dejavu21

7 minutes ago, F1guynz said:

Hi,

I booked a refundable Air2Sea flight yesterday with no payment due until December.

When I booked, I did not receive an email confirmation, although it says my flights are booked and there are booking references, which are valid Air New Zealand codes.

I cannot see them in the Air New Zealand app and cannot add them. I suspect they are still reservations, not bookings, and will not be visible until paid for.

I thought I might be able to see the flight and payment details and have the ability to make payment under the cruise bookings on the Royal website, but I can't find them anywhere, so there is no option to pay.

As this is my first time using Air2Sea, I was hoping somebody here would be able to explain how the payment works. Will they send me an invoice? Can I pay earlier, or will I need to phone the number in the U.S.?

 

 

 

When I booked mine, I did get an e-mail from [email protected] confirmation, but it took 24 hours, so not as fast as they said I would.  I can see my bookings, but can't really do anything with them until I pay for them.  

The only way I can see mine is to 1) Go to RC.com and view reservations, 2) click on "pay remaining balance", then 3) hit the back button, then I can see the cruise and flight details.

The Air2Sea payment will be added to the cruise fare, all due on the final payment date.  You can pay early as well, if you like. 

4 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

If you wait until after final payment date has passed a much larger (than $100 PP) penalty will be applied.  If you must move your cruise make sure you do it before the final payment date. 

That's what I was thinking, thanks for confirming for me.

5 minutes ago, twangster said:

Technically after final payment they don't have to allow the $100pp change fee.  That fee applies to NRD deposits and once you reach final payment due date, the type of deposit is irrelevant.  All that matters after final payment due date is the cancellation fee schedule which applies to everyone, all deposit types.

Having said that sometimes they will allow the $100pp change fee after final payment due date but generally not close in to the sail date.  That's never a sure thing though.  

You best bet would be to make the change before final payment due date and not the day before, rather a few days before.  

 

 

That's what I was thinking, thanks for confirming for me.

Due to potential conflicts with my July 7th Alaska cruise, I may be forced to reschedule/change dates.  I know RC charges $100 pp to rebook, but my questions are:

1) Does it matter if I re-book before or after final payment?  Final payment is April 8th and I would like to wait as long as possible before re-booking in case the current date works.

2) Is there anything else I should consider in this current state?

Thanks in advance!  

On 10/13/2023 at 10:30 AM, greenbed03 said:

Thank you all for the great advice.  Looks like I have some more research to do, but looking forward to that.  

Some great advice above.  My wife and I did our first Alaskan cruise last year.  One thing you might encounter when your doing research is "Glacier Bay National Park".  We really wanted to go there and thus, we had to book Holland America because Royal had given up their rights to go there.  It was amazing.   We are going back July 2024, on RC, and loved the Vancouver area.  There are a lot of great things to do there if going up early, and have also heard great things about Seattle.  One thing we loved was cruising the Inside Passage as @Kathleen mentioned above.  The calmness of the waters and scenery is simply amazing.  As for Alaska, we loved it.  My favorite stop was Skagway and taking the scenic train ride into the mountains (with a hike along the way).  

Oh another tip.  If you go out of Seattle you are going to get the bigger ship (Ovation i think) and is Vancouver (Brilliance) which is a smaller ship.  So, if looking at both of those ships there are some really good YouTube videos by HARR travel and others that give complete walkthroughs.  

Last, the sun is up for a long time in Alaska, 5am - 10pm sometimes, so we took blackout shades.  Hope some of this helps.

I've been on several different cruise lines and have come to learn that sometimes your going to get an above average meal and sometimes it's going to be a bit below par, maybe due to seasoning, etc.  Your on a cruise ship serving 5,000+ passengers, fast also.  It is what it is.  And if you are heading to the buffet, don't complain, it's a buffet.  The food is always mediocre.  

If your going on a cruise and looking for 5 star meals, save your cash.  If your spending $500-$1,000 a hand in the casino, I can see why you think the food is bad.  

This sounds like a pity party simply because they would not reshuffle.  

28 minutes ago, twangster said:

A2S includes a place to insert your frequent flier number.  However it gets cleared every time you search again.  

When I've used them it's always bound me to my FF benefits and my TSA Pre number on my airline profile.  I've received upgrades days before the flight for example on Delta even though I booked it through A2S.  Luggage, worst case, can be dealt with at check in, if for some reason your FF # drops off.  

Thanks @twangster

9 minutes ago, Traveling Mike said:

I always book any flights that look like a good deal to me.  Then I keep an eye out for better deals.  You can change or cancel your AirToSea booking up to your final payment.  You also keep all of your airline perks.  I get free bags with American.

Thanks

5 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

I definitely se UA6621 IAH-YVR on 4 July 2024. Departs 1630, Arrives 1925. Thing is, it's a codeshare and is operated by Air Canada as AC1301. So it's an Air Canada flight that happens to carry a codeshare UA flight number. 

yeah, I see the problem.  On united.com you see the United flights operated by Air Canada.  I guess I was expecting to see the Air Canada flights as well.  Sorry for the goose chase.  Either way, Air2Sea is cheaper at the moment.

5 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I see it on United's site. However, I had to do the advanced search, not the quick search.

 

Interesting.  Thanks for looking.  I guess i need to check my filters and see why I would need to do an advanced search. You would think they would show all flights.  Did you see the price difference on Air2Sea?  $407 for this flight.

21 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

I'm not an expert on Air2Sea or United, so I'll leave those questions for others, but...it's a little worrisome they're selling flights that United says may not exist. Willing to share the dates/flights? I'd be curious to look. 

@Zacharius  IAH to YVR - July 4th 2024 to July 14th, 2024.  Cruise is Brilliance, July 7-14. Let me know what you see.  Air2Sea has flight UA 6621 and United.com does not.  

I was curious as well, so, I called one of my friends who happens to be a United Pilot, and he can only see through June 18th at the moment.  

I searched Air2Sea just now and found flights for United (my preferred carrier) that do not exist on the United website.  The prices are almost $200 cheaper per person that the flights currently on United.com.  My questions:

1) Should I book this now, since final payment for my cruise isn't until April and would be refundable if needed?

2) I have a United credit card, thus, my baggage is usually free.  Will I need to pay for my baggage using Air2Sea?   There are 4 of us (Houston to Vancouver) so it could be a hefty pricetag.

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated.

On 4/6/2023 at 2:14 PM, Woody14 said:

Check the Capiino suspension bridge website as they offer a shuttle service from Canada Place (where the ship docks) which I think is free.    then take a taxi/uber/lift to the train station or there shuttle back to Canada place and go from there by skytrain to the train station.   I am not sure what you would do with luggage but the suspension bridge people might actually have an option for that.

@KatiR, @Woody14 you can also check your bag at the Pan Pacific Hotel after leaving the ship and grab them before heading back to the Train.

On 4/5/2023 at 4:34 PM, KatiR said:

Good afternoon, all. I will be on the Radiance for the 09.22 Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver. With an arrival back to port at 7 am and my train not departing until 545 pm, I was hoping to do a tour. Saw on the RC cruise site that they have one with an airport transfer that looks perfect-except it's an airport transfer and I need to get to the Amtrak station. Any ideas/thoughts on tour groups that offer such a thing? The one I was specifically interested in included Capilano Suspension Bridge as I neglected to do that last time I was in town.

All suggestions/thoughts appreciated. Thank you!

We did Vancouver last year in May.  We arrived in Vancouver 2 days early in order to site see there.  We went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and loved it.  In front of the Pan Pacific hotel and Ship dock there are two booths on the street where you can purchase excursions/tickets.  I'm 99% positive we bought our Capilano Bridge tickets there and a bus comes every 15-20 minutes to pick up and take you.   When we were ready, we decided to Uber/Lyft back instead of waiting on the next bus.   It's not a long drive and cheaper than renting a car.  I believe the busses pick up at multiple spots in the city.   Hope this helps.

First time on this itinerary.   I'm excited even though it's so far away!

1 hour ago, Matt said:

Almost certainly a medical emergency

Yeah, I told my wife the same thing after realizing it came in and left this morning.     Hope they are ok if so.

I just noticed her sailing away just now and was curious why (at 8am).  Looks like she was set to sail yesterday (the 9th) but must have been delayed?

If you use the link in the e-mail from C&A (this morning), it is 60% off vs 50%.  Early C&A dibbs, for today only.  

Based on Matt's recommendations, we've done www.mayachanbeach.com and had a great time.  I just booked it again yesterday for our December cruise.  

I'm thinking about booking this excursion for December and would love to hear any feedback you might have about it.

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46 minutes ago, AAD said:

Hi— this is our first cruise… Are you able to add additional gratuity at checkout? If so, how is that distributed/designated?  We have been adding tips when able with signing off on the check. But there’s usually nothing presented to sign. We are not really wanting to pass around cash if there is another option at the end…. TIA!  

Good question, I would like to hear a response on this (in case I forget cash).  We usually take cash so we can tip the guys taking the luggage, bartenders, and of course the room steward.

6 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I've never understood what good a copy would do, other than I guess help the consulate issue whatever temporary paperwork you need to go home. You can't fly out of a country with a copy.

Yeah, not sure either.  I assume they would use the Passport # and look you up in the system and compare facial recognition?  Not sure but getting off the boat today and not having to pull it out allowed us to pass through customs in 15 seconds.  Hopefully all ports will add this feature soon.

35 minutes ago, Matt said:

Did you sail on Symphony, Odyssey, or Oasis this past week and happy with Royal Caribbean’s approach to Covid protocols?

Please share your thoughts on how safe and effective the protocols were. Did you feel the ports are being unfair? 
 

Im looking for some quotes from folks who sailed recently to show that mainstream media coverage is not reflective of the overall experience. 
 

please include your ship and sail date. First name optional.

@Neesa @Jax

Just finished a 7 day on Liberty OTS this morning.  I don't feel the new protocols could have been any better last month.  Maybe you didn't need to wear a mask in a few areas, but it really wasn't bad at all.  Once your in the dining room, mask off.  Once you have a drink at the bar, mask off.  We had a great time!  

Agree, we just returned today off of Liberty OTS and all of us, even the kids 10, 12 are vaccinated, and we were told not to leave the RC sponsored excursion to head back to the ship or we could have problems.  This was in Cozumel and the tour guides said we should stick with them all the way back to port.   They are taking things pretty serious.