Alaska 2023 book now or wait? And how works the air fare credit deal?

[SweetsugarNL]

So i am wondering if we need to book our Alaska cruise now or wait.

In Europe there are no price drops. A balcony is out of question and a inside is almost 1500 (euro) pro person.

With have it all.

 

Is it likely that these price drops? Because if we have booked we stick with our price.

 

And also there is a up to 1000 euro airfare credit but I dont know how this works.

Can we choose or own flights or need it to be on special dates?

[Mary229]

Prices may drop very, very close to the sailing dates but usually the best cabins are taken.   Alaskan cruises have been very popular so I don’t see a lot of discount sale potential. Remember with HAL if a better deal comes up before final payment date you can re-fare.  Usually you can pick from a list of airfares with various airlines.  My best advice is to book with a courtesy hold and then you can view the airfares.  If you decide to go forward then you pay the deposit and if you choose to wait simply let the hold expire.  
 

 

[SweetsugarNL]

In Europe we cant rebook before final payment.

Once you made a booking, it is final.

So price drops are not counting for us.

 

Thank you for the on hold advice!

[VMax1700]

The flights must be booked through HAL's Flightease.   Flightease may use a limited number of airlines but I know that they did offer KLM flights and I did get a very good price on a one way flight Miami to AMS last year.

I am also trying to find out about the air credit.  Is it per person (great deal!) or per stateroom (maybe not so great!).

[SweetsugarNL]

Oh bummer. Forgot to ask at the ta i called. They say you they need to ask permission if you want  fly later back then day of cruise end and that they need to book the flights.

[VMax1700]

4 hours ago, SweetsugarNL said:

Oh bummer. Forgot to ask at the ta i called. They say you they need to ask permission if you want  fly later back then day of cruise end and that they need to book the flights.

With Flightease you can book +/- a couple of days either side and travel to other (but pre defined) airports.

[SweetsugarNL]

Yeah thats the strangething. My (not so good) travel agent said that they need to book the flights. I have ask them for a proposal and have a Hal confirmation, with that nr acces to Flight Ease. Looks i will be fine. Now need to wait for the proposol from the agent. I prefer to choose the flights myself. I am not sure if this depends on the travel agent. Was not thrilled with this agency before but we don’t have a lot cruise specialists in the netherlands. 

Edited November 8, 2022 by SweetsugarNL

[VMax1700]

On 11/8/2022 at 1:13 PM, SweetsugarNL said:

Yeah thats the strangething. My (not so good) travel agent said that they need to book the flights. I have ask them for a proposal and have a Hal confirmation, with that nr acces to Flight Ease. Looks i will be fine. Now need to wait for the proposol from the agent. I prefer to choose the flights myself. I am not sure if this depends on the travel agent. Was not thrilled with this agency before but we don’t have a lot cruise specialists in the netherlands. 

I always book online directly with HAL, then if something goes wrong DW can blame me! 

Over here travel agents offer nothing by way of OBC and unless booking RCI or Celebrity, they know nada.  I did book once with a UK agent who gave a good euro price and 5% discount, but I probably spent that amount on phone calls when I couldn't access the booking online, nor check in etc.

[SweetsugarNL]

So i called another one. They said airfare depends on cruise lengt. But is zero at a 7 day cruise.

[*Miss G*]

I wish I could help but I know nothing of the rules in The Netherlands.  Perhaps @MAVIP can help?

[VMax1700]

4 hours ago, SweetsugarNL said:

So i called another one. They said airfare depends on cruise lengt. But is zero at a 7 day cruise.

Did you try HAL in Rotterdam?  

Also I received an email today from an online ta (in Netherlands) which says:

Boek tijdens November - Alaska Maand uw Alaska cruise 2023 en profiteer van Air Credit tot wel € 1.000,- p.p.! Geldig op Vancouver rondreizen van 7 of 14 nachten.

[SweetsugarNL]

2 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

I wish I could help but I know nothing of the rules in The Netherlands.  Perhaps @MAVIP can help?

It looks like strange to me. Because there is only one 14 day cruise in may and september…. So why this promotion if its not valid anyway.

They sent me tomorrow a offer.

 

But since we have Icelandair vouchers due our canceld trip in 2020 i think we stick with these if we need to pay for airfare.

[SweetsugarNL]

Yes that means 7 or 15 days. So i dont understand why the new TA said only 14 days🙈. And no i don’t have call HAL yet.

[VMax1700]

9 minutes ago, SweetsugarNL said:

Yes that means 7 or 15 days. So i dont understand why the new TA said only 14 days🙈. And no i don’t have call HAL yet.

Do you recognise the ta line that I quoted?  I hope to have nice ones tonight.  Now to bed, perchance to dream 😉

[SweetsugarNL]

9 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Do you recognise the ta line that I quoted?  I hope to have nice ones tonight.  Now to bed, perchance to dream 😉

Yes i do and that is the one which i called yesterday! I expect their quote today in my e-mail. 

[MAVIP]

1 hour ago, SweetsugarNL said:

Yes i do and that is the one which i called yesterday! I expect their quote today in my e-mail. 

I apologize for the dutch text. This is the exact text on the HAL NL website: Boek vandaag nog een 2023 Alaska Cruise vanuit Vancouver en ontvang inclusief vluchten tot €1.000,- wanneer deze geboekt worden via Holland America Line Flight Ease®. De waarde wordt als korting verwerkt indien de geboekte vluchtprijs hoger is. Profiteer daarnaast met Have it All inclusief drankenpakket, wifi, specialiteitendiner(s) en krediet voor landexcursie(s). Deze aanbieding is beperkt beschikbaar - boek vandaag nog!  And if you search for the cruises concerned HAL mentions 6 cruises in spring, 7 AND 14 day.    If I were you I would call HAL today and ask for the exact conditions. And read the advice of @VMax1700.  And: we do have good cruise travel agents in NL, but you will have to ask HAL friends f.e.

[SweetsugarNL]

2 hours ago, MAVIP said:

I apologize for the dutch text. This is the exact text on the HAL NL website: Boek vandaag nog een 2023 Alaska Cruise vanuit Vancouver en ontvang inclusief vluchten tot €1.000,- wanneer deze geboekt worden via Holland America Line Flight Ease®. De waarde wordt als korting verwerkt indien de geboekte vluchtprijs hoger is. Profiteer daarnaast met Have it All inclusief drankenpakket, wifi, specialiteitendiner(s) en krediet voor landexcursie(s). Deze aanbieding is beperkt beschikbaar - boek vandaag nog!  And if you search for the cruises concerned HAL mentions 6 cruises in spring, 7 AND 14 day.    If I were you I would call HAL today and ask for the exact conditions. And read the advice of @VMax1700.  And: we do have good cruise travel agents in NL, but you will have to ask HAL friends f.e.

Thank you.

 

Yeah I had booked my first cruise with the common TA and now called yesterday another big cruise agent. So don't know why they are confused.Maybe it Is because we don't want to go in may.

But I am expected my new offer from TA 2 today.

[SweetsugarNL]

Got a quote without air fare credit dus suppose the saildate doe'snt fit.

 

Try to get a quote from ta 1 for cruise only but they send me the same quote with airfare as two days ago. I hope my new ta send the good one and send me a cruise only quote so that I can book before the action with free rail excursion in Skagway end.

 

 

[SweetsugarNL]

Update on the air credit:

I have spoken with a great guy from a other travel agent company and he was very helpful. Before I made a call I called Hal and they confirm that the air fare is offered.

Then I called this (for me )new agent and he said the same.

Turns out it is not a good fit for us because our travel vouchers we have from a cancelled trip.

But he have set the cruise in option for us and we picked a stateroom in the middle for 20 euro more pro person.

 

So now I have time to arrange the flights before I made the final booking.

[VMax1700]

2 hours ago, SweetsugarNL said:

Update on the air credit:

I have spoken with a great guy from a other travel agent company and he was very helpful. Before I made a call I called Hal and they confirm that the air fare is offered.

Then I called this (for me )new agent and he said the same.

Turns out it is not a good fit for us because our travel vouchers we have from a cancelled trip.

But he have set the cruise in option for us and we picked a stateroom in the middle for 20 euro more pro person.

 

So now I have time to arrange the flights before I made the final booking.

That is great news!  Well worth persevering.

Can you post details?  I am surprised/confused how they can offer $1000 air credit on a cruise with a sticker price of €1100 per person.

[SweetsugarNL]

31 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

That is great news!  Well worth persevering.

Can you post details?  I am surprised/confused how they can offer $1000 air credit on a cruise with a sticker price of €1100 per person.

Yeah they apply “discount” if the cruise was 1434 euro (inside) with have it all, they looked it up and choose flights and then the price was 2275 pro person included flights. So i think the flights they choose are expensive or so. I do’nt know the price for the fligts without the “airfare discount”

Edited November 11, 2022 by SweetsugarNL

[JanDom]

On 11/7/2022 at 1:51 PM, SweetsugarNL said:

So i am wondering if we need to book our Alaska cruise now or wait.

In Europe there are no price drops. A balcony is out of question and a inside is almost 1500 (euro) pro person.

With have it all.

 

Is it likely that these price drops? Because if we have booked we stick with our price.

 

And also there is a up to 1000 euro airfare credit but I dont know how this works.

Can we choose or own flights or need it to be on special dates?

we are also from Europe and book our HAL cruises always as early as we can
If the price drop for our cabin we call our TA and in a short time we will have the better price or if there is a better promo we always change to this one (just did. for our Alaska cruise in may 2023).

For this cruise we are waiting for cheap flights in C 🙂

[JanDom]

I looked for flights on flight easy for our cruise in may from Vancouver.

Prices from Germany in Businessclass were 3500€ per person.

Same flight booked at other web pages are 2700€ … 

 

[SweetsugarNL]

2 hours ago, JanDom said:

we are also from Europe and book our HAL cruises always as early as we can
If the price drop for our cabin we call our TA and in a short time we will have the better price or if there is a better promo we always change to this one (just did. for our Alaska cruise in may 2023).

For this cruise we are waiting for cheap flights in C 🙂

How do you get pricedrops? In the netherlands it cant.

[JanDom]

When prices for our cabins change we ask for the better quote and always got it.

 

This is what an online TA says on their homepage:

Preissenkungs-Service:Sollte der Preis Ihrer gebuchten Kategorie nach der Festbuchung bis 90 Tage vor Abfahrt sinken, fordern wir gerne eine Anpassung Ihrer Buchung auf den niedrigeren Preis für Sie bei Holland America an.