Trying to time cancellation so I can rebook the same cabin?

[bigwally]

I wanted to transfer my HAL booking to a big box TA for an OBC perk ($175/cabin), but to qualify it has to be a "new booking" and the only way is to cancel and re-book.

 

Our cabin is a one of the "secret" OV cabins at the rear of the ship (wake view, really), and there aren't any more to be had, so I would really like to keep it.

 

I realize this is something of a gamble, but I'd like to stack the odds in my favor. So what do you reckon the time frame from me cancelling with HAL to the TA being able to book that same cabin would be? Immediate? Within a couple of minutes? 24 hours?

 

The other option, of course, is to just leave things as they are.

[BlueRiband]

You want it both ways: to lock in a highly desired cabin yet effectively get a "lower" price. OBC is often offered as an incentive to move less popular cabins.

 

If your reservation is currently with HAL you would have to cancel with a telephone agent, which means during business hours. Once your reservation is cancelled your cabin goes into inventory where anybody can jump on it, or it's offered as an upsell. There's no guarantee that it would show up as available on the TA's site.

 

Is saving $175 worth losing that cabin? You have to decide which is more important to you. The chances are 99.99% that it's going to be one or the other.

Edited January 10, 2018 by BlueRiband

[fishywood]

If the TA truly wants (and deserves) your business they will offer you sufficient perks to simply transfer the booking without the cancel-and-rebook necessity for the charade of making you a "new booking".

 

Otherwise my advice is to leave things as they are. You run the risk of HAL finding out the TA bent the rules of what constitutes a new booking and possibly cancelling any perks that originally came with the booking. Or involuntarily "upgrading" you to a different cabin. Just let sleeping dogs lie.

[bigwally]

Well, yes, of course I want it all. Doesn't everyone these days? LOL! :D

[Keith1010]

I would be asking about the on the HAL board.

 

Keith

[zookiebird]

I have done what the OP is looking to do on my last 3 cruises. It was suggested by my HAL PCC. What needs to be done is to call the big box TA and tell them you want to TRANSFER your existing HAL booking to them (NOT cancel and re-book). They will call HAL to verify the booking then make the transfer. You keep your existing cabin, pricing and all HAL perks plus pick up any perks offered by the TA. Everything should be "apples to apples" but of course it is best to verify when making the transfer.

[bigwally]

What needs to be done is to call the big box TA and tell them you want to TRANSFER your existing HAL booking to them (NOT cancel and re-book).

 

Not an option. Original booking has to be cancelled first.

[sloopsailor]

I have done what the OP is looking to do on my last 3 cruises. It was suggested by my HAL PCC. What needs to be done is to call the big box TA and tell them you want to TRANSFER your existing HAL booking to them (NOT cancel and re-book). They will call HAL to verify the booking then make the transfer. You keep your existing cabin, pricing and all HAL perks plus pick up any perks offered by the TA. Everything should be "apples to apples" but of course it is best to verify when making the transfer.

 

The OP said to qualify for the $175 OBC perk, the big box TA requires it to be a NEW BOOKING. That eliminates transferring an existing booking.

[sfaaa]

If the TA truly wants (and deserves) your business they will offer you sufficient perks to simply transfer the booking without the cancel-and-rebook necessity for the charade of making you a "new booking".

.

 

Big box TAs don't bargain or price match. They have thousands of clients big and small and don't need another small account to boost their bottomline.

[BlueRiband]

Well, yes, of course I want it all. Doesn't everyone these days? LOL! :D

 

The fare and terms were perfectly acceptable to you when you originally booked.

 

You are looking for some magic time of the day where you can cancel with HAL and as soon as you hang up that same cabin is available on the TA site. That's the risk you take. That the cabin doesn't get held for somebody on a paid upgrade waitlist. That somebody doesn't find it before you do. That it doesn't get held up in some database limbo because the TA isn't continuously syncing with HAL's inventory.

 

You haven't been the first one to try this and you won't be the last. You have to decide if saving $175 is worth the risk of losing that cabin. If you are successful, then good for you. If you lose it...well don't say you were not warned of that possibility.

[MCC retired]

I would take the chance and go for the OBC .

It may be an ideal cabin and you may get it back , but having had ideal cabins only to be made less ideal by neighbors , take the $$$ and the chance.

[bigwally]

Going to stay with what I have. I looked at some of the other OV cabins that could be had without having to go GTY and the pickings are slim.

[taglovestocruise]

You should be able to transfer your booking and pick up some perks from your TA just for the transfer. We have booked several times with the cruise line "Royal Caribbean" when they are offering special perks and then transfer to our online TA and have received added OBC, pre paid gratuities and specialty dinning as well as keeping what Royal gave us. There is usually a time limit to transfer, with Royal it's 60 days. happy cruising