Purchase Club Orange only with Final Payment?

[mjmagee]

Just booked and Alaskan cruise for this July.  Asked for Club Orange to get the upgrade.  TA came back and said Holland told her that you can no longer do it with a deposit, only while paying in full.  Anyone else hear this?

 

Marilyn

[Sea42]

1 minute ago, mjmagee said:

Just booked and Alaskan cruise for this July.  Asked for Club Orange to get the upgrade.  TA came back and said Holland told her that you can no longer do it with a deposit, only while paying in full.  Anyone else hear this?

 

Marilyn

We were able to book CO before final payment but we did have to pay for CO at the time we booked it.

[mjmagee]

I expect to pay for Club Orange with the deposit.  But what she said HAL told her was "They will not assign the cabin for the upgrade till the whole booking is paid in full."

 

Marilyn

[mjmagee]

I guess I worded the title wrong.  Should say" Club Orange upgrade only received at final payment?"

[Alberta Quilter]

Wow.  My sister booked us while onboard about a month ago.  She requested Club Orange but still the booking was still a guarantee.  I guess, in our case, the exchange rate made it challenging to get a cabin assignment and pay for CO while onboard.  When she got home, she contacted the PCC assigned to her and secured our cabin (and paid for the CO then).  So, if the policy has changed, it's quite recent, like in the last two/three weeks.

[oaktreerb]

I request CO when I book my cruise.  I choose my upgrade cabin, pay the deposit and pay for Club Orange.  Either HAL has made a change or your TA got bad information.  You can choose your stateroom when you purchase Club Orange, you don’t have to wait for the upgrade.

[TAW1963]

30 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

I request CO when I book my cruise.  I choose my upgrade cabin, pay the deposit and pay for Club Orange.  Either HAL has made a change or your TA got bad information.  You can choose your stateroom when you purchase Club Orange, you don’t have to wait for the upgrade.

This has been my experience as well for two bookings made within the last 2 months.  I paid for CO at the time I booked the lowest fare Veranda room, and paid for a deposit only, and immediately received the upgrade to the cabin of my choice.   Final payments are not due for quite some time.  I booked directly with HAL.   

[twodjs]

You can request a specific cabin at time of booking with just a deposit (unless you book a guarantee) so it would make sence to permit a specific cabin with a club orange upgrade. Sounds like someone on HAL's end is misinformed.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I did the CO upgrade recently, about a month after I booked a cruise. I chose thelease expensive Vista suite (veranda, really)  initially and didn't think much about CO (it isn't  Pinnacle ship) because I thought I could upgrade only one step within the metacategory. When I learned here (thank you CC!) that I could move to the top of the metacategory, I did the CO thing. I had to pay for CO ($360) when I asked, and I got to choose my new cabin. I got an upgrade worth nearly $3000!

[lazey1]

Perhaps your TA did not understand what Holland America was telling her.  I have booked with the minimum deposit and Club Orange and received the upgraded cabin immediately on several different cruises.  I suggest that you ask your TA to try again or IF you can find anyone at Holland America that will talk to you sk them yourself. 

Edited March 13, 2023 by lazey1

[cruising sister]

I found the HAL reps are not all experts on CO. You pay for CO and pick cabin at time of booking. I just did this a month ago. I would have your TA call back and insist on someone who knows what to do. It took two different people until we got the right outcome. 

[mjmagee]

Thank you all for your input.  I called Holland myself this evening.  The rep spoke to her supervisor and came back and said that my TA had been given the wrong information and since there were only a few CO slots left they went ahead and took my credit card info, booked CO and gave me the upgraded cabin.  Snagged a nice V balcony at nearly a thousand dollar upgrade.  Well worth the hassle.

 

Marilyn

[oakridger]

Thanks for letting us know your update.  Have a wonderful cruise!

 

~Nancy

[TAW1963]

That’s great to hear! 

[DaveOKC]

Glad to hear that this worked out!  Once again, on HAL you have to ask several people to get the correct answer.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

39 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Glad to hear that this worked out!  Once again, on HAL you have to ask several people to get the correct answer.

 

 

Sad, but true. I was the first customer my TA had ask about the CO upgrade. She didn't believe HAL would really let me go from the cheapest veranda to the most expensive because info HAL had sent to agents said one grade/level, not best available. I got it and I still can't believe HAL is giving away such good upgrades for such a low price.

[cruising sister]

I would not have known about if I hadn’t read it in cruise critic. My TA was surprised too. I just kept insisting that she pursue it. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

The other nice thing about the CO upgrade for a solo is that I only had to pay for CO once. If I had chosen to "upsell" my booking, I'd have paid the single supplement for the better cabin.