UPDATE - I just don't understand Holland America

[moffl]

Hello All:

 

Well we finally got our travel arrangements including air from Holland America and it just keeps getting better and better for the Jan 13 sailing of the Veendam.

 

They have booked us to fly out of Northern Canada and into St. Paul and onto Tampa and Board the ship before it sails all in the same day. Must be Nice to sit in Houston and think the rest of the world has your weather. Just in case you people at Holland America don't understand we could be delayed anywhere along this as where we come from it is not unusual to get a snow storm and get delayed 2 -3 maybe more hrs before even leaving Canada for St. Paul. Then of course there is the great possibility that we will circle St. Paul for 1 hr as usual in January.

If we are lucky enough they just may have the plane that we are to fly to Tampa on waiting for us in the next lane so that we don't have to kill ourselves running 1.5 miles to get on the plane.

 

My wife and i have sailed 6 previous times and have always paid the cruise line to make all the arrangements and they have always flown us in the day before.

 

I for one have to admit that this will be our 4th on Holland and every year it seems things get worse.

 

Maybe just me but after forking out good hard earned money and then told that if we miss the ship they will fly us to the next port and that is 4 days into the 14 day cruise. If i had wanted a 10 day cruise i would have booked one for alot less money.

 

Last time for Holland America

[grannynurse]

Why don't you apply for an "air deviation"? That way you can choose you own flights and times. The process is outlined in HAL's cruise brochure and is handled by a separate department. It does cost however, $50-75 but it might be worth it to you and your peace of mind.

GN

[iancal]

We fly to FLL at least once per year. We ALWAYS arrange our own air. Two reasons, itinerary is ours -not theirs and price. Arranging our own air usually saves us enough money pay for our pre cruise expense-normally we go down 1 or 2 days prior.

 

A travel agent told us about the cruise line arrangements with the airlines. Essentially they pay rock bottom wholesale prices BUT the airline reserves the right to route the passager. This means that the unlucky cruise air passenger can get terrible connections or less than direct flights. It does not always work like this but it can. For example, from Toronto, cruise air might route you to FLL with one stop-but an elapsed travel time of 6-7 hours vs a direct flight of 3 1/2 hours. You can get lucky and get a good flight-depending on your origin. If you are not so lucky, you have the pleasure of paying a deviation fee plus a fare differentiation cost. Holland is no different that the other mainline cruise companies when it comes to cruise air.

[Northshorecruisers]

We have also found that doing our own air arrangements saves us enough money that we can fly in a day early, get a room, and have dinner. Makes for a relaxing way to start vacation.

When my dad flew from Toronto to San Diego with HAL, they routed him through Atlanta. He arrived at the ship around 2pm and had been flying since 5am. Good thing for the 3 hour time difference.

On our recent cruise, we planned to fly to Ft Lauderdale a day early and arrive at 12:30 in the afternoon. Our flight was cancelled before we left Minneapolis (due to problems at the Atlanta airport). They finally got us on a flight 6 hours later that took us to Chicago and then Sarasota. Then we had to drive 5 hours from Sarasota to Ft Lauderdale and we arrived at our hotel at 11:30pm.

I would just be too stressed to fly in the same day as the cruise.

[98Charlie]

We have also found that doing our own air arrangements saves us enough money that we can fly in a day early, get a room, and have dinner. Makes for a relaxing way to start vacation.

When my dad flew from Toronto to San Diego with HAL, they routed him through Atlanta. He arrived at the ship around 2pm and had been flying since 5am. Good thing for the 3 hour time difference.

On our recent cruise, we planned to fly to Ft Lauderdale a day early and arrive at 12:30 in the afternoon. Our flight was cancelled before we left Minneapolis (due to problems at the Atlanta airport). They finally got us on a flight 6 hours later that took us to Chicago and then Sarasota. Then we had to drive 5 hours from Sarasota to Ft Lauderdale and we arrived at our hotel at 11:30pm.

I would just be too stressed to fly in the same day as the cruise.

We've only found the cruise air less expensive one time in 24 cruises. That was for a Dawn Princess Southern Caribbean out of San Juan. You're right that the difference usually pays for a nice (usually not 5 star but nice) hotel, dinner and the ride to the port.

 

Add to that the rigors of any long flight times and we'd much rather relax (collapse) in a hotel and sleep off the flight then enjoy the whole cruise.

 

To OP: We have booked cruise air at times and cancelled that portion when we found the better air fares. Too late for your current cruise since you usually have to cut the air before final payment. But, something to think about for a future cruise.

 

I would agree that you may want to check into a deviation.

 

Charlie

[PennyAgain]

I depended on HAL to make air bookings for me on the same day as sailing and missed the ship due to bad weather in Atlanta. Doesn't have to be Canadian bad weather.

 

LIsten to your instincts and fly the day ahead.

[Copper10-8]

We've never booked cruise air. In the long run it pays off to book your own and fly in the day before especially in winter if you are coming from an area prone to weather delays. I'd go with the others if I were you, spend the extra $75 and go for the deviation. It just might save you some headaches in the long run! Btw, not sure if I understood the Houston, Tx reference but that's probably just me;)

[Copper10-8]

Duplicate

[terrydtx]

For US Itineraries we always book air ourselves, not only save tons of money but get to choose seats and days, times and preferred airline. On our recent Volendam cruise HAL’s added air from Birmingham to FLL was over $600 per person, we flew on Delta day before for $238 and stayed in Hotel the night before for $80 and the hotel provided free transfers from airport to the hotel and the ship. Our TA sells us insurance that will cover the air cost if we have a medical reason to cancel or if we loose luggage or miss the cruise and have to catch up the next port.

[jtl513]

After getting terrible routing/connections from HAL air twice, the next time we paid the $50 pp deviation and picked what we wanted. For our Apr cruise we're going to do our own air. I believe the deviation fee is $100 pp for flights to Europe.

[Stevesan]

It just might save you some headaches in the long run! Btw, not sure if I understood the Houston, Tx reference but that's probably just me;)

 

Well, we are expecting highs in the eighties this weekend! :)

 

Maybe OP confused Houston with Seattle, HAL's home base. An easy error to make.

[Two if by Sea]

A LONG time ago, I think the cruise lines had truly good deals on the airfare. The only other cruise I ever took was 20+ years ago, and airfare to Aruba was essentially included in the price (that is, all quoted brochure prices included airfare, and if you wanted to book your own you got a tiny refund on the order of $100 per person.

[Silver sailor]

On all previous cruises we have always used the cruise line to book air and pre-stay (always go the day before in order to avoid any problems)

On our last cruise with HAL we did the same. Prior to making final payment we learned that our flight to FLL would involve one stop and we were scheduled to arrive at 8 PM. Seem rather odd since we also had the hotel room . Gave us just enough time to arrive and get a decent night sleep

Cancelled the flight arranged on our own. Arrived , non stop, from EWR at 11:00 AM and saved over $200

In the future, will always make our own arrangements for both air & hotel

[Copper10-8]

Well, we are expecting highs in the eighties this weekend! :)

 

Maybe OP confused Houston with Seattle, HAL's home base. An easy error to make.

 

Kinda like Huskies versus Owls

[hammybee]

Regardless of what is prudent, most passengers who fly to the port, do so on on the day of sailing. Most of them make it too, as evidenced by the hoards of buses that arrive directly from the airport, all day long.

 

If there are flights that will, under reasonable conditions, get you to the port in time, I cannot imagine a cruise line who is going to insist that you incur the additional cost of an overnight hotel, unless you request to do so and are willing to pay for the deviation and hotel.

 

I would become very familiar with my trip insurance policy and understand who is responsible for what/when in the event that the ship sailed without me.

 

I would find out who is going to pay for 4 nights of lodging/food in the event I missed the ship due to weather delays and/or connections and how I am going to get to St Thomas from Tampa, because I think most flights go out of Miami.

 

And then I would want to know how I am going to get to the ship, from the airport, in St. Thomas.

 

I would become very clear on the process so that I would know exactly who to call, the minute it became apparent that I was not going to make the ship.

 

I would want to know the incremental cost associated with changing my flights, at this late date, to arrive the day before the cruise and overnight at a hotel. I would carefully weigh these incremental costs against the peace of mind I would acquire, by doing so.

 

And going forward, I would probably choose to take control over my own arrangements rather than assume and be at the mercy of a situation well beyond my control.

[hammybee]

A LONG time ago, I think the cruise lines had truly good deals on the airfare. The only other cruise I ever took was 20+ years ago, and airfare to Aruba was essentially included in the price (that is, all quoted brochure prices included airfare, and if you wanted to book your own you got a tiny refund on the order of $100 per person.

 

Cruise lines often offer better fares on interantional flights, at least from the U.S. to Europe. Occasionally, they offer better rates on domestic flights from the Midwest to Florida, during a few premium Spring break weeks. It costs nothing to comparison shop.

 

I have no idea what the deal is when flying from somewhere in Northern Canada to Florida and the added complexity of exchange rate, CAN vs. USD. It seems far more complicated than the typical US domestic flight situation. I can't apply my own domestic flight experience to this international situation.

[rochelle_s]

moffl,

I don't know where in Northern Canada you are, but you might be interested in how we flew for our last cruise. We were sailing out of Houston in February. We looked at both cruise air and flying Toronto to Houston on our own. both were expensive, more than the cruise itself. We decided to give Buffalo a try. Given February weather can be so unpredictable we flew two days early. The best part was the cost of the Buffalo-Houston return airfare was less than what we would have paid for the taxes on a Toronto-Houston flight. The amount of money we saved easily covered two nights hotel in Houston, our meals and other expenses.

 

Peace of mind........priceless.

 

So if you are able ....see if there is an American gateway you can fly from.

 

Good luck whatever route you go and have a wondeful cruise.

[Sky Sweet]

Cruise lines often offer better fares on interantional flights, at least from the U.S. to Europe. Occasionally, they offer better rates on domestic flights from the Midwest to Florida, during a few premium Spring break weeks. It costs nothing to comparison shop.

 

I have no idea what the deal is when flying from somewhere in Northern Canada to Florida and the added complexity of exchange rate, CAN vs. USD. It seems far more complicated than the typical US domestic flight situation. I can't apply my own domestic flight experience to this international situation.

 

Hi Hammybee :)

 

I found that to be true for our international flight from JFK to Heathrow for our Baltic Cruise last year. The fact that the cruise air package included transfers from Heathrow to the port in Dover, which is a considerable distance, made it an even better value. We also had a non stop flight, as well, that was as good as if we booked it ourselves.

 

That wasn't the case, however, for fares from JFK to Barcelona for our Mediterranean Cruise next June. Not only were they more expensive, but I was concerned that we might not get a non stop flight, and that flight is long enough. Therefore, I booked a non stop flight from JFK to Barcelona directly with the airline.

 

Even though, it is usually better to book it ourselves, I always check all options before making that decision.

[ClevelandOhio]

Sometimes I think the air fare can be particularly attractive especially when combined with a post or pre stay in a port. But the indirect flights are beyond outragous! I figured out I had to do something about the air bookings when they flew me from Barcelona, to NYC Kennedy, to Atlanta, and then to Cleveland. Without delays of any kind, we had been traveling for 24 hours when we arrived in Cleveland.

 

Now I pay the deviation charge, (last cruise from Lisbon to Rio de Janiero) was $75 and got very nice direct flights. Being met at the airport by HAL representives and whisked away to your hotel is an awesome luxury - particularly if you are in Europe and I have flown all night.

 

If you are going to buy air fare through the HAL I think it's worth it to pay for the deviation and get some control over your flights. But it does irritate me that they gouge you for a few bucks to provide resonable customer service.

[moffl]

Well, we are expecting highs in the eighties this weekend! :)

 

Maybe OP confused Houston with Seattle, HAL's home base. An easy error to make.

 

you are correct my mistake

[cruisingshy]

A fellow Canadian here who is on the Zaandam out of San Diego January 1/08 and like you, know what it's like to travel during Canadian winters. When we booked, we opted to leave 2 days before our cruise JUST IN CASE and asked for a price through our travel agency. I'm not sure if it ended up being more because of that, but I did check Air Canada's website to get an idea of the airfares, and it's bang on what HAL charged us. This is my first cruise, so I'm paranoid about getting there with no hassles, and I figure, if all goes well, and we get there early, hey, we have 2 days in San Diego to sightsee. For me, it's worth any extra air fare or hotel costs.

[moffl]

Thanks all of those that posted.

 

I took your advice and called my TA and they contacted Holland America and this is what they said.

 

We can change his flight to the day before but it will cost him 150.00 per person and then i have to find my own Hotels on top of it.

 

Does anyone have a phone number for Holland America Customer Service i think it is about time i have a talk with them.

 

Oh forgot to mention in last post our total time from the time we are to land in Minneapolis St. Paul to the time we take off is 1hr 10 minutes

This doesn't leave anytime for circling the airport, the line up at customs declaring our luggage going back through security and then getting to the terminal that we leave from

[pms4104]

If you booked thru a T/A, it is highly unlikely that HAL will talk directly with you. It is expected by HAL that all contact regarding your specifics be handled thru your T/A. Yes, you are HAL's guest ... but you are also a T/A's client and HAL wants you to work with the agent.

 

Found and read your original thread ... 'tis a shame that your T/A who, I presume, either lives/works in North Canada or knows about winter weather there, did not suggest to you either independent air and pre-cruise hotel or a HAL package that included pre-nights as well as air. Indeed, your flight arrangements may be tight, but your T/A also should take responsibility for not being more pro-active by suggesting appropriate arrangements for your winter travels.

[Jade13]

If you booked thru a T/A, it is highly unlikely that HAL will talk directly with you. It is expected by HAL that all contact regarding your specifics be handled thru your T/A. Yes, you are HAL's guest ... but you are also a T/A's client and HAL wants you to work with the agent.

 

She can try to contact guest relations. I used HAL air in 2006. Although I had to go through my TA with the requested flights, I know I could speak to someone directly to find our what my options where/who HAL had the contracts with. The OP is probably being asked to pay a diviation fee.

[Jade13]

Thanks all of those that posted.

 

I took your advice and called my TA and they contacted Holland America and this is what they said.

 

We can change his flight to the day before but it will cost him 150.00 per person and then i have to find my own Hotels on top of it.

 

Does anyone have a phone number for Holland America Customer Service i think it is about time i have a talk with them.

 

Oh forgot to mention in last post our total time from the time we are to land in Minneapolis St. Paul to the time we take off is 1hr 10 minutes

This doesn't leave anytime for circling the airport, the line up at customs declaring our luggage going back through security and then getting to the terminal that we leave from

 

Have you researched the flights yourself to tell them exactly what you want?