HAL getting greedy on upsell pricing?

[DaveOKC]

I have noticed a number of people on this board stating that the upsell offers they recently have received were much higher than they used to pay in the past.

 

Today I received an upsell to a Neptune from my Signature suite for $1999 on an 18 day cruise ($110 a day pp basically). In the past we have paid from $30-60 per day for a similar upsell (same class of ship) and even two months ago received one for $50 pp per day (same cabin classes involved).

 

I am aware that this varies by how full the ship is, but my sailing is showing about 20 Neptunes still open (of course some of these could already be sold as guarantees). Regardless, this seems very high to me, so I passed on it.

 

Another measure is that the current price difference between the Signature and Neptune guarantees is only $3000 pp. Asking $2000 for an upsell seems a bit unusual considering.

 

Just my opinion of course.

[john2003]

I think all aspects of cruises are more expensive than a few years ago so this may just be part of that trend. Given that HAL wants to max revenue greedy doesnt really seem the right descriptor.

 

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[qe2]

They seem to be sending many of them and most are not good deals.

[DaveOKC]

I think all aspects of cruises are more expensive than a few years ago so this may just be part of that trend. Given that HAL wants to max revenue greedy doesnt really seem the right descriptor.

 

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Well, if they can get someone to take it I guess it is not being greedy. The value is in the eye of the beholder. It just seemed to me that they have really jumped up the pricing on these recently.

 

We have cruised the most in Neptunes (mostly due to upsells), but tried the Signature Suite last month and was quite impressed by it. It is a bit smaller than the Neptune, but still plenty large enough for the two of us. For the extra $110 pp per day difference, it is not worth it IMO.

[bUU]

Well, if they can get someone to take it I guess it is not being greedy.

This.

 

 

 

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[Langoustine]

Well, if they can get someone to take it I guess it is not being greedy. The value is in the eye of the beholder. It just seemed to me that they have really jumped up the pricing on these recently.

 

I'm not trying to be unkind, but they probably have. It's a business, not a non-profit public amenity. It's why CCL stock has risen (along with the dividend). If they set the price too high, people won't book it; if people continue to book at the higher prices, they've done it right, even if some people (including me) are priced out. As they say in the GODFATHER movies, "It's not personal, it's just business."

[sail7seas]

This.

 

 

 

 

 

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I think it pertinent,to say how much that cabin cost at the time you booked your cruise? Undoubtedly,,many people who booked Neptunes months ago paid alot more than they want in offering you the upsell. I f you don't like the offer,you certainly may decline it.

 

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[VennDiagram]

We've had both good and bad offers (from our perspective) in the last couple of years. We've taken a couple and decided against a couple.

 

Edited to add: we book whatever cabin category meets our needs. If an upsell comes along, we always evaluate how much value a different/upgraded cabin would offer.

[DaveOKC]

We've had both good and bad offers (from our perspective) in the last couple of years. We've taken a couple and decided against a couple.

 

Edited to add: we book whatever cabin category meets our needs. If an upsell comes along, we always evaluate how much value a different/upgraded cabin would offer.

 

Agreed that is the way we do it also. We have a nicely located (IMO) Signature cabin with a large balcony that is plenty big enough for the two of us, so we are happy with that to start with. Moving to a Neptune would be nice, but not nice enough to add almost 70% to our cruise cost.

 

I will just wait and see if HAL comes back with another round (or two) of pricing.

[VennDiagram]

Agreed that is the way we do it also. We have a nicely located (IMO) Signature cabin with a large balcony that is plenty big enough for the two of us, so we are happy with that to start with. Moving to a Neptune would be nice, but not nice enough to add almost 70% to our cruise cost.

 

I will just wait and see if HAL comes back with another round (or two) of pricing.

 

We had a Signature Suite on our last cruise and my husband was smitten with it :) We enjoy Neptunes but like you we refuse to increase our cruise cost TOO much to get into one :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Dave

I know that you do your homework before booking a cruise.

I hope you get a better offer for a Neptune suite than what HAL just offered which to me seems to be too high.

[canadianbear]

We actually had a reasonable upsell offer in March when I took my daughter on the 10 day partial Panama. I only refused because I was happy with our Signature suite. She's been in Neptune suites before and I knew we wouldn't be spending much time in the cabin.

 

On my husband and my upcoming 21 day Caribbean on the Koningsdam we were offered upsell from Signature to Neptune for $2199 per person. We declined. I'm not sure we'd even take one if it came down-first, our Canadian dollar comes into play and second, we've been in them a lot and are quite satisfied in a Signature suite. My hubby doesn't really care for breakfast in the Pinnacle (I love it) and being 4* we have the free laundry.

 

I do think for some people that have never tried a Neptune if they get an offer they can afford I hope they try it at least once. We just aren't that thrilled with them any longer.

 

 

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[VennDiagram]

.....

On my husband and my upcoming 21 day Caribbean on the Koningsdam we were offered upsell from Signature to Neptune for $2199 per person. We declined. I'm not sure we'd even take one if it came down-first, our Canadian dollar comes into play and second, we've been in them a lot and are quite satisfied in a Signature suite. My hubby doesn't really care for breakfast in the Pinnacle (I love it) and being 4* we have the free laundry.

 

I do think for some people that have never tried a Neptune if they get an offer they can afford I hope they try it at least once. We just aren't that thrilled with them any longer.

 

 

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We got a similarly priced upsell for a 10 day cruise. Uh, no ;) I agree with you, if a reasonable offer comes along, I hope people do try the Neptunes. We enjoy the extra luxuries but don't find them worth the retail premium. An upsell, okay :) Of course to each his/her own.

[canadianbear]

We got a similarly priced upsell for a 10 day cruise. Uh, no ;) I agree with you, if a reasonable offer comes along, I hope people do try the Neptunes. We enjoy the extra luxuries but don't find them worth the retail premium. An upsell, okay :) Of course to each his/her own.

 

 

 

I guess we made our mistake (!) by booking Neptune suites for our first several cruises so quite spoiled. However over the years I just feel they are not worth it any longer to us. Yes, I would though take an upsell if it was a reasonable offer depending on the location.

 

 

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[kazu]

Our last upsell offer was very pricey. I think the first offer was around $5500 pp for the cruise. Mind you, it was a 30 + day cruise but...

 

tt looked like there were a pile of NS available but it turned out later that most had been booked as guarantees and I think that is why the price was up?

 

We passed and everyone else did too. It went to 3 rounds and when it got there, I told my TA what I would pay and she spoke to HAl on our behalf and they came back with a close enough match that we accepted.

 

We don't do Caribbean often so we have never gotten a $50 per day offer. But we got this for a price which we thought was fair considering the # of sea days (which turned into a whole lot more) and for some, bucket list itinerary.

 

So expensive upsells are not unheard of. Especially if they have a lot of guarantees. You have a great cabin. Bide your time and if it is meant to be another offer will come.

[bennybear]

We took a reasonably priced up sell several years ago to a Neptune and loved it. This year we took a much pricier up sell to a signature, but we decided to go for it. For our upcoming cruise they were in the stratosphere!

 

We are glad we book a cabin we are happy with. Thanks to the good advice here we have a very large balcony aft cabin. So it would have taken a very reasonable offer to entice us.

[Scrapnana]

I have only been offered one upsell. It was $106 extra per day (for 113 days). I passed. I was glad to see that solo cruisers received upsell offers, however.

[Lizzie68]

We got a similarly priced upsell for a 10 day cruise. Uh, no ;) I agree with you, if a reasonable offer comes along, I hope people do try the Neptunes. We enjoy the extra luxuries but don't find them worth the retail premium. An upsell, okay :) Of course to each his/her own.

 

We are happily going back to a regular verandah cabin for our next cruise (albeit the one with the double-wide balcony), because our friends will be next-door, and have resolved not to take an upgrade or upsell for this cruise. But having done Neptunes for most cruises I honestly don't find the perks attractive enough for the cost anymore. We really like the Signature Suites so we normally book one of those, and we are 4* too, so we get the free laundry anyway. And we prefer room service breakfast rather than the PG. So these days it would have to be a screaming deal to get us from a SS to Neptune.

[KAKcruiser]

Maybe HAL has figured out that people are pretty happy with the Signature Suites and are booking them instead of Neptunes. I noticed that the Koningsdam has hardly any Signature Suites.

[DaveOKC]

Maybe HAL has figured out that people are pretty happy with the Signature Suites and are booking them instead of Neptunes. I noticed that the Koningsdam has hardly any Signature Suites.

 

The Signature Suites are a good deal for us, since we are 4 Star and get some of the Neptune perks anyway.

 

I noticed on the Koningsdam that some sailings have Signature and Neptune prices very close together. On the Vista class ships these two categories have a wider fare difference, with the Neptune being 50% or more higher.

[cbr663]

We got a similarly priced upsell for a 10 day cruise. Uh, no ;) I agree with you, if a reasonable offer comes along, I hope people do try the Neptunes. We enjoy the extra luxuries but don't find them worth the retail premium. An upsell, okay :) Of course to each his/her own.

 

We also do not find Neptunes worth the retail premium. It would have to be one heck of a bargain upsell for us to bite.

 

It's interesting to read how our cruise choices change over time.

[welovetocruise1234]

I booked a last minute Xmas cruise last weekend. The price was reasonable for the three of us and I just wanted to get away. I booked a J inside on the main deck. It actually is a quad cabin. Last cruise was in a Neptune Suite after a series of cheap upsells.

 

I am quite happy actually with the size of the cabin and with only 2 sea days, I probably won't miss my balcony too much.

 

Yesterday I received an upsell offer, less than a week after I booked. It was for the exact same price as an outside or balcony that I could have booked last weekend of which, it is still the same price online today.

 

My son asked me if I would take it and I said I'm prettty happy with the size of the cabin and the upper berth, it would have to be an excellent offer for me to move and I would probably only move to an Signature Suite.

 

I am fairly certain that my quad cabin increases in value the closer to sail date so who knows what offer I may get. Last Xmas cruise the upsells started at the beginning of December.

[wander]

Greedy? I agree with some others, Not if folks will pay the offered price. That's the accepted business way from what I have seen over my life. If no one "bites", the offer price will be reduced - maybe several times as departure dates approach.

 

(Now I would have a different opinion if we were talking about necessities of life in an emergency. Cruising in higher priced cabins is neither a necessity nor an emergency in 99% of cruise life. Of course to read some comment, some folks may think it is. )

 

When we go to sell our homes in times of inflated prices - do we say - oh, I will ask less because I do not want to be greedy? Some may, but I doubt most would think this way when we are on the selling side of the deal.

[sail7seas]

Maybe HAL has figured out that people are pretty happy with the Signature Suites and are booking them instead of Neptunes. I noticed that the Koningsdam has hardly any Signature Suites.

 

 

 

Maybe HAL is aware many cruisers have figured out their pattern when they offer upsells. Cruisers know there are limited number fo cabins and many rerceive the offer. We know iif they do not sell them first round, they often lower the price.SO, many cruisers wait it out to see if tthey will get an ofer at lower price. SO...... they start high and hope they get many people to pay the high price offer. If they do not, HAL then offers upsells at lower price and any additional revenue they get is better than none. Maybe?

Edited November 10, 2017 by sail7seas

[Toofarfromthesea]

Pax trying to get lost possible fare = thrifty

 

Cruise line trying to get highest possible fare = greedy

 

apparently