NCL FREE AIRFARE: 11:57pm Flight.

[mistertomatoe]

I'm finding it's not really free or not even 50% off for 2 or 1 in the case of a solo fare. It's more like 33% off based on the flights I can find. Anyone find the same?

[Saint Greg]

On 3/5/2024 at 2:33 PM, Cmikel said:

Received our airline tickets for our Alaska cruise 90 days out. We leave Vancouver at 11:57 pm and don't make it home to Arkansas till noon the next day. (11:59pm for departing flights is NLC's cutoff time in the terms and conditions so there is nothing that we can really do about it, but it still is aggravating that they booked us on such a late overnight flight).  We will survive, but It is going to be a rough night. Hope this helps someone else. Again, it's not the end of the world for us but we will not use a NCL airline promotion again. 

 

They did the same thing to me last summer 11:45pm flight out of Vancouver. There's a place at the port that sells HOHO tickets with luggage storage until 4:30pm. I bought that. At 4:30 I retrieved my suitcase and walked down to a restaurant by the float plane airport. Had some food and beers. Then walked back to the water street station and took the train to the airport.

 

Check your connections. They gave me a 1 hour layover in Toronto. I told the PCC that wasn't enough time. I told the air department that wasn't enough time. They said they can book connections with as little as 30 mins. Well in Toronto you have to go through security and customs if you're returning to the US. I had to change terminals. I was in the security and customs lines for an hour. I missed my flight. I had to spend an hour at the Air Canada desk. Then I had to connect through Chicago. I was supposed to be home at 10:30am. I actually got home at 6:30pm.

 

It's all documented here if you want the blow by blow.

 

https://www.saintgregtravel.com/alaska-jewel-the-voyage-home/

 

 

[PatJim]

Vancouver has luggage storage facilities outside the cruise terminal.  Think the cost is @ US$11-12 per bag (C$15).  Just drop off your bags at disembarkation, then explore the city.  Great seafood restaurants along the harbor, and so much more to see. 
When heading to the airport, take the Canadian Line subway.  It’s cheap and fast (half hour), and is near the cruise terminal.  
Enjoy your time in this beautiful city.  

[Menocchio]

33 minutes ago, mistertomatoe said:

I'm finding it's not really free or not even 50% off for 2 or 1 in the case of a solo fare. It's more like 33% off based on the flights I can find. Anyone find the same?

I'm quite sure you can do better than NCL if you accept basic fares and do well on the timing of your booking. 

 

I'm flying via NCL in October, and if I booked the cheapest flights possible at basic fares I'd only be saving like $50 by using NCL (and then paying for my carry-on). If I booked the flights I'd actually choose and in the main cabin I'd be saving close to but not quite 50%. But God knows what it'll actually look like in September, or what they'll assign me. 

 

Even if this goes very well I doubt I'll be doing this again at least for domestic flights. I kind of checked the box on impulse. Live and learn, I guess. 

 

 

[BarnCat1]

We always book a redeye coming from West coast to East Coast, just makes more sense to us and is much easier than getting up at 4am for an early flight to get back to the East Coast at a decent time.   

 

We've had one very good airfare experience and a trying it again.

 

However, this time I just received an email (over 200 days out) for an Upgrade Airfare Advantage (I am not paid in full).  It is showing me a great direct flight to secure now if I want to or I can wait, and they will assign a flight, as usual, before embarkation. I will have to pay extra (lowest bid $100/pp) if I want this great direct flight now.  This is new to me, and I am hesitant to do this. 

 

Anyone hear of this new program?  

Edited March 8 by BarnCat1

[cruiseny4life]

4 hours ago, mistertomatoe said:

I'm finding it's not really free or not even 50% off for 2 or 1 in the case of a solo fare. It's more like 33% off based on the flights I can find. Anyone find the same?

The deals we received both times were pretty great.

 

SYR - BCN (one way) was $600 with the BOGO deal. I couldn't find anything under $1,800 per person when I searched. 

 

SYR - FLL (round trip) was $732 with the BOGO deal. When I searched for airfare, I think I would have been able to find comparably priced flights. For one.

I'm a happy NCL BOGO Airfare customer. I understand it absolutely does not work for everyone.

[hallux]

3 hours ago, BarnCat1 said:

However, this time I just received an email (over 200 days out) for an Upgrade Airfare Advantage (I am not paid in full).  It is showing me a great direct flight to secure now if I want to or I can wait, and they will assign a flight, as usual, before embarkation. I will have to pay extra (lowest bid $100/pp) if I want this great direct flight now.  This is new to me, and I am hesitant to do this. 

 

Anyone hear of this new program?

Someone posted about this within the last couple months.

[njkate]

19 hours ago, mistertomatoe said:

I'm finding it's not really free or not even 50% off for 2 or 1 in the case of a solo fare. It's more like 33% off based on the flights I can find. Anyone find the same?

Last year I needed flight from Savannah/Anchorage then Vancouver/Savannah. I actually found flights on Delta with one stop in Atlanta each way a few hundred dollars less then the NCL BOGO, so it is always wise to check. 

[cruiser2015]

On 3/5/2024 at 4:50 PM, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

@Cmikel

 

We have cruised a great deal but have never used NCL as we are not certain if we could as we live in New Zealand.   BUT we have read so many negative comments/threads and talked to so many negative people on cruises who have that we wouldn't even consider it.

I have seen you post on this board many times.

So, after reading this one, you've made me curious.

If you are so negative on NCL, and, would never even consider sailing with them, why are you spending so much time here?

Just wondering...

[Kp125]

On 3/6/2024 at 7:46 AM, Asawi said:

I was thinking along those lines as well. Vancouver is crazy expensive! But also very nice, so maybe worth it. 😄 

The Canadians I have met in board insist BC stands for bring cash

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@cruiser2015

 

This thread is about NCL Free Airfare NOT NCL.

 

I would not consider using NCL FREE AIRFARE.   We are very happy with the rest of what NCL offers.

[julig22]

On 3/8/2024 at 8:46 AM, mistertomatoe said:

I'm finding it's not really free or not even 50% off for 2 or 1 in the case of a solo fare. It's more like 33% off based on the flights I can find. Anyone find the same?

As a solo, you pay half of the price NCL would charge.  How that relates to what you can find on your own would depend on your itinerary. Free refers to the fact that the 2nd person would fly free, first person pays full price. So no, as a solo, you won't find a free flight.

Sometimes it's a good deal, sometimes not. International flights tend to have the better bargains, especially if flying to/from less popular locations.

 

[cruiser2015]

52 minutes ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

@cruiser2015

 

This thread is about NCL Free Airfare NOT NCL.

 

I would not consider using NCL FREE AIRFARE.   We are very happy with the rest of what NCL offers.

Sorry for that confusion.

I fully realized what this thread was about - but I took your comments at what was written, with no mention of the air context.

Thanks for clearing up the small mystery.

Edited March 9 by cruiser2015

[NCteacherlovescruising]

On 3/6/2024 at 11:11 AM, RocketMan275 said:

Most booking via NCL are doing so for the cost savings.  The question is, how much of a savings remains if one  has too book a room in Vancover, a tour, plus other expenses for the day?

I agree with the point about the availability of flights. Many destinations from Vancouver require routing through Seattle.  I recently cancelled our second Alaska cruise because of the terrible flights.  

I wouldn’t necessarily look at that as a con. They have the bonus of enjoying a beautiful city an extra day. That’s worth a lot IMO. 

On 3/8/2024 at 11:46 AM, mistertomatoe said:

I'm finding it's not really free or not even 50% off for 2 or 1 in the case of a solo fare. It's more like 33% off based on the flights I can find. Anyone find the same?

We scored on ours. We used miles to book our air to Europe but using them to fly from Venice to Clt for both of us was only $1,000 total. 

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I wouldn’t necessarily look at that as a con. They have the bonus of enjoying a beautiful city an extra day. That’s worth a lot IMO. 

We scored on ours. We used miles to book our air to Europe but using them to fly from Venice to Clt for both of us was only $1,000 total. 

 You should include the cash value of the point used as well.

[Cobra1365]

We used NCL Air two yrs ago to go Philly to Barcelona.  Direct flight on American.  I was able to grab upgraded seats on the return.

We’re using them again on our July Prima cruise out of Southampton, UK.  Haven’t recd the flights yet.  But, even if they’re a one stop, I can’t find anything to London cheaper than what they offer.  If available, I plan to use the savings toward seat upgrades.

Two couples going with have opted out of the air package and are seeking their own arrangements.  I guess we’ll see how they compare.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

 You should include the cash value of the point used as well.

We’re looking at it strictly from what we have to pay. This trip is costing us a fortune so saving on airfare was a huge bonus!  The points wouldn’t have had that big of a cash value had we chose to fly economy, but we want to be able to hit the ground running when we arrive in Rome so we didn’t.  

Edited March 9 by NCteacherlovescruising

[DCGuy64]

On 3/9/2024 at 2:32 PM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I wouldn’t necessarily look at that as a con. They have the bonus of enjoying a beautiful city an extra day. That’s worth a lot IMO. 

We scored on ours. We used miles to book our air to Europe but using them to fly from Venice to Clt for both of us was only $1,000 total. 

I would agree with this. The savings by booking through NCL could well offset the expenses incurred. Also, the general consensus on this site seems to favor flying in early for cruises, so many people would likely need to budget for hotel and food, anyway.

[itseaya]

On 3/6/2024 at 6:56 AM, hoops71 said:

I have use NCL air many times and have had great success for the most part.  The only exception was out of Seattle after an Alaskan cruise.  Our flight left at 11:59pm, the absolute deadline!

I will say that we live near a major hub Dallas/Fort Worth which I think helps, but we have saved a lot of money on airfare through NCL.  I have found international flights to be quite the bargain through the NCL promotion with decent to excellent flight times.  We have done London roundtrip, Rome/Lisbon on the Viva, and about to take off for Tokyo/Seoul on the Jewel in two days.  Each of those trips we saved over a thousand on airfare and about half with direct flights.(never more than one stop)  

On domestic flights I am more careful.  First because it is not as big a price benefit.  Second, if its on the West coast is is easier for NCL to put you on a red eye to save money.  If the cruise is out of eastern port and the price savings are significant I might consider it.  That being said you are always locking in price now and forecasting for later.  

How were the international flights?  We will be flying out of Dallas/Ft Worth in December to London, we have a 2 day deviation.  We got the BOGO only because we priced the international flights on their own and it was so much more.

It's a transatlantic so we will be coming back to Miami.  We just got off the Prima a few weeks ago but it was out of Galveston so we drove.  

[MrsTocko]

We did BOGO for our Europe Cruise in July 2022.  Direct red eye from LAX to Heathrow (at the height of those travel issues), we flew back from Iceland to LAX with a layover in Minneapolis, so about half way.  Our return flight left at 9:30 am. We had a 2 day deviation on both ends.  My personal opinion is that we got decent flight times because we did the deviation.  Offered them a little more flexibility on the routes with trying to book others, plus competing with people booking their own flights all at the same time.  The outbound deviation I told them at cruise booking what day I wanted to land in London, and what day I wanted to leave Reykjavik.  I couldn’t pass up the savings though of $800 round trip it Europe and back for the 2 of us.  That is the total price, not per person.

 

my next 2 are Hawaii, and Alaska.  Being in San Diego, we have a good shot of getting decent flights. Again we told them the day we want to arrive and the day we want to leave.  With the BOGO, we are paying $300 each trip for the 2 of us.  I can’t do better than that on my own….though I will be checking

[MrsTocko]

On 3/9/2024 at 12:36 PM, RocketMan275 said:

 You should include the cash value of the point used as well.

Keep in mind that we will not arrive day of a cruise.  DH won’t do it.  So we are going at least the day before.  Even when we cruise out of San Diego, we get a hotel close to the port.  That way we don’t deal with traffic and don’t have that feeling that “we have to get there”. Never mind that we go for the earliest check in time…and we will have to wait at the port.  We would rather wait there than have that feeling.  We do the same when we fly for any reason, would rather wait at the airport.

 

Our length of deviation is dependent on embarkation location, travel time, plans upon arrival. London…2 days before.  We landed on July 1, Cruise left July 3.  I book as soon as hotels open up availability.  I can and have changed based on price, reviews, location, planned activities. But at worst, we have a bed to sleep in.  Google maps is my friend.

 

our savings on this trip was $1000 by leaving out of LAX over San Diego.  I can’t figure the savings vs hotel because we would have incurred that anyway. We rented a car one way (both directions) for 200 total (we would have don’t that as well) When I priced out the flights after we received the information, the flights were $1300 each round trip.  We paid NCL $399, and paid for upgraded seats together for an additional 250 total.  So with taxes around a total of $800.  No mattter how I tried to figure it, we were coming out ahead. You can really only compare the exact flights, that is the variable.  All the rest we were doing anyway.

 

now for HI, we are again landing 2 days before, and leaving disembarkation day.  I want to have as much time as I want at Pearl Harbor.  For us embarkation day is not a sight seeing day. That is our preference.

 

Alaska out of Seattle, we are going the day before.  We are in the same time zone, and it’s a 2.5 - 3 hour flight, with multiple flights a day, so request was to land day before embarkation. As long as we have a bed and food, we are good.  It is not our first time in Seattle, so we are good to chill, or just do whatever.  Total spontaneity.  We will return home disembarkation day. That cruise is July 2025, and to give you insight to my over obsessive planning, hotel availability is starting to open up, and I am now looking for a hotel.  This gives me the greatest options and price comparisons, to stay within what consider a reasonable budget. And in our preferred area and nearby amenities. 

[hoops71]

On 3/11/2024 at 3:29 PM, itseaya said:

How were the international flights?  We will be flying out of Dallas/Ft Worth in December to London, we have a 2 day deviation.  We got the BOGO only because we priced the international flights on their own and it was so much more.

It's a transatlantic so we will be coming back to Miami.  We just got off the Prima a few weeks ago but it was out of Galveston so we drove.  

The flights were great and had a great cruise.  Had one stop layover for hour and half  at LAX on outbound trip to Tokyo.  Had direct nonstop back from Seoul to DFW.  Total cost of airfare through NCL for both my wife and I was $1,100.00.  Which was at least two thousand savings.  No issues with the flights.  Still fighting the jet lag though!!

[Panhandle Couple]

As a "seasoned" former business traveler, getting out of the west coast to the east, one always has to consider "red eye" flights. 

Also realize there are fewer flights overall on the weekend than on weekdays.

Also realize that ALL airlines have to reset their fleet locations everyday by 5 AM. That means equal fleet distribution across all of the airports they fly from, to match their listed schedules.  Hence, late night flights. 

 

I have opted for red eye many times vs waiting until the 6 AM flight the next day.  First, I don't waste a good part of my day just traveling.  Second, I don't have to spend $$ on a short stay near the airport for that 6 AM flight (check in at 4:30 AM, wake up time 3:30-ish).  Third, you actually spend less time in the air, as local traffic patterns are under 50% full, and the jet can fly faster w/o commuter traffic slowing things down. 

 

Sorry to hear the OP doesn't understand the limited options when leaving later in the day from Vancouver. 

 

And, our last trip home from Seattle (Sep 22) we rushed to the airport for a 2 pm flight.  Which was delayed over 2 hours.  Then canceled, rebooked on another flight (thru Salt Lake City), arrive far too late in Charlotte to get our connecting flight, spent a "night" in a hotel at airline expense.  It was a Hilton, should have been ok.  Nope, large renovation happening, forcing all public areas to be closed.  We spent 5 hours there, checking in at 1 AM to check out a 6 AM to get the shuttle for our 8 AM flight.  In retrospect, we should have taken the redeye, we would have gotten home at the same time.  

 

 

[floridafish]

Life is way too short to book air with NCL or any other 3rd party for that matter. Always book travel plans directly. Sorry about your flight.

[darienill]

When you get your flight info can you reject it and do your own?

I thought upgrades and changes weren't allowed?