price drop policies

[DiploTraveler]

I have two cruises booked... see my signature.

Both have dropped in price. One is past cancellation, while the other is not. I know I can get the price adjusted for my later cruise.

 

Does HAL offer anything for ones past cancellation? I'm not saying they owe me anything... before you berate me. :rolleyes:

[momatibm]

I have two cruises booked... see my signature.

Both have dropped in price. One is past cancellation, while the other is not. I know I can get the price adjusted for my later cruise.

 

Does HAL offer anything for ones past cancellation? I'm not saying they owe me anything... before you berate me. :rolleyes:

 

All you can do is ask - have your TA ask and see if there is an upgrade or OBC availabe for the situation

[vbmom87]

I researched this awhile back by doing searches on this forum. What I found out was sometimes HAL will offer some OBC or an upgrade. However, it doesn't seem to be consistent. Sometimes they will offer nothing. As mentioned, all you can do is ask. You have nothing to lose. When a higher category cabin went down in price to the same I had paid for a lower category, I was going to call. However, when I checked the cabin locations for the new category, all were forward and we do not do well at the forward part of the ship. This was confirmed again on our Aug. 5 cruise. Just being in the Queen's Lounge for an hour caused my husband to get seasick. :(

[tcook052]

Does HAL offer anything for ones past cancellation? I'm not saying they owe me anything... before you berate me. :rolleyes:

 

Not normally is probably the best answer we can give though as others mentioned it's worth asking.

[Mar56]

If you have only paid your deposit and have noticed the prices have gone down what are your options?

Edited September 1, 2011 by Mar56
Unclear verbage

[vbmom87]

If you have only paid your deposit and have noticed the prices have gone down what are your options?

 

If final payment has not passed you just call whomever you booked through (TA or HAL) and tell them you noticed the price drop and ask them to apply it to your booking.

 

In some cases, these price drops will only be for "new bookings". If that is the case, you will have to cancel your original reservation, cabin selection and all and rebook. When you do this, your shore excursions will also be cancelled, so be sure to have your TA take care of rebooking them, or you can handle it yourself. I have done this on both of my HAL cruises. Always ended up with a nicer cabin for the same price or less.

[Jalex63]

While I have never experienced being in this particular situation, it makes sense to me that if you are outside the time limits for cancellation with full refund why would the cruise line not make an adjustment? I mean, you could just cancel the booking and then rebook at the new price. The cruise lines refusal to work with you would just result in more paperwork for them if you do the aforementioned.

 

My personal experience has been that most all of the cruises I have taken have been near sell outs and the price of cabins has gone up, not down over the course of time. Cruises I have taken where I got a real deal due to heavy discounting have always been drastically reduced following the time period where full payment was required, obviously cutting off the ability for previous bookings to cancel and rebook. This is just good business and therefore I have never tried for nor felt entitled to any discount at that point. If getting a real deal is what you are after then you are advised to either book early for popular cruises or wait and take your chances on the less popular ones.

[tcook052]

If final payment has not passed you just call whomever you booked through (TA or HAL) and tell them you noticed the price drop and ask them to apply it to your booking.

 

In some cases, these price drops will only be for "new bookings". If that is the case, you will have to cancel your original reservation, cabin selection and all and rebook. When you do this, your shore excursions will also be cancelled, so be sure to have your TA take care of rebooking them, or you can handle it yourself. I have done this on both of my HAL cruises. Always ended up with a nicer cabin for the same price or less.

 

FWIW I threaten to cancel & rebook and usually it's enough to have the res. agent put me on hold and come back and say her supervisor allowed her to rebook me at the lower rate even though it's normally for new bookings only. It's just easier to ammend/update an exisiting file than to waste everyone's time by refunding a reservation and rebooking and rebuilding a new one with new deposit.

[vbmom87]

FWIW I threaten to cancel & rebook and usually it's enough to have the res. agent put me on hold and come back and say her supervisor allowed her to rebook me at the lower rate even though it's normally for new bookings only. It's just easier to ammend/update an exisiting file than to waste everyone's time by refunding a reservation and rebooking and rebuilding a new one with new deposit.

 

I haven't had to pay a new deposit when my reservations were canceled and rebooked. Frankly, I don't care how they handle it on their end. The first time I used a local TA, the second time on online TA. In both cases it just took a phone call on my part. In the first case I was emailed the new booking, in the second, it was emailed to me.

[slabeaume]

That happened on my first HAL cruise after the final payment date and they upgraded us to the obstructed ocean view from an inside cabin. I wasn't expecting anything, but figured it couldn't hurt to ask. I was happy with the new cabin.

[hypercafe]

I had a recent price drop for a trip that is before final payment. I call HAL and they were very happy to give me the new price. I asked what would of happened after final payment and was told that I would get either a upgrade or OBC.

[DiploTraveler]

I asked HAL for OBC since the price of my cruise fell since I booked (after cancellation). They offered me 25% of the price difference in OBC the second time I asked (first time flat denial). I asked for half, since that just made more sense, but in the end accepted their offer. They didn't have to give me anything, so I'm still ahead a bit.

 

Thought you'd like to know...

[vbmom87]

I asked HAL for OBC since the price of my cruise fell since I booked (after cancellation). They offered me 25% of the price difference in OBC the second time I asked (first time flat denial). I asked for half, since that just made more sense, but in the end accepted their offer. They didn't have to give me anything, so I'm still ahead a bit.

 

Thought you'd like to know...

 

Did you book through HAL or through an independent TA or an online TA?

[Mar56]

We aren't sailing until Jan 27 but called my agent today and said I don't want to cancel and rebook since we've already booked all our excursions, and some are limited number. But can you see if you can get a reduction (thanks to all of you discussing this I went in and saw that equivalent cabins to mine had dropped.) My final payment isn't due until mid November.

 

My TA called and got a drop in price for us - 418.00 less than when we had booked. Yaaaay. (and it's an actual reduction in price, not an OBC)

 

I cannot thank those of you on this message board enough. What a wealth of info that I wouldn't have known without you!!!

 

Mar56

[Jade13]

FWIW I threaten to cancel & rebook and usually it's enough to have the res. agent put me on hold and come back and say her supervisor allowed her to rebook me at the lower rate even though it's normally for new bookings only. It's just easier to ammend/update an exisiting file than to waste everyone's time by refunding a reservation and rebooking and rebuilding a new one with new deposit.

 

After final payment?

[DiploTraveler]

Did you book through HAL or through an independent TA or an online TA?

I booked directly through HAL.

[tcook052]

After final payment?

 

No before.

[NelleS]

I just noticed that our cabin has dropped by $100 pp, and while it is past our final payment, I emailed our outside TA to see if we could get an OBC or something. I'll let you know what happens.

 

Ellen

[vbmom87]

I just noticed that our cabin has dropped by $100 pp, and while it is past our final payment, I emailed our outside TA to see if we could get an OBC or something. I'll let you know what happens.

 

Ellen

 

 

Good luck!!!

[NelleS]

No luck.:( My Ta called and said the only thing would have been an cabin upgrade, but since we have a specific SZ cabin, we passed.

 

Like others have said, doesn't hurt to ask.

 

I'm not unhappy - still going on a great cruise in the cabin we want!

 

Ellen

[EbayCruiser]

I just noticed that our cabin has dropped by $100 pp, and while it is past our final payment, I emailed our outside TA to see if we could get an OBC or something. I'll let you know what happens.

 

Ellen

 

Just noticed today that our specific SZ cabin has dropped $100 pp and is also past the final payment date. We booked directly thru HAL and I called this morning and she spoke with a supervisor we received $50 pp OBC. It never hurts to ask!!

 

I think you tend to get OBC's when booked directly thru HAL. It is not in the TA's best interest to get you OBC or price drops as it effects their percentage in profit. That is why we no longer deal with TA's. Like to have control of my own reservation because I check twice a day for price drops.

 

The agent at HAL this morning told me to keep checking and call back if I see further price reductions! :)

[EbayCruiser]

No luck.:( My Ta called and said the only thing would have been an cabin upgrade, but since we have a specific SZ cabin, we passed.

 

Like others have said, doesn't hurt to ask.

 

I'm not unhappy - still going on a great cruise in the cabin we want!

 

Ellen

 

How do you know for sure the TA even checked with HAL??

[SparrowLegs]

Our cruise to the Baltics last June was discounted the day after final payment. I complained to no avail. I did cancel though, and re booked, cost me £800 to cancel but still saved £800 on the same balcony cabin.

[NelleS]

How do you know for sure the TA even checked with HAL??

 

When she called me, she said she had HAL on the other line. She said HAL does not offer OBCs or price reductions after final payment. Not much I could do but take her at her word.

 

It appears others have had different experiences.

 

Oh, well, such is life...

[tcook052]

It is not in the TA's best interest to get you OBC or price drops as it effects their percentage in profit.

 

OBC's have zero effect on a file's commission and even a small drop of $100 pp isn't enough to presume they won't act do right by the client and pass along any savings. It's always in the best interest of the TA to keep their customer happy so don't doubt this poster's agent went to bat for them with HAL in asking for the reduction post final payment.

Edited September 9, 2011 by tcook052