Booking airfare thru HAL & "Have it all"

[CruiserKris34]

I'm new to HAL.  I did a sample booking for January & can clearly see the price of the cruise, but it looked like I needed a booking # to see how much airfare is.  Can I know BEFORE I book?  Also, the "Have it all" does not seem to include tips.....is that true & anything else excluded?   Thanks!  Kris

[FlorenceItaly]

1 minute ago, CruiserKris34 said:

I'm new to HAL.  I did a sample booking for January & can clearly see the price of the cruise, but it looked like I needed a booking # to see how much airfare is.  Can I know BEFORE I book?  Also, the "Have it all" does not seem to include tips.....is that true & anything else excluded?   Thanks!  Kris

Putting a cruise on hold will generate a booking number.  You may want to consider this.  This is accomplished by going online, going through the booking process, and once in the final stage you will have the option to pay a deposit or hold it.  Do not put in a credit card number.  You are under no obligation to pay any monies while it is on hold.  The HIA at times includes tips, other times, does not.  Read carefully when booking on what it includes.  Run the numbers and see if it makes sense for you.

[rodndonna]

1 hour ago, CruiserKris34 said:

I'm new to HAL.  I did a sample booking for January & can clearly see the price of the cruise, but it looked like I needed a booking # to see how much airfare is.  Can I know BEFORE I book?  Also, the "Have it all" does not seem to include tips.....is that true & anything else excluded?   Thanks!  Kris

 

No, it's not like some other cruise lines where you can pick an itinerary and then get a quote for the airfare. 😒  If you a google flights you can get a good idea of what flights 'should' come in around though.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

I go to the Princess website and look for a cruise to the same area and approximate date. There is a tab for a flight quote and then you can put in the exact date and departure and return cities for your flight. It gives you a fair idea of what the cost might be.

[alyssamma]

2 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Putting a cruise on hold will generate a booking number.  You may want to consider this.  This is accomplished by going online, going through the booking process, and once in the final stage you will have the option to pay a deposit or hold it.  Do not put in a credit card number.  You are under no obligation to pay any monies while it is on hold.  The HIA at times includes tips, other times, does not.  Read carefully when booking on what it includes.  Run the numbers and see if it makes sense for you.

Thanks much....I just tried this and it worked perfectly.

[crystalspin]

3 hours ago, CruiserKris34 said:

...the "Have it all" does not seem to include tips.....is that true & anything else excluded?

Have It All includes:

SHORE EXCURSION(s) (in multiples of US$100 per guest, depending on length of cruise)

DRINKS -- The Signature Beverage Package incl. drinks up to $11. Over that you pay full price. It is possible to upgrade to Elite Beverage Package with drinks up to $15 on board. It is tricky to do so write back for instructions. Service charge on drinks IS included with the packages.

SPECIALTY DINING EXPERIENCE -- Number of dinners depends on length of cruise. "Restaurants" include Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, and if the ship has it Tamarind. Does not include "pop up" specialty restaurants or Rudi's Sel de Mer.

WI-FI -- The included wifi is the "Surf" package. It is possible to upgrade to Premium on board. The speed is no different but fewer sites and apps are blocked and you get more data before the speed is reduced, with Premium.

 

Crew Appreciation was included in the Have It All level package as a Limited Time bonus on some cruises earlier this year. It is not included for any now, that I know of.

 

Have It All deposit is refundable. Best Price is not. There is a third price between the two that is refundable with no perks; it is called Advantage and you must call to find it. 

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, CruiserKris34 said:

...anything else excluded?   Thanks!  Kris

I forgot to say that both Beverage Packages are capped at 15 drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. If you think you might get to that limit, you can do a couple things: stock up on canned water and sodas, even beer, on the first day and/or port days when you are on the ship fewer hours, OR buy a beverage card (values are $50/100/250, and overage is refunded at end of cruise) for the lower priced drinks.

[mikebsxm]

Use the Princess site.  Do a search for a similar cruise area and similar dates.  Pick one that departs close to the HAL cruise you have in mind.   When you get to the details page, click on Airfares.  It will suggest your arrival airport close to the Princess cruise.  For example, if the Princess cruise leaves from Barcelona, you can use the pull-down and select Rome or some other city.  Princess and HAL use the same airfare search engine, so you can get a rough idea what your air cost will be.  

[shipper50]

6 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Have It All includes:

SHORE EXCURSION(s) (in multiples of US$100 per guest, depending on length of cruise)

DRINKS -- The Signature Beverage Package incl. drinks up to $11. Over that you pay full price. It is possible to upgrade to Elite Beverage Package with drinks up to $15 on board. It is tricky to do so write back for instructions. Service charge on drinks IS included with the packages.

SPECIALTY DINING EXPERIENCE -- Number of dinners depends on length of cruise. "Restaurants" include Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, and if the ship has it Tamarind. Does not include "pop up" specialty restaurants or Rudi's Sel de Mer.

WI-FI -- The included wifi is the "Surf" package. It is possible to upgrade to Premium on board. The speed is no different but fewer sites and apps are blocked and you get more data before the speed is reduced, with Premium.

 

Crew Appreciation was included in the Have It All level package as a Limited Time bonus on some cruises earlier this year. It is not included for any now, that I know of.

 

Have It All deposit is refundable. Best Price is not. There is a third price between the two that is refundable with no perks; it is called Advantage and you must call to find it. 

My cruise in May 2023 on Eurodam I have HIA and unless my agent put in for crew appreciation its included in my package.

[Florida_gal_50]

57 minutes ago, shipper50 said:

My cruise in May 2023 on Eurodam I have HIA and unless my agent put in for crew appreciation its included in my package.

Yes, hal was running a short promo where it was included.  That’s not the norm lately.  Hal said people prefer the shorex option.  By “people” I’m assuming they mean the executives at the table where they decided that.

[WriterOnDeck]

8 hours ago, crystalspin said:

DRINKS -- The Signature Beverage Package incl. drinks up to $11. Over that you pay full price.

 

I'm on the Westerdam right now and they are only charging the price difference if you have HIA.

 

[crystalspin]

24 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

I'm on the Westerdam right now and they are only charging the price difference if you have HIA.

 

The Westerdam is the Testerdam! Only ship currently trial'ing this option.

[CruiserKris34]

I put the cruise in HOLD yesterday and keep getting an error when I try to price airfare.....I don't want to call LOL.  Is this normal?  Thx Kris

[FlorenceItaly]

8 hours ago, CruiserKris34 said:

I put the cruise in HOLD yesterday and keep getting an error when I try to price airfare.....I don't want to call LOL.  Is this normal?  Thx Kris

Sorry for the delay in answering.  I have been gone all day.  I typically have no problem, but, I am sometimes on early before the site gets too busy.  Give this a try.  However, the weekend may not be the right time since they do maintenance.  I just went into my account and the airfare is working.  Hopefully, you will see this and able to get in.

[CruiserKris34]

19 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Sorry for the delay in answering.  I have been gone all day.  I typically have no problem, but, I am sometimes on early before the site gets too busy.  Give this a try.  However, the weekend may not be the right time since they do maintenance.  I just went into my account and the airfare is working.  Hopefully, you will see this and able to get in.

Nope, no luck.  I actually have 2 holds because I wasn't able to figure out how to cancel one.  I just wanted to change the cabin (couldn't figure that out either lol). It shouldn't be this hard.  But thanks for your reply!

[FlorenceItaly]

22 minutes ago, CruiserKris34 said:

Nope, no luck.  I actually have 2 holds because I wasn't able to figure out how to cancel one.  I just wanted to change the cabin (couldn't figure that out either lol). It shouldn't be this hard.  But thanks for your reply!

I have done the same thing when I found a cabin I liked better.  The one you don't want will just expire.  I agree, it shouldn't be this hard.

[BillderBo]

Regarding airfares through HAL...Some airlines will let you change to a lower fare later if/when it becomes available. But if you book "restricted air" through HAL, then you cannot take advantage of lower fares that typically become available six to eight weeks or so before departure. HAL air bookings have some advantages, but you might end up spending much less booking on your own.

[Roz]

@BillderBo, I've not found good fares from Nashville using HAL air.  I'd rather just book on my own if the savings is only a few dollars.

[yerdua]

On 10/14/2022 at 12:23 PM, CruiserKris34 said:

I put the cruise in HOLD yesterday and keep getting an error when I try to price airfare.....I don't want to call LOL.  Is this normal?  Thx 

Flight ease fares aren't available till 330 days (approx) prior to the end date of your cruise. For example, I was just able to search and book my flights for the first time today for a cruise leaving Sept 3 returning Sept 13, 2023. 

[Hlitner]

On 10/13/2022 at 10:15 AM, CruiserKris34 said:

I'm new to HAL.  I did a sample booking for January & can clearly see the price of the cruise, but it looked like I needed a booking # to see how much airfare is.  Can I know BEFORE I book?  Also, the "Have it all" does not seem to include tips.....is that true & anything else excluded?   Thanks!  Kris

The sad answer is no, the HAL online air booking engine will not work until you actually have a booking number (and are within 330 days of the return flight).   It is possible to use the Princess Cruise lines site and access their air (operated by the same folks who handle HAL) but there is no guarantee that the Princess prices will be the same as HAL (they are usually close).  To use the Princess site you would need to find a cruise with dates that work with your HAL dates and once you select that cruise you can look their air options without actually completing the booking process.

 

I will be honest and say we do not generally waste our time with HAL domestic economy since we can usually do as well (or better) on our own.  Where HAL (and Princess) can offer amazing deals is on International Air.....especially Business/First Class.  That being said, because of the post COVID mess with Business/First Class fares (they have skyrocketed) finding a great deal is much more difficult.

 

Hank

[Iamthesea]

On 10/18/2022 at 10:18 AM, BillderBo said:

Regarding airfares through HAL...Some airlines will let you change to a lower fare later if/when it becomes available. But if you book "restricted air" through HAL, then you cannot take advantage of lower fares that typically become available six to eight weeks or so before departure. HAL air bookings have some advantages, but you might end up spending much less booking on your own.

I have never heard of this. 🙂 Does Delta participate and how do you get a refund for a lower rate?

 

Business Class is much too high for us right now.  The Premium Economy is even more than what we are used to paying for overseas Business Class.

 

We recently checked flights on Delta for a cruise in/out of Amsterdam.  For the return, Premium Economy was sold out, but the BC cost was just a few hundred more.  However, when we clicked on the option to fly back home BC (keeping in mind that we would fly over in PE),  instead of the quoted price being for BC, the site came up with a Premium Economy option.  🙄😏

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

I have never heard of this. 🙂 Does Delta participate and how do you get a refund for a lower rate?

 

Business Class is much too high for us right now.  The Premium Economy is even more than what we are used to paying for overseas Business Class.

 

We recently checked flights on Delta for a cruise in/out of Amsterdam.  For the return, Premium Economy was sold out, but the BC cost was just a few hundred more.  However, when we clicked on the option to fly back home BC (keeping in mind that we would fly over in PE),  instead of the quoted price being for BC, the site came up with a Premium Economy option.  🙄😏

All the airlines that are listed under the "Flex Fare" option are candidates for grabbing lower prices.  How does this work?  When you book any airline with the flex air option you will not generally pay for the ticket until around the final payment date.  The flights are usually "confirmed" and the prices generally honored (this is not guaranteed).  But until you make that final payment, and the flight is actually ticketed (this is often as close as 60 days prior to the cruise) you have the option of cancelling or changing your flights with no penalty or cost.  So if you notice that the price of your flight (or perhaps another flight option) decreases you can simply change the flight booking.  Once ticketed, changes will either be impossible or expensive.

 

Another huge advantage to Flightease is that if HAL cancels the cruise, they also cancel the air and refund the air (at least this has been the practice in the past).  If you book your own air and the cruise is cancelled or changed, any air changes or penalties are your problem.   Since we have had all the problems with COVID related cancellations, one could argue that the advantage of Flightease (and similar programs with other cruise lines) has vastly increased.   We had 4 HAL cruises cancelled in the past 3 years (all due to COVID) and in each case did not lose a penny from the cruise payments or our Flightease bookings.

 

Hank

 

 

[Iamthesea]

Thank you, Hank.  I did not realize that BillderBo was referencing booking through HAL.  I thought he was comparing booking directly with airlines versus HAL and that some airlines offer a flexible rate with option to change to a lower fare.

 

Anyway, I did a mock booking on the Princess air site and the price to fly with Flightease versus direct with Delta was a little over $1000 pp!  We will book directly with Delta, as always.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Iamthesea

[kazu]

I would treat Flight Ease with any CCL brand with extreme caution right now until they get their act together.

 

I know of several people on my current roll call who have had major issues with their flight - cancellations, not re-booked, etc.  They seem to be in disarray currently.