So you have your upcoming vacation pretty much set; Cruise
booked, air which gets you into town a couple days early, and a hotel. You’re thinking about sightseeing and
reviewing travel guides, planning your days in port, or while on land, etc.
Should you concern yourself early on in the planning stages with
the logistics of getting to and from the different cruise and air ports, hotel,
etc.? Simply pre-book the transfers
provided by the cruise line, or not worry about it at all and just take a taxi
on arrival? Arrange private transfers
through an outside company?
~THE
LOGISTICS OF TRANSFERRING BETWEEN PLACES WHILE TRAVELING CAN BE EVEN MORE
INVOLVED THAN WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH TO CHOOSE AIR OR HOTEL~
The good news is that it would be a rare event if failure to
plan properly would be catastrophic, at worst typically you will end up paying
more money and having some frustrations over the situation.
First of all, I have never been a big fan of prearranged
private transfers when you can avoid them.
Some areas they are a must, however in some civilized areas such as
London I feel you are better off taking a taxi on demand or asking the hotel
concierge to make arrangements through their local contacts. The main reason is if you are delayed;
private transportation companies will either charge you for sitting and waiting
for your plane to land, or will not be there when you land if very late and they
are busy later unable to accommodate you, but still charge you. To find one vehicle at a busy place can be
difficult as well (if you do not carry an internationally enabled cell phone). Also, you may not want to leave your location
at the predetermined time and then it's a hassle to try and change the time,
which may not even be possible at the “last minute”. Yes, sometimes you have to wait for a taxi in
a line when it is busy, and the caliber of taxi driver & vehicle sometimes
is not that great when you hail a taxi on demand. Some pro's and cons.
~ARE
THERE SOME “RULES OF THUMB” TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU ARE PLANNING YOUR STRATEGY FOR
GETTING TRANSFERS BETWEEN PORTS AND HOTELS?
YES THERE ARE!~
It is difficult to have “rules” that will always apply to any
specific circumstance, but these are good general guidelines to follow:
If you have a hotel stay involved, the concierge is your
best bet for arranging transfers between the hotel and the airport /
cruise-port, in both directions. I have
traveled all over, and assisted travelers all over the world, and this general
rule of thumb applies universally. This is their domain, their specialty, and
their focus. I have been a hotel concierge for Ritz-Carlton and other fine
properties, and I had a "Rolodex" full of independent and major
transportation providers. You should use
the hotel concierge there for dining and sightseeing recommendations and
reservations as well. You or your travel
agent can work with the concierge, with English as a universal language typically,
arrangements made via e-mail, and typically the charge simply placed on your
room bill. Besides this ease and knowing
a local expert has made the arrangements, you get more peace of mind and better
options in the event that there is a problem with the transfer vehicle prearranged
not arriving. You just check with the
concierge who will make things happen quickly, as opposed to calling a single
number you are given for your prearranged transfer provider which may be busy,
or your travel agent in a different time zone.
If you are waiting for your ride to the airport or cruise port, you don’t
have much time typically to deal with this, swift resolution is imperative.
~IF
YOU ARE STAYING AT A HOTEL, WORKING WITH THE CONCIERGE IS A “MUST”. THEY ARE LOCAL EXPERTS WHO HAVE MORE TRIED
& TRUE OPTIONS AND CONNECTIONS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE. YOU DON’T NEED TO COMMIT TO THEM; IT IS A
GREAT IDEA TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR YOU, AND TYPICALLY THEY PROVIDE THE BEST
CHOICE. ~
If there is no hotel stay, then you are getting between
airport and cruise port (or in some cases between 2 airports such as transfers
between Gatwick and Heathrow airports, etc.).
All cruise lines offer transfers, at a cost (sometimes included
especially if you buy air from them, in which case you are all set). It is a simple matter of comparing that to
taxi fare by checking www.taxifarefinder.com
and entering the airport and cruise port info.
Or, prearranged private transfers which are usually more expensive than
taxis for shorter distances, and comparable to taxis for longer distances.
Cruise line transfers vs. taxi; typically cruise line
transfers are group transfers in motor-coaches (sometimes smaller shuttles)
while taxi is of course private. Cruise
line transfers are typically priced per person, so for one or two people it may be a decent price compared to
taxi. A pro about using cruise line
transfers is that you (and your luggage) are handled seamlessly by the cruise
line. A con is that sometimes you are one of the first on the bus, and you need
to hang out and wait at the airport for 20 – 30 minutes while they wait for
others to fill up the bus. As we all
know however, at times you have to wait in line for a taxi at the airport that
long as well.
To summarize; one should think about transfers early on and
consult with your travel agent to determine what your options are and choose
what works best for you. If you are
traveling without an agent, I hope these general guidelines and links to
reputable providers will be helpful.
As always, happy travels!!