Princess Airfare and Transfers Question - Alaska Cruise

[GoGoLACP]

I am talking to our Travel Agent and I am trying to book airfare and transfers through Princess. We are flying from San Francisco to Anchorage and then cruising from Whittier to Vancouver. The guy is telling me that if we book airfare through Princess and it is the flexible ticket, if the price of the ticket goes up we have to pay MORE than what they are quoting us right now? This does not make sense. Why wouldn't I just go to the airline directly and book the ticket a the price I see to lock it in?

 

Also, I need transfers for 2 people in my group from Anchorage to Whittier. We arrive in Alaska 4 days early but these two people will be going back to Anchorage to return rental cars and then need the bus to Whittier. Princess is saying we can't book transfers through them unless we are staying at one of their contracted hotels. What the heck?!? This also does not seem right to me.

 

Thoughts? Thanks so much.

Edited January 6, 2018 by GoGoLACP

[easyboy]

The guy you were talking to might not know what Flexi rate is.

You can post on the Alaska Port Of Call Board for info on transfer info.

 

 

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[WatchHill]

First, do not name your TA - posting violation on CC. Second, you have both options through Princess BUT, wisest decision is to book directly with your airline of choice, not Princess. Been there, done that, never again through Princess.....

 

You can book the train yourself from Anchorage to Whittier - it's the same one Princess uses and your luggage will go via truck with all of the Princess luggage.

 

Darcy

[GoGoLACP]

OOPS - sorry, didn't realize I wasn't supposed to mention the TA. I will see if I can amend the post. Thanks so much for your info. He actually just came back to me and said yes they can book the transfers. But now is getting a supervisor to talk to me about the airfare.

[fishywood]

If you want to "lock in" the air fare you just need to pay for it at time of booking rather than waiting until final payment date. Just like when booking direct with the airlines. Sounds like your TA just doesn't want to bother with such a simple task.

[hpeabody]

I am not sure this statement is correct

" if we book airfare through Princess and it is the flexible ticket, if the price of the ticket goes up we have to pay MORE than what they are quoting us right now?"

 

IIRC ... Once you have completed your flexible type EZ-Air booking THAT fare is locked in and will be ticketed at around time of final payment. With the flexible fare option you are supposed to be able to change or cancel up to 45 days before final payment. This gives us an opportunity to cancel without penalty/forfeit or to get a lower fare if it should drop. If this has changed or is incorrect, my apology.

 

Now, about paying EZ-Air at time of booking or prior to Princess normal ticketing process, that is NOT so easy. I did this on an EZ-Air booking I made and it was REQUIRED that I PAY THE CRUISE IN FULL before it could be actually ticketed. I did this as I wanted to pay for upgrade and it had to be ticketed first.

Do compare EZ-Air and the airlines fares. In my situation the EZ-Air fare was around $3,000 less for a one way on Delta (and others) I jumped on the EZ-Air!

[partybarbie]

I booked flex air almost a year ago for a trip to New Zealand. The fare went up a few hundred dollars more than what I booked, but my flex fare was locked in at the lower price. You pay for the air when you make final payment for the cruise. You can make changes up to 45 days in advance without an extra charge.

 

This policy has only been in effect for a couple of years. Your TA is quoting a policy that was in effect about 5 or 6 years ago.

[txwriter]

My mom and I are booked for Alaska cruise southbound from Whittier June 2, 2018. We booked our outbound flight directly with the airline (had some vouchers I had to use), and booked the return using EZAir. We booked the flexible EZAir option. At one point, I was having some problems getting seats booked, so since I knew the airfare was good, I asked my TA to go ahead and have the fare ticketed. We simply made a payment for the airfare portion. The fare has only gone up since, so I’m happy I booked early.

 

We did NOT have to pay for the whole cruise—just the airline tickets,

 

We have booked transfers on both ends with Princess. On the pre-cruise portion, we have booked our own hotel and rental car. I have looked into booking my own transfer to the ship, but the transfer is only costing $54 each which is less than railroad independently and in line with other transfer services. I may change, but I am leaving transfers with Princess for the time being.

 

In Vancouver, we are staying two nights at the Westin booked with Princess with Princess transfers.

 

It is possible to tweak your reservation for what works best for you and your plans. Your travel agent should be able to help with this.