P, E, O, P, L, E - PREPARATION-
PRE/POST CRUISE HOTELS
BOOKING PRE/POST CRUISE HOTELS
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Taking a cruise also provides the opportunity to plan a pre and/or post cruise stay as we discussed earlier as part of flying to and from the cruise.
With the explosion of the Internet there are lots of sources available to research places to stay. We first determine what our preferred location is. Sometimes it is the town/city located in close proximity of the cruise ship terminal. In other situations we will stay further from the pier. An example might be London where our preference is to stay in downtown London rather than say at the Southampton or Dover piers which are located a long distance from London.
Once we determine our preferred area, we then research hotels. In many situations we will get input and pricing from our Travel Specialist. Sometimes Travel Specialists through their agencies or consortiums and get either special pricing or additional hotel amenities that are not available to us as individuals.
At the same time we use a wide range of other sources in our research. This includes Trip Advisor which not only provides a good listing of hotels but also member reviews. Other sources include travel sites such as Frommers and Cruise Critic which has a ports of call section where one could not only read about the experiences that others may have had at a particular hotel, but also post questions of their own to get opinions and input.
Once we narrow down our list we visit each of the Hotels web sites which provide a lot of information beyond just the rooms available and their associated pricing. We also will use maps such as Yahoo or Google Maps or MapQuest to determine the hotels proximity to various sites we plan to visit.
We believe in booking early and do not choose a rate that does not allow cancellation without a penalty. We have found that by booking early we not only guarantee that we will secure a room but we find that very often that the price of the room goes up. Pricing is often based on supply and demand and also competitive pricing. Once we have booked our hotel(s), we monitor pricing regularly. Should the price go up then we are happy that we made our reservation and should the pricing go down we followup to obtain the lower price.
Once our reservation is in place we then followup with the Hotel for other related service we might need. For example, sometimes we have booked transportation between the airport and the hotel or the cruise ship terminal and the hotel directly with the hotel. Other times we book this on our own which we will discuss in future detail later on.
Another option in many pre and post cruise cities, is to book a hotel package with the cruise line. While the prices are higher than what you can book on your own, often the package includes transportation between the airport and hotel and/or hotel and cruise ship terminal. Some packages include breakfast and there will be representatives from the cruise line at the hotel to take care of hotel check-in and are available to answer questions and offer recommendations for touring. Sometimes the cruise lines offer a city tour, usually at an additional cost.
Next we will discuss pre and post cruise transportation and pre and post cruise tours.
With the explosion of the Internet there are lots of sources available to research places to stay. We first determine what our preferred location is. Sometimes it is the town/city located in close proximity of the cruise ship terminal. In other situations we will stay further from the pier. An example might be London where our preference is to stay in downtown London rather than say at the Southampton or Dover piers which are located a long distance from London.
Once we determine our preferred area, we then research hotels. In many situations we will get input and pricing from our Travel Specialist. Sometimes Travel Specialists through their agencies or consortiums and get either special pricing or additional hotel amenities that are not available to us as individuals.
At the same time we use a wide range of other sources in our research. This includes Trip Advisor which not only provides a good listing of hotels but also member reviews. Other sources include travel sites such as Frommers and Cruise Critic which has a ports of call section where one could not only read about the experiences that others may have had at a particular hotel, but also post questions of their own to get opinions and input.
Once we narrow down our list we visit each of the Hotels web sites which provide a lot of information beyond just the rooms available and their associated pricing. We also will use maps such as Yahoo or Google Maps or MapQuest to determine the hotels proximity to various sites we plan to visit.
We believe in booking early and do not choose a rate that does not allow cancellation without a penalty. We have found that by booking early we not only guarantee that we will secure a room but we find that very often that the price of the room goes up. Pricing is often based on supply and demand and also competitive pricing. Once we have booked our hotel(s), we monitor pricing regularly. Should the price go up then we are happy that we made our reservation and should the pricing go down we followup to obtain the lower price.
Once our reservation is in place we then followup with the Hotel for other related service we might need. For example, sometimes we have booked transportation between the airport and the hotel or the cruise ship terminal and the hotel directly with the hotel. Other times we book this on our own which we will discuss in future detail later on.
Another option in many pre and post cruise cities, is to book a hotel package with the cruise line. While the prices are higher than what you can book on your own, often the package includes transportation between the airport and hotel and/or hotel and cruise ship terminal. Some packages include breakfast and there will be representatives from the cruise line at the hotel to take care of hotel check-in and are available to answer questions and offer recommendations for touring. Sometimes the cruise lines offer a city tour, usually at an additional cost.
Next we will discuss pre and post cruise transportation and pre and post cruise tours.
