Last Minute Change?

[wdw1972]

I realize I could call HAL (or have the TA call), but I thought I'd throw it out here since so many people are so knowledgeable.

 

We're booked on the 1/11/09 Westerdam - final payment due sometime late October. Now it appears he *may* get the chance to do winter ball (baseball), which would be Oct, Nov & December down in Colombia. If his team makes the playoffs, then he wouldn't be home until after the cruise.

 

So, if I make the final payment as planned in October, and the darn team does well & he can't make it - would I be able to substitute a girlfriend or my son, or would they let me just cancel him & let me go solo without any additional cost??

 

We've got a wonderful aft verandah cabin booked, and it's more than I need for a solo trip. But, I want to cruise! A different cruise where I'd get just an ocean view cabin would make more sense financially for a solo cruise, but I don't want to risk not making final payment in October because if his team doesn't make it, then he'd be able to cruise - and there really isn't another time anytime in the next year when we'd be able to do another.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 1/11/09

[RuthC]

If your husband cancels after final payment you will be liable for a single supplement if you sail alone. There may be some insurance policies that will cover the expense, but the fact that it's your husband may complicate matters. Just a thought; I don't know.

 

You can change the name of one passenger for a fee. There is a cut-off date for this; I don't know what it is. Perhaps you should run this by your TA?

[heavenly]

Sue, is it insured through HAL? If so, if you cancel him you will get hit for the extra funds. After final, if you want to substitute, they consider it a cancel and rebook so you can get hit hard there also, especially if it is close to sailing. I have had a sub made (even with insurance) for a client very close to sailing but they had a death in the family.

[chrismch]

Let me understand this...If I book and pay for a cruise I can't gift it to someone else or change one of the 2 pax without paying more money? What kind of fees do they charge?

[richwmn]

I have researched this with my PCC as I might have to do it for my upcoming cruise. HAL does consider it a cancel and rebook, and if no rebook you are liable for single supplement. If you have HAL's premium insurance you lose the cost of the insurance and the amount the refund / CPP does not pay (about 10%). If you rebook, the new person gets the same rate as the person that canceled. I was told I could do the name change up to the day before we sail. If a last minute medical condition comes up (or any COVERED event) in the last 24 hrs, the insurance would kick in and there would be no single supplement. If you have HAL's regular cancel plan, the amount lost would be higher. Third party insurance would all be different based on the terms of the insurance you bought.

 

Rich

[twinkletoes4445]

I have researched this with my PCC as I might have to do it for my upcoming cruise. HAL does consider it a cancel and rebook, and if no rebook you are liable for single supplement. If you have HAL's premium insurance you lose the cost of the insurance and the amount the refund / CPP does not pay (about 10%). If you rebook, the new person gets the same rate as the person that canceled. I was told I could do the name change up to the day before we sail. If a last minute medical condition comes up (or any COVERED event) in the last 24 hrs, the insurance would kick in and there would be no single supplement. If you have HAL's regular cancel plan, the amount lost would be higher. Third party insurance would all be different based on the terms of the insurance you bought.

 

Rich

 

Not that Carnival would operate the same way, but we took a friend of my daughter's on a cruise and her mom thought about not letting her go (because of her grades), so I checked with Carnival, and I remember being told that we could switch her out for another passenger for a small fee. This had to be done a certain amount of time prior to our cruise (maybe a few days...I don't remember exactly). We also had the option of just dropping her from the cruise and letting my daughter stay in the cabin by herself. Somewhat expensive, but we weren't going to have to re-book if her mother refused to allow her to sail.

[heavenly]

Not that Carnival would operate the same way, but we took a friend of my daughter's on a cruise and her mom thought about not letting her go (because of her grades), so I checked with Carnival, and I remember being told that we could switch her out for another passenger for a small fee. This had to be done a certain amount of time prior to our cruise (maybe a few days...I don't remember exactly). We also had the option of just dropping her from the cruise and letting my daughter stay in the cabin by herself. Somewhat expensive, but we weren't going to have to re-book if her mother refused to allow her to sail.

 

Carnival Cruise Lines and HAL have very different policies regarding this issue. When trying to guesstimate what HAL will do in a situation such as this, pretend it's an airline ticket instead of a cruise ticket and you usually will not be far off the mark.

[heavenly]

Let me understand this...If I book and pay for a cruise I can't gift it to someone else or change one of the 2 pax without paying more money? What kind of fees do they charge?

 

It depends on how close you are to sailing, HAL would cancel the first person (with applicable fees) and rebook the new person at the same rate as the first person was originally booked at.

[twinkletoes4445]

Carnival Cruise Lines and HAL have very different policies regarding this issue. When trying to guesstimate what HAL will do in a situation such as this, pretend it's an airline ticket instead of a cruise ticket and you usually will not be far off the mark.

 

I wasn't sure what they'd do, but thought I'd mention what we were told about our Carnival cruise. But this is good to know in the event we'd be in the same predicament. :)

[wdw1972]

I figured if I changed the booking after final payment it would be considered a cancel/rebook situation. Since the cruise is nearly sold out, the fare would be high.

 

The single supplement for our cabin is 190%, so it stands to reason that it would be cheaper to just show up at the port without him & say he's not cruising than to try to rebook it as a solo. Would I have a problem getting on board for any reason??

 

Hopefully it won't be an issue. We didn't do the insurance, and don't know for sure if he'll be doing winter ball. That's not easy to get, so if it happened it would be nuts to turn it down! And, if he does get it there IS the possibility he'll be home in time for the cruise....but I certainly don't mind cruising solo ;-)

 

Thanks for the info so far.

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 1/11/09

[richwmn]

I figured if I changed the booking after final payment it would be considered a cancel/rebook situation. Since the cruise is nearly sold out, the fare would be high.

 

The single supplement for our cabin is 190%, so it stands to reason that it would be cheaper to just show up at the port without him & say he's not cruising than to try to rebook it as a solo. Would I have a problem getting on board for any reason??

 

Hopefully it won't be an issue. We didn't do the insurance, and don't know for sure if he'll be doing winter ball. That's not easy to get, so if it happened it would be nuts to turn it down! And, if he does get it there IS the possibility he'll be home in time for the cruise....but I certainly don't mind cruising solo ;-)

 

Thanks for the info so far.

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 1/11/09

You are in about the same situation I am, although I do have insurance on both of us. The single supplement for me doesn't exist, in fact if I cancel my friend it will cost me $5 more than we have spent so far for the transaction. I was told that if he was just a "no show" everything would be ok.

 

Rich

[azrose]

Isn't there sometimes an issue on who is the "lead" person on the booking? Doesn't that sometimes makes a difference in that it is a cancellation or just a change? Just a thought without knowing HAL's policy.....good luck....

[Pam in CA]

Wow! I didn't realize HAL's policy was so different from Princess which is: if it's after final payment and up until, I believe, 7 days before sailing, you can change one name on the booking for $50. One person MUST remain on the booking no matter how many times Passenger "B" is changed.

 

Here's a hypothetical question, which I know has happened: what if you book a cruise a year in advance, pay for it and get married between payment and sailing, changing your last name. You get a passport in your new married name but it doesn't match the name on your booking. In that case, does the person have to be re-booked and pay a penalty? That sounds insane.

 

No matter what, make sure you have insurance.

[heavenly]

Isn't there sometimes an issue on who is the "lead" person on the booking? Doesn't that sometimes makes a difference in that it is a cancellation or just a change? Just a thought without knowing HAL's policy.....good luck....

 

There has to be an original passenger on the booking at all times, if you try to change both the cabin would be thrown back into inventory for the first person on the waitlist.

[heavenly]

Wow! I didn't realize HAL's policy was so different from Princess which is: if it's after final payment and up until, I believe, 7 days before sailing, you can change one name on the booking for $50. One person MUST remain on the booking no matter how many times Passenger "B" is changed.

 

Here's a hypothetical question, which I know has happened: what if you book a cruise a year in advance, pay for it and get married between payment and sailing, changing your last name. You get a passport in your new married name but it doesn't match the name on your booking. In that case, does the person have to be re-booked and pay a penalty? That sounds insane.

 

No matter what, make sure you have insurance.

 

Insane, but true! In that situation I wouldn't change the passport until after the cruise.

[heavenly]

I figured if I changed the booking after final payment it would be considered a cancel/rebook situation. Since the cruise is nearly sold out, the fare would be high.

 

The single supplement for our cabin is 190%, so it stands to reason that it would be cheaper to just show up at the port without him & say he's not cruising than to try to rebook it as a solo. Would I have a problem getting on board for any reason??

 

Hopefully it won't be an issue. We didn't do the insurance, and don't know for sure if he'll be doing winter ball. That's not easy to get, so if it happened it would be nuts to turn it down! And, if he does get it there IS the possibility he'll be home in time for the cruise....but I certainly don't mind cruising solo ;-)

 

Thanks for the info so far.

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 1/11/09

 

Sue,

 

If it is not insured and you are at 190% SS, cancel him now before final payment and then add him back if he can go! You might as well save the 10% and port fees if you end up going solo. You can do this before final with no charge and adding him later is no problem at all. Just make sure your TA knows to have them match his fare (you have to ask for this) with yours if added later.