Have not sailed on HAL in many years

[sunsoaked218]

I have not sailed on HAL since 2003 but I received a letter from them for a free inside room with upgrade options for a 7 day cruise not sure it was legit I called them and found it was indeed a real offer or I booked a 7 day western Caribbean cruise for march on the Nieuw Amsterdam since I have not sailed on them for a long time I have a couple of questions for anyone who has recently sailed on her. I did call HAL with these questions but I got several conflicting answers so I am turning to the pros thanks in advance

 

1. Do the casino slot machines take cash or do you have to put all your gambling on your on board account that would not be what I want to do.

2. Do they still have the coffee card for specialty coffees

 

and for anyone who is curious as to the free offer because they received a letter here is what I wound up with - $382.86 per person for a V category verandah room, with $200 OBC. So if you break it down

 

Cruise Fare $250.00 X2

Port Fees and taxes $132.86 X2

 

Total Per Person $765.86

 

plus $200.00 OBC for the stateroom

[AZNative2000]

I have not sailed on HAL since 2003 but I received a letter from them for a free inside room with upgrade options for a 7 day cruise not sure it was legit I called them and found it was indeed a real offer or I booked a 7 day western Caribbean cruise for march on the Nieuw Amsterdam since I have not sailed on them for a long time I have a couple of questions for anyone who has recently sailed on her. I did call HAL with these questions but I got several conflicting answers so I am turning to the pros thanks in advance

 

1. Do the casino slot machines take cash or do you have to put all your gambling on your on board account that would not be what I want to do.

2. Do they still have the coffee card for specialty coffees

 

and for anyone who is curious as to the free offer because they received a letter here is what I wound up with - $382.86 per person for a V category verandah room, with $200 OBC. So if you break it down

 

Cruise Fare $250.00 X2

Port Fees and taxes $132.86 X2

 

Total Per Person $765.86

 

plus $200.00 OBC for the stateroom

Did you mean total for two? Quite a bargain!!

[cruz chic]

I was going to book a cruise with HAL for March and prices were sky high and weren't coming down so I booked with Princess. Now they have to give cruises away:D. Good pricing strategy HAL:rolleyes:.

[sunsoaked218]

Did you mean total for two? Quite a bargain!!

 

Yes thank you $765.86 was total for 2 Guests

[winddawn]

I have not sailed on HAL since 2003 but I received a letter from them for a free inside room with upgrade options for a 7 day cruise not sure it was legit I called them and found it was indeed a real offer or I booked a 7 day western Caribbean cruise for march on the Nieuw Amsterdam since I have not sailed on them for a long time I have a couple of questions for anyone who has recently sailed on her. I did call HAL with these questions but I got several conflicting answers so I am turning to the pros thanks in advance

 

1. Do the casino slot machines take cash or do you have to put all your gambling on your on board account that would not be what I want to do.

2. Do they still have the coffee card for specialty coffees

 

and for anyone who is curious as to the free offer because they received a letter here is what I wound up with - $382.86 per person for a V category verandah room, with $200 OBC. So if you break it down

 

Cruise Fare $250.00 X2

Port Fees and taxes $132.86 X2

 

Total Per Person $765.86

 

plus $200.00 OBC for the stateroom

I got this offer too. My letter says it is a casino offer. I have sailed on HAL only once 4 years ago. I booked the offer yesterday. I thought the choices available were pretty good. The offer was for an inside cabin for $100 deposit per person which is given back as an onboard credit. So I was only out the taxes and port charges for a 7 day cruise. It's a great deal. I already had a cruise booked for February, so I opted for a late March sail date on Eurodam. My letter also offered the reduced rate upgrades for verandah, suites, or Neptune. I seriously considered the Neptune upgrade, but the only cabins available were the aft ones or deck 6.

[kazu]

I have not sailed on HAL since 2003 but I received a letter from them for a free inside room with upgrade options for a 7 day cruise not sure it was legit I called them and found it was indeed a real offer or I booked a 7 day western Caribbean cruise for march on the Nieuw Amsterdam since I have not sailed on them for a long time I have a couple of questions for anyone who has recently sailed on her. I did call HAL with these questions but I got several conflicting answers so I am turning to the pros thanks in advance

 

1. Do the casino slot machines take cash or do you have to put all your gambling on your on board account that would not be what I want to do.

2. Do they still have the coffee card for specialty coffees

 

and for anyone who is curious as to the free offer because they received a letter here is what I wound up with - $382.86 per person for a V category verandah room, with $200 OBC. So if you break it down

 

Cruise Fare $250.00 X2

Port Fees and taxes $132.86 X2

 

Total Per Person $765.86

 

plus $200.00 OBC for the stateroom

 

The slot machines take dollar bills (any denomination) or you can charge to your on board account.

 

You can buy a beverage card which works for specialty coffees, but there is no discount.

 

Great deal - enjoy:D

[ithaca gal]

Thought I was building a relationship with HAL for great offers, etc.

 

Looks like it pays NOT to be loyal to HAL. :)

[cruz chic]

Thought I was building a relationship with HAL for great offers, etc.

 

Looks like it pays NOT to be loyal to HAL. :)

 

No, that will get you the opposite. I never hear anything from hal when I have a cruise booked. I don't have one booked and now they are my bestie.

[PathfinderEss]

Thought I was building a relationship with HAL for great offers, etc.

 

Looks like it pays NOT to be loyal to HAL. :)

 

I think you may have that right, ithaca gal.

 

Sunsoaked and winddawn all I can say is nice deals, glad you could take advantage of them.

Edited December 16, 2014 by PathfinderEss

[winddawn]

I think you may have that right, ithaca gal.

 

Sunsoaked and winddawn all I can say is nice deals, glad you could take advantage of them.

Thanks, Melodie. No one is more surprised than I am about getting this offer. I feel the same way about Carnival that you feel about HAL. Having sailed Carnival 25 times, I would have expected them to be rewarding my loyalty. But no, the reward comes from HAL with one cruise sailed. It is insane. But especially since I often cruise solo and have to pay the single supplement, this offer from HAL was one I couldn't turn down.

 

Best of luck to you. I hope you get a free cruise offer soon.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like a good deal to me.

[puppycanducruise]

Wow, sounds like a good deal.

Have a great cruise.

[sunsoaked218]

The slot machines take dollar bills (any denomination) or you can charge to your on board account.

 

You can buy a beverage card which works for specialty coffees, but there is no discount.

 

Great deal - enjoy:D

 

Kazu

 

Thank you for answering my questions

[Djptcp]

DH and I just sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam the week of Thanksgiving. It was a VIP Casino Cruise for me; DH and I both had free drinks all week in the casino. Stayed in a Neptune Suite that was fabulous. You can see my review that was just posted in the Member Reviews.

 

We hadn't sailed on HAL since 2009 and received the VIP Casino Cruise offer last April, so it did bring us back to HAL. We live in Florida and visit casinos all over. The Nieuw Amsterdam casino was a big disappointment as it was very small and totally unexpected based on the size of the ship. If you like to gamble, you may be disappointed as we were.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Lizzie68]

Thought I was building a relationship with HAL for great offers, etc.

 

Looks like it pays NOT to be loyal to HAL. :)

 

Evidently. Nice for the OP and I certainly don't blame them for snapping it up. But jeez, a bit of a kick in the teeth for those loyal to HAL and paying the going rate.

[boards]

Don't be misled, there are conditions I am sure to the VIP Casino Cruise and I am sure it has to do with spending time gambling or as a result of previous gambling. I know a few people who brag about the perks they get from Casinos, except they forget to tell you how much they spent in order to get those perks. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

[winddawn]

Don't be misled, there are conditions I am sure to the VIP Casino Cruise and I am sure it has to do with spending time gambling or as a result of previous gambling. I know a few people who brag about the perks they get from Casinos, except they forget to tell you how much they spent in order to get those perks. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Trust me. I didn't spend enough in the casino in one 7 day cruise to be blessed with a free cruise offer. This offer is not about that. This offer is all about trying to attract past passengers who have not cruised on HAL lately.

 

And having sailed on multiple cruise lines over many years, but on HAL only once, I will decide where to cruise next based on my experience on HAL on this free cruise compared to other lines.

[boards]

I admit I must be wrong, congratulations on getting the free cruise. Have wonderful cruise. We have been on 13 Hal cruises and have enjoyed everyone of them.