New to HAL. Looking for tips on pricing...

[ProfCruise]

Hello everyone! I'm new to HAL -- only sailed Carnival in the past. I'm looking to book a Panama Canal cruise for early December. I normally book "Early Saver" on Carnival so I can take advantage of price drops and get the best price possible. Does HAL offer something similar? All you veteran HAL cruisers, what are your tips for getting the best possible rate?

 

Thanks in advance! So excited to try a new line!:D

[Lizzie68]

Hello everyone! I'm new to HAL -- only sailed Carnival in the past. I'm looking to book a Panama Canal cruise for early December. I normally book "Early Saver" on Carnival so I can take advantage of price drops and get the best price possible. Does HAL offer something similar? All you veteran HAL cruisers, what are your tips for getting the best possible rate?

 

Thanks in advance! So excited to try a new line!:D

 

I'm afraid I have no tips to offer you - just thought I would say welcome.:) From my own limited experience, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to pricing, but HAL does honour price drops before final payment date, from what I have gathered here.

[Crew News]

Hello everyone! I'm new to HAL -- only sailed Carnival in the past. I'm looking to book a Panama Canal cruise for early December. I normally book "Early Saver" on Carnival so I can take advantage of price drops and get the best price possible. Does HAL offer something similar? All you veteran HAL cruisers, what are your tips for getting the best possible rate?

 

Thanks in advance! So excited to try a new line!:D

 

We always book early to get the stateroom we wish. Our experience is that prices tend to go up for a few months and then begin to drop as you get closer to sailing date. If you have a HAL personal cruise consultant and notice a price drop, they will honor the new price before the final payment date. After that, you can request OBC but there is a limit to how much they can give.

 

The Panama Canal is great, especially from an aft cabin suite but very hot/humid. We enjoyed our PC cruise but learned that keeping the curtains closed was essential when the sun was shining directly on the furniture.

 

My advice is to book early, watch for price drops, and then await offers of upsells as you get down to the final few weeks.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Crew News

[suec12]

I am a frequent Celebrity cruiser so have gotten pretty familiar with their strategies but now I have a HAL sail booked for the fall. I keep watching the prices - so far, not much fluxing. But I have a question - if you book a guarantee on HAL, can you switch cabins after assignment to another cabin in the same class? and how far ahead of time are you assigned the cabin. We just did this on Celebrity and the guarantee cabin showed up with in 24 hours (this was before final payment). Thanks for the info!

[POA1]

Holland America doesn't have a program that's directly comparable. The HAL promos tend to be more about giving "value-added" perks for early booking. (Feel free to begin arguing my friends. I knew what I was getting into the moment I typed it. :D)

 

You can watch the pricing for drops and have your fare rebooked, but it's not the same. You may lose some early booking benefits to gain the lower price later.

[CantanaLobo]

... I normally book "Early Saver" on Carnival so I can take advantage of price drops and get the best price possible. Does HAL offer something similar? ...

HAL has nothing like Carnival Early Saver. As other have said, you can get price drops before final. After final you might get some OBC. A note on price drops: If you booked and received a perk (e.g. drinks package) as part of the price, and the rate no longer includes the perk, then if you want to take advantage of the price drop, you will lose the perk.

[cruz chic]

I am a frequent Celebrity cruiser so have gotten pretty familiar with their strategies but now I have a HAL sail booked for the fall. I keep watching the prices - so far, not much fluxing. But I have a question - if you book a guarantee on HAL, can you switch cabins after assignment to another cabin in the same class? and how far ahead of time are you assigned the cabin. We just did this on Celebrity and the guarantee cabin showed up with in 24 hours (this was before final payment). Thanks for the info!

 

Generally you will not be assigned a cabin until it's very close to saling. You MAY be able to get another assignment but be prepared to not have that happen. It you are the least bit fussy it's likely better to book the room you like.

[RuthC]

If you have a HAL personal cruise consultant and notice a price drop, they will honor the new price before the final payment date.

You can get price drops even if you don't have a personal cruise consultant. :rolleyes:

No need to feel left out if you chose another method to book.

 

If you have a personal cruise consultant, fine, but if you use a TA, or even booked directly with a HAL reservation agent on on-line, all you need to do is keep track of price drops and ask when you see yours is lower.

That is good until final payment. After final payment, you may or may not get some financial consideration.