Upgrades, upsells .....?

[Stratheden]

Would someone please explain to a relatively newcomer to this board the meanings of the terms upgrades and upsells and anything else that I may be offered.

 

I will explain that our only sailing has been on the Zuiderdam on the Inside Passage last year. We booked through our TA and she suggested which would be a good cabin for us at the price she knew we could afford. She selected our cabin and that is what we got. We loved the cabin and would select our next cabin in a very similar area.

 

Can our TA book our next cruise and say "we want that suite" and we don't want any upgrades or upsells or anything else.

 

I find the whole process quite confusing, but then it doesn't take much to confuse me lately :)

[jtl513]

According to HAL an upgrade is any step up their scale of cabin rankings, but on this board the convention is that an upgrade is free and an upsell is not.

 

If you have your booking marked that you "are flexible" in your cabin choice you may receive an upgrade or an upsell offer. If you do not say "flexible" you may still receive an upsell offer. (We did once) On this board that's often referred to as marking your booking as Do Not Upgrade.

 

On the Zuiderdam you chose a specific cabin, but you can also book a "guarantee" of a cabin level and leave it up to HAL to assign you a cabin at that level or higher. The hope there is that you will get a "better" cabin than you paid for, but what HAL considers better is not always seen that way by the customer. For example on the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam HAL puts their VQ spa cabins at the top of the veranda class. I would much prefer either of the two levels below them, V or VA.

.

Edited March 16, 2014 by jtl513

[K&RCurt]

Yes, with a caveat.

 

You can book any available cabin and state that you do not want to be considered for an "Upgrade." It is almost certain that you will be in the cabin you booked. However, in the small print it does state that HAL reserves the right to move you to another cabin in the same or higher category if they deem it necessary.

 

Upsells are a different animal from "upgrades." When cabins are not selling, HAL will send an offer to everyone in a given cabin category offering them a reduced price to upgrade to a higher category.

 

As an example for our cruise next week we were booked in a VB cabin and had indicated we did not want to be considered for an upgrade. around 3 weeks ago we got an email with an upsell offer, to move up to either a Signature or Neptune Suite. We decided that was not worth what they were offering those cabins for. A week and a half after that we received another upsell offer with a better price, which we decided to accept.

 

You will not stop HAL from sending upsell offers, but, since you are using a TA they will likely go directly to the TA who you can direct to ignore them. That is your option, but the possibility exists that you will miss a good bargain for an awesome cabin for not much more money. On the other hand, if HAL decides they need your cabin, they can move you without asking if they want to. (As I said this is highly unlikely.)

[jtl513]

On the other hand, if HAL decides they need your cabin, they can move you without asking if they want to. (As I said this is highly unlikely.)

Once when we did not specify Do Not Upgrade HAL decided to move us three cabins down the hall to another cabin at the same level as the cabin we had chosen. We were never told specifically why, but I believe it was because the cabin we had chosen was a connecting one, and somebody wanted that. Edited March 16, 2014 by jtl513

[Stratheden]

Thanks everyone - that all makes sense now.

[wyobean]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I have a question. We purchased a VE category and received an upgrade to a Neptune Suite. Then I saw the price had gone down by $400pp for the VE. When I requested that lower price I lost the Neptune suite. We have cruised a couple times, but never with HAL and I am not familiar with the ins and outs. This is a cruise/tour and we are only on ship for 4 days, so the $ savings was better for us. Wondering if there will be more upgrades after final payment? Is this typical to take away an upgrade for a lower price? And once final payment is made can you get a lower price if they advertise it on their website? Thank you

 

 

 

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[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Upsells is a profit department

[Sam.Seattle]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I have a question. We purchased a VE category and received an upgrade to a Neptune Suite. Then I saw the price had gone down by $400pp for the VE. When I requested that lower price I lost the Neptune suite. We have cruised a couple times, but never with HAL and I am not familiar with the ins and outs. This is a cruise/tour and we are only on ship for 4 days, so the $ savings was better for us. Wondering if there will be more upgrades after final payment? Is this typical to take away an upgrade for a lower price? And once final payment is made can you get a lower price if they advertise it on their website? Thank you

 

 

 

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My experience is that the best upsells come about 14-days prior to sailing. I know that booking directly with HAL, your PCC can look at inventory and give you an idea of percentage of ship sold etc...

[Floridastorm]

What kind of savings can one expect on upsell offers? I imagine most upsells are from one category (ie, Oceanview) to (ie, Balcony). Will the original pricing be considerably discounted?

[Randyk47]

What kind of savings can one expect on upsell offers? I imagine most upsells are from one category (ie, Oceanview) to (ie, Balcony). Will the original pricing be considerably discounted?

 

Maybe, maybe not. Certainly there are lots of reports here of great offers, literally pennies on the dollar. On the other hand, and these are probably less likely to be reported here because they're not great, are offers that are the full price difference between the presently booked category and the offered category. Case in point was an offer we received years ago to move from a Category B cabin on the Veendam to a Category S (now called a Neptune Suite) on a 14-day Caribbean cruise. The cost difference was $1,999 per person, nearly $4,000 more for the cruise. :eek: I actually was a bit surprised having read all the great offers posted here so I questioned the TA. She put me on hold and called HAL to make sure she had the right information. HAL confirmed the offer was as presented. I counteroffered $1,999 total for both of us over the phone and HAL basically told the TA "thanks but no thanks". We sailed two weeks later in our B cabin. :)

[K&RCurt]

For our cruise next week what we ended up paying for a Neptune Suite (Amount for VB we booked plus upsell) was less than we paid for a VE on the Eurodam 4 years ago.

[guinataan]

For our cruise next week what we ended up paying for a Neptune Suite (Amount for VB we booked plus upsell) was less than we paid for a VE on the Eurodam 4 years ago.

 

We just got our first upsell offer and since we are quad (I category), the only available quad are the neptune suites, so we jumped at the offer! I did try to bargain with the upgrade price but only got the CAD at par so took it! we booked directly with HAL online

[K&RCurt]

We just got our first upsell offer and since we are quad (I category), the only available quad are the neptune suites, so we jumped at the offer! I did try to bargain with the upgrade price but only got the CAD at par so took it! we booked directly with HAL online

 

That's pretty nice! Be sure to let me know your cabin # for the M&G!

[Kassandra]

Can one 'request' an upgrade? If I see verandah going for same price as what my final payment was for an inside, can I call HAL (booked through them) or just have to sit on my hands hoping they will contact me?

 

If I see our current cabin drop in price, I will call and see if we can get OBC or upgrade. But if my cabin price doesn't drop, can I make the above request?

 

Thanks!

[OldBoot]

Isn't Holland America cute? They just offered me an upsell...for only an extra $7499 pp USD for the Pinnacle Suite. LOL.

[catl331]

Can one 'request' an upgrade? If I see verandah going for same price as what my final payment was for an inside, can I call HAL (booked through them) or just have to sit on my hands hoping they will contact me?

 

If I see our current cabin drop in price, I will call and see if we can get OBC or upgrade. But if my cabin price doesn't drop, can I make the above request?

 

Thanks!

Yes, you can ask. We once requested and got an upgrade for no price change, and we were once refused an upgrade where we would have added money.

[Kassandra]

Yes, you can ask. We once requested and got an upgrade for no price change, and we were once refused an upgrade where we would have added money.

 

Thanks Carol!

I am afraid they will likely deny any request, as we booked an I-quad interior. But it cannot hurt, I suppose, to ask!

[catl331]

Thanks Carol!

I am afraid they will likely deny any request, as we booked an I-quad interior. But it cannot hurt, I suppose, to ask!

Our request that was granted was before final payment, and the one that was refused was after, so that could make a difference. It's more likely to happen if you ask than if you don't!

[cruz chic]

<snip>and we were once refused an upgrade where we would have added money.

That happened to me as well. It's was $700 so not exactly nothing.

[Floridastorm]

We booked an Ocean view, on Holland America Veendam, through Vacations to Go. We did not accept the guaranteed cabin but decided to choose our own for $50 more. Can anyone tell me:

 

* Does everything work the same through VTG as if you booked directly with HAL?

 

* If I stated to VTG that I was open to an upgrade would HAL upgrade me automatically without notifying me for my consent?

 

* Do I have to indicate to VTG that I am open to an upsell and wish to get notified when they are available?

 

* How far in advance of the departure date does HAL begin offering upgrades and upsells?

 

As you can see I'm not very experienced in cruisenomics having only been on one cruise before where we did not want an upgrade or an upsell. :o

[RuthC]

We aren't allowed to discuss specific travel agents or agencies.

 

I will say that if you are upgraded, HAL just does it. You are not asked if you want it, or asked to give permission or the opportunity to say "no, thanks", or select a cabin. Unless you have marked your reservation "do not upgrade', HAL can do just that, and notify you that they have done so---after the fact.

As a matter of fact, even if you marked "do not upgrade", it can still happen, but is highly unlikely (it did happen to me once).

[kjw869]

Isn't Holland America cute? They just offered me an upsell...for only an extra $7499 pp USD for the Pinnacle Suite. LOL.

 

Well, it is still listed for $16,199 PP. Maybe you'll get a much better offer.

[silvercruiser]

As a single I had to pay double the upgrade price, a one-time treat, from oceanview on Plaza to Vista Suite (facing aft) on Veranda Deck. But pricey as it was, still much less than if I had booked it that way in the first place. I even got a nice note from Capt. Bos at the end of the trip saying I was now 4 star. However, since I didn't really get double credits for the suite, not having paid the full price, but just an upsell, I was still only 3 star until my Dec. cruise on the Ryndam. Princess gives double credit days no matter what category you're in.

 

776 days at sea....39 ships.....7 continents

HAL 4* ....................Princess ELITE

[OldBoot]

Well, it is still listed for $16,199 PP. Maybe you'll get a much better offer.

 

That is a valid point. However, that upsell offer had significant sticker shock for me. :eek:

 

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[Floridastorm]

I have now let my TA know that we do not wish to be considered for an upgrade and he advised HAL. However, we still will be considered for upsells which is fine with me.