Seems EZ air charges more and hotel package. Is this normal?

Hi,

I am considering the European cruise on the new Majestic sailing from Rome to Barcelona.

I looked at airfare and coach prices seemed comparable to booking on my own. But when I asked about Economy Comfort seats....Instead of the normal $100 approx it went up $500.

Also 1 night hotel package with transfers seemed much more than doing a private transfer?

This would be my 1st princess cruise. Is Princess insurance worth it or is 3rd party better as well.

Also FREE BEVERAGE PACKAGE. says $10 or less for drinks. NCL is 15 but they were pretty lenient about me getting a double.

Is Princess very strict about that or can I pay extra for a stronger drink?

Thanks

Kerri

Your info is continuing confirmation that hotels and transfers can be done cheaper and easier on your own. While air fares can frequently be done cheaper via the cruise line (when you also understand the downsides of consolidator fares), hotels and transfers can have large markups.

In 20 cruises, we have used cruise airfares once, and cruise line hotels and transfers twice, and we fly in at least a day (sometimes 2 or 3 days) early every cruise. It is just a better deal on your own.

I never use cruise transfers or hotels after realizing on my first cruise that I could have done better for less, a rookie mistake. Air is variable, especially if flying into and out of different cities. Round trips are easy to compare but multi stops are often more of a challenge when different carriers are involved. Play with EZ air but then go out and search on your own. Even if you book initially with EZ air periodically check elsewhere. On my recent Med cruise air fares dropped so much that I payed a cancellation fee and still saved money for a better timed flight that I booked later on my own.

The port (Livorno) is a long way from Rome so do some research to see if a car service can be less expensive. You probably can book a hotel for less on your own, but remember you are paying for the convenience of having someone else make the arrangements for hotels and transportation if you book through Princess.

For cruise insurance, I'd suggest looking at a third party policy because the coverage limits for medical and evacuation are fairly low on cruise line policies.

For travel overseas, I'm more comfortable with higher limits. Unless your age is a factor, the cost should be about the same. Also, don't forget to consider pre-existing conditions if that applies to you.

A lot of making the decision for hotel or insurance depends on your specific needs and comfort level. Hope this gives you some genral ideas to consider.

I can’t speak for internal North American flights, but our experience is that on intercontinental flights it is only when you need a one way ticket the EZAir (or Plane Sailing as it is called in the UK) is better.

At all other times it is better to do your own thing, but it is also very important to look for the special deals the airlines offer from time to time.

For example this Christmas / New Year we are cruising out of Sydney. Back in February (and things have only got more expensive since) I made the following comparison.

All fares are Business class but smaller, but nevertheless significant differences all existed in economy (coach) and premium economy:

LHR-SYD-LHR: Depart UK 6th December return from Sydney on 3rd January

British Airways via Singapore: EZAir: £5,966 pp Booked direct: £4,322 pp

Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong : EZAir: £4,367 pp Booked direct: £4,048 pp

SingaporeAir via Singapore : EZAir: £3,866 pp Booked direct: £3,657 pp

Emirates Airline via Dubai : EZAir: £4,799 pp Booked direct: £4,154 pp

EZAir also offered £2,736 with China Airways via Beijing and £3,660 with Malaysia Airlines via Kuala Lumpar, but neither of the business class products offered a full flat bed, so I didn’t check the cost of booking direct with the airline.

However, what I then did was to check on the airlines special offers on their websites and I quickly discovered that Cathay Pacific and Emirates both had deals which expired on 30th November and both allowed stop-overs for next to nothing extra.

We also discovered that returning home on 4th January was around £200 cheaper than leaving on 3rd January.

In the end, we stacked up all the savings and booked with Cathay departing on 30th November, stopping en route for three days in Hong Kong and returning on 4th January for a total £2,802.45 pp, which is only around £500 pp more than the cost of booking Premium Economy today.

Ok it was pay up front, but we can cancel right up to the time of departure for a penalty of £250.

Of course, we had to pick up the cost of three nights in a hotel in Hong Kong followed by four nights at the Four Seasons in Sydney plus one night at Coogee Beach after the cruise.

However, even after allowing for extra nights parking at Heathrow, all eight nights hotel costs, a night at the ballet at the Sydney Opera House, plus a day room at Hong Kong airport during a 7 hour lay-over on the return journey, we are still saving £2,150 against the cost of booking direct flights with BA and £1,330 against the cost of booking direct flights with SingaporeAir, arriving the day before our first cruise, which effectively means that we are being paid to take a three night stopover in Hong Kong and have four nights pre-cruise and one night post-cruise in Sydney.

So, my message on EZAir / Plane Sailing is:- By all means check what EZAir offer, it will offer you a reference point and will almost certainly be better if you are booking a single air ticket.

However, my experience is that it will probably not cheaper if you are booking a return or an open jaw return (where you fly into one airport in a continent and return to your original starting point from another in your outbound destination continent).

And the really important message is: Also think about looking at the detail of airline offers on their website as if your dates are flexible, you could, like us find that the airline will, in effect, pay for you to enjoy a few extra vacation days.

EZ Air has changed in the past few years for the better. However, the Princess hotel packages are way overpriced. The advantage of booking flexible EZ Air is you get taken care of if you have flight cancellations or delays, you do not have to pay until final payment day for your cruise, and you can take advantage of any price drops that occur prior to payment. The prices for coming and going from different cities are also usually better than you can do on your own.

Cruises from "Rome" leave from Civitavecchia not Livorno. The transport between FCO is a choice of train (quite strenuous), or private transport (right to the ship).

Join the roll call for your cruise for shared transportation and tours. Also, the ports of call boards here on Cruise Critic have lots of good information

EZ Air uses group/consolidator fares for their coach seats. In order to upgrade to Economy Comfort they first had to refare you to a standard booking code, then to Economy Comfort which is why the price difference is that much higher. Bottom line is that if you want to sit anywhere besides cattle class you should book your flights directly.

As for the hotel package, yes they do charge quite a premium for the convenience of bundling accommodations, transfers and baggage handling together. Totally up to you if you think you can put it all together yourself in a country you may be visiting for the first time in a language you may not speak.

(Though hopefully you can at least communicate that the embarkation port for Rome is Civitaveccia, not Livorno as stated above)

The port (Livorno) is a long way from Rome so do some research to see if a car service can be less expensive. You probably can book a hotel for less on your own, but remember you are paying for the convenience of having someone else make the arrangements for hotels and transportation if you book through Princess.

 

I am confused. The OP didn't ask about Livorno, and Livorno has nothing to do with the port (Civitaveccia) for Rome. You are correct...Livorno is a long way from Rome.

Despite my dislike of using EZAir / Plane Sailing for flights, I must admit that I am a fan of the hotel packages.

Yes they are more expensive, if you are prepared to go back to the airport and get a shuttle, but less so if you take account of the cost of a cab.

Also we like the idea of the luggage disappearing from outside the hotel room and not being seen again until it appears in our stateroom.

Indeed, last December when sailing out of San Pedro, having flown into SFO 6 days early, and driven down the PCH, we took an LAX hotel package.

This allowed us to drop off the rental car a day early at LAX and enjoy a hassle free transfer to the ship and it was my reckoning that after allowing for the benefit of a day less on the car rental (or the cost of a shared shuttle from LAX to San Pedro), I just about broke even and didn't have to lug my cases back to the airport or at San Pedro.

Certainly on our next trip through Florida, we will again be flying in a few days early and transiting direct to Key West. When we return from Key West, we will fly into MIA, as it is difficult to fly into FLL from EYW, and it is our intention to again make the whole thing hassle free by returning to MIA the day before the cruise and taking a Princess hotel transfer package from MIA along with all the Brits who arrive direct from the UK.

I am confused. The OP didn't ask about Livorno, and Livorno has nothing to do with the port (Civitaveccia) for Rome. You are correct...Livorno is a long way from Rome.

Sorry for the confusion. Completely unintended. Indeed Civitaveccia is the port, but Livorno popped into my head, and that is what I wrote.

But it does not change the fact that the port is a long way from Rome - not just a quick cab ride across town. So the OP needs to take that into consideration when comparing cost and convenience. It would take a bit of looking around to find a reliable car service, determine cost, and make a reservation. Not impossible, but as we've all said, it just depends on the OP's comfort level.

Thanks so much everyone for all of the great information!!

I decided to book on my own because I wanted economy comfort and times and price were better on my own.

As for hotel. I have been to Rome and I was happy to stay again however...

I am staying 1 night. Does it make sense to stay closer to the port?

Are there nice towns near port to stay?

Thanks

Kerri

Hi,

I am considering the European cruise on the new Majestic sailing from Rome to Barcelona.

 

I looked at airfare and coach prices seemed comparable to booking on my own. But when I asked about Economy Comfort seats....Instead of the normal $100 approx it went up $500.

Also 1 night hotel package with transfers seemed much more than doing a private transfer?

 

This would be my 1st princess cruise. Is Princess insurance worth it or is 3rd party better as well.

 

Also FREE BEVERAGE PACKAGE. says $10 or less for drinks. NCL is 15 but they were pretty lenient about me getting a double.

Is Princess very strict about that or can I pay extra for a stronger drink?

Thanks

Kerri

Who did you ask about economy seats and what airline?

We never buy hotels through Princess. Much cheaper to book both hotel/limo on your own. IMO

Rome in Limo is a good company to book a transfer through.

Its about an hour drive from Rome airport to the Port of Civitavecchia

Because we get the free insurance upgrade for our past passenger status we but Princess ins.

Princess drinks are very reasonable and the $10 covers just about all.

If you get to know your bartenders it helps when ordering extra strong drinks etc.

If your drink ends up going over the $10 with an extra shot for example you are supposed to pay for the entire drink not the difference. So it pays to get to know your bar staff. ;)

Hi,

 

Also FREE BEVERAGE PACKAGE. says $10 or less for drinks. NCL is 15 but they were pretty lenient about me getting a double.

Is Princess very strict about that or can I pay extra for a stronger drink?

Thanks

Kerri

The All Inclusive Beverage Package (AIBP) includes all alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages priced $10 and under. This is almost all drinks on the ship. If you ask for a drink that is priced more than $10 you pay the full price, not just the extra amount. The package is unlimited and there is no time limit between drinks. If you wish to have a double just order one, when that one is finished order another. The package excludes room service.

We had the AIBP for our May cruise. DH drinks Scotch on the rocks and had no trouble getting a double, even though technically that should be a double charge and push it over the $10 limit. One shot makes a pretty small drink when served neat or on the rocks, so I suppose the bar staff felt it would save them time and trips back and forth to just bring DH a double. It won't hurt to ask nicely, especially as mentioned above after you get to know some of the staff a little bit.

Wow, am I lucky.

Comparing what hotels Princess offered and checking all other sites, we saved over $400 on a two night stay which includes free transfers from ship to hotel and hotel to airport. Yes, there were cheaper hotels we could have booked on our own but location was key for us.

We saved over $600 in open jaw airfare with the flexible option... on premo flight times.

The only reason I can think of (why we saved so much) is because we reserved as soon as flights opened and had a choice of the best flights and prices???

Heading out to play the lottery :D

We traveled through DFW recently on our way to Southampton and a cruise. We met a couple who had been in the DFW airport for two days trying to get a seat going to the UK to meet their ship. Their original flight had been canceled due to weather and were lucky enough through whining to get a seat on our sold out flight which was delayed 4 hours due to weather. They had missed two days of their cruise (lesson here about flying in at the last moment) but luckily had used EZair so it became Princess's problem of getting them to the ship. Had they booked their own airfare to save $$ it would have been their problem and extra expense. Lesson 1.

Not too long ago a Princess ship (don't remember the name or reason) had a problem and returned to port long after they were supposed to arrive. As a consequence most missed their flights home. Pax with EZair relaxed as Princess made alternate flight arrangements for them while those who had booked on their own again to save $$ were on the phone/internet trying to rebook. These days the flights are all flying full so rebooking can be a very serious problem. Lesson 2

Like ship excursions where the ship will wait while the late excursion returns to the ship, EZair puts the burden on Princess to get you to the ship or home. The extra cost may well be worth it.

Thanks so much everyone for all of the great information!!

I decided to book on my own because I wanted economy comfort and times and price were better on my own.

 

As for hotel. I have been to Rome and I was happy to stay again however...

I am staying 1 night. Does it make sense to stay closer to the port?

Are there nice towns near port to stay?

Thanks

Kerri

We always book air/hotel on our own. Not regretted prices we got.

If you've been to Rome, there are also nice attractions in Civitavecchea:

http://www.10best.com/destinations/italy/rome/attractions/attractions-near-cruise-port/

Who did you ask about economy seats and what airline?

 

We never buy hotels through Princess. Much cheaper to book both hotel/limo on your own. IMO

 

Rome in Limo is a good company to book a transfer through.

Its about an hour drive from Rome airport to the Port of Civitavecchia

 

Because we get the free insurance upgrade for our past passenger status we but Princess ins.

 

Princess drinks are very reasonable and the $10 covers just about all.

If you get to know your bartenders it helps when ordering extra strong drinks etc.

If your drink ends up going over the $10 with an extra shot for example you are supposed to pay for the entire drink not the difference. So it pays to get to know your bar staff. ;)

I asked the lady who I booked at Princess how much air was.

She gave me a price of about $1250 for coach which was same price as delta.

And economy comfort is $200 more and price she gave was like $1750.

So I booked on my own I liked times better anyway.

Yes I will get to know my bartenders:-)

Thanks

Kerri

We always book air/hotel on our own. Not regretted prices we got.

If you've been to Rome, there are also nice attractions in Civitavecchea:

http://www.10best.com/destinations/italy/rome/attractions/attractions-near-cruise-port/

Thanks for the link. I think we will stay close to port. Love new places:-)

Although I was secretly hoping to get back to piazza navona? I think that's it they sold a lot of artwork in square and always wished I bought one. But it was summer and this will be early April so not sure if they will even be out.

Also too bad won't be able to enjoy beaches near port.

Kerri

Thanks for the link. I think we will stay close to port. Love new places:-)

Although I was secretly hoping to get back to piazza navona? I think that's it they sold a lot of artwork in square and always wished I bought one. But it was summer and this will be early April so not sure if they will even be out.

Also too bad won't be able to enjoy beaches near port.

Kerri

No problem Kerri. Enjoy your cruise!