Labor Day deals?

[lakedweller64]

Just received an email from our pvp about special cruise deals coming out on Labor Day. Not sure what they will be.Does anyone know about this promotion?

[BermudaBound2014]

2 hours ago, lakedweller64 said:

Just received an email from our pvp about special cruise deals coming out on Labor Day. Not sure what they will be.Does anyone know about this promotion?

 

Did she/he say specific to HAL? One of the agents I use typically does extra OBC for labor day across all lines. 

[lakedweller64]

This email was from our Hal pvp. we made a telephone appointment for the 31st.I guess we will find out then.

[Destiny0315]

In 2022 they ran a $25 deposit sale, in 2021 a $99 deposit sale, and in 2019 and 2018 they ran a 50% off deposit sale for labor day week.

[zelker]

This is what I found on a 3rd party TA website:

 

Labor Day Sale

• To celebrate Labor Day, Holland America is offering guests a deal that includes up to 45% off cruise fares, up to $150 Onboard Credit per person (up to $300 per stateroom), and a low $99 Reduced Deposit (for sailings outside of final payment).
• Booking Window
• Offer applies to new bookings only made August 25 - September 11, 2023.

 

And there are a whole lot of caveats on what it IS and what it is NOT combinable with ... the usual.

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by zelker
typo

[crystalspin]

3 hours ago, zelker said:

• Booking Window
• Offer applies to new bookings only made August 25 - September 11, 2023.

Except it is already late in the day on August 25 2023 and there is no mention (just the random BAD REQUEST errors) on HAL website.

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, lakedweller64 said:

This email was from our Hal pvp. we made a telephone appointment for the 31st.I guess we will find out then.

Please let us know after you talk w/them. My PVP never tells me anything:(

[BermudaBound2014]

Anyone have luck with the $99 deposit? It's not looking like this is applied to any of the longer voyages.

[zelker]

4 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Anyone have luck with the $99 deposit? It's not looking like this is applied to any of the longer voyages.

From the same 3rd Party TA's site (bolding is not mine) -

 

Reduced Deposit

• Reduced Deposit is a reduced per-person booking deposit available only for 1st/2nd guests in a stateroom on new bookings for select cruises and cruisetours booked outside of the final payment date.
• Applies only to full deposits and shall not further reduce already reduced deposits.
• Discount already reflected on listed/advertised deposits.
• Balance is due on final payment of the booking.
• Offer is available only on eligible cruises and cruisetours unless sold out or otherwise withdrawn.
• Reduced Deposit is non-refundable.
• A deposit is required for all stateroom guests and the amount of deposit varies, even if deposit is reduced per Offer.

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by zelker

[BermudaBound2014]

2 minutes ago, zelker said:

From the same 3rd Party TA's site (bolding is not mine) -

 

Reduced Deposit

• Reduced Deposit is a reduced per-person booking deposit available only for 1st/2nd guests in a stateroom on new bookings for select cruises and cruisetours booked outside of the final payment date.
• Applies only to full deposits and shall not further reduce already reduced deposits.
• Discount already reflected on listed/advertised deposits.
• Balance is due on final payment of the booking.
• Offer is available only on eligible cruises and cruisetours unless sold out or otherwise withdrawn.
• Reduced Deposit is non-refundable.
• A deposit is required for all stateroom guests and the amount of deposit varies, even if deposit is reduced per Offer.

 

 

Thanks. I'm looking at two long voyages in 2025, but not thrilled with non-refundable. 

[koolforkatz]

Is anyone seeing this promotion on their website yet? I'm not.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

This was opened up early to Select Travel Partners/Travel Agencies. yes the Deposits are Reduced but are all Non-refundable. Definitely SELECT VOYAGES, appears to be mostly Alaska, Alaska Cruise Tours and some Europe. SELECT is definitely the KEY WORDING here. I expect to be on HAL's website next Thursday and run till probably September 6th or 7th.

Just my opinion it is not really what I consider a great sale but it will get people looking at their web site and want to book a cruise 😉  Which is what special advertising is meant to do. Normally the Nonrefundable deposit is often the same price as Have It All/HIA+  but appears to be 50% off of the deposit under the Non-refundable. So it is currently the lowest deposit.

I am actually suprised they are pushing this rather than the HIA but then again if it brings in bookings the deposit money is guaranteed because the deposit is money in the bank.There is always a percentage of people who book and later cancel. HAL is one of the strictest with their non-refundable deposits.

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, koolforkatz said:

Is anyone seeing this promotion on their website yet? I'm not.

Not on website as a promo nor showing even if I complete the booking up to the Summary page. 

[sfaaa]

Not a good sale given HA had a $1 deposit promo just a few months ago. 

[crystalspin]

I would jump on the $99 for a 2024 B2B2B ($600) if refundable. I think the $1 deposit didn't help them much, and now they've swung the other way (and it won't help them much). 

[KAKcruiser]

I was just talking to a rep at Holland America and asked about the Labor Day sale.  He said that they had no information yet from marketing.  I find that hard to believe.

[Boatdrill]

The "Labor Day Deal"  is August 31- September 11, 2023. 

$99 Reduced Deposit is non-refundable.  

HAL LaborDayConsumerFlyer2.pdf

Edited August 29, 2023 by Boatdrill

[MississippiMom]

On 8/26/2023 at 4:25 PM, sfaaa said:

Not a good sale given HA had a $1 deposit promo just a few months ago. 

I hate I missed a $1 deposit promotion.  But we weren't (and really still aren't) ready to commit to our next cruise.  But for $1, we could have gotten something on our calendar for Alaska.

 

$99 non-refundable isn't going to cause us to book a cruise right now.

[KAKcruiser]

Are they taking reservations for the sale yet?

[Boatdrill]

Some how I missed the $1 deposit offer, which I would have used. So I've been waiting for the annual Labor Day sale. But the  $99 non-refundable - for a cruise a year from now- isn't attractive, especially with inflation and gas prices ($5.87 for regular).  Why would I send $99 to HAL, let them use my money, and risk not getting it back ? I can't do it....it's just not a good investment right now. 

   

Edited August 30, 2023 by Boatdrill

[zelker]

2 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

Some how I missed the $1 deposit offer, which I would have used. So I've been waiting for the annual Labor Day sale. But the  $99 non-refundable - for a cruise a year from now- isn't attractive, especially with inflation and gas prices ($5.87 for regular).  Why would I send $99 to HAL, let them use my money, and risk not getting it back ? I can't do it....it's just not a good investment right now. 

   

IMHO, it's a worthless promo. 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sadly many will miss that it is non-refundable unless they deal directly with HAL and or a TA that should disclose it. Those that just book on-line may think it is a good deal but if they cancel it is money in the bank for HAL. 

 

I think all of the cruise lines are tightening their purse strings and trying to get creative in how to collect money. Even Celebrity is taking away the pre paid gratuities that were always included in their "All Included" Package. Yes their prices are increasing as well.Celebrity is also pushing their Non-refundable deposit. The only difference between HAL and Celebrity with the Non-refundable is that Celebrity does not charge you to move that Non-refundable deposit to a different ship or sailing date as far out as you like. It remains a non-refundable deposit but you can keep moving it. HAL will not do that.

[cbr663]

My advice is to be very cautious booking any non-refundable deposit with HAL.  We were notified earlier this week of yet again of significant itinerary changes for a British Isles cruise that we have booked for 2024.  This is after us cancelling a '24 Norway cruise that HAL also made itinerary changes.  You really want the full flexibility of being able to cancel should the changes not meet your needs.  Does anyone know how flexible HAL is with non-refundable deposits when they make unacceptable changes to an itinerary?

[Haljo1935]

My experience has been that they've let me move it to another cruise where it will also be non-refundable. I'd have a specific itinerary selected when you call so they can move it at that time rather than a generic ask. 

[cbr663]

4 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

My experience has been that they've let me move it to another cruise where it will also be non-refundable. I'd have a specific itinerary selected when you call so they can move it at that time rather than a generic ask. 

 

We recently moved a refundable deposit from a cruise with itinerary changes to another cruise and now they've made changes to that.  I was taken aback though as to move it we had to put another deposit on the new cruise.  My TA said HAL was telling them it was for CO, but we had already paid for CO on the first cruise and wanted that moved to the new cruise also.  To make it even more confusing, my TA told me that the amount of deposit that HAL wanted was much more than just the cost of CO.  It was very confusing and I couldn't make any sense out of it.

 

Needless to say that after that experience if we decide that the changes to the cruise are no longer acceptable I will simply cancel it rather than trying to move it to another.