Best Price...but Non-Refundable Deposit? No Thanks.

[AryMay]

I am finally getting to the point where I am starting to "look" and "think" about booking a future cruise. But...after logging into the HAL website I see I have two choices for pricing...and neither one is great. 

 

For one of the summer cruises to Alaska the Have It All Price is $350 more per person than the Best Price. But I'm not excited about paying extra for perks I don't really want in the first place...drinks, specialty dining, wi-fi, and an excursion. (Including free gratuities would have been a little more enticing.) To get the lower price I would have to put down several hundred dollars for a deposit that is totally non-refundable. I am assuming the Have it All Price deposit is refundable, but I didn't actually see that in writing. 

 

I know other cruiselines are going this same direction with their marketing, but for me I will continue to just look and think for now and see how things play out in the future. 🙁

 

 

[Vict0riann]

We booked a "Best Price" recently and our PCC said that the deposit was definitely refundable...  Maybe you should call and check with HAL.  

[KirkNC]

We also did a non-Alaska booking that the best price had a refundable deposit.  I would call.

[AryMay]

5 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

We booked a "Best Price" recently and our PCC said that the deposit was definitely refundable...  Maybe you should call and check with HAL.  

 

Here are the details for the Best Price. I won't call at this point since I'm not ready to book anything, but the website seems pretty clear that the deposit would not be refundable. Perhaps this started when the Have It All promotion began?

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by AryMay

[AncientWanderer]

We have called our HAL cruise consultant and been given a price somewhere in between the two that does not come with all the perks, but does have a refundable deposit.  The deposit required is larger than with the nonrefundable price, but we chose to book it that way.

In short, call and see what they have to offer.

[Vict0riann]

Yes, we didn't pay a "50% reduced deposit", but we did get the "Best Price".

[Hlitner]

There is nothing new about this "Best Price" scheme as it has been around for several years for those of us who shop around among decent cruise agencies.  We have long been able to choose various price options when booking a HAL cruise with one option being a lower price that came with a non-refundable deposit.  HAL also sold cruises with these fares (but did not call them Best Price).  My favorite cruise agency will often have several different prices for any HAL cruise.  At times, when we are looking at multiple cruise lines and lots of options it is like those old Chinese Restaurant menus where you choose 1 from Column A and 2 from Column B, etc etc.

 

Hank

[DFD1]

We did not complete a cruise booking a few weeks ago when we learned "any money paid on the cruise was non-refundable".

 

Then, a few days ago, we booked a cruise with a reasonable price (and did not include all those extras) where the deposit was refundable until final payment day. The deposit, however was higher than we had encountered before. Fortunately, we had bought future cruise deposits some time back and those were accepted....but still refundable.

 

Non-refundable payment plans are not for me.

 

 

[CJcruzer]

I believe the price you want that has refundable deposit, but bot reduced deposit, is called Advantage fare.

 

At least that 8s what my TA calls it.

 

Cqrol

[Mary229]

There seems to be conflicting information. Just like @AryMay me and my TA read it as non-refundable but when she called it is refundable.   HAL not only needs a better IT staff, they need better proofreaders 

[rkacruiser]

58 minutes ago, DFD1 said:

Non-refundable payment plans are not for me.

 

Me either.

 

Without exception in my booking experience, if one is able to get a price that does not include all of the "bells and whistles", it will be a better price/day for me as a solo cruiser.  

[57redbird]

1 hour ago, Vict0riann said:

We booked a "Best Price" recently and our PCC said that the deposit was definitely refundable...  Maybe you should call and check with HAL.  

That's what we did as well.

[Blazza]

I was concerned about the same thing until I read this post by @AtlantaCruiser72 in another thread which addresses the issue in the first bullet point with the description of the ‘Advantage’ fare:

It is annoying (and strange - at least to me) that this fare option isn’t displayed on the HAL website and appears to require a call to access. When I have made dummy bookings through online TAs the Advantage fare seems to be about USD150 p/p or so more than the fare with a non-refundable deposit, which is an amount I’m happy to pay for flexibility.

[rodndonna]

 

Cruises for Dec  2021 seem to have a best price which clearly stated are non-refundable (reduced) deposits

 

Best Price 

• OUR LOWEST FARE
• 50% REDUCED DEPOSIT (non-refundable)

 

 

 

[iancal]

The ONLY time we would ever book non refundable is if we are buying a cruise inside the final payment period.  And even then a portion of the fare is refundable.

 

Cruises...absolutely not.  We have yet to see pricing from any cruise line where we felt that the risk/reward ratio was good enough to select a non refundable option.

 

It is not that we do not buy non refundable travel options from time to time.  AIr is one as long as the price is right and the change fee is reasonable.  Same with hotels.   There are several of our favorite hotels where we can save 25-30 percent by booking in advance/non refundable.  

 

Alas, the cruise line discounts do not come near the level for us to make non refundable deposits an option.  Reducing the cruise deposit amount  is a meaningless option to us.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by iancal

[Mary229]

55 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

Cruises for Dec  2021 seem to have a best price which clearly stated are non-refundable (reduced) deposits

 

Best Price 

• OUR LOWEST FARE
• 50% REDUCED DEPOSIT (non-refundable)

 

 

 

There is an unpublished third tier that you need to call for.  Gus mentioned in an interview when he was announcing the new Have it All.   

[rodndonna]

7 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

There is an unpublished third tier that you need to call for.  Gus mentioned in an interview when he was announcing the new Have it All.   

 

Well that makes sense as precluding refundable for non-"have it all fares" really doesn't make any sense at all.

 

They really need to update the website booking system. I wasn't sure if, as it looks now, it is just their way of getting people to  buy their protection plan (under which it is then refundable)

[Mary229]

3 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

Well that makes sense as precluding refundable for non-"have it all fares" really doesn't make any sense at all.

 

They really need to update the website booking system. I wasn't sure if, as it looks now, it is just their way of getting people to  buy their protection plan (under which it is then refundable)

The website is awful.   I waste a lot of time putting together a booking then having to call to check all of the prices plus to make sure all of the available staterooms are showing - they never are!  I am hoping before my next booking they get it together.  Of course my stance is no more bookings until I see them sail at least one successful cruise from North America.

[Time For Dreaming]

Booked a 2023 cruise for Best Price (no perks) and was told it was totally refundable.  Also purchased the Platinum Insurance.

[rodndonna]

11 minutes ago, Time For Dreaming said:

Booked a 2023 cruise for Best Price (no perks) and was told it was totally refundable.  Also purchased the Platinum Insurance.

 

The terms on the website state that if you purchase the insurance, then it is fully refundable. 

 

On some of the Dec 2021 bookings, they do not offer "Have it All"  , and have 2 fares (neither have perks).

  "Best Price" and "Flexible Fare" .

 

I took our cruise as a test (Dec 5, 2021, Panama Canal Sunsurfer)

The difference between the fares seems to 100% deposit and fully refundable for "Flexible Fare" vs the 50% and non-refund for  "Best Price"

 

The price differential  between those 2 fares is equal to the cost for the "Platinum" insurance. (CAN$187/pp) being quoted on that cruise. You get more buying the insurance though as you also get medical coverage.

 

If I buy best fare and add  'standard" insurance (basically cancellation) , the price is then just  CAN$149 extra - so I guess that's another tier.

 

Best Price,

Best Price + standard cancellation protection (this really should be the cost of the Flexible Fare, but is less by about CAN$38/pp)

Best Price + Platinum protection (this costs the same as Flexible Fare, but would also have medical insurance )

 

 

 

 

 

[DFD1]

With respect, this all seems unnecessary and, at times confusing.  I can't help but wonder if all this dancing around finally nets the cruise line any increase in fare revenue.

 

Maybe it's just my age...but I think not.

Edited May 26, 2021 by DFD1

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, iancal said:

The ONLY time we would ever book non refundable is if we are buying a cruise inside the final payment period. 

 

The only time that I did this was for my 2020 Eurodam partial Canal transit cruise when I learned that friends would be aboard and that I would be in Florida at the same time.  I made certain that my cruise insurance protected the "whatevers" relating to that cruise.  

[Heartgrove]

We recently booked a Mexican Riviera for the end of this year with our PCC. It will be our 20th Anniversary. Turned out that there is a Mariner's unpublished fare that is cheaper than the non-refundable but is still fully refundable. We would never have known about it without talking to him. Sometimes it pays to make a phone call!

 

 

[DaveOKC]

1 hour ago, Heartgrove said:

We recently booked a Mexican Riviera for the end of this year with our PCC. It will be our 20th Anniversary. Turned out that there is a Mariner's unpublished fare that is cheaper than the non-refundable but is still fully refundable. We would never have known about it without talking to him. Sometimes it pays to make a phone call!

 

 

Sounds like a Private Sale for which is for specific customers and is tied to your Mariner number.  To see this fare online you have to be logged into your account AND drill down the booking to the page where your cabin is assigned.

 

[Mary229]

16 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Sounds like a Private Sale for which is for specific customers and is tied to your Mariner number.  To see this fare online you have to be logged into your account AND drill down the booking to the page where your cabin is assigned.

 

Adding, that I only see it on my Firefox browser not my Safari browser