Airport Transfers and Custom Air

[AndanteConMoto]

Hey all,

 

When you book your airfare through RCCL you receive airport transfers as part of the package. But what if you use custom air to fly in several days beforehand, will you still receive an airport-pier transfer on the day of the cruise?

 

Here's the scenario: We're flying in to Venice several days early, our airfare is booked through RCCL. Our hotel is on the island and I don't want to try taking all our luggage over with us so I'm thinking of utilizing the Held Luggage facility at the airport. On the day of the cruise we'll head back to the airport, grab our luggage and take the RCCL transfer to the pier. My main concern is that since we used custom air to arrive several days early they might take our names off the transfer manifest.

 

My TA called Customer Service and they assured her that we can do this, but she isn't confident in their answer.

 

Has anyone done this before?

[Petert]

You can purchase airport transfers from RCI even though you have made your own air arrangements. We have even purchased the transfers at the airport, in Barcelona when the RCI transfer bus was about to leave, as we recovered our bags after our self booked flight.

 

Petert

[bbrad8]

AndanteConMoto: We have used custom air the past 2 years on the Serenade out of Vancouver (to Hawaii). Each time we have flown in a day early. In '04, we used an RCI hotel and received shuttle service airport to hotel and hotel to pier. In '05, we used our own hotel connection (even though it ended up being a hotel RCI used as well). We were told both before (like you have been) as well as in Vancouver (by the people actually on the ground) that if we wished to return to the airport, we could still use the RCI transfer from the airport to the pier the day of the cruise, but we could not use the hotel to the pier transfer service. No matter how early you arrive (so we were told), you are a part of the transfer list from the airport to the pier (we also received transfer coupons w/ our docs for this service) for that cruise.

 

While the above experience is not in Venice, believe the same rules would apply. That being the case, sounds like your plan would/should work.

 

Bruce

[AndanteConMoto]

Bruce,

 

Thanks much, this gives me some confidence.

 

You know, I completely forgot that the transfers coupons will be in the booklet (we usually buy our transfers after we receive our book), so that would be something tangible to show the RCCL rep when we show up.

 

Thanks again,

 

Lee