New "Have It All" Promotion

[ABoatNerd]

Mary229 and Kazu, thank you both also for your posts.

I agree with what you said.

I have found O to be much over rated in terms of service and food. 

Their R class ships, not good, old and small and the bathrooms (and showers yikes), totally not acceptable for a premium line. Also, the mechanics of the R ships, especially Regatta with its very dubious mechanical history.

Essentially, the arrogance of the staff and officers and the seemingly constant missing of ports, is a total turnoff.

Will not patronize O again.

[lactmom4sons]

Trying to decide on cruise to hawaii on holland america.  first time with this cruise line.  Looking at the difference between regular fare and "have it all".  Can anyone tell me the average daily cost for wifi and drink package?  trying to decide if worth the expense for  25 day cruise.  thanks for replies.

[IPB4IGO]

22 minutes ago, lactmom4sons said:

Trying to decide on cruise to hawaii on holland america.  first time with this cruise line.  Looking at the difference between regular fare and "have it all".  Can anyone tell me the average daily cost for wifi and drink package?  trying to decide if worth the expense for  25 day cruise.  thanks for replies.

If you buy the same drink package they are including with that promotion it runs around $52/day/person. If one person in the cabin buys it, every adult in the cabin must as well.

 

The Wi-Fi package they are including is their mid-range package (no streaming), has in the past been about $8/day on a 25-day cruise. The higher cost "Premium" Wi-Fi package was about $12/day for a 25-day cruise. You can buy either Wi-Fi package during the cruise, probably at a higher daily rate,  if you don't want to commit to it at the beginning. Once you buy a Wi-Fi package you must pay for it for the remainder of the cruise, although you can upgrade your package at any time.

 

Hope that helps.

Edited May 4, 2021 by IPB4IGO

[lactmom4sons]

Thank you very much for the info

[kazu]

19 minutes ago, IPB4IGO said:

If you buy the same drink package they are including with that promotion it runs around $52/day/person. If one person in the cabin buys it, every adult in the cabin must as well.

 

The Wi-Fi package they are including is their mid-range package (no streaming), has in the past been about $8/day on a 25-day cruise. The higher cost "Premium" Wi-Fi package was about $12/day for a 25-day cruise. You can buy either Wi-Fi package during the cruise, probably at a higher daily rate,  if you don't want to commit to it at the beginning. Once you buy a Wi-Fi package you must pay for it for the remainder of the cruise, although you can upgrade your package at any time.

 

Hope that helps.

 

8 minutes ago, lactmom4sons said:

Thank you very much for the info

 

The one thing I would add to IP4IGO’s very helpful post is to do the math on the beverage package.  It isn’t worth that much to everyone.  It depends on how many sodas, waters, alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees, etc you tend to drink.  

Once you do the math for what you consume, you will have a better idea on it’s worth to you.  

[lactmom4sons]

20 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

 

The one thing I would add to IP4IGO’s very helpful post is to do the math on the beverage package.  It isn’t worth that much to everyone.  It depends on how many sodas, waters, alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees, etc you tend to drink.  

Once you do the math for what you consume, you will have a better idea on it’s worth to you.  

thanks for all this great info

[VMax1700]

@lactmom4sons  

 Here is the latest price for internet (pre covid!)

It is possible to pre purchase the Premium package at a slight discount before you cruise through 'Manage my Booking' .  Downside is that you must pre pay.  The current promo is offering the Surf Package.

Remember that with HAL you are permitted to bring on as much soda and water as you want at both embarkation and ports of call.   You are also permitted 1 bottle of wine per adult in the stateroom at embarkation only.   You can also bring onboard additional bottles of wine and pay $18 per bottle corkage.   You are not permitted to bring on beer or spirits.

Can make a difference to value calculations if you are not big drinkers!

Edited May 4, 2021 by VMax1700
forgot to attach file!

[cruzingnut]

5 hours ago, kazu said:

 

 

The one thing I would add to IP4IGO’s very helpful post is to do the math on the beverage package.  It isn’t worth that much to everyone.  It depends on how many sodas, waters, alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees, etc you tend to drink.  

Once you do the math for what you consume, you will have a better idea on it’s worth to you.  

 

Another thing to consider is that the 15% gratuity is included in the package price.

 

Also the difference between getting the Have it All is that if you don't get it, basically what they give you back is half of what everything is worth.   For example, I priced out what it all would cost if you bought each thing itself, internet, liquor package, specialty dining, etc.  For a cruise (14 day) I'm looking at, it works out to about $1,200pp while if I don't get the Have it all, I will get about a $600 deduction. 

 

Linda R.

[lactmom4sons]

thank you for all the info.  looks like i do not drink enough to make any reason to get.  plus all the other good reasons you have all pointed out. 

thanks to all 

[lderochi]

https://thepointsguy.com/news/holland-america-inclusive-cruise-fares/amp/
 

“Antorcha said the Mariner Society members that the line surveyed weren’t as keen on having gratuities included in the Have It All fares as they were for the other extra-charge items”

 

”I thought it would score higher,” Antorcha noted, speaking of included gratuities. “But we surveyed tens of thousands of people.”

 

I’m very surprised that the survey results showed people wanted a $100 shore excursion credit rather than gratuities. 

[oakridger]

10 minutes ago, lderochi said:

I’m very surprised that the survey results showed people wanted a $100 shore excursion credit rather than gratuities. 

 

I'm also VERY surprised by that choice....I would much rather have gratuities included...plus I always give extra to some of the crew so would probably give them even more than usual if grats/HSC were included!

 

~Nancy

[Mary229]

Drinks on cruise ships just like at your hometown restaurant are a profit center.  It is easy to tell people you are delivering a great value when you charge $11 for something you are able to provide  at $.50 .   I also think for HAL clientele after the first day or so the enthusiasm for drinking likely falls off except for special occasions.  We are not 19 anymore 
 

And WiFi gets cheaper and cheaper for them to deliver - for most HAL guests it only costs them $5, you see a value of $200, they see a cost of $5.  .  

 

But gratuities are a fixed cost, there is no value in the line offering it, it is $14 for you and $14 for them.

 

 The excursions may be a true value and the biggest losers there are the private shore companies who may be forced to lower their prices.  

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

The excursions may be a true value and the biggest losers there are the private shore companies who may be forced to lower their prices.  

 

Assuming people can do private shore excursions, I don’t see the needing to lower prices.

I’ll take a private sore excursion from a reputable guide any day with a few people on the tour that I “know” rather than a big bus that can’t even go to some of the places that the private tours do.

People who book private tours don’t just do it because they are cheaper (they are most times, but not always) but for the quality. 😉 

[Mary229]

10 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Assuming people can do private shore excursions, I don’t see the needing to lower prices.

I’ll take a private sore excursion from a reputable guide any day with a few people on the tour that I “know” rather than a big bus that can’t even go to some of the places that the private tours do.

People who book private tours don’t just do it because they are cheaper (they are most times, but not always) but for the quality. 😉 

It depends on the caliber of the excursion.  If lines start adopting this all inclusive model there will be downward pressure on market prices. There will always be those who will pay for premium service but most tour operators are simply providing a slightly more personalized service option for the same tour.  I am speaking industry wide trends particularly in very popular destinations such as the Caribbean and Alaska.  As a side note I am always stunned by how much market share the Caribbean has, it is tremendous.   On many islands the large bus is never an option for some tours.  

[kazu]

47 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

There will always be those who will pay for premium service but most tour operators are simply providing a slightly more personalized service option for the same tour.

 

On this point, we will agree to disagree.  The private tours I have done in Europe take in much more than a HAL tour and more in depth.  They are rarely the same tour at all.  We don’t tend to do Caribbean or Alaska (and in Alaska I believe HAL has some good tours) so I can’t comment there but for the South Pacific, HAL certainly has no tour like Patrick offers in Bora Bora.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

The program is good for some and not for others.

For us it is not good.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Gail & Marty sailing away

[zelker]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

On this point, we will agree to disagree.  The private tours I have done in Europe take in much more than a HAL tour and more in depth.  They are rarely the same tour at all.  We don’t tend to do Caribbean or Alaska (and in Alaska I believe HAL has some good tours) so I can’t comment there but for the South Pacific, HAL certainly has no tour like Patrick offers in Bora Bora.

 

Private tours - or just being able to get off a ship and wander on our own - is our modus operandi when we cruise.  We're not big on the Caribbean either, Jacqui, but re: Alaska, we've sailed up there 6 times between HAL and Seabourn since 2006 and unless the cruise lines have locked up certain vendors there (which they sometimes do 😠), we much prefer to give our business directly to locals who 99% of the time give us a much better experience. 

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, zelker said:

 

Private tours - or just being able to get off a ship and wander on our own - is our modus operandi when we cruise.  We're not big on the Caribbean either, Jacqui, but re: Alaska, we've sailed up there 6 times between HAL and Seabourn since 2006 and unless the cruise lines have locked up certain vendors there (which they sometimes do 😠), we much prefer to give our business directly to locals who 99% of the time give us a much better experience. 

But it is those vendors who may be forced to lower their prices.  When I sail with DH I tend towards the typical HAL extensive journey and do a lot independent or hire a small group guide.  But I also cruise with my extended family and that is the Caribbean and Alaska.    It is easy to see how what the cruise lines do impact the local vendor.  Here is an industry article on the busiest cruise ports, this is regardless of if it is a port stop or a embarkation port:    https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/17487-the-busiest-cruise-ports.html

Having been to many of the those new world ports I can tell you that the private vs line excursions are almost in lockstep pricing.   Those ports revolve around cruises.  Sure in Amsterdam you can get a city guide who is going to provide a tailored experience, I don't think you will find the same thing in St. Maarten.  In St. Maarten the private operator will mimic the line's version.  

[Turtles06]

15 hours ago, lderochi said:

I’m very surprised that the survey results showed people wanted a $100 shore excursion credit rather than gratuities. 

 

I was also quite surprised by that when I read that article as well.  It made me wonder whether the folks here on CC are not representative of the survey group, or who was in the survey group, etc. For folks who may not have read it, here's a little more from the article and what Antorcha said:

 

Antorcha said the Mariner Society members that the line surveyed weren’t as keen on having gratuities included in the Have It All fares as they were for the other extra-charge items.

“It did not score highly. It was below WiFi,” Antorcha said. “If we’re going to add something to the package, it’s got to be appealing to the guest.”

Antorcha said he suspected that some Holland America customers didn’t want gratuities bundled into the all-inclusive fares because they wanted the option to raise or lower their gratuity amount on board ships if they felt like they received good or bad service. That’s an option under the current system.

“I thought it would score higher,” Antorcha noted, speaking of included gratuities. “But we surveyed tens of thousands of people. These were very large datasets. So I’m pretty confident in not including it. You’ve got to go based on what the research tells you makes the most sense.”

 

The part in bold just does not ring true to me.  Even if HAL had included gratuities in the new Have It All pricing, that would not preclude a guest from adding an additional gratuity for excellent service, just as many of us do now.  And, as for decreasing the gratuity -- how many people on HAL really do that?

 

And as for included gratuities polling lower than included Wi Fi -- really??  

[Turtles06]

14 hours ago, kazu said:

I’ll take a private sore excursion from a reputable guide any day with a few people on the tour that I “know” rather than a big bus that can’t even go to some of the places that the private tours do.

People who book private tours don’t just do it because they are cheaper (they are most times, but not always) but for the quality. 😉 

 

I'm with you.  It's about the overall quality of the experience.  We've never booked a private tour because it was cheaper.  We book private tours so we can be in a small group, move quickly, usually (but not always) have a better guide, and aren't on a big bus with 50 of our newest friends, having to wait for so many people to get on and off, and often not come back in time.   This is not to badmouth all ship's tours; we've been on some excellent ones (and we will continue to book them when warranted).  But we've also been on some dreadful ones, with guides that I suspect could not have kept their jobs had they been working for a smaller tour company, where negative reviews would be very important.  

[bennybear]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I'm with you.  It's about the overall quality of the experience.  We've never booked a private tour because it was cheaper.  We book private tours so we can be in a small group, move quickly, usually (but not always) have a better guide, and aren't on a big bus with 50 of our newest friends, having to wait for so many people to get on and off, and often not come back in time.   This is not to badmouth all ship's tours; we've been on some excellent ones (and we will continue to book them when warranted).  But we've also been on some dreadful ones, with guides that I suspect could not have kept their jobs had they been working for a smaller tour company, where negative reviews would be very important.  

Plus one!  Just one example:    The first time I visited Saint Petersburg  and the Hermitage and was herded in a large group, not allowed to see the Gold room, couldn’t go inside the churches, ..... the next time on a private tour with far fewer people we saw the gold room, visited inside of churches, rode the underground, visited a local market, ate at a local restaurant, rode a hydrofoil.........

 

after that I never looked back.   

Edited May 6, 2021 by bennybear

[Mary229]

I totally understand those who prefer the private excursion but from a business point of view, if lines adopt this method it could impact the private vendor market.  I am considering the entirety of the cruise market not just the HAL experience

[VMax1700]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

Antorcha said the Mariner Society members that the line surveyed weren’t as keen on having gratuities included in the Have It All fares as they were for the other extra-charge items.

“It did not score highly. It was below WiFi,” Antorcha said. “If we’re going to add something to the package, it’s got to be appealing to the guest.”

A couple of thoughts on this,,,,,,

He states that they surveyed "tens of thousands" of Mariners on this.  I wonder how many Mariners actually replied and how long since their last cruise. (could have a bearing on price/availability of wifi).  Also, if the survey was carried out with pax who had current bookings which included gratuities, then they may have different viewpoints to those who booked without included gratuities.

 

Also, anyone on the forum remember receiving a survey that asked about grats/wifi/excursion allowance?

Edited May 6, 2021 by VMax1700

[kazu]

10 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Also, anyone on the forum remember receiving a survey that asked about grats/wifi/excursion allowance?

 

That’s a very good question.  You would think if there had been such a survey that any one on the forum received, they would have posted?  I don’t recall reading of any such survey on the boards or did I miss it ?  😂  I know we didn’t get one.

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

A couple of thoughts on this,,,,,,

He states that they surveyed "tens of thousands" of Mariners on this.  I wonder how many Mariners actually replied and how long since their last cruise. (could have a bearing on price/availability of wifi).  Also, if the survey was carried out with pax who had current bookings which included gratuities, then they may have different viewpoints to those who booked without included gratuities.

 

Also, anyone on the forum remember receiving a survey that asked about grats/wifi/excursion allowance?

No, I recall a survey very early in the pandemic about pandemic issues but nada about my preferences going forward.  I certainly would have chosen paid gratuities first and foremost as that is  likely an increasing cost.  

Edited May 6, 2021 by Mary229