Is booking airfare with Princess better?

[atexsix]

Hello, I'm new to Princess but not cruising. Normally I book air on my own because I like to arrive in the departure port a couple days early, but I really think I'd enjoy the benefits of worry free travel if I can deal with the negatives, hence my questions:

 

Can we request a flight a couple days before we cruise?

Is the flight likely to be non-stop from Seattle to San Francisco or L.A.?

 

One reason I'm hesitant to fly down same day is due to the horror stories about missed sailings, from what I understand the built in protection covers that but it's not the ideal way to start a cruise and the itinerary we're looking at begins with a bunch of sea days, so it'd be some time before catching up with the ship.

 

For those of you that did run into a delay, how helpful was Princess? Were you on hold forever? Were they sympathetic or indifferent?

 

Thanks for the help in advance, I travel with Dear Father and he's 80, we have enough uncertainty in our lives and try to eliminate as many as we can.

[Kunjaqueen]

We flew princess air SEA-LAX on Alaska for $220RT. I couldn't find the same flight cheaper even with being an Alaska frequent flyer. There are tons of flights in the am so I personally flew day of, your comfort level may vary with an older traveler.

 

I'm doing it again next year!

[easyboy]

We like the option of EZ Air’s flexi-rate that is sometimes cheaper than fixed rate. We are able to avail of price drops after booking.

 

 

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[satxdiver]

We have used EZair several times now particularly on overseas destinations. We always arrive at least the day before or in international flights several days before the ship boards. So to answer your questions and add a few points.

 

You can book a flight that arrives days before the ship boards. Our next South American cruise we are arriving 10 days before we board the ship.

 

You can choose among several offerings which airline and reservation you want to make. The cost may vary according to what you choose but you can certainly get a non-stop flight.

 

You don't have to pay for the airline reservations until the final cruise payment date..

 

You can cancel or change the airline reservations at any time up to 45 days before departure. Airline prices change all the time and I have found cheaper and/or better reservations after I booked our EZair tickets. I was able online to change the EZair reservation.

 

If there is a problem while in transit, Princess has a 24/7 desk to resolve the problem. You are guaranteed to get to the ship. I have been on cruises where we waited in port hours for the arrival of pax. Peace of mind is a great thing on a vacation.

 

I have found that the prices offered on EZair were better than or at the worst equal to what the airlines were offering.

[Cruise'nMaMa]

We have used EZair several times now particularly on overseas destinations. We always arrive at least the day before or in international flights several days before the ship boards. So to answer your questions and add a few points.

 

 

 

You can book a flight that arrives days before the ship boards. Our next South American cruise we are arriving 10 days before we board the ship.

 

 

 

You can choose among several offerings which airline and reservation you want to make. The cost may vary according to what you choose but you can certainly get a non-stop flight.

 

 

 

You don't have to pay for the airline reservations until the final cruise payment date..

 

 

 

You can cancel or change the airline reservations at any time up to 45 days before departure. Airline prices change all the time and I have found cheaper and/or better reservations after I booked our EZair tickets. I was able online to change the EZair reservation.

 

 

 

If there is a problem while in transit, Princess has a 24/7 desk to resolve the problem. You are guaranteed to get to the ship. I have been on cruises where we waited in port hours for the arrival of pax. Peace of mind is a great thing on a vacation.

 

 

 

I have found that the prices offered on EZair were better than or at the worst equal to what the airlines were offering.

 

 

 

Does EZ Air let you pick which city to depart from different than where you live? We are doing Mexican Riviera in 2019 and live in Vermont so we frequently fly out of Boston or Montreal to go direct. Given the distance we are going to look at using EzAir this next time.

 

 

 

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[paul929207]

I check the prices with Princess and other sources. Then pick the best price and times for me. Sometimes Princess is lowest other times not

[sunsetbeachgal]

Does EZ Air let you pick which city to depart from different than where you live? We are doing Mexican Riviera in 2019 and live in Vermont so we frequently fly out of Boston or Montreal to go direct. Given the distance we are going to look at using EzAir this next time.

 

 

 

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Yes that is my experience' date=' we live midway between two similar sized airports so always compare fares and convenience. And yes you state what day you wish to arrive at your destination ( and time range) and then what day you want to depart.

 

 

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[Cruise'nMaMa]

Yes that is my experience, we live midway between two similar sized airports so always compare fares and convenience. And yes you state what day you wish to arrive at your destination ( and time range) and then what day you want to depart.

 

 

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Thanks for the info!

 

 

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[voljeep]

does EZ-air give you the same protection - holding the ship, next port protection - the same as if you booked a princess excursion?

[coo359a2]

Does EZ Air let you pick which city to depart from different than where you live? We are doing Mexican Riviera in 2019 and live in Vermont so we frequently fly out of Boston or Montreal to go direct. Given the distance we are going to look at using EzAir this next time.

 

 

 

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Birmingham, AL is my home airport listed on my My Personalizer for each cruise. If I want to fly out of a different airport when using EZ Air, I call Princess to change my home airport for that particular cruise so I can see the pricing and schedules before I book using EZAir.

[atexsix]

Thank you! We are new to Princess, we will have tons of questions as time goes on, so I really appreciate it.

[PoohUnderstands]

I have found that if you are in the US and flying just in US, that Southwest Airlines is the least expensive, no extra costs and usually have several good non-stop flights. I would look at their website for flights if you are near an airport serviced by SW. Then I usually fly into embarking city 1-3 days early depending on city, and can get a decent flight home in early pm or so on the day of departure.

 

If Dad needs room on the flight just ask the SW desk at time of flight for a pre-boarding pass for you Dad and you can get on around first to get a bulkhead seat.

 

But on my upcoming cruise where I will need to fly internationally I am using EZ air.

 

Pooh

[beg3yrs]

does EZ-air give you the same protection - holding the ship, next port protection - the same as if you booked a princess excursion?

 

It's similar but not the same. They don't guarantee holding the ship although if there are enough passengers known to be arriving within a reasonable time, sometimes they do hold the ship.

 

They do guarantee to get you to the ship at another port as long as embarking at that port is legal - think PVSA issues here. For instance if you didn't make it to Seattle for a round trip Alaskan cruise you might be out of luck if the only foreign port was Victoria and it was scheduled just before the return to Seattle. I believe at that point you get all your money back but I could be wrong.

[Mike45LC]

I mostly cruise out of my home port, so my experience using the Princess EZ-Air is limited. I have been told that it can be cheaper to arrange the air on your own.

 

My last cruise, we booked it about 10 days before the cruise, and had to fly to Vancouver and fly out of Anchorage. I did not even consider booking that on my own -- the time before the flight was too short, one flight was international, and it was so easy to let Princess deal with everything! So I don't know if the pricing was fair or if I was gouged. But it was one less headache for me in the short time before the cruise.

 

We flew in two days before, and it was perfect. So I did not concern myself about any airline delays.

 

Because I booked the hotel myself, Princess did not offer me a transfer from the airport to the hotel, but it was a simple cab ride.

[Notonboard]

I saved money booking air with the cruise. Now I’m still a control freak and followed up with the Airlines.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I used to not be a fan of EZ Air but in the past 18 months or so, they have really improved it to the point where it was very beneficial for us to book our air through them for an upcoming cruise. The best thing is that if you get the FLEXIBLE air and the price goes down before final payment, they will cancel your booking and re-book you at the cheaper rate. You don't have to pay for the air until final payment time which is totally awesome (but I always pay before that when I'm sure the price won't go lower). You get to choose your departure date, air carrier and class of service. It's just like any other flight website but you get the added of assurances Princess provides.

[dfields1814]

I used to book my own flights cheaper than EZ air, especially domestic. However the last two international flights I got a significant better rate with EZ Air to Buenas Aires and Tokyo. Also I changed date to BA three times for free. I was really pleased with EZ Air.

 

We flew into Tokyo eight days before the cruise. No Problem.

[cocacola86]

What airlines can you book for the US

 

 

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[mbible]

My experience has been very positive with EZAir. In fact, my one complete catastrophe was when I booked my own flights to Fairbanks, AK for a Princess CruiseTour. Totally messed up (most of it my fault but still a pain).

My wife and I are booked for a TA in April out of Ft Lauderdale returning from Copenhagen 25 days later and the price for both of us was one fourth of the cost if I booked directly with the same airline that I will be on (Delta/Air France).

[matadams4u]

A few points -

 

1. I experienced Princess holding the ship for us the first time I booked through EZAir so that made me a loyal customer.

2. Yes Southwest might be a good alternative.

3. Always run your bookings through the website and give the details of your preferences to your TA or Princess. The cheapest option might not be the best option for you. I don't like turning a three hour flight into a Gillian's island adventure.

3. The flex rates are oftentimes cheaper than the non refundable.

4. You can set the days when you want.

5. After you book go into the personalized to pick your seats although some airlines make that difficult.

6. I fly coach but hear people can get good deals on business or first.

7. I have re-booked for a lower fare and saved $400 a seat to Australia and I did not go with the lowest cost option since I didn't want to risk getting beat and dragged off the plane for no reason.

 

 

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[Princess Cruises Fann]

I also recently found you can schedule a stopover location to your EZ Air flight. For example, if you are doing a Mediterranean cruise and you want to visit Paris for a few days, just add a flight either to Paris on either side of your booking. I am currently considering visiting Amsterdam either before or after my Scandinavian and Russia cruise. Right now it appears to be cheaper to do a stopover after my cruise but I will keep checking EZ Air prices and rebook if the price drops.

 

A few points -

 

1. I experienced Princess holding the ship for us the first time I booked through EZAir so that made me a loyal customer.

2. Yes Southwest might be a good alternative.

3. Always run your bookings through the website and give the details of your preferences to your TA or Princess. The cheapest option might not be the best option for you. I don't like turning a three hour flight into a Gillian's island adventure.

3. The flex rates are oftentimes cheaper than the non refundable.

4. You can set the days when you want.

5. After you book go into the personalized to pick your seats although some airlines make that difficult.

6. I fly coach but hear people can get good deals on business or first.

7. I have re-booked for a lower fare and saved $400 a seat to Australia and I did not go with the lowest cost option since I didn't want to risk getting beat and dragged off the plane for no reason.

 

 

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[2dogs4cats]

I'll add my vote for getting air travel through Princess. Houston to Fort Lauderdale was $274 r/t on United at convenient times.