2/6 Noordam - Overbooked!

[MLinFL]

I received an email today asking if I would be willing to change my sailing to another date, as due to the popularity of this cruise, they were overbooked. They were offering a 25% discount if you did.

 

I was surprised that this came at the last minute. Is this a common thing with HAL?

 

Mary Lou

[BumperII]

No, it isn't common with HAL, and if they only offer 25% discount, they aren't very far overbooked. This happened to my son once. They gave him a full refund for the existing cruise, and booked him on another cruise free of charge, air fare included.

Recommend you not to accept the proposal as stated.

[wwinfl91]

I would definitely hang on for a better offer. I agree with the above poster the offer is usually a refund on the current cruise and at least 50% reduction on a future one.

 

Good luck and have a great next cruise whichever one you get to go on.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes -- I have seen this happen on HAL cruises -- more so on the Canada/New England cruises and only on a few Caribbean cruises.

Some people are able to jump on these offering at a late date -- especially those who do not have to worry about flying.

Are you able to take advantage of the offer?

[MLinFL]

Yes -- I have seen this happen on HAL cruises -- more so on the Canada/New England cruises and only on a few Caribbean cruises.

 

Some people are able to jump on these offering at a late date -- especially those who do not have to worry about flying.

 

Are you able to take advantage of the offer?

 

I didn't wish to take advantage of this offer. Like other posters said, if it was a "better" offer, I might jump at it, but 25% off the future cruise, wasn't a deal-breaker for me. We are all packed and we sail on Sunday. I'm too much in the "cruise-mode" to change at this point.

 

I was just curious as to whether this was a common practice with HAL. It really is last minute since the cruise is in 2 days. With all the bad weather in the north, many people have already left for Florida.

 

Mary Lou

[treasure4two]

I received an email today asking if I would be willing to change my sailing to another date, as due to the popularity of this cruise, they were overbooked. They were offering a 25% discount if you did.

 

I was surprised that this came at the last minute. Is this a common thing with HAL?

 

Mary Lou

We were on the b/b this summer on the Noordam and they were book 125% both weeks, so had called alot of people to change. We even met people who were on our cruise due to overbooking on another HAL cruise. Sure sounds like HAL and Noordam do it alot!

[bobalink]

We were on the Noordam last year (7 day cruise) and received 3 different offers to move to another sailing. By the 3rd time, the offer was so amazing that I could hardly believe it. The final offer was to move over to a 24 day sailing at no additional cost to us!

There was no way we could move our dates because of our work schedules and the private excursions, airfare, etc.

It was really tempting, but we just simply could not make it work.

[JJPacer]

On our last 2 HAL cruises we were offered the same opportunity, due to overbooking. Both offers were within 10 days of sailing, and both were Caribbean cruises. We're not retired, so time off work is already set. We already had airfare and were packed, so we didn't take the offer. HAL keeps increasing their offer, until they have enough people rebooking to make way for higher paying customers. If they don't get enough "takers" at 25 %, they'll increase the offer until they do. Asking for reimbursement of airfare is reasonable in addition to what they are offering to change your cruise.

[Pete Jackson]

HAL tried to get us to change our Volendam 2008 Dec 7 Australia-NZ to January. I forget what the exact offer was, but can you imagine changing trans-Pacific air, including a stopover in LA! We ended getting upgraded free from Ocean View to Verandah (and not just any verandah, it was the last one before the stern, with the wrap around view) on our orginal itinerary. I think they fire-saled the cruise in Australia because that was just the time of the great economic crunch, and they went so low that the response must have overwhelmed them.

It ended up a great deal for us because we took money out of the stockmarket just before the crash to pay for the cruise.

[wander]

One time in about 1998 we went on a 32 day cruise (Asia/Pacific/LA) in exchange for trading in a 10 day cruise in Europe. Now that was a great deal and thankfully we were retired and could change our plans. As an additional great deal, HAL gave us Business Class air tickets LA to Hong Kong for no additional cost.

 

I have usually found that for "Open Jaw" flights to Europe and Asia HAL prices beat what we can get by a good amount. Thus we had HAL flights and they did all the changing. Imagine our surprise when we got the Business Class upgrade. This all was completed 2 weeks before the cruise. Thankfully we are flexible folks and we could make the changes. Never had a good offer since.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I didn't wish to take advantage of this offer. Like other posters said, if it was a "better" offer, I might jump at it, but 25% off the future cruise, wasn't a deal-breaker for me. We are all packed and we sail on Sunday. I'm too much in the "cruise-mode" to change at this point.

 

I was just curious as to whether this was a common practice with HAL. It really is last minute since the cruise is in 2 days. With all the bad weather in the north, many people have already left for Florida.

 

Mary Lou

 

Thank you for your explaination. I understand completely.

Have a great cruise.

Bon Voyage!!

[kazu]

I didn't wish to take advantage of this offer. Like other posters said, if it was a "better" offer, I might jump at it, but 25% off the future cruise, wasn't a deal-breaker for me. We are all packed and we sail on Sunday. I'm too much in the "cruise-mode" to change at this point.

 

I was just curious as to whether this was a common practice with HAL. It really is last minute since the cruise is in 2 days. With all the bad weather in the north, many people have already left for Florida.

 

Mary Lou

 

It never happened to us with HAL but it did with NCL. We got a nice price on a transatlantic and then, the lights came on as it was the millenium.

 

we were offered three different cruise options in exchange to give up our very good priced cabin (and we had a verandah). At the time, we were both working and those would not have matched our vacation schedules, nor did they have itineraries we would have normally done. but it was one heck of a deal.

 

We did our cruise - someone else grabbed the deal and someone paid a hefty price to go on that cruise. i don't know if they are really overbooked, or discover that some people will pay full price + to do it. So they book them on perhaps a waiting list and hope that those of us who got a better price will relent? I'm not sure.

 

but 25% definitely is not enough. have a great time - your cruise is in high demand :):)

[Koshlong]

Is it possible that the OP was approached because she lives in Florida? It would make sense to try to change the people with the fewest outside travel arrangements to make.

 

Note: We live a heck of a long way from a port and we've never been asked to change.

[JJPacer]

I don't think they just target Floridians. We live in Indiana and have been asked to choose another date on our last 2 Hal Caribbean cruises. They just want a certain # of people to change. I don't think location has anything to do with it. Although it probably is easier for a retired person who lives within driving distance of the port to change their plans at the last moment. It's all about numbers and the almighty $$$.

[kjn]

 

i don't know if they are really overbooked, or discover that some people will pay full price + to do it. So they book them on perhaps a waiting list and hope that those of us who got a better price will relent? I'm not sure.

 

 

Interesting point. MLinFL, what is the difference between the price you paid and the current posted price for your cabin? Is it more than a 25% increase?

[Oceanwench]

We live in Florida and have never been asked.

 

On our roll call on our Jan. cruise on the Westerdam, someone said he had been "bumped" because the ship was oversold. But then several people were offered upsells. One person was offered an upsell twice! I guess there was a lot of moving around.

[Crazy Gramps]

Wish it would happen to me.

I'll take the full refund

 

Gramps

[Krazy Kruizers]

Is it possible that the OP was approached because she lives in Florida? It would make sense to try to change the people with the fewest outside travel arrangements to make.

 

Note: We live a heck of a long way from a port and we've never been asked to change.

 

Same here -- it would be impossible for us to change dates (and we are retired) -- but we would not be able to get other flights as there are so few flights out of our area. We have to book months in advance.

[ricki]

Were these offers made through your TA or directly with you?

 

Ricki