Continued price drops after final payment date

[SilvertoGold]

Several of the cruises I have been looking at this year had a lower pricing when I put in my 5 star Mariner number, as opposed to leaving the Mariner number area blank.

 

I've a friend who is not a high Mariner and her pricing has been the same as mine or higher.

[SilvertoGold]

I do not think that you are saying that there are different fares charged on the same date for return cruisers vs. returning cruisers, rather just pointing out that there are some "freebies" given to returning cruisers - depending upon their history.

 

A number of the posts on this thread seem to express the view that new cruisers are somehow treated better than returning cruisers - which I find strange.

 

Sure, HAL may have less generous freebies than other lines - but I do not believe that there is ANY differentiation of fares (either way) paid for comparable accommodations booked on the same day.

 

See my post above for my take on this, please. Post #151.

Thanks!

Edited September 20, 2014 by SilvertoGold

[cruz chic]

Several of the cruises I have been looking at this year had a lower pricing when I put in my 5 star Mariner number, as opposed to leaving the Mariner number area blank.

 

I've a friend who is not a high Mariner and her pricing has been the same as mine or higher.

 

Lucky you. Do you have any cruises booked with hal right now? The only time I saw that was for about a week when I didn't have anything booked with them.

[SilvertoGold]

Lucky you. Do you have any cruises booked with hal right now? The only time I saw that was for about a week when I didn't have anything booked with them.

 

No cruises booked right now, but I've experienced the same when I do have cruises booked.

 

The price shows up in "green" for the lower pricing. These prices are within a month or two of sail date usually. I was just looking and there are some right now.

Edited September 20, 2014 by SilvertoGold

[cruz chic]

No cruises booked right now, but I've experienced the same when I do have cruises booked.

 

The price shows up in "green" for the lower pricing. These prices are within a month or two of sail date usually. I was just looking and there are some right now.

 

Yes I know exactly what you mean but the only time I got special pricing was when I didn't have a cruise booked. It didn't matter if the cruise was close or not. Clearly hal has folks that they feel need more enticement than others. I take too many cruises with them, or at least I used to. There are way, way too many stories on cc of lower star Mariners getting preferential pricing than there are high star Mariners saying the same, at least in the threads I've read here.

[cbr663]

<snip>

But in strict commercial logic, surely the practice of offering discounts to newer/less loyal customers makes sense if some other customers demonstrably stick with a company come what may out of a sense of "loyalty"? The company's job is to try to extract as much money from each customer as they are prepared to pay for the product. If a particular customer demonstrates "loyalty" to the company in the form of being prepared to pay more for the product, isn't it the company's job to take that money off the customer, and to reserve discounts or lower prices for those who must be offered them to persuade them to buy?

 

I disagree with this assertion. The goal of any business should not be to maximize profits on a particular unit of product, but to find the optimal price per unit that ensures the maximum sales, thereby creating maximum profit.

 

Why is anyone in a position in which they "must book early", if the price is then too high and will come down later? I can see why some people have personal circumstances that mean that they need to make time commitments and plan around taking a particular cruise. But the making of those plans doesn't necessarily mean that the cruise must be booked now, if it can be booked later a lower price.

 

I know many people who must book early. Some jobs, for instance, require that they submit their vacation requests 6-9 months in advance, even though the employer refuses to approve that request no more than 1 month before the requested date. The challenge is do they book early and buy cancellation insurance or do they wait and see whatever is available when their leave is actually approved?

[ariawoman]

But I do know that there are other cruise lines who don't play this game.

 

I've only gotten through to 9/14 posts but i needed to reply to this one.

 

There are NO other cruise lines who don't play this game. Honestly. They all have to play this game.

 

I really hope you called your TA. You might have been able to upgrade to the next category for the same price. You might have been offered OBC (most lines won't do this).

 

Every cruise line has to fill their cabins. Every cruise line marks their prices up and down over the year or two they are on the books. Trust me. Maybe some just play better than others.

 

As for traveling internationally right now - you might be seeing some pricing changes due to peoples fears of going abroad with the stuff happening with ISIS. Ships might be selling less than usual due to peoples increased fears. Or maybe not. Just wanted to throw in some potential factors here.

 

I really do hope you called your TA. Any TA worth their salt will try as hard as they can for you (and i agree with a previous poster that they'd be monitoring this and contacting you about potential upgrades/price drops). If they haven't done that you might want to consider using a different TA.

[ariawoman]

Your TA is great. Not only is she working to save you money; she is probably also getting a lower commission by having your fare reduced. Considering how little they make these days per booking, you are very fortunate to have her services.

 

There are not that many who will do that off their own bat, unless you ask.

 

Yes commission is lost. The TA does more work and gets paid less, in order to make the consumer happy. Not all TAs offer it, but it is offered by many. I should know :-)

 

And yes, there are many that will do that of their own volition, too...albeit you likely will NOT find one at a big box agency doing this for you, it will be the smaller agencies. The ones that need the money more. Go figure. You see, in most instances, the smaller ones care a bit more about your experience and about you being happy. The larger ones, they want to take your order and move on to the next call.

 

Just food for thought.

[wesport]

We had a European cruise for 13 days last year. I booked 1 year out. After the final payment, the price dropped substantially. I called my TA, and we went from a verandah to a signature suite for $150 per person. Then, two days before the cruise HAL upgraded us to a Neptune suite. Best cruise ever. Nothing ventured , nothing gained. However, I have been on cruises where they did nothing.

[ariawoman]

Last post on this thread - I had no idea it would run the route it has, but again thanks for all your invaluable input. linda&Vern to answer your question - went from guarantee balcony in a B category to a confirmed B category cabin on the same floor in the same area.

I am done with stressing over this - it is time to just go and have a great vacation. I approached HAL and they said work with your TA. So there it is it will get better or not. We love to travel - we travel to our bucket lists - and we always have a great time creating great memories. We will on this trip as well - and future travels are open to lots of choices in how we do that. I have decided that going on this one with a bad attitude will just get in the way - so I am done with the situation. I appreciate all of your opinions. Thank you for the time and energy.

 

I'm missing something. Why did you book through a TA only to not want to have to work with them on something like this? Your TA will call on your behalf and get what they can. If they don't, then you picked a really bad one.

 

Seriously. Contact your TA. Work with them. If they aren't getting back to you - move up the chain of command. There is NO REASON why a call shouldn't be placed to HAL on your behalf. None.

[ariawoman]

We had a European cruise for 13 days last year. I booked 1 year out. After the final payment, the price dropped substantially. I called my TA, and we went from a verandah to a signature suite for $150 per person. Then, two days before the cruise HAL upgraded us to a Neptune suite. Best cruise ever. Nothing ventured , nothing gained. However, I have been on cruises where they did nothing.

 

The general consensus across all cruise lines is you're more than welcome to have a higher category cabin POST final payment as long as that cabin is the same price or HIGHER than you paid. So in the case of the OP if there's currently a cabin that's offered at 3k or MORE than she paid, she could have her TA upgrade her to that category.

 

I really really really don't understand why the OP is so resistant to get the TA involved. That's the job of the TA! In this instance, their commission wont even be touched because the person has to be paying the same IF NOT MORE, so in THIS instance the TA actually has it in their best interest to get the upgrade for a slight price increase (if the OP is willing to take it) because the commission will be higher.

 

Again i really hope you contact your TA, OP. And if you ever need one worth their weight in gold, well, there are many out there. :-)

[albingirl]

It has been my experience that Holland America will do what they can when this sort of thing happens. If you have a PCC, well that's a good thing, but if you have booked with a personal travel agent, I would be inclined to think that they would try to make you happy. After all, they want you back!:)

[Linda&Vern]

Last time I checked that cruise was sold out. Perhaps those low-low prices the OP saw were to finish filling the ship?

[cruz chic]

The general consensus across all cruise lines is you're more than welcome to have a higher category cabin POST final payment as long as that cabin is the same price or HIGHER than you paid. So in the case of the OP if there's currently a cabin that's offered at 3k or MORE than she paid, she could have her TA upgrade her to that category.

 

I really really really don't understand why the OP is so resistant to get the TA involved. That's the job of the TA! In this instance, their commission wont even be touched because the person has to be paying the same IF NOT MORE, so in THIS instance the TA actually has it in their best interest to get the upgrade for a slight price increase (if the OP is willing to take it) because the commission will be higher.

 

Again i really hope you contact your TA, OP. And if you ever need one worth their weight in gold, well, there are many out there. :-)

I hear a lot of people say their TA is worth their weight in gold. Maybe if you live where the economy is depressed this is the case but I can do better myself. I don't know why anyone can do better than myself at fighting battles unless they have a ta with special status with hal.

Edited September 21, 2014 by cruz chic

[Vict0riann]

Cruz Chic, I like your little buddy/avatar. How did you come up with him?

 

BTW, on our cruise, there has been a sudden flurry of new people on the roll call, and when I checked prices today on the HAL site, it looked to me as if the prices had gone up. What does that mean?

[cruz chic]

Cruz Chic, I like your little buddy/avatar. How did you come up with him?

 

BTW, on our cruise, there has been a sudden flurry of new people on the roll call, and when I checked prices today on the HAL site, it looked to me as if the prices had gone up. What does that mean?

 

I had a little help from a friend on cc with my avatar:D. I think he could get a new business going:cool:.

 

That cruise is booking up fast from the appearance. Maybe lots of people with deep pockets:D;). It is a one off cruise so not super surprising. I won't be joining you on this cruise because it was really disappointing this year on the westy. I was disappointed with it 3 years ago but the people were a blast. I'm going to miss meeting some people that are going on that cruise. I would have enjoyed see you and your DH again.

Edited September 21, 2014 by cruz chic

[Lizzie68]

I had a little help from a friend on cc with my avatar:D. I think he could get a new business going:cool:.

 

That cruise is booking up fast from the appearance. Maybe lots of people with deep pockets:D;). It is a one off cruise so not super surprising. I won't be joining you on this cruise because it was really disappointing this year on the westy. I was disappointed with it 3 years ago but the people were a blast. I'm going to miss meeting some people that are going on that cruise. I would have enjoyed see you and your DH again.

 

Love your new avatar! And I wish you were joining us on the Westy cruise too - I sure hope it's a better experience than you had, though. This will be my first time on the Westerdam.

[katfer]

The lower pricing to TA's is a reality for sure - however in engaging with them it is their inherent responsibility as your agent to do what is best for you, not worrying about lower commissions - without engaging with you there would be no commissions.

 

And yes, as far as HAL is concerned - if you can wait until after final payment date on many more cruises than not will save you money - based on what everyone collectively has said.

 

Hi eveyone..We are booked and final payment has been made on a cruise Nov 24. Where do I go to check to see if price has dropped.. will TA be on top of that? I've checked Hal site and it hasn't come down..thanks all

[POA1]

Hi eveyone..We are booked and final payment has been made on a cruise Nov 24. Where do I go to check to see if price has dropped.. will TA be on top of that? I've checked Hal site and it hasn't come down..thanks all

The HAL site is where you'd check.

Edited September 21, 2014 by POA1

[Globaliser]

I disagree with this assertion. The goal of any business should not be to maximize profits on a particular unit of product, but to find the optimal price per unit that ensures the maximum sales, thereby creating maximum profit.

But if there's a cohort of customers (ie "loyal repeat cruisers") who consistently demonstrate that they are prepared to pay more for the same product, time after time, than other customers who are prepared to chop and change between cruise lines, then the business does ensure maximum profit by charging the "loyal repeat cruisers" more than the others.

 

I don't it's right for a business to do that, as I've said - but that's a moral view, not a strictly commercial one.

I know many people who must book early. Some jobs, for instance, require that they submit their vacation requests 6-9 months in advance, even though the employer refuses to approve that request no more than 1 month before the requested date. The challenge is do they book early and buy cancellation insurance or do they wait and see whatever is available when their leave is actually approved?

It's not either/or. They can book at any time between the 6-9 month point or the 1 month point when the price is right. Surely, they just need to decide when they would like to go and ask for leave for that period.

 

Or, in the US market, they can book at the 6-9 month point and then claim the benefit of all the price drops after that.

[treasure4two]

I am curious. Our first HAL cruise is next month. We booked our trip in February during their President's Day Sale. Since the final full payment date, our cabin class has dropped over 25%. I realize that cruises need to sell their cabins - I totally get that - but I am shocked over such a significant price reduction. I also recognize that one has to be comfortable with the pricing that they commit to, but I am not feeling very warm and fuzzy right now.

 

So I am curious how the regular repeating HAL customers come to terms in these situations? And if these situations are common, how HAL has such loyal customers? Maybe once I actually experience the cruise it will become clear.

 

I was told by a HAL agent that they would consider OBC after final payment, but no promises. Always worth a try.(Sorry if this was already said, but no time to read all the comments)

[loretta]

Hi eveyone..We are booked and final payment has been made on a cruise Nov 24. Where do I go to check to see if price has dropped.. will TA be on top of that? I've checked Hal site and it hasn't come down..thanks all

 

I'm booked on the 11/24 Noordam cruise traveling solo and on Monday I noticed on the HAL website that the verandah prices were just a little bit more than what I paid for an obstructed o/v. I contacted my TA and he was got me a verandah guarantee for $160 more and I got an extra OBC. I was very pleased to get a verandah for only $16 more a night. My cabin may not be in the location I like the best but I'll be happy with whatever I get.

 

I think you should always ask. All they can do is say no and then you can hope for the upgrade fairy or a great upsell.

[katfer]

I'm booked on the 11/24 Noordam cruise traveling solo and on Monday I noticed on the HAL website that the verandah prices were just a little bit more than what I paid for an obstructed o/v. I contacted my TA and he was got me a verandah guarantee for $160 more and I got an extra OBC. I was very pleased to get a verandah for only $16 more a night. My cabin may not be in the location I like the best but I'll be happy with whatever I get.

 

I think you should always ask. All they can do is say no and then you can hope for the upgrade fairy or a great upsell.

 

Hi Loretta we are also on that cruise! Saw price drop and TA called Hall and got us some aft rooms on the Rotterdam deck for same money as our guarantee verhandah. Since there are 3 couples traveling together we thought that was a great idea!

[DaveOKC]

Cruz Chic, I like your little buddy/avatar. How did you come up with him?

 

BTW, on our cruise, there has been a sudden flurry of new people on the roll call, and when I checked prices today on the HAL site, it looked to me as if the prices had gone up. What does that mean?

 

Sounds to me like HAL offered a hot deal to fill up the ship and a bunch of people took them up on it, so now they can raise prices as the ship is nearly full. It has been reported that HAL like to send out good last minute deals to former cruisers who live near the departure port.

 

DaveOKC

[ScriptOhio]

FWIW, Just sayin': I am booked on a 14 night Panama Canal cruise leaving 8 Dec 2014 and noticed that the price for my inside guarantee (which I have already made the final payment for) has went down another $300 per person (i.e. to $1199 pp). I know Holland America does not give money back; however, they do give shipboard credit and/or an upgrade on the difference. I called my travel agent; and HAL offered a $550 shipboard credit or an immediate upgrade to an ocean-view room. Since it wasn't a balcony (and I still could get upgraded to an ocean-view room when I get my room assignment); I opted for the shipboard credit. I already had a $250 shipboard credit as a Carnival shareholder and a $150 shipboard credit for an onboard future cruise booking.

 

A $950 shipboard credit for a 14 night cruise isn't too bad.:p