NCL Cruise/Air Packages

[AuntieBarb]

I am not interested in debating whether NCL's cruise/air packages are competitive or not. I've watched them and have found them to go either way. Personally with the fluctuations due to the "gas crisis", I'm thinking it might be a benefit. But again, that's not my interest.

 

I'd like to know about scheduling. If I should book air with NCL, when would I know the airline, flight# and departure times? Do they send the information after final payment or when the welcome packet is mailed? Are they ever non-stop flights or usually have connecting flights? Do passengers get to pick their seating assignments?

 

Just looking for pros/cons beyond the pricing argument.

[cruizinwithkids]

I can only tell you about my one experience. We booked a Hawaiian cruise. We ended up with the flights that pretty much would have been our first choice, BUT I think that is due to time and distance. We were scheduled to depart at 8AM and change planes in Chicago. Then non-stop from Chicago to Honolulu. There aren't a lot of options where you can leave in the morning and make embarkation. I think that allowed us to experience minimal changes.

 

We did not get our flight info until well after final payment. I called every few days. The day we got the info I went to the United Airlines website to gets seats. We were a party of four and did pretty well except for the Chicago to Honolulu flight. We weren't seated together, though close and we had many if not all middle seats.

 

One of the reasons I booked everything through NCL was that if there was a problem with the flights being cancelled I wanted to be able to contact them to resolve it. As it turned out our flight was cancelled the night before after customer service was closed so I was on my own to rebook. I believe NCL has since set up a 24 hour line to help people while in transit. This would have been useful as we didn't get to the ship until after midnight, but luckily the first night of the cruise was an overnight in Honolulu.

[AuntieBarb]

One of the reasons I booked everything through NCL was that if there was a problem with the flights being cancelled I wanted to be able to contact them to resolve it. As it turned out our flight was cancelled the night before after customer service was closed so I was on my own to rebook. I believe NCL has since set up a 24 hour line to help people while in transit.

 

Thanks for your feedback!

 

That is one of the key factors to me; having someone to negotiate alternate travel for something like you described. I would certainly hope there is a 24X7 help line!

[garycarla]

If you read experiences that have been posted, you will find that people have had minimal flexibility. Late notice for exactly which flight. When late notice, it is harder to assign good seats, often families do not sit together. Unless you pay extra for premium air, changes are not allowed or even discussed.

 

Some get extra stops vs the better non stops. NCL wants to fly you in the same day. On a long trip, that is chancy. Some will say they have to then get you to the ship. that might be nice, but you still miss the sail away and one night on the ship.

 

I opt NOT to use them because of the reasons above, not because of cost, good or bad.

[Carey and Kerry]

I have a couple of suggestions if you are going that route: if the flights are important I would pick out what you want, pay the air premium and give the flight info to NCL. A few days after you have confirmation from them that they accepted what you wanted (I believe they respond in 48 hours, so wait a day or so after you hear) then call the airlines directly, give them your name (you won't have any confirmation numbers from NCL) and they should be able to pull up the reservation and give you a confirmation #. At that point pick out your seating.

 

It sounds like a lot of effort, but at least you will know way before your cruise plus you will be able to check on it regularly for airline changes and if there are equipment changes, you can make sure your seats stay the way you want.

 

When we went to Alaska, we booked air thru NCL and did the above. I found out before NCL that one of our connections had been cancelled so I had time to rework it. They also changed our seats to crappy ones a couple of times due to equipment changes that we got changed back.

 

It did cost a little extra for the premium air charge, but it was under NCL's auspices and we still got the flights (except for the cancelled one) and seats we wanted at the times we wanted.

[meaclasact2]

Last year we used NCL air arrangements for our Panama Canal cruise. We also flew in on the same day. NCL had us booked on American, first flight out of JFK, direct to LA. Coming home, out of Miami - direct fight to JFK again. No problems with the flights.

 

This year we're using them again. This time we're flying in a few days early so we can see London. Direct flight to Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic. Coming home, out of Barcelona, Iberia to Madrid and then on to JFK.

 

As soon as my eDocs were available I had my flights - Virgin Atlantic was terrific in reserving my seats (you must reserve your own seats). With Iberia I needed the special record locator number, which our NCL PCC provided within 24 hours.

 

Price wise - we paid a bit more than the "market" for the JFK-LA-MIAMI-JFK. On the JFK-HEATHROW-BARCELONA-JFK route we saved a few bucks (go figure!).

 

So far so good...and I'll probably continue using NCL air if it makes sense. So far it has.

[Ginny, not Hermione]

We got our flight confirmation along with our tickets about 2 weeks before the cruise.

 

We flew out of JFK to Atlanta, changed planes and onto Miami. Not bad, we did have about 1 hour lay over but that was ok

 

BUT on the way home:

 

Miami to Atlanta (2 hour layover)

Atlanta to Pittsburgh (Another layover)

Pittsburgh to Chicago (another layover)

Chicago to JFK

 

We called to try to change but they would not change the tickets, so we took the looooooong way home!

 

There are direct flights from Miami to NYC every few minutes, on one airline or another! but no, we spent over 12 hours either on one plane or waiting in the airport for another change. The experience turned me off booking through cruise lines, so the next time we cruised out of Miami I booked a Southwest flight and stayed overnight in a hotel. Since we brought our kids it was actually cheaper then the cruise would have charged and much more relaxing.

[danixbanani]

I have never had to fly somewhere to get a cruise, however, in March 09 I will be doing this with NCL. My friends and I are flying to Miami. We looked at the prices of airfare through NCL and they were just this side of RIDICULOUS. Instead, we're flying day a day early and staying at the Holiday Inn at the Port of Miami. It is still CHEAPER than the regular airfare through NCL even with the air + hotel.

 

For us, it did not make sense to pay almost $800 more for flights when we got flights for about $200 roundtrip AND a hotel for $200 a night (between five of us, it comes to like $45 a person).

[MrLee]

The only time I found air to be cheaper with the cruise line was on an open jaw flight. I had to fly to London and then back from Miami and as much as I looked I couldn't find flights as cheap as the ones NCL found. Round-trip flights I've found cheaper myself and even the open jaw flights within the US.

 

My next cruise (and last years) I have to fly to JFK and back from Miami (actually I'm flying from Fort Lauderdale) and I found much better prices direct with the airlines.