Can I add a night before a Cruisetour?

[AstoriaPreppy]

Alaska Princess Cruisetour booked for later this year, beginning in Fairbanks. We won't be arriving into Fairbanks until 11:30 pm on the official "start" date of our Cruisetour, so it makes sense to get there a day early so we can actually do something in the city the following day.

 

From what I've gathered, it seems that Princess reps normally meet you at the airport, give you your cruisetour docs, get you on a transfer, etc the day you're supposed to arrive.

 

But how does this work if you arrive a day early? Can I pay for an extra night at the hotel directly through Princess? Do I need to call the hotel directly? Do I book a different hotel for the night beforehand and just meander over to our hotel the following day? If I do that, how do I get my Cruisetour docs?

 

Thoughts, tips and any prior experience with a late Fairbanks arrival greatly appreciated.

[Loonbeam]

You can arrange an additional day via Princess. Transport arrangements will vary based on whether there will be other tours departing the day you arrive, etc. A few people on our tour arrived early and were given taxi vouchers, I think because there would be no greeter at the airport that day...

 

Note that your price to book direct may be cheaper if avail (also note that your hotel may change, Princess uses several) but you will not get transport assistance.

[amymoore]

We did that on our cruise tour. We were so glad we did! There was a princess rep at the Fairbanks airport. We got to sleep in a little the next day, see downtown, and start our cruise tour rested. Highly recommend!

[grandmaLUU]

We also have the same issue--so we booked through Princess an additional night--there is no problem--they will email you a new itinerary & you still get your transport voucher

 

 

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[diane.in.ny]

We did this in Zurich on the Princess Switzerland cruise tour.

 

Check the price of a night with both Princess and the hotel to make sure you get the best price.

 

If you book directly, be sure to let them know you'll be joining the Princess cruise tour the next day and could they please give you a room you can stay in when under Princess.

 

We booked directly with the hotel, confirmed we had the same room for our entire stay, and then was able to spend out entire first day touring the city.

 

(In this case, dinner the official arrival day was included so we just got our documents there along with everyone else.)

[hllwdcruiser]

I also highly recommend flying in the day before. We did this on our Southbound Alaska land/sea tour and this enabled us to fully explore Anchorage on our first "full" day. We actually decided to stay in a much less expensive hotel that first night than the Princess one so we cancelled our airport transfers and just took a taxi. The savings we made by staying in the non Princess hotel more than covered the cost of the taxis and even all of our meals. When we got to the Princess hotel the next day there were plenty of representatives there who directed us as to where we should get our docs, room keys etc. It's very organized. I was really nervous as to how it would all work out but it was all much easier than I anticipated.

[AstoriaPreppy]

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone.

 

Since we're so far out, I don't even know what hotel Princess will have us in the first night of the Cruisetour, so I'll hold tight until we figure that out and then decide whether or not it's prohibitive to stay at the Princess hotel (or another) the night before.

[eandj]

Call Princess and get the hotel they booked now. Find out what they will charge. Remember it will be a PER PERSON rate.

Then hunt for a "normal" rate. Use the hotel website as well as discount sites. Rates are higher closer to date and peak season will mean lower vacancy rates. So don't wait.

As mentioned, the money you save in the hotel will more than likely cover more than transfers. A cab or Uber will get you to the hotel on your schedule for less than transfer costs. Princess has good service desks in their hotels. MANY cruisers do their own bookings and they'll have everything there for you.

[dickinson]

We have a Denali Explorer cruise tour booked for 2018. We too will want to fly to Fairbanks a day in advance. Do I understand that transfers are included from the airport? Is this even if you do your own airfare as opposed to using Princess EZAir? (too far out now for us to even check air).

[azbirdmom]

Princess will automatically add the cost of transfers to your bill as they are not included in the cruise tour price. They are easy to cancel which is what we did last year. We were on a southbound Alaska Denali Explorer tour last year and booked an extra night at Captain Cook. We asked Princess to add the night but they were sold out. Fortunately the hotel had space at a lower cost than what Princess had initially quoted so we booked directly with them. The hotel also "linked" the independent night stay with the one that was part of the Princess tour so we didn't have to move. We did have to go to the hotel front desk the next morning to get our key reprogrammed but that wasn't a big deal.

[TW6cruiser]

I believe in Fairbanks the only hotel you would be at is the Fairbanks Princess lodge. Our tour started there and we booked an extra night via our travel agent and we had the same transfer as if we came the next day. In Alaska I think it may only be in Anchorage that there are multiple hotel options.

 

 

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[AstoriaPreppy]

I believe in Fairbanks the only hotel you would be at is the Fairbanks Princess lodge.

 

That's what I thought, but I've seen some trip reports of people being put at a bungalow at a "Riverside" resort if the main lodge is sold out.

 

I've checked the Fairbanks Princess lodge website, and it shows no availability. We're traveling in September, so definitely winding down cruise tour season, but I'll give Princess and the lodge calls directly to see what we can do.

 

 

If the cost is prohibitive, I'll just use points to stay at a Marriott/Hilton brand hotel on our arrival night, and take a cab over to the Lodge (most likely) the following day. At that point, eating the cost of the automatically-included transfer may be smarter than forking over hundreds of dollars to sleep in a Princess-branded hotel for an extra night.

[caribill]

We have a Denali Explorer cruise tour booked for 2018. We too will want to fly to Fairbanks a day in advance. Do I understand that transfers are included from the airport? Is this even if you do your own airfare as opposed to using Princess EZAir? (too far out now for us to even check air).

 

Princess does charge extra for the transfer from Fairbanks airport to the Princess lodge.

 

However, I found on the lodge web site that if you call the lodge from the airport they will transfer you at no cost.

 

But when we arrived at Fairbanks and they were loading the bos for those who paid for the Princess xfer we were told to get on it anyway even though we had not purchased the transfer.

 

Only drawback in our case is that we had not landed until after 11 PM. Once we reached the lodge it was another hour until they brought our luggage to the room, costing us an hour of precious sleep while waiting.

[caribill]

If the cost is prohibitive, I'll just use points to stay at a Marriott/Hilton brand hotel on our arrival night, and take a cab over to the Lodge (most likely) the following day. At that point, eating the cost of the automatically-included transfer may be smarter than forking over hundreds of dollars to sleep in a Princess-branded hotel for an extra night.

 

If you know you do not want the Princess xfer, you can cancel it before your trip and not have to pay for it. If after final payment, you will get the cost refunded to you.

[dickinson]

Thanks Caribill. Where do I find the info on their website that says I can call them for a free transfer from airport?

 

Anyone know how far in advance you can make reservations for the extra night?

[Nhsaltshaker]

Thanks Caribill. Where do I find the info on their website that says I can call them for a free transfer from airport?

 

Anyone know how far in advance you can make reservations for the extra night?

 

There is no info...that I could find on their website. I, too, have booked an extra night before the start of the Tour ($99 pp, booked around a year and a half in advance). The extra night is on my cruise Booking Confirmation.

 

 

In 2009, some people on our tour were sent to another hotel and joined us on the day we started our first excursion(s). We preferred to not switch hotels as we will be doing plenty of hotel (lodge) switching during the tour, hence booking an extra night as far in advance as possible.

 

 

We are getting a car rental at the airport for 24 hours. When I return the car at the airport, I'll catch the 'free' shuttle back to the Princess lodge on the day everyone else is arriving. I will either bump into the Princess rep when my flight arrives at the airport, or, let the front desk at the lodge know I am there a day early and am on a tour...and to please let the tour guide know We're here.

 

 

I learned about the free transportation chatting with people on the Alaska boards and promptly cancelled my paid transfers.