BSR

17 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Now our Koningsdam cruise in November was a different story. When we booked we booked the last aft facing verandah cabin available and didn't add CO until a few weeks later so we were already at the highest lever cabin category and an upgrade was not available and unwanted. HAL gave us an additional $100 pp OBC because there was no upgrade available, CO cost us $175 each, with the $100 OBC it only cost us $75 each to add CO. $75 is well worth the cost of having Club Orange dining room service for dinners.

I'm booked on the Koningsdam and added CO.  I'm in the highest category level and no upgrade was available.  We only got $50 pp OBC.  How did you get $100 pp OBC?

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13 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

OBC will be on the first page under "Guest Information" of your Booking Confirmation from HAL

 

I believe Club Orange (not shown here), as well as other HIA add-ons is on the last page of the Booking Confirmation.

 

I don't see Guest Information on my booking.  Is this because I booked thru a TA?  It doesn't show my promos with HIA, CO or OBC.

Where does CO show up on my HAL booking?  Also OBC?

11 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

I think they are considered Neptune Spa suites.  Good video of one by Harr Travel (cabin 10006)

 

 

 

Thanks.

4 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

SQ is a Neptune level Suite. If you look at the HAL website,  or around this board, you will find all sorts of info on Neptune Suite perks.

 

You will also find the SQ balconies are not as big as the SA and SB balconies. 

I called to add CO and they said I could go up to SQ cabin.  Does that sound right? I thought I was in the highest Signature Suite category.

I can upgrade from my SS cabin to the forward facing SQ cabin.  Is this cabin still in the Signature Suite category?  Or is it a Neptune suite?  

Is there any perks to the Neptune lounge or anything else?  Is the balcony bigger?

French Raspberry Martini!

1 minute ago, Haljo1935 said:

Typically $50. If you decide after using it that you'd like a weekly pass, they will usually let you upgrade and pay just the difference.

Thanks. 

What is the cost of a 1 day pass?

29 minutes ago, basor said:

In a suite, you can pretty much order from any of the restaurants for any meal.....plus the room service menu....look at the menus for GDR and specialties for ideas.

Thanks.   I saw the menus for GDR and specialties.   I was wondering if they had something different for suites?

30 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Do you mean a menu??

Yes.

 Where can I see ahead of time the room service request for suites?

32 minutes ago, KarefreeKaren said:

Yes, just did it last week—they were able to input the numbers through automation and a revised amount due invoice was sent that day.  Also, did it about a month ago and all went through.  

Thanks.  

Has anyone used the Big Box TA and had them apply the AARP card towards final payment?

Does HAL sell 1 day thermal spa passes?

Besides having room service, what else can you request from your butler? Any snacks, canapes, etc.  Is there a list to choose from?  Can anything be requested before my sail date?

1 minute ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yes, absolutely 

Thanks.  I still haven't purchased CO yet.  I been reading all the prior posts and all good comments on CO?  Is there any reason not to purchase it besides the cost factor?

If I purchase an AARP HAL card for $450, can I use this towards the down payment.  I booked thru a TA, would I need to call them to apply it.  How exactly does this work?

Is CO dining room available on disembarkation day?

5 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

In San Diego you will give the luggage people your luggage and get in the lineup outside the building which will eventually move into the building.  You may have to show paperwork proving you are priority.  The line snakes around inside the building until it reaches a point where it separates 4/5* and priority and you take the priority option and proceed to check in and security.  Once you have completed that process if the ship is boarding you can board, otherwise you may be directed to the seating area for your boarding time.  Once the ship begins boarding you can go onboard if you are priority.

 

Priority Tendering means that you don’t need a tender ticket.  You can get in line for the tenders when you are ready to go ashore.  Just show your Club Orange stateroom key.

Thanks for the info.  I'm trying to learn all about CO and trying to see if it's a good value for us.  Anything else you can tell me about the program would be very helpful.

9 hours ago, terrydtx said:

That is correct, the earlier you play the CO game the better chance of getting the cabin upgrade you want.  In all the years we have cruised we have never booked a last-minute cruise, we tend to book a year or more out. We have 7 currently booked cruises through 2025.  We have 2 current bookings with CO. For our November Koingsdam cruise, we originally booked one of the last available aft facing verandah cabins so we knew there was not a higher category of cabin we would upgrade to. We wanted CO for the CO dining room, priority boarding in San Diego and the priority tendering for the cruise. For our 2024 Volendam cruise from Boston when we booked the B level Vista Suite, the A level VS midship were wide open so we knew we would be able to add CO and get the A cabin in the location we wanted. So, we got on the Volendam a primo VS location and the other CO benefits were just gravy for us.

How does the priority boarding in SD work?  Is there a separate line for CO?  Also, how does the tendering work?

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Depends if there is a higher cost SS available on the ship, the upgrades are only within you booking class, in your case Signature Suites. You do not get upgraded from a SS to Neptune for example. The SS's more forward or more aft are usually less cost and the ones midship are more in cost as are the deck you are on can cost less or more than other decks.

I'm in the highest SS, so looks like I will not be upgraded to Neptune?  What about this statement on their program benefits - "if a stateroom upgrade is not available at that time, guests will receive an alternative benefit determined by our Ship Inventory team."  What is the alternative benefit?

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Yes you have to have contact who ever booked the cruise for you, if it was a TA then the TA has to book it. I ran into this last week when I added CO for my November Koingsdam cruise, not wanting to bug my TA, I called HAL first and was told to go through my TA.  We had already booked an aft facing verandah cabin so we did not want the upgrade. We are also adding CO to our Volendam cruise next year and we got upgraded from a Vista Suite in the aft section of the ship to a more expensive Vista midship location and the difference in price almost paid for the cost of adding CO.

Thanks for the info.   I'm already booked in a Signature Suite.   What upgrade would I get?