Pre-booking your next cruise while cruising

[Cruising Jake]

From a previous post I was informed that a HAL rep is usually on cruises of 10 or more days for pre-booking. On 7 day cruises there is sometimes a number you can call in Seattle to pre-book.

 

My question is: Do you get anything extra for pre-booking like a shipboard credit on your next cruise?

[Esme]

There was no Cruise Consultant on our last 10 day cruise, but when you asked at the Front Desk about pre-booking you were given a 1-800 number to call, which you could do from the ship.

 

Our tablemates did this and received a shipboard credit, but I can't remember how much it was. Could have been $100 per person, but am not sure.

[kryos]

My question is: Do you get anything extra for pre-booking like a shipboard credit on your next cruise?

Supposedly you get preferential pricing and you also get shipboard credits.

 

I booked a cruise to Hawaii for October 2005 while on my Rotterdam sailing last March. Also put something like a $1,000 deposit on it. I will get something like $200 in shipboard credits for booking onboard, and also supposedly received a good deal on the price ... close to $3,000 with the single supplement/inside guarantee.

 

I only booked onboard for the convenience of talking to someone face-to-face and having my questions answered. The woman was reasonably knowledgeable, though not terribly so, and my TA got the credit for the onboard booking.

 

It's a shame I didn't book my upcoming Zuiderdam cruise while onboard as well. However, I had no idea at the time that I would be taking this cruise ... it was a graduation present from my family (at least the first half) and then I added the second half of the b2b later. Wonder if I would have gotten a better deal on it, though, if I had booked onboard at that time?

 

I probably won't book anything additional onboard this time, however. I already have two cruises scheduled for next year, and ... at least for my budget ... that's definitely enough. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RuthC]

There are on-board credits ranging from $50-$150 per person (depending on the length of the new cruise) when you book your next cruise from the ship. The booking can be given to your TA immediately, or transferred later.

 

Plus! the on-board cruise consultant will send a bottle of "thank you" to enjoy at dinner. Don't wait until it's too late. (You can exchange the bottle for a different wine, too, if that is your preference.)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been on a lot of cruises - 10 days and longer and there was a cruise consultant on all of them. In fact on several cruises we had the same person - Marion. We have gotten to know her husband and her quite well.

If you do book a cruise while on the ship and you do have a cruise consultant on board, not only will you get ship board credit (the amount depends on length of your future cruise) but the cruise consultant will have a bottle of wine sent to your table. Just a nice gesture as a Thank You for booking Holland America again.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Oh Yes - forgot - we have booked a couple of future cruises while on board a ship and everything was transfered to out personel TA and she got her commission. The first we did this our TA was surprised to get faxes from Seattle that we had booked a future cruise. When we got home she had taken care of all the other details.

[elmorejj]

On our recent 21 day cruise there wasn`t a consultant on board. I asked at the front desk and was told they don`t have them on many sailings anymore. They gave me the # to call Seattle but I prefer a face to face when I`m booking...jean :cool:

[olderpilot]

Last year on our Baltic cruise we pre-booked a Med cruise for this year. By the time we got home and talked to our TA the price had dropped about $400 a person -althoughwe did get to keep the shipboard credit. I don't think it's that big a deal anymore.