Hflors Posted January 31, 2018 #1 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Since I usually have Fcd's I haven't made a deposit (other than the FCD) for years. Well since Hal wouldn't allow me to buy one for dh while I was on my last cruise because dh wasn't onboard (it was a 4 sisters cruise) so now that we are thinking of a cruise or had been - I was supposed to buy one while onboard with FCD's we will now need to put down a deposit. Since dh is balking at the $3500.00 for the cruise we were supposed to go on, now dh has changed his mind and wants to go on a Caribbean cruise. Well I put one on hold so we could talk about it. The deposit for a 14 day cruise to the Caribbean next Jan is $1200.00! The other one which is 7 days is $700.00. Both of these cruises are a year away!!! Just when did the deposit for a 7 day cruise become $700.00? I can only guess at the same time that the 14 day one became $1200.00. Even if someone cancels HAL has made lots of money off the money they collect for deposits. OK I am stepping down from my soapbox and moving on. We will either put the money up and make the deposit or shut up and wait until the last minute to book the cruise and pay the whole thing. Just wondering how other people feel about the deposit amounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted January 31, 2018 #2 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I haven't bought future deposits for a few years. Mainly because at one time they were not refundable if not used within 4 years. We had to cancel a couple of cruises in 2010 -- used some old future deposits -- lost those deposits as HAL would not put them back in our "bank". So we quit buying them. Deposits for some of the cruises we did the last few years were high -- 21 day cruise -- $1200 per person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted January 31, 2018 #3 Share Posted January 31, 2018 KK, again it amazes me that sometimes you have such less than great luck with HAL. After I lost my DH, future cruise creditts in his name never entered my mind, Of all I had to deal with, that was not on my list. yet one day a c heck arived in the mail. I never mentioned the credits in his name and yet they sent me a check for the full value. It took me a while to figure out what it was for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee2673 Posted January 31, 2018 #4 Share Posted January 31, 2018 They refund the deposit if you cancel your trip in time. And the deposit is money toward the cruise you're booking. So although it is a lot of money to put up front, it's not like it's HAL (or any cruise line) is stealing it from you. As long as you take advantage of trip insurance, you can get (most of) the deposit back. And if you cancel within the proper time frame, you get it all back. Unless that's the amount of the non-refrundable deposit..is it? Am I missing something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising-along Posted January 31, 2018 #5 Share Posted January 31, 2018 It's been a few years....not sure how many. Luckily we've always had at least 1 future cruise deposit on file. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dogo88 Posted January 31, 2018 #6 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Seems weird. We've been using the FCCs for quite a few years and when we got them I asked about using or losing them. Was told after 4 years you get the $ back. But we've been using them. Bought our last ones on our March 2017 cruise and used it for our upcoming Alaska cruise in May. Actually booked it in April 2017. I was surprised that they allowed it considering the FCC was $200 and the cruise was a bit under $8k. But they did. Maybe my TA or their company has a different relationship with HAL. Either way we'll continue to get them. But a $1200 booking fee? No way unless it was a trip that we had to have. If it was non-refundable then no even more so. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lido deck main Posted January 31, 2018 #7 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Since I usually have Fcd's I haven't made a deposit (other than the FCD) for years. Well since Hal wouldn't allow me to buy one for dh while I was on my last cruise because dh wasn't onboard (it was a 4 sisters cruise) so now that we are thinking of a cruise or had been - I was supposed to buy one while onboard with FCD's we will now need to put down a deposit. Since dh is balking at the $3500.00 for the cruise we were supposed to go on, now dh has changed his mind and wants to go on a Caribbean cruise. Well I put one on hold so we could talk about it. The deposit for a 14 day cruise to the Caribbean next Jan is $1200.00! The other one which is 7 days is $700.00. Both of these cruises are a year away!!! Just when did the deposit for a 7 day cruise become $700.00? I can only guess at the same time that the 14 day one became $1200.00. Even if someone cancels HAL has made lots of money off the money they collect for deposits OK I am stepping down from my soapbox and moving on. We will either put the money up and make the deposit or shut up and wait until the last minute to book the cruise and pay the whole thing. Just wondering how other people feel about the deposit amounts. We just booked a 28 day cruise for Fall 2018. Cruise price right now for two total is $8,400 and we had to pay a deposit of $4,200, is refundable to July 2nd, 2018 but I was thinking the deposit amounts have gone higher as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted January 31, 2018 #8 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Interesting things are happening regarding deposits, and its across the industry. Here is the problem, as explained to me by a cruise line rep. There are too many folks who will make multiple cruise reservations (sometimes for the same time period) in order to hold a desired cabin. At a much later date (but prior to final payment) these folks simply cancel some or all of their bookings (and get their small deposits refunded). So now, there are some new strategies to discourage this phony bookings. HAL has been experimenting with non-refundable deposits which, in theory, will get you a lower price. They have also sometimes charged very high deposits (especially for the most popular voyages such as Grand Cruises, VOV, etc. Another technique is to require final payments at an earlier date. Personally we do not have a major problem with higher deposits since we generally do take the cruises we book. And if this discourages others from booking early, well that just leaves a better cabin inventory for those of us willing to back up their reservations with money :). We have also seen some of these same techniques with hotels/resorts. In many cases you can get a lower price on a hotel room if you pay in advance or submit a non-refundable (or partially refundable) deposit. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted January 31, 2018 #9 Share Posted January 31, 2018 They refund the deposit if you cancel your trip in time. And the deposit is money toward the cruise you're booking. So although it is a lot of money to put up front, it's not like it's HAL (or any cruise line) is stealing it from you. As long as you take advantage of trip insurance, you can get (most of) the deposit back. And if you cancel within the proper time frame, you get it all back. Unless that's the amount of the non-refrundable deposit..is it? Am I missing something? Dee, I didn't c ancel a c ruise...... when my dh passed, it was clea FCD could not be used and on their own HAL refunded the money ( for all tthe FCD's we had bought in his name) to me (his estate). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overhead Fred Posted January 31, 2018 #10 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Since I usually have Fcd's I haven't made a deposit (other than the FCD) for years. Well since Hal wouldn't allow me to buy one for dh while I was on my last cruise because dh wasn't onboard (it was a 4 sisters cruise) so now that we are thinking of a cruise or had been - I was supposed to buy one while onboard with FCD's we will now need to put down a deposit. Since dh is balking at the $3500.00 for the cruise we were supposed to go on, now dh has changed his mind and wants to go on a Caribbean cruise. Well I put one on hold so we could talk about it. The deposit for a 14 day cruise to the Caribbean next Jan is $1200.00! The other one which is 7 days is $700.00. Both of these cruises are a year away!!! Just when did the deposit for a 7 day cruise become $700.00? I can only guess at the same time that the 14 day one became $1200.00. Even if someone cancels HAL has made lots of money off the money they collect for deposits. OK I am stepping down from my soapbox and moving on. We will either put the money up and make the deposit or shut up and wait until the last minute to book the cruise and pay the whole thing. Just wondering how other people feel about the deposit amounts. My wife and I purchased an FCD for each of us in 11/15. I was able to use them one at a time for the next two cruises (11/16 & 4/17); one of us used the FCD and the other only had to pay a $100 deposit. The one using the FCD got the OBC while the one paying cash did not. We booked thru a travel agent (that I no longer use), so I do not know if they had any special tricks to pull this off. I do not know if this is/was standard HAL practice or if we were just lucky. But you might want to look into the possibility of using one FCD and an equivalent "cash" deposit. I no longer try doing this - I decided I would rather have the OBC for both of us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafedumonde Posted January 31, 2018 #11 Share Posted January 31, 2018 We are about to book with HAL for the first time and also balked at the deposit. We walked away and looked at another line, but we really like the HAL cruise and itinerary so we are about to put down their large deposit! Ugh. Also over a year away. For us the deposit is $2400 for 2 rooms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Girl Posted January 31, 2018 #12 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I don't think the deposits are that high. If I remember correctly, the deposit, w/o an FCL was about 25%. Of course, you can always wait until a special "low deposit" shows up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisemom42 Posted January 31, 2018 #13 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Just when did the deposit for a 7 day cruise become $700.00? I can only guess at the same time that the 14 day one became $1200.00. Even if someone cancels HAL has made lots of money off the money they collect for deposits. Just curious where you think HAL is making lots of money, with interest rates so low universally. If you know, please tell me. If the money was sitting in my savings it would accumulate mere pennies in a year.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted January 31, 2018 #14 Share Posted January 31, 2018 As long as the deposit is refundable (up to a certain point) you are getting value: the certainty that the particular inventory/cabin is available, for the cost of what you might have earned on it in a savings account. The line is giving up value: the opportunity to sell that space on that inventory to someone else. Doesn't sound like that unreasonable an arrangement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straitlover Posted January 31, 2018 #15 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Must have been some changes! When I booked our June 2018 Alaska cruise in March 2017 (three pax), I only had to put down $200. This was through a TA, and there was not any kind of special going on that I knew about but maybe there was? When I re-fared and everything became non-refundable, I had to pay an additional $150. So I've only paid OOP $350 so far. Our balance is due 3/20/18, which is pretty big (to me!) since it's for an SS cabin. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickey_mouse Posted January 31, 2018 #16 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Interesting things are happening regarding deposits, and its across the industry. Here is the problem, as explained to me by a cruise line rep. There are too many folks who will make multiple cruise reservations (sometimes for the same time period) in order to hold a desired cabin. At a much later date (but prior to final payment) these folks simply cancel some or all of their bookings (and get their small deposits refunded). So now, there are some new strategies to discourage this phony bookings. HAL has been experimenting with non-refundable deposits which, in theory, will get you a lower price. They have also sometimes charged very high deposits (especially for the most popular voyages such as Grand Cruises, VOV, etc.I must say, I think this a good idea and well justified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChinaShrek Posted January 31, 2018 #17 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Just curious where you think HAL is making lots of money, with interest rates so low universally. If you know, please tell me. If the money was sitting in my savings it would accumulate mere pennies in a year.... One can easily invest money in stocks or bonds for a year or two and makes thousands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Vict0riann Posted January 31, 2018 #18 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Surprised that happened. When my DD booked her last cruise, she had one FCD to use for herself. She thought she would have to pay the full deposit for her BF, who had never cruised before. HAL just charged her the extra $100 as his deposit. Perhaps by talking to someone else at HAL you could work something out. Doesn't seem right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickey_mouse Posted January 31, 2018 #19 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I was also disappointed to learn that you can no longer purchase a future cruise credit for someone not currently on your sailing. I was hoping to do this next month! However, I'm actually surprised they ever allowed this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted January 31, 2018 #20 Share Posted January 31, 2018 One can easily invest money in stocks or bonds for a year or two and makes thousands. Just how large a deposit are you talking about - which can "easily" be invested and make "thousands"? Certainly not in bonds - for a 4% bond (very high rate) to make "thousands" ($2,000) in a year, you are talking about at least a $50,000 investment --- big down payment on a cruise. And any stock investment which can earn you thousands in a year can also lose you thousands - especially in today's market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Girl Posted January 31, 2018 #21 Share Posted January 31, 2018 . But a $1200 booking fee? No way unless it was a trip that we had to have. If it was non-refundable then no even more so. Dan It wasn't a booking fee. It was a deposit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Girl Posted January 31, 2018 #22 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Just how large a deposit are you talking about - which can "easily" be invested and make "thousands"? Certainly not in bonds - for a 4% bond (very high rate) to make "thousands" ($2,000) in a year, you are talking about at least a $50,000 investment --- big down payment on a cruise. And any stock investment which can earn you thousands in a year can also lose you thousands - especially in today's market. The voice of reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathammer Posted January 31, 2018 #23 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) We recently had to pay a $3500 refundable deposit (against about a $10,500 total for two) on a HAL cruise for late this year. That didn't particularly bother me, but the fact that they also charged a higher cabin rate ($350 pp) to make make a reservation under what used to be the normal payment/refund timeline rules was annoying. Edited January 31, 2018 by cathammer x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ithaca gal Posted February 1, 2018 #24 Share Posted February 1, 2018 We buy FCDs just in case a cruise comes up that we are interested in before we are going to be onboard again. However, I don't really mind putting down a large deposit for a cruise that I'm sure (at the time) that I'm going to be taking -- it means less to pay when final deposit time comes. I agree that I could invest that deposit money in stocks and possibly make a nice profit. OR, I could lose a good chunk of it for all kinds of reasons! I'd rather put it on a sure thing -- a cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy2x Posted February 1, 2018 #25 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Just how large a deposit are you talking about - which can "easily" be invested and make "thousands"? Certainly not in bonds - for a 4% bond (very high rate) to make "thousands" ($2,000) in a year, you are talking about at least a $50,000 investment --- big down payment on a cruise. And any stock investment which can earn you thousands in a year can also lose you thousands - especially in today's market. From a consumer perspective you are correct. OTH, from the seller's perspective a lot of deposits can add up to some nice cash flow.;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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