NCL Air and Jet Blue - a nightmare in the sky

[CrazyTrain2]

In a moment of weakness I booked through NCL Air back about 2 years ago.  My mistake.  I did however request a deviation to arrive a day earlier and book a hotel in NYC for the day.  NCL booked us on the overnight flight 2 days before the cruise and for further insult on JetBlue (The worst baggage policy in the air).  Jet blue only lets you take the equivalent of a fanny pack with you without incurring mysterious additional charges. 

 

So now I get to land at JFK at 5:30am with the family full of overpriced bags unable to check into the hotel until 4pm.  

 

I'd almost rather be a pier runner throwing the bags onto the ship as it embarks.

 

To complicate things more, our return is on United with a completely different baggage policy.

 

We are going to need a super computer to figure out the best way through this without incurring more charges than if we booked ourselves.

 

My advice - Book your own flights through a travel agent.

 

Any thoughts on how to get through the Jet Blue experience?

[G-DawgMN]

6 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

In a moment of weakness I booked through NCL Air back about 2 years ago.  My mistake.  I did however request a deviation to arrive a day earlier and book a hotel in NYC for the day.  NCL booked us on the overnight flight 2 days before the cruise and for further insult on JetBlue (The worst baggage policy in the air).  Jet blue only lets you take the equivalent of a fanny pack with you without incurring mysterious additional charges. 

 

So now I get to land at JFK at 5:30am with the family full of overpriced bags unable to check into the hotel until 4pm.  

 

I'd almost rather be a pier runner throwing the bags onto the ship as it embarks.

 

To complicate things more, our return is on United with a completely different baggage policy.

 

We are going to need a super computer to figure out the best way through this without incurring more charges than if we booked ourselves.

 

My advice - Book your own flights through a travel agent.

 

Any thoughts on how to get through the Jet Blue experience?

 

 

 Most decent hotels have a bag check at the bell desk. You can also request to check-in early if the room is available. 

  I'd personally be thrilled to get essentially a free full day in NYC to explore.

 

  All airlines (except SW), have some sort of bag fees so this shouldn't be a surprise. Hopefully you saved enough on airfare to offset those charges.

 

 

[PATRLR]

If you really want a room when you arrive at 5:30, you can book the night before and ask that the room be held for your early morning arrival.  

[mjkacmom]

We usually book United basic economy, just a backpack without a charge. As for your hotel, if you arrive any time before checkin you can just check your bags with them, so drop them off and enjoy your day.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

So now I get to land at JFK at 5:30am with the family full of overpriced bags unable to check into the hotel until 4pm.

Yikes!!  I think some of the folks recommending that you "enjoy the day in NYC" missed the part about you being on a (literal) overnight flight.  Most would just be looking for a bed at that point.

[saltsandknit]

If you are flying cross country it will usually be a red eye flight even if flying a day before. Baggage fees are the norm these days we always plan the fee as part of the vacation. 

[dandelpino]

1 hour ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

NCL booked us on the overnight flight 2 days before the cruise

 

That's a feature, not a bug. NCL is upfront about it:

 

• If flying from the West Coast to the East Coast of the U.S., we reserve an overnight flight (Link)

 

Without a deviation they would have booked you on an overnight flight leaving the night before embarkation and arriving early on the day of embarkation. Your deviation request simply pushed that back by one day. Hence why your departure was 2 days before embarkation. That this happened is not unexpected, this is how NCL air operates.

 

NCL did exactly what they promised so I'm not sure why you're surprised with the outcome.

Edited September 8, 2022 by dandelpino

[weltek]

I'm just over here making an "eew" face at your situation. Good luck. I've never flown Jet Blue, so can't offer advice on that. 

But as for the very early arrival, I'd try to get at least a tiny bit of sleep on the plane, check my bags at the hotel front desk, and have something vigorous and cool (but not requiring much mental energy, like navigating public transportation or solving puzzles) planned for the morning in NY that gets us all through the morning sleepies. I'd beg the hotel to text me the moment a room was ready and collapse at that point.  Alternatively, if it's a lovely fall day, I'd grab some killer bagel sandwiches for a breakfast picnic and take turns napping in a park (bring a blanket!). 🙂

 

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

for further insult on JetBlue (The worst baggage policy in the air).  Jet blue only lets you take the equivalent of a fanny pack with you without incurring mysterious additional charges. 

I've flown Jet Blue a fair number of times, along with most of the other low cost carriers.  They all have similar baggage policies, in my experience.   Even the legacy carriers (e.g. United) has their no frills fares (e.g. United Basic Economy) with similar baggage policies.  My suggestion is just read up on what their policy is and pack accordingly.  Often times it's cheaper (and easier) to pay for your bags before you get to the airport.

Jet Blue is superior to many of the low cost carriers in my opinion because the planes are generally newer and Jet Blue offers free Direct TV at all seats.  

[Karaboudjan]

2 hours ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

In a moment of weakness I booked through NCL Air back about 2 years ago.  My mistake.  I did however request a deviation to arrive a day earlier and book a hotel in NYC for the day.  NCL booked us on the overnight flight 2 days before the cruise and for further insult on JetBlue (The worst baggage policy in the air).  Jet blue only lets you take the equivalent of a fanny pack with you without incurring mysterious additional charges. 

 

So now I get to land at JFK at 5:30am with the family full of overpriced bags unable to check into the hotel until 4pm.  

 

I'd almost rather be a pier runner throwing the bags onto the ship as it embarks.

 

To complicate things more, our return is on United with a completely different baggage policy.

 

We are going to need a super computer to figure out the best way through this without incurring more charges than if we booked ourselves.

 

My advice - Book your own flights through a travel agent.

 

Any thoughts on how to get through the Jet Blue experience?

 

Out of curiosity have you priced your same itinerary on jetblue.com?  I suspect you might have saved more than enough to cover those 'mysterious additional charges.'  Also, as noted before their baggage policies and fees are quite clear, so maybe the mystery is what fare class you are booked in, and the fees are to upgrade to a class that includes a carry-on guarantee.

[The Shrike]

We've flown on JetBlue once before and had no problems at all.  But because we hadn't travelled much for 1.5 years due to Schmovid, our vacation fund was flush so we went business class.

It's just two of us, so we never use NCL's air.  We'd much rather have control over booking our flights.

[Crazy planning mom]

4 hours ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

In a moment of weakness I booked through NCL Air back about 2 years ago.  My mistake.  I did however request a deviation to arrive a day earlier and book a hotel in NYC for the day.  NCL booked us on the overnight flight 2 days before the cruise and for further insult on JetBlue (The worst baggage policy in the air).  Jet blue only lets you take the equivalent of a fanny pack with you without incurring mysterious additional charges. 

 

So now I get to land at JFK at 5:30am with the family full of overpriced bags unable to check into the hotel until 4pm.  

 

I'd almost rather be a pier runner throwing the bags onto the ship as it embarks.

 

To complicate things more, our return is on United with a completely different baggage policy.

 

We are going to need a super computer to figure out the best way through this without incurring more charges than if we booked ourselves.

 

My advice - Book your own flights through a travel agent.

 

Any thoughts on how to get through the Jet Blue experience?

The Hotel will let you drop off your bags so you arent schlepping them around the City.  You may be able to check in before 4pm.  Then, have a nice breakfast At Friedman's.

[jimsig]

If you don't want to book an additional night as a PP suggested the you should call the hotel location directly (not the corporate 800 number) the day before you arrive.  Let them know you are on a red eye flight and are looking to check your bags when you arrive and if it will be a problem.  It shouldn't not be but by asking (nicely of course) they are aware of you .  You can then say you would appreciate it if a room opens early you would appreciate if they could let you know as you would like an early check in or if there is any chance a room is available when you arrive if you could have it and could they note that on your reservation.  The when you arrive in the AM ask them if they were able to honor your request.   

[trbarton]

On 9/8/2022 at 7:39 AM, CrazyTrain2 said:

In a moment of weakness I booked through NCL Air back about 2 years ago.  My mistake.  I did however request a deviation to arrive a day earlier and book a hotel in NYC for the day.  NCL booked us on the overnight flight 2 days before the cruise and for further insult on JetBlue (The worst baggage policy in the air).  Jet blue only lets you take the equivalent of a fanny pack with you without incurring mysterious additional charges. 

 

So now I get to land at JFK at 5:30am with the family full of overpriced bags unable to check into the hotel until 4pm.  

 

I'd almost rather be a pier runner throwing the bags onto the ship as it embarks.

 

To complicate things more, our return is on United with a completely different baggage policy.

 

We are going to need a super computer to figure out the best way through this without incurring more charges than if we booked ourselves.

 

My advice - Book your own flights through a travel agent.

 

Any thoughts on how to get through the Jet Blue experience?

When I looked at the options with NCL for airfare & realized that I wouldn’t know which airline or flight times that was a big NO for me as I’ve never had flights that I didn’t know about in advance. I also wanted to arrive 3 days early so that I would have 2 full days in New York & my agent explained to me if I did that through NCL I would have to use their hotel at $1,000 another big NO for me. I’m booking my own flights myself.

 

Some airlines like United, if you have a cc with them, waive any baggage fees. 
 

Tom😀

 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by trbarton

[crazycatlady82]

6 hours ago, trbarton said:

When I looked at the options with NCL for airfare & realized that I wouldn’t know which airline or flight times that was a big NO for me as I’ve never had flights that I didn’t know about in advance. I also wanted to arrive 3 days early so that I would have 2 full days in New York & my agent explained to me if I did that through NCL I would have to use their hotel at $1,000 another big NO for me. I’m booking my own flights myself.

 

Some airlines like United, if you have a cc with them, waive any baggage fees. 
 

Tom😀

 

 

Weird, when I called to ask to fly in a day early to San Juan, they didn't make me book with their hotel. They asked me if I wanted to book their hotel and I said no, I'd book my own. 

[MJSailors]

I concur with others regarding the hotel situation. Most likely,you will be able to stow your bags through the front desk of the hotel. Calling the hotel directly about an early arrival or booking the hotel for the day before arrival to guarantee a room are good ideas.

What NYC hotel has been booked? You may be able to get a late breakfast at the hotel or a nearby restaurant. Hoping you have a mid town location 

or ,at least, near the pier that accommodates NCL ships.

As for time of your arrival at the hotel-

Consider this- the plane is due to land at a gate at JFK at 5:30 am. By the time you get off the plane,get to the baggage area and retrieve your bags and leave the terminal for ground transportation could take about an hour. You will need to get a  cab,Uber or Lyft to get to your hotel. The commute time from JFK to a hotel in NYC could take at least a half hour,maybe more depending on the day of the week and the time you get on the road. You ,most likely, will arrive at the hotel around 8am or ,perhaps,a bit later.

I think this flight time should work out for you. Give it some thought and preplanning so you will be comfortable.

MJ🙋🏻

 

[trbarton]

5 hours ago, crazycatlady82 said:

Weird, when I called to ask to fly in a day early to San Juan, they didn't make me book with their hotel. They asked me if I wanted to book their hotel and I said no, I'd book my own. 

I wanted to arrive 3 days earlier, since I’m flying from the West Coast, & that’s why I would of had to agree to their hotel. 2 days earlier no problem. Plus NO red eye flight for me.  I have an hotel in New York Times Square for much less than their hotel price. 
 

Tom😀

[cruisequeen4ever]

Choose a hotel that will hold your luggage and allow an early check in if a room is available without charging you extra. Many times, we have been given our room around 1:00 PM. Until then, you can either nap in the lobby or have a lot of fun exploring the city! Yes, you’ll be tired, but if you’re like us, you’ll also be super excited to explore, and adrenaline will see you through. Many a time we have spent 24 hours flying to Europe and hit the ground running because we didn’t want to waste time sleeping when we arrived. Hope it all works out! 

[Tudlum]

I asked to fly in day before to San Juan for my March 2023 cruise and they did not have me book their hotel, Actually the agent was very nice and told me to book on my own. the hotel in San Juan was very pricey.

[cruiseny4life]

On 9/10/2022 at 9:39 AM, MJSailors said:

You will need to get a  cab,Uber or Lyft to get to your hotel. The commute time from JFK to a hotel in NYC could take at least a half hour,maybe more depending on the day of the week and the time you get on the road.

First, my dear CrazyTrain, I'm sorry for your predicament! I know others have said you should have expected this, but you booked 1) two years ago, 2) I presume you haven't used NCL Air before, 3) the travel world sucks right now. I'll give you grace in dealing with this. Hopefully you're able to make some plans to ensure your vacation starts off to a great start, despite the airline setback.

 

I know I'm being technical, and I'm not proud about it, but JFK is in NYC. I think you mean get to a hotel in Manhattan as I'd assume (though you know what that makes you and me) the OP is planning to stay somewhat close to 12th Ave. & 50th. 

 

Also, the half hour in a car is more like 1.5 hours. You'll be tired and cranky, so may not want to, but I'd encourage you to take the AirTrain to Jamaica, and on to Penn Station where you should be able to walk to your hotel...well maybe not, if you're taking a lot of bags. It'll take about the same time as a car, plus you'll be able to settle into the NY rhythm. 

 

Regardless of what you do, get a bagel made with some delightful NYC water, a schmear, and enjoy! 

 

 

[JennKach]

We had a similar situation but it was raining so we didn't want to wander around the city for hours. We first checked our bags at the hotel, had a leisurely breakfast, then coffee at Dunkin Donuts where we had free wifi and people watching.  Then went to a movie when they opened at 10:00.  The movie was so good none of us fell asleep lol, but at least is was a comfortable place to chill out and waste a couple hours.  As any NYC traveler knows, it's hard to find restrooms as you move about so the theater was nice for that too.   By the time we got back to the hotel they had a room ready for us.

[MJSailors]

@cruiseny4life I was born and raised in Forest Hills,Queens,NY.As a newlywed, I moved to Long Island over thirty-eight years ago. We still continued to make trips into theCity until Covid  put a halt to most of our travel.

Living  in one of the boroughs, we would not refer to Manhattan,it was always “the City”. For example, we would say, I”I am going into the City to see a show,or to shop,or to meet someone for dinner.”.We would never say “I am going into Manhattan.”. Being from Upstate NY, you may not be so familiar with that colloquial nomenclature. Therefore, I do not think that JFK is in NYC. To me, JFK is in Queens- an outer borough. Just to be technical regarding my context.

   It may be confusing to someone coming into NYC to say that JFK is in NYC. They might get the impression that JFK is very close to Manhattan hotels and the cruise terminal. In actual mileage, it is not a long distance, but in travel time,it can very well take over an hour to get from JFK to a Manhattan hotel. As I wrote in my previous post,travel time depends on the day of the week and the time of day.

   To suggest to @CrazyTrain2 to take the Air Train from the airport to Jamaica and then take the LIRR into Penn Station may not have been the best advice. Consider this- it seems that he/she is taking a family vacation. Dealing with moving people- perhaps children- and luggage on public transportation can be daunting.I do not know when the last time you visited the City, but it has become a challenging place to navigate. Recently, I was speaking with a friend who is a jeweler. She often goes into the City on business. She said Penn Station is intimidating to move through as it is populated with so many homeless people.She is also a Queens native and finds it difficult to be in the City lately. 

If that is the feeling of a native of NYC, then it would be truly difficult for a visitor.

   I do hope that the OP can find a reasonable solution to the scheduling of his/her trip to NYC for the cruise vacation. I hope his/her time in the City is both pleasant and safe.

    The City has so much to offer. It is a pity that it has deteriorated to such a state where citizens and visitors alike must be on guard and aware of all that is around them.

MJ🙋🏻

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

6 hours ago, MJSailors said:

@cruiseny4life I was born and raised in Forest Hills,Queens,NY.As a newlywed, I moved to Long Island over thirty-eight years ago. We still continued to make trips into theCity until Covid  put a halt to most of our travel.

Living  in one of the boroughs, we would not refer to Manhattan,it was always “the City”. For example, we would say, I”I am going into the City to see a show,or to shop,or to meet someone for dinner.”.We would never say “I am going into Manhattan.”. Being from Upstate NY, you may not be so familiar with that colloquial nomenclature. Therefore, I do not think that JFK is in NYC. To me, JFK is in Queens- an outer borough. Just to be technical regarding my context.

   It may be confusing to someone coming into NYC to say that JFK is in NYC. They might get the impression that JFK is very close to Manhattan hotels and the cruise terminal. In actual mileage, it is not a long distance, but in travel time,it can very well take over an hour to get from JFK to a Manhattan hotel. As I wrote in my previous post,travel time depends on the day of the week and the time of day.

   To suggest to @CrazyTrain2 to take the Air Train from the airport to Jamaica and then take the LIRR into Penn Station may not have been the best advice. Consider this- it seems that he/she is taking a family vacation. Dealing with moving people- perhaps children- and luggage on public transportation can be daunting.I do not know when the last time you visited the City, but it has become a challenging place to navigate. Recently, I was speaking with a friend who is a jeweler. She often goes into the City on business. She said Penn Station is intimidating to move through as it is populated with so many homeless people.She is also a Queens native and finds it difficult to be in the City lately. 

If that is the feeling of a native of NYC, then it would be truly difficult for a visitor.

   I do hope that the OP can find a reasonable solution to the scheduling of his/her trip to NYC for the cruise vacation. I hope his/her time in the City is both pleasant and safe.

    The City has so much to offer. It is a pity that it has deteriorated to such a state where citizens and visitors alike must be on guard and aware of all that is around them.

MJ🙋🏻

 

 

To answer the immediate question, not question...I was in Manhattan two weeks ago today, wandering around Hell's Kitchen around 11/12 at night. Now, I'm a big burly guy, so I don't really get scared. And, of course, Hell's Kitchen isn't such a scary place anymore as it's been gentrified. 

 

The real danger is thinking an Uber will take at least 30 minutes from JFK to a hotel near the terminal. Maybe at 2 AM, but certainly not when our dear CrazyTrain is traveling! It would be a minimum of an hour and 15 minutes...though I'd peg it at one and a half hours.

 

CrazyTrain2 - you can ignore the rest if you'd like:

 

Alas, I've never heard of anyone refer to another part of the city as not the city...but, I suppose outer boroughs don't count unless they've been gentrified eh? Then again, I don't live upstate, I live in CNY. Upstate is another hour and a half north of me.

 

Nothing wrong with the Air Train. When I flew into Queens for work, and for pleasure, I always took it...unless flying into LGA, then I'd take the Q70. Unless I'm driving in the city, I don't take cars. I much prefer the subway or my own car. A few years ago, I picked up an Egyptian exchange student from JFK. We took the Air Train, then LIRR, to Penn, found a luggage storage place, and wandered around so he could see the Manhattan sites.

 

Also, not really sure what's wrong with Penn Station. I was just there a few weeks ago and it felt as it did a year ago and three years ago. I've been to Manhattan, Queens,the Bronx, and Brooklyn all in the last year, multiple times. I haven't been worried for my safety at any point in time. My previous employer was a charter school with schools across the city. These schools weren't in the fancy parts of the city.

[phillygwm]

JetBlue isn't the worst airline, by far.  As others have stated, only Southwest offers no baggage fees.  Others might let you take a larger carry-on in addition to the fanny pack, but that depends on the fare type.  On the "Basic" fares, you get only the fanny pack and you're assigned a seat a check-in.  As you've found, you get what you pay for.

 

One should always assume that NCL will book you on the cheapest possible flight.  Flying west to east, that's usually a redeye and often an evening flight on the return as well.  Some people can make the best of that, particularly if they can sleep on a plane, by sightseeing a bit. 

 

Personally, I'd rather pay a couple hundred more to get the flights of my choice but even that isn't foolproof.  On my recent trip back from Miami, my noon-ish flight got cancelled and I was put on a 5:00 flight.  

[MJSailors]

@cruiseny4lifeLet’s put this discussion to rest as we may be veering off-topic.

Apparently,you feel quite comfortable traveling about in the City and using public transportation. As you have explained you are a big man,and perhaps you are in the City by yourself,so moving about the City is not problematic for you.

A visitor to NYC ,perhaps for the first time,possible with their family, may not have the same comfort level.

Of course,it would be up to @CrazyTrain2 to chose public transportation over an Uber,Lyft,limo or cab to go from JFK to the Manhattan hotel where he/she has a reservation.

i would like to address a few comments from your recent post.

    As I wrote previously, the drive time from JFK to Manhattan would depend on the time of day and day of the week. For example, that drive would certainly be different on a early Sunday morning as opposed to a weekly rush hour commute. What I was suggesting to the OP was the drive would take up some of the time before he/she would arrive at the hotel. I would rather be comfortably sitting in a car instead of schlepping luggage and my family from one mode of public transport to another- but that’s just me.

    As to your comment about outer boroughs not counting unless they have been gentrified- If someone comes from one of the boroughs,they do not say they are from NYC. They are from Queens,the Bronx,Staten Island ,or Brooklyn. My father grew up in Greenpoint ,Brooklyn- not Greenpoint,NYC. for example.

As for gentrification, look up Forest Hills Gardens. That is where I lived for twenty-  nine years. It is a. beautiful,planned community that was created well over a hundred years ago. It was “gentrified” well before gentrification became a term. And yes,people in all the outer boroughs do count. They pay NYC income tax. 

    As for living in Central New York (CNY),it is my understanding that  the area is bordered by the Finger Lake region and the Mohawk Valley. My husband’s grandparents and  his uncle both had Summer homes on Keuka Lake. When we drove from Eastern LI to visit them,we always said that we were going Upstate. Forgive me if that is incorrect. The drive to Keuka Lake was certainly long enough to make us think we were Upstate !

      I do hope you continue to enjoy the City with safe travels.

MJ🙋🏻