Info on Staterooms booked out 12 months in advance

[Lotsasmiles]

We are looking at doing the 31 day Japan/China/Nth Pacific cruise on the Volendam in 2016 and are considering a Neptune Suite. Looking at the 2015 cruise on HAL it appears that the Neptune Suites are no longer available.

Anyone able to shed light on when the bookings opened for this? Given that it appears that the suites were 'taken' 12 months in advance. (I realise that these are 'bookings' only.)

For any cruises like this that appear to be 'hot', is there a 'pre-booking' list with HAL so that when the cruises are released you can be notified.

We are on the Zuiderdam in September. Is there a preference for cruises booked while on board to get on a list?

Thanks for any info

Anne-Marie

[Crew News]

We are looking at doing the 31 day Japan/China/Nth Pacific cruise on the Volendam in 2016 and are considering a Neptune Suite. Looking at the 2015 cruise on HAL it appears that the Neptune Suites are no longer available.

Anyone able to shed light on when the bookings opened for this? Given that it appears that the suites were 'taken' 12 months in advance. (I realise that these are 'bookings' only.)

For any cruises like this that appear to be 'hot', is there a 'pre-booking' list with HAL so that when the cruises are released you can be notified.

We are on the Zuiderdam in September. Is there a preference for cruises booked while on board to get on a list?

Thanks for any info

Anne-Marie

 

To the best of my knowledge, everyone just keeps checking the HAL website and pounces on their favorite stateroom when the announcement is published. We try to book the first day that a cruise itinerary is announced to get exactly what we want.

 

The smaller ships don't have as many Neptune Suites as the larger Vista-class ships and so they disappear quickly.

[jtl513]

For any cruises like this that appear to be 'hot', is there a 'pre-booking' list with HAL so that when the cruises are released you can be notified. ... Is there a preference for cruises booked while on board to get on a list?

Not to my knowledge for either question. You may see the suites open up again. On our next cruise (still outside final payment day) there were no insides or outsides available for a while, but now a few have opened up again. It's been my experience (limited) that on long cruises the suites fill last.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry -- but HAL doesn't put people's on wait lists for cruises that haven't been published.

You could call and ask when the 2016 itinerary may become available.

The Volendam has 1 PS cabin, 25 SA cabins, 1 SA handicapped cabin and 2 SB cabins that are the guaranteed cabins. The SB cabins are a little cheaper but do guarantee that you will get either an SB or an SB.

[Mary Ellen]

The cruise you are considering is a "Collectors Cruise". That is possibly why you aren't seeing Neptune suites available. Since this particular cruise is also being sold as an even longer collectors cruise, from Singapore to Vancouver, that adds to the complication of seeing what cabins are actually available. HAL is also marketing two different length Singapore to Kobe cruises that overlap the HK to Vancouver itineary you are considering. Trying to keep passengers in the same cabin for their entire cruise makes booking categories with a more limited number of cabins complicated in this situation.

 

We've done this cruise. It was probably 18 months out (or more) when we booked.

 

I would strongly suggest working with a good TA that works with HAL a lot. We have reserved cabins before itinearies were published.

Edited May 11, 2014 by Mary Ellen