Rare POA1 Posted July 10 #26 Share Posted July 10 13 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said: So is an Advantage Fare simply another term for a cruise fare with a refundable deposit? I know I must be missing something. 🤔 Yes. It's the refundable deposit fare. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted July 10 #27 Share Posted July 10 2 hours ago, shadow 123 said: You are totally correct. They never ever mention the advantage fair. The only 1 that has ever told me about it is my travel agent. I've always been told about the various fares on our bookings when I call in. There is always Advantage, Non-refundable & Have-It-All. There are often flash sale fares, Mariner fares, and in my case, Florida fares. I don't expect a phone rep to lead with 7 fare options. Most people would find that confusing. However, I do my research here and other places and have always been able to get a fare with which I am happy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Girl Posted July 10 #28 Share Posted July 10 14 minutes ago, POA1 said: I've always been told about the various fares on our bookings when I call in. There is always Advantage, Non-refundable & Have-It-All. There are often flash sale fares, Mariner fares, and in my case, Florida fares. I don't expect a phone rep to lead with 7 fare options. Most people would find that confusing. However, I do my research here and other places and have always been able to get a fare with which I am happy. That has been my experience as well. I have always found that the non-refundable fares are clearly marked. Hence, I don't understand the OP's complaint. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 10 #29 Share Posted July 10 10 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said: That has been my experience as well. I have always found that the non-refundable fares are clearly marked. Hence, I don't understand the OP's complaint. He wants the refundable fares (aka Advantage) disclosed to him up-front and visible on the HAL website (not the ones with HIA, the ones refundable WITHOUT). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LAFFNVEGAS Posted July 10 #30 Share Posted July 10 3 hours ago, FrankieSue said: On a recent cruise booked with reduced deposit of $100/person, I was offered the fully refundable deposit but the cruise cost would have been an extra $400… no brainer It's a no brainer until the unthinkable happens and you need to cancel. One must be pre pared to be willing to lose the deposit if you must cancel or what to make a change on you cruise pricing or category. They will allow you to move up but you cannot drop to a lower category. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted July 10 #31 Share Posted July 10 Some of the larger Travel Agent sites list non-refundable, advantage fares, and HIA. Wish I could share but try TA's in new jersey 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cbr663 Posted July 10 #32 Share Posted July 10 6 hours ago, FrankieSue said: On a recent cruise booked with reduced deposit of $100/person, I was offered the fully refundable deposit but the cruise cost would have been an extra $400… no brainer The no brainer for me is to still book the refundable deposit as I view it as little more than a place holder in that it is holding by booking until a better offer comes along. With a refundable deposit you can cancel and rebook right up until final payment and not incur any penalties. This means that should you discover a lower price at any time after making your initial booking and up until final payment you will receive that lower price. At best, HAL will apply the lower price to your booking. At worst, you cancel and rebook for the lower fare. Last year I was really glad I had a refundable deposit as after booking my Alaska cruise I discovered that the big box membership TA had an offer for the exact cruise at more than $2000 less than the comparable fare with HAL. I called HAL to match the fare and they told me that they couldn't and to contact the big box store. I called the big box store and was able to secure the much lower fare. I even asked them if the fare was a pricing error as I don't want the hassle of pricing errors. They assured me that the fare was legit and I was able to cancel my original booking and rebook even into the same cabin at the much lower fare. For me, refundable deposits do not mean that I pay a higher fare - it means I have the flexibility to take advantage of any promotions that happen prior to my final payment date. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogladyrider Posted July 11 #33 Share Posted July 11 How does one go about finding out what the Advantage Fare is for a specific cruise? Is my only option to call HAL? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 11 #34 Share Posted July 11 14 minutes ago, Hogladyrider said: How does one go about finding out what the Advantage Fare is for a specific cruise? Is my only option to call HAL? No, large, tech-driven travel agencies with significant web presences will show you this fare (the one I use very easily labels it “Advantage” - imagine that!) as well as all HIA fares, HIA early booking fares, and other discount fares associated with your Mariner # assuming you log in. Mine even shows me the OBC the cruise line is offering me based upon my Mariner number, including any welcome back OBC that may be available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogladyrider Posted July 11 #35 Share Posted July 11 Well that was interesting. I logged onto HAL and started a chat and asked for the Advantage Fare for the cruise I was interested in. #1 the price was higher than if I booked via HAL online. #2 the refundable deposit was $3,500 and $459 for the cancellation policy per person #3 whereas booking on line with a nonrefundable deposit is $1750. and the price was $11K Interesting for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Girl Posted July 12 #36 Share Posted July 12 On 7/10/2024 at 11:36 AM, SeaMatesNYC said: He wants the refundable fares (aka Advantage) disclosed to him up-front and visible on the HAL website (not the ones with HIA, the ones refundable WITHOUT). I have, perhaps mistakenly, always assumed a fare to be refundable unless they are specifically designated "Non-refundable." Every cruise that I have booked, once a cabin class is designated, Hal's website shows two fares: One with HIA and one without. Unless "Non-refundable deposit is shown, they are both refundable. Doesn't that constitute "upfront" and "visible"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 12 #37 Share Posted July 12 19 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said: Unless "Non-refundable deposit is shown, they are both refundable. Doesn't that constitute "upfront" and "visible"? You may see something different, but the basic fare (without the HIA) that always shows up for me is the Non-refundable deposit fare. If you see the basic fare with a refundable deposit on the HAL website then you have upfront visibility that I and I believe the OP lack. I.e. the Advantage fare is not shown in the HAL website. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAKcruiser Posted July 12 #38 Share Posted July 12 When the Private (mariner) rates are available, they are now nonrefundable deposits. They used to be refundable. You have to read the fine print to know this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackduck59 Posted July 13 #39 Share Posted July 13 We aren't big on "Nonrefundable" anything. We just went through this with a "Reservations" site. THe matter was resoved in a couple of days but my wife was pretty upset over the whole thing. We have booked "Nonrefundable" airfare (the deal was too good to be true. We also bought cancellation insurance just in case we have to cancel (It would require an extraordinary event for us to cancel) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogladyrider Posted July 13 #40 Share Posted July 13 12 hours ago, Blackduck59 said: We aren't big on "Nonrefundable" anything. We just went through this with a "Reservations" site. THe matter was resoved in a couple of days but my wife was pretty upset over the whole thing. We have booked "Nonrefundable" airfare (the deal was too good to be true. We also bought cancellation insurance just in case we have to cancel (It would require an extraordinary event for us to cancel) I hear you regarding "extraordinary event to cancel". In my younger years I never purchased cancellation insurance. Now retired and in my 70's with an elderly mom (96) and a partner with memory issues I need the peace of mind that comes with cancellation insurance. To "lose" a $3500 nonrefundable deposit would be an "ouch" to my pocketbook. These two issues have made it more difficult for me to book further out, but I do the best I can making lemonade out of lemons I've been given. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea42 Posted July 13 #41 Share Posted July 13 2 hours ago, Hogladyrider said: I hear you regarding "extraordinary event to cancel". In my younger years I never purchased cancellation insurance. Now retired and in my 70's with an elderly mom (96) and a partner with memory issues I need the peace of mind that comes with cancellation insurance. To "lose" a $3500 nonrefundable deposit would be an "ouch" to my pocketbook. These two issues have made it more difficult for me to book further out, but I do the best I can making lemonade out of lemons I've been given. Agreed. The relatively small amount for insurance is definitely worth the peace of mind. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Girl Posted July 14 #42 Share Posted July 14 On 7/12/2024 at 10:09 AM, SeaMatesNYC said: You may see something different, but the basic fare (without the HIA) that always shows up for me is the Non-refundable deposit fare. If you see the basic fare with a refundable deposit on the HAL website then you have upfront visibility that I and I believe the OP lack. I.e. the Advantage fare is not shown in the HAL website. I have only checked a few fares, but, yes, it does appear that HAL has changed their policy and now is only listing "non-refundable" and HIA fares. HAL used to list, once a class was designated, both non-refundable and the refundable, non-HIA fares. Then, when one clicked on the latter fare, there were two fares: One with HIA and the other, which is now being called the "Advantage" fare. HAL has made that change within the last couple of years, because when I booked our '23 TA out of Athens, I initially booked the non-HIA fare, but later changed it to HIA. It now looks like a call to one's PCC or TA is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare albingirl Posted July 14 #43 Share Posted July 14 This fare, that fare, it all gets confusing to anyone. I care about getting a deposit back if anything has me canceling, but otherwise I seem to get alot of emails about this and that with Holland America that are alot of advertising their latest campaign. I wish it were more straightforward since I have other things to do than dissect all the details of their latest advertising campaign. Sometimes my PCC doesn't even know about the latest promo. Book now with taxes and port charges included! Oh, ok, I guess this is advantageous to me. One of these days I will take off my stupid hat and figure it all out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted July 14 #44 Share Posted July 14 12 minutes ago, albingirl said: This fare, that fare, it all gets confusing to anyone. I care about getting a deposit back if anything has me canceling, but otherwise I seem to get alot of emails about this and that with Holland America that are alot of advertising their latest campaign. I wish it were more straightforward since I have other things to do than dissect all the details of their latest advertising campaign. Sometimes my PCC doesn't even know about the latest promo. Book now with taxes and port charges included! Oh, ok, I guess this is advantageous to me. One of these days I will take off my stupid hat and figure it all out. Or just don't worry about it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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