HOW CAN YOU GET BETTER PRICING ON HAL CRUISES

[Florida_gal_50]

11 minutes ago, Petrocelli said:

This is also my experience.  I am 61, and am going on my first cruise next year.  We are going to Alaska because we think we can see more of Alaska on a cruise, and with significantly more comfort.

 

My experience based on this one cruise is that cruising is more expensive than land based vacations.  My last trip was an 8 day trip to Scotland.  We stayed 6 nights in a hotel in Edinburgh that cost $275 a night.  We stayed in a hotel on Skye that cost $450 a night.  We pretty much ate and drank whatever we wanted, including two dinners at Michelin star restaurants.  Airfare for two was $2,700.  The cost for 2 people was $988 a night including airfare, excursions, car to the airport and back, etc.

 

So far, my cruise in a Verandah room with one night's stay in Vancouver, meals in Vancouver, three excursions, the "have it all" package, Club Orange upgrade, three specialty dinners, car to and from the airport, and $1,100 airfare,  is going to cost close to $1,300 a night even with the lower airfare.

 

You often hear people say that cruising is such a deal.  I have to wonder how they are coming to that determination.  I guess if you get a free casino deal it is but I find land is much cheaper.

[iancal]

1 hour ago, nocl said:

Yep, sampling the local cuisine as well as enjoying the ambiance of the local dining establishments is a major part of traveling.

Agree.   And what is especially fun in small towns in Italy is eating in a place where no one speaks English.   Lots of pointing, gesturing, etc.  Out comes the food, in several courses.  And it is always good at these smaller, family run establishments...right down to the vino rosso table wine that came from the owner's, or a relative of the owners, vineyard.

 

 Even better in Greece where if there is a language issue you often get taken back to the kitchen to see and sample.

[nocl]

43 minutes ago, iancal said:

Agree.   And what is especially fun in small towns in Italy is eating in a place where no one speaks English.   Lots of pointing, gesturing, etc.  Out comes the food, in several courses.  And it is always good at these smaller, family run establishments...right down to the vino rosso table wine that came from the owner's, or a relative of the owners, vineyard.

 

 Even better in Greece where if there is a language issue you often get taken back to the kitchen to see and sample.

We have found that when you pick a restaurant eliminate all of those listed in a guidebook, instead just walk around and see where the locals go.

[mcrcruiser]

On 9/2/2021 at 1:22 PM, Petrocelli said:

So is the forum consensus that the prices of cruses are expensive at the moment?  I have a 7 day inside passage on the Konigsdam with a Verandah VA room.  (My first ever cruise.)  The price was about $5,000 for two.  Is that a little higher than normal?

Yes prices have surely gone way up ,We have been to Alaska  5 times via cruise ships & then we did the interior from Seward  to Anchorage to Denali National park to Fairbanks  on our own planing & no big cruise crowded tour add ons to the cruise . We saw the interior  our way & saw it all   .Alaska is my all time favorite  & we have  sailed the world  . Our next Alaska cruise will need to be if  Princess is still offering R/t cruises from San Pedro Calif to Alaska ;as we no longer fly 

 

 Enjoy your Alaska cruise

[cruisemom42]

Deciding whether cruising is a "deal" or not a "deal" is highly individual. As a solo traveler, cruising is rarely a deal if one looks at it solely from a financial point of view (e.g., the dreaded "solo supplement" makes my per diem cost around twice that of someone traveling as part of a couple).

 

However, one doesn't make vacation decisions with one's wallet alone. Affordability is one component, but I would never choose a vacation that I didn't think I would enjoy strictly because it was affordable for me. 

 

I enjoy several different modes of travel, and cruising is one of them. Sometimes cruising offers me an experience that would be hard to duplicate otherwise. I've been lucky to have had the opportunity to travel a fair amount in my life already, and at this point it is often the "experience" that is the deciding factor for me. 

[mcrcruiser]

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Deciding whether cruising is a "deal" or not a "deal" is highly individual. As a solo traveler, cruising is rarely a deal if one looks at it solely from a financial point of view (e.g., the dreaded "solo supplement" makes my per diem cost around twice that of someone traveling as part of a couple).

 

However, one doesn't make vacation decisions with one's wallet alone. Affordability is one component, but I would never choose a vacation that I didn't think I would enjoy strictly because it was affordable for me. 

 

I enjoy several different modes of travel, and cruising is one of them. Sometimes cruising offers me an experience that would be hard to duplicate otherwise. I've been lucky to have had the opportunity to travel a fair amount in my life already, and at this point it is often the "experience" that is the deciding factor for me. 

Try river cruises .you do not need to pay for 2 . you can get one cost for yourself 

[iancal]

11 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Deciding whether cruising is a "deal" or not a "deal" is highly individual. As a solo traveler, cruising is rarely a deal if one looks at it solely from a financial point of view (e.g., the dreaded "solo supplement" makes my per diem cost around twice that of someone traveling as part of a couple).

 

However, one doesn't make vacation decisions with one's wallet alone. Affordability is one component, but I would never choose a vacation that I didn't think I would enjoy strictly because it was affordable for me. 

 

I enjoy several different modes of travel, and cruising is one of them. Sometimes cruising offers me an experience that would be hard to duplicate otherwise. I've been lucky to have had the opportunity to travel a fair amount in my life already, and at this point it is often the "experience" that is the deciding factor for me. 

We base our travel product  decisions/expenditures first and foremost on experiences and on destinations.   Clearly, cruises can meet those two requirements sometimes.  Other times it is not possible. 

 

After that, for us, it comes down to value and to preferences.  One thing have have learned is that price is not always an indication of relative quality or value. 

 

The logo on the travel  product does not necessarily speak to how good a particular  experience  will be relative to expectations, relative to past experience, or relative to competing products at a higher or a lesser price point.

Edited September 4, 2021 by iancal

[cruisemom42]

6 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Try river cruises .you do not need to pay for 2 . you can get one cost for yourself 

 

Perhaps true on some river cruise lines; not necessarily true on all of them. The ones I've looked at rarely offer anything less than a 100% supplement for solos. However, I did get a mailing recently for one line offering no solo supplement on a few cruises, some of which were on my "list". I booked one immediately. 

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

After that, for us, it comes down to value and to preferences.  One thing have have learned is that price is not always an indication of relative quality or value. 

Truth.  No one likes to pay more than they have to for the product.  I think many, like myself, are not price oriented.  For us, experience is first followed by value.  The only price metric we consider for leisure is "can we afford it".  Value is not price.

[mcrcruiser]

Wanted to thank all the people who posted on this this thread  ;which we are sure has helped seniors in pursuit of lower HAL pricing for their cruises

[silversneakers]

On 8/31/2021 at 9:00 AM, mcrcruiser said:

when it comes to the main show entertainment , imo  Princess ,Royal Caribbean , celebrity & Carnival do a better job . Then there is the offset  of the music walk on  HAL's newer ships  which is excellent . We will continue to search for HAL cruises but much after final payment  ;as  their prices just are too high right now  

And don't forget if you have to purchase airfare at the last minute, it could be considerably higher unless you are an airline employee that can travel on passes.  Having said that, the last 4 flights I have been on have been packed with no open seats available.

 

[iancal]

20 minutes ago, silversneakers said:

And don't forget if you have to purchase airfare at the last minute, it could be considerably higher unless you are an airline employee that can travel on passes.  Having said that, the last 4 flights I have been on have been packed with no open seats available.

 

In North America.

 

 But definitely not our experience in flying from Canada to Europe (Sept) and Canada to SE Asia (Jan) pre covid over the past  few years.  Some of our lowest fare to both Asia and to Europe (economy) have been purchased a week to ten days out.

Edited September 5, 2021 by iancal

[silversneakers]

Just now, iancal said:

In North America.

 

 But definitely not our experience in flying from Canada to Europe and Canada to SE Asia over the past few years.  Some of our lowest fare to both Asia and to Europe (economy) have been purchased a week to ten days out.

 

[silversneakers]

1 minute ago, iancal said:

In North America.

 

 But definitely not our experience in flying from Canada to Europe (Sept) and Canada to SE Asia (Jan) over the past few years.  Some of our lowest fare to both Asia and to Europe (economy) have been purchased a week to ten days out.

Good to know.  Did you purchase the airfare through HAL? Was your experience pre-pandemic?

[iancal]

2 hours ago, silversneakers said:

Good to know.  Did you purchase the airfare through HAL? Was your experience pre-pandemic?

Not cruise air.  Yes, pre pandemic.  Our last Europe trip was fall 2020.   In to Athens,  return from London.  Purchased the air five weeks prior.  Looked at it one week prior to departure...price was the same within a few dollars. Probably because of currency.

 

Our experience in Canada and US domestic has generally not been the same.

 

One difference is that we are very flexible.  We do not care if we depart a few days early or a few days later than planned.  So we work the pricing with this flexibility in mind. Plus we are often flexible as to gateways.  One of our most recent last minute cruises was a Med from Rome.  We needed one way flight.  No good cruise air, nothing from the consolidators.  So we picked up a very inexpensive O/W flight to Porto, Portugal.  Then a LC TAP flight to Rome.  We have been doing this sort of travel for some time.  At the start it took a lot of work.  Not so much now.

Edited September 5, 2021 by iancal

[mcrcruiser]

3 hours ago, iancal said:

Not cruise air.  Yes, pre pandemic.  Our last Europe trip was fall 2020.   In to Athens,  return from London.  Purchased the air five weeks prior.  Looked at it one week prior to departure...price was the same within a few dollars. Probably because of currency.

 

Our experience in Canada and US domestic has generally not been the same.

 

One difference is that we are very flexible.  We do not care if we depart a few days early or a few days later than planned.  So we work the pricing with this flexibility in mind. Plus we are often flexible as to gateways.  One of our most recent last minute cruises was a Med from Rome.  We needed one way flight.  No good cruise air, nothing from the consolidators.  So we picked up a very inexpensive O/W flight to Porto, Portugal.  Then a LC TAP flight to Rome.  We have been doing this sort of travel for some time.  At the start it took a lot of work.  Not so much now.

It is obvious that you know what you are doing when it comes to booking air fares   .In a way we are content in that we sail only locally  . no more flying for us 

[silversneakers]

On 8/31/2021 at 2:50 AM, zgscl said:

 

Can I ask how good the casino rates you have seen are? Maybe worth $25/day in the long run. 

 

$1400 for a panama canal transit is amazing! I would have taken that in a heartbeat

At times they are all inside, N category, front of ship (free cruises for inside cabin) so if you don't have a problem with that, then you are good to go.  I find I like to upgrade, choose my cabin, etc. and I end up paying a considerable upcharge.  My husband always says.....I thought it was a free cruise!!

[mcrcruiser]

Thanks to every one for all of your replies 😄

[deliver42]

I can't see comparing HAL prices with Carnival. Unfortunately, I do find HAL to be quite a lot higher than Princess, and on some cruises, even higher than Celebrity. Their deposits are higher also on some cruises. I know the deposit number all comes out in a wash, but I'd rather keep as much of my money as possible, especially now, until FP.