Does HAL deeply discount S cabins?

[cruising cockroach]

Just wondering if HAL ever deeply discounts S category cabins, especially on repo cruises.

 

Final payment has come into effect for the 4 TATL cruises. I notice the Noordam (earliest for the season) has SZ for the equivalent of $110 p.p.p.d. The other sailings (all later) around $130-`140 p.p.p.d and up.

 

Have a private sale that I am considering but that expires Tuesday. Wondering if I should have nerves of steel and stare down HAL's revenue department?

[BumperII]

The discount on any cabin depends upon the laws of supply and demand. The SA suites are usually the first to sell out, so they normally don't get discounted quite a much as an inside cabin. But, if sales are slow, HAL does what it needs to do to sell out. They don't like to sail with empty cabins.

If you want an SA suite, the best deal seems to be if you book it while on another cruise. You can lock in your cabin number for $100 per person. Then just watch prices, and if they drop, have your TA rebook at the lower price.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have never gotten a "sale" on the S, SA cabins -- and we have done several repositioning cruises.

[kazu]

The best 'sales' on the S cabins are the upsell offers. If you book one category down from the S and there are some empty ones, then you could receive an upsell to move to the S category for a sweet price - usually (remember I said usually) at a very substantial savings.

 

Of course, for that to happen two things must occur - the S categories must not be sold out already and the upsell fairy has to visit you:) S is quite popular on some ships and sailings - for example -

 

On our sailing for May 17, 2013, the S category is currently completely sold out:eek: Now things can change as final payment date approaches but the category was sold out when there was still more than 9 months to go until we cruise:eek: If nothing changes, there is no hope of an upsell offer on this one;)

[cruising cockroach]

So you think my best bet is to buy into a superior verandah cabin (AB in my case) and hope/wait for an upsell?

 

I checked availability. S cabins are still for sale (4 assignable) as are SS (6) and SY (5).

 

Right now, I can get a AB GTY for the same price as a BC GTY and get $200 OBC to boot.

 

FWIW, this is somewhat less than 75 days to sailing so past final payment. Just wish I had the flexibility to sail the Noordam TATL repo where SZ is now going for $1,499

[sail7seas]

In about 80 HAL cruises in "S" or "PS" cabin, we have never gotten fabulous sale.

 

We have seen upsells at great prices offered after final payment has been due but seeing we always book the "S" or "SA" to being with, we've never gotten advantage of those upsells.

 

You can never predict which cruises will offer them and if they do if it will be offered to you.

 

IF you want an "S" and that is only what will please you, then book and pay for it and that is the only way to know you will have what you want.

 

If you want to play a gamble and hope game and can be happy in a lessor cabin, then go for it but be prepared to be in the category cabin you book and pay for. Anything better will be your good luck and not to be expected.

 

Keep in mind, many/most people are actually paying for those cabins.

None of us would do that if there was a way to get them for much lower prices. ;)

 

[cruising cockroach]

Keep in mind, many/most people are actually paying for those cabins.

None of us would do that if there was a way to get them for much lower prices. ;)

 

 

Maybe on some cruises but when I see SZ is going for less than VA and VB and the same as VC, you must wonder if anyone is actually paying.

 

We'd be very happy with a verandah (astoundingly cheap, currently $899 GTY on 2 TATL sailings where final payment is in effect). Just want to know if we could get even better for not much more.

 

The trouble with the upsell gambit is that we're headed off to Europe 3 weeks prior and won't be in regular e-mail (and probably phone) contact.

[Randyk47]

We've never gotten a sale on a Deluxe Suite (S category) on any cruise. We do use an Internet based TA and save usually 12% on average that way but nothing to speak of directly from Holland America. A few years ago there was a big jump in the cost of S category cabins from one season to the next and I got a case of the "cheaps" and booked a B category. Close to the cruise HAL offers us an upsell but it was for the full price difference between our B and the S so it was nearly $4,000 additional for the two of us. We counter-offered and got basically a "thanks but no thanks". Reason I mention this is to point out not all upsell offers from HAL are bargains or discounts.

[sail7seas]

Maybe on some cruises but when I see SZ is going for less than VA and VB and the same as VC, you must wonder if anyone is actually paying.

 

We'd be very happy with a verandah (astoundingly cheap, currently $899 GTY on 2 TATL sailings where final payment is in effect). Just want to know if we could get even better for not much more.

 

 

Lest you think no one is actually paying for those cabins, I assure you we do; Randy just advised he does and KK has stated they do as well. We are but a small sampling. ;)

 

I'm only writing these things to give you a realisitc view of the selling and buying of those cabins.

 

 

 

[kazu]

Maybe on some cruises but when I see SZ is going for less than VA and VB and the same as VC, you must wonder if anyone is actually paying.

 

We'd be very happy with a verandah (astoundingly cheap, currently $899 GTY on 2 TATL sailings where final payment is in effect). Just want to know if we could get even better for not much more.

 

The trouble with the upsell gambit is that we're headed off to Europe 3 weeks prior and won't be in regular e-mail (and probably phone) contact.

 

did you book with HAL or with a TA? If with a TA you can tell them you are willing to pay up to X for an upsell. Depends upon how good your TA is.

 

If you booked with HAL why not ask for a PCC and see if they could do the same thing?

 

There is no guarantee on an upsell of course - it's just the only way I have seen any S 'sales'. Like Randy, Sail & KK - we normally have had to pay full price (the only time we didn't was our first upsell offer on the Rotterdam - big mistake that we took it:rolleyes:)- those that get upsells are very lucky indeed:D

[cruising cockroach]

Lest you think no one is actually paying for those cabins, I assure you we do; Randy just advised he does and KK has stated they do as well. We are but a small sampling. ;)

 

I'm only writing these things to give you a realisitc view of the selling and buying of those cabins.

 

Might be true for intra-continental and closed loop sailings but it seems definitely not for TATL repos.

 

Here's a sampling of cheapest cheap S (SZ, SY, etc) cabin & regular S fares for the TATL cruise and the European cruise immediately preceeding.

 

Noordam

1,700 2,300 (10D)

1,500 3,000 (15D) TATL

 

 

Nieuw Amsterdam

2,900 5,000 (12D)

1,800 3,300 (13D) TATL

 

Prinsendam

SZ/SY S

3,400 9,000 (14D)

2,000 3,500 (15D) TATL

 

Ryndam (S only)

5,000 (11D)

4,000 (15D) TATL

 

Lower S grades are definitely bargains, and p.p.p.d. cost for regular S are much lower.

[sail7seas]

Also, keep in mind the price sometimes goes up.

We often book a year in advance in order to get the cabins we want and it is not rare to see the price get higher than what we paid by booking it earlier.

 

No promises on pricing. It can change by the hour, literally.

 

[cruising cockroach]

did you book with HAL or with a TA? If with a TA you can tell them you are willing to pay up to X for an upsell. Depends upon how good your TA is.

 

The offer (expires Tuesday) is booking with HAL only apparently (private sale) so I think using a TA is not possible. So I either wait and hope HAL gets more desperate or just go for the AB GTY and not worry.

[sail7seas]

Might be true for intra-continental and closed loop sailings but it seems definitely not for TATL repos.

 

Here's a sampling of cheapest cheap S (SZ, SY, etc) cabin & regular S fares for the TATL cruise and the European cruise immediately preceeding.

 

Noordam

1,700 2,300 (10D)

1,500 3,000 (15D) TATL

 

 

Nieuw Amsterdam

2,900 5,000 (12D)

1,800 3,300 (13D) TATL

 

Prinsendam

SZ/SY S

3,400 9,000 (14D)

2,000 3,500 (15D) TATL

 

Ryndam (S only)

5,000 (11D)

4,000 (15D) TATL

 

Lower S grades are definitely bargains, and p.p.p.d. cost for regular S are much lower.

 

 

I'm sorry but I cannot follow this chart.

I don't know what you are saying and what all your abbreviations mean. :o

 

I also know nothing at SS, SY and whatever else.

All I DO KNOW, is we pick our "S" and "SA" cabins by number, we get a price quote and we pay it. To say that no one pays the full price for those cabins could not be more wrong. Many of us pay the asking price for those cabins..... time and again.

 

I can only tell you I read here sometimes that someone got a free upgrade (very RARELY) and someone got an upsell offer (more often but still rare enough to not be 'expected), and there are lots of us who book the "S" we want and pay for it.

 

[Randyk47]

All I DO KNOW, is we pick our "S" and "SA" cabins by number, we get a price quote and we pay it. To say that no one pays the full price for those cabins could not be more wrong. Many of us pay the asking price for those cabins..... time and again.

 

I can only tell you I read here sometimes that someone got a free upgrade (very RARELY) and someone got an upsell offer (more often but still rare enough to not be 'expected), and there are lots of us who book the "S" we want and pay for it.

 

Have to agree with S7S. Other than booking through a different source the majority of us basically pay the same rate. We like to pick our cabins by specific cabin number. We usually book a year or more out so there's only been maybe one or two occasions when our first choice wasn't available but have never had to go beyond our second choice and we're not talking huge differences....we like S12 on most R and S class ships but once or twice have had to take S14, not exactly a huge difference or disappointment.

[Jade13]

If you are within final payment for the transatlantic cruises that is about the lowest you will find. The only people at that point I know who will wait until a couple of weeks within sailing are those that are both retired and/or worked for an airline so were going standby with the flights to begin with. Otherwise, you wait and just make up the difference in the more expensive airfare.

[sail7seas]

Jade is right......

 

I add a third choice and that is you wait and all the cabins in the category you want are filled and you end up with either no cabin or one you did not really want in the lesser category.

 

We're just trying to help with realities we've all learned from years of experience with HAL.

 

 

[sail7seas]

Just wondering if HAL ever deeply discounts S category cabins, especially on repo cruises.

 

Final payment has come into effect for the 4 TATL cruises. I notice the Noordam (earliest for the season) has SZ for the equivalent of $110 p.p.p.d. The other sailings (all later) around $130-`140 p.p.p.d and up.

 

Have a private sale that I am considering but that expires Tuesday. Wondering if I should have nerves of steel and stare down HAL's revenue department?

 

 

I am still trying to figure out what a TATL cruise is?

 

I truly have no clue.

 

Thanks.

 

[Randyk47]

I am still trying to figure out what a TATL cruise is?

 

I truly have no clue.

 

Thanks.

 

 

I think it's a longer form of TA when used in context as a "trans-Atlantic" cruise. I guess you could get TA for trans-Atlantic confused with TA for travel agent/agency so TATL might be considered more descriptive...though not commonly used here.

[kazu]

The offer (expires Tuesday) is booking with HAL only apparently (private sale) so I think using a TA is not possible. So I either wait and hope HAL gets more desperate or just go for the AB GTY and not worry.[/quote

 

 

I got a private sale offer too - it says right at the bottom - three ways to book - the first is call your travel professional:D HAL does not discourage you from using a TA:) Private just means you are one of the 1,000's who got the offer.:D

[cruising cockroach]

The only people at that point I know who will wait until a couple of weeks within sailing are those that are both retired and/or worked for an airline so were going standby with the flights to begin with.

 

Here's a tip: If using frequent flyer miles, the airlines usually toss in more "free" seats with weeks to go whent hey figure they can't sell the seats. Couldn't get any upfront seats 2 months ago ~ 2-3+ weeks either side of our desired travel dates but as of last week, a fair bit of choice (even better for solo travellers).

[sail7seas]

I think it's a longer form of TA when used in context as a "trans-Atlantic" cruise. I guess you could get TA for trans-Atlantic confused with TA for travel agent/agency so TATL might be considered more descriptive...though not commonly used here.

 

 

Yes, I guessed the Trans-atlantic part but what is the "TL" part? That's the half that baffles me totally.

I don't see that TATL translates to mean only Travel Agent.

 

 

There are so many abbreviations people use these days and I find it impossible to figure out half of them. To the writer, they seem so obvious and easy but to other of us, it's indecipherable. :o

 

 

 

[Randyk47]

Yes, I guessed the Trans-atlantic part but what is the "TL" part? That's the half that baffles me totally.

 

"TATL"? Beats me !!!

There are so many abbreviations people use these days and I find it impossible to figure out half of them. To the writer, they seem so obvious and easy but to other of us, it's indecipherable. :o

 

 

 

 

TATL: First "T" stands for Trans. "ATL" is an abbreviation for Atlantic..the first three letters of the word. :)

[sail7seas]

Here's a tip: If using frequent flyer miles, the airlines usually toss in more "free" seats with weeks to go whent hey figure they can't sell the seats. Couldn't get any upfront seats 2 months ago ~ 2-3+ weeks either side of our desired travel dates but as of last week, a fair bit of choice (even better for solo travellers).

 

 

We have seen that airlines actually increase the price of seats as the date for flight gets closer.

 

We booked a flight months ago for a domestic trip we are taking soon. DH checked the prices a few days ago and they rose about 18% as the flight is getting closer.

 

[sail7seas]

TATL: First "T" stands for Trans. "ATL" is an abbreviation for Atlantic..the first three letters of the word. :)

 

 

Thanks, Randy.

I guess that makes sense. :)

Appreciate your help.