Booking Flight via Dis - it's worth it!

[Timster]

Our September 2005 7 night Western is booked! Can't wait!!!!!

Going with close friends. We both have 3 (will be 4) years olds.
Make sure you link your reservation if you are traveling with family or friends so you eat together. We also have connecting rooms on Deck 6
Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah

Queen-size bed or two twin beds Sleeps 3 (some sleep 4)
Single convertible sofa Private verandah
Privacy divider 268 sq. ft

We booked flights via Dis.
Benefit:
1. We drop our bags at Logan in Boston and won't see them again until we get to our cabin. At the end of the cruise they pick up our bags the night before disembarking and we don't see them again until we get back to Boston.
2. If we miss the boat (flight troubles..) Dis guarantees they will get us to the boat.

Disney really does do it right!

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

But for half the cost of Disney, I can take the bags off the belt and have a car service pick me and tha bags off. From that point I never touch the bags again and now I get to spend (on average) another $600 ($150 pp...my typical savings) on cruise fun!

 

[JC Butterfly]

I hope you got a great deal on your flight! It seems that booking with Disney is usually more expensive than booking on your own, however I often fly out of a regional airport. Sometimes this means cheaper flights if I book myself and sometimes it's better to book through Disney . . . it always pays to compare.

Since your trip isn't until September of next year it will give you plenty of time to assess what the average fare is for you and if you got a good deal or not. Then you could consider paying a town car service or you could even pay for Disney transfers if you like.

But if the all-in-one deal gives you piece of mind, maybe it's worth the extra expense to you. Glad you're so excited!

 

[Dodie]

Timster:

Don't let it get you down, but I believe that most people on this forum would disagree with you. Some of the reasons have been listed above.

Just like visiting WDW, where booking the room and tickets separately is almost always a better deal than the "package" that Disney offers you, booking your own air travel for the cruise is sometimes a wise thing. Most people on this board also believe that it is better to arrive the day/night before the cruise (for various reasons.)

As mentioned above, you have some time to think about this and look around for better air fares.

If having it "all done at once" makes you feel happy and secure, than, by all means, be happy!

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

Originally posted by Timster
1. We drop our bags at Logan in Boston and won't see them again until we get to our cabin. At the end of the cruise they pick up our bags the night before disembarking and we don't see them again until we get back to Boston.

Well, sort of. You do leave your bags outside your room on the last night of the cruise, and they are taken off the ship for you. But... you have to claim your bags in the cruise terminal and have them with you when you pass through Customs. You them check them outside the terminal and then you don't see them again until you get to Logan.

Others have mentioned the merits of booking your own air. Another point is that if you book your own air and purchase the DCL transfers, you can have the same luggage handling benefits. The transfers include baggage handling. You just give DCL your flight info, put the cruise tags on the bags when you check them at Logan, then they'll be delivered to the ship for you.

Your point about being delayed is a good one. When you book your own air, you're on your own (although most trip insurance policies cover delays, too). We used to used DCL's air package, but have been booking our own air lately, since the price of the air package seems to go up faster than airfares. I always compare both and figure out what the cost of airfare would have to be to make it worthwhile for me to book my own air. You can figure $46/pp for transfers and deduct that from the cost of DCL air and do the math easily. We fly in from the west coast the night before the cruise, so being delayed isn't as much of an issue.

 

[Timster]

Thanks for all the feedback. We will explore all options, but for me I like the one stop shopping angle.

 

[gottaluvdis]

As Lloyd said, everyone on the ship gets the same luggage handling courtesy when departing the ship. As long as you have your luggage in the hallway between 10:30 -11:00 pm the night before, they take anyone's luggage whether you booked your flight with them or not. Customs regulations require you to re-claim your bags at the terminal upon disembarking. We also never touched our bags because a porter brought the bags to the car for us at port. You may want to really check the airfare you are paying - I can almost guarantee that a low cost airline out of BOS, MHT or Providence will be cheaper. Also, Disney apparently doesn't tell you what flights/times you'll be on until almost the last minute, and they are notorious for putting people on connecting flights rather than direct. Since Orlando's only 2 hours and change from Boston, I personally wouldn't want to spend the day getting there due to connections.

 

[mmouse37]

We have done it both ways.....the only thing I did not like about DCL air was that you do not know what flight you are on until about 3 weeks before sailing....and....you may not have a direct flight...DCL often books their air passengers on connecting flights.

As you say...it is great to do one stop shopping....but be aware what looks convenient in the beginning may not be when you have to change planes or stop at another airport with two 4 year olds...

You have plenty to time to shop and compare....check out Expedia.com and put in the dates you are traveling to just get an idea how much you could save doing air on your own. Once you find a decent price go directly to the airlines website and book it there because generally I save a few buck more because Expedia charges a booking fee to use their site.

I prefer booking my own air because of the cost difference and I have complete control over what flight I am taking. I book to fly in the day before in case of flight delays....I like direct flights and would not feel comfortable waiting until 3 weeks before to see what flights I had.

MJ

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

If you book your air through DCL, the actual reservations are made 30 days prior to sailing. You can call DCL reservations and ask for the air desk at this time, and they'll give you the flight info. You can then call the airlines for seat assignments to be sure your group sits together. Otherwise, you don't know about your flights until your documents arrive, probaby 2-3 weeks prior to sailing. Sometimes you'll end up having to sit apart if you wait this long to get seat assignments.

A lot has been said about the less-than-desirable connections you might end up with when they book your air, but my own experience has been postive in this regard. We've always flown out of Ontario, CA (ONT) with a stop in Dallas. The layover was only about an hour, and we would get to Orlando by 5:00pm (when flying from the west coast, they give you the option of arriving the day before, or taking the red-eye; the day before option includes a night at the Hyatt).

 

[JJsmama]

If Disney guarentees that they will get you to the ship if you miss it, out of curiosity: How do they go about getting you there once the ship has sailed?

 

[DrCavin]

They will fly you to the next port that the ship will be at. On Eastern this would be St. Marteen & Key West for Western.

Western is not too bad to miss, but Eastern you loose two sea days

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

Also, depending on how late you'll be, the can hold the ship for your before departing Port Canaveral. I don't think they'd even do this for you if you didn't book your air with them.

 

[mickeyboat]

We booked our air through DCL and paid a lot more than I would have if I had done it on my own. However, we did experience delays in getting to the ship, we were the last to board. Our luggage did not make it with us, so DCL had it flown to St. Maarten and delivered it to our stateroom. They were very accomodating to us in terms of washing our clothes, filing a claim with Delta and providing robes and formal wear.

I didn't like the we didn't have flight information until 30 days out. The flight times were not very convenient and left little room for error. Also, even if we would have gotten on the flights we were supposed to get on, we would not have been in time to get Palo reservations. We would not have been to port until around 3PM.

We were all for the convenience of doing it all in one stop and not having to handle our bags until they came to our stateroom. But if I had to do it over again, I would have spent the extra airfare money on a hotel room and flown down the night before.

Something to think about.

Denae

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by DrCavin
They will fly you to the next port that the ship will be at. On Eastern this would be St. Marteen & Key West for Western.

It's my understanding that the cruise line is legally prevented from boarding any passengers at Key West -- including passengers who had intended to board at Port Canaveral, but whose flights (whether booked throuigh DCL or independently) were delayed. That's because the Passenger Services Act of 1886 prohibits foreign-flagged ships from transporting passengers between two U.S. ports, unless certain conditions are met (which are not met on the Western Caribbean itinerary).

So, on the Western Caribbean itinerary, the delayed passenger would need to board the ship on Tuesday in Grand Cayman. (Please correct me if I am mistaken.)

If you book your air through DCL and they can't get you to Port Canaveral by the normal departure time due to a flight delay, DCL may hold the ship for a limited amount of time. But, DCL can't wait too long without jeopardizing the arrival of the ship in the first port.

I fly a lot. Most flights arrive within an hour of the scheduled arrival time. But I've also had flights delayed for many hours. If you're going some place like WDW, a 6-hour flight delay just means you lose some vacation time on the first day. But, when cruising, such a delay is likely to mean you won't join the cruise until several days later.

I always fly on the day before the cruise.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

I originally booked my air for our land/sea vacation thru DCL, then discovered that I was paying twice as much than if I booked it myself ... so I cancelled my air thru DCL and booked it myself ... best of all I got to choose my flight time.

This is our first cruise and I normally book thru Disney Travel Co. for our WDW vacations ... and the air is normally the same as I can get w/o discounts so that's okay, paying DCL double the fare is not, esp. as you don't get to choose your carrier or flight times!

 

[my3kids]

Tim: One stop shopping is nice, but so are no stop flights. With Disney's air, you have no say in the ticketing. You may or MAY NOT get seats all together. You may or MAY NOT get a direct flight. I'm not sure they even guarantee you will be on the same flight(but not positive of that) But keep in mind, your toddlers might be ticketed to sit with some other parents.

 

[DisneyDreamer8]

Anytime we do cruise only we let DCL handle our flight. We always fly in the day before because we come from the west coast. As for the stops along the way...there are very few direct flights from OR to FL so we always have one or two stops. For the 14 day in May it was actually cheaper for us to let DCL handle it. When I looked up multi city flights they were way more than what we are paying for the flight, hotel and transfers together.

When we do land/sea we book our own air.

To each his/her own

 

[B3LM]

If you use Disney Cruise Line ground transfers, they still handle your luggage transfers for you.

On our January cruise, they did hold the ship at Port Canaveral for about 20 minutes for passengers due to late arriving flights because of weather.

 

[wltdsnyfan]

Timster: The one disadvantage I found in booking through DCL is they could not guarantee me a Direct Flight. If I am paying that kind of money and comming from (Ohare) I expect a direct flight. I cancelled booked my own. This is just my two cents.

 

[kcashner]

Lots of accurate information here.....

First, I've always found air thru DCL to be more expensive than booking on my own. Secondly, with more than 3 people, it is cheaper to use a private limo service than DCL transfers. With the private limo, you pay by the vehicle, not per person. Of course, the size/type of vehicle you need is determined by number of people. Also, the private limo will allow a 15 minute grocery or Walmart stop if you need something.

With private limo, you will go to baggage claim, where you will meet the driver, He will then take your bags to the vehicle. He will drop your bags with the porter at the ship, and you will see them in your cabin. SO....all you had to do was identify your bags on arrival at MCO. Leaving the ship, everyone gets identical service--you place your bags outside your cabin, and reclaim them in customs. A porter helps you take them thru customs and to your DCL bus/limo/auto.

It is true that DCL will hold the ship for you if you book air thru them. We usually get around that issue by flying down a day ahead and getting a 3* MCO area hotel room thru Priceline. The room costs about $30, which still means a good savings over booking thru DCL.