Pre cruise hotels

[PSahoy]

In CC members' experience(s) have you found O's pre cruise hotel deals, as opposed to a pre cruise land package, better, same or not as good as booking same or similar category hotels through websites/TA's? I'm surprised O's deals don't include breakfasts. I'll be sailing O for first time on Insignia. Thanks for any advice.

Edited June 26, 2014 by PSahoy

[sitraveler]

Most CC'ers have found the O sponsored items to be overpriced. Whereas hotels price by the room, O prices each person. There is a markup for each service O provides. You can almost always go to the same hotel and arrange your own transfer for much less. Also you may not need a 5 star for the day or 2 before your cruise.

[PSahoy]

Good to know--and that hotel can arrange for transfer to ship. Thanks.

[orchestrapal]

Good to know--and that hotel can arrange for transfer to ship. Thanks.

 

Most hotels will give you the best price if you deal directly with them. The concierge of the hotel can arrange all your transfers and in most places take a taxi. You'll save lots of money.

[Tarpeian Rock]

While we loved our first O cruise, after paying $600+ for one night in Miami, we'll be doing our own hotels from now on.

[LHT28]

We do our own hotels & taxis are a better deal priced per car not pp as the O transfers are

 

We use Priceline for Europe hotels usually NYOP has worked out well for us

 

YMMV

 

Lyn

[Noxequifans]

In general, you will do better by booking your own hotel. However, in some countries like China (Beijing specifically) we found making arrangements through O very convienent. This outweighed the cost.

 

The transfers were included and the port is quite distant. We found that some cabs were not authorized on to the dock property. Choosing O was a clear winner for us.

[Jancruz]

FYI, when you do O hotels the Deviation fee if you are taking their air ($175 pp) is waived and they include transfers from airport and from hotel so price is more reasonable than it looks..

Jancruz1

[RJB]

FYI, when you do O hotels the Deviation fee if you are taking their air ($175 pp) is waived and they include transfers from airport and from hotel so price is more reasonable than it looks..

Jancruz1

Depends on how many days you stay before and after. We always do our own air so using O to book hotels could cost twice as much. :):):)

[Mura]

Very true, RJB. The only way we would consider using O's services would be if we are only coming in a day early (or leaving a day late). A longer visit means we book our own.

 

But if it's only one night's hotel, the waiver of deviation fees and transfers can make a big difference.

 

The trouble is we almost never plan on going in only one day ahead ...

 

 

Mura

[RJB]

Very true, RJB. The only way we would consider using O's services would be if we are only coming in a day early (or leaving a day late). A longer visit means we book our own.

 

But if it's only one night's hotel, the waiver of deviation fees and transfers can make a big difference.

 

The trouble is we almost never plan on going in only one day ahead ...

 

 

Mura

Good planing. The before and after cities are almost always wonderful places to spend at least 2 or 3 days in. One day is almost never enough time to see all there is to see. :):)

[Bowie MeMe]

I can almost always do better in price from the provider of the hotel room -- my hotel manager SIL has me never buying from Priceline etc -- those are the first to be told sorry we overbooked (and they do overbook and very often when a ship is starting or stopping that fills up the hotels.) My method is to use American hotels and book through the hotel web site. I guarantee with credit card and try not to prepay at least not to the very end. I watch carefully and rebook if price goes down. Try 2 queens -- sometimes cheaper than King bed. I use points for free nights -- those little trips with a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express can bring the cost of the expensive city hotel down with points and cash option and loyalty cards this year giving free Wi-Fi is helping a lot (Hilton/some Marriott/IHG group). I use credit cards that have "eraser effect" -- points can be used for miles or hotel or car rental (Capital One). See how much the room costs and then check for number of points. Often hotel chains have promotions and room can be cheaper or you get a bunch of loyalty points (not so good this year maybe because of the free Wi-Fi promotions).

 

About that breakfast included. Figure out the true cost of the breakfast. I have had some rooms where breakfast buffet is $26 US per person. I only want some toast and coffee so really not worth it to me. If it is offered as part of the room AT NO EXTRA COST (example Hampton Inn does not have room rates without the breakfast). We go out of hotel often and look for the coffee shops (lines out the door is good indicator)/ occasionally a McDonald's or Burger King (American chains are everywhere!)/ and if lucky a bakery. Sometimes buy day before if find something good. And language is no barrier. I am monolingual. I speak English only but I can jester like mad. A big smile and pointing to the Starbucks cup or coffee cup in a person's hand and I have never NOT had the person point me to the coffee shop and sometimes they LEAD me to the shop. My travel partner is really thrifty and she eats nutrition bars at home for breakfast and brings a variety of bars, oatmeal cups, etc and her favorite tea bags and she never eats breakfast anywhere but room unless the breakfast is free. Saves a great deal. For lunch we drop into bakery/small café/ or buy sandwiches from sandwich shop and picnic. For water, we bring our water bottles from home and carry them. It is so easy as each of us have our own bottle color and the thumb ring makes it easy to carry. I bought a "steripen" battery operated water sterilizer (UV light) and I fill the bottles and use the steripen so that I have control of the water source (bottled water in US and in other countries often is just filtered tap water or city water supply). Water is very expensive especially in tourist hotels and this again saves lots of money and (trips to the throne for tummy bugs). If bottled water is provided by hotel I still use the UV light before drinking.

 

Hope this helps you. Try booking your own hotels. Really no different for Beijing than Chicago! Consider the extra costs like resort fees/local taxes/rooms on higher floors costing more etc. so that you have the bottom line. For me location location location. Love those downtown hotels close to transportation and museums etc. so that can come back mid day for a small rest.

[ronrick1943]

I agree with most----never take "O" hotels. It's not just pricing, but you pick the hotel you want for your needs. As far as getting to the ship that's easy, a taxi or car service and it's at your timing not "O"'s. It's always better to do it yourself-plus you'll save a lot.

Rick

[pinotlover]

Only used O's hotels once. Something very major, besides the departure of multiple other cruise ships, was going on in town during that period, and a hotel could not be found within 40 miles of the city. :eek: O, in fact, sold out of their block of rooms and had to stop offering the option. At twice the price, the hotel was still a deal!