Princess Air and Hotel packages

[Sandi07054]

We are going on an Alaskan cruise in June 2018 from Seattle. Princess offers Westin Hotel in Seattle for 219.00 per night and it includes transportation from airport to hotel and from hotel to port. Was wondering if anyone used their hotel and airThanks

[cherylandtk]

That price is per person based on double occupancy....so you can probably find nearby accommodations for less, including taxis to hotel and port.

 

That said, it is a comparable price to what you would pay at that hotel directly. Transportation will be by bus to the port, and either bus or paid taxi from the airport to the hotel. See the Princess rep at baggage claim in the airport. At hotel, you will be notified of time and place to meet and where/when to leave luggage at hotel.

Edited April 7, 2017 by cherylandtk

[Sandi07054]

Oh thank you!! Silly me I thought it was per couple. I will definitely cancel that!!!

[diane.in.ny]

Oh thank you!! Silly me I thought it was per couple. I will definitely cancel that!!!

 

Yup. Sometimes those things slip by us. :D

 

If you can book a room at the same hotel for about the $219 price, you are definitely better off, especially if the hotel offers a free shuttle from the airport. Then you have only the added expense of a taxi to the port.

[Thrak]

Yup. Sometimes those things slip by us. :D

 

If you can book a room at the same hotel for about the $219 price, you are definitely better off, especially if the hotel offers a free shuttle from the airport. Then you have only the added expense of a taxi to the port.

 

And you can probably get Uber cheaper than a taxi and the driver won't expect a tip.

[Bill B]

Air can be a good deal, especially on open jaw flights. However, you'll always 'pay through the nose' for the hotel (and probably won't get breakfast included).

[jeromep]

I have found Princess EZAir to be very competitive, lately. Whatever deal they have with the airlines is quite good right now. So, I'd definitely consider EZAir for flights, but as for pre/post cruise hotel and transportation, you are probably better off booking on your own.

 

You may want to check out the west coast embarkation ports forum because there are numerous threads about Seattle lodging and transportation.

 

In general, the best value for your hotel dollar is going to be the hotels around Sea-Tac. A cab or Uber/Lyft is going to run you about $45/50 from the airport area to Pier 91 and it will take about 35-40 minutes to get from the Sea-Tac vincinity to Seattle.

 

Anyway, check out the Seattle topics in the west coast ports form for more and better info.

[Sandi07054]

I did call the Westin and the rate is around 290 per night and the free shuttle service is thru Princess and not Westin

I'm trying to figure out if it's worth staying near the airport and if I want to go downtown I just get an Uber back and forth or in the long run is it the same if I just get a pricey hold downtown.

I have to also check cost getting to hotel from airport and then getting to the port from the hotel

Boy these costs really add up!!!Yikes

[vantec]

We really enjoy the light rail from the airport into town. We are light packers so don't have a lot of luggage to deal with.

[LeeW]

Shuttle Express worked well for us (airport to pier currently $22). They also do hotel transfers at scheduled times for $12. You need to find hotel you want, then price options to get to and from the hotel and compare with Princess price/convenience. We have booked the package a couple of times in various ports and then found that the transfer to the pier was way too late (like 2 PM after being told to show up downstairs at 9). Left luggage with the Princess agent and went to ship on our own. That works, but costs more.

 

It is also possible to book an airport near the hotel, take their free shuttle back to the airport, and catch a Princess shuttle to the ship. Good if you are getting in late the night before but not if you want to do sightseeing in Seattle.

[NavyVeteran]

Generally you can book the same hotel for less directly, but not always. When comparing prices, you need to remember the following:

• Princess quotes per person. Hotels generally quote per room.
  
• Princess includes all taxes in the quoted price. Hotels often do not. You need to add all taxes to the direct hotel price to compare.
  
• Princess includes shuttles from airport to hotel and from hotel to ship. Hotels will sometimes have free airport shuttles but not always. Hotels seldom have free shuttles to ship. You need to add this transportation cost to the direct hotel price to compare.
  
• Princess includes luggage handling gratuities at the hotel. Depending on whether you handle your own luggage at the hotel, this may need to be added to the direct hotel price.
  
• Princess includes luggage handling at the pier. You put your ship luggage tag on your luggage at the hotel and it is delivered to your cabin. You may need to add a luggage handling gratuity at the pier to the direct hotel price.
  
• Princess may or may not include breakfast at the hotel. The direct hotel price may or may not include breakfast. Sometimes Princess does include breakfast but some direct hotel rates do not.
  

In addition to the price adjustments, there is also a question of convenience. If you book with Princess, they will handle everything. You will meet the Princess representative at the airport and give them your luggage. They will also handle the transportation to the ship. Everything is planned for you. If you arrange your own transportation, then you also have to handle your own luggage. On the other hand, you have more flexibility on when you go to the ship. With the Princess hotel, you will go to the ship when their transfer goes. Depending on the number of people at the hotel, they may or may not have multiple options on when to leave.

 

Sometimes the Princess price is good in comparison to the direct price for the hotel they use, since they tend to use higher cost hotels. You may or may not be able to get a much better deal at their hotel, but you can almost always get a lower price at another hotel. I usually check prices both ways and then determine if I am willing to pay the extra for the convenience - sometimes yes, sometimes no.

 

It depends a lot on the specific city I am flying into. I have never used a Princess hotel in the US or Canada. However I have used them in Europe. The transfers are longer and more expensive, and I have to deal with language and currency issues.

 

Note that the Princess transfer from airport to hotel is not always a large bus. On one cruise, I took a Princess hotel package for three nights in Rome prior to the cruise. Most of the people took the hotel package for one or two nights, so DW and I were the only people arriving when we did. A Princess representative met us at baggage claim at the airport as normal, even though we were the only ones arriving. She then walked with us to the van that was talking us to the hotel where the driver was waiting. The four of us (driver, Princess representative, DW and I) then took the van to the hotel. The Princess representative then checked us in to the hotel and arranged for the hotel porter to take our luggage to our rooms. Although we paid the normal price for the Princess hotel package, we received a private transfer at no extra cost. Everything was handled extremely well, and I thought the convenience was well worth the fairly small additional cost.

[diane.in.ny]

If you book with Princess, be sure to watch your luggage. Don't expect it to automatically end up on the bus.

 

We recently met two ladies who boarded the bus before seeing that their luggage was loaded. It wasn't. They got it but after two days at sea.

[flamomo]

One time, while traveling solo for a cruise out of Southampton, I booked a Princess hotel in London for a 2 night stay. As I was the only one arriving at that time of day, I was surprised to learn upon arrival at

Heathrow that Princess had arranged a private car service to get me to the hotel. The transport between the hotel and Southampton on embarkation day was the usual bus arrangement for the group of about 12 passengers that were staying at the particular hotel.