price reduction question - need info.

[jetstorm]

I hope this is ok to ask here and if there are any T/As on the boards maybe someone can figure this out.

I booked a cruise through a well known online T/A. I have not made final payment. How do I determine if the price has been reduced so I might request they match it as they say they do. Their initial price for the first and second passengers is actually showing higher than when we booked but the third person has gone down ALOT making the total price lower than we booked. What really baffles me is the taxes/fees per person when we booked ( on our confirmation sheet) shows $$225.07 per person and now on their site it shows as $71.64 per person. All in all the total price is a bit lower now than when we booked but they say it hasn't gone down. So do they only go by the listed price for the first and second person without the total price? And what about the difference in taxes and fees?

[Barek]

I hope this is ok to ask here and if there are any T/As on the boards maybe someone can figure this out.

I booked a cruise through a well known online T/A. I have not made final payment. How do I determine if the price has been reduced so I might request they match it as they say they do. Their initial price for the first and second passengers is actually showing higher than when we booked but the third person has gone down ALOT making the total price lower than we booked. What really baffles me is the taxes/fees per person when we booked ( on our confirmation sheet) shows $$225.07 per person and now on their site it shows as $71.64 per person. All in all the total price is a bit lower now than when we booked but they say it hasn't gone down. So do they only go by the listed price for the first and second person without the total price? And what about the difference in taxes and fees?

Each TA will do things differently. Your best bet is to contact yours directly. Most online agents will either mail or email a confirmation, and on it should be a contact phone number (may be different than the number shown on the website - so use the one listed on the confirmation).

[geologygeek]

Some TAs add up all the port fees/taxes and fuel surcharge to give one number and other separate it out. If you haven't paid in full you can always swap TAs to get a better price if they can't match other ones - it pays to do a bit of searching. For example, we booked on board for an 8 day Carribbean trip, got home and spoke to our travel agent (she took $200 off the total HAL price), but I've found out that I can get another $175 off. Even though the original agency has a "lowest price guarantee" they're not budging on the price, so time to swap TAs for us. I've just sent HAL the fax requesting the booking be transferred - not sure how seemless the process will be!

[pms4104]

Some TAs add up all the port fees/taxes and fuel surcharge to give one number and other separate it out. If you haven't paid in full you can always swap TAs to get a better price if they can't match other ones - it pays to do a bit of searching. For example, we booked on board for an 8 day Carribbean trip, got home and spoke to our travel agent (she took $200 off the total HAL price), but I've found out that I can get another $175 off. Even though the original agency has a "lowest price guarantee" they're not budging on the price, so time to swap TAs for us. I've just sent HAL the fax requesting the booking be transferred - not sure how seemless the process will be!

If your bookiing already has been transferred to a T/A, I do not believe that HAL will become involved in moving the booking to yet another T/A. I believe you will need to ask T/A #1 (who currently has your booking) to release the booking to the T/A you would like to use to take advantage of the lower price which T/A #1 won't match. I hope I explained this clearly for you. From posts by those who've tried to do this, it sounds like it might be a chore, as the original T/A will be reluctant to release the booking and lose the commission $$$$$$$$$$$$. Good luck!

[jetstorm]

I hope this is ok to ask here and if there are any T/As on the boards maybe someone can figure this out.

I booked a cruise through a well known online T/A. I have not made final payment. How do I determine if the price has been reduced so I might request they match it as they say they do. Their initial price for the first and second passengers is actually showing higher than when we booked but the third person has gone down ALOT making the total price lower than we booked. What really baffles me is the taxes/fees per person when we booked ( on our confirmation sheet) shows $$225.07 per person and now on their site it shows as $71.64 per person. All in all the total price is a bit lower now than when we booked but they say it hasn't gone down. So do they only go by the listed price for the first and second person without the total price? And what about the difference in taxes and fees?

 

I'm quoting myself (above) to further explain my situation. My confirmation sheet AND the new online quote from my T/A are both itemized to show the cabin fare, the fuel, tax/fees and the total price. What I still can't figure out is why the tax/fees section on my booking sheet shows $225.07pp and the new online price shows the tax/fees section as $71.64pp. How can the tax and fees differ so drastically?

[aussiedisneyfan]

I have just managed to change our our inside cabin to an outside and came out with $800 less owing!

 

I went to a few websites that allow you do do online bookings a proceeded throught the steps to see how much the final figure was. I then emailed my t/a and asked her if she could match that price. Initially we were told no, but when I pointed out that it was their own website that I was getting prices from they finally adjusted my booking. My understanding is that HAL's deposit is fully refundable so for the price difference I was willing to cancel my booking and rebook with them or another agency.

[KAKcruiser]

There are usually two different charges for port charges, taxes and fees and one is included with the cruise quote and the other is added on. On your statement they might be added together because they are nondiscountable to the travel agent. It amounts to the same thing.

 

In your case, you should call your travel agent and see if she will discount the third person.

[jetstorm]

There are usually two different charges for port charges, taxes and fees and one is included with the cruise quote and the other is added on. On your statement they might be added together because they are nondiscountable to the travel agent. It amounts to the same thing.

 

In your case, you should call your travel agent and see if she will discount the third person.

 

Thanks for your suggestion and I've got a call in to see if she will discount the third person. Thanks also for explaining the add on charges. That makes a little more sense.

[cf_chuck]

I hope this is ok to ask here and if there are any T/As on the boards maybe someone can figure this out.

I booked a cruise through a well known online T/A. I have not made final payment. How do I determine if the price has been reduced so I might request they match it as they say they do. Their initial price for the first and second passengers is actually showing higher than when we booked but the third person has gone down ALOT making the total price lower than we booked.

 

If you haven't made final payment, then you can cancel.

 

Many lower fees are offered for "new bookings" only. In these cases, the TA has to cancel the previous booking in order to offer the new, lower price.

 

When comparing prices, you have a bead on what is important, the total lowest cost.

 

But make sure, you are comparing apples.

 

Depending on when you booked, you might be covered by the previous fuel surcharge rate of $7 for the first 2 pax, which is $9 for bookings now. There is also a surcharge (less) for additional pax in the cabin).

 

Your booking may be covered by an on board credit which you might lose.

 

If you are booking a guarantee, the time based priority of your previous booking might be forfeited.

 

If you expressed a dining preference and were waitlisted, the time based priority for your request might be forfeited.

 

Make sure all fees, taxes etc are covered in any comparative estimate. Also make sure any transfers are covered.

[jetstorm]

If you haven't made final payment, then you can cancel.

 

Many lower fees are offered for "new bookings" only. In these cases, the TA has to cancel the previous booking in order to offer the new, lower price.

 

When comparing prices, you have a bead on what is important, the total lowest cost.

 

But make sure, you are comparing apples.

 

Depending on when you booked, you might be covered by the previous fuel surcharge rate of $7 for the first 2 pax, which is $9 for bookings now. There is also a surcharge (less) for additional pax in the cabin).

 

Your booking may be covered by an on board credit which you might lose.

 

If you are booking a guarantee, the time based priority of your previous booking might be forfeited.

 

If you expressed a dining preference and were waitlisted, the time based priority for your request might be forfeited.

 

Make sure all fees, taxes etc are covered in any comparative estimate. Also make sure any transfers are covered.

 

You bring up many good points and I thank you for taking the time to address my questions. Due to the fact that my family is traveling with others in two additional cabins and we have assigned dining that we don't want to lose, we can't cancel and re-book. I have taken inthe fuel surcharge changes and added in all additional taxes, fees, and insurance. I do not have a guarantee and I have no onboard credit. It's really just a case of how the T/A lists their prices, taxes and fees. It looks like they upped the cabin fare and lowed the fees for what reason I can't figure, you'f think they'd want the customer to see the lower cabin fare first. The main thing the concerns me as I've stated before is the big change in the tax/fee line. I don't see how you can play with the taxes and fees that much.

Anyways, still no word back from the T/A.

[cf_chuck]

You bring up many good points and I thank you for taking the time to address my questions. Due to the fact that my family is traveling with others in two additional cabins and we have assigned dining that we don't want to lose, we can't cancel and re-book. I have taken inthe fuel surcharge changes and added in all additional taxes, fees, and insurance. I do not have a guarantee and I have no onboard credit. It's really just a case of how the T/A lists their prices, taxes and fees. It looks like they upped the cabin fare and lowed the fees for what reason I can't figure, you'f think they'd want the customer to see the lower cabin fare first. The main thing the concerns me as I've stated before is the big change in the tax/fee line. I don't see how you can play with the taxes and fees that much.

Anyways, still no word back from the T/A.

 

You're welcome. I have no idea about the fees and taxes part, and can only speculate which would be a disservice to you. Given what you said, I would find it difficult to cancel and rebook to gain the advantage of a reduced price (and just recently made that same choice).

[Opinions]

My confirmation sheet AND the new online quote from my T/A are both itemized to show the cabin fare, the fuel, tax/fees and the total price. What I still can't figure out is why the tax/fees section on my booking sheet shows $225.07pp and the new online price shows the tax/fees section as $71.64pp. How can the tax and fees differ so drastically?

 

There are port charges and government taxes...Port charges are usually included in the base fare but not always...Probably the tax/fees section on your booking sheet includes both the port charges and government fees...The new online price just shows the government fees in the tax/fees section...The most important thing is to compare the final price.

[newmexicoNita]

I'm quoting myself (above) to further explain my situation. My confirmation sheet AND the new online quote from my T/A are both itemized to show the cabin fare, the fuel, tax/fees and the total price. What I still can't figure out is why the tax/fees section on my booking sheet shows $225.07pp and the new online price shows the tax/fees section as $71.64pp. How can the tax and fees differ so drastically?

absolutely no, they can not differ that much. The $225 sounds pretty normal. Port fees alone will run in the neighborhood of $140, depending on the ports and the length of the cruise.

 

I hope this helps a little even if I didn't totally answer your question.

 

Nita

[jetstorm]

Opinions ans Nita,

 

You guys have made the the port and gov. charges much clearer to me and I hope this discussion helps others in the future as well.