Hal discriminates European cruisers

[navybankerteacher]

It is easier to understand why things bought and consumed in Europe might be priced differently than in North America - VAT, for one, local rents, material costs, etc. all contribute.

 

What is truly difficult to understand is why a European buying a cruise in the Caribbean, say, or the Med, should pat more than a North American. VAT might be part of it, government required consumer protections might also. Does anyone REALLY KNOW? A good (and credible) explanation would be appreciated.

 

"They charge more because they can" is simply not credible - why would European governments (known for their protective attitudes) tolerate such discrimination?

[Lizzie68]

Having just come back from the pub and sitting here drinking my bottle of Prosecco I find it hard to believe that anyone thinks we Europeans/English drink more than our American friends. As for being fleeced/ripped off by HAL if you don't want to pay the price nobody is forcing you to take a cruise. I would say that the gratuities are more than we would pay at home because in the main workers receive a decent salary and tips are a bonus but when in Rome........... Just be thankful that you have the opportunity to be a passenger and not a member of staff, away from home for goodness knows how long and missing your family grow up.

 

As an ex-Brit living in Canada, I have to say that is a popular belief, with basis in fact in my experience. For sure everyone I know back there spends more time in pubs than we do.;) But we digress....

[Typhoon1]

A very simple solution. Find another cruise line. No one forces you to sail HAL.

[kazu]

HAL doesn’t want people from Europe to book their cruises.

Europeans pay about 20 to 25% more compared to people that live in the USA and Canada, for the same cruise.

They are now offering a package deal (Explorer4) of free drinks (worth 100 us dollars per person per day) on a lot of cruises, but only for people with an Us or Canadian residence.

Hal seems to forget that Europeans are the ones they can make money on. They do the drinking on board. People from the US and or Canada only drink the free coffee or water.

So I call upon all European cruises do not book any more cruises with HAL.

In the unlikely event you still want to cruise with them, just refuse to pay the hotel service charge. According to European law this has to be part of the total price you pay for your cruise and cannot be charged afterwards.

 

 

On a recent thread I disputed a general statement made against Europeans. I looked upon that statement with outrage.

 

Your statement on Canadians, Americans, etc is just as ugly sadly.

 

I must remember to dispute our bar bill and wine bill before the end of the cruise since we don't drink:rolleyes:

 

Stiffing the staff on the hotel service charge is just odious IMO.

 

When we travel to Europe we follow their culture - the same should go when you get on a cruise ship.......when in Rome

[Winters in NZ]

People from the US and or Canada only drink the free coffee or water.

 

Canadians will only drink Tim Hortons coffee....and only if it's at the drive-thru. Heck, pass me a Molson's while I'm waiting for my donut and double-double.

[sppunk]

:D

 

Happy sailing!

 

This about covers it!

[RuthC]

People from the US and or Canada only drink the free coffee or water.

That's just plain ridiculous.

In the unlikely event you still want to cruise with them, just refuse to pay the hotel service charge.

That's just plain mean.

[innlady1]

This is truly inane - I would like to introduce you to the OP who started the Disasterdam thread - he knew (presumably as a matter of proven fact) that Europeans pay LESS for their cruises than North Americans.

 

I was going to post the same thing... that was one of his/her major rants! That the European travelers were able to avail themselves of the last minute deals.

[innlady1]

HAL doesn’t want people from Europe to book their cruises.

Europeans pay about 20 to 25% more compared to people that live in the USA and Canada, for the same cruise.

They are now offering a package deal (Explorer4) of free drinks (worth 100 us dollars per person per day) on a lot of cruises, but only for people with an Us or Canadian residence.

Hal seems to forget that Europeans are the ones they can make money on. They do the drinking on board. People from the US and or Canada only drink the free coffee or water.

So I call upon all European cruises do not book any more cruises with HAL.

In the unlikely event you still want to cruise with them, just refuse to pay the hotel service charge. According to European law this has to be part of the total price you pay for your cruise and cannot be charged afterwards.

 

That's a broad generalization...very broad. I drink coffee in the morning. And mostly a cappuccino which is now charged. In addition, I buy a wine package while on board. On our Noordam TA, I plan to buy local wines in Spain and Portugal...there will be an automatic $18 corkage charge for that. I pay for the wine and HAL spends nothing and makes $18 . And, if I drink water, I buy it on board as my ankles swell from the tap water.

[sppunk]

That leaves the South Americans, Asians, Aussies, Kiwis, Africans and folks from Bedrock

 

With airline luggage restrictions those Bedrockians are gauged when they travel. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place!

[erewhon]

Australians get the Explore 4 without the drinks card and we have to fly further than US residents. Perhaps they could give us some incentive too :D

 

Why are you not receiving the drinks card?

 

I understand that we ( NZ) will get the drinks card as part of the Explore 4 during our next cruise.

[Bescotti]

Why are you not receiving the drinks card?

 

I understand that we ( NZ) will get the drinks card as part of the Explore 4 during our next cruise.

 

I've just checked on the HAL Australia website and the drinks card is definitely not included in the Explore 4 promotion.

[erewhon]

I've just checked on the HAL Australia website and the drinks card is definitely not included in the Explore 4 promotion.

 

Thanks for your reply.

Strange that we are treated differently.

[hrhdhd]

Article from Cruise Critic. Full of generalizations, but talks about trends in marketing and/or pricing for cruisers in different countries.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=759

[comcox]

As an American who has booked cruises on British cruise lines, I have found that we American passengers get the raw end of the deal at times. UK passengers get their gratuities included while we have to pay extra. Their passengers arrive on their chartered flights and get free transfers to ship with priority boarding. While we are classed as independent travelers and are the last to be allowed to board, often after very long tedious waits until late afternoon regardless of when one's flight arrived in that embarkation city. UK passengers also get first booking on shore excursions as our booklets and order forms don't arrive until weeks later.

 

Please understand I am not in favor of any cruise line discriminating against any passenger no matter his/her residency. Even in the U.S. rates can effected by eve what state you live in. Ridiculous an unfair.

[dorisis]

I can see where you come from, but all the other cruise lines do the same thing, we from Europe pay more than people from the USA and I don't no why.

 

Maby there is someone out there who can explain why European pay more for the cruise out of the USA.

 

I have the luck that we Always cruise whit friends from the USA so them book for us.

 

You may pay more because you are taxed at a higher rate. But you also get better education and better medical care for your taxes. Isn't that more important to you?

[fuzzywuzzy]

You know I almost felt sorry for you until I read this about drinking free coffee and water. Is that why my bar bills run around $100. a day for a 7 day cruise, because I drink water. Are you kidding me, what a ludicrous statement.

 

 

I totally agree!!! OMG....we do not just drink free coffee and water. Being Canadian, I resent this statement. We pay our big bar bill along with everyone else who enjoys a cocktail or two. How does this person presume to know what we drink??

[anniegb]

You may pay more because you are taxed at a higher rate. But you also get better education and better medical care for your taxes. Isn't that more important to you?

 

You have lost me what does Government Income Tax rates to do variable pricing for the same cruise??

 

You pay more because you are taxed at a higher rate therefore have less disposable income??

 

Annie

[Viesczy]

I can never connect the dots between a cruiser feeling headquarters for the cruise line did not treat them well and removing hotel service charge and not tipping crew. What did the crew do to deserve that? :confused:

 

 

Those self centered folks are SURE that since they're the boozers and lushes deluxe all the built in gratuity of their imbibing covers what they stiffed everyone.

 

Makes sense... right? :confused: ;)

 

Derek

[chrispb]

HAL doesn’t want people from Europe to book their cruises.

Europeans pay about 20 to 25% more compared to people that live in the USA and Canada, for the same cruise.

They are now offering a package deal (Explorer4) of free drinks (worth 100 us dollars per person per day) on a lot of cruises, but only for people with an Us or Canadian residence.

Hal seems to forget that Europeans are the ones they can make money on. They do the drinking on board. People from the US and or Canada only drink the free coffee or water.

So I call upon all European cruises do not book any more cruises with HAL.

In the unlikely event you still want to cruise with them, just refuse to pay the hotel service charge. According to European law this has to be part of the total price you pay for your cruise and cannot be charged afterwards.

 

Facts and opinions are two different things. Fact - yes, many nationalities pay more for cruising than N. Americans. Look at the long running thread on Trip Advisor (which was actually started by an Australian).

 

It's not just HAL that charges more - most of the other mass cruiselines do the same. Anyway, many of the Med cruises are cheaper for us!!

 

Opinions - (Yours) N. Americans only drink free coffee or water ha-ha-ha. Can't understand why you would think this, especially if you read all the threads about the wine policy.

 

Sounds like you booked too early - not a wise move for Europeans as we can't cancel and get our money back. For us, later is better:)

[chloes nana]

HONESTLY??? Buh-bye! the other lines are calling you! I have to go drink some free coffee now.....:(

[richwmn]

It really doesn't matter if we like it or not, but the real answer to the question is because they can and we let them.

 

Cruise Lines and Airlines use yield management software. The purpose of the software is to manage prices such that each cabin is filled at the highest possible price. Differences can be found based on country, state or province, loyalty level and many other things.

 

Several years ago there was a program on TV about a day in the life of an American Airlines plane. In the coach section alone there were something like 85 different fares out of 100 passengers.

 

The alternative to this would be to price the cabins such that maybe 80% of the cabins were filled, and leave the prices alone. If you book early you get the best choice of cabins, you book late and have to take the leftovers for the same price. If more than 80% of the cabins were filled, the line would make a little profit. Under this plan, cabin prices would likely be higher than what we are currently paying.

 

We have allowed this pricing model to exist, the only way it will change is if it no longer works for the cruise lines.

[rojay]

NZ drinks card, hi erewhom, I hope your right and NZ does include the drinks package unlike the Aussie's. In saying that a large online Aussie cruise specialist did send me an email advertising HAL EXPLORE 4 package which included the much sort after beverage card. When I rang them to book and get confirmation on the inclusion of the signature beverage card, they said it was not available on the 2015 cruise I chose and could not enlighten me to which cruises actually had the beverage card included. I hope you indeed have got the beverage card included, more power to you, maybe us Aussie should imigrate across the ditch to kiwiland:rolleyes:

Cheers rojay.

[navybankerteacher]

You have lost me what does Government Income Tax rates to do variable pricing for the same cruise??

 

You pay more because you are taxed at a higher rate therefore have less disposable income??

 

Annie

 

Are you sure that you do not pay more in taxes on your cruise fare than North Americans? If fares are subject to VAT (like essentially everything else that you buy --- isn't it 19% now?) that would explain a lot .

[soccerpapi]

Many cruise lines, including Holland America based thier prices based on "Country of Residency" as opposed to "Country of Commencement of Travel". This causes the prices to vary depending on where a passenger resides.

 

In general, if would be more "fair" to the passenger if the cruise fare was priced based "Country of Commencement of Travel ". This is pretty much the way airline tickets and hotel reservations are priced now. In general, the prices are quoted in "Local Currency" and then converted to the currency in which you are purchasing the product.

 

I am sure many people will say they like the current way Holland America prices cruises, but those most affected by the price differences probably will not.

 

I can sympathize with the original poster and understand his or her frustration. I understand that he or she probably won't get too much sympathy from other posters though, based on the other comments he or she made though.

 

soccer