Using HAL Transfer with Private Booking of Hotel

[rbp3072]

On my upcoming T/A next fall from Rome to FLL, I had my PCC book a room at the Visconti Palace for one night, (along with transfers from the airport to the hotel, and the hotel to ship the next day). Looking at the hotel's website though, I can actually book two (2) night's for just a tad more than what HAL is wanting for the one night. If I pitch in a bit more, than I can even get my mother and I into a very nice looking suite for those two nights.

 

I vaguely recall reading this, but wanted to see if others have had any issues booking one of the HAL partner hotels themselves, but still paying for and using the HAL transfer from the airport to the hotel, and obviously to the ship as well.

 

edit - Using HAL for hotel and transfers is all new to me, as I previously have just done my own thing. Being on a different continent though, I don't want to take on too much and mess it all up, haha.

Edited March 23, 2015 by rbp3072

[CruiserBruce]

You just learned a lesson in the markup HAL (and the other cruise lines) put on hotels. They put pretty good sized markups on the transfers- you can do better on your own with transfers as well. Arranging your own airfares, hotels and transfers is commonly recommended around Cruise Critic.

 

Some research on the Italy board will give you recommended vendors to use, like the wonderful Rome in Limo.

 

You should be able to use the transfers only, but this may vary on a location by location basis.

Edited March 23, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[carken47]

I am not aware that HAL will sell you transfers from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport if you do NOT use their hotel package. I know you can purchase a transfer to the port from the airport, directly from HAL, but I think in the past they have not allowed the other. If they did, no one would take their hotel package.

[cruz chic]

You just learned a lesson in the markup HAL (and the other cruise lines) put on hotels. They put pretty good sized markups on the transfers- you can do better on your own with transfers as well. Arranging your own airfares, hotels and transfers is commonly recommended around Cruise Critic.

 

Some research on the Italy board will give you recommended vendors to use, like the wonderful Rome in Limo.

 

You should be able to use the transfers only, but this may vary on a location by location basis.

 

You really shouldn't make a blanket statement like that. I took a princess cruise in February I booked tge 4 seasons and their price was better than I could get. Also in November I booked the Marriott harbor beach resort for $270 a night. The going rate was $499 on the Internet. You have to do some research as cruiselines do have some good prices. It's not always the case that the cruise line is higher.

[ZSandy25]

Pretty easy to book it all yourself, the company previous poster used is top notch. If you can find others who are going on the same cruise from the Roll Calls you can group together for an even better price. We did this and they picked up at three different hotels in Rome. It is about a 1 hrs. ride from Rome proper to the dock.

 

In Ft. Lauderdale it is a short hop skip and jump to the airport.

 

Have always wanted to do a TA....sometime soon I hope

[sail7seas]

Rome is very easy to transfer from airport to hotel.

 

You might wish to purchase a transfer to Civitivecchia, if possible. The port is a distance out of Rome. They may let you make that reservation. I'd suggest calling to ask.

[summersigh]

I totally understand you wanting to stick with HAL for the transfers .... especially traveling with your mother in a strange country with a strange language. I would do the same thing.

 

I'm one of those who spend a lot of time researching and planning our trips but even to someone like me it's worth the few $$ more to be sure of my connections and that the driver understands where I want to go. :D (A lesson learned from taxis in Paris LOL)

[sail7seas]

I totally understand you wanting to stick with HAL for the transfers .... especially traveling with your mother in a strange country with a strange language. I would do the same thing.

 

I'm one of those who spend a lot of time researching and planning our trips but even to someone like me it's worth the few $$ more to be sure of my connections and that the driver understands where I want to go. :D (A lesson learned from taxis in Paris LOL)

 

After suffering confusions with taxi drivers in more than one foreign city, we quickly learned to write down the name and address of exactly where we wanted to go. I always printed it clearly and before we closed the taxi door, we made sure driver understood. Our accents were so poor that when we tried (hard) to pronounce and be understood, we didn't always succeed. :)

 

[2ptu/000]

We actually stayed at the Visconti Palace hotel in Rome. We booked it ourselves and did our own transfers. HAL had a desk in the hotel lobby and I'm sure you can book a HAL transfer at that desk. We travel with friends. They stayed at the Visconti Palace but booked it through HAL. We had a nicer room as we upgraded from the cheapest room which HAL uses and paid much less than they did. They also used HAL transfers. We climbed in our taxi with another couple that we shared it with and waved good by as they sat in the lobby waiting for the bus which I'm sure was very full as there were a lot of people waiting. We were on the ship long before they were. Try to find someone on your roll call to share a taxi or just go with HAL either way you get to the port. By the way, the hotel was very nice with a good breakfast. We did have to take a taxi to major sites but that wasn't a problem. Lots of nice restaurants in the area which you can walk to and they aren't tourist traps.

[helby]

I've booked hotels twice at much cheaper rates than through HAL and was able to book a hotel to ship transfer from the HAL desk at the hotel. I was travelling solo so suggest you check out other alternatives if you have more than one person. If the price is about the same the HAL transfer my experience was that the luggage goes from the bus to the ship and I didn't have to deal with porters

or extra lines at a busy time.

[LindaM]

We actually stayed at the Visconti Palace hotel in Rome. We booked it ourselves and did our own transfers. HAL had a desk in the hotel lobby and I'm sure you can book a HAL transfer at that desk. We travel with friends. They stayed at the Visconti Palace but booked it through HAL. We had a nicer room as we upgraded from the cheapest room which HAL uses and paid much less than they did. They also used HAL transfers. We climbed in our taxi with another couple that we shared it with and waved good by as they sat in the lobby waiting for the bus which I'm sure was very full as there were a lot of people waiting. We were on the ship long before they were. Try to find someone on your roll call to share a taxi or just go with HAL either way you get to the port. By the way, the hotel was very nice with a good breakfast. We did have to take a taxi to major sites but that wasn't a problem. Lots of nice restaurants in the area which you can walk to and they aren't tourist traps.

 

HAL doesn't use the cheapest rooms. It just depends on which room is available the time of your check in. European hotels vary. At a hotel in AMS, we were put in a room where we wouldn't have had room for our luggage. We asked to change and there was no issue. We stayed there 2 other times and our rooms were fine.

 

I believe HAL offering transfers to those who don't book their hotels is relatively new. Some of us don't care about the money or taking a bus. We like the convenience and consider the additional cost just part of the cruise. On another note, if you book the HAL hotel post cruise, HAL will put you in a taxi by yourself. And, much of the time a taxi from the airport to the hotel, if it's more than one day before the cruise usually. According to TripAdvisor...that hotel is within walking distance of the sites, except for the Collisium, of course. We will be there for 3 nights in November. I think I would book the transfers before the cruise if you are using another hotel, so you don't have to make a trip to the HAL hotel just to make arrangements.