All Australians overcharged by HAL

[hommar2]

This is a copy of an Email sent to HAL

 

I have noted that for a category H cabin on the Amsterdam sailing 05 August 2011 you are charging A$3561.47, whereas booking the same cruise and same cabin in America only costs US$2680.49 (through Orbitz and half a dozen other agents) .

 

Could you please explain why Australians are being charged about $1000 extra to go on the same cruise with the same cabin?

 

It certainly appears that we are being grossly overcharged, as you are using an exchange rate of about 0.75 from the Australian dollar to the US dollar, the current rate being about parity.

 

Please confirm that you are able to price match with the American agents, or alternatively allow our bookings to be made in America. I am quite happy to pay in US$.

 

The reply -

 

All pricing is based on local market rates, not on an exchange rate

 

Still leaves all Australians being grossly overcharged by HAL, needlss to say I will not be travellin with them.:(

[patseacruiser]

Australians are able to book with US agents if they either booked by December 30, 2010 or have originally booked with a US agent and use that same agent now. That was an email sent to all US agents by December 30 (it could have been 12/31 but I don't remember if it was 30 or 31).

[downundermatt]

I always book with an online US agent (Priceline) and never had any issue, and always saved substantially....

[CtheW0rld]

this has been discussed a lot on the costa boards.

 

it is all about supply and demand. there is A LOT more competition for the US travelers, hence the lower price we pay.

 

also, companies doing business in aussie land are required by your country's law to have a business presence there. since there are a lot less aussie cruisers, the cost of having that business presence is spread amongst fewer people.

 

it is not fair, but that is the way it is.

[hommar2]

Not a lot of extra cost - its all done on the internet anyhow - but why prohibit us frm booking with an American Agency?

 

Orbitz, Vacations to go and several others I tried were unable to book for anyone non resident in the USA - not allowed by HAL policy

[cands]

We have booked our Amsterdam cruise next January direct with HAL (Australia) and paid the deposit in Australian Dollars. According to what is available on-line in the USA we have overpaid by about $1000.00 per person.

 

Even though we paid in Australian dollars, they had the gall to charge a foreign exchange surcharge as well!

 

I thought we had a free trade agreement with the USA! Ha!

[cruisecrazyaussie]

Hi hommar2, cands and others pushing for a 'fair go' for Aussies on HAL

 

We love cruising and intend to do a lot more over coming years. Currently we are 2 star HAL mariners and soon to be 3 star and we want to get the best price for our bookings - don't we all!.

 

Fully agree with cands, Australia does have a free trade agreement with the USA but somehow it does not to seem to have provided cheaper cruise access to Australians. I think travel agency Travel The World has exclusive rights for Australia residents at the moment. (I ask wiser CC souls to set me straight if this is incorrect.)

 

I also remember a previous thread here which indicated that Australian resident who booked through US agents could possibly be denied boarding by HAL. Does anyone have the link, know if this has actually happened and what is the basis for this?

 

Also, I dont know if it is a glimmer of hope, but I understand that HAL is to open a Sydney office attached to Carnival (the mother company) later this year. Does this mean the beginning of a "level playing field"? - For non Aussies this means a "fair go for all" or equal prices for all no matter where you come from.

 

Cheers from Down Under

[UKBayern]

Not a lot of extra cost - its all done on the internet anyhow - but why prohibit us frm booking with an American Agency?

 

Orbitz, Vacations to go and several others I tried were unable to book for anyone non resident in the USA - not allowed by HAL policy

 

We are grossly overcharged in Europe too. There are two solutions to this problem:

 

-Mentioned companies can book some cruiselines for you for US rates, they have a list on their websites which ones are excluded (the list changes constantly). Some travel agencies work together with US travel agencies, booking through them. We as non-US-citizens should all vote with our feet, and only book with those cruiselines that offer us similar rates. The real growth in the cruise market is outside the US, the US market is shrinking.

 

-If you have a friend or family member with a US address, sometimes that will work. The US agency we booked with suggested this to us themselves, even though the cruiseline was on their no-go-list for Europeans. We were on a cruise which was less than half full last year. If we would have booked in Europe, we would have had to pay more than 3x as much. They were discounting for Americans, the rest of the world had to pay the original price. No way we would have ever gone on this cruise for that kind of money. There were hardly any other nationalities on board, a missed chance for the cruiseline I think. As an hotel owner, I really do not understand their line of thought: business is business. There is nothing more perishable than a hotelroom/cabin: if the ship sails, the sales opportunity is gone....

[aussiedisneyfan]

We have booked HAL cruises through US agents and have never been denied boarding.

[Mediana]

We are grossly overcharged in Europe too. There are two solutions to this problem:

 

-Mentioned companies can book some cruiselines for you for US rates, they have a list on their websites which ones are excluded (the list changes constantly). Some travel agencies work together with US travel agencies, booking through them. We as non-US-citizens should all vote with our feet, and only book with those cruiselines that offer us similar rates.

 

How can I find out more about this. I'm seriosly getting annoyed with how much I need to pay here in Europe.

[AZNative2000]

I thought we had a free trade agreement with the USA! Ha!

 

I thought HAL was a dutch company with a "business presence" in the USA.

 

I'm seriosly getting annoyed with how much I need to pay here in Europe.

 

There was an article and thread on CC a few months back about a cruise cancelled by Celebrity (broken propellers I think). The passengers were let off in Monte Carlo (IIRC) and the Americans were given one night hotel ONLY:eek: while the Europeans were given new air tickets to fly home (as well as some other help/compensation). It was mentioned that doing business in Europe means more expense for the cruise lines (due to govt regs), especially in the event of cancellations, and that is why the European rates are higher. Perhaps someone else remembers more or knows the exact thread.

[CtheW0rld]

i've read, too, that aussie rates are inclusive of the daily service charge - at least on costa - because the aussie culture does not recognize tipping. too many aussies were stiffing the staff, so costa just charges it outright now.

[hommar2]

Not on HAL, Princess or any other ship I have been on (except Egypt river cruises), the tips were added onto the cruise bill - same as everyone else.

Some lines allowed payment in advance with the cruise fare, others we paid on board

[patseacruiser]

Just use the US TA you have used in the past as HAL allows them to do business with you.

[hommar2]

Didn't book with a US Agency before - only recently discovered the price differences and the refusal of HAL to allow us to book there.

Please realise we are not asking for anything other than the same as our American cousins

[joysav]

Well they miss out on 14 days with me.

 

Just worked out a cruise with Holland Rotterdam and a long one with Seabourne

 

I came to this particular forum to find out how one gets from Schipol to Rotterdam and Vice Versa.

 

Even worse before that I was having a look at Viking European Cruises and they are pulling a similar stunt.

On top of these rip off's there appear to be all sorts of tricky deals with Airlines etc.

 

You should have a bit of a word with the ACCC. A $10 million fine might focus their minds a bit.

[Peelboy]

Interesting. I have exchanged a few posts with someone from Sydney discussing the same issue. Australians pay way more than Americans and Canadians for the same itinerary. For example, Canadians had to pay $399 for a Costa New England 11 days trip but the guy from Sydney paid over $2000.

 

Last year, I went on a Costa cruise departing from China and most of the passengers were Chinese. They paid like 3 times of my fare, though their fare included visa service to Japan and Korea. While in China, I checked out their travel agency. Their cruise prices on every cruise line are like double what we are paying.

 

Are we paying the lowest fare on earth? If so, why?

[FLACRUISER99]

I say if you don't like the price - Don't go, and this applies to all folks in all countries.

[downundermatt]

About to embark on my 3rd Celebrity Cruise, and also cruised with Norwegian without any problem I am an Aussie and booked thru two US online agents giving my Aussie address and credit card.

As my four digit postcode gets rejected I simply add a '0' to make it five digits like US zipcodes.

 

Only now to work out how to get the Future Cruise credit discount that Americans enjoy.....

[Opinions]

[quote I thought HAL was a dutch company with a "business presence" in the USA.

 

 

 

QUOTE]

 

HAL is owned by the Carnival Corporation which is " A corporation organized and existing in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Panama"

[fann1sh]

I say if you don't like the price - Don't go, and this applies to all folks in all countries.

 

The difficulty is, due to the internet, it's now clear exactly how large the price discrepancies really are.

 

North America residents should imagine this: you've been used to paying $2000 for your cruise of X days in Y cabin.

 

You suddenly discover tons of other people only pay $1300 for exactly the same cruise, in exactly the same cabin.

 

With respect, most people aren't going to react: <shrug> "I thought it was good value before. Why should what other people pay make any difference?"

 

Most people are going to react: "I want that lower price! NOW! How do I get it?"

 

And in fact, that lower price is often available to Australians - by finding a U.S. based travel agent who is willing to break the rules.

 

The agent risks a lot when they do this. They could be sued, or lose the right to sell that cruise line's product (effectively putting them out of business).

 

Passengers need to consider what they are risking.

 

The big threat is denied boarding. There is exactly one documented case of denied boarding in the past half a dozen years, all cruise lines. However: what's happened in the past is never a guarantee of what will happen in the future.

 

Another issue for residents of the UK, Australia and New Zealand is the loss of consumer protection against defalcation. If an Australian travel agent takes money - doesn't pay the cruise line - then goes broke, an Australian booking in Australia won't lose a penny (even though Australians no long use pennies :D). Booking with a U.S. agency, it comes down to what your credit card company can do for you.

 

Even though "regional pricing" is still legal (= unchallenged in the World Court) it's unpopular. And, it's not the high wide brick wall it used to be. There are definitely cracks and gaps in the wall!

[iancal]

There are a lot of reasons. But when it is all boiled down it comes down to greed.

 

The cruise lines do it because they can get away with it. Their excuses do not compute. A slight increase may be justifiable, but not increases to the extent that Australians suffer.

 

Do Aussies pay more than anyone else when booking a hotel in Fort Lauderdale? Not if they do it on line like everyone else. So how is a cruise any different?

[JJPacer]

Even though the price difference may not be quite as great as the OP was discussing, in the US some states or regions of the country get a discount, while the rest of the US does not. The prices for US cruises fluctuate up and down. Some people pay a higher price for the same cabin while the cabin next door is sold for less. I can understand the OP frustration. Hopefully with the help of fellow CC he/she can find a solution that makes it a little easier to swallow. Crusing is a great value. If the OP planned the same destination by other means than a cruise, how would the price of the cruise fair with alternative transportation?

[sail7seas]

If we went down the hall of Navigation Deck and knocked on each door to ask, "What did you pay for this cruise", we probably would get a different response from most everyone. I know for sure we pay more by booking through our PCC but we choose to do that for our own reasons.

 

How often does it happen that DH and I pay full HAL price for our Suite and then read a number of fellow Suite guests got an upsell for $199? Of course, we've paid a good deal more.

 

Same on airplanes. Few pay the same price.

 

We all want the lowest possible but we're not going to get it.

 

Take it or leave it. IMO

If the product they are selling seems worth the price they are asking TO YOU, pay it. If you don't think that product is worth that price, refuse the booking and find something else.

 

IMO

[UKBayern]

With respect, most people aren't going to react: <shrug> "I thought it was good value before. Why should what other people pay make any difference?"

 

Most people are going to react: "I want that lower price! NOW! How do I get it?"

 

I think it is not just that people want the lower price, they want it to be fair. Most non-Americans/Canadians do not understand why the difference is so big for offers made at the same time for the same cabin on the same ship. There was a thread a couple of weeks ago, where non-US river cruisers were sent a personalized email by their riverline of choice with a great repeat deal. When they tried to book, there was a big stink because "the offer was not for them". This kind of practice makes people feel unwanted and discriminated against.

 

I worked in the airline business for a long time, and have had my own hotel for several years. Yes, there are different rates, but only to do with early booking/last-minute offer, pre-payment rate, high season/low season. The normal stuff people understand why. It would get a bit weird when somebody called my hotel, and I would first ask their nationality, and then quote them a much higher price than they saw on the internet, claining it had to do with their nationality. I would be permanently deaf on one ear, and go out of business very quickly, wouldn't I?

 

In my case, the situation was very weird: I went to the Princess site, gave my correct country of residence and got quoted a great last-minute rate in Euros. I tried to book, and the answer was that this rate was not applicable to me, and that I had to pay more than 3x as much ($1965 pp instead of the quoted $699 pp). This was not some rate I saw at a cheap US online travel agent, no, this was their own site. If I am quoted a rate in Euros only (so no $-sign in sight), I do not expect it to be only for Americans.