Repeat HAL Cruisers

Our upcoming cruise will be our 3rd on HAL totaling 21 days. What advantage is there or not to be a loyal repeat customer? Does it afford you upgrades or lower prices or preferred boarding or cabin selection or what? If you cruise on any of the Carnival company lines do the days add together for a combined total or is each cruise line separate?

On a separate note, is there a secret to lower prices on any cruise, booking on-line directly with the cruise line, thru a travel agent, or on-line companies like cruise.com or such?

Thanks for the input and thoughts.

Happy New Year

Danny

Having Mariner status is nice but quite frankly it really doesn't add up to much in terms of frequent cruiser benefits. We supposedly get "special" offers by email or mailings but I've yet to find one I couldn't match or beat through my normal providers. There is a cocktail party on each cruise (I think) for Mariners but they've become so crowded with so many returning passengers that my wife and I have stopped going to them. I'm not aware of any boarding or tendering or disembarkation priorities but would think with so many Mariners nowadays they'd be pretty useless as a majority of folks on any cruise would have the same benefits. As far as I know you can't merge cruising days from other Carnival Corp lines but I'll leave that to somebody else to answer for sure as I've only had one 4-day cruise on another Carnival product and that was 12 years ago.

As for providers. First off, your posting might get edited by the host here as we're not permitted to discuss specific agencies or travel agents so the reference to the one agency, even though they advertise here, will get removed. Secondly, depending on who is reading the board during the holidays and not off on a cruise, you're going to get a wide range of responses on the relative merits of a traditional travel agent/agency versus a Internet based agency/agent. There are pluses and minuses on both sides. How and who you book with is not a "tube sock", one size does not fit all. Personally my wife and I research our own cruises, make pretty much all of our own travel and hotel arrangements, and therefore seek out the lowest cost provider for the cruise. Again, that's not for everyone so far be it for me to say this is the best way.

My own thoughts, not to be confused with the final word on the subject:

(1) Advantages to being a repeat customer:

a: They say "Welcome aboard" as you enter the ship

b: You get invited to the Repeaters' Party with 70% of the passengers

c: You get another tile to add to your collection.

(2) Upgrades are at the pleasure of the Upgrade Fairy, who sprinkles its Magic Dust in a fashion that nobody has yet been able to figure out. It is the Grand Secret of the Universe.

(3) For best prices, book as early as possible, book the lowest category you are willing to actually sail in and pray to the Upgrade Fairy (see above) to sprinkle that Magic Dust on you while you are sleeping. Make sure your agent checks in monthly to check for lower prices in your category.

(4) Cruise lines are now standardizing their pricing for all agencies and online bookers.

On an unrelated note, Propwash, many a time when I was a kid, I was directed to gather a bucket of it from the local airport.

All the above posters answered your questions pretty well. When you check online on HAL's website, check the price for what you want with and without the Mariners #.

Back when the spot was just a yes or no, there was a difference in price.

The tiles are nice, but that's not why we sail with Holland America. We enjoy the ships and their crews. HAL doesn't really need to spend a lot of money on getting repeat passengers since most of us are going to come back and sail again anyway. However, if service levels continue their slippery slide, then that may change. (But that's another topic.)

HAL is still our favorite because of the ambience and service, though that can be spotty depending on when and where you go. Overseas in seasons with few kids it is good. We've been on Celebrity (a nightmare trip), Princess and Royal Carribean. On HAL have sailed on Amsterdam, Zaandam, Oosterdam, Prinsendam, old Noordam, and we are booked on the Statendam in NZ-Australia in Feb and again to Japan in May.

HAL shore excursions I think are superior in terms of guides, meals, etc.

We did an overland in S America to Cuzco and Macchu Picchu on the Orient Express train that was wonderfuland amazing.

Being a Mariner has few perks. Maybe you get your baggage sooner.

Book early with an agent that has access to a big block of cabins so you get the one you want. We ask for no upgrades, because what they think of as an upgrade may be your worst nightmare; i.e., higher category, bad location.

You can do lots of internet research and book local tours in many places that are private and not any more expensive. In Melbourne we are having a FREE 4 hour walking tour courtesy of the Melbourne Greeter service.

After you've been on enough cruises you begin picking up some really expensive lapel pins and, after 100 days, some clunky medals. Oooh, boy!

I appreciate everyone's opinion and just about figured out the same as the comments. Not much of a big deal. I will say thet we have been very pleased with HAL even though we only sailed on RCCL for a 4 day out of LA once. The best I can figure is that HAL has the biggest rooms (that's why we are so happy with them) from the other lines that cruise the same areas. I tried to see on Carnival an equal to a SA, SB or SC suite and didn't find a match. These suites are SWEET :D and it's hard to back down after them:)

Thanks everyone and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Danny

Correction to my post:

They say "Welcome back," not just "Welcome aboard." That's a Mariner perk. I wasn't totally awake when I posted.

Alas you can not add up all the days from the various cruise lines in the Carnival family. It would be nice if we add on our nearly 300 days from Cunard and Princess.

Being a Mariner doesn't get you any special discounts nor does it help in cabin selection. If there is a specific cabin you want, book it early so that you aren't disappointed.

Sure, there are Mariner discounts.

I wish the cruise lines would adopt the strategy used by airlines, hotels and rental car agencies and actually reward their loyal customers with perks we could actually use!

I wear my 100-days medal to formal parties and tell people I'm the Ambassador from Maasdam. At athletic events, I wear it and explain that I was Copper Medal gastronome finalist in the '66 Olympics. At big ecumenical church events, I find a robe, put the medal over it and tell them I am the Pro-Bishop from the Ordinariate of the Orthodoxy Epicuriate of Oosterdam (whatever the h*ck that means). At high-class restaurants, I let them see I am wearing it and tell the headwaiter I am a graduate of the pretigious Zuiderdam Culinary Academy of Rotterdam, window seat thank you. In the radio station, I tell visitors that it's my Kennedy Center honor.

You're just TOO funny, Mr. C! Thanks for the laugh this morning. :D

Oh TomC you are a gem!!!!:D

I really have to rethink the medal I rarely wear on board........ I have never been the Queen of anything....Queen of the Amsterdam couldn't be too bad......;)

My DH jokes that those our HAL tiles are the most expensive cup holders we will ever own!!!;) But, we love those "Dam" ships, so we will add to our tile collection again and again....:cool:

Speaking of which, I was under the impression that no one actually wore their Mariner pins.... I was surprised to see quite a few of them being worn on the Westerdam.... just pinned to the breast, as it were.

I wear mine all the time; it's on my suit coat. Most expensive pin I own. I wear my 100-days medal during the Repeaters' Party; otherwise, I keep it on display at home.

DH always wears his pins - one is on his tuxedo and the other one (mine) goes on his suit jacket or sports jacket.

I have a Carnival Sea Miles credit card and was dissapointed to find out that I couldn't get double miles for booking my HAL cruise with it, and I don't get double miles for any purchases made on board a HAL ship with it. The only way I'll ever go on another Carnival cruise will be if they give it to me for free. That will take a while at the single miles rate.

just pinned to the breast, as it were.

I'm not piercing any body part for my HAL pins....no way, no how! That's taking brand loyalty a step too far for me. :eek: :D

In 1998 I was mkaing a crossing in the ROTTERDAM from New York to Lisbon. One evening during the voyage a new pin was handed out to all the Mariners on board. The stewards put them in the cabins during evening turndown. A few passengers suddenly appeared after diner wearing the new pins. They were larger than the pins used today. Very nice indeed.

Anyhow about midnight I went back to my cabin and discovered that my brand new pin was COPPER!!!!! :mad: I was immensely ticked off because at that time I was holder of the gold medallion... old days... 300 for gold.

Nest morning I spotted a friend up in the Lido. He was proudly sporting his new COPPER pin. Well at that time Frank was a PLATINUM medal holder!!!!!!!!:eek: When I explained that the pins were wrong he was not smiling so proudly. With tempers rising we decided to head down to Front Office to clear up the confusion. The girls were very helpful and couldn't explain the mix up and they immediately gave us replacement pins... I got my shiny gold and Frank got his platinum. All was well. :rolleyes:

A while later we were sitting in the Lido and our dear Hotel Manager (Fekko Ebbens) walked though about ready to burst his gut with laughter. It turned out he was responsible for us getting the wrong pins. He wondered how long it would take us to 'notice'. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The guy I mentioned above... I happened to be on the same cruise as he a few years earlier when he received his platinum medallion. Mariner's party on the old ROTTERDAM... Queen's Lounge. At presentation time Frank's name was called to come up for his platinum medal. Frank quickly said to our little group, "Hey! I'm not supposed to be getting this!" He goes up on stage and whispers to the Hotel Manager and Captain that it is a mistake. The HM whispered back, "Shut the **** up and stand still!"

Best to take it than disappoint the crowd. As it turned out Frank was entitled to the platinum award.

Stephen