Double Check Reservations!!!

[uneamie]

This is just a heads up about "reservations" for anything related to your cruise. We booked a "cruise, park and stay" hotel for the night before our cruise on Prima May7th. I needed to "modify" our reservation times for the shuttle to the port. I called the hotel and there was NO RESERVATION in our name. Thank God I called. We booked through a 3rd party who is closed on the weekend so the hotel is going to get back with me on Monday. Moral of this issue....always double check important reservations. Not sure what we would have done that day had we gone there and found out there was no reservation for us. I'm sure we would have figured it out.....but who wants to start their cruise that way. ugh! 

[RocketMan275]

19 minutes ago, uneamie said:

We booked through a 3rd party who is closed on the weekend so the hotel is going to get back with me on Monday. Moral of this issue....always double check important reservations.

There's your problem.  I booked a reservation through Chase.  After weeks of not seeing the reservation on the hotel website, I called Chase and was told that 3rd party reservations often won't appear on the hotel websites until less than 30 days prior.

I cancelled with Chase and booked direct.  There are many issues with 3rd party reservations. It's been reported that 3rd party reservations will be the first to be 'over-booked', often get less desireable rooms, etc.  I've stopped using 3rd party.

[debenson0723]

I have heard that about 3rd party reservations but I have used booking.com for rooms all over the world and never had a negative experience.  Of course it goes without saying that you should always double check any reservations (air, hotel, car) no later than 30 days before departure and then I recheck a week out.  I have 'status' with most sites so that might help also. I book everything online myself and keep all confirmations in a folder on my phone and on my laptop for easy access,

And I am of 'retirement age' so no excuse about lack of technology expertise...if I can do it, anyone can. 

[complawyer]

i use the following when booking a hotel (1) booking.com (2) hotels.com (3) bonvoy for marriott.

 

we've booked hotels all over the world, without any problems. usually, once youve made your reservation, you will get an email confirmation, with a reservation number, showing arrival and departure dates. normally with this information in hand, you should have no problem if/when you need to contact the hotel

 

this underscores my philosophy when booking airfare, hotels, cruises and tours : if you want something done right, do it yourself.

[uneamie]

Yeah....our reservation is 2 weeks from now. We used trinity reservations. I asked the hotel if they ever have issues with these people and as far as she knew no. She said she had 5 other couples crusing that day too.  Good to know that "third party" options sometimes get lost and or are "overbooked". I got a good discount versus booking direct with the hotel so I can see that happening. I am now nervous about this....I will be calling the hotel "directly" several times before we leave and taking a copy of my confirmation and the hotel phone number with us. Customer service is not always dependable so it's good to always double check things. Even NCL gets it wrong sometimes. 

[complawyer]

i may be naive (although i think not) but i dont believe  a hotel can do anything negative if you show up with a confirmed reservation document in hand, in the past 13 years of cruising, we've booked in an assortment or countries from athens to venice, barcelona to singapore, and a great number of hotels in between, and never once had a problem with our reservation once we arrived at the hotel.

 

although i am a staunch believer in murphy's law, i dont think there will be a problem.

 

we're currently booked into the marriott in london on july 26th and the sheraton in stockholm aug 15th. all with confirmed reservations firmly in hand. 

[debenson0723]

Never heard of Trinity reservations. One more tip before you leave home...make sure you have a phone number for every vendor you are using...airline, hotel (direct number), car rental agency (the actual location). Keep these in your phone for easy access in case there is a problem somewhere down the line. You will be ahead of the people who are scrambling to find this information last minute.

[singleflyer]

Always book direct for hotels and especially flights.  Don't use third party companies -- even "legit" ones like Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, etc.  

 

If anything gets messed up, the hotel/airline will require you go through the third party to get it fixed.  

 

Booking direct you get the best prices, loyalty program benefits, and better customer service.  

 

You can always do your research with a third party (I'll often search for flights using Google Flights and research hotels with TripAdvisor) but when booking, you should always go directly through their website. 

[Travelling2Some]

I have never heard of Trinity Reservations but have been using Bookingdotcom for years all over the world and have only had one very small issue.  Desk clerk in a chain hotel in Virginia would not honor the price I booked at in spite of written proof.  It was only $8 so not exactly a crisis.

[Travelling2Some]

3 hours ago, singleflyer said:

Always book direct for hotels and especially flights.  Don't use third party companies -- even "legit" ones like Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, etc.  

 

If anything gets messed up, the hotel/airline will require you go through the third party to get it fixed.  

 

Booking direct you get the best prices, loyalty program benefits, and better customer service.  

 

You can always do your research with a third party (I'll often search for flights using Google Flights and research hotels with TripAdvisor) but when booking, you should always go directly through their website. 

I TOTALLY agree when it comes to flights that you never want to be stuck dealing with a third party when you have issues.  Hotels bookings depend on your habits/circumstances which, of course, vary from person to person.  I switch hotels a lot over the course of planning a trip and bookingdotcom makes that super easy with just a few clicks on their website.  I usually have a few hotels that are in the location I want and of acceptable quality.  I will check prices and reviews from time to time and switch if I see a good deal or a problem (construction, sudden spate of bad reviews).  Loyalty programs don't do anything for us since we prefer small, atmospheric inns or boutique type places. Depends on your own travel habits. But I totally agree that I only deal directly with the airlines.

[uneamie]

3 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

Never heard of Trinity reservations. One more tip before you leave home...make sure you have a phone number for every vendor you are using...airline, hotel (direct number), car rental agency (the actual location). Keep these in your phone for easy access in case there is a problem somewhere down the line. You will be ahead of the people who are scrambling to find this information last minute.

Good idea...I am putting them all in my contacts. 

[uneamie]

17 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

I have never heard of Trinity Reservations but have been using Bookingdotcom for years all over the world and have only had one very small issue.  Desk clerk in a chain hotel in Virginia would not honor the price I booked at in spite of written proof.  It was only $8 so not exactly a crisis.

I used Trinity because they were the only ones to supply hotels that offered the "Stay,Park and Cruise" packages. Even going to the actual hotels...none of them advertized these packages like they did several years ago at Hilton Gardens....which do not offer it anymore. That said, I did call the hotel "direct" to make sure this package was legitmate and it is...they just don't advertise it. I am just glad I happened to call to modify our reservation, otherwise I would never have known that they didn't have our reservation. I am definitely taking a copy of our confirmation. 

[Travelling2Some]

Just as an aside (or tip) my daughter worked at the desk of a well-known hotel here while she was a college student and I asked her what impact (reputable) third party booking might have on the room you were assigned or if the hotel was oversold.  She told me that they cater to their big accounts (airlines, big corporations) first and that there might be some impact IF you show up late.  Her advice was to try to be present at check in time.  That way if you get a lame room you can ask to be switched.  If you show up late you might get the room everyone complained about when they checked in earlier.

[Travelling2Some]

5 minutes ago, uneamie said:

I used Trinity because they were the only ones to supply hotels that offered the "Stay,Park and Cruise" packages. Even going to the actual hotels...none of them advertized these packages like they did several years ago at Hilton Gardens....which do not offer it anymore. That said, I did call the hotel "direct" to make sure this package was legitmate and it is...they just don't advertise it. I am just glad I happened to call to modify our reservation, otherwise I would never have known that they didn't have our reservation. I am definitely taking a copy of our confirmation. 

Now I think I recognize the "Trinity" name.  I believe (could be wrong!) that this company runs a chain of parking garages/facilities.  If so, I would think as a corporate client they would have some pull.  We have no experience with driving to ports from home though.  We either fly or the port (NYC) is nearby.

[uneamie]

50 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

Just as an aside (or tip) my daughter worked at the desk of a well-known hotel here while she was a college student and I asked her what impact (reputable) third party booking might have on the room you were assigned or if the hotel was oversold.  She told me that they cater to their big accounts (airlines, big corporations) first and that there might be some impact IF you show up late.  Her advice was to try to be present at check in time.  That way if you get a lame room you can ask to be switched.  If you show up late you might get the room everyone complained about when they checked in earlier.

Wow...good advice! Thanks. Check in was 3PM so it looks like we will be leaving at 1PM to make it on time. I plan on calling them before we leave to give them a heads up and to make sure we still have a room. 

[Travelling2Some]

3 minutes ago, uneamie said:

Wow...good advice! Thanks. Check in was 3PM so it looks like we will be leaving at 1PM to make it on time. I plan on calling them before we leave to give them a heads up and to make sure we still have a room. 

Funny story - I also learned to be wary of booking the last available room at an even well-regarded inn.  We did that once and got a room infested with wasps!!!  We killed 10 in the first half hour.  There was a gap in the sliding door out to the balcony and must have been a nest right out there or something.  The bed was right next to this door and had a canopy of sheer fabric they were getting caught in.  I suspected the management was well aware of the problem as they did not seem surprised at all when we complained.  This was an upscale country inn so I felt they were deceptive in renting that room.

[uneamie]

1 hour ago, Travelling2Some said:

Funny story - I also learned to be wary of booking the last available room at an even well-regarded inn.  We did that once and got a room infested with wasps!!!  We killed 10 in the first half hour.  There was a gap in the sliding door out to the balcony and must have been a nest right out there or something.  The bed was right next to this door and had a canopy of sheer fabric they were getting caught in.  I suspected the management was well aware of the problem as they did not seem surprised at all when we complained.  This was an upscale country inn so I felt they were deceptive in renting that room.

Funny you should say that....we booked a cabin at Yosemite National Park in California. We were elerted to all the "bears" there that will practically break your car windows if they smell food in your car while parked so you have to be very very careful to not leave food in there. We signed to this place and did not have a very good feeling about it, but it was all we had going for us at such a late time in the day. We got signed in and went to our cabin room that was ground level...not good for "bear country" but oh well. The room was musty and not reall all that clean...and I noticed that the sliding glass door was broke. Go figure! We could not secure it, or lock it. We complained and it was either we except the room or find somewhere else to stay. We stayed because there just was no where else to go that late in the day.  Having all this knowledge about the "bears" ....well you can just imagine how well we slept that night. We had food in our cabin because we did not want to leave it in our car......ugh! I swear I heard a bear outside our door but was not sure, until I finally woke in the morning to find the door ajar, like something tried to get in.....An experiece with a room I shall never forget. ha! It's funny now, but not so much then. Oh and the reason I was so on high alert about it all was because I camped at Yosemiti with my brother years before this in a Tent.....there were 2 bears outside our tent and my brother, who was used to this...said, "just be very still and quiet". ugh! 

[don't-use-real-name]

14 hours ago, uneamie said:

This is just a heads up about "reservations" for anything related to your cruise. We booked a "cruise, park and stay" hotel for the night before our cruise on Prima May7th. I needed to "modify" our reservation times for the shuttle to the port. I called the hotel and there was NO RESERVATION in our name. Thank God I called. We booked through a 3rd party who is closed on the weekend so the hotel is going to get back with me on Monday. Moral of this issue....always double check important reservations. Not sure what we would have done that day had we gone there and found out there was no reservation for us. I'm sure we would have figured it out.....but who wants to start their cruise that way. ugh! 

A good idea to get your reservations in WRITING PRINT READABLE MEDIA - don't rely on that

cloud media email. Check you reservation status at 120 days from sailing and at 90 days to see 

that what you reserved is in order and still on file at the time you reserved.

Check again 21 days from sailing while doing your Check-in documents.

Pay attention to some reserved items may require an advance payment - on account or pre-cruise.

Payment pending - no payment - no reservation - 

 

Recovery - as soon as boarding the ship - anything not in order get it straighten out with -

Dining Reservations - Shore Excursions - Guest Services

In a Haven or Suite have your Butler/Concierge fix it.

[njkate]

19 hours ago, uneamie said:

This is just a heads up about "reservations" for anything related to your cruise. We booked a "cruise, park and stay" hotel for the night before our cruise on Prima May7th. I needed to "modify" our reservation times for the shuttle to the port. I called the hotel and there was NO RESERVATION in our name. Thank God I called. We booked through a 3rd party who is closed on the weekend so the hotel is going to get back with me on Monday. Moral of this issue....always double check important reservations. Not sure what we would have done that day had we gone there and found out there was no reservation for us. I'm sure we would have figured it out.....but who wants to start their cruise that way. ugh! 

Years ago I learned my lesson when I arrived at my hotel in Memphis that I booked through United Vacations and there was no reservation and no room as hotel was 100% booked. The hotel helped me find another hotel as United was useless. Now I always book direct for hotels, air or rental car. 

[JillK]

I have had many years of successfully booking hotels via either expedia.ca or hotels.ca (the Canadian versions) until last December after our cruise out of Galveston.

 

I had two separate reservations with hotels.ca - one pre and one post cruise at two different hotels. The first one went as planned with no issues. When we went to check in for the post-cruise hotel, they had our reservation but told me that hotels.ca hadn't released the funds so it was "unpaid." They let me check in but said that I would have to call hotels.ca to deal with it. 

 

Long story short, even after speaking with someone at their help line, the issue was not resolved between the agency and the hotel and I had to pay the hotel directly on top of having already pre-paid via hotels.ca.

 

It took almost two weeks after I got home to get it sorted it. After having to explain the situation to several people and them apparently not fully understanding the situation which lead them to denying me a refund, I had to clarify that the responsibility lied with them and I would file a claim through Visa if it wasn't settled at which point they did refund what I had paid them so that I only had to pay once. My lesson learned was that as good the previous experiences had been these snafus can happen - even with the reputable online agencies.

[Travelling2Some]

11 hours ago, uneamie said:

. . .  We signed to this place and did not have a very good feeling about it, but it was all we had going for us at such a late time in the day. We got signed in and went to our cabin room that was ground level...not good for "bear country" but oh well.

See now, there's yet another great thing about cruising . . . You never have to be concerned that bears will break into your cabin;)

[uneamie]

Our third party Trinity reservations responded to my email about our reservation not showing. Their response was that I made the reservation on Friday evening and they are closed on the weekends so the reservation did not get processed until today ( Monday ). I was relieved that they are processing it today,  but then I wondered what if I was booking the hotel room for Saturday, the day after Friday evening when I booked....how would that hotel know I booked anything if Trinity is closed on the weekends. ugh! They don't take phone calls or emails on the weekend. I likely will not book through them again knowing this. I am just glad that they found my reservation today. I will be calling the hotel that morning to make sure we have our room. Thank you everyone for responding and with many tips for the future....I apprecate it.