Cost of add ons

[alohadeck]

We are relatively inexperienced cruisers but it seems that while the basic Princess cruise is very reasonably priced it is hard to justify buying additional services from them, air tickets, transfers, additional hotel nights, land tours extensions in Alaska, etc. They are overpriced and not well thought out. Has anyone else come to this conclusion?

[Bowie MeMe]

Some folks do like the services and trust the Princess company to provide a great experience. Others, like you, think they can with a little work do a better job of designing their perfect vacation. Sometimes you are better off with Princess product sometimes you are better doing it independently. Here on CC you get lots of opinions and help but most are happiest on these boards doing it themselves. You are unique and need to make your choices that will make you happy, comfortable, and having a great time for your vacation dollar.

 

Happy sailing and keep asking good questions. :)

[vantec]

We tend to take care of the additional services ourselves - we like to have more control over things, such as which hotel to stay in, the airline connections we are comfortable with. We have found transfers through Princess not to be much of a bargain, don't know if that's true in every case, but enough of the time that we do not mess with them. I guess you have to go with what you are comfortable with.

[Toto2Kansas]

The best part about this is that you have a choice. You can either book through the cruise line or independently. Nothing wrong with choices IMHO! :)

[Barry H]

I would never book a pre or post cruise hotel through Princess as you can find something reasonable for a lot less money. Princess EZAir on their web site has made comparisons a lot easier. For our last cruise we got a very good fare flying to Heathrow. The bonus is that it included their travel delay protection. Normally we arrange our own air. It all depends where you are sailing out of.

[Nebr.cruiser]

So far we have always been able to do much better on our own. We usually use FF miles to fly, otherwise I would look into the EZ air option. We have done Princess transfers before, but it seemed like more of a hassle than just getting a taxi.

 

I do think hotels, insurance and tours can be much cheaper (and often better) arranged on your own, but of course you then have to do the work and take a (slight) risk of things not working out. We've never bought cruise line sponsored insurance.

 

On an Alaskan itinerary I might be tempted to do the Princess land portion just for the ease of it.

[Traveling Bob]

Some folks do like the services and trust the Princess company to provide a great experience. Others, like you, think they can with a little work do a better job of designing their perfect vacation. Sometimes you are better off with Princess product sometimes you are better doing it independently. Here on CC you get lots of opinions and help but most are happiest on these boards doing it themselves. You are unique and need to make your choices that will make you happy, comfortable, and having a great time for your vacation dollar. Happy sailing and keep asking good questions. :)

 

God, Bowie. Do you have to be so reasonable, and especially as the 1st responder? It takes all the fun out of complaining! :D

[Cruisin' Chick]

We prefer to have more control over our transportation (getting to our departure city at least a day ahead of the cruise) so my hubby is willing to let me do the research.

[Princess Patches]

I too think you can do better on your own for airfares, transfers, and land tours. If there are at least two of you it is always cheaper to arrange your own transportation to the ship (taxis are cheaper than the cost of a bus transfer for two). I often use points for airfares and hotels so that is obviously cheaper than Princess. I have not used Princess for airfares, transfers or hotels in many years.

[caribill]

We are relatively inexperienced cruisers but it seems that while the basic Princess cruise is very reasonably priced it is hard to justify buying additional services from them, air tickets, transfers, additional hotel nights, land tours extensions in Alaska, etc. They are overpriced and not well thought out. Has anyone else come to this conclusion?

 

 

air tickets -- as others have pointed out, sometimes EZAir is less expensive and sometimes you can do better by booking other than via Princess.

 

transfers -- Depends on the port involved. In Fort Lauderdale, for example, a taxi is less expensive, but if you are flying in/out of Miami, a taxi to/from the port would be expensive. In Los Angeles, a taxi would cost more than Princess, but a shuttle service would cost less. In Anchorage, there are few choices other than Princess available.

 

hotel nights -- Yes, the Princess hotel package is usually more expensive than what you can do on your own. However, it does include accomodations at a top rated hotel, transportation from airport to the hotel, and transportation from hotel to the ship. In many cities, you can arrange to do all this at a lower cost, even if you end up using the same hotel. Using Priceline can often get you a great hotel rate.

 

land tours in Alaska -- Alaska is expensive even if you do it on your own. However, the Princess tours there will have all the details taken care of for you.