paid upgrade to SY from VE

[Eventide331]

I think I made a good decision. It is about 100 more square feet than the VE. We were offered a $149 per person upgrade and I grabbed it. Hope I made good choice. Anyone been on the Westerdam SY 6061?

[maxout]

Congratulations on your upsell :D You will enjoy the larger space and balcony.

[Eventide331]

Thanks! Since my husband and I will share the room with our 21 year old son, I think the space will be a real blessing!

[1cruiselvr]

Was the upsell offer made thru your TA or Holland America? And was the offer by email or phone?

[Eventide331]

I received an email two days ago offering the upsell of SS for $500 per person. I couldn't swing that and refused the upsell. I called back today and asked if it was still available and if the price had dropped. They offered it at $149 per person. I asked it they had SY for the same price and they did. We grabbed it. I had heard the SS are the exact same but the one they were quoting me was directly under the lido/pool deck and I feared noise. We aren't party animals:)

[1cruiselvr]

I am assuming that since HAL emailed you directly with the upsell offer, that you booked your cruise with HAL and not a TA?

[Eventide331]

sorry I didn't answer completely. I booked directly though Holland. I have used TA's before but I really enjoy working directly with the cruise company. I don't get obc's as much but I enjoying maintaining the control of the reservation.

[1cruiselvr]

I totally agree about the control issue. Makes dealing with upsells alot easier, no middleman. But with that said, I still book mostly thru an online TA because the pricing is cheaper. Congratulations on your great upsell deal. You will love the cabin. Happy Sailing!

[dobiemom]

I think I made a good decision. It is about 100 more square feet than the VE. We were offered a $149 per person upgrade and I grabbed it. Hope I made good choice. Anyone been on the Westerdam SY 6061?

Excellent upsell... plus you get bonus points for being in a suite! :)

 

ETA: Oops, I may be wrong about the bonus points. But you still have a great cabin. Love the larger bathroom!

[taxmantoo]

Excellent upsell... plus you get bonus points for being in a suite! :)

 

It is a terrific upsell at a fantastic price, Congratulations and enjoy...BUT you do not get bonus Mariner points on an upgrade or upsell. Bonus points are only if you originally book in a Superior or Deluxe Suite at booking time. You would however get bonus points if you originally booked an SS/SY and then be upsold to a SA/SB suite.

[boards]

You made a good decision. It happened to us on our last cruise on the Noordam last Nov. It was great upgrade especially since it was the first time we had booked a veranda cabin.

[kjw869]

Great, you made a wise choice considering there will be three of you in the room.

 

As for the poster who asked about who offered the upsell, we were offered upsells from SS or SY to SA Deluxe Suites for $149-199 on four straight cruises. We have never booked through HAL, as we always got better prices at online agencies.

 

One of the people we cruised with on one trip, booked through HAL and never received the offer for an upsell.

[Eventide331]

Yes, not sure it matters who you book with concerning receiving the upsell. I sometimes book through a TA as well. I check pricing. This time the Holland pricing was exactly the same as two other online agencies that I have booked through. When it is identical, I usually opt to go direct with the cruise line because I feel like I have a little more control. That may be an illusion!

[Eventide331]

thanks for the great info. I learn so much from this board of seasoned cruisers:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Excellent Upsell!!

Congratulations!!

[Eventide331]

We can't wait for retirement:) I hope to be enjoying even more. We think it is THE way to vacation.

[1cruiselvr]

It is a terrific upsell at a fantastic price, Congratulations and enjoy...BUT you do not get bonus Mariner points on an upgrade or upsell. Bonus points are only if you originally book in a Superior or Deluxe Suite at booking time. You would however get bonus points if you originally booked an SS/SY and then be upsold to a SA/SB suite.

I was upgraded (for free) my HAL (thank you) and got the bonus points for switching from a balcony to a full suite. So i don't care what the fine print says, they still give you the bonus days. If that's what we are talking about - bonus days??? Happy Sailing!

[1cruiselvr]

Yes, not sure it matters who you book with concerning receiving the upsell. I sometimes book through a TA as well. I check pricing. This time the Holland pricing was exactly the same as two other online agencies that I have booked through. When it is identical, I usually opt to go direct with the cruise line because I feel like I have a little more control. That may be an illusion!

No, I wasn't thinking it did make a difference in upsell offers. But if you book thru a TA then you have wait for that middleman to contact you and for you to get that email or ph call and the upsell could be gone by then. The middleman slows down the process IMHO. I think it might be easier to score an upsell if you book directly with the CL because as the OP did, you can call and renegotiate. You have to rely on your TA to do that and maybe their negotiation skills aren't as good as yours :p or they don't really make the call but just tell you they did? Just thoughts running in my head. :rolleyes: Happy Sailing!

[Eventide331]

I hear ya. I don't know about the bonus points. I don't even know what I have in the way of points. I don't stick with one cruise line. I go for the itineary that I want and the price I can afford. I haven't tried several of the lines yet and hope to try them all one day!

[boards]

We got an upgrade, paid $149 each for it and were very happy about to receive it, but there was no extra bonus points given. We did not expect either since we did not pay full price. I guess you were very fortunate to receive them.

[cruisun]

Great, you made a wise choice considering there will be three of you in the room.

 

As for the poster who asked about who offered the upsell, we were offered upsells from SS or SY to SA Deluxe Suites for $149-199 on four straight cruises. We have never booked through HAL, as we always got better prices at online agencies.

 

One of the people we cruised with on one trip, booked through HAL and never received the offer for an upsell.

 

That's amazing! Congratulations

[Eventide331]

How do you find out how many "points" you have?

[boards]

Open your account in the Hal website. Click on My Mariner Status and it will tell you how many points you have.

[Eventide331]

thanks!

[iancal]

Who cares about bonus points on a deal like that.

 

You got a fabulous deal. Good for you for refusing the first offer and then following up to see if you could craft a more attractive deal. I like that.

 

But keep it to yourself on the cruise......your neighbours probably paid a lot more for the same product.