Should I book airfare through Princess or on my own?

[Wonders10]

Hi everyone,

 

I plan to be booking the Ring of Kerry cruisetour for Summer '09 in the near future. My question is should I book the airfare on my own or should I book it through Princess themselves? Any pros and cons for either option?

 

Thanks for the replies, in advance,

*Shannon

[Pam in CA]

I always put air onto my booking and then I have until final payment to find something cheaper. This far ahead, you can't get airline rates so you might as well book Princess air and then do your research when fares are available. You don't lose anything and if you can't find anything better, you are guaranteed your flights.

[Colo Cruiser]

If it is domestic I can usually find it much cheaper, but overseas cruises are sometimes better through Princess. :)

[Toto2Kansas]

I always put air onto my booking and then I have until final payment to find something cheaper. This far ahead, you can't get airline rates so you might as well book Princess air and then do your research when fares are available. You don't lose anything and if you can't find anything better, you are guaranteed your flights.

 

I totally agree with Pam on this. You can always remove the flight later if you find better on your own after they open up your dates.

 

Usually, for us, the only time we book Princess air is for International flights, mostly open jaw flights, but even round trip can sometimes be less expensive through the cruise line. Just keep in mind, if you plan to arrive early before your cruise, or stay afterward, you will need to pay the deviation fee that comes with flights not on their scheduled arrival/departure dates. Good luck finding the best fare, they seem to be going absolutely crazy lately. :eek:

[cruiserjanet]

And it depends on the length of your flight as well. For us, it didn't make sense to book our flight for our Panama Canal cruise with Princess being that it's only one-way.

[spongerob]

We always take care of our own air arrangements. It's just too much hassle to deal with deviations since we always fly early anyway, and it makes it easier to use FF miles, and we don't get stuck with weird routings.

 

Remember that when you make your own reservations, you have to pay attention to flight schedules because airlines like to change things.

[nbsjcruiser]

Hi everyone,

 

I plan to be booking the Ring of Kerry cruisetour for Summer '09 in the near future. My question is should I book the airfare on my own or should I book it through Princess themselves? Any pros and cons for either option?

 

Thanks for the replies, in advance,

*Shannon

 

In my opinion - book it on your own and make sure you have travel insurance to cover any issues. We booked air on Carnival one time and the big pain was you had to wait until 30 days beforehand to know the actual flights you would get. I would expect its the same with Princess. Also, there was no guarantee that they would fly us out the day before the cruise and for me this is an absolute no-no considering we live in Canada. I want to fly out 2 days early on any cruise I'm on. Choosing to fly out the day before means we have to purchase a deviation at $50 each. Add to all this the fact that you can purchase air cheaper on your own if you live in the US or close to the US and it becomes a no-brainer.

[GottoCruise]

We always book air on our own - I use FF miles - I haven't paid for an International Flight (Business Class only) in years, but it takes a lot of advance planning!

 

Pam in MA's suggestion is a great one..........with the airlines in 'flux' now - I would do that just in case my FF miles could not be used.

If you plan to fly into Port ahead of the sailing date, be aware that Princess Insurance won't cover your Pre-Cruise days or your own air. :eek:

Good Luck!

Renee (aka GotTCruise)

[sunsetbeachgal]

We've mostly done our air for Med cruises through Princess (I assume you are going to Europe based on the name of your cruisetour), and have been very pleased with it. If you elect to do it on your own, you must plan to arrive at your destination at least one day before in case of delays or cancellations. Figure on extra cost for the hotel, meals and transfers. With the weak dollar this will add to the cost of your trip!

[willysgrandma]

I would price the air through Princess first - sometimes their prices are better than what you can get on your own.

 

BUT - and this is a big but - you will be forced to accept whatever time schedules they book for you unless you want to pay the air deviation fee to choose your own.

 

If you want to fly in a day or two ahead, you usually will need to pay the deviation fee.

[agabbymama]

As other posters have suggested, book with Princess then look for your own flights. If you can beat Princess price, book your own and cancel the Princess flights.

 

For my Med cruise, Princess wanted $1600. I was able to find airfare for $1180, so I did my own.

 

You have to search and make the decision that's right for you.

[pungo3]

Research first, then make a decision. From personal experience, I have found booking my own flights saves time & money. I had less layover time than what Princess booked. However, it's possible Princess could save you money. Let them book, then do your research. If you find something better, cancel your Princess flight.

[Johanna7]

Hi everyone,

 

I plan to be booking the Ring of Kerry cruisetour for Summer '09 in the near future. My question is should I book the airfare on my own or should I book it through Princess themselves? Any pros and cons for either option?

 

Thanks for the replies, in advance,

*Shannon

 

Shannon:

 

If you book the Ring of Kerry cruisetour, is there not another flight from Ireland to Southampton involved? This would be a one way flight to Ireland, then the flight to Southampton and then the flight from Southampton back to the US. It may be cheaper to take the cruise company's all one way flights than to try and do it yourself.

 

Also, if you book through them, are they not responsible for getting you to the coach tour and ship on time? Does it include transfers which are not cheap either? You have to weigh all those conditions.

 

You might be better off to look at the package in your case.

 

Normally, if it is just one return flight, it could be cheaper to book it yourself but that is not the case with your trip.

 

Johanna

[zukecruiser]

Just returned from a TransAtlantic-Europe Cruise ending up in Copenhagen (CPH). When we booked the cruise last fall, I checked on flights to Fort Lauderdale and the return from CPH on-line and with my travel agent. Nobody could come close to the price offered through Princess.

 

I paid a small deviation fee, less than $75 extra for both flights, and got great departure times and airlines, loved flying British Air.

 

They are worth checking out, and as was mentioned earlier, you can always cancel before the final payment, except for the deviation fee.

 

Good luck.

[PunkiC]

I am curious, Renee, do you book a round trip award ticket and then just drop the return, or do you try to combined cruises and use both portions of the air?

 

I have been toying with Round The World and open jaw awards to see if I can make the same award ticket work for two cruises.

[wyocruiser]

We usually book our own air because we like to arrive a few days ahead of time. However, twice we have used Princess Air, and once we used RCCL ---- mainly, because by the time we decided to do the cruise, the cost through the airlines was very high.

 

Both of our experiences with Princess were good, but when we used RCCL, they were literally pulling the gangplank up as we ran onto the ship.

 

The first time we used Princess Air was into Istanbul, and since it was our first trip to europe, we just felt more comfortable. Looking back, I'm still glad we used Princess because Istanbul was having some terrorist problems at that time.

 

However, I wouldn't hesitate to book my own air into the UK if it's reasonable. Also, look into Ryanair for flights into Ireland from England. We've flown on them numerous times. Another thought, Aer Lingus and Delta both fly from the US into Ireland.

[Wonders10]

Shannon:

 

If you book the Ring of Kerry cruisetour, is there not another flight from Ireland to Southampton involved? This would be a one way flight to Ireland, then the flight to Southampton and then the flight from Southampton back to the US. It may be cheaper to take the cruise company's all one way flights than to try and do it yourself.

 

Also, if you book through them, are they not responsible for getting you to the coach tour and ship on time? Does it include transfers which are not cheap either? You have to weigh all those conditions.

 

You might be better off to look at the package in your case.

 

Normally, if it is just one return flight, it could be cheaper to book it yourself but that is not the case with your trip.

 

Johanna

 

I didn't finish reading the replies but wanted to respond to this one...

 

Yes it is a cruistetour - land first, then cruise. Not included in the price of the cruisetour is the airfare from my hometown to Shannon Airport and then from Southampton/London back home after the cruise. The flight from Cork to London is included in the cost (switching from land to sea). So I actually need 2 one way tickets. And yes you are right, transfers from London airport to the ship are included. Not sure if it is included upon initial arrival in Shannon. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

While I love to save money on flights, I'm not the kind of girl that will check every single day and sit back and wait for a cheaper fare to come out. I'm impatient and antsy and I want to know that my flight is booked and I have a way to get to my destination as soon as possible. Having Princess do it for me may help ease my stress and allow me to shop around for cheaper airfare without worrying so much. Hmmm...

 

Thanks everyone for your replies!

*Shannon

[Wonders10]

Oh and another question, does Princess typically stick to a few certain airlines or do they take whatever they can give you so to speak?

[chasetf]

Hi everyone,

 

I plan to be booking the Ring of Kerry cruisetour for Summer '09 in the near future. My question is should I book the airfare on my own or should I book it through Princess themselves? Any pros and cons for either option?

 

Thanks for the replies, in advance,

*Shannon

We almost always do our own air. This way we can pick our times / routes / airline....... and not find out Princess put us on the milk run at midnight.

 

We also like to do pre and post cruise stays when going overseas, or at least fly in the day before for US departures. The only times we go with the cruise line air is when the options are very limited and they can get us a better fare.... like our trip to Tahiti.