Princess EZ Air - early ticketing penalty

[Koliver63]

15 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

You will LOVE Santorini!  Probably my most favorite port stop ANYWHERE!  But be prepared for a long line for the tram up the side of the ridge/mountain.

I agee! We did Santorini in 2018 and I think that’s where Greece stole my heart. ❤️ That tram ride going up was insane! Such views! We were lucky enough to get to do a tour with the same guide who provided a tour for Rick Steve’s for his Med Cruise Ports book. It was hands down our favorite tour of that trip. We didn’t want to wait 90 mins to take the tram back down at the end of the day so we walked down the Santorini Steps.  This time, we will be waiting for the tram 😂 

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 minute ago, Koliver63 said:

 We didn’t want to wait 90 mins to take the tram back down at the end of the day so we walked down the Santorini Steps. 

I'd be afraid that I would trip near the top and simply roll all the way down! 😄

[Koliver63]

52 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

 I'd be afraid that I would trip near the top and simply roll all the way down! 😄

So the story gets worse, lol. I had on these cute Grecian style sandals (I’m in Greece….why not??) 😂 the bottoms were very slick. I started down those down steps and got about 1/4 of the way down and realized that my footing wasn’t great and I was slipping in those sandals. At that point, we were too far down the steps to go back and I don’t think I realized that we had another 2 hours of going downhill on a steep incline. I was so afraid of slipping and falling that I wound up taking off my sandals and going barefoot the rest of the way down. There was fresh and dried donkey poo on the steps along with some hay they had strewn about to try and make it easier to step in. I cringed and basically grossed out every step for about 2 hours we until we got to the bottom. I raced to our room and thank god we had a mini suite with a tub because I soaked my feet and scrubbed my feet with every soap I could find for about an hour 😂 it all turned out well in the end and it’s a memory for sure, lol. But we are seriously wearing hiking shoes and taking the tram this time around!

[Buckeye10640]

That is my understanding of how early ticketing works. Once you pay and are 'ticketed' it basically becomes non-changable and non-refundable.  Had you not paid to have early ticketing it would have remained flexible.   Now that many airlines have relaxed change fees and cancellation penalties post-Covid  we prefer to book directly with the airlines. 

[Koliver63]

2 minutes ago, Buckeye10640 said:

That is my understanding of how early ticketing works. Once you pay and are 'ticketed' it basically becomes non-changable and non-refundable.  Had you not paid to have early ticketing it would have remained flexible.   Now that many airlines have relaxed change fees and cancellation penalties post-Covid  we prefer to book directly with the airlines. 

I will definitely just book with adults from now on 🙂

[Koliver63]

Just now, Koliver63 said:

I will definitely just book with adults from now on 🙂

Delta, not adults lol 

[mevs904]

Hi Koliver63!  I’m so sorry about what happened to you.  We are on your cruise in April and haven’t booked our flights yet, so I really appreciate your taking the time to let others know about your experience.  We are in the process of deciding whether to do EZAir or not.  We used it in 2019 on our Baltic cruise and it worked out very well.

     Are you booking your pre-cruise hotel through Princess?  We were in Rome in October and stayed at the Hotel Smeraldo.  We would happily go back there, but think that since we’re only staying one night before the cruise it might be easier to make arrangements through Princess and use their transfer services.  We’ll definitely be carrying larger suitcases than we did in October so we’re looking to make things a little easier.

     Thanks for starting the Roll Call for our cruise.  I do check in from time to time.

[Coral]

7 hours ago, Koliver63 said:

Delta, not adults lol 

I think one needs to look at both. My air recently was $2000 and through the airline, it was $10,000. Research both and figure out what is best for you.

[Koliver63]

7 hours ago, mevs904 said:

Hi Koliver63!  I’m so sorry about what happened to you.  We are on your cruise in April and haven’t booked our flights yet, so I really appreciate your taking the time to let others know about your experience.  We are in the process of deciding whether to do EZAir or not.  We used it in 2019 on our Baltic cruise and it worked out very well.

     Are you booking your pre-cruise hotel through Princess?  We were in Rome in October and stayed at the Hotel Smeraldo.  We would happily go back there, but think that since we’re only staying one night before the cruise it might be easier to make arrangements through Princess and use their transfer services.  We’ll definitely be carrying larger suitcases than we did in October so we’re looking to make things a little easier.

     Thanks for starting the Roll Call for our cruise.  I do check in from time to time.

Hi there! I am happy that me sharing my misunderstanding of EZ Air might help you make a good decision regarding flights! Although I have only been on 2 cruises…I used to travel extensively for work so tend to just make my own arrangements. I don’t book tours through Princess…we really love small group tours with 1-3 other couples max so I use private tour companies.  I usually find a hotel for us on my own.  Most hotels or even VRBO’s will make arrangements to take you to the port. I know there is someone else from our sailing staying at Hotel Smeraldo…it looked nice! We are staying at Hotel Barocco over near Trevi Fountain/Spanish Steps. They have stated they will arrange transfer for us from the airport to the hotel and then from the hotel to the port. How does it work with the Princess hotel? How do you know which hotel they use and how to get transportation to the port? 

[mevs904]

I believe that for our Baltic cruise experience we found out the name of the hotel that Princess was using through our TA before we made the decision to book.  We also made the decision to use Princess transfers to the hotel and to the ship understanding that it was more expensive than making our own arrangements.  For this cruise we broke the rules and flew in the day of the cruise.  Since we arrived very early in the morning the ship wasn’t ready to receive passengers so the transfer bus and Princess associate took us on an unexpected and lovely tour of Copenhagen where we able to see the Little Mermaid statue, the royal palace, and several other sites where we able to get off of the bus and walk around.  They got us to the ship at approximately 11:00 am where we were able to board with no wait.  Our stay at the Princess hotel was at the end of the cruise when we stayed in Copenhagen for 3 nights.  Every aspect of the Princess arrangements was very positive so we are giving serious consideration to Princess for this cruise.  If we decide to make independent arrangements we will look to the Hotel Smeraldo as our first choice.  We loved the staff and location of the hotel and the transportation that they arranged for us was excellent.

      I don’t mean to take up this thread with information that’s not related to your original post so I’ll use the Roll Call  thread for further posts.

[exit88]

In any dispute over money the person or entity who has the money is in by far the stronger position.

[Rick&Jeannie]

10 hours ago, Koliver63 said:

How do you know which hotel they use and how to get transportation to the port? 

On more than one occasion I have learned this from a Princess Chat session.  They *should* be able to tell you what hotel(s) are used.  Typically...when you check in at the hotel with the Princess group they give you a pre-printed letter with all of the info needed in regards to what to do in regards to the transfer.

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Rick&Jeannie

[PiperHolliday]

21 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

You will LOVE Santorini!  Probably my most favorite port stop ANYWHERE!  But be prepared for a long line for the tram up the side of the ridge/mountain.

 

Take the boat from the port to Ammoudi Bay, where they'll then bus you up to Oia. On the way back, take the cable car and head back a bit earlier than the masses. There is a booth at the port where you can buy. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by PiperHolliday

[PiperHolliday]

10 hours ago, Koliver63 said:

Hi there! I am happy that me sharing my misunderstanding of EZ Air might help you make a good decision regarding flights! Although I have only been on 2 cruises…I used to travel extensively for work so tend to just make my own arrangements. I don’t book tours through Princess…we really love small group tours with 1-3 other couples max so I use private tour companies.  I usually find a hotel for us on my own.  Most hotels or even VRBO’s will make arrangements to take you to the port. I know there is someone else from our sailing staying at Hotel Smeraldo…it looked nice! We are staying at Hotel Barocco over near Trevi Fountain/Spanish Steps. They have stated they will arrange transfer for us from the airport to the hotel and then from the hotel to the port. How does it work with the Princess hotel? How do you know which hotel they use and how to get transportation to the port? 

 

A travel agent can tell you what the hotels are. But a good travel agent will also tell you it's a total rip-off and will cost you 3x as much as it should. The hotels they work with are also not always the best (always nice, but there's better options out there). Be sure to find a travel agent that not only does cruises but has first-hand experience with land travel in your preferred destinations. You want someone with travel experience, not just booking from a screen experience. They're the ones that will get you in the best hotels for the best price in the best locations - and can set up private direct transfers for usually the same cost as the mass coach bus the cruise lines use where you end up waiting for others. The only thing is that you usually have to pay upfront for hotels booked independently. But I think that's worth saving hundreds of dollars. 

[alph100]

I had a similar situation yesterday.  I wanted to change to an earlier flight.  The airline site offered it for free and stated to contact the third party agency, however they wanted to charge them a fee for changing it (which would be passed on to me).  I called the airline and spoke to a rep who changed it for free.  It could be an easy fix.

[Rick&Jeannie]

18 hours ago, PiperHolliday said:

 

 But a good travel agent will also tell you it's a total rip-off and will cost you 3x as much as it should. 

I have booked a hotel package with Princess as well as NCL...while true you will generally pay a bit of a premium it is certainly NOT 3x...and it includes your transfers to/from said hotel so be sure and factor that into your pricing comparisons.  There's something to be said for allowing your cruise line to be responsible for your entire vacation experience.  We do this for about 50% of our cruises.

[Coral]

18 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I have booked a hotel package with Princess as well as NCL...while true you will generally pay a bit of a premium it is certainly NOT 3x...and it includes your transfers to/from said hotel so be sure and factor that into your pricing comparisons.  There's something to be said for allowing your cruise line to be responsible for your entire vacation experience.  We do this for about 50% of our cruises.

I have booked a few hotels with Princess and the price has been fair given that transfers were included from Heathrow and then to the ship. One just needs to do the math and figure out what is best. I don't want to haul my luggage on the trains.

Edited January 10, 2023 by Coral

[PiperHolliday]

47 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I have booked a hotel package with Princess as well as NCL...while true you will generally pay a bit of a premium it is certainly NOT 3x...and it includes your transfers to/from said hotel so be sure and factor that into your pricing comparisons.  There's something to be said for allowing your cruise line to be responsible for your entire vacation experience.  We do this for about 50% of our cruises.

 

I'm a travel agent that has booked hundreds of Princess cruises and can definitely tell you that it's often 2-3 times more than if I book my clients not via Princess for hotels and transfers. EZ Air, on the other hand, can be awesome and a great discount - so I utilize that quite often. But obviously each traveler should do what makes them feel comfortable. 

 

28 minutes ago, Coral said:

I have booked a few hotels with Princess and the price has been fair given that transfers were included from Heathrow and then to the ship. One just needs to do the math and figure out what is best. I don't want to haul my luggage on the trains.

 

I never said anything about a train. I always set up private direct transfers for my clients. Door to door, no big bus and usually half the cost of Princess. But again...if the big bus is what makes you comfortable, do that! 

[PacnGoNow]

2 hours ago, alph100 said:

I had a similar situation yesterday.  I wanted to change to an earlier flight.  The airline site offered it for free and stated to contact the third party agency, however they wanted to charge them a fee for changing it (which would be passed on to me).  I called the airline and spoke to a rep who changed it for free.  It could be an easy fix.

What airline?  You’re lucky they did it for you, as most would send you back to your TA if you have not started your journey yet.

 

Make sure you watch your flight now with the airline App for any changes. 

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

26 minutes ago, PiperHolliday said:

 

I'm a travel agent that has booked hundreds of Princess cruises and can definitely tell you that it's often 2-3 times more than if I book my clients not via Princess for hotels and transfers. 

I can only report my own personal experience...

[jwattle]

2 hours ago, PiperHolliday said:

 

I'm a travel agent that has booked hundreds of Princess cruises and can definitely tell you that it's often 2-3 times more than if I book my clients not via Princess for hotels and transfers. EZ Air, on the other hand, can be awesome and a great discount - so I utilize that quite often. But obviously each traveler should do what makes them feel comfortable. 

 

 

I never said anything about a train. I always set up private direct transfers for my clients. Door to door, no big bus and usually half the cost of Princess. But again...if the big bus is what makes you comfortable, do that! 

Interesting; the Princess price for Australia hotels was a tiny markup of what booking on our own would be...