Newbie booking question

[LovesSaltwater]

:confused: Have been seeing it mentioned about looking on-line to see if price has come down for a particular cruise. We're booked (via phone with HAL direct a month or so back) on Alaska cruise in Sept and have not made final payment yet, and seeing many of you experienced folks on here talking about how low the Alaska prices are now. Where does one look to check prices? And if found a better price, does that usually involve having to take a different cabin, or will HAL just adjust the price when asked? We have booked a specific cabin and are picky about where to be so don't really want to move it. But price is high (at least, to MY Scot's blood) and figure it'd be foolish not to at least try to see if can get lesser rate. First cruise for us so really appreciate any tips/advice!!

[ninkb]

Go to the website and type in info as if you were making another reservation. You can get to the place where the pricing for your cabin is given and see if it's changed from when you booked. If so, call HAL (since you booked with them) and ask them to adjust your pricing. This only works if 1) you're before final payment time and 2) the lower price offered is not for NEW BOOKINGS ONLY.

[LovesSaltwater]

Thanks for replying, ninkb, I have not had time to try this yet, but will in this next week (as the pay-by date is fast approaching!)

[jtl513]

Even if a lower price is for new bookings only, you can still indicate that you're considering cancelling and re-booking (although you really aren't). They might offer OBC's to stay put.

[LovesSaltwater]

I was able to check and the price hasn't changed even a penny, either way. So now I know! Thanks again for the info.

[pms4104]

I was able to check and the price hasn't changed even a penny, either way. So now I know! Thanks again for the info.
It could be that your login info on the HAL site is linked electronically to the booking you currently hold ... and your research will show the price you actually booked rather than what now may be available.

I found that once I have a HAL booking, my login and Mariner number and booking are linked electronically, and HAL's site will not show me the current going fare. So I created a new login identity for the sole purpose of price checking. Of course, with that new identity, I cannot see any Mariner pricing, but I can see that my price is $300/person less than the going price and it is equal to the current priciing for cabins a couple of categories down.

[jimmy2x]

[quote=camp637;19800932]It could be that your login info on the HAL site is linked electronically to the booking you currently hold ... and your research will show the price you actually booked rather than what now may be available.

I found that once I have a HAL booking, my login and Mariner number and booking are linked electronically, and HAL's site will not show me the current going fare. So I created a new login identity for the sole purpose of price checking. Of course, with that new identity, I cannot see any Mariner pricing, but I can see that my price is $300/person less than the going price and it is equal to the current priciing for cabins a couple of categories down.[/q

Very sound advice. It may also be tied to your "cookies". This is one reason that I use two seperate browsers.

[pms4104]

[quote=camp637;19800932]It could be that your login info on the HAL site is linked electronically to the booking you currently hold ... and your research will show the price you actually booked rather than what now may be available.

I found that once I have a HAL booking, my login and Mariner number and booking are linked electronically, and HAL's site will not show me the current going fare. So I created a new login identity for the sole purpose of price checking. Of course, with that new identity, I cannot see any Mariner pricing, but I can see that my price is $300/person less than the going price and it is equal to the current priciing for cabins a couple of categories down.[/q

Very sound advice. It may also be tied to your "cookies". This is one reason that I use two seperate browsers.
Not necessarily the cookies issue ... cleared mine and signed on with the ID tied to my Mariner # and the pricing is the same as I am paying, which is less than the going price. The booking, by the way, was thru a T/A and not directly with HAL. So, I do believe login ID's and Mariner and booking #'s are linked electronically to "hide" the going prices from those who hold reservations for the very same sailing they're checking. After all, if you don't know the price went down, you can't ask for the reduction. Right?

[LovesSaltwater]

More good suggestions. Actually I did make a new log-in in an attempt to go incognito, having read previously about what you mention; didn't use any of the already-established info. I can't remember if I thought to clear the cookies first, although I had not logged in under the ID that I am booked under, and I know for certain the cookies etc. had been purged many times, since I last did log in as "the real me". But thanks for the reminder, I'll try again in a few days.