Non-refundable: unforeseen drawback

[DaveOKC]

Yes, but I believe there was an unofficial "we will do something if we can" attitude previously. My parents on various occasions had a TA who was able to get some extra OBC or an upgrade, for example. I think this is HAL's attempt to stand firm and not offer such considerations with these fares, at least.

 

While HAL obviously has set policies on these things (and other issues), they SOMETIMES do vary it. It seems to depend on the exact situation, your history with the company and the travel agent (or PCC in my case).

 

In my case, my PCC has been able to get me a few things at times (not always), but nothing as major as a full refund of a non-refundable fare.

[thinfool]

I was not informed (by travel agent) that it was a non-refundable fare.

 

This is your real problem.

 

Did the TA explain why you weren't informed of the non-refundable aspect of the booking?

 

As for being Carnivalized...you do realize that no cruise line, Carnival based or otherwise, will deal directly with a guest if the booking was made thru a TA, don't you??

[SetAnOpenCourse]

I think I understand what you were asking, but I believe one reason HAL introduced these fares (in addition to cutting down on 'placeholder' bookings) is to firmly hold the line on price adjustments later.

 

I feel pretty secure in saying that. When I was considering one of these nonrefundable/ nonrefareable deals, my agent very clearly made sure that I understood HAL would allow NO refare or credit if there were price drops, even after final payment.

(bolding mine)

If I may say so, I think you usually or always do understand others’ posts. Not to mention the insight found in your replies.

Thanks.

[fatcat04]

Don’t feel bad. I had a $ 1,700 deposit on a Hawaii cruise. I was not informed (by travel agent) that it was a non-refundable fare. Due to a personal issue, I needed to change the date of the cruise. Holland America has informed the travel agent that if I change the date I would loose the deposit. I wrote an email to Holland America and they answered that “due to contractural obligations” they can only communicate with my travel agent. I went round and round with the travel agent. Bottom line, Holland America has now officially been Carnivalized.

 

Yikes!

 

If you have a TA, HAL (or any cruise line) can't talk to you directly. Walt Disney reservations won't either btw so this isn't just a Carnival or even a cruise thing.

 

 

Not informing you that your fare is non-refundable when you are purchasing it would be a definite reason to fire a TA. HAL is obligated to do exactly nothing to fix your TA's mistake.

[iancal]

I guess the terms non refundable fare or non refundable deposit mean different things to different people.

[Nashna]

Don’t feel bad. I had a $ 1,700 deposit on a Hawaii cruise. I was not informed (by travel agent) that it was a non-refundable fare. Due to a personal issue, I needed to change the date of the cruise. Holland America has informed the travel agent that if I change the date I would loose the deposit. I wrote an email to Holland America and they answered that “due to contractural obligations” they can only communicate with my travel agent. I went round and round with the travel agent. Bottom line, Holland America has now officially been Carnivalized.

 

 

Your complaint might be with your TA. In addition to the HAL confirmation, you should have received a written confirmation from your TA. The TA confirmation should clearly indicate that you have a "non refundable" fare. If your official TA confirmation doesn't indicate non-refundable, than the TA is responsible.

[howiefrommd]

This is your real problem.

 

Did the TA explain why you weren't informed of the non-refundable aspect of the booking? Actually I went back and reviewed their invoice etc. and it was not stated their. The TA has agreed to reimburse me.

 

As for being Carnivalized...you do realize that no cruise line, Carnival based or otherwise, will deal directly with a guest if the booking was made thru a TA, don't you??

Another interesting point, I had to call Regent Cruises with some questions, and they had no problem dealing directly with me even though I booked with a TA.

[knittinggirl]

Over on the Royal Caribbean website, someone mentioned getting a nonrefundable fare, and converting it to refundable right before final payment.

 

 

Wonder if we can do that here.

[awhcruiser]

And they want exceptions made.

I guess the terms non refundable fare or non refundable deposit mean different things to different people.

[Lido deck main]

For an oceanview GTY, I booked a non-refundable fare to save $150 pp, compared to the fare I had on my original booking. A few weeks after final payment date, the fare dropped another $200 pp. I called my PCC to see if HAL might offer anything (I’ve read of people getting some OBC or a cabin upgrade, in similar situations). They can’t offer anything, because I had a non-refundable fare. This confuses me, because after the final payment date, nobody has a refundable fare.

 

I don’t feel entitled to any OBC or upgrade. I just don’t understand the logic of denying it due to my fare type, at this point. In the future I may avoid this type of fare, even if it’s very close to the final payment date.

 

I don’t think it matters anymore what the fare type is once it is past final payment. We booked a refundable fare nine months out for X Dollars, we could have booked non-refundable for X minus $600.00 per person, but I wanted the option of rebooking if price went down before final payment. Anyhow price did not go down until after final payment, went down significantly over $1,200 per person, we booked an inside guarantee and HAL offered an obstructed ocean view which was at the current price lower than what we paid for inside. Anyhow that is it, we can’t refare as past final payment, was told we would have to cancel booking lose 75 per cent of fare, then rebook, which of course wasn’t a good option. Personally what I have learnt from this is to book within the final payment window.

[epixx]

I don’t think it matters anymore what the fare type is once it is past final payment. We booked a refundable fare nine months out for X Dollars, we could have booked non-refundable for X minus $600.00 per person, but I wanted the option of rebooking if price went down before final payment. Anyhow price did not go down until after final payment, went down significantly over $1,200 per person, we booked an inside guarantee and HAL offered an obstructed ocean view which was at the current price lower than what we paid for inside. Anyhow that is it, we can’t refare as past final payment, was told we would have to cancel booking lose 75 per cent of fare, then rebook, which of course wasn’t a good option. Personally what I have learnt from this is to book within the final payment window.

 

How long after final payment did the price drop? We are thinking of booking a cruise that is already past final payment, but the price has not dropped.

[Lido deck main]

How long after final payment did the price drop? We are thinking of booking a cruise that is already past final payment, but the price has not dropped.

Dropped about 4-5 weeks after final, we were 90 days out for final payment. You always run the risk of cruise selling out maybe call HAL and find out how many of the cabin category are left that you are interested in.