Price Fluctuations

Very irritated at HAL. Researched a Caribbean cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam, made notes of prices, cabins, etc. Called my travel agent about one week later and the price for our suite had jumped $360 (for two)! I checked HAL site and sure enough, they had jacked up the price. Really ticked me off (we did not book, just out of spite!).

Does anyone know: do HAL prices adjust frequently? Always up or sometimes down? When?

Thanks.

Prices fluctuate depending on how bookings are going. I just found a price drop on my November cruise and had it refared. I would recommend that when you find a cruise you want at a price you like book it. Then pay attention to see if the prices goes down or if perks are added.

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Price changes are all about supply and demand. Standard business practice in many businesses. Not news.

Price changes are all about supply and demand. Standard business practice in many businesses. Not news.

Surely agree.

Very irritated at HAL. Researched a Caribbean cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam, made notes of prices, cabins, etc. Called my travel agent about one week later and the price for our suite had jumped $360 (for two)! I checked HAL site and sure enough, they had jacked up the price. Really ticked me off (we did not book, just out of spite!).

 

Does anyone know: do HAL prices adjust frequently? Always up or sometimes down? When?

 

Thanks.

I have found that HAL does frequently adjust prices, both up and down. Normally not a great amount though.

One thing - if a promotion goes on (or off), the fares will most likely change to account for it. This is when you see the greatest changes. It seems to be the case anymore that if you are looking at a cruise with promotion "X" which has a "value" in perks of lets say $200, when the promotion ends the fare will most times drop by about $200. Of course, this depends on how well the cruise is selling at that time, so it can go down more or less than the $200 (sometimes not at all). Remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch!

What I normally do is book a cruise I like when the price seems "reasonable" to me. Then I watch pricing about once a week and if it drops I call my TA (HAL PCC) and ask to be refared at the new price. It is quick and easy and a good way to save money.

I try to book without any special promotion. Often, my travel agent finds a "promotion" price and a "non-promotion" price. The non-promotion price is always lower and, most of the time, the "promotion" goodies are of little interest to me.

Also, prices can change during a promo so keep watching.

Whenever I price check, I ask HAL how long this price is set to go (always subject to availability). I also ask how full the sailing is. There is usually an end date for the current fare code. Many times after a rate ends, 5 days or so later another (sometimes better, sometimes not, depending on availability) fare appears after the intermediate one. I have found prices dropped on Tuesdays or Thursdays, generally speaking, for cruises I was interested in. Good Luck!

Funny thing about complaining about this: every other line does the exact same thing. So do the airlines. It’s how things work.

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We now book our cruises as soon as they are posted on the website, independent of the cruise line, which is usually at least 18 months to 2 years out.

The benefits of doing this are that we are able to get the cabin we want and get it at the initial opening price which usually doesn't include any special sale perks. Then, as time goes on as special deals are advertised, we have our TA work with the cruise line when a special deal comes along to refare our booking if it makes economical sense.

Usually the Oceania and Crystal cruises for the most part stay pretty level. However, you can bet HAL, Celebrity and Princess special sales will happen, depending on demand, and you need to be ready when they happen, as some deals may only last a week or two, to refare your booking. It's just how the game is played.

For example on a Princess cruise we have booked, we were able to take advantage of a sale where $1,000 OBC was added to our booking without a price increase and I'm sure we'll be able to improve that deal by the time we sail in Jul 2019. A Celebrity b2b cruise we have booked for Jan 2019 has gone up $1,000 pp on each leg since we booked it when they first came out. On past HAL cruises by the time we sailed, we usually had secured at least $300 OBC plus free gratuities, a discount for an internet package and usually a lower fare in most instances. And that doesn't even include the shareholder benefits, future cruise credits and TA benefits we also collected along the way.

I realize there are great last minute deals sometimes, but in those situations you may not be getting as great a deal as if you had booked the cruise when it was first posted. But that can be debated for some last minute deals that are just too good to be passed up.

But to be fair, we've been on over 25 cruises Now and on our first 5 HAL cruises we didn't even know what OBC was, probably because we would always book using a cruise line's PCC.

Our next cruise, which we booked last year has gone way up. An inside cabin now costs more then our Ocean View. If you see something you like, book it now. Make sure it's refundable, you can always cancel.

As a general rule prices go up. Think of it as a graph, there will be some up and down spots on the graph, but the line will head up.

Price drops are often caused by promotions ending. Holland America promotions are almost always more expensive than the non-promotional rate and 75% of the time the free item is not worth the price increase. Ie, you get $200 in free gratuities but the fare is $400 more.

Lowest prices and most options is by booking as early as possible. Of course there are exceptions, but not many.

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Be sure to login on HAL’s site to price check. Sometimes the difference in pricing is significant (and sometimes not:). The only thing is, if you’re already booked, you likely will not get any more “special pricing” / private fares until your cruise ends.

Some online agencies where you have to enter an email to access sales will show significant Mariner discounts if it’s in your file you are a past passenger (eg: v2g).

No different than airline, hotel, and AI pricing methodologies.

Our experience is that pricing can change during the day, but more often overnight. SInce we usually book inside the final payment window we are always ready to book when our price hits. We learned the hard way a few times by 'sleeping on it'. We woke up and found that the price had increased substantially.

Don't forget, the prices can go down as quickly as they go up. Just set a price and hit the buy button when your price hits. And if you are outside final payment monitor for a re-pricing opportunity. HAL is a business. Like other cruise lines their goal is to maximize profit/return for their corporate shareholders.

No different than airline, hotel, and AI pricing methodologies.

 

Our experience is that pricing can change during the day, but more often overnight. SInce we usually book inside the final payment window we are always ready to book when our price hits. We learned the hard way a few times by 'sleeping on it'. We woke up and found that the price had increased substantially.

 

Don't forget, the prices can go down as quickly as they go up. Just set a price and hit the buy button when your price hits. And if you are outside final payment monitor for a re-pricing opportunity. HAL is a business. Like other cruise lines their goal is to maximize profit/return for their corporate shareholders.

If you don't mind a question as I've always been curious about the logistics of buying a cruise in the final week or two. How do you deal with airline reservations or do you live within driving distance of the port you cruise out of?

More often than not we are actually doing independent land tours and pick up a cruise as an add on. So, when travelling in Australia we bought a last minute to Oz and NZ. Same when we were doing a land trip in Sicily-picked up a last minute from Rome. Did the same in Florida. Arranged a last minute Med for my DS from Rome. She and her husband were in London so getting to Rome on an inexpensive flight at the last minute is not a huge challenge. We did two in the past from Istanbul and we able to snag great one way air consolidator tickets about three weeks out.

If we need air we follow air and cruise at the same time. We did a last minute Christmas cruise on Celebrity a few years ago. We flew from western Canada. We were able to pick up good airfare however this can be a challenge or present a roadblock from booking in holiday periods We also had lots of airline points from business travel(in the past) and could sometimes use these-especially for one ways. If we do not have air, even though we are shopping at the same time, our TA can usually put a four or eight hour hold on a last minute cruise while we firm up our air.

Sometimes though, air does not work out and we pass on the cruise. We always check cruise air. Our last late booking Med was an RCI from Rome to BCN. We did not have air arranged to return to North America after our travels. Even though the cruise was a week away or so it had a very attractive rate and an even more attractive one way cruise air home. We booked both immediately on the RCI web site since it was the middle of the night at home for our regular on line TA and we did not want to miss out on the air component pricing.

More often than not we are actually doing independent land tours and pick up a cruise as an add on. So, when travelling in Australia we bought a last minute to Oz and NZ. Same when we were doing a land trip in Sicily-picked up a last minute from Rome. Did the same in Florida. Arranged a last minute Med for my DS from Rome. She and her husband were in London so getting to Rome on an inexpensive flight at the last minute is not a huge challenge. We did two in the past from Istanbul and we able to snag great one way air consolidator tickets about three weeks out.

 

If we need air we follow air and cruise at the same time. We did a last minute Christmas cruise on Celebrity a few years ago. We flew from western Canada. We were able to pick up good airfare however this can be a challenge or present a roadblock from booking in holiday periods We also had lots of airline points from business travel(in the past) and could sometimes use these-especially for one ways. If we do not have air, even though we are shopping at the same time, our TA can usually put a four or eight hour hold on a last minute cruise while we firm up our air.

Sometimes though, air does not work out and we pass on the cruise. We always check cruise air. Our last late booking Med was an RCI from Rome to BCN. We did not have air arranged to return to North America after our travels. Even though the cruise was a week away or so it had a very attractive rate and an even more attractive one way cruise air home. We booked both immediately on the RCI web site since it was the middle of the night at home for our regular on line TA and we did not want to miss out on the air component pricing.

Living in the moment. I love it. Thanks for sharing.

If we booked thru a private agency, if there's a price drop should we call that agency or HAL?

I would call the Agency, not Holland America.

I would call the Agency, not Holland America.

If you booked through an agency, I am pretty sure only the agency can work on these things for you.

It is not just price drops and re-prices to watch out for. Sometimes the cruise lines will consolidate or collapse several cabin classes into one price point.

You many not be able to get a reprice BUT you may be able to get a better cabin class/location whatever.

Always make sure you deal with a TA that does not charge for re-prices or cabin changes.

If you booked through an agency, I am pretty sure only the agency can work on these things for you.

Exactly right.

If you don't mind a question as I've always been curious about the logistics of buying a cruise in the final week or two. How do you deal with airline reservations or do you live within driving distance of the port you cruise out of?

Well, I'm solo so I'm always looking to minimize what I'll have to pay. I will almost always book after final payment, watching for the price drop -- if there will be one. Since I live near a port, sometimes I'll book just a week prior to sailing.

Now, having said all that....what do I do if I'm interested in a cruise that requires travel and lodging? I will book my airline and lodging as soon as I see a cruise that interests me...sometimes close to a year in advance. I fly Southwest (WN), which does permit cancellations; and I book lodging with IHG (InterContinental Hotel Group) which also permits cancellation. Then I just sit and watch the cruise fare. When I think that it has bottomed out, I'll book the cruise. I'll usually know within two weeks of sailing whether or not the fare is acceptable. If not, then I'll be able to cancel my flight and lodging without penalty. So far this has worked for me, but I know that someday this strategy may fail (cruise fare may go up).