Questions on Upgrade Offers, Onboard Credits, Price Reductions

[aqualojoy]

I asked this on another thread, but thought I would broaden my pool of responses by starting new thread.

 

Two questions.

 

Does HAL contact online, discount travel agencies as well as non-discount agencies to offer these special upgrades? In other words, are these upgrades usually offered to folks who paid higher prices?

 

Some folks have mentioned that the price of their cruise has lowered and they were able to obtain onboard credits. Is it the HAL website price that fuels the credit received? If you booked with a discount, online agency, are credits for price reductions ever given. If so, what is the best way to track the prices?

 

Thanks.

[jhannah]

I generally keep looking at HAL and other cruise agencies' websites to see what's happening to pricing. If the prices drop, I call my TA to get the reduction for me. (This is before final payment time.)

 

HAL contracts with all sorts of agencies to sell their cabins for them. The larger ones, who book more cruises, will get special breaks to pass along to their clients. Some larger agencies book a bank of cabins for a "group rate" that is less than the sticker price.

 

Upgrades are hard to call. HAL isn't overly generous with them, but they do happen. It doesn't seem to make any difference as to what one paid initially, from what folks report who have received upgrades.

[cruznon]

I'm curious about the "upgrade thing." WE've never had an upgrade, but like everyone else, would love to have one.

 

Does anyone know if these upgrades are offered to a specific client/cabin booking or are they simply offered to a TA to any clients in a certain category? (Then the TA makes the offer.)

 

If the latter is the case, should you let your TA know you'd be interested in upgrading if opportunities are given by HAL? Has anyone done this?

[vgottlieb]

Does anyone know if you are booked with HAL you will have a better chance of getting a cancelled cabin? I am on the Veendam in Nov. 2005 and want a balcony and none was available when I booked in January. Any suggestions?

[dakrewser]

Does anyone know if you are booked with HAL you will have a better chance of getting a cancelled cabin? I am on the Veendam in Nov. 2005 and want a balcony and none was available when I booked in January. Any suggestions?

 

Ask your TA to monitor available cabins, but also check for yourself from time to time. Cabins do come available, especially right around "final payment" day.

[1cruiselvr]

I'm on the Veendam cruise I think you are referrring to. Balconies are currently sold out, in fact, the entire ship is almost sold out. If you booked thru a TA, I would tell them to contact HAL and ask to be put their waitlist for a balcony. HAL will contact your TA if/when they get a cancellation and your name comes to the top of the waitlist. IF you booked thru HAL, then call them directly and make the request. I would do this ASAP so you can get your name on the list. This category will probably have cancellations when final payment is due. That's when folks bail out and the cabins open up. So I would get on the waitlist NOW so you can grab one. Happy Sailing!

[vgottlieb]

Thanks for the info. I am on the waitlist but HAL will not tell you how many are on it. We booked in January 2005, not soon enough for this cruise as the whole cruise is almost sold out.

[ekerr19]

Does anyone know if you are booked with HAL you will have a better chance of getting a cancelled cabin? I am on the Veendam in Nov. 2005 and want a balcony and none was available when I booked in January. Any suggestions?

 

I hope you are waitlisted for one. The same thing happened to my Mom & Dad on their recent Hawaii cruise and their TA waitlisted them - they got it.

 

We also waitlisted for a Suite on the Volendam last month and got the call about 3 weeks before sailing. It was a little less than what we would have paid for it had we booked it initially, but we were glad we got it.

 

SORRY, just read that you are waitlisted - don't give up hope, my parents cruise was sold out too.

[ekerr19]

I'm curious about the "upgrade thing." WE've never had an upgrade, but like everyone else, would love to have one.

 

Does anyone know if these upgrades are offered to a specific client/cabin booking or are they simply offered to a TA to any clients in a certain category? (Then the TA makes the offer.)

 

If the latter is the case, should you let your TA know you'd be interested in upgrading if opportunities are given by HAL? Has anyone done this?

 

We have always had to pay for last minute upgrades - and have never gotten the deal one of the posters got last week, from an A to an S for about $100pp, I think - that was a steal.

 

I do not think the offers are for specific clients - but I think they can be related to specific cabins. If HAL needs your cabin to fufill a guarantee or specific request by another party, you may receive the upgrade.

 

I think it's important to let your TA know you'd be interested in an upgrade, he or she can let their HAL contact know and keep an eye out. That's what my TA does, and when her HAL contact calls her, she calls me - but if were an upgrade for $100pp, she wouldn't even call - she knows I would have taken it! She knows how high I am prepared to go, so that helps too.

[1cruiselvr]

We booked 3/04 when HAL was offering a sale on this cruise. That's when the suites and balconies sold out because the pricing was too good to be true. But I'm sure some of those folks will change their minds or have circumstances that will prevent them from going, so think positive and sit tight until final payment is due. We are waitlisted for a suite. If we get one, you can have our balcony cabin. :D