So Disappointed with HAL's Pricing Games

[Sanlin]

I am currently booked on a Volendam cruise. Initially I booked and OV cabin and as I watched the prices drop - decided to upgrade to a veranda. But, in my studies of the veranda pricing, I found out that the verandas were at least $100 cheaper using my daughter's one star mariner number than using my 3 star number.

 

I (falsely) believed that this occurred because they "had" me for this particular cruise and that was why my prices were higher.

 

Alas, not true. In investigating a Holiday cruise for us - did the same thing - used my number and then my daughter's number....Guess who got the better pricing????? It wasn't me.:mad:

 

I guess we do pay for those Mariner benefits!!! :eek:

[Vict0riann]

I had just posted on another thread that my SIL and her husband received a better reduction in price than we did on an upcoming cruise, and I wondered if it was because they were in Australia, but maybe it's because they have never cruised HAL before! Very interesting....

[Krazy Kruizers]

I have read about that happening a couple of times lately.

Looks like HAL doesn't want we old time cruisers.

[cruz chic]

It's very annoying. Hal really needs to think about who is buttering their bread.

[dr.dawg]

hal only rewards past cruisers with higher prices -- the more stars the pricier. that is why, no more hal for me, a four-star. i hope this word gets around -- cruise and you lose on hal. disgusting.

[varoo]

I am currently booked on a Volendam cruise. Initially I booked and OV cabin and as I watched the prices drop - decided to upgrade to a veranda. But, in my studies of the veranda pricing, I found out that the verandas were at least $100 cheaper using my daughter's one star mariner number than using my 3 star number.

Thank you for the tip.

Very interesting observation.

 

From now on, I will try to remember to check prices both with and without entering my mariner number, just to compare them.

 

For anyone doing that, don't forget to clear out your cookies and refresh the screen in between.

 

[jimmy2x]

I'm not trying to dispute anyone's experience, but have not found that to be the case. I generally use Firefox and allow cookies to be stored. Use Safari occasionally and do not allow cookies in that browser. Price is always the same whether HAL knows me (3 star) or not.

[cruz chic]

I'm not trying to dispute anyone's experience, but have not found that to be the case. I generally use Firefox and allow cookies to be stored. Use Safari occasionally and do not allow cookies in that browser. Price is always the same whether HAL knows me (3 star) or not.

 

Are you putting in the number of a one star mariner or just nothing? I think if you put in nothing it will be the same. My friend has been on one Hal cruise. She gets better pricing then I do as a 4 star.

[solocanadian]

Are you putting in the number of a one star mariner or just nothing? I think if you put in nothing it will be the same. My friend has been on one Hal cruise. She gets better pricing then I do as a 4 star.

 

That Sucks!:(

[rafinmd]

This sounds to me like a programming error, which apparently has been happening recently. There was a thread like this just a day or 2 ago about single supplements, and one of the respondents had their TA call HAL in person and straighten it out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=38977219&postcount=32

 

Seems to me a bit more like sloppy programming than evil intent.

 

Roy

[caladezi]

I found that same thing to be true. We have a cruise booked on the Noordam in November. When the price dropped we both received the new price but my OBC and 1/2 deposit requirement were taken away because "That promotion has expired". My Brother and his wife, who are booked on the same cruise and have never sailed HAL before, received the same reduction but their OBC remained and they were not required to pay the additional deposit. We're still going on the cruise but will most likely go back to Celebrity in the future.

[caladezi]

Personally, I would much rather HAL and other cruise lines would just stick to their prices and stop all of these sales gimmicks. The only way that could happen would be if they all did it. Pick the trip that you want to take and if you can afford it, book it. Having to keep checking prices and perks every few days is a royal pain, but I do it, because I like most others, want the best dead. It would be so much nicer if I could just spend my time looking forward to the trip and not having to worry that I'm getting screwed by pay way more than I have to. Give me the best deal NOW and stick to it.

[jer_l]

I think there is missing information here. One star pricing should not be lower than any other Mariner pricing; however, there are sometimes discounts based on your state of residence.

[jimmy2x]

Are you putting in the number of a one star mariner or just nothing? I think if you put in nothing it will be the same. My friend has been on one Hal cruise. She gets better pricing then I do as a 4 star.

 

THAT never occurred to me. Since I do not have access to any 1 star Mariner numbers, I can't test that, but I certainly do believe you.

[cruz chic]

Personally, I would much rather HAL and other cruise lines would just stick to their prices and stop all of these sales gimmicks. The only way that could happen would be if they all did it. Pick the trip that you want to take and if you can afford it, book it. Having to keep checking prices and perks every few days is a royal pain, but I do it, because I like most others, want the best dead. It would be so much nicer if I could just spend my time looking forward to the trip and not having to worry that I'm getting screwed by pay way more than I have to. Give me the best deal NOW and stick to it.

 

You don't have to look everyday. I have a website that sends me an email when the price goes down. You pay $1 per cruise and it's saved me a lot.

[cruz chic]

THAT never occurred to me. Since I do not have access to any 1 star Mariner numbers, I can't test that, but I certainly do believe you.

 

I don't have access to my friends mariner number either but when we talk the subject always gets around to cruising.

[solocanadian]

You don't have to look everyday. I have a website that sends me an email when the price goes down. You pay $1 per cruise and it's saved me a lot.

 

Lorene, I'm sure you mentioned name of website before but I didn't note it. Would you kindly send me a personal email with the name. I promise to make note of it this time. When I sailed earlier this year with Marcia, she was great at checking for price drops.

Thanks, Gail.;)

[cruz chic]

I think there is missing information here. One star pricing should not be lower than any other Mariner pricing; however, there are sometimes discounts based on your state of residence.

 

You are right, it shouldn't be. I've got first hand knowledge that it is happening and there have been quite a few threads about it to. My friend and I live almost in the same neighbourhood in Calgary so the state/province has nothing to do with it.

 

When I price on Princess I always get a better rate once I put in my number and I have quite a few days with them too. Hal's excuse is that we get perks instead. I get perks on Princess too.

[Linda&Vern]

I think there is missing information here. One star pricing should not be lower than any other Mariner pricing; however, there are sometimes discounts based on your state of residence.

I wrote just a few days ago on another thread ... My DM is one-star, having sailed HAL once. I guarantee if I put her Mariner number in I get lower pricing than if I put my three-star Mariner number in. She also receives special offers all the time. We don't. It does happen that one-star pricing can be lower.

[fatcat04]

I get emails from HAL for my mom, as we purchased her and dad's first cruise on HAL many moons ago and my email was the contact. They are both 1 star and their prices have often been better and they get "special" emails I never even get... and I get a lot of emails. I found this out as I tried to book a cruise using a "code" from an email sent to mom, I didn't even look to see whose Mariner # was at the top of the email just figured it was a deal so why not. No can do. Our Mariner # was not linked to that deal. Our PCC had no answer for this other than /shrug. :rolleyes:

[SilvertoGold]

I have been looking at the pricing, only by imputting my Mariner number or none at all. Mostly the pricing is the same, once in a while my 5 star Mariner number has better pricing.

 

I do know that a friend with 1 star status always has the pricing I get with my number or with none, at least with the cruises we have looked at in the past few months.

[Sanlin]

My daughter (one star) and I live in the same town - same state. That is not the reason for the difference in prices. My TA is great and gets the lower price. Guess it's time to expand my horizons.

[cruz chic]

Lorene, I'm sure you mentioned name of website before but I didn't note it. Would you kindly send me a personal email with the name. I promise to make note of it this time. When I sailed earlier this year with Marcia, she was great at checking for price drops.

Thanks, Gail.;)

 

You have mail:D.

[diann744]

May I respectfully suggest, it's not just HAL. Without sounding like too much of a conspiracy theorist, I believe here are algorithms being used when it comes to pricing throughout the travel sector.

 

For the past week, my sister and I had both been visiting an airfare site to find the best fare for an upcoming trip. We had long lists of different prices for different itineraries. Last night, on the phone, we both entered the exact same criteria, on the same site, at the same time. And my prices were well above hers (I had searched more often). Again, without meaning to sound paranoid, it seems (from my own personal anecdata) that the more often you pull up the fare, the higher the fare gets.

 

No idea if this is true but I've seen enough to make me believe something's going on here...

[Vict0riann]

I've heard this happen with hotels, too, - the more often you visit the site, the higher the price!