book with princess....other sites cheaper??!!!!

[only1deejay]

so my first cruise i booked direct with princess so if anything went wrong they fix it...now i see that other sites are quite cheaper and offer other goodies....so give me 1 reason why i should continue to book with princess???? seems rather strange to pay more from corp. site for the same cabin and all...but every once and awhile it is cheaper to go elsewheres.......:)

[Nan_Sea]

I have never booked direct. If you find a good TA they will take very good care of you and help fix any problems. Also, travel agencies offer deals that not only are lower in prices but also sometimes include things like onboard credit. I tend to look at things online and then go to our local agent knowing the rough price for what I want.

[Nan_Sea]

One other thing. Travel insurance through the cruise line is more expensive. We also book our flight independently because the cruise line will book the cheapest flight which usually means the most inconvenient.

[OhioDogLover]

I always book through a TA and we always save money from what booking directly with Princess would charge. Up to this point, we have never had a serious problem, although sometimes there are flight delays.

However, there are people who are only comfortable booking directly with the cruise line. My Aunt is one of them. They feel that booking it that way, nothing can go wrong. My feeling is that if that is what makes her happy and relieves some stress about getting where she needs to be when she needs to get there, that's fine. I think it all stems from a European cruise she took on the old Renaissance line. Due to weather, they were delayed flying to Europe to catch the ship. In the end, everyone barely made the ship, but they missed their connecting flights and it was a mess. They were comforted by the thought that the cruise line would make sure they caught the ship.

Also, if you book directly with the line, you can call them to make changes to things and ask questions about things like on board credit. You can't do that if you use a TA. Then, you have to contact the TA.

So, I think it is what you are comfortable doing.

Ohiodoglover

[Nan_Sea]

The best thing, when booking your own air, is to arrive a day early. We have always found that the cruise line get you to the cruise pretty smoothly. It's the trip home that,s a mess. We were stuck in a Paris airport for 8 hours once. You would be wise to watch the prices of what you booked. When the prices go down call the cruise line and have your account adjusted.

[Pam in CA]

When you book directly, you are paying the highest amount possible. It's like buying directly from a manufacturer at their price. You are also responsible for knowing everything there is to know about the cabins, the ship, etc. If there are any issues, you have no advocate or someone to go to bat for you. You get no perks (unless it's a special promotion) such as OBC, bottle of wine, etc. in addition to possible savings of 10-20%.

 

FYI, when it comes to insurance (don't leave home without it), do your research. Often, the cruise line insurance is less expensive since it is not based on age plus it includes 'cancel for any reason.'

[Tak8]

I don't book directly, but if you want a reason. You have to go through your travel agent if you have a problem. Some people have mentioned not wanting to give up that control.

[timetravler]

I always book through a travel agent too. They find cheaper prices for the cruise and offer on board credits plus other perks. But since you did book direct through Princess, you can still save money. If you find a good TA, she/he will tell you how you can transfer your booking to them. They may still get you some OBC by doing that.

[San Diego Ellie]

I, too, have used a discount travel agency and thus saved money and received an onboard credit. However, when I had a problem with insurance (medical cancellation), where both Princess and its insurer each said the tax portion of the cancelled cruise was the other one's responsibility, the travel agent would not call the insurance company for me. I was on my own. I would certainly like to know a good discounter that provides service in the case of problems, as well as discount and onboard credit. If anyone has one that meets that criteria, i would very much appreciate an email at sandiegoellie @ fastmail . fm (no spaces).

Ellie

[bobcat7]

We are going on our third cruise and have booked with the company each time. This time we recieved a visit from the upgrade fairy and credit as well. The price we paid for our balcony has doubled when I last checked. I think it all depends on when you book.

[Nebr.cruiser]

When you book directly, you are paying the highest amount possible. It's like buying directly from a manufacturer at their price. You are also responsible for knowing everything there is to know about the cabins, the ship, etc. If there are any issues, you have no advocate or someone to go to bat for you. You get no perks (unless it's a special promotion) such as OBC, bottle of wine, etc. in addition to possible savings of 10-20%.

 

FYI, when it comes to insurance (don't leave home without it), do your research. Often, the cruise line insurance is less expensive since it is not based on age plus it includes 'cancel for any reason.'

 

It isn't always true that booking directly you are paying the highest price possible. We do use travel agents often, but sometimes we get the best base price from Princess--case in point is the Hawai cruise we are leaving on soon. I'd been watching prices for a while; when a fantastic price came across from Princess, hundreds less than any TA, we jumped on it.

 

Sometimes these low prices just last a day or two. You have to have been researching/checking often to catch them.

 

OBC and other perks are great, but sometimes not such a bargain if the cruise price is higher to start with.

[UPGrandma]

I don't book directly, but if you want a reason. You have to go through your travel agent if you have a problem. Some people have mentioned not wanting to give up that control.

 

We are going on our 2nd cruise in July & have used a TA both times. Very happy with this agency as they themselves have cruised & seem to know a lot of the "in's & out's" that new cruisers don't know. Planning a cruise to Alaska in 2014. I agree that you should comparison shop, check the cruise website & here of course to get an idea of price and where you might want your cabin to be.

 

1st cruise we took the "guarantee" balcony & ended up in a nice balcony room on 9th level. This cruise we picked our balcony as we are cruising around the Hawaiian Islands & wanted specific side. Will do the same for the Alaska one but therefore, upgrades nonexistant.

[Woobstr112G]

I booked my first three cruises directly through Princess simply because I thought that 's how it's done. In 2010 I was referred to a specific T/A who saved me an unbelievable amount of money. Needless to say, I won't be booking directly with Princess anymore.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Pam in CA]

It isn't always true that booking directly you are paying the highest price possible. We do use travel agents often, but sometimes we get the best base price from Princess--case in point is the Hawai cruise we are leaving on soon. I'd been watching prices for a while; when a fantastic price came across from Princess, hundreds less than any TA, we jumped on it.

You are still paying the going rate, even if it's a special promotion. I would never, ever use a TA that doesn't at least match a Princess fare and still give you perks. That's highway robbery and an incompetent TA. I can't tell you how many times someone on my roll call has posted, all excited, "Princess just dropped the price and I'm saving $$$'s." I never post back, my fare has been a lot lower than that for the same category to start with, and I'm getting OBC and perks. I recently booked a flash sale cruise and still saved over the Princess flash fare.

[rachelfran]

I booked our cruise with an online agency through a compete website and got a much better price ($300 off pp plus $50 OBC) than the princess site and about $100 off pp from other agencies that I had called. No hand holding but answers my emails quickly ... The res is accessible on the cruise personalizer so I have access and was able to book my airfare from NYC to Anchorage and Vancouver to NYC for only $260 per person because they are offering $250 off per person. All that savings is going directly toward our excursions!

 

 

Rachel

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[caribill]

It isn't always true that booking directly you are paying the highest price possible. We do use travel agents often, but sometimes we get the best base price from Princess--case in point is the Hawai cruise we are leaving on soon. I'd been watching prices for a while; when a fantastic price came across from Princess, hundreds less than any TA, we jumped on it.

 

OBC and other perks are great, but sometimes not such a bargain if the cruise price is higher to start with.

 

No TA should be giving a higher price than Princess unless they are tacking some fees of their own onto it in which case you should not use that TA.

 

A TA can match or beat any price you see from Princess. However, TAs are not allowed to advertise prices lower than Princess, so just looking at a TA price on a web site does not give you the actual price they would charge. You need to get an actual quote from them and, if you are a past passenger, let them know your Captain's Circle number. They at worst they would match the price you get from Princess and at best would give you a discount from that and maybe add some OBC or other perks.

 

Any "fantastic" price you see from Princess can also be obtained from any TA.

[caribill]

We also book our flight independently because the cruise line will book the cheapest flight which usually means the most inconvenient.

 

 

With EZAir that Princess started a year or two ago, the cruise line does not pick your airline and flights, you do, so if you end up with an inconvenient flight schedule, it will be because you picked it.

 

EZAir does not include all airlines (for example, Southwest is not included) and you may often be able to beat the EZAir prices by booking your flights another way.

 

But if you are comparing prices and schedules, EZAir should be in the list of places you check. This is especially true for one way flights across the ocean.

[Ti2m]

But if you are comparing prices and schedules, EZAir should be in the list of places you check. This is especially true for one way flights across the ocean.

 

 

I agree with most of the previous posts. We've always booked our cruises through a discount online web site for the best price. However, we got the best price for our upcoming Ruby cruise from Princess. We checked out our favorite travel sites and they just couldn't beat Princess. Their inside cabins were priced more than the ocean view cabin we got from Princess.

 

We also did the EZAir since it was the same exact price as USAir and Kayak. I must admit this is a first. I've never found air priced the same through a cruiseline and an airline.

[Nan_Sea]

Isn't there a fee for using ezair?

[rachelfran]

Isn't there a fee for using ezair?

 

No fees unless you cancel or change as with any air booking

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/travel_transportation_faq/popup/eZAir_Information.html

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Nebr.cruiser]

You are still paying the going rate, even if it's a special promotion. I would never, ever use a TA that doesn't at least match a Princess fare and still give you perks. That's highway robbery and an incompetent TA. I can't tell you how many times someone on my roll call has posted, all excited, "Princess just dropped the price and I'm saving $$$'s." I never post back, my fare has been a lot lower than that for the same category to start with, and I'm getting OBC and perks. I recently booked a flash sale cruise and still saved over the Princess flash fare.

 

I sent this price to the site that has agencies compete for your business. No one could come close. Now, I did not spend time calling agencies and asking them to meet the price, so maybe that would work. It was simply a great price--I hadn't seen a Hawaii cruise that low for a balcony except once in November, when we can't go. We also have some OBC--but that was from a future cruise credit. Yes, it probably was the going rate that particular day. It did not stay that cheap long!

 

The cheapest balcony cabin available on this cruise for several weeks now is over $4000 dollars! Wow! And ours is on Caribe, so not the cheapest cabin.