Questions about possible price drop before final payment

Hi,

I am about a week away from final payment. Looking online at some TA sites, I see the price has dropped approximately 10%. If I call Holland America, is there any chance they will reprice my cruise? I do NOT want to lose my cabin since I have a corner aft suite, and many excursions and specialty dining paid for, so I don’t want to have to cancel and rebook.

Along similar lines, what do they do after final payment for you, if anything? I live in fear that I will pay and the price will drop ridiculously the next day.

Also how do I correct my husband’s status? We have both previously sailed on both Carnival and Princess, but only I show as 1 Star.

Status does not transfer across Carnival brands...so your 1 star status is what it is.

If you are before final payment date, HAL will refare your cruise to the current rates. Be aware that if you have a promo package (drinks, restaurant, etc) it may forfeit in the transaction or it may not.

Still, you can call and ask HAL all of these questions and they will help you make an informed decision.

If the price drops after final payment....well....it is what it is....likely no refare at that point.

We use a cruise consultant through Holland America and I was told last week that if the price drops prior to final payment that our price would be adjusted. If it drops after final payment they usually offer a credit towards a future cruise.

We use a cruise consultant through Holland America and I was told last week that if the price drops prior to final payment that our price would be adjusted. If it drops after final payment they usually offer a credit towards a future cruise.

I do this often, even on a small drop (it was $25 last week). Quick and very easy (I actually do it through email to my HAL PCC).

As already mentioned, BE SURE that you do not lose perks that you already have through your original booking promotion. This happens all the time - people see a lower fare and ask to be rebooked, only to find out that they lost more than they saved when you considered lost perks. When I book with promotions, line the current Ready Set Sail, I always calculate out my "bottom line" price (the fare less the "perks") and write it down on my booking confirmation. That way when I see a deal, I know what to aim for. Trust me, it is worth the extra time and effort to monitor HAL's fares.

Also how do I correct my husband’s status? We have both previously sailed on both Carnival and Princess, but only I show as 1 Star.

If that link gives you a Page Not Found or FileNotFound error you are connecting to the old website, and you should use https://www.hollandamerica.com/contactUs/Main.action

What if the price goes up after final payment?

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What if the price goes up after final payment?

 

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You just consider yourself lucky and pay the price you agreed on.

I'm always bothering my TA to call HAL whenever there is a new or changed sale. She gets the current info and calls me back and then I make the decision. For our current cruise the drop in fare was always a wash with the various promo perks we had (gratuities, OBC, airfare credit, dining, beverage, etc.), that is until the latest sale started about a month ago. The fare drop was almost 3x the value of our perks. So that one was easy. Gave up almost all the perks to save over $2500pp on the cruise.

It never hurts to ask if a better deal is available and can sometimes save you thousands. Of course once final payment is made, its all over. I don't ask and don't expect HAL to honor any reduced fare after that point, because if they did, it would also be fair for them to charge me more if the fares went up instead of down.

Our next cruise has gone up since we booked, some cabins by over $2500. We're all glad we booked when we did a year ago. So enjoy any price drop.

Just curious - bear with me as I have only had one cup of coffee.

If I read the OP correctly, they had booked via HAL and are wondering if they will match an online TA's price. I thought that the only price they will match is their own?

We book through our buck fiddy hot dog combo TA and when our Alaskan cruise dropped on the HAL site, they did match - didn't know if it works the other way around.......

Now off to my second cup.......

What if the price goes up after final payment?

 

 

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DELETED. I misread. I thought you asked what happens if the price goes down after final payment.

Just curious - bear with me as I have only had one cup of coffee.

 

If I read the OP correctly, they had booked via HAL and are wondering if they will match an online TA's price. I thought that the only price they will match is their own?

 

We book through our buck fiddy hot dog combo TA and when our Alaskan cruise dropped on the HAL site, they did match - didn't know if it works the other way around.......

 

Now off to my second cup.......

No, they will not match other's offers. Generally speaking, the prices are the same, but some large TAs do offer better perks. I think that they are able to do this because they purchase large blocks of cabins on many cruises and get a volume discount from HAL. I think you can also get a discount if you take a block of cabins (do not know how many).

No, they will not match other's offers. Generally speaking, the prices are the same, but some large TAs do offer better perks. I think that they are able to do this because they purchase large blocks of cabins on many cruises and get a volume discount from HAL. I think you can also get a discount if you take a block of cabins (do not know how many).

The big box store told me that they can always match HAL’s prices and that they can’t lower the published price. But, they add generous onboard credits to off set the price. If you book a minimum of 8 cabins, you get the 17th person free, which that money can be used to lower the price of everyone’s cruises. Our group did this for my friend’s wedding cruise. We had 48 people booked which gave us 3 people “free” The wedding couple took those 3 free bookings and gave us all a wedding couple credit to drive down the cost of our booking.

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Hi everyone, OP here. I was able to get the lower price from HAL which was a few dollars more than the TA price, I am not sure if their website had a glitch, but it wasn't showing on their website that they had lowered the price, too. We had no perks to begin with, so we had nothing to lose. Got $300 off each person, which I felt was good (about 9%). They also had me talk to the mariner people, and they corrected my husband's status also to 1 star. So I am all set, thanks for your help.

My friend had already paid in full even though final payment is not due, I encouraged her to call to see if she could get something because of the price drop (she has the same suite category). Do you think they will offer her anything, or tell her she is out of luck because she prepaid?

Hi everyone, OP here. I was able to get the lower price from HAL which was a few dollars more than the TA price, I am not sure if their website had a glitch, but it wasn't showing on their website that they had lowered the price, too. We had no perks to begin with, so we had nothing to lose. Got $300 off each person, which I felt was good (about 9%). They also had me talk to the mariner people, and they corrected my husband's status also to 1 star. So I am all set, thanks for your help.

 

My friend had already paid in full even though final payment is not due, I encouraged her to call to see if she could get something because of the price drop (she has the same suite category). Do you think they will offer her anything, or tell her she is out of luck because she prepaid?

She’ll get a refund or OBC.

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Does HAL still sneak in the “for new bookings only” fine print? Seems to me they did that occasionally for before final payment fare/incentives.

We had one a few years ago that said for new bookings only. It was close to the final payment window (we usually book inside this window).

We made the assumption that the ever lowering prices approaching final payment window meant low ocupancy amd foreshadowed even more fare reductions post final payment window. So, we simply cancelled our booking. We were not about to play games with the cruise line.

We rebooked two or three weeks later. This time inside the final payment window. We got the lower pre final cruise fare plus another $300 each.

The difference for us was that we had a standard balcony and did not care too much about location. Air was not an issue and we were quite prepared to give up the cruise in favour of another ship/cruise line if necessary. After that experience I can only think of one cruise that we booked prior to final payment. The rest have been inside the window however we are extremely flexible when it comes to time and to ship/cruise line.

We do exactly the same for AI's. Since most have air baked into them it is not unusual for us to buy an AI and leave two or three days later.

No, they will not match other's offers. Generally speaking, the prices are the same, but some large TAs do offer better perks. I think that they are able to do this because they purchase large blocks of cabins on many cruises and get a volume discount from HAL. I think you can also get a discount if you take a block of cabins (do not know how many).

Thanks - that's what I thought........

My friend was able to get a refund to her card. Looks like they changed the price again tonight, so I will try to call tomorrow or Monday to get it lowered again. Final payment is due Tuesday the 15th.

Ok, so now that we are past final payment, the price has dropped significantly. I know that they will not refund my money at this point, but is there anything they WILL do? OBC perhaps?

Ok, so now that we are past final payment, the price has dropped significantly. I know that they will not refund my money at this point, but is there anything they WILL do? OBC perhaps?

I have two experiences, same cruise, both after final payment. Less than 24 hours after final payment I was moved up another category (SY(Signature Suite) to SC guarantee(Neptune Suite), and refunded $400 to my credit card. A few weeks later it dropped again. I was given $200 OBC and $600 Future Cruise Credit. I booked directly with a Personal Cruise Consultant.

It cannot hurt to ask. And if you are turned down ask to speak to a manger (if you booked directly). You never know.

If you booked through a TA, the TA should do this on your behalf.

Have a reasonable settlement in mind before you follow up.

I know realize that you did not want to give up your cabin. We typically book inside the final payment window. When we see prices being reduced a month or two prior to final payment it is a very good indicator to us that bookings are a little light and that there will be larger price drops post final payment.

If the price increases prior to final payment and does not come down after our attitude is that there are other good ships/cruise lines and other travel options. We have a take it or leave it attitude when it comes to cruises now that we are retired. If the price is not right for us, we pass in the knowledge that it probably will be on another ship or on another sailing date.

I purchased my cruise after final payment a few weeks ago. We were offered an upgrade from inside to ocean view and declined since it was not worth the extra price to us. The cruise leaves in 3 weeks and the prices keep dropping. I just priced a cabin right next to mine and it is $300 cheaper. What would you say is a “reasonable” offer to propose for OBC?

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IF you want an upgrade ask for an upgrade to a verandah (depending on whether they still have them available on the rate sheet) and have a fall back for an unobstructed outside cabin.

Ask for $300. You might get $100. Who really knows.

Then again, you might not be successful. But there is no harm in asking, or if there is no joy on the first try, ask for a manager.

Be very polite. Don't come across with a sense of entitlement or arrogance. My spouse is very good at getting hotel upgrades so she usually handles hotel checkins and issues such as this for us.

The bottom line is that you have nothing to loose by asking.

Status does not transfer across Carnival brands...so your 1 star status is what it is.

 

If you are before final payment date, HAL will refare your cruise to the current rates. Be aware that if you have a promo package (drinks, restaurant, etc) it may forfeit in the transaction or it may not.

 

Still, you can call and ask HAL all of these questions and they will help you make an informed decision.

 

If the price drops after final payment....well....it is what it is....likely no refare at that point.

Of course if you booked through a TA, all this needs to be done through the TA, and not directly with HAL.