Non Refundable Deposit is now the default pricing

If the non-refundable deposit is smaller than the insurance to insure it, that could be a consideration. When you buy the CPP insurance, that's not refundable either. The standard level insurance only insures 80% of the cost of the cruise up to 24 hrs ahead of departure, plus a few extras.... usually that can all be covered by a credit card benefit, maybe even better, as we can get 100% cancellation coverage, for qualified reasons (not cancel for any reason) from our Costco Citi Bank Visa, which has no annual fee beyond the Costco membership.

 

Our booking done in May for the October departure of the Atlantic Explorer had an offer with a small non-refundable deposit ( think it was $300pp), but the cruise price was higher than the price we got using Mariner pricing, by over $1000 (once normalized for perks vs. no-perks). But with Mariner pricing we had to pay a large deposit of $1750 pp but it was refundable. Both proposals had the similar penalty dates: 90 days 60% forfeiture, 75 days 100% forfeiture. The refundable deposit rate had the deposit refundable only up to 120 days before departure. It was not a difficult decision due to the big pricing advantage, although i did not like having to pay such a big deposit, but that made the final payment fit on one credit card :).

The large deposit and the early penalty dates are due to this cruise being a long cruise (49 nights), not due to the pricing program.

 

I've always observed, Cruise Lines are money-making operations, os they will do what they have to to make their margins. I have no idea how much they might lose with refunding deposits, but I think locking people into the early fares, and not having any flexibility as costs might come down to fill the ship, might make them more revenue.

 

Airlines learned a long time ago - offer good prices in advance with no refunds or very expensive refunds, charge for changes, and overbook! Could be what we're coming to with cruising. m--

 

I would not want to be the agent at the cruise port terminal that has to tell a customer that the cruise was overbooked and they will not be able to board....... That could get really ugly really quick!!!

Just did a mock booking on the Eurodam June 9, 2018. Checking the cancellation schedule, we would loose $175 pp deposit for cancellation. This is consider an RA1 booking.

 

At least the deposits are smaller that you are gambling with, as opposed to the $350 pp as before.

 

It is really is bad that you have to click a link to find that out. It should be made plainer what kind of fare you are booking.

I would not want to be the agent at the cruise port terminal that has to tell a customer that the cruise was overbooked and they will not be able to board....... That could get really ugly really quick!!!

 

HAL will and does overbook cruises, but people get told in advance, not at the pier. Usually there are "interline rate" passengers who get bumped, either off the cruise or to a different type room than they booked, including possibly a lower category room.... but they pay very low rates and are aware of the chances they are taking. Interline rates are available to TAs and other travel industry workers. They have been the "elastic" in the system to stretch or shrink as needed. m--

HAL will and does overbook cruises, but people get told in advance, not at the pier. Usually there are "interline rate" passengers who get bumped, either off the cruise or to a different type room than they booked, including possibly a lower category room.... but they pay very low rates and are aware of the chances they are taking. Interline rates are available to TAs and other travel industry workers. They have been the "elastic" in the system to stretch or shrink as needed. m--

 

I am glad they are told in advance. I remember the debacle in Baltimore some time age when people who had been 'bumped" weren't told and showed up for their cruise. It wasn't very pleasant and the local news ran the story for several days. (mostly because the cruise line bumped the "locals". I guess the cruise line thought they wouldn't bump people who had to fly in as they would need to reimburse not only the fare, but plane fare!!!

That is right according to my call with them; the NRD is not "eligible" to be refunded. Basically, your deposit is always surrendered when you cancel regardless of your level of protection. Your protection refers to the "eligible" portion.

 

Maybe. Apparently different HAL reps are saying differently. See Kazu's post on Next Promotion, #4.

Just did a mock booking on the Eurodam June 9, 2018. Checking the cancellation schedule, we would loose $175 pp deposit for cancellation. This is consider an RA1 booking.

 

At least the deposits are smaller that you are gambling with, as opposed to the $350 pp as before.

 

It is really is bad that you have to click a link to find that out. It should be made plainer what kind of fare you are booking.

 

What link? Even at 50%, the deposit on a Grand Voyage is too hefty for this solo cruiser to gamble with. Although I am in good health, mostly independent, and fairly mobile, I am also old enough to know that s__t happens to the best of us.

Maybe. Apparently different HAL reps are saying differently. See Kazu's post on Next Promotion, #4.

 

I think the HAL reps are "got the memo" the rep I spoke with yesterday confirmed that what I am thinking about booking is totally refundable. He also said the "non-refundable" means "non-refundable!

I think the HAL reps are "got the memo" the rep I spoke with yesterday confirmed that what I am thinking about booking is totally refundable. He also said the "non-refundable" means "non-refundable!

 

If that is true, then HAL had better, first, plainly state that; and, two, change their CPP policy. The term "eligible" has always been in that policy. This is nothing new. And the CPP plainly says that "non-refundable prepayments" are refundable under both the Standard and Platinum policies. HAL has to honor their contracts and "eligible" is not defined and is not a new provision, "Non-refundable prepayments" are clearly, under the policy, refundable. What is the use of a cancellation policy if the prepayments are not to be refunded in the event of a cancellation. HAL reps had better consult with their legal department if they are going to try to circumvent their contractual obligations. I would have no hesitation about suing Holland America if they tried to squirm out of refunding a substantial down payment based on "eligible." And I would likely win. It is basic contract law.

We simply would not book on HAL until they clear up this mess. Lots of other ships and great cruise lines to choose from. HAL is not the only game in town.

 

This is not good for acquiring new customers. It is their first impression of HAL and it is a turnoff. Enough of a turnoff, enough confusion, to send them to another cruise line to book their cruise.

What link? Even at 50%, the deposit on a Grand Voyage is too hefty for this solo cruiser to gamble with. Although I am in good health, mostly independent, and fairly mobile, I am also old enough to know that s__t happens to the best of us.

The link is at the bottom right ....just below the fair breakdown on the Payment page. It says " Show cancellation fees".

 

Not a very clear way of letting you know!

 

 

Edited July 22, 2017 by Tinknock50

Like the airlines, this is now the new norm in cruise industry if you want the lowest fare. Won''t be long before all the cruise lines are doing this.

 

Will they charge extra for baggage next?:o

Will they charge extra for baggage next?:o

 

 

Now will be really over the top!

Now will be really over the top!

 

Some cruise lines post quantity and weight limits already. They are not enforced. But if they decided to enforce it or add a surcharge, they could easily do so.

Some cruise lines post quantity and weight limits already. They are not enforced. But if they decided to enforce it or add a surcharge, they could easily do so.

 

If the cruise lines ever charge for baggage I won't be going on any after that point! I live within 2 hrs. of three ports and drive to and from our cruise just so we can "bring what we want". (And boy do we!)

If the cruise lines ever charge for baggage I won't be going on any after that point!

So many things have been referenced in that manner, i.e., "will be the straw that breaks the camel's back...," and without a doubt everyone has their limit and past that limit they will, as you say, "won't be going..." However, it is also remarkable how adaptable we are, collectively, and how many changes that have been successfully deployed that were prefaced years earlier with widespread intentions to step away should those changes come to pass. Of course, some of that success comes from new people entering the system replacing those that have stepped away, but a good part of it is still people within the system accepting changes, typically incremental changes that together yield the change that they once said would be the line they would not cross.

 

Having said that, I think it would be more difficult for a cruise line to assert a baggage fee than it was for airlines. On an aircraft, the fee is ostensibly paying for space in the cargo hold, space that the airline could (and often does) sell for transport of cargo, itself. I suppose some of the fee could be tied to the service of transporting the baggage on board and then transporting it off, but that's marginal as compared to the space in the cargo hold itself, given the value of cargo transport as a separate service. On a cruise ship, what space are you paying for? The space your baggage takes up is space that is taken away from you, not away from the cruise line.

 

Of course, I could be doing a little of what I indicated earlier: Drawing a distinction that in the end incremental changes will obscure: As the fee for airline baggage increases, the portion of it attributable to the service of portage of the baggage becomes more significant in its own right. Eventually, it could become enough to warrant placing a limit on the number of pieces, and then enough to warrant a fee for excess - but it would still be a fee just for the portage, not the storage, so it probably would be more much more of a marginal fee than airline baggage.

 

So, as with many other legacy services this too could eventually become one that is included only in the more all-inclusive, luxury brand service. The legacy offering we enjoy today wouldn't go away; it would just be differentiated from the more basic, more affordable, entry-level service. And if history is any guide, this is probably going to happen, and if it does it would be a boon for the cruise lines rather than something that hurts them.

We find ourselves cruising much less than we have in the past. Several reasons but they were all very conscious decisions.

 

First was exchange rate that made many cruises much less attractive to us in comparison to other travel options.

 

Second was what we perceived to be less value for our money in terms of service, good, and entertainment. The mass market cruise cutbacks caused us to pause.

 

Reduced port times on many cruises, and the desire to spend more time, by that we mean days not hours, in some port stop cities.

 

Charging for bags would not have an impact on us since we travel with carry on only. I think there does reach a point where one might not decide not to cruise but rather to re-evaluate the cruise proposition to other travel/vacation options. I suspect that it would take a succession of perceived negative changes for most people to arrive at a decision point.

Interestingly, it is because our land based vacations have gone up in price so much that we have now returned to cruising after a number of years. Nothing is standing still.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

Interestingly, it is because our land based vacations have gone up in price so much that we have now returned to cruising after a number of years. Nothing is standing still.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

I agree 100%! Land vacations are crazy expensive now. Hotels are $300.00 per night and up for a nice room. All inclusive resorts are just awful! Cruising offers us the best bang for our buck, especially in Europe.

I agree 100%! Land vacations are crazy expensive now. Hotels are $300.00 per night and up for a nice room. All inclusive resorts are just awful! Cruising offers us the best bang for our buck, especially in Europe.

 

I guess it all depends on where you stay. We find land trips far cheaper than med. cruises unless you get a killer deal. We just stayed at a 5 star Luxury collection resort in Crete for 230 Euro a night and the food & drink was CHEAP.

Exactly my thoughts. Our last three vacations have been Italy and Croatia, Sicily and Malta, Greece, Greek Islands with a stop in Paris on the way home.

 

All three had considerably lower per diems than a std. balcony on a Med cruise. In point of fact we spend the same dollars but vacation for a considerably longer period. The last Med cruise we had was a last minute Rome-Barcelona that we tacked on to the Sicily trip. We only bought it because of the blow out price and good one way air home.

 

We do a fair amount of independent Europe travel. Often six weeks a year in the fall. We understand and are very familiar with the pricing and the travel options/opportunities. Our experience is that cruise pricing has increased at a much greater rate than independent land travel over the past five years.

 

We have spent three winters in SE Asia, soon to be four. We have found Asian per diem pricing to be considerably higher that the then current cruise per diems.

I guess it all depends on where you stay. We find land trips far cheaper than med. cruises unless you get a killer deal. We just stayed at a 5 star Luxury collection resort in Crete for 230 Euro a night and the food & drink was CHEAP.

230 Euro is about $340.00 Canadian times 14 nights (our recent Med cruise on Koningsdam) is $4760.00 plus food. Our cruise for 2 weeks was less than $5000.00 including food plus we went to 11 different ports. Works for us, but obviously its not for everyone.

During our recent six weeks in Greece our hotel costs ranged from 60E-120E. That would include Athens, Peloponnese locales, Islands (not Santorini), and Crete. Indeed, we spent the weekend in Paris on our way home from Crete. We paid 110 E at a four star Novatel in Montparnasse.

230 Euro is about $340.00 Canadian times 14 nights (our recent Med cruise on Koningsdam) is $4760.00 plus food. Our cruise for 2 weeks was less than $5000.00 including food plus we went to 11 different ports. Works for us, but obviously its not for everyone.

 

Don't forget to add in all of your excursions & tips. And you need to compare real estate. For what I had in a room, you'd have to book a suite on a ship & I had a private pool. I just booked the Alfonso in Seville which is probably in Europe's top 10 hotel list for about $150 less per night than our preceding Azamara cruise in an inside cabin.

It seems there is a lot of confusion even among people who shouldn't be confused .

I just got off the Veendam and for the first time booked a future cruise on board . Early in the week I asked for a quote and near the top the print-out said " SNAP FARES NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT" along with lots of other stuff. It would have been easy to miss it . I asked what it meant and he said that it was another option but not yours . The next day I went to book and sure enough it was the non-refundable price ! :mad: The refundable price would be 65 CDN more each (50 US $'s). He then finagled an extra 100 OBC so we were even although I'd prefer a lower fare .

I first saw the nonrefundable cruises in an email I was sent offering great fares and reduced deposits. I was a bit confused, so I'm glad that I came to the boards. At first look, I'm not in favor of this at all.