Be Aware HAL is Now Offering Non Refundable Deposits on Some Pricing

[qsuzi]

Precisely.

 

Personally, I think of it more like a hotel that is non-refundable as the price savings may be just a little but non-ref from the start.

 

Airfare that is non-ref refers to almost all of it. Refundable airfare is usually A LOT higher price and there isn't an exponential increase or savings from the cruise line.

 

Either way, definitely lots to consider. It'll be great for some but a bad choice for others.

 

Good point and I agree it is more like your hotel example. On a future Princess cruise we were given the choice to keep our refundable deposit with the same perks or an additional $100 OBC if we went with the $200 nonrefundable deposit option.

Edited December 23, 2015 by qsuzi

[iancal]

The only time HAL will get a non refundable deposit from us is when we purchase a cruise inside the final payment window. And then we are prepared to pay the entire amount.

 

But sorry, non refundable deposits won't work with us. On HAL, or any other cruise line.

[iflyrc5]

The only time HAL will get a non refundable deposit from us is when we purchase a cruise inside the final payment window. And then we are prepared to pay the entire amount.

 

But sorry, non refundable deposits won't work with us. On HAL, or any other cruise line.

 

I agree - this will change the way we plan our cruising.

 

I did run into something interesting - looking at Caribbean cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Jan 2017 and all the inside and outside showed up at Guar only. I had our TA take a look and contact HAL and that is all that is available over a year before the sailing date.

[iancal]

We sometimes do non refundables on hotel rooms but only when the discount is 25 percent or so off the best internet price. And we often do Priceline bids for hotels and Hotwire hotels.

 

The difference is discount. There has to be a substantial benefit for us to do this. Simply lowering the deposit amount is not an incentive for us.

 

Now, would we put down a $50. non refundable deposit on a cruise that was offered at an extremely attractive price. Perhaps....but we have yet to experience this type of pricing outside the final payment window on HAL.

 

Unless all the other mass market lines follow suit, we just don't think that HAL is special enough or that much different from 'the pack' to carry it off without offering an attractive financial incentive. They are not exactly selling out well in advance on most of their sailings.

Edited December 23, 2015 by iancal

[TiogaCruiser]

So Lisa, how much are the non-refundable deposits going for?

And are you seeing an option for non-refundable and refundable for the same cabin and cruise?

[Lizzie68]

Thank you, Lisa, for making us aware of this. I guess it should come as no surprise and is a necessary business decision. I have long booked non-refundable flights (for the whole amount) and that's why insurance is a good idea. Now we will have to consider insurance when making a full deposit on a cruise - which may not be for a very long time given the current exchange rate.:(

[cruisr]

Seabourn will do this next I predict. Lots of changes going on in SEA and HQ is moving to smaller quarters nearby. Expect a lot of people to become virtual employees. I really don't like non refundable anything. Too many unpredictable things can come up and d hate to be stuck losing money.

[InTheWASide]

Seabourn will do this next I predict. Lots of changes going on in SEA and HQ is moving to smaller quarters nearby. Expect a lot of people to become virtual employees. I really don't like non refundable anything. Too many unpredictable things can come up and d hate to be stuck losing money.

 

The majority of the phone staff is already working from home. Same people that have always worked there, just now from a home office setup.

 

And as I read it, Lisa simply said non-ref deposits may be an option. Not that they are moving exclusively to this model.

 

The sky isn't falling people :rolleyes:

[0bnxshs]

They book a cabin on NCL, a cabin on Princess, a cabin on HAL....... they hold them for months and decide at final payment time whether they want to cruise or not.

 

Or they book several different cruises on HAL and may or may not sail any of them.

 

 

Not a snipe at you, Sails.... but some people must have more (deposit) money than sense. Some deposits can be considerable.... :eek:

 

 

Thanks to OP for the heads up on looking out for this.

Edited December 23, 2015 by 0bnxshs

[cruz chic]

Not a snipe at you, Sails.... but some people must have more (deposit) money than sense. Some deposits can be considerable.... :eek:

 

 

Thanks to OP for the heads up on looking out for this.

 

That's a given :D. It wasn't that long ago that someone posted on here that they had a deposit in a few cruises. Why bother? On princess you don't have to pay for your shorex when you pre-book and people load up then cancel later. It's a shame that some folks feel the need to do this and block others out by doing so.

[crystalspin]

looking at Caribbean cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Jan 2017 and all the inside and outside showed up at Guar only. I had our TA take a look and contact HAL and that is all that is available over a year before the sailing date.

 

Great blocks of verandah rooms on the Westerdam's Mar 2017 are already showing as not available. Not hit-or-miss, but most of the category on multiple decks. I did not dummy book other categories but would not be surprised if they were too, at least insides and OVs. I think big and maybe not too big online/mailorder travel or cruise agencies put holds on them somehow. I know when I did book through one of those companies previously, the operator made a reference like "All our insides are J or above."

 

Fortunately, the (2) cabins I wanted on the Westie were isolated and hence not part of a block! so I nabbed them!

[prescottbob]

How can I recognize a cruise that requires a non-refundable deposit? Will they be advertised as such? I would certainly not want to book one by accident.

Booking a non-refundable deposit might be OK if it is a real bargain. But, regardless of the pricing, I would not want to book one too far in advance.

 

Ahoy!

 

The only times I ever really noted the non-refundable fares is after the final payment date on a certain warehouse travel site (plus flash sales, etc.). Since my wife and I need to plan ahead many months ahead of time I've never researched it much to date.

 

In so far as fee's / cancellation policies here's a link to a short CC article:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1448

 

I might add, that it always good to go to the cruise line sites and read their passenger contract / terms for specifics.

 

For instance, Paul Gauguin charges a $100 administrative fee of $100 per person if you cancel 121 days or more prior to the cruise. Several of the smaller Caribbean & European operators due likewise.

 

In any event have a great cruise.

 

Mele Kalikimaka!

 

Bob:)

[1of4]

I guess this will push more people to book after final payment. I know we just cancelled a cruise, the first time ever, and our FCC went back to our Mariner number. Now with this and my health issues I won't be booking long in advance and enjoying the roll calls.

[Tom O.]

I did run into something interesting - looking at Caribbean cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Jan 2017 and all the inside and outside showed up at Guar only. I had our TA take a look and contact HAL and that is all that is available over a year before the sailing date.

 

I booked a cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Jan 18, 2017 just a few weeks ago. We had no trouble booking a specific cabin. We were even able to get one of the hard to get aft verandah cabins. This was all before this latest news about deposits. I wonder if they are making cabins unavailable until this new non-refundable deposit policy can be fully applied.

 

I have always felt safe booking cruises a year in advance, because of the refundable deposit. But, to be honest, I have never had to cancel a cruise yet.

[lettienets]

On Carnival cruises I often book nonrefundable (Early Saver they call it). It gets you a lower price for booking early and sometimes OBC as incentive to book early. Also, if price drops up to 2 business days before trip, you get OBC for the amt of drop. You can cancel the cruise up to final payment and Carnival holds your deposit to place on another cruise minus $50 rebooking fee. It works pretty good.

Probably Hal is working toward this kind of arrangement. One thing I don't like yhat only Carnival does is if you book as a single, you have to pay 2 deposits. Sometimes they have a promotion and waive that.

Ihad to cancel a cruise after final payment and insurance gave me deposits and cost of trip back.

 

I think Hal is trying to get people to book earlier. So is NCL. Best prices are when itinerary dates are first out or last min.

[cruz chic]

I booked a cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Jan 18, 2017 just a few weeks ago. We had no trouble booking a specific cabin. We were even able to get one of the hard to get aft verandah cabins. This was all before this latest news about deposits. I wonder if they are making cabins unavailable until this new non-refundable deposit policy can be fully applied.

 

I have always felt safe booking cruises a year in advance, because of the refundable deposit. But, to be honest, I have never had to cancel a cruise yet.

 

The non refundable deposit is happening with some cruises which was explained in the OP. This isn't happening with every cruise right now. I recall a thread a few months back when someone else was having a problem booking a Caribbean cruise further out and getting a certain cabin. Iirc that person did get it resolved.

[Wakepatrol]

For 9 million threads titled

 

"Canceled Cruise...Lost Deposit,Please Help":eek:

[Jade13]

That's a given :D. It wasn't that long ago that someone posted on here that they had a deposit in a few cruises. Why bother? On princess you don't have to pay for your shorex when you pre-book and people load up then cancel later. It's a shame that some folks feel the need to do this and block others out by doing so.

 

 

Does Princess allow booking/saving excursions that are the same day/ time? That would not make any sense.

[cruz chic]

Does Princess allow booking/saving excursions that are the same day/ time? That would not make any sense.

 

I'm not sure as I would never do it but I know people brag :rolleyes: about doing it. I would imagine that you could book a few excursions that don't overlap on the same day.

[erewhon]

Thanks for this important information.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Interesting that it is brought up about not needing to pay for Shore Excursions with Princess :D

Princess sent out this information just this morning.

Important shore excursion development that Princess Cruises recently began testing and will continue to evaluate in 2016.

 

Our research shows that many of our guests appreciate the opportunity to pre-pay for shore excursions and to reduce the size of their bill at the conclusion of a cruise. Guests also value the assurance of guaranteed space on popular excursions that may otherwise fill up before they have a chance to book onboard.

 

All other premium cruise lines currently require pre-payment of shore excursion reservations, and Princess will assess the response to this policy among our own guests on Alaska itineraries aboard Grand Princess from May 11 to September 8, 2016. Discounts on select voyages will reward guests who reserve and pre-pay for their excursions in advance.

 

During this test, Alaska shore excursion pre-reservations will require payment within 24 hours by credit card to avoid cancellation. Onboard credit will not be accepted for pre-reservations, and will be limited to payment for excursions reserved once onboard.

 

We believe the assurance of local expertise, safe operating practices and verified value offered by Princess shore excursions, along with the convenience and confidence of pre-payment, will be well received by your clients. We currently plan to evaluate the response and make a final decision by the end of 2016 on implementing the policy fleetwide.

 

So Basically the Booking and not paying for the Shore Excursions on Princess may soon be a thing of the past.

 

Right now NOT every HAL Voyage is offering the Non Refundable Deposit, from what I can see it is mostly Late Spring Caribbean and Alaska and some Europe. In some cases the price difference is significant plus ship board credit where there is not any In these case I am not so sure it is a bad thing. If I plan on going then why not save money and capture more ship board credit. Pretty much like buying Air. Either take the non-refundable or pay a crazy amount more to get credit to use it later if you had to cancel.

[cruz chic]

Interesting that it is brought up about not needing to pay for Shore Excursions with Princess :D

Princess sent out this information just this morning.

Important shore excursion development that Princess Cruises recently began testing and will continue to evaluate in 2016.

 

Our research shows that many of our guests appreciate the opportunity to pre-pay for shore excursions and to reduce the size of their bill at the conclusion of a cruise. Guests also value the assurance of guaranteed space on popular excursions that may otherwise fill up before they have a chance to book onboard.

 

All other premium cruise lines currently require pre-payment of shore excursion reservations, and Princess will assess the response to this policy among our own guests on Alaska itineraries aboard Grand Princess from May 11 to September 8, 2016. Discounts on select voyages will reward guests who reserve and pre-pay for their excursions in advance.

 

During this test, Alaska shore excursion pre-reservations will require payment within 24 hours by credit card to avoid cancellation. Onboard credit will not be accepted for pre-reservations, and will be limited to payment for excursions reserved once onboard.

 

We believe the assurance of local expertise, safe operating practices and verified value offered by Princess shore excursions, along with the convenience and confidence of pre-payment, will be well received by your clients. We currently plan to evaluate the response and make a final decision by the end of 2016 on implementing the policy fleetwide.

 

So Basically the Booking and not paying for the Shore Excursions on Princess may soon be a thing of the past.

 

Right now NOT every HAL Voyage is offering the Non Refundable Deposit, from what I can see it is mostly Late Spring Caribbean and Alaska and some Europe. In some cases the price difference is significant plus ship board credit where there is not any In these case I am not so sure it is a bad thing. If I plan on going then why not save money and capture more ship board credit. Pretty much like buying Air. Either take the non-refundable or pay a crazy amount more to get credit to use it later if you had to cancel.

 

It always makes me laugh when cruise lines try to say they are doing this because pax ask for it. I don't blame them because some ruin it for everyone. I have no plans to book with princess as their cdn to usd exchange is much higher then Hal right now but I appreciate the info.

[kazu]

Interesting that it is brought up about not needing to pay for Shore Excursions with Princess :D

Princess sent out this information just this morning.

Important shore excursion development that Princess Cruises recently began testing and will continue to evaluate in 2016.

 

Our research shows that many of our guests appreciate the opportunity to pre-pay for shore excursions and to reduce the size of their bill at the conclusion of a cruise. Guests also value the assurance of guaranteed space on popular excursions that may otherwise fill up before they have a chance to book onboard.

 

All other premium cruise lines currently require pre-payment of shore excursion reservations, and Princess will assess the response to this policy among our own guests on Alaska itineraries aboard Grand Princess from May 11 to September 8, 2016. Discounts on select voyages will reward guests who reserve and pre-pay for their excursions in advance.

 

During this test, Alaska shore excursion pre-reservations will require payment within 24 hours by credit card to avoid cancellation. Onboard credit will not be accepted for pre-reservations, and will be limited to payment for excursions reserved once onboard.

 

We believe the assurance of local expertise, safe operating practices and verified value offered by Princess shore excursions, along with the convenience and confidence of pre-payment, will be well received by your clients. We currently plan to evaluate the response and make a final decision by the end of 2016 on implementing the policy fleetwide.

 

So Basically the Booking and not paying for the Shore Excursions on Princess may soon be a thing of the past.

 

Right now NOT every HAL Voyage is offering the Non Refundable Deposit, from what I can see it is mostly Late Spring Caribbean and Alaska and some Europe. In some cases the price difference is significant plus ship board credit where there is not any In these case I am not so sure it is a bad thing. If I plan on going then why not save money and capture more ship board credit. Pretty much like buying Air. Either take the non-refundable or pay a crazy amount more to get credit to use it later if you had to cancel.

 

I am not sure it is a bad thing either.

 

I do like that the shore excursions are paid for in advance. It lowers my bill on board and helps me budget over time :)

 

If there is a considerable savings (similar to flights), then it would work out for those that are serious about their cruise. For those that are not, it might make them think before booking which isn't necessarily a bad thing ;)

[antique sailor]

How can I recognize a cruise that requires a non-refundable deposit? Will they be advertised as such? I would certainly not want to book one by accident.

Booking a non-refundable deposit might be OK if it is a real bargain. But, regardless of the pricing, I would not want to book one too far in advance.

AHOY SHIPMATES

 

CARNIVAL already has an "early saver" booking that is a NON REFUNDABLE CRUISE......When a deposit is non refundabe it is usually spelled out in caps where it tells you the amt. MOST OF US ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT BOOKING A CRUISE THAT WE SKIP OVER THINGS LIKE THAT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE

 

sea ya

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I figured that sooner rather than later all Carnival brands would have the same policies/procedures re: booking, shore excursions, etc. The future is now.