Europe: HAL Pre & Post Cruise Packages

[usctrojangal]

I couldn't find this subject on the HAL boards but I'd love some feedback on it. My husband and I are planning to cruise with HAL to the Western Mediterranean...hoping to do the 12-day Mediterranean Romance cruise this May. We are coming from Hawaii...quite a hike for us to Europe! We plan to fly from Hawaii to New York for a few days to break up the trip before heading to Europe for the cruise. Once in Europe we'll want to be there a day or two pre/post cruise. My question is Has anyone booked a Pre &/or Post Cruise Hotel package in Barcelona or Venice with HAL? If so, did you find you received a decent rate with HAL or would I be better off booking the hotels on my own? Second question: Has anyone booked their flights directly through HAL? Again, not sure if it's cheaper to do all this on my own or go through HAL for the convenience.

I know someone will bark at me for posting a different topic in the same thread, but I've never been to Europe before...can anyone tell me is there any one port city better than the other to start or end the cruise in? Really looking forward to this cruise! :)

[grannynurse]

HAL charges per person for hotel rooms so if the listed rate is $350 pp you'll be paying $700 for the first night and slightly less for the following days. However airport and pier transfers, taxes, gratuities, tours, and some meals are included in pre and post cruise package. The tours are described and priced in the hard copy HAL brochure. Some people consider the convenience and the lack of need to make their own arrangements as worth the price. Last year a 4 day precruise in Rome was around $2700 pp.

On the other hand HAL air in Europe can be very reasonable. Round trip to Rome from Tulsa and home from Florida was $879pp.

I prefer to fly into and sail from Amsterdam but that doesn't work for med cruises,

GN

[jtl513]

We did a 1-day post-cruise HAL package in Copenhagen and were not very happy with the hotel. (I don't remember the name offhand - a stark Danish Modern place near Tivoli Gardens.)

 

We did HAL air on both that cruise and on our Med cruise with a pre-day in Rome, and in both cases we were unhappy with the routings we were given.

 

If there is a next time to Europe for us (and I hope there is) we will definitely not do HAL air, but like the convenience of the HAL transfers to/from the hotel.

 

We liked Barcelona so much on our 1-day stop that I would like try to spend some more time there pre or post cruise.

[Sunshine91]

Are you using a real-live travel agent, as opposed to an internet agent? Someone you can actually spend time talking this over with?

 

Just my own opinion, but if I were planning a trip of that magnitude, distance & complications, especially with the couple of days stop-over in NYC, I'd want to use a really good TA in making the arrangements. I wouldn't see this as a DIY project.

 

Another thought. Why go with HAL's air & give up control of your choice of flights when you plan to fly-in at least a couple of days early? It's not like you are flying the day of the cruise & need to rely on HAL to get you to the pier THAT DAY so that the ship doesn't leave without you. At least that's my thought process.

 

Sounds like a fabulous trip. If you're gonna go as far as you have to travel, you stay for quite a bit. Have a great time. :) (Can I sneak in your bag?)