Holland America no frills vs promotions

[jsdjkl35]

I have been curious about Holland America's promotions (e.g., Explore4, Ready, Set, Sail, etc.). I have read posts on Cruise Critic that say it is better to book "no frills" than promotional deals. But how does one book a "no frills" cruise on HAL? Everywhere I look on their website seems to be the Ready, Set, Sail deal.

[old mike]

Check out the new website, (this very mention will bring down the wrath of some members regards the new versus old sites). There is normally a "restricted fare" shown alongside the current promotion. Make sure you read the fine print on conditions. We are on B2B trips from Vancouver to Singapore this fall and by re-booking using the restricted fare we saved approximately 15% net over our original promotional booking when considering the total end of cruise cost includingOBC, gratuities, etc. YMMV.

 

Alternatively call Holland America and ask.

[colonialinnkeeper]

We use a TA and she checks all promotional fares, non-refundable and refundable and gives us the numbers. Then we go through and decide what is valuable to us before booking. It seems to be getting harder to define as more "offers" are being advertised.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We also use a TA.

She checks the price of the cruise without the perks and price with the perks as well as refundable deposits that affect some prices.

[DaveOKC]

Check with your TA (or HAL directly). There are three basic fares, more or less:

 

Basic - normal fare, usually no "perks"

Promotional - one you get "perks" on.

SNAP or restricted fares - the cheapest of them all, but normally involve a non-refundable fare or deposit.

 

You really should evaluate all three and decide which is a better deal for YOU. In our case, we avoid any of the promotional fares that include free drinks, as we do not drink enough to justify the higher fare which usually follows. On the other hand, we are cautious about the restricted fares as I like to book 6-12 months out and fares can change over time (restricted fares difficult or impossible to get lowered fares passed on (plus we may cancel if something else comes up that we like better).

[live_to_travel]

Some offers are not on HAL website but you can find them by searching large travel agency websites. I've seen fares I liked and called and asked HAL if they could match and the answer has been always no. This last cruise the HAL agent said they don't care who we book with just that we cruise with HAL. If you are a member of a large membership store that has a travel agency they may offer OBC. I find it frustrating to have to play the game.

 

 

 

 

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