Have It All Plus (early booking bonus) Worth It?

[Avid Travel Geek]

 

Is the Have it All PLUS worth it? My cruise from Montreal to Boston is currently $1000 cheaper than what I booked in a Vista suite but not with the Elite packages and tips, just the regular Have It All.

 

[Alberta Quilter]

You need to do the math based on what you would use.  I have the same predicament.  For me, it’s a no brainer to take the price drop ($1500/person) but not so much for my companion.

[kazu]

You need to do the math for what is important to you.  If the premium internet package & the elite beverage package don’t have value for you, then the only thing to take into account is crew appreciation.

 

Assuming this is the case and it is a 7 day cruise I would say it is not worth it but it really depends on what is of value to you.

[Avid Travel Geek]

I agree with you both. I took the price drop. I gained $200 onboard credit which almost covers the gratuities and I usually only pay a few bucks more for upgraded wines. Plus, I got an upgraded cabin, no longer under the pool/Lido. 

 

I was just on the NA and with Starlink the speed was 200mbps with the regular internet. With Premium you get to stream videos, but I didn't miss that. 

[POA1]

22 hours ago, Avid Travel Geek said:

I was just on the NA and with Starlink the speed was 200mbps with the regular internet. With Premium you get to stream videos, but I didn't miss that

There's no speed boost that I could see with premium. It's really just additional services you can access.

[cbr663]

Typically HIA is a good deal if you consume a lot of beverages onboard.  There is a reason that you find it online under beverage packages as that is where a lot of the value is.  Remember also that it is nothing more than a discounted bundling of amenities that you pre-pay in advance.  So you have paid for your beverages whether you use them or not.  Spend a day off the ship on excursions and it may not pay for that day.  Have a sea day when you are not feeling that well and not consuming much and it may not pay either.  

 

Cruise lines like promotions like these as it creates the empty wallet.  You've typically prepaid for these amenities months before you cruise so it doesn't feel like you are actually paying for them when you ask for a drink while onboard.  This is the reason why HAL requires that you "only" pay the difference when you purchase a higher priced beverage than allowed on your drink package.  It only feels like you are paying little for a drink and you are more inclined to purchase even more.

[terrydtx]

We are booked on the 11 day Boston to Montreal Volendam cruise nest August, We booked the lowest available Vista Suite with Clun Orange to upgrade to highest A Vista midship and we also got the Early booking HIA bonus which is worth the extra cost. I just looked and the prices for our cruise with standard HIA is now higher than when we booked 8 months ago with the bonus.

[Bill B]

You really have nothing to lose by booking early, and you have a greater selection of rooms to pick from. You can always re-fare if the price goes down (when penalties kick-in it's probably not worth doing so). Of course if you do, you may lose some 'Special Services and Included Items' (or you may gain some depending on the promo). Remember, you can add HIA to most crises and you can always upgrade the Surf internet package to Premium. People report differing levels of success in upgrading a Signature BP to Elite BP once onboard. 

 

You just have to do the math.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, Bill B said:

You really have nothing to lose by booking early, and you have a greater selection of rooms to pick from. You can always re-fare if the price goes down (when penalties kick-in it's probably not worth doing so). Of course if you do, you may lose some 'Special Services and Included Items' (or you may gain some depending on the promo). Remember, you can add HIA to most crises and you can always upgrade the Surf internet package to Premium. People report differing levels of success in upgrading a Signature BP to Elite BP once onboard. 

 

You just have to do the math.

Part of the Early Booking bonus is the "Low Price Guarantee" which will give you the lower price if it drops without having to rebook and lose any of the early amenities.  We used this once on one of our cruises this year. 

[Bill B]

19 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Part of the Early Booking bonus is the "Low Price Guarantee" which will give you the lower price if it drops without having to rebook and lose any of the early amenities.  We used this once on one of our cruises this year. 

 

You were lucky then. They stuck to the Term and Conditions when my fare dropped just after the EBB promo ended and I could not re-fare without losing my EBB Special Services and Included Items.

 

From the HAL website -            

Low Price Guarantee: If a guest books a HAL cruise with the Early Booking Bonus Offer (the “original booking”) and such guest finds a cheaper price for an identical booking within the duration of the Early Booking Bonus Offer (the “Comparison Fare”), the difference may be compensated in the form of an onboard credit, stateroom upgrade or other method.

[terrydtx]

20 minutes ago, Bill B said:

 

You were lucky then. They stuck to the Term and Conditions when my fare dropped just after the EBB promo ended and I could not re-fare without losing my EBB Special Services and Included Items.

 

From the HAL website -            

Low Price Guarantee: If a guest books a HAL cruise with the Early Booking Bonus Offer (the “original booking”) and such guest finds a cheaper price for an identical booking within the duration of the Early Booking Bonus Offer (the “Comparison Fare”), the difference may be compensated in the form of an onboard credit, stateroom upgrade or other method.

Thinking back our cruise price dropped while still in the Early Bonus and we got a credit on our invoice cost. It dropped $200 pp. My TA handled this for us.

[Avid Travel Geek]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Part of the Early Booking bonus is the "Low Price Guarantee" which will give you the lower price if it drops without having to rebook and lose any of the early amenities.  We used this once on one of our cruises this year. 

[CNSJ]

There is no set answer.  On a typical day I might have a speciality coffee, a  beer, two sodas and a glass or two of wine with dinner.   I calculate "if its worth it" as follows:

 

Determine net difference between fare without HIA (w/Early Booking Bonus-EBB) and fare with HIA (w/EBB) - Note:  net includes difference in OBC.

Then I add up the following:

1.  Gratuities are a given. $XX per day 

2.  Value to me as a 4 Star mariner for the Specialty Restaurants included (after my discounts)

3.  The Shorex Credit:  Assuming the itinerary supports using it. ($100-$300) 

4.  Value of lowest Wifi Package (1 device) - use 50% of this as I can share it with my wife

 

Once I have the Net HIA cost, and the Value of 1-4 above, I have the cruise "Drink Package Cost," which I divide by number of days in cruise.  Often the result I get is $14-20 per day.  

In these cases I often take the HIA w/EBB. Two drinks pays for it plus. 

 

This math changes radically when you don't have gratuities included (non EBB HIA)

 

You get the most bang for the buck on cruise that just push you into the higher benefits the HIA table, like 10 or 11 day cruises and 21-22 day cruises.  I just ran numbers for a 22 day SouthAmerica/Antartica run and it worked out to about $16 a day for the "Elite" drinks package.  No brainer to me. 

 

Just how I look at things. 

 

One more thing.  When you have HIA, you earn a ton of shipboard spending points which help you get to 4 Star and free laundry quicker!

 

 

[Bill B]

3 hours ago, CNSJ said:

There is no set answer...

...This math changes radically when you don't have gratuities included (non EBB HIA)

 

Some may use trigonometry some may use calculus. HAL (and every other cruise line) is really good at changing the number of variables with each subsequent promo/offer they come up with. 😏

 

If it makes you feel better, remember all sailings are aways on sale. I like the current TIME OF YOUR LIFE SALE + FREE BALCONY UPGRADE. For this, they put the price of Obstructed Ocean View rooms up to that of Verandahs (and give everyone who books an Obstructed Oceanview an upgrade to a Verandah). 😂

[ExArkie]

7 hours ago, Bill B said:

Some may use trigonometry some may use calculus. HAL (and every other cruise line) is really good at changing the number of variables with each subsequent promo/offer they come up with. 

So I take it you are suggesting multivariate nonparametric statistics?
 

I used a spreadsheet to compare prices with/without early booking, using values for only those items I would derive benefits from or pro-rating the value as to perceived value on that trip. For example, we booked a transpacific with only four (or five? I’d have to check) port days. Excursion credits are limited value to me on that trip, particularly since we have been to two of the ports before and one port I would want to do on my own rather than an excursion. Bottom line was that, with the combination of my assigned values and the actual costs, the early booking bonus was around $200 per person benefit to us. Take away the gratuities from the early booking package, and it would go the other way.

[3rdGenCunarder]

18 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We are booked on the 11 day Boston to Montreal Volendam cruise nest August, We booked the lowest available Vista Suite with Clun Orange to upgrade to highest A Vista midship and we also got the Early booking HIA bonus which is worth the extra cost. I just looked and the prices for our cruise with standard HIA is now higher than when we booked 8 months ago with the bonus.

 

I see increases more often than price drops on cruises I've booked. I think it's because I tend to book cruises with unusual itineraries. 

 

When I do the math, I tend to forget that the value of the HIA dinners is only half because I'm 4-star. The value of the tour credit does depend on the itinerary. Last winter, I used the HIA, and when one of the tours was cancelled, there wasn't anything else I wanted, so I think I lost a little money on that. This year, I have the standard HIA, and I have booked more tours than HIA covered by a small amount. I also have $300 obc plus $250 shareholder credit. What do you do with a lot of OBC when you have HIA?? Grats will consume some of it, and I'm planning to book some tours onboard. 

 

Sort of related question. Can I book tours through the Navigator once I'm onboard? I'd love to avoid the queue at the tour desk.

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I see increases more often than price drops on cruises I've booked. I think it's because I tend to book cruises with unusual itineraries. 

 

When I do the math, I tend to forget that the value of the HIA dinners is only half because I'm 4-star. The value of the tour credit does depend on the itinerary. Last winter, I used the HIA, and when one of the tours was cancelled, there wasn't anything else I wanted, so I think I lost a little money on that. This year, I have the standard HIA, and I have booked more tours than HIA covered by a small amount. I also have $300 obc plus $250 shareholder credit. What do you do with a lot of OBC when you have HIA?? Grats will consume some of it, and I'm planning to book some tours onboard. 

 

Sort of related question. Can I book tours through the Navigator once I'm onboard? I'd love to avoid the queue at the tour desk.

Yes you can book tours on the Nav app onboard. We now will only book with Club Orange which has a Dedicated CO special line at Guest services where you can also book tours onboard without waiting in line. We did this on the Koningsdam in November.  When we have any leftover OBC we spend it in the ship's stores. On the Koningsdam my wife found a Tommy Bahama long sleeve blouse she had been wanting. The price on the ship was the same on the TB website and stores. I have purchased several TB shirts over the last two years with excess OBC.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

Yes you can book tours on the Nav app onboard. We now will only book with Club Orange which has a Dedicated CO special line at Guest services where you can also book tours onboard without waiting in line. We did this on the Koningsdam in November.  When we have any leftover OBC we spend it in the ship's stores. On the Koningsdam my wife found a Tommy Bahama long sleeve blouse she had been wanting. The price on the ship was the same on the TB website and stores. I have purchased several TB shirts over the last two years with excess OBC.

 

I have CO, too. I did it for the upgrade, which was a great value. I forgot about the CO line at guest services. Thanks for the reminder! 

 

I rarely find anything I want in the shops. Last winter, we got a refund of port taxes for some reason, and the last day it seemed like everyone was in the ships looking for something inexpensive to blow off the last-minute credit.

[terrydtx]

29 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I have CO, too. I did it for the upgrade, which was a great value. I forgot about the CO line at guest services. Thanks for the reminder! 

 

I rarely find anything I want in the shops. Last winter, we got a refund of port taxes for some reason, and the last day it seemed like everyone was in the ships looking for something inexpensive to blow off the last-minute credit.

I used the CO line to also book specialty restaurant reservations and make changes on them, this is one great CO benefit many overlook. On the Koningsdam I never had more than one person in line in front of me while the regular line would have 15 or more in line.

Edited January 2 by terrydtx

[CNSJ]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

we booked a transpacific with only four (or five? I’d have to check) port days.

Great Point! That is a variable I neglected to address.  Many sea days pushes me toward HIA w/EBB.  If I am on the ship I consume more.  Port intensive itineraries in Caribbean or Mediteraean . I will usually pass as I enjoy the local beers/drinks.