We're First Time Cruisers...Advice Welcome!!

[tillyboy]

Hello Everyone! DH and I are considering a Princess Aegean- Egyptian Cruise in 10/2010. Is it better to let the Vacation Planner from the Cruise Line book everything, including the airfare?

Or can you do better on your own? He quoted a Hotel rate of almost $900 for a one night stay at the Leonardo DaVinci Hotel near the Civitavecchia Port. This includes all transfers to and from the Airport, Hotel and Ship. When I looked for Hotels on Hotel.com I saw much lower rates! I'm really looking for some advice from all you "seasoned" cruisers!!!

Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.Oh, has anyone taken this 12 day cruise? This cruise goes to Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. I'd love to hear both the

pros and cons of this particular itinerary. Thanks so much!

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I always book my own hotels and air. I find that it is much less than Princess charges.

[hightownCO]

We did this cruise in November and it was WONDERFUL!!

 

One thing that made it so great was getting to know folks before hand on our roll call. Many of us planned private transfers and tours in the port. Everything worked out great. I didn't see a roll call started yet for your sailing. You should start one. Go here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=309&order=desc

 

You can do much better pricewise on your own for air, transport and hotels.

 

We flew in for two nights precruise in Rome and stayed at the Aberdeen Hotel. Nice hotel. Rick Steve's endorsed. Prices were 80 - 90 euros per night.

 

I then handled a bus tranport for 37 of us from the hotel to port. That was 10euros each plus tip.

 

If you'll go to the port forums for Italy, there's loads of information there on transfers, tours and hotels. Also get on Trip Advisor for reviews.

 

I'd do this cruise all over in a minute if I could. Have a wonderful time and just ask if any questions.

[HondaGirl05]

Welcome! We've generally booked everything on our own. Next year we will be doing our first Med. cruise, and we've seriously considered booking the air through the cruiseline. In the end, based on what we've read and heard from our TA, I think we will end up ordering on our own. We will set up the flights to arrive early (at least 1 day) and the itinerary of our cruise will have us in a new port the next day (we also did a quick check of how much it would cost to get us to that new port). In the end, in my opinion, it comes down to risk tolerence (I have NONE, but DH does). You have to find some thing you are comfortable with.

 

This site is full of great information from great people!

[euro cruiser]

Welcome to Cruise Critic Tillyboy.

 

It's easier than you think to do it on your own, and the people on these boards can be a big help in doing that.

 

As has been mentioned, spend some time on the Port of Call boards relevant to your itinerary, especially the Italy board for help with ground transportation and lodging. You'll have some options to consider, such as whether to stay near the port the night before you embark, or to stay in Rome. The folks there can point out the options as well as help you think through them.

 

On the roll call for your cruise you can "speak" with others and perhaps find some to share transportation and/or shore excursion costs.

 

As for booking your own air and hotels, I like to use www.itasoftware.com to check airfares. You can log in as a guest to use their site and, because they don't sell anything (to consumers anyway), there's no bias in their results. It might take some practice to get used to the site - it will show you every possible flight option, more than you need/want to know about - but it's worth it.

 

For hotels in Europe, in addition to www.hotels.com I also check www.venere.com and www.ahotelinitaly.com.

 

Have fun planning!

[rjm1cc]

I have done both. My conclusion is that you can probably do better on your own. Having said that I generaly check with a TA or two just to be sure. We did get a very good deal from one TA that we could not match. My feelings are that air and hotel will almost always be better on your own.

[thinfool]

Hello Everyone! DH and I are considering a Princess Aegean- Egyptian Cruise in 10/2010. Is it better to let the Vacation Planner from the Cruise Line book everything, including the airfare?

Or can you do better on your own? Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.Oh, has anyone taken this 12 day cruise? This cruise goes to Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. I'd love to hear both the

pros and cons of this particular itinerary. Thanks so much!

 

Find a brick and mortar Travel Agent to work with for good answers to your questions. Verify his/her recommendations with your own research. Find your own airfare and likely your own hotels. Don't forget travel insurance (do NOT use the cruise line insurance).

 

You will have several choices to make. CC is a great place for help in that matter.

 

Example: Travel from Civitavecchia to Rome can be by train, limo, cruise line transfer, shuttle, etc.

 

Train < €11 (euros) pp

Limo +/- €100

CL xfer +/- € 75 pp

[janice4559]

I am new to cruise critic as well and have been reading but not posting. My question is does this same advice apply to caribbean cruises out of the States as well? We've been on two cruises and have always booked our air thru the cruiseline fearful that if we don't, they would sail without us.

[AJMiii]

First time cruiser here. Can anyone tell me if the rooms have irons in them?

[paul929207]

I am new to cruise critic as well and have been reading but not posting. My question is does this same advice apply to caribbean cruises out of the States as well? We've been on two cruises and have always booked our air thru the cruiseline fearful that if we don't, they would sail without us.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Yes, you will probably do better and be able to control the routing if you book air yourself.

 

BTW, the cruise line will NOT wait for you if your cruise air flight is late.

[thinfool]

I am new to cruise critic as well and have been reading but not posting. My question is does this same advice apply to caribbean cruises out of the States as well? We've been on two cruises and have always booked our air thru the cruiseline fearful that if we don't, they would sail without us.

 

Very much so. But experienced CC'ers will strongly recommend that you fly in a day ahead of your sail date, especially in the winter.

 

You can prove this yourself if you ask the cruise line for a quote on your airfare, and then look for one yourself.

 

Note: cruise line airfare can usually be cancelled, unlike low fare bookings that you may do yourself. Hence you can book with the cruise line and then, if you find a better deal, cancel and use your own.

[paul929207]

First time cruiser here. Can anyone tell me if the rooms have irons in them?

No, cabins on cruise ships do NOT have irons. If fact, you are not allowed to bring your own. They are a fire hazzard. Many lines have a self service laundry with irons in them.

[kitty9]

I am new to cruise critic as well and have been reading but not posting. My question is does this same advice apply to caribbean cruises out of the States as well? We've been on two cruises and have always booked our air thru the cruiseline fearful that if we don't, they would sail without us.

 

 

Sometimes, the air that the cruise lines use are awful. I let the cruise line book ONE airfare for me, and after that terrible flight----never again. They had me fly from Milwaukee to St Louis, to Memphis, to Montgomery, to Tampa and finally to Ft Lauderdale. Yeah, it was probably a very cheap flight for them, but it was a pain in the butt for me.

 

Just because the cruise line books the air for you, doesn't mean they won't leave if you're really late. I did a cruise recently when the weather up north was awful and many airports closed. Many didn't make the cruise, and some flights were 6 hours late. The ship did not wait. So, you're never guaranteed, no matter who books the flights. And, that's what you purchase insurance for---delayed flights and all that.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Sometimes, the air that the cruise lines use are awful. I let the cruise line book ONE airfare for me, and after that terrible flight----never again.

 

Me, too. Never again. Flying all over the place and backwards. I like to decide exactly what time I want to leave, how long I want to be in the air, how many connections and what time I get there. Never leave it to them (chance) again.

 

Regarding Civitavecchia, we paid $650 per person (Travel Agent set it up) for three nights in Rome, limo from airport to Rome hotel, limo from hotel to Civitavecchia, and two excursions while we were in Rome, so:

 

YES. You can do better on your own or with another TA.

[paul929207]

Princess does put you into very nice hotels, but they take a very high mark up on the rates.

[owl61]

The itinerary sounds great. You'll have fun exploring some exotic cities. I urge you to do on line research before sailing so you can avoid the generally overpriced ship excursions. The roll call for your ship will be a source of information on how to best see what will be available to you as you cruise from port to port. The CCers in the roll calls are uniformly helpful. You will be able to maximize your fun and minimize your expense if you participate. Depending on your actual itinerary a Med cruise can be fairly intensive so rest up before you go. Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes.

 

I have travelled fairly extensively. In my experience most travel agents, even ones that use the title, Vacation Planner, are little more than order takers. As far as cruises go, even the order takers almost always seem to have better cruise fare pricing so for cruises I would recommend you use the services of one. Try to locate a brick and mortar one located conveniently near you who can approximate the pricing of an online agent, but if you have to pay a few bucks more than the lowest online price, don't be dissuaded. Almost all online TAs are hazardous for your health, so it' s advisable to avoid them if at all possible. If you get lucky, you may find a TA that has actually travelled to or sailed on what he is buying for you and thereby be of real assistance.

The airfares offered by cruise lines in connection with cruises are often low bucket prices which for a small additional charge allow modifications. It puzzles me why some folks would opt to fly into a distant city only to spend a few hours prior to boarding and sailing away, perhaps never to return. An air deviation purchased for $75 may allow you to arrive a couple /3 days early in order to actually explore the port from which you sail. The low priced air, with deviation, may be a good deal if you have decent connections and scheduling. That will be determined on a case by case basis.

Have fun.

[yellowbird23]

Hello Everyone! DH and I are considering a Princess Aegean- Egyptian Cruise in 10/2010. Is it better to let the Vacation Planner from the Cruise Line book everything, including the airfare?

Or can you do better on your own? He quoted a Hotel rate of almost $900 for a one night stay at the Leonardo DaVinci Hotel near the Civitavecchia Port. This includes all transfers to and from the Airport, Hotel and Ship. When I looked for Hotels on Hotel.com I saw much lower rates! I'm really looking for some advice from all you "seasoned" cruisers!!!

Any and all information will be greatly appreciated.Oh, has anyone taken this 12 day cruise? This cruise goes to Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. I'd love to hear both the

pros and cons of this particular itinerary. Thanks so much!

 

I took the E. Med this past February. We stayed in Rome 3 days prior (having our own air via website) at a hotel right at the Pantheon, which was fantastic. We toured all three days prior on our own and then took the train from Rome to Civitavecchia for the cruise. Post-cruise, we stayed at a small hotel that we found on the internet as well for about $120/night if I remember correctly because the timing to get back to the airport to leave that same day was not possible. Fantastic cruise you're going on. We went on Costa Concordia.