11/3 Zaandam - Internet Pre-Purchase and Cabin Assignment

[GMoney]

Hi All - I'm sailing on Zaandam from Rio to Santiago on 11/3. It's been awhile since I've sailed HAL, and am wondering about the following:

 

 

 

1. Internet Pre-Purchase. I'm unable to pre-purchase internet access via the cruise planner. I can book other things, but not internet. Am I missing something, or do I just have to wait until I board? I understand that internet quality will likely be sketchy.

 

 

 

2. Cabin Assignment. My sail date is about 30 days out and still pending a cabin assignment. I booked a guarantee category, I'm familiar with this process. In your collective experience, what's the latest your cabin has been assigned?

 

 

Thanks.

[richwmn]

1. As of right now, it appears that internet is only available for purchase on board. Some have had success by calling ships services but most likely just got a general credit in the amount of the internet package.

 

 

2. Most often, cabins are assigned at 10 days out, plus or minus a bit. You might, however, not get an assignment until you get to the ship, or your assignment might be changed at the pier, but that is unusual.

[CruiserBruce]

HAL has never, to my knowledge, allowed Internet purchase in advance.

 

As frequently discussed here, Guarantee bookings are assigned anywhere from 25 or so days down to dockside. Average is, as mentioned, around 10 days.

[cruisingrob21]

I'm curious if the general consensus is that upgrades are better for gty cabins when assigned very close to sailing date or at the pier. Anyone have thoughts about this?

[CruiserBruce]

I'm curious if the general consensus is that upgrades are better for gty cabins when assigned very close to sailing date or at the pier. Anyone have thoughts about this?

 

Nobody is going to be able to answer that question. Every cruise is different, every upgrade or assignment is done for the particulars of that individual cruise.

[thinfool]

I'm curious if the general consensus is that upgrades are better for gty cabins when assigned very close to sailing date or at the pier. Anyone have thoughts about this?

There is also a consensus that booking airfare at 2 am on a Tuesday will guarantee the best price.

 

 

My experience from 2016...many on the roll call booked direct with HAL...I used my TA.

 

 

I had my assignment...and then an acceptable upsell before any of them had a cabin assignment.

 

 

I have a good TA.

 

 

YMMV

[VennDiagram]

I'm curious if the general consensus is that upgrades are better for gty cabins when assigned very close to sailing date or at the pier. Anyone have thoughts about this?

 

Worst assignment we got on a gty reservation was the one assigned closest to sailing date. Maybe 3 days out. (Like others here, we usually get our assignment 7 to 10 days before sailing.) Fortunately the next day we got a low-priced upsell offer, so we could move for very little money.