Trans Positional cruises and airfare/transfers ?

[happytime]

We are going on a T/A cruise in September and am curious to know if having DCL take care of the airline reservations and ground transfers would be a good idea. I know it's been a hassle so far for searching for just the right airfare alone already.

We've opted for DCL travel insurance on the cruise this time (we usually go with a separate company). If we go with the air and ground transfers, we would also add the travel insurance with them too.

Thoughts? Those who have traveled across the ocean via air to get to the cruise ships, what has worked best for you?

Thank you in advance for any and all responses!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Booking one-way airfare either to Europe for the WBTA or from Europe returning to the US after the EBTA can be a challenge in terms of finding good airfares, so checking pricing and availability with DCL is definitely worthwhile. You can also use one of the major on-line travel booking sites, like Kayak or Expedia, to get pricing for comparison purposes. On three TA cruises (two WB and one EB), we have ended up booking directly with Aer Lingus, flying between Chicago and Barcelona with a connection in Dublin each time. The flights offered by DCL were all connecting as well and typically a little more expensive. This can be very dependent on how many carriers serve the city where your flight will originate.

 

[gilsan]

We are going on a T/A cruise in September and am curious to know if having DCL take care of the airline reservations and ground transfers would be a good idea. I know it's been a hassle so far for searching for just the right airfare alone already.

We've opted for DCL travel insurance on the cruise this time (we usually go with a separate company). If we go with the air and ground transfers, we would also add the travel insurance with them too.

Thoughts? Those who have traveled across the ocean via air to get to the cruise ships, what has worked best for you?

Thank you in advance for any and all responses!

We are on the WBTA in September and booked our own airfare to London. We are from Canada and got 1 way flights for $305 CAD per person. I know a lot of people are using Norwegian Air to get to London. We did book transfers from London to Dover with DCL. The transfers are $60/person from the Victoria station area, if you are travelling from Gatwick or Heathrow to Dover the transfers are $75/person. I have not used DCL's insurance so I can't answer those questions for you. Have you checked the cruise group, someone maybe be able to answer the questions there https://www.disboards.com/threads/september-9-2018-wbta-dover-to-new-york.3604556/

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are going on a T/A cruise in September and am curious to know if having DCL take care of the airline reservations and ground transfers would be a good idea. I know it's been a hassle so far for searching for just the right airfare alone already.

We've opted for DCL travel insurance on the cruise this time (we usually go with a separate company). If we go with the air and ground transfers, we would also add the travel insurance with them too.

Thoughts? Those who have traveled across the ocean via air to get to the cruise ships, what has worked best for you?

Thank you in advance for any and all responses!

We used DCL for our airfare on both our TA cruises. They were able to get at least as good a rate as I could find on my own. Plus, using DCL air is a little insurance if there are flight issues in meeting the ship.

As to the insurance, I'd still go with a 3rd party insurance company. It's usually cheaper and you get better coverage.

 

[happytime]

On our last cruise, a simple 4-day cruise, a honeymoon couple who had signed up for an FE (I was the coordinator) was a no-show for the cruise. We found out after the cruise, their flight had been cancelled, due to blizzard type snow, and they couldn't make the ship in time. Instead of flying them to our next destination, Disney put them on the Dream's 4-day, instead. They had Disney insurance. I don't know if they would've been able to go on even that cruise had they not been with Disney for this particular cruise. That's what prompted me concerning this T/A trip. I've never been to England so I don't want to take any chances. LOL

Thank you to all who have responded to my question. It means a lot to have experienced travelers who are willing to help others. And if anyone else responds, thank you, too!!!

 

[Disneypeach]

I've done two EBTAs coming home from Copenhagen both times. Took DCL transfers to the airport but booked my own flights thru Icelandair back to the US. Flights were good but changing planes in Reykjavik has become a pain due to growth of the airlines going thru there...airport is too small to handle it but Icelandair itself was very good.

I've always used 3rd party insurance thru USAA for the discount.
good luck!

 

[GPaLarry]

While it usually is more expensive, we have always booked DCL for all transportation...never have bought insurance (I know, living on the edge). With eight cruises including Baltic Capitals, Med./WBTA B2B, 3 Caribbean and one EBPC (Alaska/Vancouver is close, so we drove), we have never had an issue with the Mouse booking our transport and lodging. The foreign hotels usually have a DCL desk in the lobby to help confirm reservations, times of travel, etc...very helpful. Relate point: DCL excursions, on more than one occasion for us, have been able to get fast/early passes into various historic venues (Vatican, Coliseum, Tivoli Gardens, etc.)...sometimes with a pinch of pixie dust.

 

[gilsan]

On our last cruise, a simple 4-day cruise, a honeymoon couple who had signed up for an FE (I was the coordinator) was a no-show for the cruise. We found out after the cruise, their flight had been cancelled, due to blizzard type snow, and they couldn't make the ship in time. Instead of flying them to our next destination, Disney put them on the Dream's 4-day, instead. They had Disney insurance. I don't know if they would've been able to go on even that cruise had they not been with Disney for this particular cruise. That's what prompted me concerning this T/A trip. I've never been to England so I don't want to take any chances. LOL

Thank you to all who have responded to my question. It means a lot to have experienced travelers who are willing to help others. And if anyone else responds, thank you, too!!!

We are leaving a week before the cruise so we have a few extra days in case we run into flight problems. I always like to have a least an extra day just in case

 

[clten]

We've always booked our own airfare for our TA cruises. We've used Aer Lingus years ago and in more recent years have used IcelandAir. We have been able to get one way in their upgraded Economy section for less than what it would have cost to do DCL air. Using legacy carriers, you won't find good deals on the air you need to do a TA cruise (only low fare carriers will have the one way fares that make it reasonable).

If you are flying in a day or two in advance (and since you said you hadn't been to London before, I hope that you are), you can still stay at whatever hotel DCL is using and use their transfers to the port. It may give you the some savings in the airfare department and some security in having a DCL rep at your hotel.

As for the insurance, I guess it would depend if you decide to use DCL air or not. If you decide to book air on your own, I would think it would be better to have 3rd party insurance so one policy can cover all your travel expenses. For the couple you reference, I'd be surprised if DCL changed up their cruise because they had DCL insurance (missing a cruise due to travel delays would be covered by the insurance carrier - which isn't Disney. DCL only steps in with a partial credit if you cancel for "non-covered" reasons - so no obligation in this case). So it is more likely that the DCL employee the honeymoon couple had working on their situation gave them some pixie dust and it would have worked out the same regardless of who they insured their trip with.

 

[kiford]

As to the insurance, I'd still go with a 3rd party insurance company. It's usually cheaper and you get better coverage.

One thing to make sure to think about before using DCL insurance is the time that it covers. Sometimes cruise insurance only covers you from the embarkation to debarkation day so if you are coming in earlier and staying overnight, not using DCL-arranged flights, etc. you may not be covered for anything but the cruise itself. You might also not be covered for trip interruption insurance or other features. You may or may not want these, but you need to determine that before buying insurance. We personally always book third party and select the coverage items we want.

 

[minnie4ever]

I booked my own flights when doing the EBTA in 2017. I used JetBlue/Air Lingus as I was flying into Orlando the day before, then flying
from Copenhagen to Edinburgh (Norwegian air) then flying home from Scotland as Air Lingus and JetBlue share a terminal at JFK. I also used an 3rd party insurance.
This time, on the EBTA in Sept I am also flying JetBlue/Air Lingus. I thought about staying at the hotels Disney uses, but when I called Disney, the price they quoted was much more than I could get on my own, and I wanted to stay closer to Buckingham Palace. So I am making my own hotel Rez and taking the London Transport bus from the Doubletree near Victoria Station (made the reservation with Disney) to Dover.

 

[Canadian Girl]

I am using Disney transfers to the port from Gatwick and will also do so from NY to La Guardia. I book my own flights though and fly in a day or more early. I also booked my own hotel. Disney costs were in USD and much more expensive than what I could get on my own. I can still use the shuttle.

 

[gilsan]

I am using Disney transfers to the port from Gatwick and will also do so from NY to La Guardia. I book my own flights though and fly in a day or more early. I also booked my own hotel. Disney costs were in USD and much more expensive than what I could get on my own. I can still use the shuttle.

Have you booked the DCL transfers to La Guardia. I think we are going to do the same and was wondering what the cost per person was.