Booking a hotel package

[Likes2cruise]

I have used Princess pre-cruise hotel packages in the past and have never had any trouble booking in advance.  This year is a different story.  My TA keeps telling me the "portal" is not open for booking the hotel package in Fort Lauderdale for an October 2024 cruise.  Is anyone else having the same problem?  Any idea for the delay in ability to reserve a hotel room????

[capriccio]

What are the dates you are looking for?  The International Boat Show is October 30 - November 3.  Hotels may already be booked for those days (if not, they will sell out at the much higher rates charged then) and possibly a day or two ahead and after.  That's the only thing I can think of going on then.  Have you checked hotels on your own to see availability?

[Likes2cruise]

And that may be the problem.  Need hotel for October 30th.  TA says lots of availability at other hotels.  The problem seems to be with Princess packages.

 

[cr8tiv1]

For the price of a Princess hotel package, you could reserve a nice hotel, pay for transportation to the hotel, then to the cruise port.  
 

Hotel packages charge you for each passenger, but does include transfers.  FLL and PE are very close.  One of the easiest ports to get to.  
 

The problem you may run into is getting a hotel within the cruise area.  

[capriccio]

2 minutes ago, Likes2cruise said:

And that may be the problem.  Need hotel for October 30th.  TA says lots of availability at other hotels.  The problem seems to be with Princess packages.

 

I would book yourself in the hotel of your choosing and book it soon.  Rates in all hotels will increase - some dramatically - between now and then. 

 

I don't know if you've sailed out of Port Everglades before but if not I recommend looking in the 17th Street area for convenience and lots of dining options.  Dania Beach is a bit further away so a little more in transportation costs but there are lots of relatively new hotels and dining options in that area.  The latter is further away from the boat show so prices might be relatively less.

[Likes2cruise]

Thanks for the helpful advice.  We have sailed from Port Everglades several times.  We were able to use Princess package with Embassy Suites.  Will start looking now for other options.  Really disappointed that Princess has not responded to this situation.

[IndyKid]

We used Princess for pre-cruise accommodations this past December for our cruise out of PE, they put us up at the Westin at Ft. Lauderdale Beach. I wasn't that all impressed - for the money they charged I expected a room with a view of the ocean, not the pool storage area. The pool was closed for a private event, and there are no decent restaurants within walking distance - the restaurant on the premises didn't have anything we liked, and was very expensive. Next time we'll get a hotel that offers courtesy transportation from the airport, and just do an Uber to the port the next day.

[Coral]

What ship (and date is the cruise) are you on?

 

Hotels are usually open about 9+ months in advance. My guess is that it has been open for awhile and probably full. Maybe your agent can't see where it is sold out??

Edited March 21 by Coral

[Coral]

If you are on Oct 31st of Emerald Princess - both Embassy Suites and Renaissance are listed as hotels and they are both closed (full). My guess is your agent doesn't know how to look to see if they are full/closed. Sometimes these hotels book up months in advance.

[capriccio]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

If you are on Oct 31st of Emerald Princess - both Embassy Suites and Renaissance are listed as hotels and they are both closed (full). My guess is your agent doesn't know how to look to see if they are full/closed. Sometimes these hotels book up months in advance.

Especially for the International Boat Show weekend!

[Coral]

On 3/19/2024 at 4:01 PM, Likes2cruise said:

Really disappointed that Princess has not responded to this situation.

I would be more disappointed in your agent. They obviously have not called Princess and checked with them (and do not know how to look online if they are closed).

[akaCruiser]

I'm going to piggyback off of this thread, and ask the experts on a few things on booking European hotels using Princess. Firstly, how early can you book a hotel, as we are doing a 10 day cruise from Rome return in August 2025? What are the rates if you are booking for four vs. two? According to the website, a minimum of two nights is required, which is fine, but beyond that there is not a lot of details of booking hotels.

 

Thanks in advance.

[muffydawg]

7 hours ago, akaCruiser said:

I'm going to piggyback off of this thread, and ask the experts on a few things on booking European hotels using Princess. Firstly, how early can you book a hotel, as we are doing a 10 day cruise from Rome return in August 2025? What are the rates if you are booking for four vs. two? According to the website, a minimum of two nights is required, which is fine, but beyond that there is not a lot of details of booking hotels.

 

Thanks in advance.

I contacted Princess in October 2023 for information on their hotel packages in Rome for an October 2024 cruise. We were placed on a "waitlist" for the chosen hotel and by February 2024 we cleared the waitlist. The price for DH and I was much better than what I expected and includes transport between FCO and hotel plus hotel to the port.