HAL offers 110% refund if you can get identical shore excursion for less

[sammiedawg]

This gimmicky guarantee is about as valuable as the one various big box stores offer on appliance and toy purchases. Lowe’s, Best Buy, Sears each sell their own version of the same thing but the appliance or toy will have a unique bar code and product name. Price matching is virtually impossible. This price matching guarantee is a prominent feature in Christmas shopping ads.

 

Cruise passengers have become increasingly sophisticated and can do simple research on the sights. It is easy to figure out how to DIY or private tour the sights, with few exceptions.

Bottom line for us is we don’t like to be herded like cats. We don’t want to be told where and when to take a tour or eat a meal. It is all about choice.

[cruisemom42]

Also, in my opinion, even if it was an identical itinerary, I don't want to be on a bus with 40+ other people, if I can get a real small group private tour.

 

That's the real bottom line for me too. I'd need a compelling reason to book a large tour, either with the ship or privately.

 

However, more power to those who will be able to profit.

[kazu]

This gimmicky guarantee is about as valuable as the one various big box stores offer on appliance and toy purchases. Lowe’s, Best Buy, Sears each sell their own version of the same thing but the appliance or toy will have a unique bar code and product name. Price matching is virtually impossible. This price matching guarantee is a prominent feature in Christmas shopping ads.

 

Cruise passengers have become increasingly sophisticated and can do simple research on the sights. It is easy to figure out how to DIY or private tour the sights, with few exceptions.

Bottom line for us is we don’t like to be herded like cats. We don’t want to be told where and when to take a tour or eat a meal. It is all about choice.

 

Exactly sammie :).

[AryMay]

Also, in my opinion, even if it was an identical itinerary, I don't want to be on a bus with 40+ other people, if I can get a real small group private tour.

 

We were on the same cruise (Nieuw Amsterdam October 28) and I was able to take advantage of the 110% guarantee.

 

I found a tour at Cap Cana (Punta Cana) that got high reviews on Trip Advisor but when I emailed to book the tour (Outback Safari) directly I was told that I would have to book through the cruiseline. Since Cap Cana is a relatively new port, I knew there wouldn't be too many other options so I just booked through HAL.

 

Booked directly, the tour would have been $90/person but HAL was charging $99.95. I submitted a claim for the difference and in less than 24 hours received an email saying that we would get OBC of $10.95/person. Super easy. Our tour group was the only one and had 23 people in it. I talked to someone on the tender back to the ship who had tried to book the tour but said it had gotten filled up, so at least HAL didn't try and form a huge group.

 

That is the good news. The bad news is that when I originally booked the tour online the description said the tour would be 8 hours long. I didn't find out until after the tour started (from other passengers) that the tour description offered onboard said the tour was 5.5 hours long. Also some of the activities that were mentioned in the description when I booked were no longer included.

 

I wonder now if the tour was adjusted to make sure it fit into the port times OR if now they can deny any requests for the price match since the ship tour is not identical to the one offered independently.

 

In the end, I will say the tour was EXCELLENT and I'm glad I booked it...although it was rushed a bit. Even the tour guide apologized a few times for rushing us since he said HAL required that we be back to the tender dock by 3:15 pm. With the distance we traveled, I was glad I didn't have to worry about something happening to prevent us from being back on time.

[Fastfredcruise]

Used for the lumberjack show in Ketichikan, Alaska. Box office much cheaper than cruise price. Received the rebate to ship account. We had eleven booked so it saved a few hundred dollars.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Fastfredcruise

[avian777]

Used for the lumberjack show in Ketichakan, Alaska. Box office much cheaper than cruise price. Received the rebate to ship account.

 

Thanks for confirming that HAL's 110% guarantee isn't just a scam ... as suggested by several CCers.

[avian777]

We were on the same cruise (Nieuw Amsterdam October 28) and I was able to take advantage of the 110% guarantee.

 

I found a tour at Cap Cana (Punta Cana) that got high reviews on Trip Advisor but when I emailed to book the tour (Outback Safari) directly I was told that I would have to book through the cruiseline. Since Cap Cana is a relatively new port, I knew there wouldn't be too many other options so I just booked through HAL.

 

Booked directly, the tour would have been $90/person but HAL was charging $99.95. I submitted a claim for the difference and in less than 24 hours received an email saying that we would get OBC of $10.95/person. Super easy. Our tour group was the only one and had 23 people in it. I talked to someone on the tender back to the ship who had tried to book the tour but said it had gotten filled up, so at least HAL didn't try and form a huge group.

 

That is the good news. The bad news is that when I originally booked the tour online the description said the tour would be 8 hours long. I didn't find out until after the tour started (from other passengers) that the tour description offered onboard said the tour was 5.5 hours long. Also some of the activities that were mentioned in the description when I booked were no longer included.

 

I wonder now if the tour was adjusted to make sure it fit into the port times OR if now they can deny any requests for the price match since the ship tour is not identical to the one offered independently.

 

In the end, I will say the tour was EXCELLENT and I'm glad I booked it...although it was rushed a bit. Even the tour guide apologized a few times for rushing us since he said HAL required that we be back to the tender dock by 3:15 pm. With the distance we traveled, I was glad I didn't have to worry about something happening to prevent us from being back on time.

 

Thanks for confirming that HAL's 110% guarantee is genuine ... and super easy and fast. Always nice to see positive Posts such as yours and Fastfredcruise's.

[cccole]

I love private excursions too.

 

HAL does Not gurantee that the ship will wait for you. They guarantee to get you to the next available port.

 

But in all honesty, on many cruises I have seen the ship tidy things up ready to go and waiting for a HAL cruise to come back late while our private excursions were back well before the HAL ones.

 

I have also seen HAL excursions left behind when there was no choice. HAL excursions do not guarantee that you are back on the ship.

 

Thank you for clarifying this. Of course it makes total sense. Depending on how far the next port is and the paperwork needed might make a difference on how long a ship will wait. I see posts from some passengers who will not entertain the thought of a private excursion because of the HAL guarantee. But now I know it is not a guarantee to be on the ship when it leaves port. I assume that there are times when a ship does not have the option of waiting. Thank you again, Cherie

[avian777]

Originally posted by wesport

I got $275obc from price guarantee for shore excursions

$250obc for the ccl stock

$75obc from TA

 

$600 Total

I think anyone who reads this understands that $275 was from price guarantee for shore excursions. Which is awesome in my mind! The poster also relayed their good fortune of having $600 total OBC. I’d surely be happy with that.

I’m new here, but it seems as there’s some very snarky responses to very informative posts, and I don’t really understand why. 😕

 

Thank you for your very positive Post, KrissyCruises. And thank you for re-posting westport's very nice and positive Post. I hope that you do not let the negativity and snarky Posts that periodically appear to drive you off from future participation in CC Forums.

[wesport]

Gee, I didn't think saving money would be so controversial.

[whogo]

Booked directly, the tour would have been $90/person but HAL was charging $99.95. I submitted a claim for the difference and in less than 24 hours received an email saying that we would get OBC of $10.95/person. Super easy.

I would bet that HAL turned a profit on this guarantee payment.

[kazu]

Gee, I didn't think saving money would be so controversial.

It's not controversial at all.

 

I think it is great but..

 

It really depends on where you are going. For common ports it would be easier to find potentially identical tours and take advantage of it.

 

For different itineraries, it's a horse of a different colour. HAL is offering nothing like what we are doing on our next cruise so far.

 

For us, we don't like to be herded like cats. The day HAL offers small excursions (as they did for our Vatican private guided tour with 8 of us) I will jump on them. Sadly those are rare, so while the offer will rarely be beneficial if ever for us, I am glad it is for others.

[iancal]

It would be simple for HAL or any other cruise line to offer this. It is a ruse.

 

The only thing they need to do is contract their specific contractor NOT to sell any identical private tours. Private tours offered by others will never be identical.

[ontheweb]

It would be simple for HAL or any other cruise line to offer this. It is a ruse.

 

The only thing they need to do is contract their specific contractor NOT to sell any identical private tours. Private tours offered by others will never be identical.

 

I disagree with "never be identical". Carnival has the same 110% of the difference guarantee. In 2016, we were able to apply for, and almost immediately receive, the OBC when I applied for it for a tour of the Harrison Caves in Barbados.

[kazu]

In all honesty, price is not the reason we try to do private tours, it is quality, flexibility and the smaller groups.

 

If there was some guarantee on quality or tour length or tour details as promised that would mean more to me than a 10% difference in pricing.

 

HAL's shore excursion office doesn't give a hoot if you complain. The day they care about quality will be the day I will reconsider. I usually end up doing 2 HAL tours every cruise. On every occasion I have been very disappointed in at least one out of 2.

 

It's gotten to be so redundant (and shore excursions reply) that if I can, I will avoid HAL tours.

 

I want a QUALITY tour - when HAL backs up their promise - I will be far more interested than saving a bit of $. And yes, I am a CCL shareholder and yes, I spend oodles of money on board, but I'm not going to buy a dubious product because I am shareholder. I have paid enough to get to these intriguing ports. I want a good experience in them. JMO of course.

[MVPinBoynton]

In all honesty, price is not the reason we try to do private tours, it is quality, flexibility and the smaller groups.

 

If there was some guarantee on quality or tour length or tour details as promised that would mean more to me than a 10% difference in pricing.

 

HAL's shore excursion office doesn't give a hoot if you complain. The day they care about quality will be the day I will reconsider. I usually end up doing 2 HAL tours every cruise. On every occasion I have been very disappointed in at least one out of 2.

 

It's gotten to be so redundant (and shore excursions reply) that if I can, I will avoid HAL tours.

 

I want a QUALITY tour - when HAL backs up their promise - I will be far more interested than saving a bit of $. And yes, I am a CCL shareholder and yes, I spend oodles of money on board, but I'm not going to buy a dubious product because I am shareholder. I have paid enough to get to these intriguing ports. I want a good experience in them. JMO of course.

 

Right on ! The same price on a ship excursion compared to a small private tour doesn't make them equal.

[LMaxwell]

Similar to Carnival offer. good luck finding identical excursions. Any deviation or variation makes it not identical.

[ontheweb]

Similar to Carnival offer. good luck finding identical excursions. Any deviation or variation makes it not identical.

 

As I posted earlier, I was able to get the OBC with the similar offer. The private excursion said "they would pick you up at your hotel". This was obviously not the same as the Carnival tour. I e-mailed the private excursion and asked if they would pick you up at a cruise ship, and they replied yes. I added this to the comments about the private excursion. And as I said previously, we were almost immediately given the OBC.

 

And, BTW, the Carnival excursion was also a fairly small group.

 

If they had not provided the OBC, we would have just taken the private excursion, a win/win situation.

Edited November 17, 2017 by ontheweb
added last sentence

[avian777]

As I posted earlier, I was able to get the OBC with the similar offer. The private excursion said "they would pick you up at your hotel". This was obviously not the same as the Carnival tour. I e-mailed the private excursion and asked if they would pick you up at a cruise ship, and they replied yes. I added this to the comments about the private excursion. And as I said previously, we were almost immediately given the OBC.

 

And, BTW, the Carnival excursion was also a fairly small group.

 

If they had not provided the OBC, we would have just taken the private excursion, a win/win situation.

 

Thank you for confirming (again) that HAL's guarantee is, in fact, real and not a scam or ruse as LMaxwell, iancal, sammiedawg, kazu and the other HAL Tour Haters keep insisting.

[avian777]

Two rules of life:

1. When a person prefaces her/his comment with "In all honesty", you can be certain that something less than complete honesty will follow.

2. When a person says, "It's not about the money", you can be certain it is about the money.

JMO YMMV

[avian777]

To all those who worry about being herded like cats on HAL Tours, I suggest you look into doing HAL Signature Collection tours - they allow you total control over virtually every aspect of your tour from size of group to itinerary to type of vehicle to length of tour. The price of a Signature Collection tour includes an English-speaking tour guide and, of course, a driver. IMO if a person truly wants a truly luxurious, personalized and customized shore excursion, a Signature Collection tour is the answer ... and, since it's not about the money, the price of a Signature Collection tour should not be a consideration, much less an obstacle.

[kazu]

To all those who worry about being herded like cats on HAL Tours, I suggest you look into doing HAL Signature Collection tours - they allow you total control over virtually every aspect of your tour from size of group to itinerary to type of vehicle to length of tour. The price of a Signature Collection tour includes an English-speaking tour guide and, of course, a driver. IMO if a person truly wants a truly luxurious, personalized and customized shore excursion, a Signature Collection tour is the answer ... and, since it's not about the money, the price of a Signature Collection tour should not be a consideration, much less an obstacle.

 

Have you ever done one of these? I have done several. A small correction you do NOT have total control on your tour. You submit your itinerary and then, IF the guide driver agree, you do it. And, it is not always luxurious.

 

The first couple we did were pretty good a few years ago.

 

The last one on our Black Sea cruise had a vehicle whose suspension must have died a year ago. There was NO comparison between the vehicle that we got on the Signature tour compared to the other vehicles that the HAL shore excursions were using nor my other private tours.

 

Our guide was wonderful but the ride was very uncomfortable so again, without consistency, I'll look for quality thank you.

 

Signature tours are not always the answer, sadly. They can be - but the quality is not consistent. Just my experience.

 

And, if HAL backed up these tours when there were legitimate complaints, that would help a lot. They don't.

[VennDiagram]

as LMaxwell, iancal, sammiedawg, kazu and the other HAL Tour Haters keep insisting.

 

How sad for you that you feel the need to blatantly mischaracterize anyone who doesn't hold the same opinions you hold.

[avian777]

How sad for you that you feel the need to blatantly mischaracterize anyone who doesn't hold the same opinions you hold.

 

For anyone who thinks I "mischaracterized" anyone or any Post, please read Posts # 4, 19, 26, 28, 38 and 42 above - they speak for themselves.

 

How sad that you feel the need to mischaracterize that which needs no explanation and which you apparently do not understand.

[avian777]

Have you ever done one of these? (Yes, we have done several ... and have been 100% satisfied with each of them.) I have done several. A small correction you do NOT have total control on your tour. You submit your itinerary and then, IF the guide driver agree, you do it. (If the guide and/or driver do not agree with your tour requests, you are free to not do the tour, which gives you ultimate control.) And, it is not always luxurious.

 

The first couple we did were pretty good a few years ago.

 

The last one on our Black Sea cruise had a vehicle whose suspension must have died a year ago. There was NO comparison between the vehicle that we got on the Signature tour compared to the other vehicles that the HAL shore excursions were using nor my other private tours.

 

Our guide was wonderful but the ride was very uncomfortable so again, without consistency, I'll look for quality thank you.

 

Signature tours are not always the answer, sadly. (Nor did I say that Signature Collection tours are ALWAYS the answer - I merely suggested that folks look into the Signature Collection option, as I am painfully aware that for some people, there just isn't an answer.) They can be - but the quality is not consistent. Just my experience.

 

And, if HAL backed up these tours when there were legitimate complaints, that would help a lot. They don't. (We have never had a complaint, legitimate or otherwise, with any of the Signature Collection tours we have taken, so I am unable to confirm or disprove what you claim to be true.)

 

Happy to respond to your questions/comments above.