cancellation charge / OBC and PCC

[suec12]

I am getting ready to put down a deposit on a 2015 sail - what is the cancellation penalty if I cancel say, 120 days out? 20% of deposit? - I tried to find it in the brochure and it wasn't quite clear to me.

 

And we have done one other HAL cruise - I thought I read on the board at that time that if you booked directly with HAL / PCC you might be able to get a small "extra" - like OBC or included gratuities - is this correct? We are getting the "explore 4" promo. THANKS!

[CruiserBruce]

You will have no cancelation fee if done prior to final payment due date. Except for any insurance premium you have paid.

 

Booking thru a PCC doesn't assure you of anything a TA can't do for you. Might there be a special promtion going on at a particular time? Yes. But usually your TA can usually get you at least the same benefits, and perhaps more.

[Hlitner]

CruiserBruce speaks the truth :). We have saved thousands of dollars on some of our HAL bookings by simply using a decent online cruise agency. Agencies will usually offer "enhancements," such as On Board Credits (OBCs). that are not available from a PCC. It is relatively easy to find agencies that will give you 7-10% of the cruise fare (not including taxes and fees) as an OBC.

 

Hank

Edited August 12, 2014 by Hlitner

[cp556]

Agree with Hlitner and CruiserBruce that there will be no cancellation penalty from HAL if you cancel before final payment date.

 

But make sure, if you book with a TA, that the agency itself does not have a cancellation penalty. If it does, that might impact you if you cancel at any time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We deal with a TA whose company does not charge a fee if we want to cancel a cruise.

And from time to time we do get some perks from her.

[Vict0riann]

It isn't always true that there is no penalty to cancel right up to final payment. We discovered recently that we had entered the "penalty phase" about a month before final payment for our 42-day cruise. It all depends on the length of the cruise. There is something on the HAL site somewhere which explains it all - but I can't find it. Our TA advised us, and it was discussed on our roll call. Of course if you're not going to cancel, it's moo!:D (As per Joey...)