Very Expensive Pre & Post Cruise Addons

[donaldsc]

Some of us (not me) take advantage of the pre and post cruise trips offered by the cruise companies. I wonder how many of you have ever figured how much the cruise companies rip you off on this options.

 

I just got a catalog today from Vantage. Paging through it, I saw a 3 day 2 night pre-trip in Amsterdam for $549 per person. That is $1100 for 2 people. I can book a room with breakfast for $479 total for 2 nights for 2 people.

 

So what else do I get for my additional $550 that I will have to pay for the cruise line pre-trip - a walking tour of Amsterdam, transfers and baggage handling and services of a city host and a local guide. Does anyone feel that these "services" are worth $550? I doubt it.

 

Basically, the pre- and post-trips are just a cash cow for the cruise companies. They may be convenient but they just are not worth it.

 

DON

[Shmoo here]

Some of us (not me) take advantage of the pre and post cruise trips offered by the cruise companies. I wonder how many of you have ever figured how much the cruise companies rip you off on this options.

 

I just got a catalog today from Vantage. Paging through it, I saw a 3 day 2 night pre-trip in Amsterdam for $549 per person. That is $1100 for 2 people. I can book a room with breakfast for $479 total for 2 nights for 2 people.

 

So what else do I get for my additional $550 that I will have to pay for the cruise line pre-trip - a walking tour of Amsterdam, transfers and baggage handling and services of a city host and a local guide. Does anyone feel that these "services" are worth $550? I doubt it.

 

Basically, the pre- and post-trips are just a cash cow for the cruise companies. They may be convenient but they just are not worth it.

 

DON

 

Yes, you can certainly do better than that. However not all add-ons are that pricey. We did the pre-trip Transylvania & Romania add-on for our recent river cruise.

 

It cost $499. For that we got 4 nights in "first class hotels" (JW. Marriott and Aro Palace - both going for $60-$100 a night); 4 breakfasts; 2 lunches; 4 tours (including special concerts on two of the days); transfers & baggage handling; city host & local guide.

 

It was worth it to us.

[Talisker92]

It is not a ripoff if you consider the services rendered. There are many people, who for various reasons want a seamless trip.

OTOH, we like to do stuff on our own. After our Rhine cruise, we stayed in Amsterdam for a few days. Visited museums, took canal boat rides, looked at farmers markets, ate at great restaurants,etc

It cost less than half of what Vantage wanted.

[klfrodo]

With all due respect, a resident of Las Vegas is complaining about capitalism, marketing, and overhyped prices?

Respect 99% of your posts. Just think you took swing and a miss on this one.

[CowPrincess]

>SNIP< Does anyone feel that these "services" are worth $550? I doubt it.

 

Basically, the pre- and post-trips are just a cash cow for the cruise companies. They may be convenient but they just are not worth it.

 

DON

 

It really depends on how one determines "value". On a recent cruise we did more ship sponsored stuff than normal, because my DH had recently hurt himself, and I didn't want to be miles away from a taxi, a bus or whatever was necessary. We paid more, but for me in those circumstances it was peace of mind.

 

Not everyone is adventurous when traveling. Some people want everything looked after. So, for those people, that $550 may be good value, for them, in their circumstances.

Edited August 21, 2015 by CowPrincess

[Shmoo here]

It really depends on how one determines "value". On a recent cruise we did more ship sponsored stuff than normal, because my DH had recently hurt himself, and I didn't want to be miles away from a taxi, a bus or whatever was necessary. We paid more, but for me in those circumstances it was peace of mind.

 

Not everyone is adventurous when traveling. Some people want everything looked after. So, for those people, that $550 may be good value, for them, in their circumstances.

 

Exactly so. There's no way I want to be on my own, trying to figure out where I am and how to get to where I want to be my first time in Romania. The trip from Bucharest to Brasov was a whole day trip, with a stop en route for lunch.

 

Call me wimpy, but the first time I'm in a "new" place in the world, I need a bit of hand-holding.

[Keith1010]

Sorry but I don't agree with the original poster.

 

The pre and post packages include items such as having staff avaialbe to assist you get to and from your transfer. They run no matter how many people sign up and there is a cost for that. Yes, there is a cost for them to carry insurance. Yes there is a cost for the work that is done up front to pull all of this together.

 

By the way the same is true for shore excursions. There are a lot of costs that people do not consider and one of them is that if the tour doesn't run because the ship doesn't make it to port the cruise line is obligated to pay a portion of the cost to the tour operator even though there is no offsetting revenue for the cruise company.

 

Yes, you are paying for convenience.

 

If you rent a car it is certainly cheaper than getting a car service to drive you.

 

Keith

[sparky-elpaso]

Exactly so. There's no way I want to be on my own, trying to figure out where I am and how to get to where I want to be my first time in Romania. The trip from Bucharest to Brasov was a whole day trip, with a stop en route for lunch.

 

Call me wimpy, but the first time I'm in a "new" place in the world, I need a bit of hand-holding.

 

Agree. Especially in a place where I don't speak the local language.

[slidergirl]

Just my opinion:

I believe it is all dependent on one's comfort zone. Some people like to have someone else make all the arrangements for vacation components and like to have that "guide" or "host" available. Some like a combination - arranged in places that seem difficult to DIY and others that are DIY-able. Some feel comfortable enough to to set up all components on their own, despite not knowing the language.

 

I'm in the last group for the most part. There are some places in the world where it just isn't practical for a solo older woman to travel or my favorite adventure travel site for women has an amazing trip out there (horseback riding in Iceland, gorilla encounters in Rwanda, Kenyan/Botswana safari, Himalayan trek in Nepal…). But, I've done my own hotel arrangements, car rental, train reservations, restaurant reservations, even when I had no clue about the language. To me, it's part of the fun and adventure of travel!!!

[SuiteTraveler]

I agree, this all depends on the person who is traveling. I talked to a lady last week who was afraid to rent a car to go see the Plantation houses outside of NOLA. She wanted to go on a group tour bus to do that. Now, I've been traveling to NOLA for most of my life - even learned to cook from Brennan's - and I would never even consider one of those bus tours - far to stressful and too many people and not enough freedom to stop where and when I want to stop plus too limiting. But for the lady I talked to, she was just afraid of attempting the drive - even though it is a short (1 hour) and simple drive (mostly highway until you reach the River Road.) So the value of these pre-cruise and post-cruise packages is really dependent on what someone feels comfortable with.

[rockdoctor]

Years ago, I agreed with the OP. But I have come to realize that, as others have said, there is a lot of convenience in these arrangement. On one occasion, a car met just my wife and I in the middle of the night and took us on a 45 minute drive to the hotel. So convenience, transfers and breakfast can make them a good deal. Checking the hotel's website can give you a good idea of price, hotel consolidators can have taxes wrong. And in some cities taxes can be significant.

[whogo]

Sensible comments about the expense of pre- and post-cruise packages arranged through the cruise line, donaldsc. The cruise packages have always been hundreds of dollars more than doing it yourself for all that I have checked. One can save hundreds more by choosing a family owned hotel over the Marriott or Hilton that the cruise line offers.

 

The main stream cruise line transfers normally involve a wait for a profitable number of cruisers to fill a coach. For this you may pay more than a taxi would cost. In the cruise line's defense there is an expense to having someone in a blazer hold up a cruise line sign, check your name off a list, and tell you where to find your coach.

 

You may find that you are shifted from the advertised hotel to a "similar" hotel. The cruise line host at the hotel will spend most of his time explaining how to set your luggage outside the door before midnight for transfer to the ship and where and when to board the bus to the ship for those who can not understand the printed instructions. "Sorry, the 11:30 and 12:00 buses are full. You will board your shuttle at 12:30. [You will cool your heels waiting for stragglers until 1:00.] Don't forget that you must be out of your room by 10:00."

 

Cruise line packages are designed for the timid. The foreign cruise hotel will be much like a similarly priced hotel in California or Florida. Hotel staff will speak English with an accent just like hotel staff do in California and Florida. With a cruise line package you may barely know you are in a foreign land.

[cruisemom42]

I happen to be one who feels the cruise line charges outrageous prices for many (not all) of these add-ons. I agree that for some, having the option is good BUT the cost seems more than it should be....

 

There is a middle road for those who don't want to pay the exorbitant cost and yet don't want to plan (or manage) on their own: a good TA can help put together nearly seamless packages with hotels, transfers, tours -- at a lower cost than the cruise line generally offers.

 

Just anecdotally, I once looked at doing a HAL sponsored overnight excursion in Israel because it seemed a little difficult to manage on my own. The cost of the HAL tour (including the outrageous solo supplement), which would have been on a bus of about 50 pax, was more than I had paid for the entire cruise. (Also, I was able to arrange a private tour for two days with an excellent, well-recommended private guide for myself alone for far less than the ship overnight would have cost...)

Edited August 22, 2015 by cruisemom42

[marco]

I think they are pricey, but you are well taken care of and you don't have to worry about transportation, accommodation and the like. You are paying for this service as well as the accommodations and transportation. For some, it's well worth it. We're a bit more adventurous and we don't always want to "extend" to where their pre/post extensions are so what we do is our own extension and just pay (usually) $50 more pp for air departing however many days later then the cruise ended that we decide to stay. That is, when we use "their" air.

[RuthC]

When I arrive at a foreign airport, I love to find someone waiting for me who will now take care of everything. All I have to do is relax, and follow when/where I am told. I don't have to think beyond where I have to be, and when I have to be there.

That's all I care to manage, and I am glad that option is there.

Priceless.

[BlueRiband]

Some of us (not me) take advantage of the pre and post cruise trips offered by the cruise companies. I wonder how many of you have ever figured how much the cruise companies rip you off on this options... They may be convenient but they just are not worth it.

 

Is that statement intended to be a public service? Are those of us who use cruise line pre/post services doing so because we're too stupid to figure this out? Thank you for providing this enlightenment. I never would have otherwise figured out that it might be cheaper to take a taxi from the pier to the hotel rather than book the cruise line car transfer.

 

All of us have different comfort levels. Some like the challenge of personally planning every detail and scrounging for lowest price. Others prefer to let the professionals handle the seamless transition and consider the markup to be well worth it compared to the time and effort spent to vet various carriers and accommodations.

 

You are entitled to your preference but not to ridicule those who chose otherwise.

[slidergirl]

Is that statement intended to be a public service? Are those of us who use cruise line pre/post services doing so because we're too stupid to figure this out? Thank you for providing this enlightenment. I never would have otherwise figured out that it might be cheaper to take a taxi from the pier to the hotel rather than book the cruise line car transfer.

 

All of us have different comfort levels. Some like the challenge of personally planning every detail and scrounging for lowest price. Others prefer to let the professionals handle the seamless transition and consider the markup to be well worth it compared to the time and effort spent to vet various carriers and accommodations.

 

You are entitled to your preference but not to ridicule those who chose otherwise.

 

Planning every detail and scrounging for the lowest price are NOT wedded together. If I plan a trip, it's not looking for the cheapest motel or the cheapest tourist restaurant. It is more, to me, about being in control and personally selecting a hotel, places to visit, how long to spend at a certain place, the ability to change things, that drives me. I do not like being told what hotel I must stay at, when I must be on the bus, having generic talks by a guide or assistant because I am with a herd of Americans. I like to "get my hands dirty" in the local culture, not move through it insulated by the tour group "bubble." I could never be one of those who just decide they want go to X and then leave it to someone else to plan it all and then just show up. I'm too much of a control freak to do that.

Back in the day, I was my group of friends' travel planner. I enjoyed putting together our group ski trips to different places around the West. Did quotes on airfare, got rental cars, found condos/hotels, got bus tickets, set up private group ski lessons (fortunately, we were all the same ability), found restaurants that did groups well. I would even do trip planning for anyone in my group who didn't want to do it themselves for their vacations. The first company I worked for had the employees make their own plans when we were sent out on a trip to a customer site. That was pre-Internet; those AAA books came in handy - we always chose the 4-5 diamond hotels! I never book through 3rd party sites (except for when I need a multi-airline ticket that aren't alliance partners); as one in hotel business, I can tell you NEVER book through a 3rd party site - when things go sideways, you usually can't deal directly with the hotel, even if you are at the Front Desk. I can tell you stories about date mixups that never end well for the guest...

For those who like the cruise-arranged pre/post tours: Try this just once for fun: Look at all the hotels, transfers, etc. offered for that tour. Spend one or two evenings going to the Internet sites for those specific hotels, shuttles services, private tours, for that offered tour. See the price difference. Then, have a little fun looking at the extra things you could do with that savings.

[BlueRiband]

Planning every detail and scrounging for the lowest price are NOT wedded together...

 

Yes, but the OP gave specific price differences so I'll take that as his preference.

 

...For those who like the cruise-arranged pre/post tours: Try this just once for fun: Look at all the hotels, transfers, etc. offered for that tour. Spend one or two evenings going to the Internet sites for those specific hotels, shuttles services, private tours, for that offered tour. See the price difference. Then, have a little fun looking at the extra things you could do with that savings.

 

Works for you. Some for example will only book inside cabins because there are "extra things that you could do with that savings". My problem with the OP's statement was the implication that we need his guidance to "figure this out".

 

It might help to look at it this way: cruise lines do make money off their third party tours, transfers, and accommodations. So those of us who chose to use them subsidize your fares to a small degree. And if it's just $20, as someone who once answered why she would cancel and re-book just to save that little, "That's two drinks!":D

 

Enjoy planning your next voyage in whatever manner which works best for you.

[cruisemom42]

Is that statement intended to be a public service? Are those of us who use cruise line pre/post services doing so because we're too stupid to figure this out? Thank you for providing this enlightenment. I never would have otherwise figured out that it might be cheaper to take a taxi from the pier to the hotel rather than book the cruise line car transfer.

 

Actually, having replied to queries from cruisers on the Ports of Call forums for many years, I do think there are many people who do not realize how much extra they are paying for the convenience of having the cruise lines arrange everything -- because quite a few have responded with thanks for helping them understand this. While the OP's post could be more diplomatic, it does contain useful information.

 

If one understands the greatly increased costs -- especially for hotel rooms -- and one is comfortable with that, then all is well and good.

 

All of us have different comfort levels. Some like the challenge of personally planning every detail and scrounging for lowest price. Others prefer to let the professionals handle the seamless transition and consider the markup to be well worth it compared to the time and effort spent to vet various carriers and accommodations.

 

You are entitled to your preference but not to ridicule those who chose otherwise.

 

See my comments in green above.

 

As for your own comments highlighted in red: "Pot" meet "Kettle"?

[BlueRiband]

See my comments in green above.

As for your own comments highlighted in red: "Pot" meet "Kettle"?

 

I'm sure the OP is grateful that you have his back.

[iheartbda]

Maybe the OP should have chosen another word.;)

 

 

rip-off or rip-off

noun, Slang.

 

1.

an act or instance of ripping off another or others; a theft, cheat, or swindle.

2.

exploitation, especially of those who cannot prevent or counter it.

3.

a copy or imitation.

 

The cruise lines are not thieving, cheating or swindling anyone. It can't be called exploitation either because you are always in complete control....just don't take their tour.

 

Everyone is always free to do what ever works for them and no one should be criticized for whatever they choose.

[BlueRiband]

Thank you... you've summed it up briefly and brilliantly.

[slidergirl]

I didn't get the idea from the OP that he/she chose a dive hotel to save that money - for all we know, due diligence was done and the exact same hotel that the cruise line was using was the lower price when done independently. That is how I took it. For instance, I know that Celebrity uses the Westin Excelsior Rome as one of their hotels for Rome pre-stays.

A quick example: I just did this in 20 minutes: This is apples-to-apples because I'm using a Celebrity hotel.

Celebrity Reflection this October. 10 day cruise, inside cabin ('cause I'm cheap ;) ): $1569

Same cruise, but with Celebrity's 3 nights Rome pre-cruise addition, inside cabin: $3403

That is a $1834 difference!

I can book myself a private car from FCO to my hotel for $90 OR take the train and a taxi for about $28

3 nights at Westin Rome Excelsior (I choose w/o breakfast because I prefer to just get un espresso e un cornetto instead of gorging myself at the buffet trough for my breakfast) - 384EU/night = $438 = $1314. The Celebrity price includes the breakfast buffet each day, so you pay for it even if you don't want it.

 

 

That leftover money would allow me to do quite a bit of extra fun!

If I did this for myself, it would actually be much less expensive since I get an employee rate of $89/night at the Westin ;-)

Edited August 22, 2015 by slidergirl

[pris993]

Some of us (not me) take advantage of the pre and post cruise trips offered by the cruise companies. I wonder how many of you have ever figured how much the cruise companies rip you off on this options.

 

I just got a catalog today from Vantage. Paging through it, I saw a 3 day 2 night pre-trip in Amsterdam for $549 per person. That is $1100 for 2 people. I can book a room with breakfast for $479 total for 2 nights for 2 people.

 

So what else do I get for my additional $550 that I will have to pay for the cruise line pre-trip - a walking tour of Amsterdam, transfers and baggage handling and services of a city host and a local guide. Does anyone feel that these "services" are worth $550? I doubt it.

 

Basically, the pre- and post-trips are just a cash cow for the cruise companies. They may be convenient but they just are not worth it.

 

DON

 

I agree with you. My DH and I are fairly independent travelers. My DH is from Europe, so he speaks many languages which also makes it very easy for us to travel independently.

 

Regardless, I recall many years ago, before the internet, we took a cruise out of Venice, flew into Milan, stayed at a Hilton and then made arrangements through our TA who contacted the Hilton for a car service to take us from Milan to Venice. As you can imagine we paid an alarm and a leg for this service. While on our drive to Venice, the driver told us, if we can made arrangements on our own we would have paid a 1/3 as much, ie., the hotel got a kick back, as well as our TA. By comparison today, with the internet, information is so easily available, even here on cruisecritic, it is easy to get recommendations for car service, hotels etc., and we make our own arrangements.

 

I got stung again a few years back by my TA on travel insurance... it was purchased at last minute. Fool me once, okay... not second time. I called the insurance carrier my self, found again I would do much better on my own. Now I buy business travelers insurance on an annual basis because I don't need or want to insurance my trip, just want medical and emergency evacuation insurance. An annual policy for my DH and I is on $518 a year... this way we have medical coverage if we need it and don't need to buy insurance trip by trip. We often book and cancel trips and book something else, so this annual policy is more costs effective for us. For years we traveled with no insurance, since we self insure our trip costs. Now we are seniors on Medicare which does not cover anyone out side the USA. So needed to get some insurance.

 

So I do all my own bookings, air, hotel, cruise, insurance... then I am in control of my bookings, no cancellation fees, get the better price if prices go down on hotels and cruises. Everyone once in awhile I air fares drop, they are unpredictable.. I like to book in advance when linking with a cruise because I want the most direct flights on the same carrier... and the most desirable seats, so you have to pay more sometimes for these desires.

 

So the bottom line we all pay for what we want, that's fine as long as we know our options.

[RuthC]

I do think there are many people who do not realize how much extra they are paying for the convenience of having the cruise lines arrange everything

Some people DO realize the difference in price, and find it worth it.

Money isn't the only thing that matters when making the decisions in putting the arrangements together. Sometimes it isn't even the most important thing.