Quality/value of European Pre-cruise/Post-cruise packages

[mountainhouse]

I was reading Rick's glowing report on his Princess pre/post-cruise packages.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=171518

It sounded really good. Have people generally had flawless service on these packages? Did you feel like it was a good value compared to what you might have paid if you'd done transfers/hotel on your own? Thanks!

[Druke I]

Have had both good and bad experiences with pre & post-cruise add-ons.

 

3-98, Royal Princess, Buenos Aires to Barcelona, took post-cruise package which included a night's stay in Barcelona, bus to Spanish/French border (Narbonne?), and then train to Paris, with a two night stay. We thought package worth the cost, but did have some problems with the tour guide, who was late the first day, and was not at all proficient in English.

 

8-98, Royal Princess, London to NYC via Greenland and Iceland, stayed couple nights London at Princess arranged hotel, Gloucester Millenium. We had been there before, and it was a very nice hotel, but on this trip, we ended up on a floor largely occupied by mid-Eastern sheiks, who wanted to sleep all day, and party all night. This apparently is their routine in the heat of the desert, but didn't work particularly well in London, as the night-clubs all close early AM, so they returned to the hotel and partied there. The hotel was unable to move us to a quieter location or another hotel - we did get a partial refund from the hotel for our inconvenience, and they did "comp" our meals.

[spongerob]

We booked pre-cruise hotel and transfers through Princess for a cruise out of New York, based on our previous experience with an Alaskan cruise-tour. It really didn't quite measure up value-wise. There was no meet and greet at the airport as there was in Alaska, so we had to find our own shuttle for which we had vouchers. The hotel (Millenium Times Square) was quite nice and in a great location, but we paid far more than we would have on our own. Princess also offered a tour of the city and assistance purchasing show tickets, but we were able to do all this for about half the cost on our own.

 

The pre- and post-cruise packages might be a great idea in some places and I wouldn't dismiss them entirely, particularly in exotic locations. One advantage is that if you book a pre-cruise package, you should be able to avoid the deviation fees if you have booked your air through Princess also. I'm not sure if that is true all the time, but if it applies in your case, you should be able to get better flights. Whatever you decide, it pays to explore DIY options.

[Tania]

On our first Med cruise, our tablemates did a 1 night post-cruise at the Athens Intercontinental with Princess. They paid $459 for three people which included a half day city tour and transfers. We paid $200 a night for three, no transfers or tour. I think we did better on our own.

[mountainhouse]

It also sounds like the packages only include high end accommodations..... nothing moderately priced. Is that correct?

 

We're doing Venice/Rome next summer, and I feel pretty comfortable with the idea of doing Venice on our own. Just need to study Rome some more I guess. Will definitely at least check out the packages though. Thanks very much!

[iancal]

I think that you do MUCH better on your own. We find that Princess charges for hotels and pre cruise tours are very high. Book your hotel on the web or via Priceline then check the web or the hotel for tours.

[juliejoe]

mountainhouse - we are doing Venice to Rome this Sept. There is lots of help on the Europe board for hotels and transfers in both cities. It is much less expensive to book your own and very easy for both of these cities. Start your research now and book your hotels early - the highly recommended ones do fill up quickly! You'll almost always get a better rate by contacting the hotel directly, rather than booking through an on-line agency.

 

Julie

[Bob]

We did a pre cruise tour of Switzterland, really enjoyed, we were met at the airport, wnd driven to our first hotel, which was beautiful overlooking lake lucerne, met our tour guide and driver, who explained what would be done with our luggage, and the small details of our trip. Yes we probably could have done it cheaper, but we like the fact that we are being taken care of, and we got to see highlights of the beauty of the country, all the tours were arranged for, and the only time we had to fumble with currency was when we were doing shopping or buying a snack. So for us going thru Princess worked

[juliejoe]

There's a difference between cruise tour and pre or post cruise packages. If Princess prices were not so high, some of their cruise tours sound wonderful and we would probably try to do them with every cruise. May bite the price bullet and do one in Europe some day anyway. The pre or post cruise packages for hotels and transfers IMHO are way overpriced. It's too easy to take a taxi and book your own hotel, especially with all the help available here at CC.

[patlanta]

My observation/feeling is that the cost is very high but after a bit of grumbling I get over it and pay the bill. For the most part they turn out quite well and I end up enjoying the luxury.

 

Rome--the hotel wasn't the best (hugh piazza out front) but it sure was convenient (on the Via used for the Audrey Hepburn/Gregory Peck scooter ride, I'm thinking Via Veneto). On the first day we did a lot of touring on our own, including screaming at gypsies on a residential street. The second day we did a tour that we bought from an independent (probably through the Princess desk in the hotel); it was okay, but not the usual English speaking Princess-arranged tour. There were at least five languages and every hesitation had to go through all five; finally, at a gathering point for several tour groups they broke off the English-speaking people. The last day was a Sunday and somehow we strolled by ourselves into the Vatican as the Pope was saying Mass; quite memorable.

 

Sydney--the room (at the Four Seasons) could have been a little higher and better situated but the tour into the outback and Great Barrier Reef was first rate. We had the same guide the entire way and it was truly wonderful, top-notch, and memorable.

 

Bangkok--the room (Shangri-La) could have been a little higher and better situated but the tours and service were impeccable.

 

Beijing--the hotel (Great Wall Sheraton) wasn't really up to par. We had a fabulous guide (Jenny),though, and she took care of our every need and gave us wonderful tours. Other folks thought the place was spectacular and enjoyed the nearby "shopping." People who did the 5-day post-cruise (2 more days) were in a much better hotel. Interestingly, we didn't find out there was even a possibility of doing both the Great Wall tour and the Terra Cotta Warriors until dinnermates mentioned their post-cruise itinerary. Princess had no such advertising on their Web site or their Cruise Atlas. Well, the government of China lost out because I doubt we're going to pay the visa fees to go back to the one we missed.

[sailinsal]

In 2001, summer, we elected to do a 7 day Italian Lakes, Switzerland, Austria, German, prior to our Scandavian 12 day cruise. It was just plain Fabulous. We were met at Milan Airport by tour guide and bus,,,,,,,,,,,,,there were 29 of us on this pre tour. All hotels were lst class and touring of major hilites was exceptional. Restaurants and bus top rate. This trip has never been offered again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,another post trip was Athens for 3 days and it, too, was top rate. Now, we did pre in Florida and I would never do that again. We were headed for a Panama Canal..........17 days. Really a mess at the hotel and waiting hours when we could have left the hotel in a taxi and been at the ship in a heart beat...................so guess it depends on where you are going..............Panama Canal was 2003.