Why do we pay more for the SAME cruises?

[Globaliser]

The residence restriction was reinforced when my wife, while visiting family in New Zealand, booked a ticket to go from Aukland to Queenstown. She used the New Zealand site which quoted in New Zealand Dollars. When she showed up to board the flight she was told that the site and fare only applied to New Zealand residents and that she should have used the site that quoted in US dollars which was higher.

How long ago was this?

 

The restriction does not appear to apply now. I've bought many domestic NZ tickets on Air New Zealand's NZ site using NZD. I haven't recently seen anything on that site that suggests that you must be an NZ resident to use it. And the website has cheerfully accepted my UK address every time when booking.

[Alisamontreal]

I find this discussion very interesting. While I cannot answer the original poster's question about Australian bookings, I can share my experience.

 

A few months ago, we booked 4 staterooms on the Eurodam for a December 2011 sailing - 3 with one TA, and 1 with a second TA. Some time later, I was looking at available rooms left on this sailing on cruise dot come, and discovered prices FAR FAR lower than what we had booked - across ALL categories. (VA, SS, SS, and SB). When I called my TA, she advised that these are US prices for US bookings - prices that I cannot ever see on the HAL site as it will always give you prices for the country identified as your login. We immediately cancelled all 4 bookings, rebooked them in US funds (with the same residential addresses, credit cards etc...) and saved a TON of money.

 

My recommendation if you want to see how the US prices compare to the prices you have been given for your country by your TA or on the HAL website - go to cruise dot com and price the cruise - this search engine ONLY prices in US dollars regardless of your location.

 

Hope that helps!

[RDC1]

How long ago was this?

 

The restriction does not appear to apply now. I've bought many domestic NZ tickets on Air New Zealand's NZ site using NZD. I haven't recently seen anything on that site that suggests that you must be an NZ resident to use it. And the website has cheerfully accepted my UK address every time when booking.

 

 

This was about two years ago. Note that on their web site you cannot do a round trip that originates in NZ and returns to NZ on their US web site. You can start in Auckland, but it will not allow you to select LAX for a destination.

 

 

I did some checking between the US site and the New Zealand site. The US site shows no availability for the lower coach fares on a couple of flight dates I checked in January The highest fare for Auckland to Queenstown being 349. The 149 and 179 fares were listed as sold out. The NZ site listed all three fares as being available.

 

They have moved to showing all prices in NZ dollars. A change from a few years ago.

 

The NZ site still makes references in a few places about NZ residents.

[RDC1]

The reality is that it is not uncommon for businesses of all kinds to have established different price structures for different areas and have different rules.

 

These can be driven by regulations such as the consumer protections the are required in the UK. They can also be driven by contractual agreements, as well as by market forces.

 

As I understand it the rules for cruise prices on some lines for those residing in australia being able to use US travel agents changed after there was some negotiations between some entity in australia and the cruise lines. I recall seeing an article referencing that about a year ago, but have not been able to find it now. I think may have been referenced in a previous discussion/article here on cruise critic.

 

 

The questions is does HAL have a contractual relationship with any entity that gives them rights to handle that region. If so then it could easily drive the business practice we are seeing.

[Cristiano]

Here, you're not comparing like with like. A Sydney-Venice-Sydney air ticket is not the same product as a Venice-Sydney-Venice air ticket. In such a case, the markets in which the tickets are sold may be very different from each other. Air tickets are not priced by distance flown, but by market forces including supply and demand in the markets for which the tickets are intended (Australia and Italy respectively). Those forces may result in very different prices for trips which happen to have the same overall distance. __________________

 

I understand that scenario and agree that market forces dictate fares etc however surely not to the tune of 50%.

 

Based on this principle then perhaps HAL and others are playing the same card...

Just look at Ryan Air for example (who we have used often) the "bums" on seats principle here really works and reflects in their pricing.....

 

Being Italian and having property there it is simple....use FF Points from Qantas to get us there then pay for a fare back with Emirates.....I have best of both worlds.....:)

 

I just wish we all had a level playing field....

 

At the end of the day it is giving me a headache......:rolleyes:

 

...however as stated I have benefited greatly from 3 cruises booked in the US so cannot complain and if the next has to be booked here and is more expensive so be it.....

 

PS

 

I did note yesterday when I compared a 20 day Fort L to San Diego on the Noordam (March 2012) in an SB cabin that the US site I use was $17,156.12 US whilst HAL Australia was $17,113.44 AUS. (Note for two)

 

So at yesterdays 96c exchange rate the cost from my US site would have been $757 AUS dearer and that is not taking into account the 2% odd transaction fee on the card.

 

At 110c excahnge two weeks ago it would have been approx $1,559 cheaper to book in the US also noting that my agent in the US would normally give me 6% discount on their web fares. (+ 2% card fee)

 

So perhaps things have changed......who knows....

 

Ciao,

 

Cristiano

 

 

 

[Globaliser]

Note that on their web site you cannot do a round trip that originates in NZ and returns to NZ on their US web site. You can start in Auckland, but it will not allow you to select LAX for a destination.

I think that's just a coding error on the front page. You can select Houston as a destination, routed via Los Angeles. And once you've done that and got some search results back, you can click Modify Search and get Los Angeles as a destination.

I did some checking between the US site and the New Zealand site. The US site shows no availability for the lower coach fares on a couple of flight dates I checked in January The highest fare for Auckland to Queenstown being 349. The 149 and 179 fares were listed as sold out. The NZ site listed all three fares as being available.

 

They have moved to showing all prices in NZ dollars. A change from a few years ago.

 

The NZ site still makes references in a few places about NZ residents.

However, AFAIK it does not say that you have to be a NZ resident to book on the NZ site. The country choice page says:

Choose your region

Please select the region where you live (or would like to start a booking from) for the most relevant information.

As I say, not only have I booked many domestic NZ tickets on the NZ site, I have provided my UK address without any quibble (and there is no restriction on the country that you can enter there), and there have been no subsequent queries.

 

One reason that the prices are higher on the US site is that there are many low fares in this area which are coded so as to be valid for sale only in New Zealand (and/or Australia and/or the South Pacific). But there is no restriction on who they can be sold to. So everyone booking on the NZ site gets a ticket sold in NZ and access to those low fares. (And it's the same for other airlines in the Australia/NZ area.)

[cruisecrazyaussie]

Unfortunately, I discovered yet another issue for Aussies with HAL bookings. :(

 

While we initally pay more for our cruises, I've also just found Aussies pay to change our booking before final payment!! :( (I understand that Americans can cancel or change bookings with no penalty until final payment - please tell me if I'm wrong.)

 

Yes, we paid Aus$110 (more than US$100 today) each to change our HAL booking from February 2012 to the same itinerary in March 2012 (with the same ship). :(

 

We paid up because what else could we do, but why is this so?:confused:

 

More questions but no real answers. Anyone with answers please....

 

[before signing off I have to say that I dont find any comparisons with international flights etc really relevant to this particular issue. As I've indicated in my earlier post some time ago - this matter is a HAL policy issue and Aussies would like to see some response from HAL.]

 

Cheers and Happy Travelling

(now 3 star Mariners after our last cruise)

[jameila]

:confused:

 

OK - I want to book a number of cruises with HAL (2 star mariner)

 

Would HAL like to tell me WHY - because I am in Australia - I have to pay $500 $A more for a cabin of the same quality than my US friends for the same cruise in Alaska on 11 Jul out of Vancouver.?

 

This is particularly annoying during the times when OUR dollar was 107 to A$1 YET - we still have to pay more AND we are 'not allowed' to buy last minute via vacations to go. Seems to me like Australian Travel Agents have the market sewn up with a commission that we are forced to pay. I'd call that collusion - but my mind can be changed by way of reasonable explanation.:rolleyes:

 

The HAL site says something like - local laws of your country apply - well - WHAT ARE THEY? Can someone tell me exactly what these laws are and why I should pay more so I can book through a 'travel agent' in Australia, to pay their commission?

 

Any answers appreciated - especially from a HAL representative.

 

Cheers

 

PS - please don't bother to reply unless you have AN ANSWER to the questions I asked

 

I once booked through an on line agency that happened to be based in the US for a Celebrity cruise (whilst I was in Asia). As the cruise drew nearer the prices all dropped according to the version of the cruise line website that I could access , but the agent could not offer me these prices because they were not available in their US location.

 

BTW I am aware of numerous Australian residents who have booked cruises through US agents over the years, without difficulties.

[cruisecrazyaussie]

Hi Jamelia

 

Yes, I'm also aware of a number of Australian residents who have booked through US travel agents. However, this is against HAL policy and I understand that there is the possibility of refused boarding and that the US TA may not get commission.

 

I dont want to try it and find I have problems.

 

Is this an urban myth?? Is anyone able to provide information on someone refused boarding??

 

Cheers

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hi Jamelia

 

Yes, I'm also aware of a number of Australian residents who have booked through US travel agents. However, this is against HAL policy and I understand that there is the possibility of refused boarding and that the US TA may not get commission.

 

I dont want to try it and find I have problems.

 

Is this an urban myth?? Is anyone able to provide information on someone refused boarding??

 

Cheers

You will not be refused boarding as long as you have the proper travel documents such as a visa if it is required but it is very true that the US Travel agents will not get paid a dime in commission or commission will be pulled if you use an address that is not in the US or Canada. The Travel agent may even ask you to use a US address of someone you know but be prepared to show some sort of proof of residence to the address being used. But what could very likely happen is that they will require you to pay more money at the pier at embarkation. If you purchased the cruise relatively last minute and the US TA gave you any sort of discount of their commission that they would not be receiving then they could require you to pay this back before boarding.

[iancal]

We just concluded a land trıp ın Turkey. Our air fares wıthin Turkey per person were 220 USD per person. They were booked on Turkısh sıtes ın TL on Atlasjet\Anadolou\Turkısh Aırline sıtes. The exact same flıghts and dates were quoted on Kayak etc. (on the same day thırty mınutes apart) at 900 odd USD per person. It pays to buy local and we had free market access to these promotıonal fares. Just as we do for hotels.

 

If I was an Australian resıdent who was artıfıcially forced to pay hıgher fares (same class\same day of bookıng etc) or prevented from buyıng at a lower price on the open market then I would boycott HAL and encourage other to do so.

 

The only way to stop ripoffs like thıs ıs to hurt the offending company's bottom lıne.

[Joy R]

We too have booked cruises with UK travel agents, and found the prices to be higher than those quoted in the US. We can't go to the cruise company's US site, all prices on their websites available to us are quoted in pounds sterling. What we have done is gone to a US (or for our forthcoming cruise, a Canadian) travel agent, who told us we have to have a US address. We have friends in the States who were happy for us to give their address, and that is what we have done. As the checking in and documentation process is all done online and by e- mail it makes no difference where we live! That way we get the lower price, can (and have) been able to benefit from a price drop before final payment, would not have lost our deposit if we had cancelled or changed, to suit us, which we could not have done if we had booked from here.

Joy R

 

 

 

Thank you for this info. We too could use a relative's address in the US but the billing address on our credit card would be different. Does this matter?

[Joy R]

We too have booked cruises with UK travel agents, and found the prices to be higher than those quoted in the US. We can't go to the cruise company's US site, all prices on their websites available to us are quoted in pounds sterling. What we have done is gone to a US (or for our forthcoming cruise, a Canadian) travel agent, who told us we have to have a US address. We have friends in the States who were happy for us to give their address, and that is what we have done. As the checking in and documentation process is all done online and by e- mail it makes no difference where we live! That way we get the lower price, can (and have) been able to benefit from a price drop before final payment, would not have lost our deposit if we had cancelled or changed, to suit us, which we could not have done if we had booked from here.

Joy R

 

 

In answer to your question, (which does not appear on this "quote"), how would they know where your credit card bill goes to?

 

 

Thank you for this info. We too could use a relative's address in the US but the billing address on our credit card would be different. Does this matter?