No Explore 4 Offer - Will There be More SBP Opportunities?

[SLOTheta]

Hi all,

We are taking our first cruise this summer and discovered CC a few weeks ago. I love it!

 

I've read that a lot people took advantage of the Explore 4 offer. When booking our Med Tapestry cruise this summer, I didn't see that the Explore 4 benefit was applicable to the cruise we wanted. I've been watching and monitoring the prices and perks, but I haven't seen any offers for our July sailing that include any OBC or the SBP.

 

Our cruise is 5 months away, any likelihood that a SBP promo will come along or available at a lower price? We like to drink, but not enough to justify the price of the package.

 

 

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[POA1]

It's been a spring and fall offer the past 2 years.

[SLOTheta]

It's been a spring and fall offer the past 2 years.

 

 

Since we are going during the peak month of July, are we out of luck?

 

 

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[DeeniEncinitas]

Good morning and WELCOME!!!

Like POA1 this is how it has been.

We will be doing the same cruise on The Eurodam in Oct on the 9th!

We booked this cruise last March when we were on The Nieuw, and in April we added the Explorer 4 and the all you can drink beverage package! It ran for a long time after that. Done 4 cruises on the Nieuw to the Med with collector cruises and right around April they would have their promos.

At least you got the lower prices they are having.

Enjoy the cruise and the wedding, anniversary etc! Saw you on our cruise updates.

Denise :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We tried to add the Explore4 package to our upcoming cruise -- no go. HAL said that it had to be for a new booking -- that was one excuse. Another excuse they gave when our TA called back in a couple of days -- claimed we had a reduced rate!! No so -- paid full price for the PS.

[Alberta Quilter]

OP, when is your final payment date? If the promo is offered prior to final payment you may get lucky. However, it's also possible that the price of your cruise has changed (up or down) in the meantime so you will be paying the current rate to get the SBP. If it's after the final payment date, then you are unlikely to get the promotion. I was once told that it was not available to me (almost a year before sailing) yet others on my roll call were getting it. I cancelled my booking, and booked with an online TA to get the promotion (and the TA OBC).

 

If your cruise is selling well, it's entirely possible that the promotion will not be offered for that sailing.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Alberta Quilter

[Laurino]

There's a sale, called "View & Verandah", on HAL's site right now. It gives upgrades and OBC. We got the upgrade from oceanview to verandah and 150$ pp OBC on a 12-d July N. Europe cruise. However we're booking through the European website, but I checked the N. American website through a proxy (sort of) and it seems to me that the July 5 Med. Tapestry cruise might also be included in the offer. For us, more OBC is better than a drinks package.

[qsuzi]

We tried to add the Explore4 package to our upcoming cruise -- no go. HAL said that it had to be for a new booking -- that was one excuse. Another excuse they gave when our TA called back in a couple of days -- claimed we had a reduced rate!! No so -- paid full price for the PS.

We booked before the Explore 4 was available but our TA was able to get Explore 4 when it became available (before final payment) by rebooking under a new booking number. The price was $100 per person higher but we got all the Explore 4 perks including $300 for booking a Suite.

Edited February 16, 2016 by qsuzi

[SilvertoGold]

We booked before the Explore 4 was available but our TA was able to get Explore 4 when it became available (before final payment) by rebooking under a new booking number. The price was $100 per person higher but we got all the Explore 4 perks including $300 for booking a Suite.

 

Super to hear that!!! Congratulations!

Edited February 16, 2016 by SilvertoGold

[DaveOKC]

Hi all,

We are taking our first cruise this summer and discovered CC a few weeks ago. I love it!

 

I've read that a lot people took advantage of the Explore 4 offer. When booking our Med Tapestry cruise this summer, I didn't see that the Explore 4 benefit was applicable to the cruise we wanted. I've been watching and monitoring the prices and perks, but I haven't seen any offers for our July sailing that include any OBC or the SBP.

 

Our cruise is 5 months away, any likelihood that a SBP promo will come along or available at a lower price? We like to drink, but not enough to justify the price of the package.

 

I think the current View and Veranda promotion ends in 2 weeks, so watch carefully just after that, as thats likely when HAL will come out with some new promotion.

[POA1]

Since we are going during the peak month of July, are we out of luck?

 

 

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I'm referring to the time period when Explore 4 was offered. It doesn't necessarily coincide with the cruise time.

[qsuzi]

Super to hear that!!! Congratulations!

 

It bugs me that we all can't get it! Sometimes I think it is lack of consistency on how HAL staff responds to the requests and/or how our personal TA handles it.

Edited February 16, 2016 by qsuzi

[qsuzi]

I think the current View and Veranda promotion ends in 2 weeks, so watch carefully just after that, as thats likely when HAL will come out with some new promotion.

 

Sure hope so. Your posts/information has been the reason some of us became aware of, and received, the various promotions, perks, and/or lower prices. Thank you Dave.

Edited February 16, 2016 by qsuzi

[DaveOKC]

Sure hope so. Your posts/information has been the reason some of us became aware of, and received, the various promotions, perks, and/or lower prices. Thank you Dave.

 

You re quite welcome. I am happy when someone can benefit from my comments as I have benefited so much in the past from other's comments. We need to "play it forward" in life.

[SilvertoGold]

Sure hope so. Your posts/information has been the reason some of us became aware of, and received, the various promotions, perks, and/or lower prices. Thank you Dave.

 

Ooops. Sorry.

Edited February 17, 2016 by SilvertoGold

[SilvertoGold]

It bugs me that we all can't get it! Sometimes I think it is lack of consistency on how HAL staff responds to the requests and/or how our personal TA handles it.

 

Same old..... It is amazing how the inconsistency applies to promo situations like this!

[teamflames]

Since we are going during the peak month of July, are we out of luck?

 

 

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I could be wrong but I think you misinterpreted POA, they were referring to when the 4Explore package is sold not when the cruises depart.

Having said that we purchased our cruise in august (winter in Australia) 11 months before our cruise and received the package. I think it was offered through to end of October

[sprockie]

This is where Celebrity has it over HAL. The pick your perks they offer is great. If you like to drink on your vacation and the beverage package is a bonus to you, you can choose that, if not, opt for the OBC or whatever perk tickles your fancy.

[SLOTheta]

Hi all,

Thank you for your prompt replies. I checked our cruise and the same room I have now (V) is being offered at the same price ($1979) but this promotion adds $300 OBC. Not quite the cost of SBP, but certainly helps!

 

We are using a family friend for our wedding group, who isn't a travel agent FT, hopefully she can maneuver HAL to get us the extra $300 OBC. Our final payment deadline isn't until April, so if they won't add it, we could always cancel and rebook. But, what a pain for her. She's doing this as a favor and isn't taking a commission.

 

Also, in the promotion header it states "Free Upgrades Valued up to $1000" how does this work? How are upgrades applied or shown? We have a mid ship Veranda (V) room on the 5th deck. Would we get upgraded to the next level? Or, should we pick an Ocean View room to get upgraded to a Veranda?

 

If we do re-book, the deposit is less, which is a bonus.

 

Thanks again! This site has been very helpful.

 

 

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Edited February 17, 2016 by SLOTheta

[DaveOKC]

Hi all,

Thank you for your prompt replies. I checked our cruise and the same room I have now (V) is being offered at the same price ($1979) but this promotion adds $300 OBC. Not quite the cost of SBP, but certainly helps!

 

We are using a family friend for our wedding group, who isn't a travel agent FT, hopefully she can maneuver HAL to get us the extra $300 OBC. Our final payment deadline isn't until April, so if they won't add it, we could always cancel and rebook. But, what a pain for her. She's doing this as a favor and isn't taking a commission.

 

Also, in the promotion header it states "Free Upgrades Valued up to $1000" how does this work? How are upgrades applied or shown? We have a mid ship Veranda (V) room on the 5th deck. Would we get upgraded to the next level? Or, should we pick an Ocean View room to get upgraded to a Veranda?

 

If we do re-book, the deposit is less, which is a bonus.

 

The free upgrades are only for certain categories and vary by ship and cruise. You may be able to figure out if it applies to your situation by checking HAL's website and doing a fake booking, but the best way is to ask your TA.

[david,Mississauga]

We booked before the Explore 4 was available but our TA was able to get Explore 4 when it became available (before final payment) by rebooking under a new booking number. The price was $100 per person higher but we got all the Explore 4 perks including $300 for booking a Suite.

 

I had a similar experience. In the summer of 2014 we booked an Alaska cruise for the spring of 2015. A short while later the Explore 4 package was offered and I asked our TA to cancel and re-book, if necessary. Our TA obtained all those benefits for us and, because the fare had not changed, our booking number remained the same.

[lizzies_mom]

I think there are only a certain number of Explore 4 packages offered on a given sailing given that free Pinnacle and/or Cannaletto dinners are offered as well as the drink package. So it may be that it was popular and is sold out for your cruise. We had this for our NZ cruise and drank more than we needed to. I agree that the drink package alone is not something we would purchase.

[POA1]

I think there are only a certain number of Explore 4 packages offered on a given sailing given that free Pinnacle and/or Cannaletto dinners are offered as well as the drink package. So it may be that it was popular and is sold out for your cruise. We had this for our NZ cruise and drank more than we needed to. I agree that the drink package alone is not something we would purchase.

You are correct. There are a limited number of Explore 4 offers per cruise.