Suggestions for Norma & info re price drops please

[Nectarologist]

Hello all. My wife and I will be booking a deluxe verandah outside stateroom for the Noordam out of NY (Jan 6, 2007). The website shows this consists of categories VA, VB, VC, VD, VIE, VF, & VHF. Does anyone have any cabin suggestions?

 

Also as far as price drops go...would it make any difference (be any easier or more difficult) to get a price adjustment if I book w/ HAL directly vs. my TA if the price should go down?

 

This will be our fist time on HAL, we can't wait. We love sailing from NY & were so excited to see that another cruise line is now sailing from here in the winter.

 

Thank you for the advice:)

 

oops, spell check changed Noordam to Norma

[dakrewser]

I always prefer a cabin near mid-ship and high up; others prefer a lower deck and facing aft. As the French say, "Chacun voit midi à sa porte." [i.e., To Each His Own]

 

Your better off having a real travel agent, a trutworthy travel agent, to monitor pricing for you. HAL won't do that so you'd have to keep tabs on the pricing yourself.

[mommybunny21]

i recently booked the Noordam for feb 2007. I started out at HAL but the agent didn't seem to interested in me and couldn't answer some simple questions re the ship. I then opted for an online site that had all the answers-were very nice and just this week got me a reduction in price. as for my cabin selections I always look at the available cabins and their location and then choose the best price. As long as I have a balcony I'm happy. Good luck

[lougee1043]

Your better off having a real travel agent, a trutworthy travel agent, to monitor pricing for you. HAL won't do that so you'd have to keep tabs on the pricing yourself.

 

with all due respect i dont think you can truly rely on your ta to monitor prices for you and for all his/her other customers --if they truly did that they would have no time to get new business ------imho the responsibility for checking for lower prices is the paxs-----also in some cases a lower price and refund means a lower commission for the ta

[mommybunny21]

i never said the TA on his own got me the reduction. And the reduction was off HAL's website-HAL reduced the rate and I got that reduction.

[the2ofus]

As the French say, "Chacun voit midi à sa porte." [i.e., To Each His Own]

 

Dave, that's an interesting idiom and one I never encountered before. A literal translation doesn't make much sense except as a statement of optomism. "Each one sees mid-day/daylight? at his door"

 

I remember the phrase as "Chacun a son gout." or "Each to his own taste." (But then, my idiomatic French is about 40 years out of date, so what do I know?):confused:

[kryos]

Also as far as price drops go...would it make any difference (be any easier or more difficult) to get a price adjustment if I book w/ HAL directly vs. my TA if the price should go down?

Why would HAL be interested in reducing the price you paid if it should go down? I guess they would if you screamed about it enough ... but they certainly wouldn't go out of their way to monitor it for you. And, in some respects I can understand that. They are, after all, in business to make money.

 

Find a good TA who is willing to perform that service, and let her worry about it. If you're like me, you'll find that she can do a much better job of it since travel is her specialty and she's used to performing such a service for her clients. I know that I am very irresponsible in this regard ... simply because I'm too busy with other things. I could easily miss a price reduction and then wind up not getting it. So, I prefer to have a travel agent who I know stays on top of that sort of thing and then just emails me to let me know when my price has dropped.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Nectarologist]

Why would HAL be interested in reducing the price you paid if it should go down? I guess they would if you screamed about it enough ... but they certainly wouldn't go out of their way to monitor it for you. And, in some respects I can understand that. They are, after all, in business to make money.

 

Find a good TA who is willing to perform that service, and let her worry about it. If you're like me, you'll find that she can do a much better job of it since travel is her specialty and she's used to performing such a service for her clients. I know that I am very irresponsible in this regard ... simply because I'm too busy with other things. I could easily miss a price reduction and then wind up not getting it. So, I prefer to have a travel agent who I know stays on top of that sort of thing and then just emails me to let me know when my price has dropped.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

You're right HAL wouldn't be interested in reducing my price on their own but I'd check prices myself & just call for an adjustment. You don't need to do any more than ask b/c you can always just cancel the booking & rebook @ the cheaper price in the same call. Adjusting the price would save them time (this assumes that final payment has not been paid yet). I was wondering that if the price dropped a TA would not want to honor it b/c it might affect their commission. But seems that is not an issue.

 

Good advice on finding a TA who is willing to do this. I've never thought of asking them to notify me of price decreases.

 

For the past few years I've been cruising over holidays and never thought about price changes b/c the prices have always gone up (way up). Now I'll be going the week after New Year's so I'll check since the price is more likely to change compared to a holiday sailing. (if at all).

 

Thanks to everyone for the input. I went with AAA online. I liked being able to see/choose from various cabins. My previous TA did this but when online I can really get the details on a room (knowledge learned here :). I can always call to talk w/ an agent if need be too.

 

Looking forward to HAL, Chris

 

p.s. As a bonus HAL is priced lower than NCL's 1/7/07 sailing out of NY (for a similar room, balcony).

[mfanderso]

I am booked on this sailing and booked with one of the on-line agents that advertise on this board. Their price was significantly lower than HAL's and that of AAA. There recently was a price decrease on another on-line agent's site and I called my agent and they quickly matched the lower rate.

[dakrewser]

Dave, that's an interesting idiom and one I never encountered before. A literal translation doesn't make much sense except as a statement of optomism. "Each one sees mid-day/daylight? at his door"

 

I remember the phrase as "Chacun a son gout." or "Each to his own taste." (But then, my idiomatic French is about 40 years out of date, so what do I know?):confused:

 

The translation I saw was "Everyone see sunshine at his own door." It certainly isn't used as often as Chacun a son gout but isn't as much of a cliche either:)

 

Lou: my TA monitors these things for us - maybe you need a new agent:rolleyes:

[lougee1043]

. There recently was a price decrease on another on-line agent's site and I called my agent and they quickly matched the lower rate.

 

have done that twice --calling my on line email only ta and got prices reduced both times

[DD]

Dave, that's an interesting idiom and one I never encountered before. A literal translation doesn't make much sense except as a statement of optomism. "Each one sees mid-day/daylight? at his door"

 

I remember the phrase as "Chacun a son gout." or "Each to his own taste." (But then, my idiomatic French is about 40 years out of date, so what do I know?):confused:

 

I was wondering the same thing. I was trying to translate that and going, ok, doesn't la porte mean door? Idioms are such cool things though. I love knowing what the real translation is. One of my favorite idioms is when the french have this term of endearment, "mon petite chou chou" which literally translates to "my little cabbage cabbage".

[dakrewser]

I was wondering the same thing. I was trying to translate that and going, ok, doesn't la porte mean door? Idioms are such cool things though. I love knowing what the real translation is. One of my favorite idioms is when the french have this term of endearment, "mon petite chou chou" which literally translates to "my little cabbage cabbage".

 

But everything sounds more romantic in French. Once my wife figured out what "Mon petit pamplemousse" meant, she wouldn't talk to me for days! :rolleyes:

[DD]

not a citrus lover, eh?

[HeatherInFlorida]

I can't imagine trusting a TA, any TA, to monitor prices for a year of more (I book very early).

 

When I book, I check the price on HAL's site and write it down. If that price goes down, I alert my TA and the price is lowered. Frankly it's never happened for me and I monitor pretty regularly. Usually our cabin category sells out very early and that's the end of it.

 

As far as cabin suggestions, personally we prefer midships (on that size ship) and not too high up (for motion). We like midships because that way we're always halfway to everywhere:) and it's only halfway back from wherever;) .

 

Somewhere along the way I made a note that Cabin #4164 and 4170 are especially nice because they have a 6' x 11' verandah so take a look at those if they're available. They're further back (I think), but the larger deck might make it worth it.

 

I hope you have an awesome cruise!

[Sunshine91]

But everything sounds more romantic in French. Once my wife figured out what "Mon petit pamplemousse" meant, she wouldn't talk to me for days! :rolleyes:

 

OK Dave, give it up - what's a pamplemousse? Is it something bad?

My John calls me his petit fromage (little cheese). Coming from him that is quite a compliment. The man could live on cheese. :)

[DD]

I'm not Dave but a pamplemousse is a grapefruit.

[Sunshine91]

I'm not Dave but a pamplemousse is a grapefruit.

 

Thanks, DD. I don't think I'd like being thought of as a grapefruit, either. However, I would imagine that the word sounds very pretty. :)