby and I flew to Puerto Rico the day before a cruise, the flight arrived at 6 a.m. from the West Coast. Hotel check in wasn't until 3 or 4 in the afternoon.

 

Thank goodness, I had made reservations for the day before and the room was waiting when we arrived early the next morning. I had to pay for it but otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get into a room.

 

Sometimes you just have to come up with the money to take care of yourself.

 

I hope you can make the flight change happen by coming up with the 500.

Edited October 18, 2016 by candycaramel

[Cruise Junky]

If I were in your shoes I'd work on getting a hotel room for the day

[John Bull]

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

As others have posted, cruise lines will book you on flights that suit them rather than you. That's because they use their "preferred air partner" (translation - their "pet airline") which gives them bulk-buy loyalty discounts.

It often doesn't just mean inconvenient times, also as Hank mentioned it often means indirect routing even though other airlines offer direct flights.

For instance we booked a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Istanbul & booked our own direct flights Heathrow to Istanbul, arriving late morning. Those who'd booked "cruise air" with Royal Caribbean flew via a long stop-over in Amsterdam airport & arrived about 7 hours later, tired & bored.

 

Paul mentioned that that "fly-cruise" isn't seen often in the USA.

That's all about phraseology, what you booked was what Americans call "Cruise Air" or similar - flights on regular scheduled aircraft, and that's even more common than in the UK..

I think of "fly-cruise" as the cruise line chartering aircraft, as done by P&O , Thomson & occasionally other UK-orientated cruise lines. All passengers on the aircraft are their customers, they offer flights from regional airports & for your return flight you have the run of the ship (except your cabin) until your flight is called - that aircraft is bringing the passengers for the next cruise. A routine that works brilliantly, very convenient, seamless and civilised.

And I'll wager that your cruise wasn't P&O or Thomson.

Can't be replicated by US or Italian cruise lines because their passengers come from a wide geographical area, but if you want to quote the name of your cruise line go ahead - they all get slated on here from time to time :D

 

So that's the reason - which of course doesn't really help.:rolleyes:

 

But can I suggest you search (or ask if you don't know how to search on Cruise Critic) on the Spain forum

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=596

to find out where in Barcelona you can store your luggage for the day. There's probably a left-luggage facility in the city centre, and that'd be cheaper than a "day room" at a hotel. Then you can explore Barcelona much the same as your ports-of-call. And there are far worse places than Barcelona to have to while away a day :)

Ship's excursions which end at the airport can be an excellent solution, but Murphy's law says that either the excursion arrives too late for the flight, or in your case, as EGG mentioned, probably hours too soon.

 

If you can't find a worthwhile and inexpensive answer, I fear you'll just have to put that flight time down as part of the learning curve.

 

And a couple of points to help with that learning curve..........

- you register your credit card when you board, & sign for all shipboard purchases (including ship's excursions, ship's shop, drinks etc) & they go on your on-board account to be settled by your card at the end of the cruise. Then assuming ship's currency isn't sterling you'll be asked at some point on your cruise, on a form, if you'd like the cruise line to convert the cost from ship's currency (US dollars or euros) to sterling "for your convenience". DECLINE that kind offer - the exchange rates offered by all ships is awful. Instead allow your card to be charged in the currency billed, and your card supplier will convert to sterling at a very very much better exchange rate.

- by the same token don't use any ship's exchange facility to get your euros for spending ashore - and they're even worse exchange rates on US ships cos they convert your pounds to dollars then to euros. Instead get your euros before you go at the best rate you can find amongst the usual suspects - M&S, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Post Office, etc , or use your debit card at ATMs (cash machines) in the ports.

- even if it's an American ship you won't need cash dollars because your on-board spend goes on your on-board account.

- use your credit card for larger purchases ashore, the rate given by your card supplier is better than any exchange bureau will give. But use cash for smaller purchases, the cards have minimum conversion fees. Again, don't let the seller convert to sterling - they can be just as big a conversion rip-off as the ships.

- and don't forget to tell your card suppliers about your cruise, otherwise transactions abroad may be blocked by their ant-fraud measures.

 

Don't let the flight situation spoil what I'm sure will be a great cruise :)

 

JB :)

Edited October 18, 2016 by John Bull

[NMLady]

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

...

But can I suggest you search (or ask if you don't know how to search on Cruise Critic) on the Spain forum

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=596

to find out where in Barcelona you can store your luggage for the day. There's probably a left-luggage facility in the city centre, and that'd be cheaper than a "day room" at a hotel. Then you can explore Barcelona much the same as your ports-of-call. And there are far worse places than Barcelona to have to while away a day :) ...

 

OP is in a wheelchair (see post 4). Barcelona is not easy to get around in a wheelchair.

OP has accompanying "small children". That might also be a difficulty.

Edited October 18, 2016 by NMLady

[John Bull]

OP is in a wheelchair (see post 4). Barcelona is not easy to get around in a wheelchair.

OP has accompanying "small children". That might also be a difficulty.

 

Hi,

 

Yes, I'd noticed that.;)

 

But they'd surely have planned to do something suitable for their limitations at their ports-of-call and - sans luggage - could do the same in Barca.

Hence my comment " ...much the same as your ports-of-call"

 

And let's face it, by travelling to the embarkation port on sailing-day, and straight to the airport on disembarkation, folk actually see one port (or even two) less than on the itinerary.

 

JB :)

[NMLady]

Hi,

 

Yes, I'd noticed that.;)

 

But they'd surely have planned to do something suitable for their limitations at their ports-of-call and - sans luggage - could do the same in Barca.

Hence my comment " ...much the same as your ports-of-call". ...

JB :)

 

Some ports have wheelchair accessible tours, some ports are close and have pavements that are wheelchair friendly. Some ports folks might stay aboard. But in any case the ship can be re-boarded after a short circuit of port or after a few hours on an excursion. Very different from a long day/evening in Barcelona where the street intersections have curbs, where bathrooms are not easily found, especially wheelchair accessible. That's why I didn't think the "much the same as your ports of call" was necessarily valid.

Edited October 18, 2016 by NMLady

[John Bull]

Some ports have wheelchair accessible tours, some ports are close and have pavements that are wheelchair friendly. Some ports folks might stay aboard. But in any case the ship can be re-boarded after a short circuit of port or after a few hours on an excursion. Very different from a long day/evening in Barcelona where the street intersections have curbs, where bathrooms are not easily found, especially wheelchair accessible. That's why I didn't think the "much the same as your ports of call" was necessarily valid.

 

Huh? :confused:

When were you last in Barcelona?

It's one of the most progressive Mediterranean cities for those who are chair-bound. In the port & the city centre areas at least, the pavements (sidewalks) are wide and smooth and the street crossings all have dropped kerbs. This includes the five-minute walk from the port shuttle to the city's favourite street for promenading & people-watching, the café-lined Las Ramblas. Much more relaxing to sit there for a few hours behind a cool beer at an outside table watching the world go by, than in a soulless airport. All the city's buses, including those port shuttles and the ho-ho buses, are wheelchair-accessible. Ditto virtually every metro station (Placa Espanya is the notable exception), and most museums. And I have no doubt that there's a selection of tours which are wheelchair accessible.

 

I can't think of any port on a Med cruise that's more wheelchair-friendly than Barca, but there's plenty that are far far less suitable. Rome, Venice, Istanbul, Villefranche, Monaco, Athens, Santorini, Mykanos are some that immediately spring to mind (not a criticism of those places - their history or geography creates limitations).

 

True, there's no compulsion to go ashore or stay ashore in ports-of-call, whereas in Barca the OP has to clear the ship around 9am and has no need to be at the airport until around 7.30pm.

If the OP's limitations mean they will spend little or no time in ports-of-call, I have no answer to that. But neither of us knows those limitations or what they plan for their ports. Even if my suggestions for Barca don't suit those limitations, they might at least get the OP researching the city's possibilities.

I just don't see any point in your criticising my positive attitude, especially since you're clearly not as au-fait or up-to-date with Barcelona as I. :(

 

JB :)