To Book Air With the Cruise Line or Not To …. THAT is the Question!
By Mary Graves
To Book Air With the Line or Not To …. THAT is the Question!

Since most of you do not live within driving distance to popular embarkation ports, one of the most important decisions to make when booking a is whether or not to purchase the air package offered by the line.

As with everything else, there are pros and cons.

Following are some of the PROS of booking your air through the line.

-- No hassles with trying to book your own air and making sure air arrival and departure times will coordinate with the ship’s itinerary. The lines will make sure your flight coincides with the ship’s itinerary.

-- No worries about transfers from airport to port. Most lines include this wonderful perk when purchasing their cruise/air package. Depending on how far the airport is to the port, it may be worth it (money-wise). Additionally, the line will pick up your luggage and transport it to the port. However, if this is the only reason you are purchasing the cruise/air packages, “transfers” can be purchased separately.

--No stresses if the flight is delayed (that never happens, right?) and you miss the ship. The line will bend over backwards to make sure you board at the next port or even delay the ship’s departure time.

--No out of pocket fees if you decide to cancel the prior to the line’s penalty phase. Most lines will reimburse both your fare and air fare in full.

Following are some of the CONS of booking your air through the line

--Most of the time, the air package offered by the line is considerably more expensive than booking one’s own air. Even with the transfers included, it may not be worth it. This is not always the case and a good travel agent will always research both options.

Surely you have stopped reading by now. All you needed was the “considerably more expensive” statement and the decision was made

see more Reviews below...