Should I book flight through cruise line?

I booked a Caribbean cruise for my husband and I to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this winter. I haven’t booked our airline tickets to Fort Lauderdale, Florida yet. When looking on the cruise line’s website I noticed I had the option to book our airline tickets directly with the cruise line. What is the difference between booking our airline tickets through the cruise line or purchasing them from an online travel agency or airline website separately?

There are a few differences between purchasing your airline tickets through the cruise line or separately from an online travel agency or airline website.

The main benefit of purchasing your airline tickets from the cruise line is that most cruise lines provide a guarantee that should the airline delay or cancel your flight to Fort Lauderdale resulting in you missing the embarkation time for your cruise, the cruise line will take care of the costs and arrangements for any flight changes to join your cruise at the next available port of call. Flight delays or cancellations can occur for a number of unexpected reasons including weather, mechanical issues or other events that are out of the control of the airline. Based on the flight schedules available, the cruise line would offer you flight selections to allow you to arrive early enough to board the cruise on time. In some cases, this may require arriving the day before with the additional cost of accommodations for one night.

Although cruise lines offer various flights with competitive pricing, you or your travel agent may find flights that are more desirable than what is being offered by the cruise line. The issue to consider is that if your cruise is departing Fort Lauderdale at 4 p.m., you are required to be on the ship at least one hour before departure and not just arriving at the cruise terminal an hour before to commence the check-in process. Depending on the size of the ship, the check-in process could take some time and the earlier you arrive at the cruise terminal to commence the boarding process, the better. Therefore, booking a flight that will arrive in Fort Lauderdale on the same day as your cruise departs could pose a problem if, for any reason your flight is cancelled or delayed.

If you choose to purchase your air tickets from an online travel agency or airline, you are subject to the airline’s terms and conditions, which set out both cancellation charges and rebooking fees when making changes to your flights. Ultimately you would be subject to the fees and/or penalties that are applicable to the travel services purchased regardless of the reasons why a cancellation or change is made. If you had to cancel with the airline and purchase new tickets with a different airline to board the cruise on time or join your cruise at the next port of call, you would be subject to those additional costs.

Consider purchasing flights that have you arrive a day earlier, even if it means booking one night’s accommodation near the cruise terminal. This will better ensure you won’t arrive late and should lessen the chances of rushing to arrive to board on time.

I also can’t stress enough the importance of purchasing travel and medical insurance. Some insurance policies include trip interruption coverage that, if purchased and include both the cost of your air tickets and cruise, may provide you with a reimbursement should you be placed in a situation where you incur any flight costs or rebooking fees. The cruise line or your travel agent can provide further advice on the coverage available to you.

Some added peace of mind can be achieved by taking some precautions during the planning and booking process. Being prepared for the unexpected and avoiding some of the pitfalls of travel can make all the difference when travelling abroad. Dorian Werda is vice-president, operations for the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), a non-profit corporation that regulates 2,500 travel retailers and wholesalers registered in Ontario. Send your travel questions to travel@thestar.ca. Not all questions can be answered.