Hal's Hotel Program For All?????

[bigjohn42]

Hey Folk's, We just booked the 12 day Baltic for July 9th of next year. My question is this, Since I went thru my TA and not hal for the reservation, are we still eligible to stay in the hotel in London for the reduced price, and if so do we go thru TA, Hal Or the hotel direct? Thanks so much for all the great help from all you wonderful cruisers :)

[azalice]

When we stayed in a "cruise hotel" in London, the arrangements were made by our TA - the TA added the hotel arrangements to our cruise arrangements. It was all owed to the cruise line at final payment. I don't know that it was a great discount, but it was certainly convenient as we then had transportation from the hotel to the cruise out of Southampton included in the price.

 

Alice

[Jemima]

You can include the HAL hotel with both direct and TA bookings. You can also add it later.

There is not a discount on the hotels. They cost more, sometimes much more, than if you booked the same hotel yourself. However, HAL's hotels are convenient and make airport to hotel to ship much smoother and simpler. The price includes the hotel room, transfer port to hotel, transfer port to ship, hotel gratuities, HAL representative at airport and hotel, and sometimes a city tour. The same is true for a post cruise hotel.

HAL must only arrange for a certain number of rooms and tend to close hotel booking once those are filled. Also, there are usually both airport and port hotels with the airport hotels usually being less expensive.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Years ago we did book HAL's hotel packages for a couple of cruises. It wasn't a great deal -- but for Europe it was great to have the transportation included.

[kazu]

Years ago we did book HAL's hotel packages for a couple of cruises. It wasn't a great deal -- but for Europe it was great to have the transportation included.

 

you can book HAL's hotel no problem now or later (assuming there is room). I would find out what hotels they are using and the cost though. Then just go on line and see what the hotel charges. It will give you a good idea if you are getting a good deal or not.

 

When we went to Venice, we saved nearly 800 euros by doing it on our own (and that includes the very expensive water taxis). On the other hand, when we landed in London on a previous cruise, we used HAL and it was a bargain.

 

So there doesn't seem to be any rule here. Best bet, check it out. If the convenience is worth what the extra price is, then go for it.

[Randyk47]

What we've done in the past, though not every time, is find out what hotel(s) HAL is using and then check to see what we can book a room for at that hotel. Without exception it's been significantly lower than HAL's cost. We sometimes then book HAL transfer from the hotel to the ship or arrange our own. Once, in Ft Lauderdale, we booked our own hotel that was a HAL hotel and just happened to meet the HAL representative when we checked in. Come the next morning she saw us with our luggage and told us to give her our stuff and she'd get it to the ship. We told her we hadn't bought the transfer but she said four more pieces of luggage wasn't going to "break the bank" and they'd paid the transfer company a flat fee for taking all the luggage so it wasn't like it was being counted or weighed. We stayed around and watched her get all the luggage for the passengers staying at the hotel loaded in a large van. Once it left we got in a taxi and headed for the terminal....very slick.

[bigjohn42]

Hey Folks, Thanks so much for the info!!

[cpinstein]

We leave Saturday for London for the Norwegian Fjords cruise. (I'm so excited.) And we booked the hotel transfer package. We've never done it before because it is so expensive. However, to get from London to Dover is no cheap deal, as well as from Heathrow to London. We aren't willing to lug our luggage on public transport. Bad backs! So we found in this location it was simpler, and not more expensive to take HAL's package.

[sail7seas]

We don't book any hotels through HAL for U.S. embarkations but more often than not, we booked pre/post cruise stays with HAL in Europe. When we disembarked in Rotterdam, it was convenient to go with HAL to The Hilton as that was the hotel (at the time) we would have booked anyway. When we added what our private transportation would have cost to get to Amsterdam airport, it cost us about the same price but was more convenient being able to go on HAL arranged transporation.

 

Ditto for Athens, Rome, Lisbon etc Some European airports are a distance from 'downtown' in the cities they serve.

So many times when not cruising but traveling in Europe, we chose hotels other than what HAL selected but their hotels were definitely adequate and for the most part, decent locations.

 

For foreign embark/debark and International flights, we often find it easier to go with HAL's hotels. If location and hotel choice suits you, think about it.

 

But don't wait too long. They have a fixed number of rooms and you don't want to be told they have no more.

[bigjohn42]

Hey Sail7seas & Everyone , thanks so much for the info. When you book the hotel, who do you go thru?, your TA, or HAL?, Thanks Again, John

[sail7seas]

If you are using a TA, book the HAL hotel through the TA. (It's commissionable.)

 

If you booked directly with HAL, book the hotel directly with HAL.