sandi

We are going on another cruise...While the cruise line will guarantee that they get you there before the cruise, it is not always the most economical nor practical. Which is the best way to approach this problem. When left to our TA, we often have had difficulty, but she finds the best fares?

JimM

Sandi ==&gt;<BR><BR>I think you answered your own question. Buying air and transfers from the cruise line is a convenience that generally costs more than the &quot;do-it-yourself&quot; route. Only you can decide what that convenience is worth. Personally, I find that convenience worth it. If necessary, I pay the price for a deviation -- $50 or thereabouts -- to get the most convenient connections.<BR>

Paul Therault

Hi Sandi,<BR><BR>I think of cruise-line air as buying insurance. Somehow, if there is a problem, the cruise line will get you to the ship. I have been on many cruises where the ship did not sail until after midnight. They were waiting for their cruise line air passengers to arrive. A couple of years ago when American has a walkout, the major cruise lines chartered planes for their cruise line air passengers.<BR><BR>Keep in mind the cruise line does try to get you to the ship but they are not always successful in every emergency. They will get you to the next port of call without you paying a thousand bucks to do it yourself.<BR><BR>Paul<BR>

xxx

I have booked cruise and air seperate. There was a tremendous savings for us. Between 4 and $500.00. I checked a number of times, and the price was the same no matter how I figured it out. The plane lands 7 hours before the cruise sets sail. I only paid for the transfers at the dock. You can request that feature, alone, and still pay air fare separate.

Cruiser

If you are sailing out of a port like FLL, forget the cruise lines transfers---take a cab. From pier to airport last Oct. cost me $7.35 (without tip).

Starfish

Cruise line do NOT guarantee they will get you there in time. Sometimes ships wait and sometimes NOT. There are plenty of stories about people missing the ship that booked through the cruise line. The cruise line WILL fly you to the next port if you book through them. <BR>You can book you own air much cheaper most of the time.

Paul Therault

First, the cruise lines are the airlines biggest customers. They do honor their requests. Also, cruise ships DO wait as long as possible. Also, the cruise line WILL get you to the next port free of charge. I got on a ship in Barbados once at 1AM.<BR><BR>Second, don't count on the cab fare to be $7.00 to the ship. Depends on how many ships are in the port. The last time I took a cab it took over 1/2 hour to get through pier security (five ships in port). $26 plus tip. I should have waited for my $10 transfer bus.<BR><BR>Paul

Peter

Book the air yourself and save several hundered dollars per person. Fly down the day before the sailing date. Spend $50 apiece of your savings for a hotel room and that will provide the comfort buffer for those that worry about missing the ship.<BR><BR>Anyone who takes a ships transfer from the airport in FLL to the port is crazy. Port security or not - nine times out of ten I'll beat the transfer bus to the ship by twenty minutes or more and save 50% in the process.

Theresa

I always book my own air and always fly in the day before. I live in the midwest and we have bad winters - so flying in the day before makes sense. I use Priceline for my hotels and normally get something around $50. I also like being rested by the time I get to the ship and like to be one of the first on.<BR><BR>Taxi from ship to FLL airport (and vice versa) normally costs me $6. I never use the ship transfers.

Bob

Definitely book your own air--the savings (especially if you're starting at a small airport) can be huge.<BR><BR>In four cruises I've flown in the day of twice and the day before twice. Haven't had a problem on any trip.<BR><BR>(Question for the board--are the airlines getting better in on-time percentage with the lower volume of travel, or have I just been lucky lately?)<BR><BR>As to the transfers--forget it; take a cab. If you've got at least two people in the cab it's usually cheaper; you don't have to wait for the whole bus to fill up and then unload; and you don't arrive at the pier at the same time as a busload of other people (well, at least this busload of other people). <BR><BR>Have a great trip!

Starfish

Just read a horror story about getting the cruise lines air. Since the cruise line is always looking for the cheapest fare, they have these people going by way of Timbukto! This is something to consider. You don't always get direct flights, they love to fly you all over the place. <BR>One way to resolve this is to pay extra for air diviation, then you can pick your flights. Otherwise book yourself and fly the day before.

Linda

Sandi,<BR>We booked our own air for a cruise out of the port near Athens, Greece. We scheduled plenty of extra time for late flights, etc. But, British Airways bumped us from our flight so we missed the sailing by one day.<BR>I think we would have had it easier if we'd booked through the cruise line. When it's so far away we now use the cruise lines transportation unless we're going several days in advance.<BR>Linda

Paul Therault

ALWAYS go a day in advance if you book your own air. It is no fun to miss your ship. Think about it.<BR><BR>Paul

Marie Hamrin

Do one of 3 things:<BR> 1) Book air yourself one day early or<BR> 2) Fly in same day &amp; buy insurance. or<BR> 3) Buy air from cruise company

Paul Therault

Absolutely. Except insurance will help you with some money to catch up with the ship at the next port but will not help you if the ship leaves without you. <BR><BR>Upscale cruise lines (Holland and up) will give you a 99% chance of a non-stop flight.<BR><BR>Paul

Sara

As usual, I disagree about HAL giving you a 99% chance of a direct flight. If I booked HAL air each time, there is no way they could give me a direct flight.<BR><BR>Many people - including myself that don't fly out of a big city have no access to a direct flight to get to a cruise port. I would have to drive 9 hours to have access to a city with a direct flight to a cruise line port. Otherwise, I only have access to direct flights to airline hubs (St. Louis, Dallas, Minnieapolis, Chicago and Denver).

Judy

This book your own is fine if the Cruise<BR>is round trip. But if you embark at one<BR>port, and disembark at another, that is<BR>very very expensive! We pick up<BR>the ship in Chile, and disembark in NYC.<BR>We are using Los Angeles as our base, as<BR>we live on Maui.<BR>JMaui

Paul Therault

Sorry Sarah I did not think about small airports.<BR><BR>Paul

Sara

Not necessairly a small airport - we have a million people in our city - we just don't have direct flights to anything but airport hubs.

judy

One cruise line flew us from LaGuardia to Miami to Tampa to Aruba when we booked air through them. Ever since, we've done it on our own and found not only convenience but better prices.