Booking just hotel with Princess?

[Caramel1398]

Hello,

After doing some internet research for the different Fort Lauderdale hotels and comparing to what Princess advertises in their brochures, we see that Princess offers a greatly discounted price on booking a hotel through them. Which leads us to ask... Can we book just the hotel through Princess even though we are booking the actual cruise through our travel agent? Or are these discounted prices strictly a "package deal" where you only get that price if you book the cruise through Princess as well?

 

Thanks!

[chrysalis]

I am surprised that you think that the prices are "greatly discounted".....I presume that you realize that the prices that they quote are "per person"?

[sloth]

I can't answer your question about the hotel thru Princess, but just an FYI: if the brochure prices you talk about are the same as the ones on the Princess website for hotels...the prices are "per person"...not per room. We saw some great hotel rates on the website , and then read the fine print below and realized they were per person. So not a great deal after all for the 2 of us.

Cindy

[paul929207]

I believe that if you have a cruise booked thru a TA, Princess will not deal with you for the pre-cruise hotel. If the Princess price is so good, can't you get it thru your TA?

 

As others have said, I have never seen a "discount" on a Princess hotel stay.

[Colo Cruiser]

Hello,

After doing some internet research for the different Fort Lauderdale hotels and comparing to what Princess advertises in their brochures, we see that Princess offers a greatly discounted price on booking a hotel through them. Which leads us to ask... Can we book just the hotel through Princess even though we are booking the actual cruise through our travel agent? Or are these discounted prices strictly a "package deal" where you only get that price if you book the cruise through Princess as well?

 

Thanks!

 

Yes those prices are per person, are they still deeply discounted?

[Caramel1398]

LOL, well that cleared that up! Sure enough, the fine print says "per person." Thanks for the info!

[Coral]

If you are still interested - have your agent book the room.

[paul929207]

LOL, well that cleared that up! Sure enough, the fine print says "per person." Thanks for the info!

We have always found the Princess hotel prices are considerably higher than anywhere else.

[Joe Pflanz]

Princess's price does include the transfer to the ship, and transfer to the hotel, I believe.

But I totally agree that I have never seen the price to be a bargain of any sort, and a better price is almost always available.

[paul929207]

Princess's price does include the transfer to the ship, and transfer to the hotel, I believe.

But I totally agree that I have never seen the price to be a bargain of any sort, and a better price is almost always available.

Yes t does include transfers. Based on the price these are in a gold plated Rolls Royce.

[Stevesan]

Yes t does include transfers. Based on the price these are in a gold plated Rolls Royce.

 

 

Exactly correct. I've booked the Princess tfr from Southampton to Heathrow for $65! That's a good price for the convenience,

but folded into their hotel rate $$$ for either location, it's not even a gold plated VW. :p

 

Sidebar: I travel solo and Princess does charge a sgl supplement for their hotel rates, but it can be low.

For example, I booked the OSJ Sheraton in PR thru Princess because it was significantly less than any "special" (AAA, Senior, etc) rate at the time.

That, however, may have been a one off. I haven't found a comparable offer since, but it never hurts to ask.

[paul929207]

For some travelers, the convience of having one organization (Princess) handle everything makes the extra cost worthwhile. I guess there are others who don't realize the markup they are paying.

[Guest sizzzlin sailor]

Just my opinion, but...

 

Nobody who pays ANY attention to the dollars they're spending would accuse Princess of offering "bargains" on pre- or post-cruise packages. If there's such a thing as a "loss leader" in the cruise business, right now on many cruises, it's the fare!

 

Of course that's not to say that pre- and post-cruise arrangements with Princess are to be avoided out of hand. The SW and I often DO purchase a package for pre-cruise, enjoying the grief relief for baggage handling or dealing with the whole taxi or shuttle thing -- finding it, do they or don't they require local currency, are they taking the long way to the hotel, etc.

 

Our experience has been that the Princess hotels have been very nice and well-located. The past couple of times, there has been a Princess "hospitality" room where you can buy a tour (if you haven't already) or just get maps and info (and sometimes discount coupons for attractions) for heading out on your own.

 

The best aspect has been the opportunity to check in for the cruise at the hotel instead of at the cruise terminal. You still have a short line there to get your room keys, but it's very fast and very convenient.

 

All of that said, there ARE plenty of others, of course, who provide transfers, baggage handling, tours, hotels, all the rest. And if you trust your travel agent, they're often less costly than our friends at Princess.

 

Similarly, we've been satisfied with post-cruise packages, too. Step off the ship, clear customs and onto a bus and off you go for a few hours of touring whatever city you're in to finish the cruise. Such tours end at your hotel or at the airport, whichever you've selected.

 

If one is looking for reasons to criticize Princess, there's no shortage of opportunity. But we've found the pre- and post- packages NOT to be one of them!