Wear the PimpMyCruise logo proudly! It is an invitation that can be directed at anyone... crew, staff, fellow cruisers... even a travel agent... to pimp your cruise in any way consistent with their position.
First you gotta get there -
You can buy an 'Air/Sea'
package direct from the
cruise line that includes
airfare or you can arrange
flights on your own -
through a travel agent
or online. We recommend
either a TA or the 'on
your own' option - as
both almost always result
in greater choice and
lower fares.
Finding the best deals online -
- Kayak.com
- Tripfinder.com
- Orbitz.com
- Hotwire.com
- Vayama.com
Kayak.com Pros -The fare
display is extremely
flexible and user friendly.
With Kayak.com it is
very easy to limit results
to a particular airline,
to specific departure
and arrival time frames,
to scan multiple dates
or to return to the
original input form
for modification. Cons - Kayak.com is a data aggregator
and does not actually
sell tickets - once
you have chosen the
flights you want - you
are directed to another
site - often the airline's
own proprietary site
- to complete the sale
- you don't know who
you will be dealing
with until you are ready
to purchase.
Tripfinder.com Pros - Like Travelocity
and Expedia, Tripfinder.com is
a true online agency - and, in
the spirit of full disclosure
- our own "private label" online
booking engine. So please
forgive us if we shamelessly
plug Tripfinder.com as
the best place to do your
all your ancillary booking
- airfare, pre/post cruise
hotel, car rental, etc.
The user interface is
as friendly - or more
so - than any other online
reservation service. Plus,
Tripfinder.com offers
a hotel " Best
Rate Guarantee".
Check it out for yourself
and then tell us about
your experience in the
Tell
Your Story Forum. Cons - Absolutely
none! It is hard to believe
that Tripfinder.com was
designed and implemented
by mere mortals. To live
one's entire life without
utilizing Tripfinder.com would be a shame. Add
it to you own personal
Bucket List. Tripfinder.com users regularly report
improved vitality, renewed
sex drive, dramatic increases
in popularity, as well
as an almost embarrassing
abundance of compliments
from friends and family
- usually to do with how
much younger and slimmer
they look - often immediately
following their first
booking. (Actual results
may vary.)
Orbitz.com & Hotwire.com
We are still accumulating data
on these two systems and have
no specific advice at this
point in time. However, we
do know that Orbitz.com tends
to get high marks from consumers
for consistently low prices
- while Hotwire.com seems to
be the front runner in the "User Friendliness" category.
Vayama.com Pros - Specializes
in international airfares
and is especially good
for visually oriented
searches - one can just
click at a location on
a map rather than type
in city names or airport
codes. Nice. Cons - No advantage
over other sites unless
you are just thrilled
by seeing a map with flight
paths superimposed. Plus,
you cannot purchase a
last minute ticket on
Vayama.com. Travel must
be five days out or more.
Plan for contingencies
Unless yours is a very short
flight, say Tampa to Miami,
it is almost always best
to schedule arrival at
the port of departure
a day or two prior to
the ship's sailing. Why?
If you are late to the
port for ANY reason, the
ship is not going to wait.
You will be on your own
for all costs related
to catching up with the
ship at the first port
stop. And the cruise line
is not going to compensate
you for days that you
were not on board. (see
Pimp My Insurance for
additional implications
and options)
The best strategy is to book a flight arriving the day before the ship sails,
grab a hotel near the
pier or in an area that
would be fun to explore
for half a day. Then sleep
easy with the peace of
mind that you are not
likely to miss your ship.
When returning to port for disembarkation allow for unexpected contingences,
such as a customs or immigration
instigated delay in clearing
the ship for one reason
or another- or a weather
related delay to the ship's
arrival in port, etc.
A good rule of thumb -
if you are catching a
flight home on the same
day the ship gets in,
don't schedule your departure
any earlier than mid-afternoon;
even if the ship is scheduled
to arrive at 7am and the
airport is only a stone's
throw away - such as in
Ft. Lauderdale.
Work with a traditional travel agent Pros - Agents have the experience and resources to 'get-ur-dun' quickly
and can often save you money - even after paying their service fee. Suggestion:
For extra special consideration, strut proudly into the agency displaying the
Pimp My Cruise logo on a T- shirt, hat or thong (this last item assumes age
and body fat percentage fall within accepted tolerances for tasteful public
display). Cons - You will still have to pay the standard agency service fee
- usually $30 or $50 per ticket. And, should you make a personal appearance
emblazoned with the PMC logo and the poor agent has been living in a cave -
unfamiliar with the PMC social movement - or the whole pimping concept for
that matter - you may find it necessary to engage in some sort of clarification
dialog prior to getting down to business.
Using frequent flyer miles Pros - Travel to a distant port of departure can be a very effective
way to get maximum value from your miles - especially if you use them to snag
first class seats at the lowest redemption tier. The very best value to be
squeezed out of your mileage stash is to use them to reach an international
port of departure in First or Business class. In this instance your value return
per mile can be quite high, even if you have to redeem at a higher tier to
get the seats.
Personal Example - for a recent cruise departing from Amsterdam
we redeemed 175,000 miles each for business class seats. There was
availability one way at the lower tier but we had to jump to the higher
tier for the return in order to get two seats on the same flight.
The
Math - Airline policy allowed for splitting the difference
- half the standard (lower tier) round trip business class level of
100,000 (50K) and half the "Sky Choice" round trip level
of 250,000 (125k), totaling 175,000 per person. We ended up parking
our butts for two eight hour flights in seats that retailed for approximately
$6,000 per person at time of travel - giving new meaning to the term "bottom
line".
In the example above our redemption value quotient was a pimped 3.2 cents per
mile. (Hey, it's not rocket surgery...just divide the approximate dollar value
of the ticket by the number of miles redeemed.)
After messing with miles for over 25 years, experience tells us 3.2 cents per
mile is an excellent return. As a matter of fact, anything over 2 cents per mile
is good. But who are we to say what's a good deal and what isn't? Fly on over
to the Tell
Your Story Forum and...well, tell us your story.
Cons - See the above computations. The tragically un-pimped have been
known to spend $1,000 worth of miles for a ticket they could have bought for
$200 cash. There is only everlasting shame to be associated with such a foolhardy
move. If you are guilty of such a blunder, keep it to yourself! The heaping helping
of scorn dished out by the unsympathetic might prove to be unbearable - nudging
one towards a risky new activity gaining ground on cruise ships - Cordless Bungee
Jumping for the Clinically Depressed. (Ok, this is an inside joke, we don't expect
you to know that 20 people fell off cruise ships in 2007 - either by accident,
suicide or malicious intent - unless you are cruise news junkies like us.)
Finding mileage seats with Expertflyer.com Pros - Here is a hot little opportunity to bypass the infernal/eternal
phone calls to frequent flyer customer service to check availability and options
for mileage tickets. Expertflyer.com has done a brilliant job of determining
the inventory code for most free seats and upgrades for all classes of service
and for most airlines (some better than others). For example, if you are looking
for First or Business class seats, your search will be for flights that show
availability in the "D" or "I" category of seat inventory.
The basic service is $4.99 per month - with a Premium Service level option for
a monthly subscription fee of $9.99. We use the site often, even just for checking
schedules or to determine what carriers service a particular destination.
This unique service will become even more valuable in the future as people gain
more flexibility and choice over which airline frequent flyer account they wish
to fatten for harvest - i.e., if you have a stash of American Express points
you are entitled to move them into anyone one of about 14 different airline programs.
You only have to first establish an account with that airline, which can be done
online and is free of charge, then link it to your AMX Rewards account. Yes,
you heard right! You can now find out which airline has availability -THEN build
up the mileage in that airline's proprietary program - all in a matter of minutes.
And here's another Hot Pimp Tip if you are an AMX point hoarder - you
can dump points from your AMX Rewards account into ANYONE'S account - all you
have to do is link that person's account with yours - all done online and free
of charge. What a great way to help Aunt Martha top off her account and ride
up front in comfort on that long haul trip to Athens for that Mediterranean cruise-of-
a-lifetime. Or, for her to top off yours for the same reason. Cons - To get the most value from the Expertflyer.com program you need
to know which of the various codes to look for - and they vary from one class
of service to another and not always the same from one airline to another. But
this is a short and painless learning curve, well worth the time and effort if
you are regular redeemer of frequent flyer miles. On those times when you do
have to call the frequent flyer desk, develop the habit of asking the customer
service agent to provide the "inventory code" as well as seat availability. We
have never been refused when making that request. They are usually happy to do
it.
Driving to port of departure Pros - Usually secure, fenced in parking is provided by the cruise
lines at domestic ports of departure - sometimes even covered parking. The
fee is usually reasonable - $10 to $15 per day. Plus, by driving rather than
flying you not only save on airfare, you can pack EVERYTHING! Think you might
want that polyester Nehru jacket for formal night? Just throw it in the suitcase.
No need worry about schlepping too many bags, excess baggage surcharges, etc.
Once at the pier you can always make several trips from the car to your cabin.
Just tell those longshoremen giving you the Stink Eye that your spouse over-packed. Cons - None that we can think of. Just don't leave anything valuable
in the car. Break-ins happen. Even in "secure" parking areas.
Background & history of cruise air connections
It used to be that the best value was to buy the "Air/Sea" package
from the cruise line. This option usually resulted in a low - if not lowest -
price on the airfare - with the added the convenience of not having to shop for
the fare on your own. The cruise lines loved to sell these inclusive packages
because they pocketed a portion, if not all, of the commission offered by the
airlines at the time.
However, beginning in 2000, the airlines began to reduce commissions, eventually
eliminating them all together. Under marching orders to maintain the profitability
of their air departments, the beady eyed cruise line revenue managers responded
by marking up the base price of each ticket sold.
Apparently the cruise lines have now decided that they'd rather not be in the
airline ticketing business at all. Their markups have gone so far beyond the
typical travel agent's $30 to $50 per ticket service fee - well, it's embarrassing.
Today, you will almost invariably find a better deal on your own - or by paying
a travel agent's fee to have it all handled for you. However, there is some
value in the marked up Air/Sea ticket not apparent at first glance. Transfers
from the airport to ship (or hotel) and return are usually included - plus
there is a minor insurance factor in that the cruise line will assist and
cover the cost of getting you to the ship if you miss departure due to delayed
flight arrival. This is not something they will do if you bought the airline
ticket separately. Still, all things considered, we feel there is better value
in booking the air on your own.
Choose your airline carefully.
The cheapest ticket may not
be the best.
First
& business class is more
affordable than ever - especially
if you can upgrade with FF mileage.
But beware of voyeur pilots with hidden
ceiling cameras!
Study up on possibilities with Frequent
Flyer miles - consult
the experts then start fattening
up the appropriate account
for Cruise
Time harvesting.
When harvest time comes around, do
the math. Make sure you
are getting the best
value for your miles.
When published airfare & top tier
FF mileage redemption options appear
too costly,
don't be afraid to explore
other possibilities -
especially if you are traveling
light.
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