Advice - Princess EZ Air or Booking Air on our Own?

[JustinPlusLauren]

Okay, here is the situation - just looking for some advice!

 

We will be booking our cruise for January 2012 and will be flying from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale. We are flying in a day early and staying at a hotel overnight just in case there are weather or other plane issues that disrupt our flight.

 

I am not sure whether or not we should book our flights through Princess EZ Air or on our own. The flights through EZ Air are about $50/pp more than the flights if we booked them on our own.

 

I know I will probably get yelled at by some people on here, but we never book travel insurance because we fly in a day in advance and we consider that to be our insurance.

 

Would you consider booking the EZ Air, especially considering that we won't be buying insurance? Does EZ Air really help you get to the port with their "next port guarantee" - or do you think it would be fine to book a regular airline ticket through the airline directly, and if there were any disruptions, given that we are flying out one day early, that there would be enough time to be re-booked on a later flight to Fort Lauderdale to make our cruise?

 

I guess I am just asking if we should go with the EZ Air if it really does provide any extra peace of mind...or if you think that it doesn't really help much and we should book directly with the airline to save $100.

[kath00]

Given that you are travelling in January, I would opt to pay the extra $50 for the peace of mind. I find EZAir to be hard to navigate (to sign on and print out boarding passes is a total nightmare with a wierd website and some strange passwords you have to enter so you need to be computer savvy to make full use of it).

 

We booked EZair for a same day flight to Vancouver because we were worried about missing the ship. We also got Princess insurance. Everything went very smoothly. But the weather was perfect. January with a big storm could leave you stranded for more than 1 day so I guess I would opt for Princess' flights.

 

Katherine

[phabric]

Even going a day early is not insurance that you will make the cruise. Remember that in the past few years, Toronto airport has been closed for a day or two due to snow storms.

 

I use President's Choice insurance, cheaper than RBC. You never know when you will need it, if you had a car accident between now and cruise and had to cancel (covered), plane delayed (covered), loss of job (covered), baggage lost (covered).

 

You don't plan on things to happen but they do so why not be covered. I have taken 13 cruises and only had to use the insurance 2x ( had to return early due to death of a parent, & being layed off). I was glad I had the insurance, it is peace of mind.

 

We had a cruise out of LA. Going we had no problems but coming back Air Canada plane had mechanical problems and we had to stay over and return the next day (Air Canda paid). If that had happen going we would have missed the ship.

 

I would book on your own and buy insurance with the difference.

Edited June 17, 2011 by phabric

[cherylandtk]

I would ask myself the following questions:

1. Since EZ air requires that you work with the airline first in case of delay, how many other flights does that particular airline have the FLL on the next day and

2. What fare code is the EZAir booking (because the airline will accommodate directly booke pax before consolidator tickets)

3. If the airline does not get me to FLL by sailing time, where is the next port and is it one, two or three days later? And how easy is it to get flights to that port?

 

Given all the above, I almost always book my own air and buy insurance. Same total cost and better options if something goes wrong. The only time I would buy EZ air is probably when the cost difference is $1000, as often is when buying one way TA flights.

 

In your case, I would buy flights directly from the airline and spend the $50 on the insurance.

[janina]

I have to agree that it would make more sense to buy the air through an airline yourself. Skip the ez air and DEFINATELY buy the minimal insurance at least that will cover you. There are just too many variables that could happen, and insurance is a definate peace of mind.

[kath00]

I think cheryl is a little confused. EZ Air is not an airline. It's just PRincess' name for the flight you book through them. However, they are all the usual airlines like Delta, American, United, etc. When you book EZAir, it will give you a choice of airlines and schedules and prices.

 

In case of delay, you are likely going to have to fly the airline your original tix are on to get to the next port. So if you book United, they will put you on the next flight via United or re-route you.

 

You should have a choice of a few airlines given your departure port.... Ask your travel agent or Princess.

 

Katherine

[cherylandtk]

Katherine,

I am not confused. EZ Air is a proprietary booking engine used by Princess to sell airline tickets. They (Princess) limit the choice of flights shown with EZAir to ones that a) meet the Princess limits for arrival and departure times and b) give priority to flights that are in the consolidator buckets that Princess owns via contract with many, but not all, airlines.

 

The downside for the flying customer is that they almost always purchase a consolidator ticket without realizing it when using EZAir as their booking engine.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I have to agree that it would make more sense to buy the air through an airline yourself. Skip the ez air and DEFINATELY buy the minimal insurance at least that will cover you. There are just too many variables that could happen, and insurance is a definate peace of mind.

I agree. Getting to the embarkation city is just one reason for buying insurance. Tripping in a port, falling and almost missing the ship, not to mention narrowly missing a serious injury is another. We are active and healthy and the latter happened in the blink of an eye to me last winter. On the way to the ground I remember thinking, "Thank God for travel insurance".

[curtdesilets]

We used Princess EZ Air for our recent British Isles Cruise. Got Air New Zealand R/T, non-stop from Los Angeles for about $1000 per person, including all fees. That was a very good price for summer fares to London from LA, so we booked it considering all the advantages/assurances you have with Princess taking care of the air.

[iancal]

Why would you book EZ air when it is $50. more? Chances are, with EZ air you may end up with a consolidator ticket. This is not the type of ticket that you want to have when flying in the middle of winter.

[JustinPlusLauren]

We ended up asking our TA and booked directly through the airline and didn't go with EZ Air. I will definitely think about buying insurance, especially since we have saved about $100 on the flights between the two of us. Thanks everyone!

[KAWS]

We haven't used Princess EZ but we have used Royal's Choice. We fly from Toronto as well (usually in March and come in a day early).

 

The reason we chose Choice Air last time was because it was $400 total cheaper. Otherwise I would have just stuck to Air Canada direct. They were the exact same flights. Princess/Royal aren't going to do anything to get you there if you miss it and chances are good you're not going to anyway coming in the day ahead. Since you're flying in January and your flight gets cancelled (Air Canada doesn't normally do this anyway), AC will put you on the next one or you can choose from all kinds of other airlines. We actually take a bigger chance because we've always flown at March Break time.

 

The ONLY reason I would choose EZ or Choice or any other like that is for the price. In your case $50 pp more just doesn't make sense. If you're really worried then fly in 2 days earlier but I don't think you'll have any trouble. I wouldn't drive to and fly from Buffalo in January but from Toronto, I honestly think you'll be just fine.

[labsal]

Be careful. We booked a 15 day Alaska Cruisetour. Princess eZair scheduled us to fly to Fairbanks with a total 17 hours in transit (we live in Arizona). We found that we could go on the same airlines with 6 hours LESS in transit on other flights but Princess has been uniformly unhelpful in altering anything. They quoted us an $890.99 per person penalty. NOT happy; paying full suite $$$ we would expect some customer service!

[sunluva7]

There is a very interesting and informative "sticky" post over on the Cruise Air forum related to cruise line air and consolidator tickets. Check it out. You may re-think purchasing insurance through the cruise line.;)

[Newshound]

We are booked on Diamond Princess Beijing to Bangkok, November 10, 2012. I am trying to book through Princess ezair out of Cincinnati, Columbus or Dayton, OH. Want to go on Delta. Flights were there out of Columbus and Dayton yesterday. Today restricted fares are no longer there. Anyone else having this problem?

[ChiefBoats]

We never book through Princess. We have found that you pay more to book through the cruise lines and that you can virtually never get a non-stop flight. My wife likes to go up one time and down onetime. Also my TA said that it will cost more via the cruise lines.

[ChiefBoats]

We always fly in the day before. Don't trust the airlines to get off on time.

[onthehighseas606]

I'm booking tomorrow for the Panama Canal 11/12/12 Island Princess. Thanks for all the info as I told the Princess booking agent that we would get our own flights and insurance. He was kind of pushy and doing the scare tactic on me. We've been on several Carnival cruises and the booking your own air flights and insurance doesn't change. We'll be flying in a day before - maybe even 2 days before.

[caribill]

We never book through Princess. We have found that you pay more to book through the cruise lines and that you can virtually never get a non-stop flight. My wife likes to go up one time and down onetime. Also my TA said that it will cost more via the cruise lines.

 

One way flights can be less expensive when booked with EZAir, especially when flying overseas.

[Stevesan]

One way flights can be less expensive when booked with EZAir, especially when flying overseas.

 

The eZair fare differential reserving directly with the airline for return business class following my Tansatlantic cruise priced at a whopping X2.7!

I locked in Flexible air by paying the air fare and cruise balance. Both are refundable up until the standard precruise/flight dates.

It is MY reservation, and can't be changed by Princess. I confirmed that with the Princess air desk. I was assigned an airline booking number, logged in to the airline by way of "virtuallythere.com", accessed the airline's booking confirmation and selected a seat.

I didn't reserve via Cruise Personalizer. I telephoned Princess and a representative made the reservation, patiently talking me through the process and answering questions.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Stevesan

[Cruise Junky]

One way flights can be less expensive when booked with EZAir, especially when flying overseas.

 

You have said that a few times. Have you actually figured out how to book a one way flight with Princess? I don't ever have that option. It's always return and I don't want that, I can do a Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver a lot cheaper. I just want the Transatlantic portion. Royal Caribbean's air site allows for true one ways but I have never been able to find that on Princess. For any transatlantic I look at they're no cheaper than booking myself.

[Cruise Junky]

Something that has completely put me off EZ Air are my last two roll calls at least one party has had their chosen flights changed by Princess about two weeks before sail date. And not just flights changed, routes and airlines changed. I'm not prepared to take that chance when I can book it myself for about the same price.

[Matcodixon]

I believe that the entire process of booking air through Princess has changed not too long ago. They use a booking agency called "Virtually There" to book through.

 

When making the decision on how to book your air, it is extremely easy to get quotes from Princess EZ air on the Princess website for any cruise. Just click on the air tab and put in your departure city and the dates you wish to depart and return home. It will give you several choices along with pricing. We booked our Med cruise through them and got the best pricing by far as well as getting great flight choices. During the booking process we also selected our seats and got an airline confirmation number, just like booking directly. We also had to pay up front, also just like booking directly.

 

Now in regard to the one way flight comments. For our cruise we are flying into Venice and flying home from Barcelona. That involves two one way flights. I checked various options on my own to compare with the EZ air prices and Princess was much less expensive by a significant amount.

 

To sum it up. Do your research. it is easy to compare pricing and flights between booking on your own and booking with EZ air. do what makes the most sense for you.

[saratoga]

The eZair fare differential reserving directly with the airline for return business class following my Tansatlantic cruise priced at a whopping X2.7!

I locked in Flexible air by paying the air fare and cruise balance. Both are refundable up until the standard precruise/flight dates.

It is MY reservation, and can't be changed by Princess. I confirmed that with the Princess air desk. I was assigned an airline booking number, logged in to the airline by way of "virtuallythere.com", accessed the airline's booking confirmation and selected a seat.

I didn't reserve via Cruise Personalizer. I telephoned Princess and a representative made the reservation, patiently talking me through the process and answering questions.

 

You may think it is your reservation, and find out differently like I did.

 

I am using Princess Air for my Transatlantic trip this fall on the Ruby. I booked a Flexible Fare in January 2012 and also paid for the cruise and the air to lock in my flights and fare on Delta. The fare was much better than anything I could find other than Princess due to two one-way tickets.

 

I also received an airline booking (Confirmation) number and selected seats after booking. Everything looked great.

 

Imagine my surprise in May when my I checked my reservation and found my out bound air arrangements had been changed to a completely different routing. My original out bound routing was still available but at a significantly higher price with only a few seats available.

 

Princess blamed Delta. I called Delta and after speaking to a couple of different agents was told that Princess didn't actually pay for a ticket, they were just holding space from my home airport to Venice. Since I had not been ticketed, they could move my trip around since they were still taking me to venice. They suggested I have Princess actually issue a ticket, not just hold a reservation. I called princess back and spoke with their air department. They finally admitted that for the flexible tickets, the passengers are not actually ticketed until past the 45 day point and the air is no longer refundable. Princess just blames Delta. They want me to pay the new higher price in order to put me back on my original flight

 

While the new reservation will work, it is not what I thought I picked and paid for. I am still working to resolve the situation. I now change in Amsterdam instead of JFK.

 

A Flexible fare is definitely different than a restricted fare. A restricted fare is ticketed immediately because it is non-refundable when purchased.

[OhioDogLover]

We are going from Ohio to FLL in December. As imho airfares have gotten to be really expensive, I priced Princess air fares. They were even more expensive and more difficult than the ones I could find direct, and they were a lot longer (hours in transit) than the ones I can find direct.

I think i will do it myself and get the travel insurance. JUST IN CASE. It's like taking an umbrella on the golf course. You take it and hope you never have to open it!