New deadline for transferring your HAL booking from HAL/PCC to Travel Agent

[kazu]

Hopefully this hasn’t been posted previously and, if so, apologies as I was sailing.

 

Speaking to the Future Cruise Consultant on the Prinsendam (and Annette is good), she advised me that HAL’s policy has changed for transferring bookings.

 

It used to be that you could transfer any time before cancellation penalties / final payment commenced.

 

Now, it will be 2 months from booking your cruise.  After that time frame, your booking cannot be transferred.  

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

[frbob]

But your booking could be cancelled without penalty anytime before cancellation penalties/final payment time.

41 minutes ago, kazu said:

Hopefully this hasn’t been posted previously and, if so, apologies as I was sailing.

 

Speaking to the Future Cruise Consultant on the Prinsendam (and Annette is good), she advised me that HAL’s policy has changed for transferring bookings.

 

It used to be that you could transfer any time before cancellation penalties / final payment commenced.

 

Now, it will be 2 months from booking your cruise.  After that time frame, your booking cannot be transferred.  

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

[kazu]

35 minutes ago, frbob said:

But your booking could be cancelled without penalty anytime before cancellation penalties/final payment time.

 

 

Of course, that is an option - but you can lose any amenities, anything pre-booked, etc.

 

I just wanted to alert those that transfer as I do that the deadline is now much shorter. 😞

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TiogaCruiser]

Thanks, Jacque. There was actually a thread about the time you left. I’m kind of surprised it fizzled out several weeks ago. This information would make a good sticky.

 

This thread is a good reminder.

Edited May 10, 2019 by TiogaCruiser

[Randyk47]

While it was previously discussed this is a confirmation and good reminder of the new policy. 

[DaveOKC]

Thanks for posting this.  I have not tried it in the past, but may do so in the future, so now I know the timeframe.

 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Thanks, Jacque. There was actually a thread about the time you left. I’m kind of surprised it fizzled out several weeks ago. This information would make a good sticky.

 

This thread is a good reminder.

 

51 minutes ago, Randyk47 said:

While it was previously discussed this is a confirmation and good reminder of the new policy. 

 

Oops, sorry to repeat info.  

I missed the other thread obviously and wanted people to be aware.  

 

Thanks for your patience with the repetition.

[TiogaCruiser]

11 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

 

Oops, sorry to repeat info.  

I missed the other thread obviously and wanted people to be aware.  

 

Thanks for your patience with the repetition.

No problem!

That was probably the only big thing you missed while gone. Of course the current thing is the reported going away of the EXC guide, which just came up.

[Daisyloo]

This happened to us recently.  We booked our fall Med/transatlantic cruise in late January.  When I read here on CC about HAL changing their transfer policy I called right away to transfer the cruise to our travel agent.  They wouldn't let me do it  as it had been longer than the 60 days they now have in their policy.  I tried arguing that when I booked the cruise, that was not the policy, but they said the policy was for any new or existing booking.

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 minutes ago, Daisyloo said:

This happened to us recently.  We booked our fall Med/transatlantic cruise in late January.  When I read here on CC about HAL changing their transfer policy I called right away to transfer the cruise to our travel agent.  They wouldn't let me do it  as it had been longer than the 60 days they now have in their policy.  I tried arguing that when I booked the cruise, that was not the policy, but they said the policy was for any new or existing booking.

 

Isn't it interesting that some things (like promos) are for "new bookings only," but when it's in their favor HAL says new or existing bookings.

 

[Daisyloo]

Just now, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Isn't it interesting that some things (like promos) are for "new bookings only," but when it's in their favor HAL says new or existing bookings.

 

 

Yes !  

[Cruising-along]

As soon as the info came out here on CC we transferred our 4 bookings that had not already been transferred.  If it weren't for CC, I still wouldn't know about it. 

[jhannah]

58 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Isn't it interesting that some things (like promos) are for "new bookings only," but when it's in their favor HAL says new or existing bookings.

 

Interesting indeed! This will hurt some cruisers who make an open booking/bookings onboard but don't know yet just where they want to go. This is forcing a decision farther out, and often we need to wait to see how current affairs turn out before we decide on a cruise.

 

Thank you, Jacque, for posting. I hadn't seen the other thread, either.

Edited May 10, 2019 by jhannah

[RMLincoln]

Glad you posted this as I hadn't seen it before.  I have no bookings now but have had benefit from transferring a booking in the past, and would likely want to be able to do it again... and nobody from HAL tells us these things!  Without CC I would not have known about transferring bookings at all!  So great to have CC for informing us of so many aspects of cruising.  Thank you for sharing.  m--

Edited May 10, 2019 by RMLincoln

[kazu]

1 hour ago, jhannah said:

Interesting indeed! This will hurt some cruisers who make an open booking/bookings onboard but don't know yet just where they want to go. 

 

Are you referring to Future Cruise Deposits?  I didn’t think it affected them just bookings itself?

 

If someone knows something to the contrary could you advise please?  Thanks 🙂 

[Cruising-along]

3 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Are you referring to Future Cruise Deposits?  I didn’t think it affected them just bookings itself?

 

If someone knows something to the contrary could you advise please?  Thanks 🙂 

I think you're correct, Kazu.  Only bookings, not future cruise credits.  Once the booking is made, then it would come under the new rule.

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

I think you're correct, Kazu.  Only bookings, not future cruise credits.  Once the booking is made, then it would come under the new rule.

 

Thanks. 🙂. That was my understanding when I spoke to Annette on board.

[Alberta Quilter]

3 hours ago, Daisyloo said:

This happened to us recently.  We booked our fall Med/transatlantic cruise in late January.  When I read here on CC about HAL changing their transfer policy I called right away to transfer the cruise to our travel agent.  They wouldn't let me do it  as it had been longer than the 60 days they now have in their policy.  I tried arguing that when I booked the cruise, that was not the policy, but they said the policy was for any new or existing booking.

That's really odd.  I had no issues transferring four cruises, one of which was booked last November, on Apr 10th.  I did the transfer a day or two after the thread regarding the new policy was posted.  I thought someone had said that they would allow it for a period of time but, of course, no one defined the period of time.  IMO, HAL should have allowed transfers for 60 days after the change was implemented.

[3rdGenCunarder]

35 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

That's really odd.  I had no issues transferring four cruises, one of which was booked last November, on Apr 10th.  I did the transfer a day or two after the thread regarding the new policy was posted.  I thought someone had said that they would allow it for a period of time but, of course, no one defined the period of time.  IMO, HAL should have allowed transfers for 60 days after the change was implemented.

 

That would have been a good compromise between grandfathering all prior bookings and refusing to transfer all prior bookings over 60 days old.

 

[Cruising-along]

4 hours ago, Daisyloo said:

This happened to us recently.  We booked our fall Med/transatlantic cruise in late January.  When I read here on CC about HAL changing their transfer policy I called right away to transfer the cruise to our travel agent.  They wouldn't let me do it  as it had been longer than the 60 days they now have in their policy.  I tried arguing that when I booked the cruise, that was not the policy, but they said the policy was for any new or existing booking.

 

48 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

That's really odd.  I had no issues transferring four cruises, one of which was booked last November, on Apr 10th.  I did the transfer a day or two after the thread regarding the new policy was posted.  I thought someone had said that they would allow it for a period of time but, of course, no one defined the period of time.  IMO, HAL should have allowed transfers for 60 days after the change was implemented.

3 of our bookings were booked last November also and we had no problem transferring them. 

[DaveOKC]

I confirmed this with my PCC today - 2 month limit.  

 

I have never tried this, so I cannot speak to the pros and cons of it.  However, I will say that the service my PCC provides is worth paying a bit more.  Very recently I was looking at booking a cruise but the category I wanted was only available as a guarantee and I wanted a specific cabin (I checked this out on several websites to confirm this.  I called and asked my PCC about it and she confirmed the same (something to do with my cruise being part of a longer one), but then said that she would make some calls and see what she could do.  About 30 minutes later I got a call back from her and she got me the cabin I wanted and it was the same price as the guarantee would have been.  I was very happy with this!  I am also happy with how the upsell process works when going directly through HAL (and I have gotten some very good deals with this).  So, for me, I am not changing my bookings.

 

 

Edited May 10, 2019 by DaveOKC

[Daisyloo]

I wonder what the date was that this new policy came into effect?    A previous poster says they had no trouble transferring cruises on April 10.   I know I spoke to HAL about transferring ours on either April 13 or 15th.  They were firmly NO. 

Now I am wondering if I had only called a day or two earlier if I could have transferred it.  Or is it a case of  HAL reps being inconsistent?

[qoap24]

I realize the policy has changed, but I was wondering if anyone could tell me why it was a benefit to wait to transfer your booking? Just curious as to what I was missing. I have only used a TA a couple of times and had them make the booking for me.

 

Thanks

[bennybear]

Just transferred one today without issue.  I think they have grandfathered them now.   So you may want to try again.  I too would not have known as there has been no notice from HAL. 

[oceanmom]

Someone should be able to find the link to the form that you need to fill in to do the transfer to the TA. I'm sure the link is on the other thread, and then the form is emailed/faxed to the World/Grand Cruise office. Perhaps communicating with the correct office is the trick. (In the middle of preparing dinner and not enough time to find the link)