Upsale fairy, VB to SA

[TexasMoogy]

I checked my email at lunchtime today, specifically looking for any upgrades from HAL. Here's the offer I got:

 

For Westerdam July 17 Alaska <EDIT: August 17>:eek:

Upgrade from category VA-VH to SS-SZ for an additional $99pp USD/CAD

Upgrade from category VA-VH to SA-SC for an additional $299pp USD/CAD

 

We went from VB to SA! The HAL reservations rep was very friendly and helpful and understood my desire for a central location and for residence decks above and below.

 

On our first cruise, we got an Neptune via an upsale. We certainly enjoyed the extra perks, but this time I couldn't justify the prices. When I booked a few months ago (and each time I checked prices afterward), this upgrade would have cost us $2,000 each instead of $299 each.

 

Doing a happy dance, even if there may be no cookies or chocolates in the Neptune... This will make our 40th anniversary cruise even more pleasant.

[shrimp56]

Congratulations!

Happy Anniversary

[cruz chic]

That's the same offer I got for my Oosterdam cruise in August. There is no way I could justify the list price as a single. My life was been a bit rough lately so it came at a perfect time. Enjoy your cruise!

[peaches from georgia]

I am very surprised at the many SA's that seem to be available for so little $ with upsells lately.

[TexasMoogy]

Oops! That's AUGUST 17 departure for my cruise. Which puts us about 5 weeks out when I got the upgrade offer.

[PathfinderEss]

I am very surprised at the many SA's that seem to be available for so little $ with upsells lately.

 

I agree with you on that Peaches.

OP congratulations on your up sell. Have a great cruise.

[kamac56]

Got the similar offer on the same august cruise, but we went from SY to SA for 199.PP and after seeing what an SA is going for were I to book today YIKES!!! WE got a great deal!!!! HAPPY SAILING!!!!!:D

[pms4104]

I am very surprised at the many SA's that seem to be available for so little $ with upsells lately.

Yes, I would think the Seattle bean counters would take a long hard look at their pricing model ... seems HAL's having issues filling suites at whatever price point, including sales, but will happily fill those suites for a modest upsell from Verandah pricing. Maybe HAL believes they can resell the lower level cabin being vacated by the upsell for a monstrous amount, making the modest suite upsell seem logical to them. Who knows

 

I think it's great for anyone offered an upsell or a free upgrade ... but if HAL can't fill those suites, they need to look at their marketing ... perhaps they should do a better job of selling the amenities and benefits of the suite life to fill them without the modest upsells we hear so much about.

 

In short, maybe some of the newer/larger HAL ships have too many suites and not enough non-suite verandah cabins.

[DaveOKC]

Yes, I would think the Seattle bean counters would take a long hard look at their pricing model ... seems HAL's having issues filling suites at whatever price point, including sales, but will happily fill those suites for a modest upsell from Verandah pricing. Maybe HAL believes they can resell the lower level cabin being vacated by the upsell for a monstrous amount, making the modest suite upsell seem logical to them. Who knows

 

I think it's great for anyone offered an upsell or a free upgrade ... but if HAL can't fill those suites, they need to look at their marketing ... perhaps they should do a better job of selling the amenities and benefits of the suite life to fill them without the modest upsells we hear so much about.

 

In short, maybe some of the newer/larger HAL ships have too many suites and not enough non-suite verandah cabins.

 

It does seem that HAL is having problems selling the Neptune suites lately. On my upcoming Sept AK cruise there are quite a number of SAs still available.

 

Could the reason be high prices - perhaps. There is a huge difference between the Signature and Neptune cabins, especially the top end (SA). Could it be the economy, the recent problems with Carnival, or people just trading down? Perhaps.

 

IMO, HAL's relatively new (2-3 years) Mariner program may be causing some of the problem, especially on the larger ships (who have the highest number of SAs). What I am referring to is the benefits that 4 and 5 Star Mariners now get - priority boarding/tendering/disembarking, free laundry, invites to VIP parties, etc. - that formerly only Neptune suite passengers get. Now if you are a 4 or 5 Star you can book a Signature suite (slightly smaller but nice cabin) for alot less money and get many of the Neptune class perks.

 

IMO, HAL needs to add a few more perks for the Neptune suites, to justify the cost difference. I am sure that there are a number of things that HAL can offer that would not cost them much (if anything) financially - such as reserved show room seating, internet discounts, etc.

 

DaveOKC

[kazu]

I checked my email at lunchtime today, specifically looking for any upgrades from HAL. Here's the offer I got:

 

For Westerdam July 17 Alaska <EDIT: August 17>:eek:

Upgrade from category VA-VH to SS-SZ for an additional $99pp USD/CAD

Upgrade from category VA-VH to SA-SC for an additional $299pp USD/CAD

 

We went from VB to SA! The HAL reservations rep was very friendly and helpful and understood my desire for a central location and for residence decks above and below.

 

On our first cruise, we got an Neptune via an upsale. We certainly enjoyed the extra perks, but this time I couldn't justify the prices. When I booked a few months ago (and each time I checked prices afterward), this upgrade would have cost us $2,000 each instead of $299 each.

 

Doing a happy dance, even if there may be no cookies or chocolates in the Neptune... This will make our 40th anniversary cruise even more pleasant.

 

Congratulations - a really nice upsell:) Enjoy!

 

It does seem that HAL is having problems selling the Neptune suites lately. On my upcoming Sept AK cruise there are quite a number of SAs still available.

 

Could the reason be high prices - perhaps. There is a huge difference between the Signature and Neptune cabins, especially the top end (SA). Could it be the economy, the recent problems with Carnival, or people just trading down? Perhaps.

 

IMO, HAL's relatively new (2-3 years) Mariner program may be causing some of the problem, especially on the larger ships (who have the highest number of SAs). What I am referring to is the benefits that 4 and 5 Star Mariners now get - priority boarding/tendering/disembarking, free laundry, invites to VIP parties, etc. - that formerly only Neptune suite passengers get. Now if you are a 4 or 5 Star you can book a Signature suite (slightly smaller but nice cabin) for alot less money and get many of the Neptune class perks.

 

IMO, HAL needs to add a few more perks for the Neptune suites, to justify the cost difference. I am sure that there are a number of things that HAL can offer that would not cost them much (if anything) financially - such as reserved show room seating, internet discounts, etc.

 

DaveOKC

 

Dave, I agree. I think if HAL offered slightly better pricing early on (as has been discussed) they may have more bites for the Neptune Suites as well. Other than getting the exact room you want, there seems to be no advantage. Wouldn't HAL be better off offering them at a reduced, early pricing discount early on than upselling them at this low price?

[cruz chic]

Congratulations - a really nice upsell:) Enjoy!

 

 

 

Dave, I agree. I think if HAL offered slightly better pricing early on (as has been discussed) they may have more bites for the Neptune Suites as well. Other than getting the exact room you want, there seems to be no advantage. Wouldn't HAL be better off offering them at a reduced, early pricing discount early on than upselling them at this low price?

 

Hal needs to revisit all their pricing. They tend to gouge people that book early and give the farm away at the end.

[pms4104]

It does seem that HAL is having problems selling the Neptune suites lately. On my upcoming Sept AK cruise there are quite a number of SAs still available.

 

Could the reason be high prices - perhaps. There is a huge difference between the Signature and Neptune cabins, especially the top end (SA). Could it be the economy, the recent problems with Carnival, or people just trading down? Perhaps.

 

IMO, HAL's relatively new (2-3 years) Mariner program may be causing some of the problem, especially on the larger ships (who have the highest number of SAs). What I am referring to is the benefits that 4 and 5 Star Mariners now get - priority boarding/tendering/disembarking, free laundry, invites to VIP parties, etc. - that formerly only Neptune suite passengers get. Now if you are a 4 or 5 Star you can book a Signature suite (slightly smaller but nice cabin) for alot less money and get many of the Neptune class perks.

 

IMO, HAL needs to add a few more perks for the Neptune suites, to justify the cost difference. I am sure that there are a number of things that HAL can offer that would not cost them much (if anything) financially - such as reserved show room seating, internet discounts, etc.

 

DaveOKC

Indeed, HAL needs to give people a good reason to book any suite ... whether that is adding amenities, assessing fares, or a marketing strategy that will fill the suites without having to almost give away many of them. HAL needs to figure this out as they work on the new build ... perhaps the new ship ought to have less high-end suites and more verandahs, or maybe those suites should offer unique benefits not otherwise offered thru the Mariner program. HAL has to think outside the box to get a handle on why they seem to have to do so many upsells/free upgrades.

[Steppy08]

Congrats! We did the same thing on our cruise two weeks ago. The Neptune suite was awesome for Alaska!

[sail7seas]

Happy Anniversary.

Have a great cruise.

[DaveOKC]

Indeed, HAL needs to give people a good reason to book any suite ... whether that is adding amenities, assessing fares, or a marketing strategy that will fill the suites without having to almost give away many of them. HAL needs to figure this out as they work on the new build ... perhaps the new ship ought to have less high-end suites and more verandahs, or maybe those suites should offer unique benefits not otherwise offered thru the Mariner program. HAL has to think outside the box to get a handle on why they seem to have to do so many upsells/free upgrades.

 

Maybe they could offer triple days for Mariner Credit instead of double? But you have to BOOK Neptune, not take an upsell to get it.

 

DaveOKC

[George C]

Great upsell, Westerdam is a great ship, enjoy all the perks and breakfast at Pinnacle

[AZNative2000]

Hal needs to revisit all their pricing. They tend to gouge people that book early and give the farm away at the end.

And now, they are offering $500 OBC on Suites for fall 2013 but "for new bookings only" so we don't qualify because we booked 18 months out.:(

 

But we did get the exact cabin we wanted.:)

 

More giving away of the farm at the end. I wonder how the price will change after the final payment date.

[pms4104]

Maybe they could offer triple days for Mariner Credit instead of double? But you have to BOOK Neptune, not take an upsell to get it.

 

DaveOKC

Or, perhaps $XXX OBC or a discount of X% for those who book Neptune, whether 18 or 3 months out from sailing. I would welcome something tangible on the current sailing, as I value that more than working toward another star.

[pms4104]

And now, they are offering $500 OBC on Suites for fall 2013 but "for new bookings only" so we don't qualify because we booked 18 months out.:(

 

But we did get the exact cabin we wanted.:)

 

More giving away of the farm at the end. I wonder how the price will change after the final payment date.

Have you called HAL to see if there is some way to take advantage of that offer?

 

On another line, I just took advantage of a very attractive "for new bookings only" promo ... the rep was excellent in cancelling and rebooking in the blink of an eye, and we kept our cabin and dining assignments.:D

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Congratulations

[AZNative2000]

Have you called HAL to see if there is some way to take advantage of that offer?

 

On another line, I just took advantage of a very attractive "for new bookings only" promo ... the rep was excellent in cancelling and rebooking in the blink of an eye, and we kept our cabin and dining assignments.:D

I checked on this 2 weeks ago when the offer was $400 OBC. I was warned then that because we have an SC (Aft-Wrap Suite) and there is a waitlist for them, if we cancel and re-book, there is a good chance we'd lose the cabin we booked over a year ago. (Not to mention having to re-book our "indulgences" and dinner reservations.)

 

While we'd love some more OBC, we are very happy with the status quo and understand that if we'd waited until now to book we'd get the OBC but we'd not get the cabin we have. (A happy trade-off.)

 

My post was simply an agreement with what lorekauf had said about giving away the farm (closer to the cruise date) to get the suites filled.

 

Cheers!

[fatcat04]

Gratz!! What a nice upgrade!! :)

 

Golly, all this talk so makes me want to book a cruise but we just can't now. Future is uncertain. Boo!!!:(

[Krazy Kruizers]

I checked my email at lunchtime today, specifically looking for any upgrades from HAL. Here's the offer I got:

 

For Westerdam July 17 Alaska <EDIT: August 17>:eek:

Upgrade from category VA-VH to SS-SZ for an additional $99pp USD/CAD

Upgrade from category VA-VH to SA-SC for an additional $299pp USD/CAD

 

We went from VB to SA! The HAL reservations rep was very friendly and helpful and understood my desire for a central location and for residence decks above and below.

 

On our first cruise, we got an Neptune via an upsale. We certainly enjoyed the extra perks, but this time I couldn't justify the prices. When I booked a few months ago (and each time I checked prices afterward), this upgrade would have cost us $2,000 each instead of $299 each.

 

Doing a happy dance, even if there may be no cookies or chocolates in the Neptune... This will make our 40th anniversary cruise even more pleasant.

 

Congratulations on the wonderful upsell.

Have a happy 40th anniversary.

[scvgirl]

Category B Verendah to SA Nepture Suite for $249/pp. A no brainer!! Whoo hoo!!! Our first time in a Neptune Suite.;)

[Typhoon1]

 

Doing a happy dance, even if there may be no cookies or chocolates in the Neptune... This will make our 40th anniversary cruise even more pleasant.

 

Be sure to let us know what the NL had to offer after your return.