How common are upsells?

[George C]

We had upsells on last 2 cruises went from a ss to sa on Zuiderdam in November 11, 10 day cruise for 300 per person and from a BC to a S on Veendam last May for 499 a piece, hoping for same on our 11 day Massdam in April right now have a bb . Always book the small suite and hope for upsell to the full suite.

[cruz chic]

We are 5 star and have received exactly 2 upsells offers.

 

I think these offers go out to every TA with pax booked in the afftected cabins classes. Example: an upsell from an inside to an outside will go out to every TA with pax booked in an inside (or perhaps the exact cabin level HAL is targeting). So on with other upsells.

 

These upsells depend entirely with how the ship is booked. Lots of VA-VH left? Do an upsell for these with outsides.

 

You receive notice of these upsells if your TA passes them on to you.

That hasn't been my experience. Some folks on the roll calls have had the same cabin class as I and I couldn't get the upsell they were offered even though my TA called.

[JJ33328]

I've always booked guaranteed cabins on my cruises and have had several upgrade/upsell offers.

My last cruise was an upgrade experiment. I booked a guiarantee inside cabin about 6 months out on a Nieuw Amsterdam on a cruise that was the advertised teaser rate on a sale. Just after paying the balance for the cruise the fares went down again. I called my HAL personal cruise consultant to point this out and was given an upgrade to an outside at no charge. About a month prior to the cruise I received an upsell offer for a VH verandah guarantee for $99 per person (turned that down). After receiving the room assignment about 7 days prior to the cruise for a Main Deck cabin under the casino, I e-mail the HAL PCC just to put him on notice that I hoped that cabin wasn't going to be noisy. About 4 days prior to the cruise I got a call from the HAL PCC with a $29 per person upsell to a V verandah (took it). He was able to assign our cabin on the spot. The result was a 7 day E Caribbean cruise for $629 per person in a deluxe verandah.

I don't think this would work on the smaller ships as there are only a limited number of verandahs to begin with but we did get a nice upgrade on the Maasdam a few years ago from Main deck to Promenade deck.

It seems like there are more upgrade opportunities on the bigger ships on the shorter itineraries.

[cruz chic]

I've always booked guaranteed cabins on my cruises and have had several upgrade/upsell offers.

My last cruise was an upgrade experiment. I booked a guiarantee inside cabin about 6 months out on a Nieuw Amsterdam on a cruise that was the advertised teaser rate on a sale. Just after paying the balance for the cruise the fares went down again. I called my HAL personal cruise consultant to point this out and was given an upgrade to an outside at no charge. About a month prior to the cruise I received an upsell offer for a VH verandah guarantee for $99 per person (turned that down). After receiving the room assignment about 7 days prior to the cruise for a Main Deck cabin under the casino, I e-mail the HAL PCC just to put him on notice that I hoped that cabin wasn't going to be noisy. About 4 days prior to the cruise I got a call from the HAL PCC with a $29 per person upsell to a V verandah (took it). He was able to assign our cabin on the spot. The result was a 7 day E Caribbean cruise for $629 per person in a deluxe verandah.

I don't think this would work on the smaller ships as there are only a limited number of verandahs to begin with but we did get a nice upgrade on the Maasdam a few years ago from Main deck to Promenade deck.

It seems like there are more upgrade opportunities on the bigger ships on the shorter itineraries.

There was a lot of price reductions on Caribbean cruises in Nov/Dec. I don't think that would be something you could replicate in Jan or Feb. of this year.

[SilvertoGold]

That hasn't been my experience. Some folks on the roll calls have had the same cabin class as I and I couldn't get the upsell they were offered even though my TA called.

 

Hmm!

 

Is there a possibility that you have booked low or got the difference back when pricing goes down. Those others likely booked high.

 

If you paid, say, 1000 and the others paid 1300, and an upsell was 250, then you would be getting a great deal at 1250, whereas the others would be paying 1550. Which would HAL want to get for that upsell total? An upsell for you would have to cost you more to give HAL the same profit.

 

Just an idea, but it does make sense from the bottom-line point of view.

[taxmantoo]

Seems like a lot of people here are in need of a "better" travel agent. (I am not one btw)

 

We are going on our 8th HAL cruise next week and have been offered upsells on 6 of them. On the other 2, we have received a complimentary upgrade once.

 

We normally book SZ guarantees and have wound up in SA cabins on all upsells for relatively low cost.

 

I believe our TA does not wait for HAL to call but takes the initiative as we get closer to the sail date and calls on our behalf. Whatever she does, we are happy with the results.

[George C]

best way for upsell is booking directly with Hal so there is no middle person, since window is very small.

[SilvertoGold]

 

I believe our TA does not wait for HAL to call but takes the initiative as we get closer to the sail date and calls on our behalf. Whatever she does, we are happy with the results.

 

That seems to be the way to go if you want an upsell. You do have a great TA!

[DaveOKC]

Seems like a lot of people here are in need of a "better" travel agent. (I am not one btw)

 

We are going on our 8th HAL cruise next week and have been offered upsells on 6 of them. On the other 2, we have received a complimentary upgrade once.

 

We normally book SZ guarantees and have wound up in SA cabins on all upsells for relatively low cost.

 

 

I like your approach - I have done this as well (SZ) and gotten a $249 upgrade to SA. You have to be happy with the SZ, SY or SS cabins though, as likely that is what you will get. One nice thing about booking this way (SZ or SY) is that you get the double days credit in the Mariner program, even if you upsell. If you go from an VA (for example) to any suite, I do not think you get this.

 

DaveOKC

[cruz chic]

Hmm!

 

Is there a possibility that you have booked low or got the difference back when pricing goes down. Those others likely booked high.

 

If you paid, say, 1000 and the others paid 1300, and an upsell was 250, then you would be getting a great deal at 1250, whereas the others would be paying 1550. Which would HAL want to get for that upsell total? An upsell for you would have to cost you more to give HAL the same profit.

 

Just an idea, but it does make sense from the bottom-line point of view.

No, I never book low because I book early. The people that were offered upsells were people that booked late and likely low. They were folks with few cruises with HAL. I think HAL is not overly interested in offering upsells to their more loyal customers.

[taxmantoo]

,,," I think HAL is not overly interested in offering upsells to their more loyal customers. ...

 

HAL offers upsells to everyone at the same time. It is a blanket call and they have no way of knowing who will call back first, loyal customers or first-timers. It matters very little to them as long as someone is willing to spend the extra money.

[cruz chic]

HAL offers upsells to everyone at the same time. It is a blanket call and they have no way of knowing who will call back first, loyal customers or first-timers. It matters very little to them as long as someone is willing to spend the extra money.

Do you have proof of that? It's simply not true. I know of one person that posts on this board that got an upsell on a cruise they leave on next week. The poster went from a balcony to a superior suite. No one else on the roll call got that offer. I'm fairly certain that Lisa that posts on this board that is a TA has also said that offers don't go out to all pax.

[lovetocruise2020]

No upsells.. We use a large agency and i dont think they communicate well.

 

I cant complain... For 15 % off my booking i can monitor my own rates and etc.

[kelleherdl]

Seems like a lot of people here are in need of a "better" travel agent.

 

I think that is the basic problem. We are relatively new to cruising. Going thru AAA, going thru Bj's, going thru Amex, going thru large online agency.... To be honest I have trialed all and didn't think I was getting anything close to personal, dedicated and time sensitive service. So I have opted for the HAL PCC route. I know that my record has been noted that I want an upsell offer and that I will likely get the call. Yes, I know he is not really anything other than another travel agent, but for us it works.

 

Dennis

[JJ33328]

There was a lot of price reductions on Caribbean cruises in Nov/Dec. I don't think that would be something you could replicate in Jan or Feb. of this year.

 

I agree with that, there's only a few months in the season that the prices are really low. It seems like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a slack time for cruising.

[taxmantoo]

Do you have proof of that? It's simply not true. I know of one person that posts on this board that got an upsell on a cruise they leave on next week. The poster went from a balcony to a superior suite. No one else on the roll call got that offer. I'm fairly certain that Lisa that posts on this board that is a TA has also said that offers don't go out to all pax.

 

Not doubting what anyone else says and I will only say... Blame their TA not me! We have had offers 6 out of 8 times.

[cruz chic]

Not doubting what anyone else says and I will only say... Blame their TA not me! We have had offers 6 out of 8 times.

You are giving inaccurate information. You've been at the right place at the right time. I am asking you for proof of what you are saying that offers go out to everyone and you don't have any from the look of things.

[taxmantoo]

You are giving inaccurate information. You've been at the right place at the right time. I am asking you for proof of what you are saying that offers go out to everyone and you don't have any from the look of things.

 

I accept your explanation.

And you can keep on doing what you have been doing and I will keep on doing what I have been doing. What we do seems to work for us and that is all I was trying to point out.

[CowPrincess]

HAL offers upsells to everyone at the same time. It is a blanket call and they have no way of knowing who will call back first, loyal customers or first-timers. It matters very little to them as long as someone is willing to spend the extra money.

 

No, that doesn't quite explain it either. We did Sea of Cortez in Nov 2008 and had no upsell offer, yet another couple at our dinner table in a similar category (we were in E, they were in D IIRC) got an upsell offer. Their travelling companion, in an HH, did not get the offer either. They had booked later than we did.

[CowPrincess]

Hmm!

 

Is there a possibility that you have booked low or got the difference back when pricing goes down. Those others likely booked high.

 

If you paid, say, 1000 and the others paid 1300, and an upsell was 250, then you would be getting a great deal at 1250, whereas the others would be paying 1550. Which would HAL want to get for that upsell total? An upsell for you would have to cost you more to give HAL the same profit.

 

Just an idea, but it does make sense from the bottom-line point of view.

 

We booked one cruise about 500 days out and got 3 or 4 price drops. Then we got our first-ever upsell offer :D so I don't think "price paid" is the only factor. That's the cruise we moved from an H gty to an S :)

 

OP -- you've got the right idea -- book what you will be happy with.

[cruz chic]

No, that doesn't quite explain it either. We did Sea of Cortez in Nov 2008 and had no upsell offer, yet another couple at our dinner table in a similar category (we were in E, they were in D IIRC) got an upsell offer. Their travelling companion, in an HH, did not get the offer either. They had booked later than we did.

I've had very similar experiences. It doesn't make sense that HAL would offer everyone in a certain category upsells. That would be a waste of effort and time. I'm positive they offer a certain % of people based on certain criteria and surely enough will bite.

[CowPrincess]

Too late to edit my post (#45) -- the price of our category (after the price drops we got) did go higher again.

[jayisgerman]

We went on our first HAL cruise in May 2012 to Alaska. We had paid for a Verandah garantuee, which we would have been pleased with. As long as there is some sort of balcony - I am very happy. I had learned from the invaluable advice on CC - that upsells exist. So, I started watching my email religiously about a month out from departure.

 

Sure enough. First came the free upgrade (about 10 days out) to a VA. Then a couple days later came the upsell email. I pounced on it. It was $249 to go to Deluxe Suite. We got so spoiled and it was awesome. We will cruise again in December this year and have booked a basic balcony. If lightning should strike again - I will be pleased. If not - we are still blessed to be able to go on such a nice holiday.