air with OC

[labbadee]

We have just booked a cruise for August 20th, leaving from Istanbul, and it includes the air. I am concerned that we will be changing planes more than once for this "free" air deal.

Has anyone taken the air with OC..what was that like? Can you ultimately choose your seats?

As to the variance: how does that work? Do you find flights that you like and then ask OC to give you those flights instead? Some of the flights listed with the airlines, such as AA (we are frequent fliers with them) are quite expensive, and I wonder if OC would allow us to pay only a $75 fee to take those flights instead. (Example: a non-stop flight from JFK to Istanbul through Turkish Air, which partners with AA)

I am really concerned about this and wonder, now, whether I want to do this cruise at all. Although we have traveled to Europe many times on our own, we've never been to Turkey and have heard some negative stories about doing things on your own.

HELP!:(

[bdmagee]

I will be taking my first Oceania Cruise in 2 months, and just recently got my airfare intinerary from O ( got the free airfare as well). It was better than I could have expected. I live in FL, and only have 1 stop each way ( To Barcelona and from Athens, respectively).

 

You may want to do a search on this, or see the thread written earlier about this matter. It appears some people have not had as good a luck as I have.

 

I cannot comment on Turkey or cancelling your trip.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I don't think you need to worry too much about Istanbul. Not sure what you mean by doing things "on your own". But if you mean taking cabs to the airport, or finding hotels, or just walking around, then no real problems. Just be aware that you will be solicited as you walk by people wanting to sell you a carpet. Be polite and walk on. And do your homework before you go, so you have an idea what you want to see and do. Get there a couple of days before, if you can, it's a wonderful city.

 

I'm curious about O air too, since we may try this cruise line at some point. If you are in NY, I can't imagine them routing you to Istanbul with more than one stop. But again, I have no direct experience, it would just surprise me.

[LHT28]

The deviation process has been explained here many times I am sure if you do a search you will find out more

The short reply is ...you pick your flights..pick 3 routings then get your TA to submit them to Oceania.

You will pay $75. pp deviation fee if you accept it, you may or may not have to pay extra for the route/carrier you choose.

 

We paid $100. pp more for the route we wanted + deviation fee but we got the flight times we wanted and non-stop flights to the port of call.

It all depends what that is worth to you;)

[oshuns42]

I, too, was concerned with Oceania's "free air".

 

My sister and I are taking our 1st med cruise this April 18th. We have always cruised to the Pacific and Caribbean islands and never had a problem with flights (even to Tahiti).

 

I was apprehensive because we booked a 2 night pre-cruise stay in Athens through Oceania and wanted to get there early enough to enjoy the 1st day.

 

Our TA said we would be able to deviate after we paid in full and received our air intinerary if we were not satisfied with the flights.

 

We are flying out of JFK in NY (we live in eastern LI). Oceania booked us a non-stop flight to Athens which will get us there 9:10 am, the first day of our pre-cruise stay. And, we have a non-stop flight back to JFK from Rome.

 

Perfect. No deviation. I'm happy.

 

Kathy

[labbadee]

Hi..

Where on Long Island do you live? We live in Wantagh.

I'm not sure I understood: using the deviation, you were able to get non-stop flights by just paying $75?

I saw a non-stop flight from JFK to Istanbul and it was really expensive and I don't know if OC would allow it or would add a lot of money to use it.

We'll speak with our travel agent on Monday and try to get some more info..but thanks for your help..

[oshuns42]

Hi again, I live in Yaphank and my sister lives in Holtsville.

 

The non-stop flights from JFK was the free air given to us by Oceania, so we didn't have to deviate.

 

Have fun on your trip! Kathy

[DrHemlock]

You won't get a definitive reply here because different cruisers have different experiences with "free air." Here's why:

 

When you book a vacation for yourself, no matter how far in advance, you book the air at the same time as you book your hotels, rental cars, etc. But when you book a cruise that includes air, the cruise line doesn't book your flights right away. (If they did, they could tell you right now what your flight schedule will be.) Instead, they wait until they've received your final payment, and then they book your flights. By that time, the most direct routes may or may not still be available. We've read some stories on this board of really unfortunate routings, including unwanted and uncompensated overnight layovers, particularly for people from the Midwest.

 

If you wait until you've seen the cruise line's flight itinerary to try to change it, your dilemma is worsened. Even if you're able to find a better itinerary on your own, you will almost certainly pay not only the deviation fee but also additional money to cover the increased fare caused by waiting so late.

 

Far better, IMHO, to take advantage of the "free air," but to pony up the deviation fee at the time you book. Find some flight itineraries that will work for you and submit them to the cruise line. They will tell you right away whether they were able to make the bookings, and the chances are there won't be any additional charge because you're booking so far in advance. The cruise line doesn't necessarily deal with every airline, so you may not get your first choice of airlines or itineraries, but this procedure usually works without further ado. It certainly did on our Nautica cruise out of Istanbul last year.

 

Paying that deviation fee and getting booked early is a cheap and easy way to reduce stress.

[hondorner]

...Paying that deviation fee and getting booked early is a cheap and easy way to reduce stress.

Sounds like excellent advice, but is there such a thing as too early? My TA has advised me to wait until about 6 months out from the cruise before looking for flights, because the airline and flight situation changes so rapidly.

[labbadee]

Thanks for the advice, everyone..

We gave our TA several flight options and he's going to submit them and see what we come up with..

I agree that it's better to take the deviation option and do it sooner, than later: in looking at possible seats on the flights we might want/get, they are already pretty full, and my husband's long legs do not allow for the middle of a four-seater for so many hours..

Another question: we're thinking about going one day earlier and staying at a hotel. Has anyone stayed at a "reasonable" rated hotel in Istanbul that's clean and in a good area?

We don't really want to pay $400 for one night, and the better hotels seem to be really expensive at that time of the year...

Thanks for the help..

Anyone out there taking the August 20,2007 cruise beginning in Istanbul..it's for 14 nights and ends in Venice..

Love to hear from anyone who's going to be on that ship..

P.S.: the weird e-mail tag is our dog's name, in case anyone is wondering!:)

[DrHemlock]

As for waiting until six months out to book air, I don't want to second-guess your TA who is, after all, a professional. I'm just a traveler and a control-freak. But I would point out that while the airline and flight situation does change frequently, you're still increasing your chances of going the way you want by booking sooner rather than later. So what if Turkish Airlines' non-stop to IST suddenly leaves two hours earlier or later? You're still going to be on it! Since you live in NY and will be leaving from there, you don't have to worry about connections getting messed up.

 

Even if it turns out that Oceania won't book with Turkish Airlines and you have to be routed through a European hub, all the airlines coordinate their arrivals/departures at their hubs pretty well. If Lufthansa (for instance) alters their JFK-Frankfurt schedule, you can be pretty sure their connections there will be altered as well.

 

Once you know your flights, it's easy to monitor them every week or so on the airline website. That way, if anything changes, you'll know about it. Our experience is that the airlines are pretty good about contacting you with schedule change that will screw up your connection. You can help to ensure that. Once Oceania confirms that they've made your booking, call the airline to verify the booking with them, then make your seat selection and give them your contact information.

 

As for Istanbul, you absolutely don't have to spend $400 per night for a good hotel in a decent area. Granted, we didn't stay there in August so I may be chronologically misinformed. I recommend perusing tripadvisor.com, as we did, and notice particularly the hotels in Sultanahmet, which is the historic area where you will see the majority of your sights anyway. It's quite compact, and so pleasant to be able to walk to shops, restaurants and the famous mosques, Topkapi Palace, the spice market, etc., without the need for taxis or crowded subways...not that there is a subway anyway. If the hotels that interest you in Sultanahment are too expensive in August, then I must withdraw and leave the advising to others as I have no experience in other areas of the city.

[DrHemlock]

Sorry, I got two separate posts from separate locations mixed in the above.

Horndorner isn't leaving from New York and Labbadee isn't being advised by his/her TA not to book too soon. With luck, the basic advice will float to the top for both.

 

Time for my daily bottle of Geritol....

[DrHemlock]

(delete duplicate post)

[hondorner]

With luck, the basic advice will float to the top for both.

No luck needed -- you were very clear and helpful. We fly infrequently, so need extra hand-holding. Miami is our most likely portal, although Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are equally convenient, depending on flight availability. For domestic, we fly from West Palm Beach.

[llba]

Hi! We're tentatively planning on taking the same cruise & are presently debating the same questions. Our TA said that we would save $800 pp if we book our own air. I don't know if that includes the fuel surcharge or not, but I think we can come out ahead booking air on our own. My significant other is concerned about independent booking in case of transportation difficulties in getting to Istanbul in time for embarkation.

[phlewt]

Another question: we're thinking about going one day earlier and staying at a hotel. Has anyone stayed at a "reasonable" rated hotel in Istanbul that's clean and in a good area?

:)

 

We weren't on a cruise, but stayed at a very nice botique hotel last fall in Istanbul. It is located in the historic district and is within walking distance of the Topkapi Palace, Sultanahmet Square, the Cisterns, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. The name of this hotel is The Armada Hotel. I'm sure you would be able to book it for much less than $400 per night. If you are able, stay two or three nights there, because there is much to see in Istabul.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I agree about the hotels. There are plenty of nice hotels in the Sultanahmet. Try http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com, and follow the links to review of Ottoman Inns.

[caribbeansun]

Well, look at it this way - with all the money you save you can fly in a day early and stay in a nice hotel.

 

Hi! We're tentatively planning on taking the same cruise & are presently debating the same questions. Our TA said that we would save $800 pp if we book our own air. I don't know if that includes the fuel surcharge or not, but I think we can come out ahead booking air on our own. My significant other is concerned about independent booking in case of transportation difficulties in getting to Istanbul in time for embarkation.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I also just noticed that the little hotel we stayed at in Istanbul in 2004 is now the top-rated Istanbul hotel on Tripadvisor, the Dersaadet Hotel. We really liked it, but I'm guessing that the area around the hotel has been spiffed up a bit--they are gradually renovating the old Ottoman houses, and there were still some derelicts around the hotel when we were there.

 

It was very nice, don't get me wrong, I'm glad they are doing so well, certainly not 4-star, but well run and clean. Beware the very loud call-to-prayer across the street, it woke me up most mornings.

[skatbak]

WE TOO ARE ON YOUR CRUISE AUG 20TH, WE ARE USING OUR AA MILES TO FLY FROM LA TO LON. WE ARE THEN GOING BA TO ISTANBUL. BA VENICE TO LON AND AA. TO LA. SOMETIMES THEY DO ROUTE YOU DIFFERENT THAN YOU WOULD LIKE AND NOT ALWAYS THE BEST TIMES. LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING TOGETHER FOR SOME OF THE TOURS ON OUR OWN. WE HAVE SAILED WITH OCEANIA BEFORE AND LOVED THE CRUISE. I THINK YOU WILL BE VERY HAPPY WITH THE SHIP. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS EMAIL ME AT SKATBAK@AOL.COM ALSO THE FOOD WAS THE BEST.

[stingraynz]

We took the Nautica June 20 2006 sailing from Istanbul to Athens. We loved it!

 

We took Oceania's air but deviated $75 as we were staying pre cruise in Istanbul (fantastic city) for 3 days and Athens for an extra day.

 

Originally we paid a further air differential to take a Lufthansa flight (we wanted a partner so we could collect points). In the end it did become a real mess and 2 weeks before we left we did not have our flight O said they booked for us.

 

Through a lot of pain and hard work my sister and TA worked on up with supervisors at O to correct this and get us a flight. To make a long story short. They got us an Air France flight through Paris for both flights and gave us back the differential we paid. We still deviated the dates as origanally requested. The Air France flight was great. In the end a very good experience which totally sweetened us.

 

The Oceania cruise was one of the best and we are booked on another one for this November. Yes, we are still considering the 'free air' even though it potentially was disasterous. We are just a lot smarter this time. Yes, we will deviate pre and post cruise (we always do) but once we find out what airline we are on, we will check and check and then check again. Just as DrHemlock said. You need to be a control freak here, don't let the chips fall where they may or you may not get the seat you want or like us, not have a seat at all!

 

Regarding, the hotel in Istanbul. We stayed in the Sultanamhet district at the Fehmi Bey, a small hotel. We absolutely loved it we specifically asked for corner rooms they are the biggest before getting into a suite. They may have cost a bit more, can't remember - but worth it. The room was nice with dark hardwood floors and neutrals and white decor. A huge bathroom with good water pressure. I found it on Trip Advisor and one man mentioned the large bathroom and good water pressure and he was right. The people were fantastic there. The best part was the rooftop patio. What a great place to end a day of endless walking and exploring. It was less than $200/night. Check their website if you want. We booked with them on line. We always book through the hotels website as much as possible. They were great with emailing back and forth and answering questions. They will also pick you up at the airport if you stay a minimum of three nights.

 

contact: Email - info@fehmibey.com

Website – http://www.fehmibey.com

 

I wrote a review and posted it on the Europe board, if you search for posts by my screenname you can probably locate it. Otherwise if you want to email me I could send it to you. My email address is stingraynz@aoldotcom, please remove the wording 'dot' and put a . in and please put Cruisecritic or Oceania cruising in the subject line so I know who it is from and not delete it.

 

The long and short is you will love the itinerary (all of Oceania's itineraries are fantastic) and the ships. You will also love Istanbul. If you can't beat O's air pricing take it and do a deviation and babysit the file.

[skatbak]

I Also Forgot To Say That We Were In Istanbul A Few Years Ago And Loved It . Last Time And This Time We Stayed At The Marriott And It Was Great.. They Have A Schuttle To The Bazar And Introduced Us To Someone At The Bazar Where We Could Go For Any Questions Or Help We Needed And Also Picked Us Up When We Were Finished. I Would Reccomend A Hotel Like The Marriott In Place Of A Smaller One For Safety And Help. Also The Hotel Was Very Nice And The Food Was Good There Also.