Advantage to booking next cruise onboard?

[DaisyL]

We're taking our first HAL cruise in Feb 2010 and want to book the Oct 2010 to Bermuda, also. We usually book our future cruises early to take advantage of early booking deals.

 

Should we book now or wait until the Feb cruise? Also, do 'other' past customers such as CCL or Princess get past cruiser rates for HAL cruises or must we wait until our Feb cruise to get a past cruiser discount? BTW, we're paid in full for the Feb cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We always book future cruises while we are cruising.

Love the idea that we only put down $100 per person and we get shipboard credit which can be combined with any other shipboard credit that you get.

Yes -- they will consider you as past passenger when it comes to rates -- a bit of a discount -- but not much.

[Comptech]

I would wait till Feb, you will be able to get more SBC's then if you book now.

[DaisyL]

Thanks for your help... I guess we'll wait until our Feb cruise to book the Oct cruise.

 

Also, my friend went on a Princess Alaska cruise over the summer and said they 'merged' with HAL. Is this true? I did not think a past Princess cruiser will get a discount when booking with HAL. I thought they were separate entities. We didn't get a past cruiser rate when booking HAL and and we are past cruisers with Carnival (the parent company).

 

Please explain this to me... Is there any benefit booking HAL as a past Princess or Carnival cruiser? Or only a past HAL cruiser?

 

BTW, We're really looking forward to our first HAL cruise.

[K&RCurt]

The way I understand the inter-line past cruiser deal is that you are extended any fare discounts that are available to past passengers of the other lines.

 

Sadly the amount of this discount isn't usually much and the number of cruises that have a past passenger discounted fare are few and far between.

 

You are not extended any of the other past passenger benefits on the other lines owned by Carnival Corp.

[airlink diva]

I would just purchase the future deposit credit and just wait to talk with your travel agent or shop around on my own.

When I was on the Maasdam last year, I had the consultant check out the pricing of a cruise for this year. The pricing was very high and I just purchase the credit.

Princess like HAL are all under Carnival corporation. They offer a "VIP" rates for guest on ever sailed on any ship under the Carnival corporation (Holland America,Costa,Seaborn,Curad,Princess and a few others). But the times I was quoted a rate, I could get one better with my travel agent.

[CrusinAgain]

How much of onboard credit do you get. Princess is $50 for 7-9 days voyages for outside and $25 for an inside. What is HAL's?

[comcox]

One advantage that I like about booking while on board is that if you happen to be booking the same ship (or ship with same deck plan), you can walk around the ship checking out details of available cabins. Is it near a nosy crew workspace? Does smoke drift near there from somewhere? Etc.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Shipboard Credit:

7 - 10 days:

Inside - $25 per person

Outside - $25 per person

Verandah (VA/A - VF/BC0 - $35 per person

Suite (PS - S/SY) - $50 per person

11+ days:

Inside - $50 per person

Outside - $50 per person

Verandah (VA/A - VF/BC) - $75 per person

Suite (PS - S/SY) - $100 per person

Please Note:

This offer applies to the first two passengers in stateroom only, and is not applicable to upper berth passengers. Passengers with single occupany will receive a single person portion. Ship board credit may only be used on a single voyage and expires at the end of that voyage. This offer or any unused portion is not redeemable for cash and is available to new bookings only.

This offer is not combinable with the World Cruise, Grand Voyages or segments thereof.

[CrusinAgain]

Shipboard Credit:

 

7 - 10 days:

Inside - $25 per person

Outside - $25 per person

Verandah (VA/A - VF/BC0 - $35 per person

Suite (PS - S/SY) - $50 per person

 

11+ days:

Inside - $50 per person

Outside - $50 per person

Verandah (VA/A - VF/BC) - $75 per person

Suite (PS - S/SY) - $100 per person

 

Please Note:

This offer applies to the first two passengers in stateroom only, and is not applicable to upper berth passengers. Passengers with single occupany will receive a single person portion. Ship board credit may only be used on a single voyage and expires at the end of that voyage. This offer or any unused portion is not redeemable for cash and is available to new bookings only.

This offer is not combinable with the World Cruise, Grand Voyages or segments thereof.

 

Thanks for posting that. I thought it was going to be like Princess onboard credits but it is 1/2 of Princess's onboard credits. So strange how they are owned by same company but so different with the plans.

[LVSue]

When booking onboard, HAL will assign the booking to your travel agent; then your agents can pass on whatever discount you are offering. I've done that twice. It just seemed to be easier to deal in person with HAL as far as selecting room, dining, etc. Once, we also purchased a FCC at the same time in case another cruise came up unexpectedly. Love the $100 deposit and OBC!

[CRUZBUDS]

Warning - we booked on board the Zaandam last month and didn't notice that the deposit was non-refundable until we carefully read the papers when we got home.

 

We never asked. We've booked aboard other lines and they have always been normal bookings that were fully refundable up to 90 days before the cruise. It was a reduced deposit, but we don't really care about that.

 

Our T/A is checking on it, she had never heard of it either.

 

We know we weren't told, because we wouldn't have done it if we had been.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The FCC should have explained to you that the $100 per person deposit is non-refundable. We have known that for years.

Also your FCC should have also explained to you that the deposit is good for 4 years. If you don't book a cruise in that time, then you lose that deposit money.

[CrusinAgain]

Warning - we booked on board the Zaandam last month and didn't notice that the deposit was non-refundable until we carefully read the papers when we got home.

 

We never asked. We've booked aboard other lines and they have always been normal bookings that were fully refundable up to 90 days before the cruise. It was a reduced deposit, but we don't really care about that.

 

Our T/A is checking on it, she had never heard of it either.

 

We know we weren't told, because we wouldn't have done it if we had been.

 

Wow...thanks for the heads up. We always buy Princess deposits while on board and they are fully refundable and you have 4 years to use them and after that they automatically refund it to you. What a difference.

[CRUZBUDS]

She told us we could move it to another cruise in the next four years, but defiantely didn't tell us about being non-refundable.

 

With what we earn on our savings the reduced deposit means nothing to us.

 

Maybe she assumed regular HAL cruisers knew about it, but it was only or second HAL cruise.

 

Carnival is doing non-refundable early booking prices now (not on board), but they make the terms very clear.

[DaisyL]

The way I understand the inter-line past cruiser deal is that you are extended any fare discounts that are available to past passengers of the other lines.

 

Sadly the amount of this discount isn't usually much and the number of cruises that have a past passenger discounted fare are few and far between.

 

You are not extended any of the other past passenger benefits on the other lines owned by Carnival Corp.

I'm the OP... just looked up the cruise we're interested in there's a $180 pp difference for an OV, past guest and $160 pp difference for an interior.

 

I think those are pretty significant... I'll check with my TA and see if we can get these rates.