Price Drops after Final payment...your experiences...

[SunnyinDubai]

Hi All,

 

I am looking for experiences that people may have had where the price drops after you had made final payment. I know in most instances, you cannot get a price drop but from reading the HAL roll calls, it would appear that there is an option to get some OBC?? Have any of you received this OBC as a result of a price drop following final payment?

 

Just for info, I have tentatively booked a cruise which the final payment is due in a week or so. I have been tossing up whether I take a gamble and cancel and see if the prices drop (have done a few bookings to see how may triple cabins are available as more often than not, the great deals are often for twin share only as the triple and quad cabins are sold out - and yes there are a good number of triple cabins available). At the moment, I have a cabin which I am quite happy with so I do run the risk of getting a better price but losing the cabin....(yeah I know I have to work out which is more important..saving $$ or the cabin - and it is a tie at the moment :D). Alternatively I can just keep the booking and see if there is an option to get OBC if price drops..hence was wondering if any of you have had an experience in getting it as I think that this is more common in the US and not here in Australia....it is a cruise in the Jan school holidays - and I had expected it to be full...but it is not and I am not sure it will fill up given that the US$ is the currency onboard and there are heaps of cruises out there as well at the time...:o

[GUT2407]

Remember that just because someone in America gets a benefit that doesn't mean someone in Aus will.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

If you are happy with the price , happy with the cabin and happy with the cruise , enjoy what you know you have got.

There very well may be a price drop, but it will only be for a very few cabins and they will be sold within 10 minutes of the cruise line releasing them. remember they keep on taking bookings and oversell cruises if they can as they know there will be some no shows..... if you cancel and try to rebook you do run the risk of being locked out......especially if its in the school holidays. They also know there will be demand and the price could actually rise instead of fall.

It has happened before.

 

 

[SunnyinDubai]

Remember that just because someone in America gets a benefit that doesn't mean someone in Aus will.

 

I know...hence my posting here to see if anyone in Aus has had any experiences...:p

[SunnyinDubai]

If you are happy with the price , happy with the cabin and happy with the cruise , enjoy what you know you have got.

There very well may be a price drop, but it will only be for a very few cabins and they will be sold within 10 minutes of the cruise line releasing them. remember they keep on taking bookings and oversell cruises if they can as they know there will be some no shows..... if you cancel and try to rebook you do run the risk of being locked out......especially if its in the school holidays. They also know there will be demand and the price could actually rise instead of fall.

It has happened before.

 

 

 

See - this was a last minute booking thing - done on a whim over the weekend - and am now doing the "thinking it through" :p We were looking at doing a similar cruise in Dec next year but somehow decided to go for this one. In a way I guess, we are not going to be too upset if we do miss out if I take the chance...just looking at options I guess :)

 

As for the overselling cabins, I am not sure that happens here as much (but may be proven wrong)...and honestly I expected to see the school holiday cruises full but interestingly some cruise lines do not have triples and quad cabins available for some cruises but there is still availability which is suprising - maybe a sign of the amount of competition that is out here now as I would have thought a lot of people would have booked their holidays by now...but maybe they have not?? :cool:

[erewhon]

SunnyinDubai,

I posted our NZ experience on the Roll Call.

[SunnyinDubai]

SunnyinDubai,

I posted our NZ experience on the Roll Call.

 

I noticed - thanks heaps :p

[The_Big_M]

As for the overselling cabins, I am not sure that happens here as much (but may be proven wrong)...and honestly I expected to see the school holiday cruises full but interestingly some cruise lines do not have triples and quad cabins available for some cruises but there is still availability which is suprising - maybe a sign of the amount of competition that is out here now as

 

HAL isn't as mainstream as the other brands. It also tends to attract an older demographic... who are less likely to book 3/4s.

 

I would have thought a lot of people would have booked their holidays by now...but maybe they have not?? :cool:

 

No, many definitely do book early, but there are also many who need to wait, or plans change, or just only think about it later. Bookings will continue to be taken up. It's just a balance between which is the better value/more appealing option.

[erewhon]

I noticed - thanks heaps :p

 

You are welcome, hope it helps.

[SunnyinDubai]

HAL isn't as mainstream as the other brands. It also tends to attract an older demographic... who are less likely to book 3/4s.

 

.

 

Interestingly, our first HAL cruise was full of families as was our last one (the last one was in early Dec so out of school holidays for most)... But i reckon this was due to there not being as many options as there are now with more family friendlier/oreinted ships. Somehow we seem to be drawn back to HAL...even my teenage DD prefers HAL:p

 

 

 

 

No, many definitely do book early, but there are also many who need to wait, or plans change, or just only think about it later. Bookings will continue to be taken up. It's just a balance between which is the better value/more appealing option.

 

I reckon famiies will be more drawn to the ships which are seen to have more fun activities like slides, etc....:)