Purchase Air Through NCL

[julig22]

3 minutes ago, destar said:

This family missed their cruise because of flight problems, because NCL arrange their cross country flights on same day of embarkation and them sold them a travel insurance that wouldn't cover them if they missed the cruise because of the airline. 

How is NCL responsible for problems with the airline?  If you book your flights through a TA are they responsible to refund your cruise costs if the flights don't get you to your cruise?  How about Travelocity?  Or your credit card if you use points?  Who do you blame if you book your own flights and they are cancelled?

They CHOSE not to request a deviation when it was available.  And they CHOSE not to purchase travel insurance. If they had purchased the Booksafe policy when they originally booked the cruise, they would have received FCC, amount varies depending on the policy.

As to the other family that did have insurance, they would also be entitled to FCC if that was the policy they bought.  The cheaper after-booking policy would not cover anything other than things like transportation to the next port.

[julig22]

3 minutes ago, sunshine55 said:

I've read more horror stories than good on NCL booking air tickets.  Plane cancellations are so common now a days...not worth the stress of NCL air.  Book your own and have a plan A and plan B.  Never, never fly in same day as cruise

Of course there will be more horror stories - people post when they are upset, not when they are satisfied. 

How many horror stories have you seen posted where a person complains about missing their cruise because the flight that THEY booked didn't make it?  NCL books the same flights available to us common folk - and if I'm on a flight I booked myself, sitting next to someone whose flight was booked by NCL and it gets cancelled - neither one of us gets there.

As to having a plan A & plan B - yes, that makes sense.  Applies regardless of who books your flights. And contrary to popular belief, NCL does not force you to arrive the day of your cruise.

[RocketMan275]

9 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Of course there will be more horror stories - people post when they are upset, not when they are satisfied. 

How many horror stories have you seen posted where a person complains about missing their cruise because the flight that THEY booked didn't make it?  NCL books the same flights available to us common folk - and if I'm on a flight I booked myself, sitting next to someone whose flight was booked by NCL and it gets cancelled - neither one of us gets there.

As to having a plan A & plan B - yes, that makes sense.  Applies regardless of who books your flights. And contrary to popular belief, NCL does not force you to arrive the day of your cruise.

True, NCL does not force you to arrive the day of the flight.

IIRC, someone posted a thread complaining that her daughter was sold a flight that arrived the day before the cruise. She was demanding that NCL pay for her daughters hotel room since NCL caused her to have to spend an extra night before the cruise.  

 

There are many who demand to arrive the day of the cruise to avoid the extra expense of a night in a hotel.  Also, they don't want to take an extra day of vacation time.

Edited August 22, 2023 by RocketMan275

[yakcruiser]

Most of these NCL air problems are due to people doing zero research before they push the buy button. Maybe it's due to my lack of trust but I always research before I spend. And I always research if that Nigerian princess is real before I send her money.

[ontheweb]

22 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

True, NCL does not force you to arrive the day of the flight.

IIRC, someone posted a thread complaining that her daughter was sold a flight that arrived the day before the cruise. She was demanding that NCL pay for her daughters hotel room since NCL caused her to have to spend an extra night before the cruise.  

 

There are many who demand to arrive the day of the cruise to avoid the extra expense of a night in a hotel.  Also, they don't want to take an extra day of vacation time.

I also remember that post.

[RocketMan275]

2 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I also remember that post.

My favorite was the lady who wanted a complete refund for her cruise because NCL didn't inform her that NCL served Pepsi, not coke.  Not having coke ruined her entire cruise.

[destar]

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

How is NCL responsible for problems with the airline?  If you book your flights through a TA are they responsible to refund your cruise costs if the flights don't get you to your cruise?

NCL booked the flights for them, it was part of a promotion. NCL is not responsible for airlines problems, but they shouldn't arrange a cross country flight the day of embarkation. 

[destar]

3 hours ago, julig22 said:

Who do you blame if you book your own flights and they are cancelled?

I book my own flights so I will be the one to blame. This is the reason why I like to travel 1-3 days before the cruise.

[LasVegasSolo]

I did flight for the first time in 15 years of cruising.  I received my flight confirmation almost 100 days before my flight and I know that is unusual but here is the thing because of the airport I fly out of the flight they got me would have been the same one I could have booked anyway.  So for me all good I don’t know if this is an oddity or not. 

[julig22]

1 hour ago, destar said:

NCL booked the flights for them, it was part of a promotion. NCL is not responsible for airlines problems, but they shouldn't arrange a cross country flight the day of embarkation. 

Are you not understanding that NCL gives you the option of flying 1-2 days before the cruise. They are doing what the customer asks for, what difference does it make if it is part of a promotion.  Do you think a TA would refuse to book a same-day flight if that's what the client wants? Nobody is forcing anyone to fly the day of embarkation. And people do it all the time - it's a choice. Lots of people successfully fly in the day of the cruise - yes, it is a risk but the risk is on the passenger, not the agency who books the flight.

And perhaps one day they will stop doing it. And then the complaints will be from the people who will have to take more vacation, pay for more hotels.

 

 

 

[destar]

23 minutes ago, julig22 said:

They are doing what the customer asks for, what difference does it make if it is part of a promotion. 

Looking at the video it doesn't explain all this, if they had the opportunity to arrive earlier, but requested same day flight, then thats on then.

[nimbex1970]

There are so many errors in judgement on these poor folks that missed their cruise and it could happen to any of us in our early cruising days. As almost everyone has stated, no insurance???  That's not the place to save a dime. It took one bad experience, for me to learn the hard way that even the ship provided insurance isn't enough for our needs.  Blindly though we had insurance, we were covered.  Now I have chosen to pay for better 3rd party, Allengenz to meet our needs. However, that did require learning the hard, cha ching way, but not to the tune of $60k, ouch!!!!

 

Although the story is still murky on details, I hope this alerts some new folks, not to fly in same day and review their insurance policy through the cruise lines. This experience of theirs was terrible.

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, julig22 said:

And perhaps one day they will stop doing it. And then the complaints will be from the people who will have to take more vacation, pay for more hotels.

There have been several threads where passengers complained about having to arrive the day before and pay for hotels and take more vaccation time.

[brer111]

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

There have been several threads where passengers complained about having to arrive the day before and pay for hotels and take more vaccation time.

We always travel a day before a cruise even when we purchase our own airfare. You never know when you could have any delay out of your control We prefer the ease of mind even if we have to purchase a hotel for one night extra.

[hallux]

12 hours ago, destar said:

NCL booked the flights for them, it was part of a promotion. NCL is not responsible for airlines problems, but they shouldn't arrange a cross country flight the day of embarkation. 

I agree, but I can only imagine the staffing needed to go through each self-booked reservation with airfare and evaluate if they requested a deviation and if one is advisable.  It certainly would make some sense, maybe automate an "important information about your vacation" email based on some flags on the reservation.

 

Flights cross country can be hit or miss. I've flown to LA twice for cruises.  Both were the day before the cruise.  The first time I had a flight delay in Chicago, would have missed the ship it I was flying on the day of the cruise. The second had no delay on the second flight and I would have easily made the ship it I was flying on the day of the cruise, I was at my hotel by noon. It was nice having that day to relax after having been up at 3 am to get the flights.

[SimplyAlbert]

We're flying to Hawaii for a cruise this fall from the east coast.  We booked our own flights.  We're leaving Boston on Wednesday (cruise leaves on Saturday evening) to make sure we have plenty of time to make it to Honolulu.  I can't imagine, with all the flight woes in the news, that anyone would try to take a cross-country flight the day of their cruise.

[julig22]

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

There have been several threads where passengers complained about having to arrive the day before and pay for hotels and take more vaccation time.

I have seen one or two but they really didn't give any details so hard to comment.  I would assume it has to do with flight schedules.  Probably why they will fly people into Montreal now when there aren't any flights into Quebec City for example (and it's in the T&Cs!). And of course people complain on that one because they have to get from Montreal to Quebec for their cruise.

I did have a forced overnight layover in Munich once due to a last minute change in flights - they rebooked me because of an impending strike. There weren't a lot of options for flights at the last minute, especially since so many were eliminated due to the strike. But I had already planned to arrive a day early anyway, so stayed in a "sleeping pod" in the airport instead of a hotel at my final destination - it actually worked out better for me.

And then there is Papetee where they don't allow a deviation because it's usually a charter flight (so everybody makes it or nobody makes it). Not sure how they address the possibility of not getting to LAX to pick up the charter.

[RocketMan275]

4 minutes ago, julig22 said:

I have seen one or two but they really didn't give any details so hard to comment.  I would assume it has to do with flight schedules. 

The one I referenced was clear.  The mother complained here on CC that NCL owed compensation for flying her daughter into IIRC miami the night before the cruise requiring the daughter to incur the expenses of a hotel room and meals.

 

[julig22]

5 hours ago, hallux said:

I agree, but I can only imagine the staffing needed to go through each self-booked reservation with airfare and evaluate if they requested a deviation and if one is advisable.  It certainly would make some sense, maybe automate an "important information about your vacation" email based on some flags on the reservation.

 

Flights cross country can be hit or miss. I've flown to LA twice for cruises.  Both were the day before the cruise.  The first time I had a flight delay in Chicago, would have missed the ship it I was flying on the day of the cruise. The second had no delay on the second flight and I would have easily made the ship it I was flying on the day of the cruise, I was at my hotel by noon. It was nice having that day to relax after having been up at 3 am to get the flights.

I agree, it would be a good idea if there was a warning or a screen that pops up when you make your reservation and choose the airfare promo.  Just like when they ask if you want insurance. Simple choices of arrive same day, deviate 1 day and so forth.  They could put the terms at that time, so if you choose same day it says something along the lines of NCL not being responsible if the flights aren't to your liking, can't be changed, and not their problem if you don't get to the port yada yada.

 

 

[DCGuy64]

20 hours ago, sunshine55 said:

I've read more horror stories than good on NCL booking air tickets.  Plane cancellations are so common now a days...not worth the stress of NCL air.  Book your own and have a plan A and plan B.  Never, never fly in same day as cruise

Never, never say "never, never." Some people save tons of money using NCL's air, and not everybody has the flexibility in their schedule to arrive a day early. (BTW the reason you read more horror stories than good is that satisfied customers are much less likely to post about it.)

[DCGuy64]

9 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

The one I referenced was clear.  The mother complained here on CC that NCL owed compensation for flying her daughter into IIRC miami the night before the cruise requiring the daughter to incur the expenses of a hotel room and meals.

 

Gosh, I would love to have been the one who responded to her complaint. I'd have told her to take a flying leap! It's unreal what some people will find reason to complain about.

[RocketMan275]

21 minutes ago, julig22 said:

I agree, it would be a good idea if there was a warning or a screen that pops up when you make your reservation and choose the airfare promo.  Just like when they ask if you want insurance. Simple choices of arrive same day, deviate 1 day and so forth.  They could put the terms at that time, so if you choose same day it says something along the lines of NCL not being responsible if the flights aren't to your liking, can't be changed, and not their problem if you don't get to the port yada yada.

 

 

 

The only reason cruise lines sell cut rate flights arriving the day of the cruise is that attracts those who only want the cheapest possible price.   The cruise lines believe that would such warnings cost them business because they increase the price of a cruise.  Most of the time, these day of flights work out.

[cruiseny4life]

So....based on this thread, I've done one thing right. I'm flying into Barcelona two full days before my cruise departs. But, I'm doing one thing wrong. I haven't purchased travel insurance and I'm not sure I'm going to. Uh oh! 

 

Well...other than a "oh crap, I was stupid and lost $8k," you won't hear me complaining about NCL or their air for my future cruise. You might hear me saying, "learn from my experience young padawon (or whatever it's called), always get travel insurance." 🤠

[RocketMan275]

14 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Gosh, I would love to have been the one who responded to her complaint. I'd have told her to take a flying leap! It's unreal what some people will find reason to complain about.

The responses were very clear and numerous.  The most common was that the cruise line was doing her daughter a favor by arriving the day before.  The mother's response was that if the cruise line thought her daughter should arrive the day before they should have paid for the hotel, meals, etc.  It was one of those 'the cruise line is at fault and they owe us' responses.

[julig22]

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

The only reason cruise lines sell cut rate flights arriving the day of the cruise is that attracts those who only want the cheapest possible price.   The cruise lines believe that would such warnings cost them business because they increase the price of a cruise.  Most of the time, these day of flights work out.

Huh?

You pay the same base price for your cruise, whether or not you choose the flight option.  A popup would only exist IF you had already chosen to take the airfare. And they actually pay you to choose a deviation.