If cruise gets chartered and we have flights booked.....

[ladylemondrop]

We are looking at a cruise next April, on Reflection, and would be booking our flights separately from Celebrity, am just wondering before we go ahead, if they charter out this cruise, and we have already paid for flights, do they cover us for that (am guessing not) or is it a gamble I have to take? We have had two incidents before where we held a cruise and then they chartered it out, but they were not long haul flights and we hadn’t  booked the flights at that time.  

 

My back up plan will be to spend a few nights in Fort Lauderdale and drive up to Orlando so it wouldnt kill us but am curious! 

Thank you all. 

[WestLakeGirl]

For the Silhouette cruise they just cancelled they are offering to pay $300 pp change fees to alter airline tickets

[ladylemondrop]

Mmm ours would be non Flexible, the price for them to be changeable is nearly double. 

Good to know they try to help though, thanks for your reply! 

[Bo1953]

Also, check your travel insurance policy to determine how much they will cover as well, for backup.

 

bon voyage

[miched]

Book another cruise in the same time period as a back up.    If it isn’t canceled then you cancel the back up or both if the airline accommodates you.  

 

A cruise we had booked was canceled for a charter.  We weren’t affected by air arrangements as we driving to the port.  We booked a cruise on another cruise line and really enjoyed it.  Cancel some on X and booked a few more on the other cruise line.  Win some lose some.  It works both ways.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[ladylemondrop]

Thanks, we are in UK so if we book, and cancel, we lose the deposit. There are a couple of other celebrity cruises from FLL around the same dates, so we would possibly be able to transfer to one of those if it does happen. 

[chemmo]

5 hours ago, louise1809 said:

Thanks, we are in UK so if we book, and cancel, we lose the deposit. There are a couple of other celebrity cruises from FLL around the same dates, so we would possibly be able to transfer to one of those if it does happen. 

 

We find the best prices for flights from the U.K. are at about 5/6 months out and if a ship is to be chartered it tends to be at about 10+ months out...

 

I am sure many regulars will offer examples that prove me wrong but from the U.K. flight perspective this is our experience.

 

In addition to alternative cruises from Fort Lauderdale both Port of Miami and Port Canaveral  are an easy drive and could offer additional cruise options. Also in addition to Orlando attractions the Keys, Tampa area and the Gulf Coast are all holiday destinations in their own right.

 

When we Cruise from Florida we tend to attach a land based holiday to it and are yet to run out of things to do...

 

Strongly suggest you fly in a few days early and really research prices. If you are flying via a local airport it can be cheaper to book via Amsterdam or Dublin than Heathrow. 

[villauk]

59 minutes ago, chemmo said:

. If you are flying via a local airport it can be cheaper to book via Amsterdam or Dublin than Heathrow. 

 

 

Shh 🙊 🤭. Don’t tell everyone as the prices will increase .

[hcat]

We now stick closer to home for cruising..E and W Coast US departures

We  try to fly SW Airline...if possible,  easiest  to change or cancel (and  bank a  credit)  you never know!

 

Tougher with intl flights, for sure.

[zanderblue]

There is one way to minimise exposure to expensive flight charges for changes.

Book flights with BA as a “BA Holiday”. Effectively this means booking flights with hotel or car hire.

Not only will this offer a discounted airfare it also means that you only pay a deposit on booking and not the whole air fare. Balance is then paid 5 weeks before departure. Deposit is usually around £200-£300, this is in total, not per person.

There will be a charge for changing these flights, but if it is too expensive, you can always cancel and rebook. You’ll lose the deposit, but much better that than having paid for flights in full up front.

 

Edited May 19, 2019 by zanderblue

[ladylemondrop]

Thanks all, some fantastic advice here, our plan is actually to use BA flight and hotel package, so that sounds like a good plan! We also would be happy to keep the flights, and take one of the other celebrity cruises, equinox or edge around same date, so am going to go ahead and get this booked! Looking forward to another fabulous cruise! 

[fragilek]

To add to this we use a USA TA so we can cancel the cruise without penalty (well $25) we have to do this I am am 6 months in remission from leukemia and don't really know what round the corner (but do any of us ).  Claiming on insurance is not an option as my excess is £600 each and I would probably become un-insurable if I ever claim (as I also have MS lucky white heather anyone lol).  But booking a back up via the usa TA might be a good plan.

[ladylemondrop]

9 hours ago, fragilek said:

To add to this we use a USA TA so we can cancel the cruise without penalty (well $25) we have to do this I am am 6 months in remission from leukemia and don't really know what round the corner (but do any of us ).  Claiming on insurance is not an option as my excess is £600 each and I would probably become un-insurable if I ever claim (as I also have MS lucky white heather anyone lol).  But booking a back up via the usa TA might be a good plan.

 

Thank you for the tip, and I am sorry about your health, glad to hear you are still cruising regardless! 

[Mike981]

16 hours ago, fragilek said:

To add to this we use a USA TA so we can cancel the cruise without penalty (well $25) we have to do this I am am 6 months in remission from leukemia and don't really know what round the corner (but do any of us ).  Claiming on insurance is not an option as my excess is £600 each and I would probably become un-insurable if I ever claim (as I also have MS lucky white heather anyone lol).  But booking a back up via the usa TA might be a good plan.

 

Only the best thoughts for you.

[keithm]

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 7:19 AM, louise1809 said:

We are looking at a cruise next April, on Reflection, and would be booking our flights separately from Celebrity, am just wondering before we go ahead, if they charter out this cruise, and we have already paid for flights, do they cover us for that (am guessing not) or is it a gamble I have to take? We have had two incidents before where we held a cruise and then they chartered it out, but they were not long haul flights and we hadn’t  booked the flights at that time.  

 

My back up plan will be to spend a few nights in Fort Lauderdale and drive up to Orlando so it wouldnt kill us but am curious! 

Thank you all. 

If you have a decent insurance plan, it should cover that.

[wrk2cruise]

29 minutes ago, keithm said:

If you have a decent insurance plan, it should cover that.

 

At least in the US it would require a cancel any reason policy.  Even then the one I used only paid 75%.

 

Here's an excerpt of the coverage details from the Chase Sapphire Reserve cancellation insurance I currently use:

 

What’s Not Covered

This is not an exhaustive list. Examples include:

• Travel arrangements canceled or changed by a common carrier, tour operator, or any travel agency unless the cancellation is the result of severe weather or an organized strike affecting public transportation