Forced Overnight in Fort Lauderdale - They pay the Pre-Night Hotel

[jt58203]

I just returned from vacation and received an email quote from my TA. Her office is now closed for the day and she is on vacation until next week. I can call tomorrow and ask another TA but was wondering if this has happened to anyone before. She gave me a quote for the Caribbean Princess departing Feb. 3. Then she added "Forced overnight (Feb 2) in Fort Lauderdale - They pay the Pre-Night Hotel". I live in "the boonies" and served by a small airport which means I have to change planes at least twice when I travel. I'm guessing that even if I were to take the earliest flight on Feb 3 I would not make it there on time. I wanted to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale a day before anyway, so this sounds like a good deal (saving us $85-$89 pp), right? Sorry for the long post.

[Pia1913]

I just returned from vacation and received an email quote from my TA. Her office is now closed for the day and she is on vacation until next week. I can call tomorrow and ask another TA but was wondering if this has happened to anyone before. She gave me a quote for the Caribbean Princess departing Feb. 3. Then she added "Forced overnight (Feb 2) in Fort Lauderdale - They pay the Pre-Night Hotel". I live in "the boonies" and served by a small airport which means I have to change planes at least twice when I travel. I'm guessing that even if I were to take the earliest flight on Feb 3 I would not make it there on time. I wanted to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale a day before anyway, so this sounds like a good deal (saving us $85-$89 pp), right? Sorry for the long post.

 

Are you positive they're paying? Those flying in from California have a forced overnight, but they usually pay their own hotel bill. Get it in writing.

[Techie]

Where are you starting from?

 

Our past cruises they have done this. There are (were :mad: ) no flights from here at would get us in to Ft Lauderdale before the ship sailed. Air Canada in their infinite wisdom has now decided to add a 5:00 am flight from Wpg to Toronto with 1 hr 25 minutes connection time during which you also have to clear customs that gets into Ft Lauderdale about 1:30. Therefore no forced overnight. (Can you tell I'm annoyed...)

 

The past cruises we did not pay for the hotel on the forced overnight. It wasn't too close to the pier but it was a nice hotel.

 

Joan

[Toto2Kansas]

We have had a 'forced overnite' before, and Princess always paid for a very nice hotel and breakfast when we had to do this.

[Pia1913]

We have had a 'forced overnite' before, and Princess always paid for a very nice hotel and breakfast when we had to do this.

 

They sure don't do it in Asia. :(

[jt58203]

Where are you starting from?

 

Our past cruises they have done this. There are (were :mad: ) no flights from here at would get us in to Ft Lauderdale before the ship sailed. Air Canada in their infinite wisdom has now decided to add a 5:00 am flight from Wpg to Toronto with 1 hr 25 minutes connection time during which you also have to clear customs that gets into Ft Lauderdale about 1:30. Therefore no forced overnight. (Can you tell I'm annoyed...)

 

The past cruises we did not pay for the hotel on the forced overnight. It wasn't too close to the pier but it was a nice hotel.

 

Joan

 

I live in Grand Forks, North Dakota and only one airline flies out of here. If I took the earliest flight out on Feb. 3 I would arrive in FLL at 1:15 pm. TA specifically stated "They pay for pre-night hotel". She didn't say which hotel, but I'm hoping it's the Embassy Suites or Marriott--guessing I would still receive the services of a Princess rep.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We have had a forced overnight before too, with Celebrity, and they paid for our hotel and gave us money toward (but not totally covering) dinner and breakfast the next morning. It was a great deal. We don't generally use cruise line air for domestic flights, but this was the outbound flight for a transatlantic leaving out of FLL so it made sense to do so.

 

I don't know how Princess does it, but with Celebrity they bussed us from the hotel to the pier in groups. I would never do that again. I would pay for my own cab, just to get to the pier earlier. We were bussed over about 2pm, and I didn't like that at all. But live and learn.

[Toto2Kansas]

They sure don't do it in Asia. :(

We sailed on RCI Sydney to Singapore twice, and they put us up at a beautiful hotel across from Raffles for the night and even had breakfast prepared for us at 4:00 AM before our early flights.

I guess Princess doesn't do this from what you are saying, but RCI did a beautiful job.

[Druke I]

Way back in 12-91, we did the Amazon on the original Pacific Princess, and had a "forced overnight" in Miami en route to Manaus Brazil. Princess picked up the tab that time.

 

In 4-97, we had another "forced overnight" in Osaka Japan, but Princess did not pick up the tab for that one.

[Pia1913]

Way back in 12-91, we did the Amazon on the original Pacific Princess, and had a "forced overnight" in Miami en route to Manaus Brazil. Princess picked up the tab that time.

 

In 4-97, we had another "forced overnight" in Osaka Japan, but Princess did not pick up the tab for that one.

 

And they don't do it in Beijing either. (circa 2005)

[jt58203]

For me the difference in cruiseline airfare vs buying direct online with the airline is about $15 pp. It stinks living in "the boonies". Minneapolis is a 5 hour drive each way from here. I would be able to to fly for half the money but it's the time driving there, 2 nights hotel (and I would stay at a park n fly hotel to save on parking costs) and when the temperature is 20 below zero in February I'd hate to do that.

[vickie_bernie]

I've done a forced overnight many times with Princess. But you do have to buy their air and usually it is about $200 pp more than what I can get on my own. So for next cruise we are flying our own air and paying for hotel.

 

When you take Princess' air you are subject to the flights they choose and the routing too. This also includes transfers from airport to hotel and hotel to ship. However the next morning we hated being corraled into buses with about 100 other people so we took a taxi. Hotel has always been very good, but hasn't always been one of the ones they sell for pre cruise packages.

 

If you find the prices for their air to be reasonable then take advantage of the hotel.

 

Vickie

[Techie]

Hey neighbour! The hotels they have put us up in Ft Lauderdale were ones they used for the pre/post cruise but they were the cheapest ones - once the Marriott North and the last time Renaissance Plantation. Nice hotels but not real close to anything.

 

Make sure when you get the quote that it says on it "forced overnight". When we started planning our April/08 trip the TA said it would include a forced overnight but when the slip came in, no overnight. I know she's spent hours on the phone with Princess over this because it was the first one she's had where it wasn't included and all because of the early flight that was just started. We also would be getting into Ft Lauderdale around 1:15 to 1:30.

 

We had done air and transfers with them and they picked us up at the airport with a bus, took us to the hotel, and next day the bus picked us up and took us to the ship. One nice thing is you get off the bus with your carryon and don't see your luggage again until it's delivered to the room.

 

Joan

[FredS]

A couple of years ago we took Princess from Manaus, Brazil to Rome. We had Princess flights. There was a forced operational overnight in FLL, which we had to pay for and for the meals. We flew a commercial flight to FLL then a Princess charter flight to Manaus the next morning.

[geejay]

We live in Montana and used to book our air through Princess. We have always had a room paid for by Princess when we were sailing out of Fort Lauderdale or New York. You just can't get there in time when you are flying out of Montana. There were also transfers included. The bad thing is that you never know what your air arrangements are and the times are usually terrible. I am now booking our own flights for the day before and getting rooms on Priceline at a much better price.

[Kismets_mom]

I am sailing CB on Sept. 2 and we are on a forced overnight in FLL. Flying in from CA. Haven't seen on our itinerary where we are staying yet, but according to Princess website, they will give us that info 30 days before sailing (which is any day now).

 

We just had our flight times changed by Princess, and they're not too bad. Normally I would do flights/hotel on my own, but did everything through Princess because of hurricane season. Went through a bad experience with Hurricane Wilma and won't book anything separate again during hurricane season. Comes with the territory--love the cheap price, hate the hurricane factor.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I live in Grand Forks, North Dakota and only one airline flies out of here. If I took the earliest flight out on Feb. 3 I would arrive in FLL at 1:15 pm. TA specifically stated "They pay for pre-night hotel". She didn't say which hotel, but I'm hoping it's the Embassy Suites or Marriott--guessing I would still receive the services of a Princess rep.

 

You'd be scoring bigtime if you got the Embassy Suites. I'm also on the Feb 3 CB but haven't booked a hotel yet. Embassy Suites is going for over $300 per night for Feb 2. I can't pay $300 for 1 nights sleep on a $600 cruise.

 

Good Luck and hope you get something good!:)

 

Bill

[Pia1913]

It appears that Princess pays for forced overnights in the U.S. and nowhere else. Fair? No. Can we do anything about it? No. I guess they feel if we can take the exotics, we can afford to pay for the extra hotel stay. LOL.

 

Pia

[jetstorm]

Anyone ever had "forced overnight" in San Juan? I'm on a Christmas cruise out of San Juan and booked Princess air because it was much cheaper than any other, but I'm sorried about the schedule as they won't tell us what it will be until just before the cruise. What if I need a hotel and they won't pay? Will I be able to find one at the last minute?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Anyone ever had "forced overnight" in San Juan? I'm on a Christmas cruise out of San Juan and booked Princess air because it was much cheaper than any other, but I'm sorried about the schedule as they won't tell us what it will be until just before the cruise. What if I need a hotel and they won't pay? Will I be able to find one at the last minute?

 

The ship doesn't leave until 11pm so I don't think you have anything to worry about.:)

 

Bill

[stellalimelight]

It appears that Princess pays for forced overnights in the U.S. and nowhere else. Fair? No. Can we do anything about it? No. I guess they feel if we can take the exotics, we can afford to pay for the extra hotel stay. LOL.

 

Pia

 

My mom and her sister are booked on the Sapphire in Dec. They both did Princess air and are having what they can an operational overnight and Princess is supplying them with a room. Same thing for their return out of Bangkok.

[Pia1913]

My mom and her sister are booked on the Sapphire in Dec. They both did Princess air and are having what they can an operational overnight and Princess is supplying them with a room. Same thing for their return out of Bangkok.

 

Very interesting inasmuch as they charged $119/PP for the required operational overnight in Beijing, including transportation to the port the next day. If as you say Princess is paying for the overnight, then they have recently changed their practice.

 

Pia

[hb1491]

Not so 2009 cruise out of Bangkok operational night

$ 150.00

[Pia1913]

Not so 2009 cruise out of Bangkok operational night

$ 150.00

 

Just as I thought. Stellalimelight - look again!

 

Pia

[jetstorm]

The ship doesn't leave until 11pm so I don't think you have anything to worry about.:)

 

Bill

 

 

Thanks Bill, I hope you're right.