Hotel package with Princess

So we are doing a Mediterranean cruise in October. We have hotels booked through a package with Princess. In looking at hotels it is a lot more expensive to book with Princess. Is there an advantage to this?

Any thoughts would be appreciated,

Joan

The advantage would be the hotel package also includes pick up from airport to hotel, hotel to ship then ship to airport at end. It is usually a top notch hotel where you are made to feel like Royalty. With the transport service there is no wondering, worrying how to get to hotel and then to ship...they take care of it all for you. We do splurge on this once in awhile depending on the embarkation port.

I would price hotels you normally stay at or that one if you want to stay there, then transport for all those things I mentioned and see what the price point comes out at...if nominal then it may be worth it to sit back and let Princess do the planning and you just show up....if way over priced then you need to ask is this overage worth me having to basically just show up vs booking your own and managing it on your own and getting a taxi or shuttle or what not...

No, not really...although that price usually includes transfers...at least one way.

You can virtually always get your own hotel and transport cheaper.

We encountered the same thing in Europe. In the US, the hotel chains give a discount to the cruise lines in exchange for the bookings. In Europe, there is no discount given so the cruise line adds the money that they want to make onto whatever the hotel charges for the room. In addition, the cruise lines often choose very expensive hotels. We've been able to choose very nice places for a whole lot less than booking thru the cruise line would have cost.

Barcelona is a prime example of this--we stayed at a nice hotel for about $100 per night when the cruise line was charging $500 per night at "their" hotel. I could have gotten the hotel that the cruise line used for $300+...which is still a lot less than $500!

Same in Tokyo. We stayed in the same hotel that Princess was using for less than half of what they were charging.

We did the Med cruise a couple years ago and used Princess hotel and transfer. The hotel was in London and we boarded in Southampton. What should have taken a couple hrs took 5 1/2! The bus driver contacted Princess so they knew we were coming. The ship literally took off shortly after we boarded. Because of this I will always use Princess hotels (or at least transfers if in US). Have a good trip.

The advantage would be the hotel package also includes pick up from airport to hotel, hotel to ship then ship to airport at end.

Ship to airport at the end of the cruise would not be included in the pre-cruise hotel package. However, breakfast at the pre-cruise hotel is normally included.

When doing price comparisons, remember that the Princess price is per person where a direct booking with the hotel would normally include two in the room at the listed hotel price.

The advantage are the transfers.

You can always do better booking the hotel yourself and arranging for transfers in terms of saving money.

Keith

We usually pay for a hotel and transfer package with Princess, when we are leaving from a ' new' port...we did a South America cruise in January and booked Princess packages at beginning and end. No worries about getting to right place at right time..Princess took the stress. Good hotels in reasonable areas with reliable transfers.

When leaving from ports we are familiar with..Fort Lauderdale for example, we book our own hotels and transfers. Last Easter , we booked for ourselves, the same hotel as Princess uses with taxi transfers at our convenience, for a fraction of Princess' price.

Much depends on confidence in a new city, distance from port, language skills, although staff in hotels do tend to speak English to arrange taxis, confidence to use Uber/ Lyft if available.

Bon Voyage!

The advantage, as mentioned, is peace of mind.

If you feel comfortable handling the arrangements yourself, you'll save a lot of money.

We never book Princess hotels. We typically come in 3-4 days early for a new city and just use taxis from the airport to hotel and hotel to the port.

For port to airport at the end, we use a mix of taxis, group shuttles, and Princess transfers, depending on the cost.

For instance, in Sydney, taxis run about AUD$45 to the airport. Princess transfers are US$19 pp. We booked the transfer.

BTW, if our departure port was some distance away from the city we fly into (as the example of London to Southampton) we would have transferred to Southampton the night before, for exactly the possible problems given by the previous poster.

IMO the transfers are the only real advantage, because the "Princess hotel" cost really is high, considering that each person in the room is charged what would usually about as much as what the per night rate for that room would be for 2 people.

If there are 2 of you in the room. and you book your hotel independently, the hotel cost should be significantly lower (unless you are booking a 5-star hotel), and even with the cost of a taxi between airport and hotel, and hotel to the pier, added, likely your total cost should be less.

If I may ask, where are you embarking the ship??

IMO the transfers are the only real advantage, because the "Princess hotel" cost really is high, considering that each person in the room is charged what would usually about as much as what the per night rate for that room would be for 2 people.

If there are 2 of you in the room. and you book your hotel independently, the hotel cost should be significantly lower (unless you are booking a 5-star hotel), and even with the cost of a taxi between airport and hotel, and hotel to the pier, added, likely your total cost should be less.

 

If I may ask, where are you embarking the ship??

Thank you. We embark in Barcelona, Spain.

Thank you. We embark in Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona is a pretty easy port. Walk off the plane, catch a cab to a hotel (commonly discussed and recommended on the Spain board here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=596 ) and then cab to the port. Very easy, and I can pretty surely say you can do it cheaper than Princess.

Hi,

Sometimes the convenience of booking the hotel through Princess is worth the extra price. They arrange the transfers between the airport and the hotel and the hotel and the ship. For example, we booked a pre-cruise hotel in Venice through Princess. We were met at the airport and escorted by a representative to our own private water taxi to the hotel. After our hotel stay, they arranged a water taxi transfer to the ship. In Japan, we booked a post-cruise hotel package in Tokyo. They transferred us from the pier in Yokohama to our hotel in Tokyo. Also, after our stay, they arranged our transfer to the airport. Depending on the port, this convenience may be worth paying extra.

Because I use a Princess Visa card, I earn double points on hotel packages that I purchase through Princess.

Chuck

IMO, it all depends on the city you want to stay in whether or not who has the best deal. We've found better pricing on our own, Barcelona and London for example, Princess package is better in Copenhagen. Our room/stay request is the same in all cities, transfers, free breakfast, 4 star, location near city center, in city transportation, restaurants nearby, etc etc. We are in Copenhagen in Sept. and the Princess deal is several hundred dollars cheaper when considering our request.

I agree Barcelona is an easy to do yourself city.

Thanks for the info on Copenhagen . We'll be there next.

We have done it both ways, booking on our own and using Princess. The older we get the less adventurous we have become and the more we enjoy having things taken care of for us. We do our own thing in Rome and have done it in London but this will be our second time having Princess do it. They meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel and they even have a representative available at the hotel for any questions or problems you may have. The price is a little higher but much worth it.

Its more expensive because cruise lines charge "per person" charge for hotels. If you book directly with hotel they charge "per room"

I'd never book hotels through cruise lines, it's usually always cheaper to book your own, even including transfers

No, not really...although that price usually includes transfers...at least one way.

 

You can virtually always get your own hotel and transport cheaper.

...including at that same hotel, and using the hotel's shuttle to the dock.

FYI, NO where have I seen a PP price through Princess, it's has always been room for 2 just like a hotel website or travel based website. Not sure how people think it's PP by Princess. Example, our stay of 4 days in the city we're going to prior to embarkation through Princess, which includes breakfast and transfers, is several hundred dollars cheaper than the hotel/travel websites and they don't have transfers or breakfast available.$934 vs $1368, just saying.

FYI, NO where have I seen a PP price through Princess, it's has always been room for 2 just like a hotel website or travel based website. Not sure how people think it's PP by Princess. Example, our stay of 4 days in the city we're going to prior to embarkation through Princess, which includes breakfast and transfers, is several hundred dollars cheaper than the hotel/travel websites and they don't have transfers or breakfast available.$934 vs $1368, just saying.

In Sydney, last year. Asked Princess how much they wanted for a pre-cruise stay

for the 2 of us. Asked the hotel, and it was less than half what Princess quoted.

The Princess folks in the lobby were even happy to take specialty restaurant

reservations for us.

YMMV.

We usually pay for a hotel and transfer package with Princess, when we are leaving from a ' new' port...we did a South America cruise in January and booked Princess packages at beginning and end. No worries about getting to right place at right time..Princess took the stress. Good hotels in reasonable areas with reliable transfers.

When leaving from ports we are familiar with..Fort Lauderdale for example, we book our own hotels and transfers. Last Easter , we booked for ourselves, the same hotel as Princess uses with taxi transfers at our convenience, for a fraction of Princess' price.

 

Much depends on confidence in a new city, distance from port, language skills, although staff in hotels do tend to speak English to arrange taxis, confidence to use Uber/ Lyft if available.

 

Bon Voyage!

Excellant idea.....:):):)

Bob

FYI, NO where have I seen a PP price through Princess, it's has always been room for 2 just like a hotel website or travel based website. Not sure how people think it's PP by Princess. Example, our stay of 4 days in the city we're going to prior to embarkation through Princess, which includes breakfast and transfers, is several hundred dollars cheaper than the hotel/travel websites and they don't have transfers or breakfast available.$934 vs $1368, just saying.

Every pre-cruise hotel listing on the Princess website clearly states:

Below rates are per person based on double occupancy.

...and at the bottom of the page:

Note: All Cruise Plus Hotel Packages are quoted per person, double occupancy. Government fees and taxes are additional and vary by city and duration of stay. Additional nights increase these fees. All packages include hotel accommodations, baggage handling, meet-and-greet services, transfers and the hospitality of a Princes representative. Please see your travel agent or call Princess Cruises for the most current fares, availability and for terms and conditions associated with the Cruise Plus program. Hotel properties and packages are subject to change and may not be available on all dates based on availability and participation. Cruise Plus Hotels are not owned or operated by Princess.

FYI, NO where have I seen a PP price through Princess, it's has always been room for 2 just like a hotel website or travel based website. Not sure how people think it's PP by Princess. Example, our stay of 4 days in the city we're going to prior to embarkation through Princess, which includes breakfast and transfers, is several hundred dollars cheaper than the hotel/travel websites and they don't have transfers or breakfast available.$934 vs $1368, just saying.

To quote the Princess web site when I look at hotels:

"Below rates are applicable for 2018 sailings and are per person, based on double occupancy."

And for one hotel I looked at:

2018 Price: 1 night from $159

Additional nights from $84

So for two people, the first night would cost from $318 and an additional night from $168. The $150 difference is for paying $75/person for the transportation involved.

For what it is worth, picking a random date later this year, the cost for one night for two people is $224 without any special discount.

To quote the Princess web site when I look at hotels:

"Below rates are applicable for 2018 sailings and are per person, based on double occupancy."

In my example upthread (Sydney), I had originally opted for via Princess. After

I got my invoice, I pulled my eyebrows back down onto my forehead and checked

with the hotel directly. THAT'S where I got my price comparisons -- "per person"

didn't enter into it. It was a "send us this much money for the hotel stay".

Thank you. We embark in Barcelona, Spain.

Not knowing your sail date, I will share with you that we are doing the 25 day T/A out of Barcelona in the same month, and we have a pre-cruise night reserved at the Hotel Llio`, which is close to Las Rambla, and the cost for the two of us is about 120 euros (roughly $148 as of this morning's exchange rate), including the VAT.

As has been mentioned by others, Barcelona is a pretty easy city to navigate and get around on your own. I don't recall what the taxi fares were the last time I cruised from BCN, but I know I didn't feel they were out of line. And I prefer being able to leave for the port at a time chosen by me, not just when the transfer bus departs the hotel. But, that's just me .....