Do cruises include free flights?

No — for the vast majority of cruise lines, airfare is not included in the cruise fare. You book your flights separately, get yourself to the departure port, and the cruise takes it from there. But there are exceptions worth knowing about, and even mainstream lines offer flight-booking services that come with some useful protections.

Cruise Lines That Include Flights

A handful of luxury and ultra-luxury lines include roundtrip airfare from most major US and Canadian airports as part of their all-inclusive pricing:

• Regent Seven Seas — Truly all-inclusive: flights, transfers, shore excursions, drinks, gratuities, and specialty dining are all covered in the base fare. One price, no surprises.
• Silversea — Includes roundtrip business class air on most itineraries for their Door-to-Door All-Inclusive fares.
• Seabourn — Offers included airfare on select promotions and itineraries.
• Viking Cruises — Frequently includes airfare as part of promotional packages, particularly during Wave Season.

These lines price at a premium, but the all-in nature makes comparison shopping against mainstream lines less straightforward than it looks — once you add flights, transfers, drinks, and gratuities to a Carnival or Royal Caribbean fare, the gap narrows considerably.

Flight-Booking Services from Mainstream Lines

Even lines that don't include airfare offer flight-booking services worth considering:

• Celebrity Cruises — Flights by Celebrity — Offers a Lowest Airfare Guarantee, lets you choose your own airline and flight times, and — most importantly — guarantees they'll get you to the ship even if your flight is delayed or canceled.
• Princess Cruises — EZair — Similar service with flexible booking, price protection, and a guarantee that the ship will wait or alternative arrangements will be made if your flight is disrupted.

The ship-delay guarantee is the main reason to consider booking flights through the cruise line rather than independently. If you book your own flights and miss the ship due to a delay, you're on your own to catch up at the next port — at your expense. That said, good travel insurance can cover the same risk, often at lower cost.

Booking a Flight + Cruise Package

Most travel agencies and cruise booking sites can bundle flights and a cruise into a single package price. This simplifies planning and sometimes unlocks package pricing not available when booking separately. It also means one point of contact if something goes wrong before or during travel.

Whether you book through the cruise line, a travel agent, or independently, purchasing travel insurance that covers trip interruption and missed connections is strongly recommended any time flights are involved in getting to your ship.