Ship if you book cruise while on cruise

[tpwolfe]

I'm looking to book the Eurodam for next year while on a Alaska cruise this May. My question is how much ship credit do you get if you book an inside cabin while on a cruise? With the increase fuel charges coming I want to see if it is worth waiting or should I go ahead and book the Eurodam now.

[catl331]

The advantage of booking while on a ship is that you only put down $100 per person and do not have to pay the rest until final payment is due. This can be transferred to another cruise also. I don't know of any ship credit. When ships are new, there usually are not many bargains offered.

[sail7seas]

For a 7 to 11 day cruise, Inside Cabin, you receive $25pp shipboard credit.

For a cruise of 12 days or longer, you would receive a shipboard credit of $50 pp if you book while aboard.

 

There are higher credits for higher category cabins.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It is well worth booking while you are already on a cruise.

[fireman845]

How far in advance can you book while onboard?

[O2B@C]

How far in advance can you book while onboard?

 

This is the best part! You can put down the $100/pp deposit for a cruise to be determined later, and then you have four years :) to pick a cruise and apply the deposit to it. So if you're planning to cruise at least once every four years - and who among us is not?;) - I can see no reason not to put that deposit down on every cruise you take! That's my plan, anyway - assuming I can talk DH into agreeing! :D

[sail7seas]

How far in advance can you book while onboard?

 

You can book any cruise which has already been scheduled into the itineraries. If it's a year or 14 months or whatever. Once it is scheduled, you can book it while aboard another cruise.

[CoolChile]

If I purchase a FCD on a cruise, do I then need to book my next cruise directly through HAL? I'm concerned that if I request quotes and choose one of the responders, that they won't accept my FCD. As in, they'll require me to put down a deposit that their agency sets. Obviously significantly higher . . . .

 

Your thoughts (besides "how can I get away on a cruise tomorrow" ;) )?

[sail7seas]

You can use any TA you wish.

 

When you make a deposit on the ship, you MUST tell them which TA you wish to us or by default, whoever you used for the cruise you are on will be named your TA. It can be difficult to get it changed later.

 

If you don't know which TA you want, leave the booking as with HAL direct (specifically tell the cruise consultant to NOT indicate the TA you used) and later it is very easy to transfer to any TA of your choice or to simply leave the booking direct with HAL if you wish.

 

[Sandy Sails]

Sorry Sail7Seas, but the information we got on a Hal cruise 2 weeks ago for booking a future cruise was exactly what O2B@C said. You only need to deposit $100 p.p. for any future cruise on HAL, good for 4 years. That's it. No shipboard credit. The benefit is the cheaper deposit (vs $250 p.p.) and the flexibility to wait 4 years to book anything.

[grannynurse]

We booked in February and received a $75 pp on board credit plus were able to get the $100 deposit. Maybe the policy has changed???

GN

[jer_l]

We did a future cruise deposit in November and had it applied to our Alaska cruise for June. Two different TAs werre used. We get a $50 OBC for each of us.

[O2B@C]

We did a future cruise deposit in November and had it applied to our Alaska cruise for June. Two different TAs werre used. We get a $50 OBC for each of us.

 

Ditto, on all counts (except that our Alaska cruise is in August). We put down the deposit for an open booking, with no TA, designated the Alaska cruise about a month later (with a newly selected TA, who was happy to have the business), and got a little OBC - I forget exactly how much - based on our cabin class on the newly booked cruise. Such a deal!:D

[sail7seas]

Sorry Sail7Seas, but the information we got on a Hal cruise 2 weeks ago for booking a future cruise was exactly what O2B@C said. You only need to deposit $100 p.p. for any future cruise on HAL, good for 4 years. That's it. No shipboard credit. The benefit is the cheaper deposit (vs $250 p.p.) and the flexibility to wait 4 years to book anything.

 

 

I am looking at the sheet which HAL gave us delineating what OnBoard Credit we get for each length of cruise/each category cabin. If there has been a change, it must have been in the last two days as I just made bookings for six future cruises. For all the cruises that we used our Future Cruise Deposits we bought while aboard ship, we were given the Shipboard Credit. I have the written HAL Confirmations indicating we got the credits.

 

It is possible they ended the credit since we made the Future Cruise Deposits and they are honoring those which are still being held by some of us. This is the first anyone has mentioned about any such change. Has anyone been refused the Shipboard Credit? Those that posted just before me got their credits the same as we did.

 

 

[RuthC]

It was as recently as this past February that I booked a cruise while on a cruise. I paid the $100 deposit and received an on-board credit because I booked while aboard. It was $25 for an inside cabin for 10 days.

[pms4104]

Sorry Sail7Seas, but the information we got on a Hal cruise 2 weeks ago for booking a future cruise was exactly what O2B@C said. You only need to deposit $100 p.p. for any future cruise on HAL, good for 4 years. That's it. No shipboard credit. The benefit is the cheaper deposit (vs $250 p.p.) and the flexibility to wait 4 years to book anything.

Not all onboard Future Cruise Consultants are created equal. Is it possible that the person you dealt with screwed up? For example: last December on the Amsterdam when we talked with the FCC she told us that in 2008 all HAL dining would be open seating. Misleading to say the least. Further, I overheard her tell another passenger that all HAL bookings are thru T/A's. Talking herself out of job, this one.

 

At any rate, when we booked in December, we got OBC and the privilege of the $100/person deposit.

[sail7seas]

I think that FCC needs a 'refresher' course. Her information was plain wrong.

 

Sandy Sails.....

 

You might wish to contact HAL and see if perhaps you are due an OBC you were not given.

[pms4104]

I think that FCC needs a 'refresher' course. Her information was plain wrong.

 

Sandy Sails.....

 

You might wish to contact HAL and see if perhaps you are due an OBC you were not given.

Yes, Sail, the info was poor ... and the worst was that the cruise we wanted, which was published in HAL's brochure, was no longer offered due to changes in ships' itineraries ... and the FCC dufus told me I could use the internet on board free to research my own cruise. Huh? I'm gonna use part of one vacation to research t he next? Since I suspected the FCC may be paid a commission or stipend of some sort for solid specific future cruises, we only gave her $100/person and dealt with our T/A when we returned home.

 

So, indeed, I contacted HAL and wrote a letter when we got home ... received a lovely and apologetic reply and the promise of VIP status on our next sailing.

[Dizey]

Cool Chile

Our experience with booking a cruise with the Future cruise consultant left us with a deposit that now can not be applied to either cruise that we have booked on HAL.

Last year while on the Ryndam we booked a cruise for April '08 on the Zaandam. It was priced in $CDN & when we got home we transferred the booking to our travel agent but HAL would not allow us to use the deposit because we were booking the cruise in $US. Because it is supposed to be good for 4 years we thought we would use in for our next cruise. Today we booked a cruise for Sept.'08 & our agent was told we can't use the deposit because we booked on board "too long ago".

We plan to call & e-mail HAL to see what can be done.

[CoolChile]

Hi Dizey

 

Thank you for picking up on my qx'n from earlier today. It didn't really get answered ... maybe t'was the way I asked it. At any rate, I know we can switch to a TA after booking with HAL. But on to your response: I can't be sure you live in Canada as you don't post your location, but your message leads me to believe you do. What you're going through is basically why I'm avoiding even doing the FCD thing while on board, let alone actually booking a future cruise. We twisted ourselves into a pretzel before disembarkation lst cruuise to ensure that our shipboard acct went through in USD, not CDN, so we wouldn't get sucker-punched on exchange and fees twice with conversions.

 

You're doing the right thing by going back to HAL to ask why the sam hill someone thinks your FCD is too old. Whaaaat? :confused: With a sweet email though, me thinks you'll get some satisfaction. ;)

 

Maybe some other Canucks out there will chime in.

[luvcruisn']

I did a future cruise deposit for an unspecified cruise while sailing on the Rotterdam in Oct. 06. In July/07 I transferred the deposit from HAL to a different internet travel agency from the one I had used for the Rotterdam cruise. I received $50 pp OBC for a 15 day cruise in an outside cabin. On the Oosterdam in Feb./08 I made 2 unspecified future cruise deposits, and the form I received said there was some amount of OBC. I have been told that the deposits are good for 4 years from the time of booking but are non-refundable if I don't sail within that time.

 

I never get charged in Canadian dollars for my shipboard account. I register my US credit card before boarding, and pay the credit card amount at my Canadian bank in US dollars.

[billroddy]

Remember the shipboard deposit is not good on Grand Voyages. You have to pay the regular deposit.

Bill

[Dizey]

Just to let you know the problem we had using the deposit after booking a cruise with the FCC in CDN$ and than transferring the booking to a TA that charges US$ has been resolved after a phone call to HAL :D

 

I would be careful in the future to make sure we were charged for the cruise booked on board in US$ if the TA charges in US$.

 

luvcruisin' - Our shipboard account is always charged in US$ but the future cruise was charged directly to our CDN credit card in CDN$.

 

Yes, "Cool Chile" we are Canadian!