Haven't even sailed yet and already HAL is terrible

[JSnow789]

Booked our 9/10 cruise in association with my parents and was told I could get their pricing. Great. We booked the same cabin category (verandah) as they did. Got billed over $800 more pp. Called and was told they were unable to offer us the same discount (even though that was what THEY told us). Great, dropped down to a interior guarantee that was a little bit more then the original category. They told us to keep checking the prices and if there was a price drop we would be able to take advantage of that. Awesome.

 

So today, there is a price drop. I call and am told there are no price refunds within the cancel period. Seriously. So after keeping me on hold for 20 minutes they return to the line and tell me there is nothing they can do because I don't remember the name of the original agent. I'm dumbfounded. I asked if they checked my record and yes, they did but there are no notes in there. They I'm told that there isn't a price drop because now the cabin category we booked is not available. What? I'm holding it online at the lower price. Nope. Nothing they can do. They don't have access to that pricing.

 

Whatever. It was just a $100 drop per person.... But I can tell you that I'll probably never sail with HAL again. I consider this entire experience bait and switch.

[tcook052]

Why is it some come to CC to complain about things after they happen while some use it as a tool to prevent things from happening?

 

Had you scanned these pages for topics such as price drops you would've read HAL like almost all other cruise lines AFAIK don't honour price drop past final payment.

[catl331]

They are a business not a charity.

[GmaPajama]

... They I'm told that there isn't a price drop because now the cabin category we booked is not available. What? I'm holding it online at the lower price. Nope. Nothing they can do. They don't have access to that pricing. ...

Something I learned not long ago - if you checked on a specific cabin, on a specific cruise, at the HAL website, it will show in their system as "unavailable" for the next 10 or 15 minutes. I understand this is to eliminate the risk of 2 people booking the same cabin at the same time.

[LADYLAYLA]

###

[cruz chic]

Does any cruise line offer price reductions after final payment?

[sail7seas]

Most usually, those price reductions are for 'new bookings only'.

Perhaps they could have advised you of that more smoothly but the message would have been the same.

 

[patseacruiser]

Should have split that booking so you would get the same price and then just switched cabins when you got on board.

[kjw869]

Booked our 9/10 cruise in association with my parents and was told I could get their pricing. Great. We booked the same cabin category (verandah) as they did. Got billed over $800 more pp. Called and was told they were unable to offer us the same discount (even though that was what THEY told us). Great, dropped down to a interior guarantee that was a little bit more then the original category. They told us to keep checking the prices and if there was a price drop we would be able to take advantage of that. Awesome.

 

So today, there is a price drop. I call and am told there are no price refunds within the cancel period. Seriously. So after keeping me on hold for 20 minutes they return to the line and tell me there is nothing they can do because I don't remember the name of the original agent. I'm dumbfounded. I asked if they checked my record and yes, they did but there are no notes in there. They I'm told that there isn't a price drop because now the cabin category we booked is not available. What? I'm holding it online at the lower price. Nope. Nothing they can do. They don't have access to that pricing.

 

Whatever. It was just a $100 drop per person.... But I can tell you that I'll probably never sail with HAL again. I consider this entire experience bait and switch.

 

It's too bad you didn't note that agent's name IF he/she said you could get the same price after it had gone up in price. You didn't mention when you had talked to this agent, was it before final payment was due? I would assume so because if they told you to watch for falling prices.

 

At any rate, I hope you and your family have a wonderful vacation on your cruise. The Eurodam is a beautiful ship, one of our favorites.

 

Happy Cruising,

 

Ken

[sapper1]

Does any cruise line offer price reductions after final payment?

Well if there is another line and you find out about it be sure to let us all know so we can switch to that line.:)

 

If the OP were to buy a car and then open the paper two weeks later and find that car offered on sale, do you suppose the dealership would refund some money? Of course not.

 

I have taken advantage of price drops before final payment date but know better than to ask after the cancellation penalty period kicks in.

[msmayor]

Does any cruise line offer price reductions after final payment?

 

Yes...Carnival does in the form of on-board credit but ONLY if you have booked under the Early Saver rate. Its generally a lower price out of the gate (our early-saver rate for our cruise last year was about $150pp less than the regular rate at time of booking) BUT the $200pp deposit is completely NON-refundable at all times.

 

In addition, there is a $50pp cost for any change to the date of sailing. No name changes are permitted at all, and in the event you have to cancel and re-book you end up with a credit which can be used up to two years later.

 

Its a big risk for the chance to get OBC after final payment, and one that should only be taken when your vacation plans are really set in stone.

[howard6933]

All of the stuff that I have read here confirm my belief that it's a lousy idea to book a cruise directly with the cruise line. I have been booking my cruises with a reliable TA and if I run into any problems, the TA comes to my rescue. When you call a cruise line directly you probably never get the same person two times in a row and they cannot make any decisions. So I let my TA do the fighting for me and it pays off 99 times out of 100.

Wake up out there will ya???? :rolleyes:

[JSnow789]

Most usually, those price reductions are for 'new bookings only'.

Perhaps they could have advised you of that more smoothly but the message would have been the same.

 

 

Yes, they could have. They also could have honored the original pricing they quoted me. How would any of you feel if your purchased something, then were billed an entirely different amount? That is what happened here and they refused to honor the original pricing THEY gave me. There is no 3rd party involved. Now-if this was not a family trip I would have cancelled right then. But she ASSURED me that if the price dropped I would be eligible for it. No terms and conditions. Pardon me for assuming she was correct.

 

HAL has now given me erroneous information on 2 occasions. This is their customer service problem, not mine. A small gesture of ANY kind would have been all it took to make me happy. Instead I got an agent who was accusatory and defensive even while acknowledging what I was saying was in their record and factual.

 

I am not new to cruising and have been in the Hospitality Industry for over 25 years. There are ways to deal with situations that make it better and ways that inflame it.

 

They have taken a new HAL customer and tainted my experience with them before I even board.

 

I have gotten price drops on RCI several times up to the day before sailing. Sure-they are OBCs but so what?

 

And they can tell from their system who I spoke to every time I called. In addition they can pull the actual tapes and listen to the conversations. Their line asking me who I spoke to is BS.

 

I'm sure we will have a great time. Just being with family is going to be awesome. I am still looking forward to the Eurodam and just hope that the onboard experience is better.

[JSnow789]

All of the stuff that I have read here confirm my belief that it's a lousy idea to book a cruise directly with the cruise line. I have been booking my cruises with a reliable TA and if I run into any problems, the TA comes to my rescue. When you call a cruise line directly you probably never get the same person two times in a row and they cannot make any decisions. So I let my TA do the fighting for me and it pays off 99 times out of 100.

Wake up out there will ya???? :rolleyes:

 

Yes. I agree and will never book directly again. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry that things are not working out for you and you are already put dow by HAL before you have even cruised on them.

 

Prices quoted this close to your cruise are really for new bookings.

 

Do hope that you will enjoy your cruise.

[IRL_Joanie]

Booked our 9/10 cruise in association with my parents and was told I could get their pricing. Great. We booked the same cabin category (verandah) as they did. Got billed over $800 more pp. Called and was told they were unable to offer us the same discount (even though that was what THEY told us). Great, dropped down to a interior guarantee that was a little bit more then the original category. They told us to keep checking the prices and if there was a price drop we would be able to take advantage of that. Awesome.

 

So today, there is a price drop. I call and am told there are no price refunds within the cancel period. Seriously. So after keeping me on hold for 20 minutes they return to the line and tell me there is nothing they can do because I don't remember the name of the original agent. I'm dumbfounded. I asked if they checked my record and yes, they did but there are no notes in there. They I'm told that there isn't a price drop because now the cabin category we booked is not available. What? I'm holding it online at the lower price. Nope. Nothing they can do. They don't have access to that pricing.

 

Whatever. It was just a $100 drop per person.... But I can tell you that I'll probably never sail with HAL again. I consider this entire experience bait and switch.

 

A couple of questions before I make any comments, if I may?

 

Who did you book your cruise with?? A Travel Agent or Directly with HAL?

 

You say you were told that you could get your parents pricing. What pricing did they get? HAL Mariner price or???

 

Are you a returning Carnival Customer? In other words have you sailed on any other line owned by Carnival Corporation?

 

After final payment who did you call?? TA or HAL directly??

 

These are the first questions that popped into my head when I read your complaint. I do not want to address the complaint until I have better answers. I do not wish to assume you are upset for no reason (due to a problem with HAL) before I know.

 

Joanie

[Jade13]

Booked our 9/10 cruise in association with my parents and was told I could get their pricing. Great. We booked the same cabin category (verandah) as they did. Got billed over $800 more pp. Called and was told they were unable to offer us the same discount (even though that was what THEY told us). Great, dropped down to a interior guarantee that was a little bit more then the original category. They told us to keep checking the prices and if there was a price drop we would be able to take advantage of that. Awesome.

 

So today, there is a price drop. I call and am told there are no price refunds within the cancel period. Seriously. So after keeping me on hold for 20 minutes they return to the line and tell me there is nothing they can do because I don't remember the name of the original agent. I'm dumbfounded. I asked if they checked my record and yes, they did but there are no notes in there. They I'm told that there isn't a price drop because now the cabin category we booked is not available. What? I'm holding it online at the lower price. Nope. Nothing they can do. They don't have access to that pricing.

 

Whatever. It was just a $100 drop per person.... But I can tell you that I'll probably never sail with HAL again. I consider this entire experience bait and switch.

 

As of May 17, 2010, Celebrity/RCCL no longer offer price drops after final payment either. If anything, HAL has been better than Celebrity at moving people to a higher category if the price should drop. I am just mentioning this since I can see the other cruise lines you have used in the past.

 

Btw, ALWAYS get the name of the agent you are dealing with. The confirmation with prices should have been emailed the same day.

[bermuda triangle]

Yes, they could have. They also could have honored the original pricing they quoted me. How would any of you feel if your purchased something, then were billed an entirely different amount? That is what happened here and they refused to honor the original pricing THEY gave me. There is no 3rd party involved. Now-if this was not a family trip I would have cancelled right then. But she ASSURED me that if the price dropped I would be eligible for it. No terms and conditions. Pardon me for assuming she was correct.

 

HAL has now given me erroneous information on 2 occasions. This is their customer service problem, not mine. A small gesture of ANY kind would have been all it took to make me happy. Instead I got an agent who was accusatory and defensive even while acknowledging what I was saying was in their record and factual.

 

I am not new to cruising and have been in the Hospitality Industry for over 25 years. There are ways to deal with situations that make it better and ways that inflame it.

 

They have taken a new HAL customer and tainted my experience with them before I even board.

 

I have gotten price drops on RCI several times up to the day before sailing. Sure-they are OBCs but so what?

 

And they can tell from their system who I spoke to every time I called. In addition they can pull the actual tapes and listen to the conversations. Their line asking me who I spoke to is BS.

 

I'm sure we will have a great time. Just being with family is going to be awesome. I am still looking forward to the Eurodam and just hope that the onboard experience is better.

 

Sorry you are having such a bad experience. Perhaps a phone call to a superviser will help you. I have found that when dealing with customer service reps you sometimes get a bad apple who is anything less than helpful. In the future, you should split your parents up and your party for the booking to receive discounted pricing, once onboard you can go to the front desk and have the rooming situation switched so you are with the proper cabinmate.

I hope you end up enjoying your cruise!

Laura

[Jade13]

 

 

I have gotten price drops on RCI several times up to the day before sailing. Sure-they are OBCs but so what?

 

 

.

 

Celebrity/RCCL no longer offers OBC after final payment. They are just honoring that for anyone booked before May 17, 2010.

 

In reality, HAL might do something for you but there has to be availability in the same category cabin. Every HAL cruise we have ever been on has been sold out.

 

You did not state whether there was an option to move up a category if the price had dropped on a higher one such as an OV? Unfortunately HAL is a popular cruise line and there aren't usually many options this close to sailing. We just got off Maasdam two weeks ago and it was our best HAL cruise to date.

 

You never said whether your parents had a senior rate, military rate, or one based on their residence?

[JSnow789]

We booked directly with HAL.

 

I never thought of switching up the cabins like that. Seems silly to have to do something like that in the first place when they know what the real story is.

 

We booked shortly after my parents and used their booking to mirror ours. The HAL agent assured us we could get their pricing. Then we got the invoice and it was not the same pricing. This is how it all got started.

[JSnow789]

Celebrity/RCCL no longer offers OBC after final payment. They are just honoring that for anyone booked before May 17, 2010.

 

In reality, HAL might do something for you but there has to be availability in the same category cabin. Every HAL cruise we have ever been on has been sold out.

 

You did not state whether there was an option to move up a category if the price had dropped on a higher one such as an OV? Unfortunately HAL is a popular cruise line and there aren't usually many options this close to sailing. We just got off Maasdam two weeks ago and it was our best HAL cruise to date.

 

You never said whether your parents had a senior rate, military rate, or one based on their residence?

 

Moving up was never presented as an option. The rate my parents got was a brochure rate that they were mailed. They don't have any Mariner status that I'm aware of.

[fann1sh]

JSnow789, one fact in this mess is the time to have come here for help was when you were not given the same price as your parents.

 

As was mentioned by PatSeaCruiser, there were ways to "massage" that booking to get you the same price. When you were denied the price, your parents could have cancelled and rebooked both cabins.

 

It's also a fact that post final payment cruise fare reductions are going the way of the dodo bird. It's not just HAL.

 

It's my experience the land side customer service is poor compared to service on board the ship. Like others, I hope you can wash the bad taste out of your mouth, and still enjoy this cruise.

 

HAL isn't for everyone, but when the right person "finds" HAL, they tend to be loyal.

[JSnow789]

JSnow789, one fact in this mess is the time to have come here for help was when you were not given the same price as your parents.

 

As was mentioned by PatSeaCruiser, there were ways to "massage" that booking to get you the same price. When you were denied the price, your parents could have cancelled and rebooked both cabins.

 

It's also a fact that post final payment cruise fare reductions are going the way of the dodo bird. It's not just HAL.

 

It's my experience the land side customer service is poor compared to service on board the ship. Like others, I hope you can wash the bad taste out of your mouth, and still enjoy this cruise.

 

HAL isn't for everyone, but when the right person "finds" HAL, they tend to be loyal.

 

Well, live and learn... we should have cxld and rebkd..

 

Oh trust me.. this is a long deserved vacation. I've been providing excellent customer service all summer to people visiting Orlando. It's my turn now and will enjoy it immensely. We have already booked our 'le Cirqe' dinner. :)

[sail7seas]

All of the stuff that I have read here confirm my belief that it's a lousy idea to book a cruise directly with the cruise line. I have been booking my cruises with a reliable TA and if I run into any problems, the TA comes to my rescue. When you call a cruise line directly you probably never get the same person two times in a row and they cannot make any decisions. So I let my TA do the fighting for me and it pays off 99 times out of 100.

Wake up out there will ya???? :rolleyes:

 

 

You're fortunate. We had a good TA but they went out of business and there are none (in our metropolitan area) with whom I now want to book cruises. I looked around and found I knew more about cruising and HAL then they will ever know. :rolleyes:

[3rdGenCunarder]

Moving up was never presented as an option. The rate my parents got was a brochure rate that they were mailed. They don't have any Mariner status that I'm aware of.

 

This may have been a mailing to a "target audience," and not available to everyone. this happened to a friend of mine. She's platinum on Cunard, daughter and SIL had only two very short cruises on QM2. The kids got a mailing with a great price, booked for themselves, tried to book another cabin for Mom, and couldn't get the price for her. They were told it was only for people who received the mailing. Fortunately, they booked through a TA who's a real star, and she twisted some arms at Cunard to get Mom the price.

 

I use the same TA, and she has managed to get me an upgrade or OBC if there's been a price drop after final payment. I haven't seen many price drops on my cruises. Guess I pick popular ones.

 

Just had a flash of insight here. My upcoming HAL cruise has a lot of availability, and I've seen "special prices" on a few select cabin grades (guar only). But now that I think about it, these are grades where there are only a few cabins, maybe as few as 4. So HAL can drop those prices easily because there can't be many people affected by that. Sneaky, or what?!?