NCL AIR

[Daniel A]

51 minutes ago, reeinaz said:

I asked about a 3 day deviation for a cruise this month that I eventually cancelled. Yes they will do a 3+ day deviation only if you use their hotel, which is priced per person. 

 

33 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Amazing, thank you so much!!

That might work out if you can get a NCL hotel.  A year before my next cruise from Rome, I got "waitlisted" as NCL didn't have anything available in Rome.  Now, a year later, I'm still waitlisted...  I booked my own hotel as a backup plan and I'm glad I did.  I have a 2-day deviation.  I even tried changing the dates of my sailing, but NCL still had nothing for a hotel.

[wncretired]

Have a Dec.1, 2023 cruise out of Rome. (Citiavecchia). 
Got my flight info. today!!!! 
105 days out. Good flights too. I am impressed. 

[KCfromMontana]

Seeing that many people/posts share getting BOGO airfare reservations before day 60 for international flights. We are at 56 days from sailing and still haven’t heard anything just yet. Did get email about a week ago stating “

Is this email something that most passengers get and we could still see our flights at anytime? Or do you think we will be waiting another 25-30 days to find out? I am worried that we will be getting them less than 30 days out which makes me very nervous especially if they screw up our 2 day deviation in advance. 

[KCfromMontana]

Sorry my paste did not apply when I posted it. 
 

At this time, we are experiencing a large volume of airline schedule changes and modifications and as such we will be issuing your flight confirmation approximately 30 days prior to the embarkation date.

[HSBC]

6 hours ago, KCfromMontana said:

Sorry my paste did not apply when I posted it. 
 

At this time, we are experiencing a large volume of airline schedule changes and modifications and as such we will be issuing your flight confirmation approximately 30 days prior to the embarkation date.

KCfromMontana,

Just curious where is your embarkation port and where is your disembarkation port which involves so many airline schedule changes.

[Daniel A]

9 hours ago, HSBC said:

KCfromMontana,

Just curious where is your embarkation port and where is your disembarkation port which involves so many airline schedule changes.

If I can jump in here, I think what @KCfromMontana is experiencing is that NCL Air is experiencing a large volume of schedule changes for many other customers which has created a backlog and has them swamped so they can't get around to making KC's booking yet.  I don't think KC has gotten their Air Confirmation yet.

Edited August 19, 2023 by Daniel A

[brer111]

I had a situation that had to be handled and I have heard they have had some glitches on flights so I am sure that is adding to the wait time

[KCfromMontana]

Correct we have not gotten our airline flights yet. Will be flying from Buffalo, NY to Rome and back. Cruise is out of Rome/Cittavechia (spelling).
 

Didn’t know if we should be worried about getting our flights less than 30 days out or not. When is the latest that any of you have received your flights from NCL? And if they were incorrect (deviation wise) were you able to get them rectified quickly?

[julig22]

23 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I have experience with this...well, my clients had experience with this, but I was involved in resolving it.I booked three couples and myself/husband on a cruise. My husband/I received our flights about 60 days out. Two of the three couples received flights 40 - 45 days out after I called NCL to inquire about their flights. The one couple had not received flights at 30 days out, despite I and they calling NCL. Finally, around day 25 from embarkation, she called NCL (and I'm a bit embarrassed) yelled at the agent she spoke with. But, she received her flight within minutes of the phone call. I'm certainly hoping it doesn't take becoming a Karen to get your way, but though she and I had been stern we didn't receive anything until she went Karen on an NCL representative.

 

I'm not suggesting you go Karen, but you should reach out to NCL and discuss the fact you haven't received your flights. You understand you may not receive flights until 30 days out, but you need to make plans based on those plans. Be stern, but polite. See if the agent will talk with the air department on your behalf (they won't transfer you). That will hopefully help.

 

I do think there might be something about your flights/deviation days that is holding NCL up, or the system, because many people here (and elsewhere) are reporting receiving their international flights further than 60 days out. That's why I'm suggesting you give NCL a call.

The 30-day email is not uncommon. I've been told that the flights are done by cruise, with 1 or more individuals responsible for flights for a specific cruise. But it's complicated when you're flying people from all over the world to other places all over the world.

Got the same letter for my last cruise, flying to Buenos Aires.  Flights came in at about 44 days.

I also got the 30-day email for my upcoming Baltimore to Quebec sailing.  And that one is a difficult one, especially linking my small regional airport in Oregon to Quebec. I called at day 35 and asked - based on the info I got, my flights had just been booked the day before, and so they sent me the flight info - not sure when they would have sent it to me otherwise. And it still doesn't appear on my reservation in MyNCL. But the flights are good and I'm happy with them.

 

 

[exhorter]

Also got the 30 day email at about day 60 out. Then got the reservations at day 54 out. Good flights both ways with only one layover each way. Able to choose seats and upgrade one flight without any problems 

Edited August 20, 2023 by exhorter

[debbyfelse1963]

DOES anyone know what is the layover time they have to abide by. My friends are going on New England cruise from Canada in a few weeks and they have a connection with 11hours in between. I told them that didn't sound right and to call which she did and the call taker was so rude. I told her to call back and talk to supervisor. The connection is in the middle of the night where they couldn't even leave the airport

[Daniel A]

4 minutes ago, debbyfelse1963 said:

DOES anyone know what is the layover time they have to abide by. My friends are going on New England cruise from Canada in a few weeks and they have a connection with 11hours in between. I told them that didn't sound right and to call which she did and the call taker was so rude. I told her to call back and talk to supervisor. The connection is in the middle of the night where they couldn't even leave the airport

I don't think there is a hard and fast rule that they MUST abide by, but this is what they say on their web site:  

• How many connecting flights will I have if I am traveling domestically to and from my cruise vacation?
  For domestic travel, we strive to secure flight itineraries with no more than one connecting flight and minimize layovers that exceed three hours.
  
• How many connecting flights will I have if I am traveling internationally to and from my cruise vacation?
  For international travel, we strive to secure flight itineraries with no more than two connecting flights and minimize layovers that exceed five hours. Connecting flights through other countries may be required. Please note if you are flying to Europe, you may be routed through Canada.

 

Norwegian's Flight Booking Service | Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com)

 

 

[brer111]

14 minutes ago, debbyfelse1963 said:

DOES anyone know what is the layover time they have to abide by. My friends are going on New England cruise from Canada in a few weeks and they have a connection with 11hours in between. I told them that didn't sound right and to call which she did and the call taker was so rude. I told her to call back and talk to supervisor. The connection is in the middle of the night where they couldn't even leave the airport

Well on my international flight home the airline changed my flight from leaving Atlanta at 19:56 PM to *:10 am the next day. I called a the person I spoke to said it was the airline that did that not NCL. But then she call me back and said the rule they have is no layover more than 5 hours. They changed my flight to a different one that works much better than the original that changed. I have also seen on the boards people saying that NCL is dealing with a lot of flight issues. Your friends need to be calm and retry calling them. My return domestic flight last December with NCL had a 4 hour layover in Atlanta

[julig22]

10 minutes ago, debbyfelse1963 said:

DOES anyone know what is the layover time they have to abide by. My friends are going on New England cruise from Canada in a few weeks and they have a connection with 11hours in between. I told them that didn't sound right and to call which she did and the call taker was so rude. I told her to call back and talk to supervisor. The connection is in the middle of the night where they couldn't even leave the airport

Assuming you mean Quebec.  Those flights are a nightmare to schedule.  Even when they fly to Montreal, it's not easy.  When I was looking at booking on my own (my cruise ends in Quebec), the flight times to Oregon were terrible, with long layovers. One reason I specifically chose to end my cruise in Quebec not start there. It may be unavoidable.

[chiefy_mom]

On 8/19/2023 at 12:40 PM, KCfromMontana said:

Correct we have not gotten our airline flights yet. Will be flying from Buffalo, NY to Rome and back. Cruise is out of Rome/Cittavechia (spelling).
 

Didn’t know if we should be worried about getting our flights less than 30 days out or not. When is the latest that any of you have received your flights from NCL? And if they were incorrect (deviation wise) were you able to get them rectified quickly?

We got our flight at exactly 30 days for our June cruise out of Rome.  They had the 1-day eviction we requested, so can’t speak to changes after that.

[dexddd]

On 8/18/2023 at 2:58 PM, KCfromMontana said:

Sorry my paste did not apply when I posted it. 
 

At this time, we are experiencing a large volume of airline schedule changes and modifications and as such we will be issuing your flight confirmation approximately 30 days prior to the embarkation date.

We got our international flights around 40 days prior.

[Daniel A]

I just watched this YouTube video which was just posted a couple of hours ago.  I think it is very pertinent to this discussion.

 

 

[yakcruiser]

I can't believe some people are so trusting. I have been told one of my biggest faults is that I am so cynical but I am starting to believe it is a virtue. I would never trust what a NCL rep told me over the phone.

[Mike07]

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

I just watched this YouTube video which was just posted a couple of hours ago.  I think it is very pertinent to this discussion.

 

 

 

 

Came here to see what y'alls reaction on this one was. Sure, it was a mistake not to grab travel insurance, but NCL's handling of everything was equally appalling.

 

Reading NCL's air program terms, I agree, it basically says contact the airline and "G'luck mate!".

Edited August 21, 2023 by Mike07

[julig22]

13 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

I can't believe some people are so trusting. I have been told one of my biggest faults is that I am so cynical but I am starting to believe it is a virtue. I would never trust what a NCL rep told me over the phone.

I've read the article on this.  While this guy actually does a reasonable job of presenting the case if you listen to the entire thing, there are a few omissions/misstatements.

First, NCL does not dictate when you fly, something he stated. The default is to fly the day of the cruise but you can choose to arrive early. I highly doubt that any NCL rep said "you'll be fine" in any context other than when telling them that the flights are already booked and can't be changed.  A big difference from saying it when they originally booked the airfare.

When you get your tickets, it is clearly stated that any issues within 72 hours are between you and the airline. Not NCL's fault that there were issues with the original flight, then the rebooked flight. 

Not being able to join the cruise at the next port is a PVSA rule, has nothing to do with NCL.

The only part I really don't get is why they couldn't have met the ship in Seward and taken the land tour.

 

 

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, yakcruiser said:

I can't believe some people are so trusting. I have been told one of my biggest faults is that I am so cynical but I am starting to believe it is a virtue. I would never trust what a NCL rep told me over the phone.

Good for you. 

I believe most people are just not experienced in the 'joys' of travel.  It's easy for them to trust the travel industry.  I've learned the hard way spending 40 years in business travel.

[Daniel A]

2 hours ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Came here to see what y'alls reaction on this one was. Sure, it was a mistake not to grab travel insurance, but NCL's handling of everything was equally appalling.

 

Reading NCL's air program terms, I agree, it basically says contact the airline and "G'luck mate!".

I had a few observations.  It seems as if this family are not experienced cruisers.  For a $60K trip, they should have used a reputable travel agent.  That agent should have been able to help them avoid the potential pitfalls.  Not booking a one or two day deviation was the second error.  (Maybe they weren't aware they could do it - a TA should have been able to help with that suggestion.)  And the last error was something many of us may unknowingly make:  Not having enough trip cancellation/interruption coverage.  How many of us truly know if we would have had sufficient coverage if this had happened to us?  I know I'm trusting the insurance agency rather than reading the fine print in my travel insurance policies.

[victory2020]

I got my flights yesterday for my cruise out of Southampton on  Oct 12. Direct, they do have me departing at 11:25am which seems a little tight but my agent says if I am using their transportation to the airport it is their responsibility to re- book me. (I also have insurance)

[RocketMan275]

11 hours ago, victory2020 said:

I got my flights yesterday for my cruise out of Southampton on  Oct 12. Direct, they do have me departing at 11:25am which seems a little tight but my agent says if I am using their transportation to the airport it is their responsibility to re- book me. (I also have insurance)

And, if there are no options for rebooking?

Contrary to opinion, the cruise line does not have to get you there, only a best effort, and the cruise ship will not wait for you.

[victory2020]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

And, if there are no options for rebooking?

Contrary to opinion, the cruise line does not have to get you there, only a best effort, and the cruise ship will not wait for you.

Actually I should have stated this is the way back. Arriving is perfect flight, but cruise lines always tell you to never book flights before noon on debark day. My agent said if they scheduled the flight & I take their transportation to the airport they have the responsibility of rebooking flight if I miss flight.