Holland America Line Launches Onboard Credit Offer for AARP Members

[Mary229]

28 minutes ago, alwaysfrantic said:

My TA was quite curt that I was not getting it applied to existing reservations.  I’d read here others were having success.   
 

did you book directly with HAL?

Curt is not a good trait in a travel agent. 

[Real NHDOC]

You can call HAL yourself and have the benefit added to existing bookings even if it was booked through a TA, just be polite and insist that it has been routinely added to existing bookings and that if the representative who answers the phone doesn't want to do it ask them to ask a supervisor. 

 

Many TA's don't want to waste the hour on the phone so will tell you anything to avoid doing extra work - they already have the booking and there is nothing in it for them to do more work for you.  HAL is routinely applying the benefit to existing bookings.  I had one for a sailing in early September and got the benefit added to it last week.  Fortunately I had booked that one with a HAL PCC and she did the work.  She told me she had to speak to a supervisor to get it done.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Real NHDOC

[Real NHDOC]

If anyone is told that the benefit is only good on one cruise per year (as my TA and I was) you should read this from the official terms and conditions to the representative:

 

"This offer can be added to multiple, new bookings per year with revalidation required annually. The AARP Polar template will automatically build 1 FCC per guest. If any additional bookings are created outside of the first initial booking, then those FCC’s need to built manually by a supervisor."

 

This was supplied to me by my PCC and is from an internal HAL T&C sheet.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Real NHDOC

[wdw1972]

I could be mistaken, but I thought the key to getting it was when you signed up/got verified.  When this was announced on 7/24 it wasn't clear it was for new bookings only.  I signed up/verified even though I believed I would not get it for my upcoming 5 booked cruises (actually figured I'd have TA rebook #5 since that was recently booked and all the perks would be the same).  I deleted the verification email thinking I wouldn't need it.  Clarification came out saying it was new bookings only.  Later I started seeing posts that led me to think people who signed up 7/24 were getting the obc since it wasn't really clear in the beginning.  

 

I had my TA ask for it when making final payment for cruise #1 and the HAL agent insisted on having that verification email forwarded (I assume to prove it was done 7/24).  It was now beyond the time a deleted email could be restored (AOL).  I ended up writing a fairly long email to HAL explaining what had happened, asking for someone with authority to look at my case and give some consideration to granting the credit for at least some of the cruises.  I didn't threaten to never sail HAL again or any such foolishness - I was polite & reasonable.  I did state that I was pretty sure I could have my TA cancel & rebook cruises #3, 4 & 5 to get the credit but prefer not to have TA (& HAL) go through the extra work to end at the same result.  In my mind I thought *maybe* they'll just go ahead and give it to me for cruises 3 through 5.

 

To my surprise, the next morning I received an email - they posted it to all 5 of my cruises.  I sent a quick thank you reply back to the person.  So, perhaps I'm wrong about 7/24 being the reason, but that's the only reason I used in what TA & I used in the request.  I didn't mention I'm 4-star (although clearly they can see any of my info), didn't exaggerate or bully, etc.  I'm very happy it worked out the way it did, but I also told myself if they said NO I still had everything I was promised when I booked, so I would have accepted that reality and moved on.

 

Sue/WDW1972

[Big Dawg CC]

Here's a new one.  After a few emails, I was able to get my PCC at HAL to apply the OBC to my existing Nov 2023 cruise.  He was not able, however, to apply to my 3 additional bookings as, he said, I need to requalify annually, and once I do so in 2024, I should email him and he will apply to my two existing 2024 bookings.  When I requalify in 2025, he will add to the existing 2025 booking.  I've got that in writing from him, so good with that.  Seems like an interpretation of the clause "new bookings per year with revalidation required annually." referenced by @Real NHDOC

[zelker]

7 minutes ago, Big Dawg CC said:

Here's a new one.  After a few emails, I was able to get my PCC at HAL to apply the OBC to my existing Nov 2023 cruise.  He was not able, however, to apply to my 3 additional bookings as, he said, I need to requalify annually, and once I do so in 2024, I should email him and he will apply to my two existing 2024 bookings.  When I requalify in 2025, he will add to the existing 2025 booking.  I've got that in writing from him, so good with that.  Seems like an interpretation of the clause "new bookings per year with revalidation required annually." referenced by @Real NHDOC

Interesting.  Our existing bookings spanned December of 2023 through March of 2025 and they applied them to all of them at the same time.  If it's one thing HAL is consistent about, it's their inconsistency.  🙄

[zelker]

4 hours ago, alwaysfrantic said:

My TA was quite curt that I was not getting it applied to existing reservations.  I’d read here others were having success.   
 

did you book directly with HAL?

Booked online with HAL, then transferred to my TA.  I dealt with HAL directly about the OBC rather than get my TA involved.  When I called, I pressed 2 (for guest), then 1 (for existing booking), then 6 (for help with something else) ... don't know if that helped or not.  YMMV.

[BaltimoreCruise]

Wdw1972

Who did you direct your email to at HAL?  I had my big box TA call HAL earlier this week for some other business.  I asked the TA to inquire about the AARP OBC.  I have 3 cruises booked, one this October and two in 2024.  The issue was advanced to a supervisor that agreed to apply the OBC.  After waiting on hold the TA told me that when the supervisor tried to apply the AARP OBC it would not apply to my bookings.  I would like to contact HAL directly.

 

Thank you.

BaltimoreCruise

[BaltimoreCruise]

Zelker

Thank you for the phone call specifics.   I’m going to give it a try.

 

BaltimoreCruise

[wdw1972]

15 minutes ago, BaltimoreCruise said:

Wdw1972

Who did you direct your email to at HAL?  I had my big box TA call HAL earlier this week for some other business.  I asked the TA to inquire about the AARP OBC.  I have 3 cruises booked, one this October and two in 2024.  The issue was advanced to a supervisor that agreed to apply the OBC.  After waiting on hold the TA told me that when the supervisor tried to apply the AARP OBC it would not apply to my bookings.  I would like to contact HAL directly.

 

Thank you.

BaltimoreCruise

I used Reservations_submit@hollandamerica dot com (use the actual .com).  Include your verification email. Good luck!

 

Sue/WDW1972

[NCTribeFan]

I got my approval on 7/25.  Has anyone here gotten it added to existing bookings that got there approval on a date after 7/24?

[BaltimoreCruise]

WDW1972

Thank you.

BC

[Haljo1935]

55 minutes ago, wdw1972 said:

I used Reservations_submit@hollandamerica dot com (use the actual .com).  Include your verification email. Good luck!

 

Sue/WDW1972

This is the email address I forwarded the SheerID confirmation emails to.

[Dobby36]

Just to add another data point: I saw this thread on 7/26 and got myself an AARP membership that same day.  I verified it with HAL on 7/27, and got my confirmation email.  It showed up on my future cruise credit area on my mariner profile soon after.  And today I asked for an updated booking confirmation using the email noted above, and sure enough it has been applied as OBC for my September sailing (which was booked over a year ago) 

so there is one more instance of it being applied to an existing booking, FWIW

[Gunther1]

I submitted my info (AARP # and Mariner #) three days ago and it’s now showing the credit on my cruise that I am taking later this month.

[Hchen123]

Will this work on an existing casino(free) offer?

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, Hchen123 said:

Will this work on an existing casino(free) offer?

I read in this thread that NO to casino offers.

[POA1]

On 7/28/2023 at 9:38 AM, yerdua said:

Veterans do not. My DH (veteran) has the military appreciation linked to his mariner # and on his profile it says for sailings through Dec 2025. We shall see what happens after that. Who knows, HAL may discontinue after that.

The military benefit "attaches" to the veteran's Mariner #. It only shows out to 2025 because that's as far as the schedule goes. I'm pretty sure all the others are subject to annual renewal & usage restrictions.

[Suncitycruiser1925]

4 hours ago, Dobby36 said:

Just to add another data point: I saw this thread on 7/26 and got myself an AARP membership that same day.  I verified it with HAL on 7/27, and got my confirmation email.  It showed up on my future cruise credit area on my mariner profile soon after.  And today I asked for an updated booking confirmation using the email noted above, and sure enough it has been applied as OBC for my September sailing (which was booked over a year ago) 

so there is one more instance of it being applied to an existing booking, FWIW

Thanks for the information.  That is good news.  We booked through a travel agent.  Can I request a booking summary directly through Holland America?  I would like to see if my AARP $50 obc now shows on the summary for my January  cruise.   My booking summary through the travel agent does not show the credit. Thanks.

[NCTribeFan]

11 hours ago, Dobby36 said:

Just to add another data point: I saw this thread on 7/26 and got myself an AARP membership that same day.  I verified it with HAL on 7/27, and got my confirmation email.  It showed up on my future cruise credit area on my mariner profile soon after.  And today I asked for an updated booking confirmation using the email noted above, and sure enough it has been applied as OBC for my September sailing (which was booked over a year ago) 

so there is one more instance of it being applied to an existing booking, FWIW

 

Thanks.  As I noted earlier, I submitted my info on 7/25 and received confirmation immediately (I've been an AARP member for a few years).

 

I'm going to forward that confirmation to the email shown above and request that the OBC applied to my two 2024 bookings which were booked this past spring.  Hopefully, that will get it done.

[CNSJ]

On 7/27/2023 at 3:59 PM, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

More rules

It could only be used once every 12 months to ONE booking number.

I am seeing some behavior that leads me to believe the "one per year" rule is built into the HAL booking system.  If so, The question is remains is it (1) every 12 months by sailing date?  or (2) every 12 months by date you apply the OBC credit too a booking?

 

I do wish that HAL was more clear as to the rules for the credit.  But, if it's only 1 per year, I m still happy with that, as it's more than we had before.  Again, just wish rules were more clear. 

 

Recommend that the Strategy is that two who sail together apply the credit (use it where you get $200) to two different bookings, using each person's eligibility. That $400 a year if played well. 

 

Between Military/Educator credits, Shareholder Credits, and the AARP credit, HAL does provide the savvy cruiser with substantive benefits.  🙂

 

[LadyBerard]

I booked our July 2024 cruise during the $1 deposit promo and signed up for the AARP OBC the first day it was available.  Does anyone know if I contact Holland to have this additional OBC added, will I be required to pay the regular deposit now, which is $700 for the cabin?  Cabin price is the same as when I booked.

[Real NHDOC]

In answering the prior two posts, there is NO LIMIT to the number of bookings you can use the AARP benefit for.  The HAL representatives just need to be trained on how to add them to the additional bookings (see my post #303 above for what to tell them if they tell you there is a limit).

 

And to the question about the deposit, no, it would have no effect on your deposit.  It just gets added to the booking as an OBC.  Just call in and tell them you want it added to the booking. 

[CNSJ]

46 minutes ago, Real NHDOC said:

In answering the prior two posts, there is NO LIMIT to the number of bookings you can use the AARP benefit for.  The HAL representatives just need to be trained on how to add them to the additional bookings (see my post #303 above for what to tell them if they tell you there is a limit).

 

And to the question about the deposit, no, it would have no effect on your deposit.  It just gets added to the booking as an OBC.  Just call in and tell them you want it added to the booking. 

Good info in your Post 303.  That explains the behavior I was discussing.  Manual crediting required. 

Thank You

[LadyBerard]

2 hours ago, Real NHDOC said:

In answering the prior two posts, there is NO LIMIT to the number of bookings you can use the AARP benefit for.  The HAL representatives just need to be trained on how to add them to the additional bookings (see my post #303 above for what to tell them if they tell you there is a limit).

 

And to the question about the deposit, no, it would have no effect on your deposit.  It just gets added to the booking as an OBC.  Just call in and tell them you want it added to the booking. 

Called and had AARP OBC applied.  No change to our $1 deposit either. Kept same Have it All Plus perks too.  🙂