THIS CRUISE LINE IS SEPARATING FAMILIES (BUYER BEWARE!)

[@lindalaliberte8704]

I applaud you guys for letting people know about this and naming NCL. You 2 are the only ones I have heard warn us about this Thank you.👏👏👏😀

[@vickynardeBIV]

As a TA, I just dealt with Holland America canceling my clients flights from MCO to Amsterdam two days before departure! My clients had paid for upgraded seats as well with the airline. I spent the day calling and emailing my BDM as well as the head of NA sales. Holland got their first flight to LGA resolved but my clients had to wait until they got to LGA to get their second leg resolved. Thankfully Delta was able to resolve it and all is well but lesson learned, I will not recommend clients using cruise lines for their air selection.

[@madchatteress]

WOW that's awful. I have flights booked through Holland and it's my first time sailing with them. I pray there won't be any issues.

[@vickynardeBIV]

@@madchatteress my suggestion is continue to check that your flights have not been canceled - especially several days before your cruise.

[@madchatteress]

@@vickynardeBIV I will definitely do that. Fortunately, the flights are with Delta and I have other flights with them booked so hopefully, none get canceled inadvertedly.

[@user-ff3ow9ym5t]

YES..... NCL wouldn't help me and told me to take care of it myself. I called Delta and they were more than happy to make my changes. Even as a solo traveler I would not trust NCL at all.

[@terrifromm5085]

My friend and her friend are cruising the NCL Gem to Greece next month (June) and are getting a "two-for-one" airfare to Venice. I told her to fly in 2 days early to Venice just to be safe. She told me their travel agent said that they would have no problem making their cruise and are flying in the day of embarkation in Venice. They then have to travel to Ravenna to board the ship. This is really scary. Thank you for this video. This airfare "deal" does sound too good to be true. I would never chance it and would fly in 2 days prior. I will keep my fingers crossed for them.

[@liddy1171]

Are u aware that Ravenna is suffering from major floods & damage right now. Saw this on yesterday’s KZbin vid from Traveling with Bruce. He advised that some cruises are being re-routed to Trieste for embarkations. Hopefully things will improve for next month. Don’t want to alarm you but you might want to check this out.

[@terrifromm5085]

@@liddy1171 no, I had no idea. Just googled this and the area is horribly flooded. Heartbreaking for this magnificent country. My friend’s friend is taking care of everything for their cruise, so she will speak to her. Thank you for the info.

[@liddy1171]

@@terrifromm5085 OK, no problem.

[@madchatteress]

That is risky as it would be a commute to Ravena from Venice .... I would never fly in the day of a cruise even if it's only a short flight .... The travel agent does not sound like a good one.

[@matthewferrick3288]

I love NCL and cruise them almost exclusively. However I book my own flights flying in the day before the cruise and out the day after. This way I have a relaxing vacation without rushing from airport to port and so on.

[@eleanor4482]

As soon as I saw the headline I knew. Not sure why anyone still cruises with that horrible company.

[@peggyharper7426]

I've given up on Nowegian and we cruise multiple times a year. Their "free" drink package charges you gratuities on the drinks you "could" drink whether you do or don't. The tips alone cost more than the drink packages on some ships!

[@annschneider3183]

You can deny it if you don’t want it

[@bugswatter]

Peggy, I treat the "Gratuities" as the actual cost of the drink package for me. It is not worth the official list price for the drink package exclusive of gratuities. But, if one is a moderate driner, 2-3 alcoholic beverages per day plus sodas, then NCL's deal makes sense. Just DO NOT CALL IT FREE. Last year, my partner and I found a "Free at Sea" deal which was priced a couple of dollars more than the "guaranteed" fares - so we took it, without the beverage package. If they offered a free soda package instead of the alcoholic drink package and charged gratuities on the value of that, we'd have jumped on it as we drink a lot of sodas. NCL is starting to make a lot of mistakes that will affect its customer base over time. Even though I have a couple more cruises booked with NCL, I will no longer exclude other lines from my cruise options.

[@HappyLoozer75]

Hi J & J. I was actually told by an NCL PCC to NOT use the their flight’s program. That speaks volumes!

[@Windsongbyrd2273]

Boycott this cruise line.

[@katepm56]

Agree! NCL needs a better system for their air department. Almost impossible to talk directly with someone to help you, the resolution desk needs more a caring team.

[@joshfisher7691]

I KNOW there have been real failures with the NCL airfare program but just to provide my own experience, I have used it 3 times and been pleasantly surprised. I count myself lucky though

[@midwestkatie4]

Unfortunately I’m reading many problems with NCL, not just flights. Nickel and dimed at every turn, oversold cruises. I’m sticking with Celebrity or Princess for now.

[@leslietrent3682]

I love you guys, it doesn't surprise me. You two couldn't explain this any better. I got into a argument telling these people that beware of the promotions. Thanks for verification of the facts.Thank-you.

[@JJCruise]

Thanks for watching and the love ❤️

[@scottmiller7779]

This is why, as a travel advisor, I warn cruise consumers AGAINST using the NCL air promo - it is NOT worth any potential savings. It is one of the most consumer unfriendly offers on the market.

[@janetmccall674]

The difficulties of air travel, whether arranged by the cruise line or not, is the reason we drive to the cruise port, even if it involves a night at a hotel before getting to the port. We arrange to arrive 24 hours ahead of time, to make sure we get there no matter what!

[@amybrock2592]

I'm glad you warned us and hope they get their act together! If you have loyalty status with an airline I think it's always wise to book with that airline directly. They want to keep their loyal customers happy! With what I assume is some sort of third party booking, accountability for any problems is less clear and direct.

[@JJCruise]

We definitely agree!

[@maryiaono7190]

This is why I book my own airfare and always arrive 1-3 days before the cruise leaves. I have heard nothing but horror stories about cruise lines booking airline reservations.

[@yvonneharper8912]

Thank you for sharing that great information about NCL. I just used NCL in April for spring break and the airlines were included. I didn't know they were that unreliable. I didn't have a major problem so it didn't send a red flag. However, a family in our group did! They did separate the family. All I can say is Shame on them for doing this to paying cruisers and having workers who don't care about their clients! Yes, they need to clean up their act!

[@marciaruona8684]

Went on a family cruise with NCL this past February which sailed out of San Juan. Of the seven family members flying out of Chicago, six of us were together on one flight with one separated out. Unfortunately, the solo flyer was my 92 year old mother! On the way back, she was even on a different airline. Her plane landed at Terminal 1 and ours landed at Terminal 5. Quite far apart at O'Hara. I want to give a huge shout out to the airlines and the wheelchair porters, but NOT NCL. Would not work with us at all when the problem was discovered by us.

[@JJCruise]

So sorry this happened to you! Thanks for sharing your story!

[@ValeriePoulos]

This is terrible! I am not impressed with Norwegian! We sailed them once and never again! The service was.lacking. We also found that they were not really very positive, I believe the moral was low.. I prefer Celebrity or Royal Caribbean myself! 🎉.

[@karenjensen2345]

Im scared to death! We are going to Iceland with our friends. They already got their airfare thru NCL 65 days out and we haven’t gotten ours.😅

[@madchatteress]

Wish you the best... I was booked on Iceland in August but opted to cancel. I would not do air with them given how they book the flights.

[@williamA7836]

I 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 you guys coming out with this situation, ncl needs to fix this asap respect the costumers

[@TylerHofinga]

Thank you for bringing this information to the public. Disappointing and very negative brand damaging. Shocking .

[@carlie22168]

Thankfully, when I was going on a cruise on the Norwegian Pearl in October, 2008, I had a travel agent book my RT flight to Miami, and didn't have a problem. Thank you for the heads up though. It's appreciated!

[@abc31298]

Before the shut down we were loyal to Ncl but now we feel like they have gone way down hill and the prices are way up. We love it when you could pick a perk depending on what type of room you get. Now when you get all the perks the prices have doubled for us sure it is nice to have all the perks but we would rather get one or no perks and cruise twice so we have been going on other lines and we are trying to figure out what to do in Oct. and it doesn't look like it will be with NCL

[@JJCruise]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts as an NCL loyal cruiser! We’ve seen the same, unfortunately.

[@lizkotchek928]

I love you both! If I was cruising and ended up without my family I would probably have a heart attack. My 23 year old daughter is somewhat autistic and I could never leave her to fly by herself. Thankyou for informing us. That is some really crazy sh*t.

[@cydneystephen2814]

Hey guys. Wow. Never heard of such extreme” is the right word Jarod - planning. To think 2 ppl in the same stateroom be on different flights. Seems like booking your own flight is better. Norwegian seems to be having quite a few issues lately. Thanks for the update.

[@mr-vet]

If I can drive to a destination in 12 hours or less, I forego flying.

[@JJCruise]

That’s a great road trip to start vacation ☺️

[@MeganHitachiin]

Having worked for an airline I always advise friends and family to either work with a travel agent or directly with the airline to book flights and we couldn’t make changes to 3rd party bookings so we had to tell some people to phone various 3rd party sellers so I would be so afraid to let a cruise line handle my reservation

[@dipatrivedi9009]

I’ve always been weary about booking any flights through cruise lines for this reason exactly!!

[@bundles549]

Thanks for posting this! I have been reading about the flight nightmares on Facebook as well. NCL needs to pay attention and care about their customers...or those customers will go elsewhere!

[@Jimmy-Mc]

As a frequent solo traveler, having your flights delayed until after the cruise starts is a deal breaker.

[@jimmyyance1566]

Wow guys!! Love NCL. However, if they are not doing what is supposed to be done to give clients a good travel experience then we would have to sail on someone else or book flights on our own!! So sad! Thx again for the warning!

[@dena-mo118]

Have always been leery of letting the cruise line book our flights. Your video confirms our choice. Thanks for pointing this out about NCL's program. Hope NCL will listen and make adjustments. Not sure that is the case since they seem to be on a path of what's most advantageous for them!

[@SneakyM68]

I'm working with a travel agent and I'm going to have her book our flights. I'm such a control freak I've already written down the airline, the flights, and the seats that I want if at all possible. My cruise is in February 2024 and that's how particular I am.

[@lorigrimaldi194]

I'll be doing the same on my cruise I am planning to Alaska next year. I live on Long Island and drive to the NCL cruise port. I am running out of non flying cruises and I have loyalty points that will allow me and my husband to fly to Seattle for free, so I will booking my own flights for that.

[@madchatteress]

I did a Mediterranean cruise with NCL and used their flight program where I got a great price for my flight to Venice and return from Rome (I live in CA). I was nervous about not having any input and did not care for the flights they booked which was LAX-Frankfurt-Venice and Rome-Philly-LAX both with only 1 hour and 40 min connection time. Plus my flight home leaves just under 6 hours after the cruise arrives at the disembarkation in Civitavecchia, which is several hours from Rome (FCO). It was stressful but everything worked out in the end. This year, I had booked a northern European cruise and after asking questions, I decided that I'd be better off paying full fare booking on my own. What I learned from the NCL air department was that it is a computer that actually books the flight without human oversight so it is possible to get 1 hour connections and even multiple layovers. Also, the agent said that if there's any issues, I would "work with the airline". With the mess of flight delays and cancellations, I would not chance it. Yes, as stated in the video, if its too good to be true, it often is.

[@juanitafurtado8805]

Thank yoy for the warning. no excuse for this other than greed. NCL will losse business over this poliy if they dont fix this problem.

[@JJCruise]

Completely agree!

[@soulsister2410]

This is an airline problem too. That happened to my family. We were scheduled to sail on Carnival Mardi Gras. The flight was canceled due to hail damaging the plane. We sat at the airport for 14 hours trying to get another flight. We missed the first 3 days of the cruise and had to pay the difference for a flight to Puerto Rico. We did have insurance and are trying to get our money for the first 3 days of the cruise, hotel costs, and transportation.

[@billybob7088]

NCL on my list of ships not to go on

[@pappawof4393]

I totally agree and I’m very thankful you put out this information!! We used Princess EZAir and we had problems with our flights one time BUT they stuck with us the whole day as we went through the horror of possibly not making our flights for our transatlantic cruise. We made it but I appreciate they supported us!! I have always been hesitant to use NCL now I see why!

[@rebeccamendez9410]

Thank you both for your video. I have been toying with booking air with Norwegian and I definitely will not book the air now. Thank you again!

[@JJCruise]

You are welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@boats2build629]

Yes, we had a bad experience w/ NCL flights. Half way to the airport (3hr total drive) for our flights to Athens, we were notified our flight had been canceled & rescheduled for the next day because the flight had been overbooked. Keep in mind that we were flying in early and had lodging arrangements that would also be affected. Long story short, my spouse basically told the representative how to do her job and how to find us flights from another airport. An extra hour & a half drive for us, got us into Greece 3 hours earlier than originally planned. Had it all been left up to NCL, our vacation would have been greatly negatively impacted. We also found out that there was no guarantee that we'd be on the same flights or be able to sit beside each other. As it turned out, we ended up with isle seats across from each other, but under the circumstances, that was acceptable.

[@JJCruise]

Thanks for sharing your story! So sorry this happened to you! (But glad you made it in the end)

[@crystalBcruisin]

I was looking into that offer with NCL to do a Transatlantic cruise from Rome to Orlando...now I may need to rethink it. NCL was the only cruise line I saw so far with the itinerary that I want, but I'm hesitant because I've never sailed with them & to have my 1st NCL sailing be 13 days with all their drama...I'm gonna need to do more research, Thanks for the warning⚠️😬

[@pamelapennington4015]

Just book your own flight and go especially if it the itinerary you want. We love NCL. We recently did a RC transatlantic and it was not a good cruise. The food was horrid and believe me we are not the only ones that thought so, hit and miss entertainment, ship was pretty but not easy to get answers about reservations and they have a lot of rules about stuff you have no idea about until they throw you into the lions den. We have sailed about 8 different NCL ships and by far I would choose them over the other lines we have sailed. They are “rated” lower than RC but I would never take another RC cruise. Good luck, I would stay away from the airfare perk though.

[@lisarueter5948]

Had the same experience from Princess. It can happen with any of them. Flight cancelled, no reimbursement for having to schedule and pay for all of our flights

[@whopaul]

NCL again April this year. Two days early arrival , we were not getting to Miami until 9pm the first day. Unreal

[@MsJonesy]

Thanks for the info. You’ll save many people from stress in the future.

[@JJCruise]

Happy to help!

[@jamesnunez1703]

I knew it was NCL. They are getting a bad rep.

[@JJCruise]

Yes, and for good reasons.

[@VisosTravel]

great info

[@JJCruise]

Thanks! 🤗

[@jendotcohen]

Really appreciate the warning! ❤

[@JJCruise]

Got to do what’s best by cruisers!

[@rcaddict2.0]

I am traveling with NCL this summer and they split my family up for our flights to and from the Mediteranean because we have two different rooms. The rooms are ajoining, and the reservations are linked. I knew what i was getting into and will save a significant amount of money on the flights, so we went with it...BUT, that does not make it right. This will probably be my last NCL cruise for a while. I am putting them in the same category as MSC for a while until things change on their end.

[@JJCruise]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@davidhoffman8122]

This is why WE DRIVE to the ports. We drove 2 days and over 1400 miles to a ports just to make sure that we do make it. Yes we leave early and take in the account for traffic delays. We may end up there early but there is always something to do for a few hours near a port.

[@michelealkins616]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 👏 👏

[@JJCruise]

Happy to help!

[@foust2007]

Thank you for making more people aware. My family of 5 is booked on two different flights. Another family member booked the cruise and after I read the issues, I called to cancel the flights. I was then assured that our reservations were linked and we would fly together - we live 4 hours from the airport. We received tickets Tuesday morning and are on flights 5 hours apart. Luckily we booked 1 parent in each room, but it's such a stressful way to start a vacation. We're looking at a Mediterranean cruise next summer and Norwegian will not be considered!!

[@JJCruise]

So sorry to hear of your troubles! Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@StillPooh62]

In the case of the two parents and the two teenagers, why wouldn’t they have booked one adult and one teen on each plane instead of splitting up the adults and the kids? It seems like they should’ve been able to change that easily.

[@scottmiller7779]

Most likely the teens were booked into one cabin and the parents in another. The NCL air program WILL NOT guarantee that guests in separate cabins will be on the same flights, or travel on the same date/times/airports. In fact you cannot even cross reference/request this an an option. Flights are auto booked by the computer system on a cabin by cabin basis and what ya get is what ya get.

[@StillPooh62]

@@scottmiller7779 I meant switching after the initial assignment was made. The airline should have been able to change the names on the flight reservations to avoid the liability of sending kids off on their own to a strange city where no one would be waiting for them.

[@scottmiller7779]

@@StillPooh62 name changes on airline reservations are not allowed. This would require cancellation of the reservation made by NCL without any compensatory credit to the consumer and rebooking a new ticket at prevailing fares at the time of rebooking. Airline tickets are complicated beyond belief and any logic you attempt to apply most likely will not work.

[@pattipegharjo5863]

I always arrange my own flights, and fly in a day early. There have been so many videos about problems with NCL that I'm a bit nervous about my cruise with them next month. It may well be my last cruise with them.

[@MareBuilding]

Thanks, Wish I would of heard this earlier. They have my 15 year old daughter flying internationally without a legal guardian. Since we are in different cabins.

[@fogtownrog]

My only experience with cruise company arranged air was flying from Atlanta to Miami prior to a Celebrity cruise. After buying my ticket on Delta, I noticed there were no seat assignments so I called the cruise line and learned the fare basis was Basic Economy , thus seats would be assigned at the gate. This was a risk I wasn’t willing to take before a cruise. There was nothing on the website revealing this restriction so I asked for a main cabin fare. After escalating my request, Celebrity gladly upgraded the ticket and provided us seat assignments. Stick with Celebrity.

[@AngieLovesTraveling]

Yikes. With Basic fare you would have had to pay extra for luggage.

[@paulacheson6688]

I got 2 for 1 to Hawaii. The seats were awful so I paid about $450 extra for better seats. I managed to get seats together and where we wanted them.

[@zim1978]

Had trouble with NCL’s flight program all the way back in ‘94. Got to New York and the rep for the bus transfer says, “we don’t have you on the manifest.” This, after having flown three planes to get there all through the night. Eventually they reimbursed us for the cab ride to the pier once we were on board, but we said then and there never again.

[@mays2525]

Did a flight for my family once through a cruise line and never again! Had a 3 hour layover at 3 am to 6 am! Then another flight to get to Florida. . If you have small kids that would be a nightmare! I always book my own flights now!

[@dm75thRanger]

I never have a problem with Princess EzAir program. I always plan to arrive one or two days prior to my cruise.

[@lindastover9541]

Great video ❤❤❤❤

[@JJCruise]

Thank you!

[@99999myk]

I'm so glad I live 70 miles from Port Liberty, Bayonne, NJ. Not only that but my local bus company has buses that run right to Port Liberty. 148 Days until my next cruise. Liberty of the Seas to Boston, Maine and Canada.

[@JJCruise]

Enjoy your cruise!

[@TropicLuv]

WOW! This sucks! I would expect much better from Norwegian! Thanks for the tip. I will never use their flights program.

[@johnriccio2147]

I am new to your channel my family and I are avid cruisers and we live in Chicago, we drive to Florida to the ports, we take our time and stay overnight, it’s cheaper we can take our time, keep up the great content, we will not fly to get to a cruise again

[@JJCruise]

Thanks for subscribing to the channel! Always give yourself enough time if you are doing flights to drive if need be. Then you are good to go in a bind ☺️

[@Steven-er2bt]

Thanks! As people that know me, to a fault, I value HONESTY. Again, Thanks! and NCL, Smarten Up! We have nothing but good things to say about Flights by Celebrity (and yes, we have to pre-pay our flight to be able to book seats on Air Canada, KLM, Westjet, and Delta)

[@JJCruise]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@michaelpietrzak2067]

Wow, cancelled flights and now passengers in the Med are not getting drinks when at port. Very unfortunate to hear.

[@lizarichards2243]

I've heard so many horror stories and it absolutely SUCKS! That's why I will never book my flights with them. I will spend a little extra money to book my flights on my own.

[@rizzuto1907]

Hi This is not a new flash. I was on NCL back in Feb., heard many stories about crazy flights. But, this was my first time with NCL. I wrote it off as a one off. I leaving on Sat. with NCL. One family, two different flights. Lets see how this trip goes.

[@debbief2882]

Not with the flights, but sailed NCL once, on a Star Trek cruise. Ship was fine (Pearl), and we had so much fun we booked the back to back for the next year. THEN disembarkation. It was a nightmare, so much so, we canceled the next cruise and haven't been back.

[@allchargedup1]

Great info, thanks. I have been seeing complaints concerning cruise insurance not paying for cancellations, any info?

[@JJCruise]

None on our end. This may be because the people didn’t read what their policy actually covers.

[@karenvonbargen4472]

I’ve been hearing that, too, even with the insurance covering the exact situation. It makes me go hmmm

[@1Rancor1]

My wife and I just returned from our Dubai to Athens Cruise on the NCL Jade. Getting there with our suitcases was no issue, coming back, they put us on a Greek Airline from Athen to London. They only allow 1 suitcase each on the flight. We had to pay an additional $180 dollars to add our luggage. NCL will get you a flight, but this does not guarantee that luggage is included. This is the 2nd time NCL done this to us and we cannot say we didn’t see it coming, but we are starting to look at other cruise lines for future trips.

[@TernieLaBiscuit]

I knew who you were talking about before you even named dropped them at the 7:20 mark. But WHY did I have to watch 7 minutes of a video to find out you were talking about NCL? Start out with that info. Lead with that information, and then talk about the bad customer service they're giving. They've been doing this for years, before COVID.

[@juliecharron1021]

I’m cruising in November and we declined the flight program and booked on our own.

[@joanneshiels9189]

I would be super pissed and wouldn’t go if my roommate wasn’t going.

[@JJCruise]

Yeah, such a bad position to put people in.

[@michaelirvin2079]

Well what a mess this is turning out to be, I think it would be a very good solution to let NCL or any other cruise line deal with cruises. Let airlines deal with flights. Stick with what you know. This flight/ cruise match is a mess. If i am going to have to fly from my home city to another city to get on my cruise, then i will book my own flight and my own cruise.

[@Couponingfornewbies]

This is why I book my own flights

[@larry4111]

For a sec I thought this said "this cruise line is separating families from their money" and I thought wait...isn't that all of them? 😆😆

[@JJCruise]

😂

[@mommynaug]

I just had a couple of cabins use that program back in October 2022. We were worried about the same thing! Different flights, different seats, etc. etc. It just so happens that both couples we’re on the same flight and they were right next to each other in their seating. So on our end it worked out perfect. But I did not know all of this back then anyway.

[@JJCruise]

So glad it worked well for you!

[@admranger]

Since Silver Sea is part of Norwegian, does this apply to Silver Sea as well (asks the guy with a Silver Sea cruise booked)?

[@joeln6861]

I am going to Alaska on NCL (using their airfare deal) with my family of 4, 2 of us were given flight info, the other 2have not gotten the flights yet. I asked my agent if I just missed an email, she said she called them and they are still working on them. She said she "flagged" it for them to put us on the same flight, but haven't heard anything.... Starting to get scared.

[@JJCruise]

Good luck! 🤞🏽

[@joeln6861]

@@JJCruise FYI, we did get all 4 of us on the same flights. Counting our lucky stars!

[@JJCruise]

So happy to hear!

[@MaddieOlson1993]

It’s better to book your own flights to get to your cruise ship. 😀

[@JJCruise]

Definitely more control in case of any cancellations too!

[@dstein448]

That's why I fly in the day before. And I'll only cruise on disney

[@TheDamiano3]

I went on a cruise with family. there was 7 of us. We got to the airport and found out that my sister and niece were not on the same flight as everyone else. My nephew spent $800 to get them on a flight so they could make the boat. NCL doesn’t want to hear it - they just ignored requests for some sort of reimbursement. On the way back. My husband, myself and my son were on a flight out of Miami. My sister, niece, nephew and his fiancé were on other flights leaving from Ft Lauderdale. WTF is that??? We were very naive in trusting the cruise line to do this for us. Thank you for speaking about this because this is NOT right!

[@JJCruise]

Thanks for sharing your story!

[@scottpoole2182]

As an avid reader and poster on CruiseCritic forums, we hear these all the time on the NCL page. Just to clarify, NCL makes the booking and then turns the entire thing over to the airline. The airline cancels for any reason, it's not up to NCL to fix but the airline. The reason why most users tell posters NOT to use NCL for any airfare unless they really don't care about it random flight issue. I would never use a cruise lines Air program simply because I want to control that aspect of the trip. I'm too picky.

[@Mleencihols]

thank you so much....

[@paulinewaters53]

We had an awful experience with Norwegian’s flight arrangements. We miss one connection flight and end up having to take 8 different planes to get to our destination and a day late. 48 hours in the airport the start of your vacation.😢

[@JJCruise]

So sorry to hear! Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@tonjahenson5296]

So happy that I watched this. Was going to book my client's for their cruise and airfare. This is very concerning to say the least. NCL was the cruise line with air. No can do! Will fine airfare separately.

[@JG94523]

I had an NCL cruise last February which left from Dubai. I booked my own airfare because NCL said I had to fly no more than one night before embarkation. In this case the cruise left Monday night so they would have booked me to land in Dubai on Sunday. I didn’t like that idea. I wanted to see Dubai and deal w jet lag. I booked my own flights starting from Las Vegas I had two long flights connecting in Heathrow which was stressful enough but it worked out perfectly. I don’t understand why NCL wouldn’t be more flexible.

[@danielgmaynard]

We’ve sailed with them 4 times and used this promotion 3 times. We’ve never had a problem. They do however automatically charge you for transport to and from the port something like $150 unless you call and tell them you’ll find your own transport. And we learned the hard way that you should… Uber was half the price and the transport was so disorganized, it made people angry and we were like the last to board the ship. NCL could do WAY better with pre-boarding arrangements.

[@julespetteruto3362]

I just got separated from my group on Royal this week and they won’t move me closer!

[@JJCruise]

Sorry to hear that!

[@marjiegirl]

Yep we are leaving on a trip this weekend my flights weren't bad my friend coming from another city has two lay overs from Phoenix to Fort Lauderdale. We paid for a one day deviation I will get there about noon she won't be there until 9pm and is leaving Phoenix at 8am.... it saved a significant amount of money which was a consideration on this trip but thier air policies suck.

[@pledgepaddleprayer]

Exact same thing happened to my family. 2 adults 2 kids. Separate flights 4 hours apart with a layover in another city. Second flight scheduled to land in Ft Lauderdale 3 hours before sailing time out of Miami. Half of us would have already been there and on the ship hoping that the others would arrive. When I got the flight itinerary, 3 weeks before sailing and noticed the different flights I called Norwegian and was told that there is nothing they can do about it. I argued with a supervisor that we booked a family vacation with their cruise line and expect to travel as a family for the vacation. No luck and they didn’t care and were pretty rude about it. So I decided to book 1 way flights on my own for the day before and get a hotel so we could at least get there as a family. Of course that was 100% out of my own pocket. Our flights home were on the same flights so there wasn’t an issue there. Anyway, never again will I book flights through a cruise line. I will always use a travel agent as I have never experienced anything like this while using a travel agent. Thanks for voicing this issue on the channel. I didn’t know it was that rampant. Too bad I didn’t see this months ago.

[@JJCruise]

So sorry your experienced this first hand! Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@pamelapennington4015]

We cruise NCL a lot. When I asked about the flight prices and how they book I put the brakes on that immediately. You have no say in what day, what time, what airline, period. We always fly the day ahead of a cruise and that is non negotiable after almost missing a cruise to Greece a few years ago when our flight got cancelled on the day of the cruise (we were among a group of about 15 people out of Minneapolis that were all in the same boat as far as cruises). We made it, our luggage did not which was a whole other fiasco. After that we have never flown the day of a cruise. The other problem with those “good deal” airline tickets is you can book your own flights, pick your seats, in main cabin (not economy) for very little money over what they are going to charge you for the B1G1 tickets they offer so the saving of using that promotion is not a great deal to begin with. I am lucky because I research pricing before I start to talk to a booking agent so I have a pretty good idea what the “savings” should be. Plus we have cruised a lot for the last almost 10 years which means I have gotten caught in all the beginner traps and have learned from them. For people who put their trust in something just because it sounds good, I feel sorry for them but in this day and age you just can’t trust that any company is out to give you a really good deal. It always comes down to their bottom line and the “perks” usually are not all that great for booking. Makes me sad that NCL is falling into the trap that most cruise lines are setting for current cruisers to make up for their lost revenue. They are going to turn people off from cruising in the future. Post pandemic cruising is not like it was before…being nickel and dimed for everything, quality and service is reduced at increased prices and even us diehards are starting to wonder if it is worth it.

[@jotherrien7466]

I’m worried now as I took the flight deal and wonder if I can cancel it

[@michelealkins616]

You probably can if you are not past final payment date. If you are past final payment IDK how it works. BUT I have read that if you are booked by them and don’t show up for the flight they book you it cancels your cruise reservation. IDK how true that is, but beware.

[@JJCruise]

Ask your travel agent or call NCL directly to see what your options are. Best of luck!

[@jotherrien7466]

@@JJCruise I booked directly with NCL for 897.74 for two of us .. when searching for a fright from Toronto CA to San Juan it would cost us 3796.00. I just don’t have that extra money 🙁

[@happycruiser]

So glad for this video. I was actually going to reach out to my TA with this exact question today. We are planning on a girls cruise next year, but think we will be doing our own airfare. We are using flights program this Sept, but only going from Buffalo to New York, so have many options to get there. I am not a big fan on NCL anyhow, usually go on Celebrity, but wanted a cheap getaway closet to home. We'll see how it goes. But for sure when we would have two cabins of us next Sept, we will do our own flights.

[@robbinblack8530]

So the "free" promo for flights you are basically flying on standby 🤨.

[@pamelapope859]

I don't fly to the port anymore I leave the day before on Amtrak and stay on the Queen Mary which is right across from the Carnival ship I will be cruising on. I hate airports. Thank god I live near the train station.

[@kendrawaterbury2328]

Thank you for this. I’m also wondering about the app “cruise picker” any advice?

[@JJCruise]

Sorry, no advice here on that app.

[@mikelyons3117]

I dont know why anyone would use the cruise line to book their flights .We booked our own and got the deal of the century , Air Transat , Toronto to Vancouver return for 460 bucks .

[@JJCruise]

That’s a great deal!

[@mikelyons3117]

@JJ Cruise it pays to book early. I booked this flight in September of 22 for our cruise in August of this year .

[@joanneshiels9189]

That really Stinks

[@JJCruise]

It’s especially hard to deal with when it’s a family’s only vacation for the year. 😔

[@bridgetmurphyv]

​@@JJCruise that is why I use vacations to go

[@Cruisegal23]

NCL is making so many negative changes! With all the cruise lines out there sailing from my home port (PORT EVERGLADES), I most likely will never ever sail with them again. My favorites are CELEBRITY & PRINCESS. . .both sailing from Port Everglades! No need to ever get on a plane to take a cruise at this point in my life!