Add 3rd and 4th to stateroom free

[oaktreerb]

Hal now seems to be promoting free fares to 3rd and 4th person in selected staterooms. Do you think this is a good marketing tool for most cruisers? I realize that they still charge the gratuity and probably sell more extras like soda cards, booze, excursions. Do you think the increase in passengers causes inconvenience for others (Lido, making reservations for as you wish dining, etc). Would it make you more or less likely to choose that particular cruise?

[kazu]

It's not a big issue to me. The 3rd and 4th passengers can only go in specific cabins and the passenger numbers you see for the ships assume it is totally full. Frankly, I admire anyone who can add the 3rd or 4th passenger in their cabin. I certainly couldn't do it. ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

first -- hal will limit the number of 3rd and 4th people in cabins -- and as you mentioned -- limit the number of cabins that will be offered in this offer on select ships and itineraries

second -- you won't feel crowded

this is mainly being done to attrack more families

[jkrislc]

I agree with KK; I think it's to appeal to more families, which is the reason I was attracted to HAL for Alaska. I've always wanted to try HAL and such pricing made it very attractive. That said, I can't imagine many people would want to cram four adults into a standard cabin, which is why I think KK is correct. The only time I've really seen anyone report on four adults in a standard cabin was on a booze (weekend) cruise. Given that HAL doesn't offer short 3/4 day itineraries, I don't think the appeal is there.

[CowPrincess]

Hal now seems to be promoting free fares to 3rd and 4th person in selected staterooms. Do you think this is a good marketing tool for most cruisers? I realize that they still charge the gratuity and probably sell more extras like soda cards, booze, excursions. Do you think the increase in passengers causes inconvenience for others (Lido, making reservations for as you wish dining, etc). Would it make you more or less likely to choose that particular cruise?

 

 

It caused us a fair amount of inconvenience/annoyance on one cruise, with multi-generational families crammed into MANY nearby cabins. If I knew when booking that a particular cruise was being offered "3rd/4th person cruises free" I'd have to REALLY want to be on that particular cruise to book. And I'd be picking my cabin very carefully.

[1of4]

Well since we are going to Alaska with our 7 and 10 year olds paying $99 each in our inside cabin...the answer is no. That is one of the reasons that tipped us in favour of which cruise we would choose. It wasn't the main reason, mind you, but it certainly factored in. If anyone is honest and says paying $599 to $899 each for their children (on our cruise it had to be children as the 3rd and 4th in the cabin) vs $99 wasn't a consideration I would tend to think they were bragging.

 

I must admit I am overly sensitive to the negative connotation this board has given to children being on HAL ships, but since there is a children's club the line must find them acceptable.

 

My kids don't have grandparents so I invite anyone who is so inclinded to be friendly to Ian and Natalie to strike up a conversation (they will never approach you or encroach on your space). I think you will be surprised at the love and respect they will give back and the questions they will ask you. They will never be rude, loud, drink soda or alcohol, they won't complain and they won't try to smuggle items on to the ship...but they may give you a seat if they see you are looking for one.

 

Gail

 

[vbmom87]

Well since we are going to Alaska with our 7 and 10 year olds paying $99 each in our inside cabin...the answer is no. That is one of the reasons that tipped us in favour of which cruise we would choose. It wasn't the main reason, mind you, but it certainly factored in. If anyone is honest and says paying $599 to $899 each for their children (on our cruise it had to be children as the 3rd and 4th in the cabin) vs $99 wasn't a consideration I would tend to think they were bragging.

 

I must admit I am overly sensitive to the negative connotation this board has given to children being on HAL ships, but since there is a children's club the line must find them acceptable.

 

My kids don't have grandparents so I invite anyone who is so inclinded to be friendly to Ian and Natalie to strike up a conversation (they will never approach you or encroach on your space). I think you will be surprised at the love and respect they will give back and the questions they will ask you. They will never be rude, loud, drink soda or alcohol, they won't complain and they won't try to smuggle items on to the ship...but they may give you a seat if they see you are looking for one.

 

Gail

 

 

 

 

Although I have read some of the negatives, I have also read many positive comments about children on HAL. I think you will have a great time!!!!

 

BTW: You chose a great scenic itinerary!!!

[mtebor]

so does hal ever offer discount rates for 3 or 4 person for alaska? Or is it such a popular destination that discounting is not necessary.

[CruisinManiac]

Is there a link to this promotion? I'd love to be able to take my adult children on a cruise again.

[fsdj1097]

It caused us a fair amount of inconvenience/annoyance on one cruise, with multi-generational families crammed into MANY nearby cabins. If I knew when booking that a particular cruise was being offered "3rd/4th person cruises free" I'd have to REALLY want to be on that particular cruise to book. And I'd be picking my cabin very carefully.

 

HAL only allows a maximum of 4 passengers in cabins that have been designed to accomodate that number (pullmans that fold down for sleeping), or sofa beds.

 

Please explain how having those cabins nearby to your cabin be an inconveniece or annoyance?

 

We have taken advantage of HAL's sales many times by taking our grandson for $99, or even for just the taxes and port charges. There is an additional service charge that we are happy to pay for the privilege of taking him along.

[onthecobb]

Not all 3rd and 4th passengers are free or $99. It think it depends on the route and time of year. We are paying $199 for each of our two children to the Mexican Riveria during Spring Break, and it was a huge consideration when we were choosing which line to take. Carnival, NCL and Princess were all full price for each of the kids (close to $1000 each) at the time of our booking making it virtually impossible for us to chose anything other than HAL. It will be our first time on HAL and we are really looking forward to it.

 

Laurie

[BumperII]

Much ado about nothing. Our experience with families on board HAL ships is much like the street where we live. The youngsters are 99% well behaved, full of energy and mostly interested in each other. Not only do they not cause us any inconvenience, they are a pleasure to have around.

We choose to live in a neighborhood with a nice mix of families in every stage of life.

[ger_77]

Our family (all adults) are going on a Baltic cruise this summer. One of our sons is single, and rather than incur the expense of a single cabin, he is going to share one with his sister and brother-in-law. It made more sense for us to pay for the 3rd person in a cabin, rather than pay a single supplement, or have him miss the cruise entirely. I know this wouldn't work in every family, but these three have shared accommodations previously and everyone realizes the others' need for privacy.

 

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

[pms4104]

I keep hoping HAL will offer either free or $99 passage for the 2nd person in a cabin:D

[fatcat04]

Our kiddo (9 yrs) almost always goes free or else his fare is something like $99-199. The free or reduced fare is very nice but is not necessary and we still end up getting him a soda card, souvenirs, excursions, and other stuff as with any vacation. This upcoming one will be our 4th with HAL so the kid has this cruising thing down pat and I am afraid is just as addicted as his parents :p

[Big Dawg CC]

so does hal ever offer discount rates for 3 or 4 person for alaska? Or is it such a popular destination that discounting is not necessary.

 

Yes. We are on the June 24, 2011, 14-day to Alaska, and our two girls are each $99. It was priced that way for a long time, but I believe it is now up to $399. The cheaper rate for 3rd and 4th guests in a room is a MAJOR factor in our continuing to sail with HAL. Heck, the food, service, etc. aint too shabby either!

[trvldog]

We booked our May Alaska cruise and got 3rd traveler free (paid for taxes). It was the most important factor for me, since bringing my niece this time.

I have been on RCCL, Holland, Celebrity and NCL to Alaska so I go by the price first when booking Alaska since I pay for this cruise as a gift to my mom. I want the most bang for my buck on outside cabins so I can afford to purchase a couple excursions also!

[lvz2cruz]

We had that promo when we first sailed HAL in January.

Last fall it was offered on Bermuda sailings in May only. Sometime later June sailings were added--maybe the ship was not selling well?

It was a big factor in choosing between them and our usual Celebrity.

 

We do not have a problem with 4 in a cabin. We probably cruised over 100 nights on Celebrity with 5 in a cabin, so our HAL sailing with just 4 seemed spacious after our daughter got married. We have a 5 bedroom, 4 bath house so are used to our own space.

 

We have had separate cabins on NCL and other than the ease of a second bathroom, I prefer us all being together. There are so many great memories of laying in our beds and talking about what each of us did that day when they were in the kids programs. We don't always get that time in our busy lives.

[jkrislc]

I keep hoping HAL will offer either free or $99 passage for the 2nd person in a cabin:D

 

They just might, but they'll use the same pricing scheme as the ultra-premium lines. That is, they'll offer a 2-for-1, but the 1 will be at full, inflated brochure price and with no discounts ;)

[oaktreerb]

So, I guess the answer is that the promo is successful. I have heard nothing but positive comments on Hal's kid's program. We had a couple of kids (7 & 8) on a cruisetour to the Yukon (Tour 6). They played with their hand held video devices on the bus and I was totally impressed with their courtesy and respect for their parents, each other, and others in the tour group.

[fsdj1097]

We receive emails and regular mailings from HAL on their specials. Also, when you log into the HAL website, they have a special area that you can click on to view specials by region.

 

When we book a cruise, we watch for specials and if it's before final payment when we spot one, we have our TA contact HAL. HAL will almost always honor the specials for our bookings until final payment unless it specifically states for new bookings only. Even for the new bookings only specials, you can always cancel your existing booking and re-book to take advantage of the special. However, if you do cancel and re-book, you may lose your dining accomodations or a particular cabin number if you haven't booked a guarantee.

[CowPrincess]

HAL only allows a maximum of 4 passengers in cabins that have been designed to accomodate that number (pullmans that fold down for sleeping), or sofa beds.

 

Please explain how having those cabins nearby to your cabin be an inconveniece or annoyance?

 

We have taken advantage of HAL's sales many times by taking our grandson for $99, or even for just the taxes and port charges. There is an additional service charge that we are happy to pay for the privilege of taking him along.

 

 

From my post-cruise review:

 

We had an oceanview cabin, which we’d booked specifically in order to be near our friends. It was standard-issue, bright and pleasant and easy to spend time in. However, when we booked we didn’t notice that it and alllllll the cabins around it were triple and quad occupancy. Traveling over Thanksgiving, we were surrounded by people, with virtually every cabin except ours and our friends’ being filled to capacity. The cabin stewards must have been rushed off their feet opening and closing beds and cleaning up after all the passengers they were serving.

 

.....

 

There was an inordinate amount of noise in the halls starting early in the morning and continuing till bedtime each night. It would have been more pleasant if some passengers had closed their doors to contain the noise, and had not encouraged their children to burn off energy in the hallways. Annoying but not vacation-ruining.

 

 

And to say that those interior and OV cabins are "designed" to hold 4 people is disingenuous -- they are the exact same cabins that hold 2 people, with pullman and sofa bed added.

 

You are happy to have your grandchild with you when you are cruising, and that is great. On the cruise I am referencing, it was more than obvious that many grandparents were not prepared to be spending a lot of time in close quarters with their grandchildren.

 

In my post-cruise review I did not mention the cabins that we walked past every morning with the door standing open, the overwrought "parents" screaming at the cabin stewards to get them this and/or that, while the cabin steward was standing knee-deep in "stuff" such as discarded clothing and toys, nearly unable to move through the disarray to do their work. The stewards' work suffered, of course, with all the extra demands made on their time -- get this, get that, do this, do that, and then the making up and undoing the extra beds in every cabin that had extra beds.

 

I think I did make note somewhere that the extended families all seemed to feel that open doors and shouting along the halls (from the comfort of their beds) was the best way to communicate. So people would be yelling across the hall and down 2 or 3 cabins to let each other know their plans :rolleyes:

 

So that is my experience, and as I said previously I'd be very careful about picking a cabin if I knew there was a "3rd/4th cruise free" promo on a cruise I wanted to take.

 

Although I have read some of the negatives, I have also read many positive comments about children on HAL. I think you will have a great time!!!!

 

BTW: You chose a great scenic itinerary!!!

 

In reality, IMHO, most of the "negative" comments are about the parents who refuse to parent, not about the kids :)

[fsdj1097]

 

And to say that those interior and OV cabins are "designed" to hold 4 people is disingenuous -- they are the exact same cabins that hold 2 people, with pullman and sofa bed added.

 

Certainly not disingenuous. dis·in·gen·u·ous (d s n-j n y - s). adj. 1. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating. With pullman and sofa beds they are designed to accomodate up to 4.

 

If you booked a holiday cruise and thought that cabins would not be filled with families, you must have not researched the demographics for holiday cruises.

 

I certainly understand your dismay at cabins with open doors and people screaming across hallways. Certainly not my idea of a 5 Star cruise experience. My condolences.

[CowPrincess]

dis·in·genu·ous (dis′in jen′yo̵̅o̅ əs)

 

adjective

 

1.not straightforward; not candid or frank; insincere

2.slyly deceptive or misleading, typically by means of a pretense of ignorance or unawareness

 

(bolding mine)

 

IMHO saying the cabins are "modified" to hold 4 is much more accurate than they are "designed" to hold 4.

 

You seem to want to argue with me. I'm not interested. I replied to your question asking how it was an annoyance or inconvenience. I'm not looking for your condolences, and my previous post stands -- if I was going on a ship that had a "3rd/4th cruises free" promo, I'd be very careful choosing my cabin.

[lvz2cruz]

dis·in·genu·ous (dis′in jen′yo̵̅o̅ əs)

 

adjective

 

1.not straightforward; not candid or frank; insincere

2.slyly deceptive or misleading, typically by means of a pretense of ignorance or unawareness

 

(bolding mine)

 

IMHO saying the cabins are "modified" to hold 4 is much more accurate than they are "designed" to hold 4.

 

You seem to want to argue with me. I'm not interested. I replied to your question asking how it was an annoyance or inconvenience. I'm not looking for your condolences, and my previous post stands -- if I was going on a ship that had a "3rd/4th cruises free" promo, I'd be very careful choosing my cabin.

 

You probably don't realize it, but if you booked a cabin designed to hold 3 or 4, you might have prevented a family from sailing. We sometimes have a hard time on HAL finding one of the few cabins that will accomodate us. When a couple have booked it instead of a double cabin, we are forced to choose a less suitable area or not go at all.

By staying in a cabin designed for your occupancy, we both end up happy--you are not surrounded by kids and I can get on the boat:).