DCL Air - Have you Used?

[maminnie]

Has anyone used the Disney air program during the winter months for your cruise?

If so, what type of flights did you get - what carrier, non-stop, connections, etc.? Were you happy with the flights that you got?

We may be travelling during a very busy, expensive time of year and potentially a snowy time and thought Disney air might be the best way to go.

Sharing your experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, maminnie

 

[mickeyboat]

We used Disney Air last March. I did this mainly because I loved the idea of checking my luggage it my home airport and not seeing it again until we arrived at our stateroom. We chose not to fly in the night before (big mistake). Our flight was from Manchester, NH to MCO through Atlanta on Delta. We were to leave at 7:30AM and arrive at MCO at 1PM.

The weather was perfect, except for fog. When our plane finally landed in Manchester, the crew needed a mandatory four hour rest period. So we did not levae until 11:30. Our first flight was not scheduled to land at MCO until 6:30PM - we would have missed the ship. I broke down in tears at the ticket counter and managed to get on stand-by for a quicker connection in Atlanta. We made it by the skin of our teeth and arrived at MCO at 4PM.

We raced to the DCL bus - sans luggage - and made it to the ship at 5PM. Our luggage arrived the same time we did in St. Maarten.

A couple of things: I was in constant contact with DCL agents and with our travel insurance company. They were very helpful and contacted Delta on our behalf while we were trying to make alternative arrangements. I think bookig air through Disney may have played a part in getting the stand-by flight from Atlanta (but my teary performance may have helped too).

DCL had a rep waiting at the gate for us when we arrived at MCO to rush us to the bus. Since I had contacted them before, they knew we were coming. We were the only ones on the bus.

The rep I spoke to on the phone said the ship would wait for a short time for us - but not until 7:30.

DCL made arrangements with Delta to reimburse us for the expenses we incurred to replace our necessities. They also provided laundry service, formalwear and toiletries. Guest Services was amazing!

I don't doubt DCL would have been just as generous to any other traveler in our shoes, but I think using DCL air may have helped in our situation.

That being said, if we choose to do it again, we would skip DCL air and travel the day before. We paid a premium for their airfare - an unnecessary expense if I had planned properly.

Good luck to you.

Denae

 

[TrolleyGirl]

We also used Disney Air this past January. The reason I choose to use it was because we couldn't fly out the day before and our January weather is very unpredictable. The flight times were perfect with only one brief connection. By the way from our hometown, every flight is at least one connection. The disney air program gave me comfort that they would get me to the ship or refund my $$. I would recomend it if you are aprensive about making the ship in time.

Hope this helps.

 

[TheWog]

Can you fly the day before? If so, go ahead and do it. The money you will save booking on your own you can use to get a hotel and be able to relax. Many people do this and have enjoyed the ease of the travel. No tense moments. Many are also very tired after traveling all day and don't get to appreciate the first afternoon/evening on the ship.

We flew down the day before in January 2004 and our flights were delayed and didn't arrive at MCO until 10:30 at night (over 7 hours later than expected). Good thing it was day before...... just a thought for you.

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I think the type of flights you get (connecting, non-stop, etc.) and the carrier will depend on where you'll be flying from. We've used DCL air several times. From LAX, we flew non-stop on United. From Ontario, CA, we had Delta both times with about an hour layover in Dallas/Ft. Worth. In each case, we arrived the night before (flying from the west coast, you either choose to arrive the day before or take the red-eye). The cost of the air package includes a night at the Hyatt in the Orlando airport if you choose the day before option. Surprisingly, it's not any cheaper to take the red-eye.

A note on luggage, based on what Mickeyboat said above: You can have them deal with your luggage if you book your own air, provided you've purchased the transfers from DCL and you're arriving the morning or early afternoon of the cruise. The baggage handling works the same way, you just have to notify DCL of your flight information.

 

[allears]

We have personally booked air through Disney once, on our first cruise. Since we were newbies and it was a combined land and sea trip, we just did everything through Disney, mostly because of the extra comfort level of knowing that they will do as much as possible to make sure you get to the ship, as well stated by mickeyboat.

On our next two cruises we booked our own air, but Disney transfers. They still take care of your luggage with transfers if you arrive the day you sail. We chose our own air for price and flexibility. With DCL air you don't choose your flight times and don't really know about them unilt a few weeks before you leave. I like to be more in control of those things.

On our last two cruises we also booked our own air but flew in the day before. Added comfort level.

However, when we sailed in September, we were taking my DW's aunt and cousin, as a Christmas present. We booked their air through DCL so everything would be taken care of. Good thing two, we were delayed due to Hurricane Jeane. DCL changed their flights twice and the final time changed their destination air port, to get them in closer to Port Everglades where we sailed from. If we had booked them on our own we would have had to pay for changes and may not have been able to get them down there.

Bottom line, it comes down to comfort level price tolerance. And like someone already said, carriers and connections will depend on where you fly from. In the future we'll most likely continue to book our own air, but continue to arrive the day before. Good luck and happy sailing.

 

[Jen in MA]

Keep the stories coming... I'm booked on the 4/16/05 Magic with DCL air out of Boston. It's school vacation week up here, so even though I tried to book flights on my own, I had no luck. I'm a worrier, so I feel a little better that Disney will get me to the ship no matter what.

 

[kcashner]

We've done DCL air and also done the air ourselves...as well as driving. Generally, the DCL air arrangements have been fine. You just lose the ability to state your preferences (any preference is an air variation and costs an extra $50 per person). We never had more than one stop, but I can't remember if they put us on the non-stop or if we did it ourselves.

The big advantage to doing DCL air is that your air and cruise are both included in your travel insurance (if you do it thru DCL), and they will hold the ship a short time for you. If you do the cruise and book insurance thru DCL, but book air separately your insurance will cover only the cruise and you are responsible for getting yourself there on time. Of course, you can book insurance privately that will cover both parts of the trip.

 

[tecdavidt]

Out of our 7 cruises we used DCL air 6 times. The one time is a long story and has nothing to do with Disney. We like using DCL because we buy their insurance and they guarantee to get us to the ship or our money back. We fly in from Iowa the day before just in case. We may pay a bit more but the piece of mind is worth every penny. The one time we did not use DCL air was because we had a cancelled trip to Hawaii and we used the Hawaii air for two and bought another one and went first class to Florida. It was wonderful. Kathy

 

[maminnie]

Thanks everyone for the info.

Anyone else have Disney air experiences during snowy, busy times?

Thanks, maminnie

 

[mmouse37]

You should take a look at the thread entitled "Not Off to a Good Start"....on this board here is the link

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=756081

It is about their current problem with DCL air.

MJ