Pre-Cruise hotel booked with cruise line

[cruisegirl1976]

Ok.. going on the Oasis in Feb 2020, and I usually stay in a hotel pre-cruise for a night , and I was just recently told that the cruise line can arrange getting you a hotel room and transportation from the airport to the hotel, and then transportation to the ship the next day.  Has anyone every used this service?.. and did it save you any money?.. also I usually book my trip insurance, should I book the trip insurance with the cruise line? Thanks.. 

[Clarea]

I doubt you would save money with hotel rates from the cruise line.  Double check the prices with the cruise line, but in my experience when they quote a hotel price, it is "per person".

[hancock]

Book everything on your own.  Much cheaper.  Also buy insurance other than the cruise line insurance.   You will get much better coverage.

[fishr]

I'm booked on an Oceania cruise out of Venice in Nov. We want to spend a couple of days in Venice pre cruise. Oceania would charge us $2275 (Canadian) for two nights hotel. My travel agent can book the same hotel for $250/night.

[Joebucks]

Not that I know for sure, but if experience has taught me anything, these types of things are offered at a "convenience". They generally lack in choice and lowest price, but that is not always what is most important to people.

 

Transportation bundles are especially overrated to me in the day of Uber.

[JohninDC]

Taxis and Uber or Lyft are easy to use in the FLL area and www.sunny.org has lots of hotel and tourist info. Check out the FLA departures board for more suggestions.

[iahawkfan21]

Much easier (and most often cheaper) to book on your own.  We also book our trip insurance separately with better coverage for less.

[Kteacher]

  My suggestion is to check what the cruise line is offering, then look on your own and compare. Usually you can do better on your own, but there have been times when we’ve booked through the cruise line. One example is a year when our sailing date coincided with the Tortuga Festival in Ft. Lauderdale. Hotel rooms were next to impossible to find, but we were able to get one through the cruise line. 

[cruisegirl1976]

On 1/19/2019 at 8:36 AM, iahawkfan21 said:

Much easier (and most often cheaper) to book on your own.  We also book our trip insurance separately with better coverage for less.

Thanks.. that’s what I usually do, but didn’t know if the cost would be higher or cheaper with the cruise line.

[cruisegirl1976]

Thanks everyone... I’m going to book on my own.

[emdia43]

Oasis from Miami - the easiest port to arrange your own hotel, transportation. Taxi from airport to the Holiday Inn, Port of Miami is fixed rate. Hotel overlooks the port and is opposite the Bayside Marketplace, which is a great place to spend a pre- cruise evening, then taxi over to the port in the am $8-10.  In my early days of cruising I went with the cruiseline reservation thinking it would make it seamless. It didn't and it cost me more than  double what I could have done it for  myself. Never again.

[JohninDC]

Lots of Miami cruisers choose to fly into FLL and use Uber/Lyft or shared shuttles to get to Miami.  Uber fare should be about $35+ for a standard car or shared shuttles usually charge about $15 per person. Stay near FLL and head to PIN the morning of your cruise or head to Miami as soon as you land.  Your call. 

[cruisegirl1976]

On 1/20/2019 at 4:02 PM, emdia43 said:

Oasis from Miami - the easiest port to arrange your own hotel, transportation. Taxi from airport to the Holiday Inn, Port of Miami is fixed rate. Hotel overlooks the port and is opposite the Bayside Marketplace, which is a great place to spend a pre- cruise evening, then taxi over to the port in the am $8-10.  In my early days of cruising I went with the cruiseline reservation thinking it would make it seamless. It didn't and it cost me more than  double what I could have done it for  myself. Never again.

I've stayed in Miami before a cruise previously.. and it was chaotic cause it was the same weekend as Super bowl.. and Super bowl was in Miami that year.. and guess where it's going to be next year.. Miami.. so I'm just trying every option.. lol

[cruisegirl1976]

On 1/21/2019 at 7:39 AM, JohninDC said:

Lots of Miami cruisers choose to fly into FLL and use Uber/Lyft or shared shuttles to get to Miami.  Uber fare should be about $35+ for a standard car or shared shuttles usually charge about $15 per person. Stay near FLL and head to PIN the morning of your cruise or head to Miami as soon as you land.  Your call. 

Thinking of staying in Ft. Lauderdale and getting SAS transportion to take us to the POM in the morning.. it's going to be Super bowl weekend down there.. and a little crazy

[ppmanusa]

Either way you go I agree with shopping your own insurance. Much cheaper and you can customized it to your needs.