Pre-Post Cruise Packages

[Vdubbeetle1972]

Are they a good idea? or are you too exhausted for the extra two days..what bout the pre? Just trying to get a feel from seasoned cruisers..Im still new to this game.

 

Colt

NCL Wind

[Camahr]

Arriving a day or two ahead of your cruise is an excellent idea. Especially if you book your own airfare. It removes all the worry about arriving in time to catch the ship.

 

Cathy

Norwegian Sky,May, 2002

Carnival Spirit,March, 2003

Norwegian Dream,June, 2004

6/6 Norwegain Dream

[bambam]

Depends on where you are going and what time of year.

 

Where: if you are changing time zones as you fly to get to the port, definitely go a day or 2 ahead to allow your body to adjust. We went to Hawaii in February (from Virginia) and spent 4 days on Oahu (pre-cruise). We were wide awake and ready to party when we embarked for the cruise. Meanwhile, we started to see others boarding the Star around 3:00pm on with eye-rings, rumpled clothes and similar "tired-attitudes."

 

Time of year: Especially if you book your own flights, from Dec-Feb (in the north/northeast), winter can wreak havoc with flight schedules. We learned from friends of ours to book a day in advance and get a hotel near the port. If there is bad weather, we can still catch a flight the day of the cruise. Also, by getting a hotel a day early, you can get up, take a shower, eat a nice breakfast, maybe visit a local site, then take a cab or shuttle to the pier and be refreshed and ready to go.

 

Except for our first cruise (where we learned the hassles of same-day rush-rush/airports/baggage/transfers/SWEATING...) we've flown at least a day in advance - it is worth the extra $100 for a room and meals. Really!!

 

BAMnJAM

Carnival Imagingation '96

RCC Majesty '98

Sun Princess '00

NCL Star '04

 

Cruisin's not just an adventure, it's an Attitude!!

Proud member (x2) of the PPS - yeah!!

[Rdabadie]

I agree whole hearted with BamBam, and I tell all my friends cruising for the first time, get there a day early (they never listen, and come to think of it neither did I)

 

Honestly, it makes the first couple DAYS of the cruise better since you board alert and refreshed instead of haggered and tired. You will be enjoying the ship and having fun the very next day instead of trying to recover from the previous day's travel and confusion.

 

Yes, go a day or two early!

 

Rob

 

Regal Empress 7/97, Nordic Empress 10/97, Sensation 11/98, Paradise 11/99, Ecstasy 11/00, Norway 5/01, Triumph 11/01, Explorer of the Seas 9/02, Paradise 5/03, Victory 4/04

[jenn_m]

Definitely go a day or two early, but I would advise against booking a package through the cruise line, unless you have booked your air through them. It is a lot cheaper to get hotel rates on your own.

[Vdubbeetle1972]

Thank you so much everyone,I was looking at prices from the cruise line.. I did book airfare through them because they were cheaper than what I could find on my own.. So my feel so far is good BEFORE the cruise. You guys are great and thanks for the wonderful opinions.

 

Colt

NCL Wind

until my first cruise

[jkrislc]

You really have to shop around. Sometimes the cruise packages are cheaper, but usually they are more expensive. However, we did book air and hotel through NCL because we are traveling between Christmas and New Years and there was no "upcharge" for the New Years holiday. In fact, they were very competitive, and cheaper in the sense that transportation and taxes are included.

 

KLC

UPCOMING CRUISES:

---------------------

MONARCH OF THE SEAS (04/04)

PRIDE OF ???????-HAWAII (01/05)

 

PREVIOUS CRUISES

-------------------------

RCI's Monarch of the Seas (01/04)

Star Princess (6/03)

RCI's Rhapsody of the Seas (4/01)

Carnival's Ecstasy (6/96)

RCI's Viking Serenade (1/94)

[bambam]

Vdubbeetle1972,

Sorry, didn't comment on the post-cruise option:

 

We havn't done a post cruise deal becasue of 2-factors: First, we tend to pack enough clothes for the cruise, having a couple days afterwards would necessitate doing the laundry on-board or in the hotel., and second, After a week-long blast, we are kind of anxious to get home, see the 4-legged children (Snickers and Spike), get the film developed, fall into that nice, warm, comfortable bed...etc.

 

Frankly, anything you could do or place you'd want to visit in the post-cruise could be done pre-cruise...with energy!!

 

We did 4-days precruise in Oahu, then 7-days on the Star. My only regret: we could have reserved a late flight back to Virginia, and stayed most of Sunday-day at the beach prior to boarding a plane at night, instead of our booked flight at 2:20pm. Monday was a wash, so it wouldn't have made a difference if we had returned at 3:00pm instead of the 7:00am that we did. We booked our own flights, so we couldn't change...

 

BAMnJAM

Carnival Imagingation '96

RCC Majesty '98

Sun Princess '00

NCL Star '04

 

Cruisin's not just an adventure, it's an Attitude!!

Proud member (x2) of the PPS - yeah!!

[jkrislc]

I should have addressed the postcruise option as well. We don't both pre- and post-cruise options, mostly on our own. If the location is of interest to you, the additional cost are often worth the extended stay especially if you've had to put down a chunk on airfare. For example, to me it's not worth flying to Florida from San Diego just to do a cruise. When we did, we flew in a day early, and stayed three or four days after. It only added about $500 to our trip, and extended the vacation by five days.

 

KLC

UPCOMING CRUISES:

---------------------

MONARCH OF THE SEAS (04/04)

PRIDE OF ???????-HAWAII (01/05)

 

PREVIOUS CRUISES

-------------------------

RCI's Monarch of the Seas (01/04)

Star Princess (6/03)

RCI's Rhapsody of the Seas (4/01)

Carnival's Ecstasy (6/96)

RCI's Viking Serenade (1/94)

[bambam]

BTW, the pre-cruise trips, hotels/ cars, etc. we've done has been on our own - nothing thru the cruise lines (except the cruise).

 

BAMnJAM

Carnival Imagingation '96

RCC Majesty '98

Sun Princess '00

NCL Star '04

 

Cruisin's not just an adventure, it's an Attitude!!

Proud member (x2) of the PPS - yeah!!

[marvholly]

Last several cruises we have don at least 1 pre-cruise nite since don't want the hassle if thre are air problems. Have done post cruise days 2 of last 3 cruises. All hotels were booked idependent of the cruise line after checking hotel web sites, hotwire, orbitz, expedia and then doing priceline. Saved a bundle over any other web site and a double bundle over the cruise line pricing.

 

Holly

 

M/S Boheme 11/69

Rhapsody 2/77?

Azure Sea 3/89

Panama Canal 11/90

Mexican Riviera 3/98

Carnival Triumph 12/99

Carnival Spirit 12/01

NCL Dream 11/17/02

Celebrity Mercury 6/1/03

carnival Victory 3/28/04

 

[Linda the Book Lover]

My husband and I did the pre-cruise package in Hawaii. We needed to unwind from work stress before the 10 days of cruise vacation LOL It was great. We did a the same thing with Carnival in Puerto Rico and for us it worked well going with the cruise line package. This time we made our own accommodations in Boston for just the day/night before we sail.

 

<LI>Tropicale ~ 5/93 <LI> Norwegian Wind ~ Hawaii ~ 4/4/03 <LI>Norwegian Majesty ~ Bermuda~ 5/30/04 <LI>

Until we sail on the Norwegian Majesty to Bermuda!