cruise air--Minneapolis to LA

[YooperGale]

cruise air--Minneapolis to LA

Hi,

 

I've asked this question before but never received an answer--maybe because no one has the answer. Anyway, I'll try again and post this on several different boards.

 

Has anyone ever booked air through a cruise lines (Carnival in particular) from Minneapolis to LA?

 

If so, what time did youflight leave Minneapolis?

What airlines did you use.

Did you get to LA in plenty of time for your cruise?

How many layovers did you have?

 

We have tentatively booked air through Carnival as it is significantly less expensive than booking our own. We would have to book two one-way tickets---Minneapolis to LA and Miami back to Minneapolis.

 

I do have one more question.

 

If we ask Carnival to book our flights two days in advance, would that cost $50.00 per person---or would it be considered twodeviations (or whatever they call it) andf therefore cost $100.00 per person?

 

Thank you very much for any informationyou can give me.

Gale

[wrp96]

Some tips about cruise air:

 

They will book you on whatever flights are cheapest for them at the time they actually book your flights. So whatever anyone else has had in the past will have no bearing on what you actually get. You might get the non-stop with the decent departure and arrival time, or you might get the connecting flight that requires you to leave extremely early in the morning and leaves you little to no time to get to the pier. For example of the idiocy of cruise air departments, Princess told someone this week that a flight that lands at 3:30pm at FLL was fine for a 5pm departure - even though there is a DHS rule that you must be onboard the ship no later than 60 minutes before sailing. If you stick with cruise air and day of flights, then absolutely do a deviation and choose your own flight - it will be worth every penny. BUT the best thing to do would be to fly in at least a day in advance.

 

You also might want to read this on Cruise Air which talks about all the issues you might encounter http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=530322

[YooperGale]

Thank you for the information and link. I am trying to get all possible information--knowing that sometimes extra money spent is well worth it--if one can afford it.

Gale

[thunder_lin]

A couple of years ago we booked airfare with Carnival to fly from Thunder Bay to Miami. They booked us via Minneapolis on Northwest but it was a nightmare. We did not get our flights till the week prior to departure and fought with Carnival up until the day before departure because they had split up our family of four. As it was we ended up having to stay an extra couple of days in Miami because of all the flight problems. Not sure what would have happened had we not been flexible.

Keep checking kayak.com for airfares. You might find something cheaper yourself.

Why are you booking Minneapolis to LA and then Miami to Minneapolis? Do you cruise from LA and disembark in Miami?

[6rugrats]

When you post a question, it's a good idea to go back to that post and read the answers. You already received answers to this question when you first posted it on 03 Oct.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=854500

[Cruisin' Chick]

The one time we booked air thru a cruiseline (Carnival, LA to Miami) we didn't realized we could be given red-eyed flights to get us in the same day of the cruise, especially as we were to get a hotel room as part of the package. I immediately called our TA, after seeing the tickets, to change to a flight getting us in the evening before.

 

Since then, any flight or train arrangements, I've made on my own. Even if it costs more.