Booked Eurodam Inaugural cabin today!

[cruznon]

One other thing about the $100 on board deposits. As many cruises as you wish--no specific cruise need be named and this is good for four years.

So if a couple put down $800 deposit, they could then select four cruises within the next four years and the deposited $$$ could be applied to specific cruises at later date within the time frame.

That's what cruise consultant told us. Besides Eurodam, we put down another $200 to be applied to another cruise, whenever we decide.

[Sunshine91]

Besides Eurodam, we put down another $200 to be applied to another cruise, whenever we decide.

 

Smart woman! Now why didn't that occur to us? We paid the $100/pp for Eurodam, but didn't even think about putting $$$ on a cruise after that.

 

Whoever it was in marketing that dreamed up this $100/pp onboard deposit is a genius. Money has got to be flowing in to HAL! Since you don't have to book a specific cruise & the deposit is good for 4 years, if you plan to cruise once a year, you could put down $300-$400 & HAL is holding onto all your money. Verrrrrry clever.

[sail7seas]

How great, Cruznon......... you now have the leisure to choose just which cruise you really want to do IN ADDITION to what surely will be a great cruise on Eurodam.

 

I think all of us who made bookings this week are very excited......and you were the First!!! Congratulations and thanks for letting us know the bookings were starting. :)

 

[innlady1]

One other thing about the $100 on board deposits. As many cruises as you wish--no specific cruise need be named and this is good for four years.

So if a couple put down $800 deposit, they could then select four cruises within the next four years and the deposited $$$ could be applied to specific cruises at later date within the time frame.

That's what cruise consultant told us. Besides Eurodam, we put down another $200 to be applied to another cruise, whenever we decide.

 

I'm fairly new so please excuse my ignorance! What's the advantage of doing this?

[bepsf]

I'm fairly new so please excuse my ignorance! What's the advantage of doing this?

 

The biggest advantage to us is that we are only required to deposit a minimal amount of money w/ HAL to reserve our space on the cruise.

 

For example, I only had to deposit $200 for my suite since I made the deposit aboard ship, but HAL wanted $1200 for my parent's stateroom since I made their reservation on land.

 

The other advantage, as alluded to above, is flexibility. *Once you place the deposit while aboard ship, you need not worry about whether you can make that specific departure as you can move that deposit to any sailing that will occur within 4 years of your deposit.

[sail7seas]

The normal deposit can be in the $600+ range (depending upon price of your cruise etc). It is nice to only have to pay $100 for what can be a year or more as in the case of Eurodam. Final Payment for Eurodam will be sometime around April, 2008. For over a year, we will save having to pay about $600 per person and only have to pay $100 deposit.

 

Of course, that means we'll have a higher final payment when that point rolls around. ;)

 

[sail7seas]

Sorry, Brian.

 

We were posting at the same time.

 

[Tinknock50]

I'm fairly new so please excuse my ignorance! What's the advantage of doing this?

 

Same here...what is the point of tying up $800 in deposits for 4 years?

 

To me, it would kind of defeat the purpose of $100 deposits, which is not to tie up money for a cruise that may be a year or more off.

 

Wouldn't it work just as well to make a booking while you are on board for your next cruise. Then on your next cruise put down another $100 pp for your next (or maybe another $200pp for two cruises that you know you really want to take).

 

But to put down money for a cruise 3 or 4 years off when you can't even know what the itineraries will be and which ships they will do them..I don't get it.:confused:

 

Peggy....what you did made sense.....but I don't think I would plunk down $800 at once.

[bepsf]

Sorry, Brian.

 

We were posting at the same time.

 

 

No worries, Dear - Great minds, etc...

;)

[Sunshine91]

Same here...what is the point of tying up $800 in deposits for 4 years?

 

To me, it would kind of defeat the purpose of $100 deposits, which is not to tie up money for a cruise that may be a year or more off.

 

Ahhhhh, but who knows how long the "$100/pp deposit while onboard special" will last? HAL may only offer this for 2007. Or until July. Or forever.

 

The plus for us as cruisers is that we have flexibility (the deposit is good for 4 years & the cruise need not be specified). The plus for HAL is that regular, repeat cruisers - folks who know that they will be cruising multiple times in the next couple of years - should be twisting in their knickers to throw this money at the cruiseline. Makes everyone happy. :)

[shipcafe]

I'm now deposited. Can't wait to sail!

[bepsf]

Should anyone here who placed an onboard deposit need help from HAL to get their reservation finalized/stateroom assigned, etc - I have a contact name at the Personal Cruise Consultant desk:

Sarah Hensler

1800.355.3017

x4273

She's a very nice lady and worked everything out for me - linking my dinner reservations (Main/Upper) with my folks, etc. She said that if I had any friends who needed her assistance...

;)

[RevNeal]

Thanks, Brian.

If I have trouble going through the Future Cruise Consultants aboard the Ryndam next week I'll be sure to use your contact. That's always very helpful.

 

Note for anyone who might be interested ... my two bookings have finally been released back to HAL so that I may now transfer them to the TA of my choice. Amazing how long it took to get a proper response from those people at that other ("Worst" Cruises) agency. ;)

[RuthC]

Wouldn't it work just as well to make a booking while you are on board for your next cruise. Then on your next cruise put down another $100 pp for your next (or maybe another $200pp for two cruises that you know you really want to take).

Ah, but sometimes your "next" cruise isn't. That is, you decide to take an additional cruise before your "next" cruise, and can't book it onboard because you aren't.

With this you have a $100 deposit sitting there available any ol' time you feel the need to book. :)

[bepsf]

Ah, but sometimes your "next" cruise isn't. That is, you decide to take an additional cruise before your "next" cruise, and can't book it onboard because you aren't.

With this you have a $100 deposit sitting there available any ol' time you feel the need to book. :)

 

 

Hahaha--

Ruth, I love your logic

;)

(This must be proof that Chocolate makes people smarter)

[Tinknock50]

Ahhhhh, but who knows how long the "$100/pp deposit while onboard special" will last? HAL may only offer this for 2007. Or until July. Or forever.

 

The plus for us as cruisers is that we have flexibility (the deposit is good for 4 years & the cruise need not be specified). The plus for HAL is that regular, repeat cruisers - folks who know that they will be cruising multiple times in the next couple of years - should be twisting in their knickers to throw this money at the cruiseline. Makes everyone happy. :)

 

I did consider the "limited time" possibility. But I will wager it will become a regular thing, just as with Princess.

 

Princess also allows agencies to offer $100pp deposits on certain cruises bookable from home. It's sort of a floating deposit meaning the agency can decide which cruise it wants to apply it too.

For example, on my 19 day Island Princess cruise, I shopped around until I found an agency with a low price and the $100pp deposit from home. (It would have cost me $600 pp person normally!)

 

I wouldn't be surprised if HAL begins to offer that too.

[Jade13]

But, if you book a specific cruise, Not a "Future cruise request" you still need to pay the Cancellation & Insurance at the time of the booking (Even with outside TA's or policys it's within 2 weeks from the ones that I have looked at), so for example if a couple booked the Eurodam Inaugual for $100pp while on board and and picked a $2,600pp cabin, they would have to also pay $309.00pp for Hals Platinum Policy (90% back up to 24 hours prior to departure plus medical and evacuation), so would really be putting out $818.00 for the cabin, not $200.00.

 

Btw, I just learned if you later transfer to another TA (to get a better rate), you do not get back the difference (it is non-refundable) if you pay less since the policy is cheaper for a cheaper cabin (based on the cruise price)...so just fyi. Hopefully the difference you save would be more than the extra payment on the insurance (maybe $50pp more than if you had paid a cheaper rate to begin with).

 

Now if I am missing something, perhaps others can let me know? Perhaps if you book with Hal and then 4 months prior to the cruise switch to another TA they put it through like a new booking and get you the insurance and cancellation somewhere else (not through Hal)? I am sure the majority on CC want to be insured (especially those on medicare who can't use this out of the country), so I can't figure out how everyone is looking at this as only $100pp? I know its still less than putting down 30% etc. Please explain?

[Jade13]

Tink/Sean - I saw some TA's saying they needed to be paid upfront but perhaps they were within 75-90 days so really not an issue since you would have to do that anyway.

 

I have also seen some consolidator sites for Antartica (not the big cruise lines) that want full payment wired (no credit card) but were 2 for 1's for example on an $8K cabin. I asked the person on CC that gave me the name and they said they had used them mutiple times checked them out with the BBB, but still makes me uncomfortable to to pay by CC.

[RuthC]

Now if I am missing something, perhaps others can let me know?

I suspect that what you're missing is that most people don't take HAL insurance; they go through third-party a insurance company.

If you book a specific cruise while on-board, and transfer it to your TA, you can hold off on the date it's considered "booked" so that you have time to get home and buy insurance. (I've done that on long cruises.) If you're putting $$$ down on a future cruise you can buy insurance when you make a booking.

Not everyone needs to buy insurance within 2-3 weeks of booking, either, since not everyone needs to be concerned with pre-existing conditions.

I think it would be interesting to do a poll to determine the popularity of HAL insurance vs third-party among the posters on this board. I suspect the numbers of people taking HAL would be very, very small.

[mamaofami]

One question, Ruth. We booked our last cruise with a TA and then she got us the travel insurance...we didn't use HAL. I didn't know that travel insurance has to be purchased right away.

 

Are you saying that if you book a cruise in January for the following August, and then develop an illness in March, it would be considered a prior condition if you waited until May to purchase insurance? That I can understand.

[Jade13]

RuthC - Hmm - I didn't think of that

"I suspect that what you're missing is that most people don't take HAL insurance; they go through third-party a insurance company.

 

If you book a specific cruise while on-board, and transfer it to your TA, you can hold off on the date it's considered "booked" so that you have time to get home and buy insurance. (I've done that on long cruises.) If you're putting $$$ down on a future cruise you can buy insurance when you make a booking.

Not everyone needs to buy insurance within 2-3 weeks of booking, either, since not everyone needs to be concerned with pre-existing conditions. "

Now, I just had a cruise transfered to a TA, but the booking number has stayed the same. Well, I wonder if I hadn't bought the insurance, if the new TA actually "canceled" and gave me a new cabin and booking number if I could than pick up Hal's insurance? It would be a way to book the specific cruise and cabin for $100pp on-board so you have something you could live with, but than shop around for a better price along with the insurance. I understand with the new TA and a different (non Hal) policy this would be a new booking, but I wonder if you could pick up Hal's policy if the new TA ended up canceling under that booking number and giving you a new one? I'd love to find a better and cheaper policy but so far Hal's is the best that I have found (BerkelyCare).

Hal has made it really clear that you can't move the insurance, even if you take the same cruise itinerary a week later. I still think they would sell more and make more money if they let everyone purchase 3 months out. What is their Risk Factor since if you don't get their insurance you can get a full refund up until final payment? They key is the 90% back for any reason within 24 hours of departure.

[RuthC]

Carol, when it comes to the definition of "pre-existing condition" I am among the least knowledgeble. It is set out in the insurance company's fine print, and probably varies from plan to plan. It's necessary to study a given company's policy before signing on the dotted line.

There can be rules about having been under treatment, and how long since, and do you/do you not take meds, and whether or not meds have the conditon under control, and, and, and.... :eek:

All I know is that once upon a time I never thought about insurance. My husband became ill, and from that point on we insured. When I started sailing alone I had no medical problems, so insured at final payment. Then I got what I presume is a pre-existing condition, so now I insure shortly after I book.

I really don't want to fill the megabytes in my brain with all the different rules and regulations. :rolleyes:

[mamaofami]

Thanks, Ruth. I'm sure reading those policies isn't easy anyway. Well, the understanding. The reading part is easy.

[longtimecruiser]

Brian,

Trying to book the Eurodam. I need your booking #, cabin # so Em and I can link our dining reservations. Thanks, Sweetie

[bepsf]

Brian,

Trying to book the Eurodam. I need your booking #, cabin # so Em and I can link our dining reservations. Thanks, Sweetie

 

Adele--

I'm in 5182 and my parents (Stu and Linda) are in 5184. I put us in for Upper Main Seating

Shoot me an e-mail for the booking numbers: bep_sf@yahoo.com

Huggs to both you and Emily!

--B