Free interior stateroom

[grannyshell]

Still a relative cruising newbie here (all on HAL). Just got an email offering free interior staterooms on select sailings. In order to book, one has to call. Hoping the experts here can enlighten me: what's the catch?

[HappyInVan]

Who sent the email?

 

1) Direct from Holland America? Have you ever sailed with HAL?

2) From a travel site you use?

3) From a site that you have never heard of?

[TiogaCruiser]

If it’s from HAL you likely will have to pay $200 or so as a deposit, and the port taxes and charges. Once onboard your $200 is refunded as OBC. If you decide to upgrade, you pay the amount indicated in your account for your category of cabin. It’s a guarantee, so you will be assigned a cabin close to sailing. You still get your $200 OBC.

 

My DH received one of those a couple of times and we did it once.

[grannyshell]

2 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

Who sent the email?

 

1) Direct from Holland America? Have you ever sailed with HAL?

2) From a travel site you use?

3) From a site that you have never heard of?

Directly from Holland America and yes, we have sailed with HAL recently.

 

[cruisn71]

It is a legitimate offer.  Not really any catch to it.  We have enjoyed some fabulous cruises with those offers.  Made it to 4 star years earlier than I originally calculated.

[POA1]

3 hours ago, grannyshell said:

Directly from Holland America and yes, we have sailed with HAL recently.

 

What's the campaign code on the email? It'll probably start with HEP.

[dockman]

Must be nice to sail  with HAL and get an offer for a free cruise??  Did OP spend a massive amount of $$ or play a ton in the casino?  If so maybe i can understand.

 

 I have been on 20 HAL cruises and never ever got any offer for free anything.

 

How do i get on the give me a free cruise list??  

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, dockman said:

Must be nice to sail  with HAL and get an offer for a free cruise??  Did OP spend a massive amount of $$ or play a ton in the casino?  If so maybe i can understand.

 

 I have been on 20 HAL cruises and never ever got any offer for free anything.

 

How do i get on the give me a free cruise list??  

Play in the casino.   

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

We have been on one HAL cruise, never set foot in the shops or casinos…received the same offer 8n yesterday’s snail mail.  
if we do book it, how would an upgrade to a different cabin class work? (Inside cabin not our thing, would want at minimum ocean view, but prefer balcony)

also, would club orange be able to be booked and/or be of any “help” here?

 

[Sea42]

7 minutes ago, AroundWithMAPTravels said:

We have been on one HAL cruise, never set foot in the shops or casinos…received the same offer 8n yesterday’s snail mail.  
if we do book it, how would an upgrade to a different cabin class work? (Inside cabin not our thing, would want at minimum ocean view, but prefer balcony)

also, would club orange be able to be booked and/or be of any “help” here?

 

When you call in to accept the offer they will let you know how much it would be to upgrade to a different category.  And yes you can buy CO and pick your specific cabin at that point.

If you just accept the basic offer you cannot pick your cabin.

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, dockman said:

Must be nice to sail  with HAL and get an offer for a free cruise??  Did OP spend a massive amount of $$ or play a ton in the casino?  If so maybe i can understand.

 

 I have been on 20 HAL cruises and never ever got any offer for free anything.

 

How do i get on the give me a free cruise list??  

Free interior stateroom offers are not always dependent upon previous casino play.

And nobody knows the "magic" of how to get on the list. But it is real.

[TiogaCruiser]

2 hours ago, AroundWithMAPTravels said:

We have been on one HAL cruise, never set foot in the shops or casinos…received the same offer 8n yesterday’s snail mail.  
if we do book it, how would an upgrade to a different cabin class work? (Inside cabin not our thing, would want at minimum ocean view, but prefer balcony)

also, would club orange be able to be booked and/or be of any “help” here?

 

I found the costs by logging into DHs account. The upgrade costs were there, so we had already hashed it out and decided before I called to book.

[albingirl]

I bet 20 bucks in the casino in the slots last cruise.  I won 68.  Handed it out as tips to my faves.  Never got a free cruise yet and I have no idea why.

[grannyshell]

We didn't spend a penny in the casino on either of our 2 cruises.

 

Edited February 7 by grannyshell

[newtocruiseinblue]

1 minute ago, grannyshell said:

We didn't spend a penny in the casino on either of our 2 cruises.

 

Grannyshell,

 

At the bottom of the email there (probably on the left) there is a campaign code. That will tell you why you got it bc the numbers and letters are abbreviations…what is the campaign code? Your marinara number has to be on the list in order to take advantage of the campaign code.

 

I also get the free staterooms….done 3 “free” cruises and love them. But we do pay port fees, taxes, shore excursions, drinks; etc…we also do not use the casino.
 

Our only problem is sometimes they are on short notice and we cannot take advantage of the offer. 

Cheers and enjoy! 

[cruisn71]

7 hours ago, POA1 said:

What's the campaign code on the email? It'll probably start with HEP.

I received an offer yesterday and this is the code on it:  HEP2409HOB

 

The email links to a webpage now and not to a PDF like before.

Edited February 7 by cruisn71

[newtocruiseinblue]

4 minutes ago, cruisn71 said:

I received an offer yesterday and this is the code on it:  HEP2409HOB

 

The email links to a webpage now and not to a PDF like before.

The HOB means high onboard spending - that’s why you received it. 

[cruisn71]

13 minutes ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

The HOB means high onboard spending - that’s why you received it. 

That was always my suspicion as to why we received the offers.  Thanks for the info.

[FlaMariner]

Interesting......

 

That's an offer I'm certain we will never see.....We are certainly not HOB...high onboard spenders....and I think we are fine with that. 

 

Enjoy that offer.....sounds incredible. 

[Skicruiser55]

1 hour ago, cruisn71 said:

I received an offer yesterday and this is the code on it:  HEP2409HOB

 

The email links to a webpage now and not to a PDF like before.

Mine is still linking to PDF?  

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

The HOB means high onboard spending - that’s why you received it. 

Do you know what HEP is?

[newtocruiseinblue]

3 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Do you know what HEP is?

HEP is on almost every offer I receive….HAL Email Promotion…

[Monarda55]

Regarding HOB denoting High Onboard Spending — is that certain? Because my son received that email last night, and he didn’t spend a dime on his one and only HAL cruise. I did purchase three shore excursions for him, and technically I suppose they were in his name although charged to my credit card. But that was it. Less than $200 all together. 

[newtocruiseinblue]

2 minutes ago, Monarda55 said:

Regarding HOB denoting High Onboard Spending — is that certain? Because my son received that email last night, and he didn’t spend a dime on his one and only HAL cruise. I did purchase three shore excursions for him, and technically I suppose they were in his name although charged to my credit card. But that was it. Less than $200 all together. 

That is what I was told by HAL and shore excursions are included in onboard spending 

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

If it is, they are definitely looking at someone else’s account in my case.   We too had the HOB suffix.   Purchased a few excursions above the HIA allowance and did one spa treatment.   After 11 days, still 1 star (other first timers that were on our sailing got 2-star notation,  but we apparently didn’t spend enough…).

did not have much of a final bill, either.

and as I said, never stepped foot in casino or shops.

doesn’t really seem to be anything specific that triggers this.   I think it’s the 2nd offer I received since we disembarked in September…..

 

but we do not yet have anything else scheduled.   Perhaps that is it!   They want us on board!
 

note that the offer is only on select sailings, not across the board.   I wonder if they aren’t selling out… so giving freebies at least guarantees some income… from extras.