Buying your next cruise while onboard

[HermmyGranger]

I know they offer "deals" if you book a cruise while you're on a cruise. Are they really any better than just booking at any time?

[CruiserBruce]

Depends what your TA can do for you. Generally, no, there isn't any real advantages to booking on board. Occasionally an OBC, but usually your TA might be able to do better. At least in our experience. 

[crystalspin]

26 minutes ago, HermmyGranger said:

I know they offer "deals" if you book a cruise while you're on a cruise. Are they really any better than just booking at any time?

Have not seen "deals" on board HAL. What I've seen, mostly, is that the Future Cruise Consultant is brusque and wants only to sell Future Cruise Deposits, which you should purchase. With FCDs, your deposit will be $100, $200, or $300 (per person) depending on the length of the cruise you are booking. It doesn't change the price of the cruise, but keeps larger amounts of your money from being tied up.

[Petronillus]

13 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Have not seen "deals" on board HAL. What I've seen, mostly, is that the Future Cruise Consultant is brusque and wants only to sell Future Cruise Deposits, which you should purchase. With FCDs, your deposit will be $100, $200, or $300 (per person) depending on the length of the cruise you are booking. It doesn't change the price of the cruise, but keeps larger amounts of your money from being tied up.

I've never grasped the significance of FCDs, There must be some benefit besides a smaller up-front deposit. And aren't you "tying up" the cost of the FCDs?

[crystalspin]

6 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

I've never grasped the significance of FCDs, There must be some benefit besides a smaller up-front deposit. And aren't you "tying up" the cost of the FCDs?

$600 vs $3500 (and the $3500 is noted as "half" normal deposit!).

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, Petronillus said:

I've never grasped the significance of FCDs, There must be some benefit besides a smaller up-front deposit. And aren't you "tying up" the cost of the FCDs?

Also an OBC for using them...the amounts used to be pretty nice, but have been cut post Covid.

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, Petronillus said:

I've never grasped the significance of FCDs, There must be some benefit besides a smaller up-front deposit. And aren't you "tying up" the cost of the FCDs?

Cruises booked onboard or within 60 days of returning from a cruise will earn OBC.

 

if you purchase a cruise for two at the non-refundable deposit rate and use two $100 FCDs and need to cancel or make changes, you will lose your $200 deposit as a cancellation fee.  If you book a cruise with a $1000 deposit, you will lose a lot more than $200 if you need to cancel or make changes.

[CNSJ]

I have found the Future Cruise Counselors can offer you the same fare that your TA is offering.  They can see the same fare codes, and will do the best they can do.  Then your TA could choose to add more OBC.

 

At a minimum, if you are a frequent cruiser, I recommend that buy a few FCDs.

 

[Petronillus]

3 hours ago, CNSJ said:

At a minimum, if you are a frequent cruiser, I recommend that buy a few FCDs.

 

I've seen other postings where veteran cruisers make the same recommendation, but I still don't understand the benefit.

And I thought I was able to cancel a cruise without penalty up to the date of final payment.

[Haljo1935]

3 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

...And I thought I was able to cancel a cruise without penalty up to the date of final payment.

Depends on the type of fare you booked - some are refundable, some are not.

[crystalspin]

51 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

I've seen other postings where veteran cruisers make the same recommendation, but I still don't understand the benefit.

And I thought I was able to cancel a cruise without penalty up to the date of final payment.

As Haljo said, you can cancel and get a refund if you have booked a refundable fare -- either HIA or the Advantage fare that you have to call or use a PCC to get -- up until Final Payment Date. 

 

BUT, I currently have a bare-bones (normally not refundable) cruise booked with total of six $100 FCDs. I just confirmed with my PCC that not only are they NOT non-refundable, I can move them to another cruise up to the FPD. I can keep moving them (I'm on the second cruise with them) until four years from purchase, when they go back to the mode of purchase, my credit card.

 

My confirmation says that on the day after FPD, I forfeit $3500, but even if I were to fall asleep and not move my FCDs, I could only lose those $600. 

 

ETA -- PS, I didn't get this for the longest time, either.

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by crystalspin

[POA1]

To distill it down, if you use an FCD (Future Cruise Deposit) for a booking on board, you get double (2x) OBC. We typically carry two FCDs for use in case of a cruise-a-emergency.

 

We actually had two (each) expire because we bought them on a 2018 Christmas cruise. Our Amex was credited $400 in January 2023. So, yeah, we tied up $400 for a few years. But, had it not been for the pandemic, we'd have had a 25% to 50% return on the cost.

[Petronillus]

Aha! Thank you, crystalspin and POA1, for your patience and kindness.

I didn't know there was such a thing as a non-refundable fare, much less that one can mitigate the effect of the non-refundableness through the use of FCDs, The bare-bones approach is something I'll need to consider sometime.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We always book on board. 

[DaveOKC]

I always purchase FCDs.  The obvious benefit is the much lower deposit, but you also get some OBC (amount varies by length of the cruise.  Plus in about 2 weeks after I return from the cruise I get a "Thank you for sailing with us" email from HAL that basically doubles this OBC (if you book within the stated time period).  FCDs have saved us alot of money over the years.

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by DaveOKC

[Petronillus]

And I can see it adds "stickiness" to HAL's loyalty program.

[Mary229]

18 hours ago, Petronillus said:

I've never grasped the significance of FCDs, There must be some benefit besides a smaller up-front deposit. And aren't you "tying up" the cost of the FCDs?

The FCDs are $100 to $300 and refundable deposits.  Not only refundable for cash but make your cruise deposit refundable.  To me I will tie up $300 gladly instead of paying $3500 deposit later

[robotpony]

20 hours ago, HermmyGranger said:

I know they offer "deals" if you book a cruise while you're on a cruise. Are they really any better than just booking at any time?

 

We have found a few benefits to booking onboard:

 

Smaller deposits. On our recent cruises, HA has been running promotions onboard with $100/$200/$300 deposits (7 day/14 day/21+).

 

Future cruise credits. Additionally the FCCs are a nice bonus, in addition to cruise credits from our TA and shareholder benefit. We usually net $500-1000 in OBC.

 

90 day booking bonuses. The onboard agents are great at suggesting cruises that are still within the 90 day booking window, which nets even better bonuses, like the Elite drink package, better wifi, OBCs, and prepaid gratuities. Combined with the smaller (and refundable) deposits, there is very little risk in booking cruises into 2025, at a vastly reduced rate.

 

Knowledge. We also find that the onboard agents know the ships well and are great at finding rooms we might otherwise miss. Our TA does well with this, but the onboard staff are much more knowledgable, especially with the differences between each ship. On our next cruise, for example, we snagged a veranda class room with a larger deck for the same price as an inside cabin. Our own TA was surprised at the rate and location.

 

The onboard staff are also good at finding special itineraries, and suggesting back-to-back combinations that fit our cruising style. We discovered several itineraries that we would not have thought of ourselves, including Antartica (2025), Voyage of the Vikings (2024), and an Eclipse cruise to Mexico (2024).

 

Note: the offers do change from cruise to cruise and are especially good around holidays like US Thanksgiving.

Edited August 11, 2023 by robotpony
(added a note)

[CNSJ]

8 hours ago, Petronillus said:

And I can see it adds "stickiness" to HAL's loyalty program.

Yes, but if you are going to sail with HAL anyway.....why not enjoy the extra OBC?

🙂

[cbr663]

10 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I always purchase FCDs.  The obvious benefit is the much lower deposit, but you also get some OBC (amount varies by length of the cruise.  Plus in about 2 weeks after I return from the cruise I get a "Thank you for sailing with us" email from HAL that basically doubles this OBC (if you book within the stated time period).  FCDs have saved us alot of money over the years.

 

 

In the past when we bought FCDs we also received the "Thank-you for sailing with us" email with the promo code to apply to a new booking that doubles the OBC of the FCD.  We bought FCDs on our Alaska cruise in May and we didn't receive the email.  I wonder if it was because we also booked a future cruise while onboard?

[Nodakboiler]

The OBC for booking onboard has virtually disappeared. You used to get $375pp for 22 day cruise with vista suite or above- now only $75pp regardless of cabin chosen. I guess all the community OBC offers have caused the reduction.

[Mary229]

7 hours ago, cbr663 said:

 

In the past when we bought FCDs we also received the "Thank-you for sailing with us" email with the promo code to apply to a new booking that doubles the OBC of the FCD.  We bought FCDs on our Alaska cruise in May and we didn't receive the email.  I wonder if it was because we also booked a future cruise while onboard?

.  I have always received the thank you email regardless but since the pandemic they are randomly missed.  

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Nodakboiler said:

The OBC for booking onboard has virtually disappeared. You used to get $375pp for 22 day cruise with vista suite or above- now only $75pp regardless of cabin chosen. I guess all the community OBC offers have caused the reduction.

That is true but they have added a few programs since the change including the first responder/health/teacher OBC,  the AARP and the Mariner early booking OBC also.  

[BobbiSox]

My only problem with booking onboard is picking a cabin area, especially if you are unfamiliar with the ships. One agent at the Future Cruise desk booked us a Vista Suite, then come to find out it was nextdoor to a utility closet. There was noise 24/7, plus mops and buckets just outside our door most of the time. I never trusted those agents again to book a cruise for me. 

[DaveOKC]

3 hours ago, Mary229 said:

.  I have always received the thank you email regardless but since the pandemic they are randomly missed.  

Just ask the your PCC or TA to apply the code - VPM - to your reservation.  This has worked for me in the past when I did not get the email.  Note the greater OBC by cabin category: