Need Advice: Should I Switch to Non-Refundable?

[cidymom]

This will be my family's first cruise on HAL. I chose HAL for the itinerary. We usually book oceanview or balcony on other cruise lines but because HAL is more expensive even though their ships are older, we booked a large inside. Right now if I rebook with the non-refundable promotion, I would be saving just over $1,000 on the whole trip or upgrade to ocean view and save about $700. My final payment date is late June 2018. I'm really considering making the change but wanted the advice of the HAL experts. Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated. I don't know when the promotion ends but I'm going back and forth and can't seem to make a decision as I've always book refundable.

[VennDiagram]

My opinion is that you need nerves of steel to book outside of the final payment window on a NON-REFUNDABLE fare. You also need to be prepared to not be able to change to any possible lower fare, or better promotion.

 

I looked into this for a sailing I've been watching. If the fare goes down in the future, no price reduction or move-up permitted. No chance to get in on any future promos. Plus, if you don't have some kind of appropriate cancellation insurance you will lose your entire fare if you can't take the cruise.

 

I can save $1,000 for a booking next winter if I go non-refundable. That would cover some airfare & hotel costs. I'm not doing it. That's my opinion ;) and I am putting my money where my mouth is. ;)

[cbr663]

Depends on your risk. What is the probability that you may have to cancel this cruise and lose your deposit? This will depend upon the number of people sailing, their personal circumstances and the number of days before you sail.

 

Keep in mind that determining your risk isn't about whether or not you are planning or hoping that nothing happens. It's about taking a good long look at the unexpected. What emergencies could realistically pop up that would require you or any other member of your family that is sailing to cancel?

 

Another way to look at it is from the deposit point of view. If you have to cancel, how would you feel knowing that you are losing the deposit? Is it an amount that would affect you or is it an amount that you would be okay with? Keep in mind, if you lose the deposit, the potential savings is awash as you won't be taking the cruise so you will not have realized the savings.

[TrolleyGirl]

You didn’t say which ship you are on so it’s a bit difficult to help you. However, if there are more than 2 of you in a room and your are on a Vista or Signature ship and truly have one of the large inside rooms on the main deck (category J) and you are 100% sure you will not need to cancel, then I would rebook and save the $1000. Those rooms are fabulous for families. They have so much more room than an ocean view or balcony.

[cidymom]

We're on the Veendam - I don't know what type of ship that is but we're in a Category L Large Inside on the Lower Promenade deck. With the non-refundable promotion, I thought we could upgrade still. If not, I have to think about this some more. Thanks for your replies.

[*Miss G*]

Let's think about it in another way. Pretend you have booked airfare to a specific destination because you have somewhere you need to be. You have bought the tickets at a set price and you are happy. Now they are offering you a refund of $1000 if you pay before June. Do you take it? If you are hesitating, what's holding you back? Certain itineraries (Canada/New England) don't really tend to come down in price before final payment, so you will need to add that to the equation.

[*Miss G*]

We're on the Veendam - I don't know what type of ship that is but we're in a Category L Large Inside on the Lower Promenade deck. With the non-refundable promotion, I thought we could upgrade still. If not, I have to think about this some more. Thanks for your replies.

No upgrades on non-refundable so I would google HAL facts and take a look at the Cat L pictures. :)

[cb at sea]

I would never book unrefundable, unless I was past the "refundable" window.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There is no way I would book a non-refunable cruise.

Too many things can go wrong before final payment.

[KroozNut]

Unless you have / purchased cancellation insurance, then I'd go for it because you're covered in case of unforeseen circumstances that might cause you to cancel.

[3littlepigs]

Let's think about it in another way. Pretend you have booked airfare to a specific destination because you have somewhere you need to be. You have bought the tickets at a set price and you are happy. Now they are offering you a refund of $1000 if you pay before June. Do you take it? If you are hesitating, what's holding you back? Certain itineraries (Canada/New England) don't really tend to come down in price before final payment, so you will need to add that to the equation.

 

This is a great way of looking at your dilemma. We are used to buying air tickets, paying when we buy them and accepting there is a penalty (losing all or some of the airfare) if we cancel. The idea of a non refundable cruise or cruise deposit is new to us. We should look at it in the same way as the airfare. Given that nobody should travel without adequate travel insurance (which includes cancellation costs if you buy it where I live...maybe other places are different) then if you are intending to travel unless something unforeseen happens then it’s worth considering the non refundable trip. Without knowing what % of the total cost the saving represents or what the average cost that particular style of cruise ends up, it’s hard to know whether $1000 is a good saving or not.

 

We have just booked a non refundable deposit cruise ( a bit different but similar idea) for September because it was a saving of over $2000 per person, there are few cabins left in the grade we booked, it’s a once a year itinerary and involves an expensive one way airfare, so we figure it’s a good deal. If it had been a couple of hundred dollars on a cruise that runs regularly we probably wouldn’t have bothered.

 

So don’t be scared of the non refundable idea, just weigh up whether the level of savings works for you...and make sure you have good travel insurance :D

[Skoobings]

My Wife & I did this last year with a SNAP Fare on a 10 day Carribean trip, nonrefundable that was supposed to sail in October. Between booking and the cruise, we started trying to get pregnant, and realized that we shouldn't spend 10 days in the Carribean when pregnant or trying to get pregnant, so we were actually able to reschedule our non-refundable cruise for this spring, different ship, different itinerary. Lo and behold, on our Montreal -> Fort Lauderdale cruise last fall, we found out that she was expecting, so we had to cancel this spring's cruise as well. Holland again allowed us to rebook, this time for Summer 2019. The only restrictions we had on either of the rebookings was the fare had to be the same or higher in order to transfer it. YMMV, but Holland has been extremely helpful in changing cruises and schedules on our "nonrefundable" fare.

[JT1962]

YMMV, but Holland has been extremely helpful in changing cruises and schedules on our "nonrefundable" fare.

 

 

That was going to be my question- Does “nonrefundable” mean if you don’t take that specific cruise you lose the money? Or does it mean they will apply the funds to another sailing if you are unable to take the original cruise booked, but not refund directly to you? Those are 2 entirely different scenarios.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Skoobings]

That was going to be my question- Does “nonrefundable” mean if you don’t take that specific cruise you lose the money? Or does it mean they will apply the funds to another sailing if you are unable to take the original cruise booked, but not refund directly to you? Those are 2 entirely different scenarios.

 

I'm not sure that I would trust my experience to be how they do it every time. What I can say is we had a SNAP (nonrefundable) fare booked directly through HAL, and when I called, they originally didn't want to do anything to accomodate, but agreed to change the cruise without needing to escalate to a supervisor or manager. We were well outside of final payment and at this point the cruise has been pushed from Oct 2017 to April 2018 then to May 2019 on 3 different itineraries without any issues.

 

The only downside is that they've had roughly $2300 of our money since June 2017, but it was a sunk cost to me the moment we decided to not go on the first cruise so I'm treating it as a free cruise next year at this point since that money long left our budget.

[KroozNut]

The only downside is that they've had roughly $2300 of our money since June 2017

 

In my view, that's a pretty significant downside.

 

 

I'm treating it as a free cruise next year at this point since that money long left our budget.

 

I suppose that is one way to rationalize it, but thinking of it as a 'free' cruise is only fooling yourself.

[Wishing on a star]

Maybe figure the cost of good Cancel-for-any-Reason cruise/travel insurance (maybe another good third-party insurance company) into that equation, before going NON-refundable.

Might have to buy that insurance and pay the premium on THAT day. Sometimes there is no grace period.

[woody14h]

That was going to be my question- Does “nonrefundable” mean if you don’t take that specific cruise you lose the money? Or does it mean they will apply the funds to another sailing if you are unable to take the original cruise booked, but not refund directly to you? Those are 2 entirely different scenarios.

.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Speaking from experience. You lose your deposit. Cannot transfer to another cruise. Tried

[JT1962]

Speaking from experience. You lose your deposit. Cannot transfer to another cruise. Tried

 

 

 

Does this apply to the Non-Refundable Full Payment as well? I can see taking a chance on losing a deposit if the discount was large enough, but not losing the full cruise fare. I had to cancel a cruise several years ago on another line after final payment and they would not refund, but did offer full credit towards another cruise within 2 years.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[woody14h]

Does this apply to the Non-Refundable Full Payment as well? I can see taking a chance on losing a deposit if the discount was large enough, but not losing the full cruise fare. I had to cancel a cruise several years ago on another line after final payment and they would not refund, but did offer full credit towards another cruise within 2 years.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We tried to cancel or transfer to another cruise before the total was due. Don't know how they would handle after due date.. But IMHO I feel that it might not be a good outcome.