Downfall to booking cruise & excursions early

[cruz chic]

Well, I think that those people with connections to travel agents and such have other sources, but that's the only one I know (and that most people refer to).

 

I think they would need connections to someone at Hal not just a ta. I'm fairly sure Hal doesn't want everyone to know the availability on their ships. Why would they?

[chloes nana]

What hassle? Your travel agent will do all the work and you gain $850. Sounds like a winner to me.

 

I booked through HAL with my PCC, I don't have a travel agent. So I would have to do it all myself.

[chloes nana]

It is the reason that we never book early. Most often we book inside the final payment window. On average about 45 days out, sometimes much less if we are travelling in proximity to the embarkation port.

 

Over the past three or four years we have always been able to find reasonable international air. This sometimes requires flexibility as well but it also presents additional travel/sightseeing options.

 

Some cruise lines seem to 'feed' on their loyal customer base. To me it seems the result will eventually be an unappreciative shrinking customer base. It is why we like competition in the market.

 

that is why I remarked it may be time to shop the competition that offers those price guarantees.

[chloes nana]

I book early because I want a specific cabin and prefer to have what I want, rather than take my chances. I also book early so I can build the cost into my budget and pay for the cruise over time rather than all at once or putting it all on my credit card.

 

But, the real question to ask is, were you happy with the price for your cruise before you saw the deals? Before you saw the new deals, did you think it was a fair price for the cruise/excursions?

 

I stop looking at pricing for my cruises after I have booked and paid the deposit. I pay what I consider a reasonable price for what I want and I'm happy with that.

 

In your other shopping, do you go back to the stores every day to check to see if the items you just bought are on sale, and then complain about it if they are? Would you take back your chicken breasts because the store put them on sale the day after you bought them?

 

If you were happy when you agreed to the price, what the price is now hardly matters. Don't add to life's stress by worrying about price drops after you pay what you considered a fair price.

no I wasn't happy with the price actually. It is a very expensive trip to sail around SA. So yes I was set up to watch for better deals along the way.

And don't be ridiculous about food refunds, really??? But big ticket items? YES! if they go on sale after I purchase them, within a reasonable time frame you bet I will go back for the price adjustment. And you know what? most companies will honor it to keep you coming back.

[SetAnOpenCourse]

Do you have a list of the 22 excursions? It seems to me that choosing them would be time-consuming, but not reading a list of them. If some of them are with separated tour operators, that's different.

 

In case you don't have one, a speaker-phone makes the task easier.

[chloes nana]

Actually, pretty much all our stores here will honour a price reduction if you go back with the receipt. I've done it many times.:) You don't need to take back the chicken breasts as long as you have the receipt. Don't they do that in Australia? Sorry for the thread drift, back to whatever.

 

Exactly!!! thank you!:D

[avian777]

This is why I'm glad I have my own local TA. She got the same answer as OP when she called her HAL rep. about our upcoming Oosterdam 3 day Pacific Coast cruise. We were originally booked in a Category F to save some $$. She pressed saying that we were loyal customers and had taken several upsells. The answer was still no, but she kicked it up a level. We ended up with a SZ guarantee for $40. apiece! Now the SYs are under the Lido, but hey, that's better than 3 cabins from the showroom. She did this on her own. I didn't ask her to. She knew that we were in France at the time and just went ahead and did it. AND she paid the $80 from the company's funds and won't let me pay her back.

 

I'm normally cool with being happy with my decision about when I book. We book both early and late. And I have a great TA!

 

Thank you for the very uplifting testimonial for using TAs. We have had countless similar experiences with our TA, including a few 2- and 3-category upgrades (not upsells!).

[Randyk47]

We're in the book early crowd but that's driven by having to plan our major vacations up to a year or more out because of work. It's gotten a bit easier since I went into semi-retirement as my schedule is obviously much more my own but Mrs. K still has to plan, schedule her time off, and even to some extent get approval of where she goes. Certainly one of the benefits of having to book early is that we typically get our choice of itinerary, dates, and cabin. The downside is that there have been times when because of sales or incentives that we've maybe paid more for our cabin, or missed out on some other incentive, than somebody who was able to take advantage of a last minute offer. As distasteful as that might be it happens and we just live with it. I do wish, and I really don't hold out much hope of it, that HAL and the other big lines would go to a lowest price guarantee.

[3rdGenCunarder]

You never want to ask your fellow airline passenger how much they paid either. Sometimes you just have to accept at the time you booked, you thought it was a good deal for your vacation budget ..... at that time. And then that is the end of the story.

 

Sure savings later are nice, very nice, but sometimes you just have to duck your head in the sand and concentrate on what you thought was good enough when you started your planning.

 

And be glad that few to zero people ever talk about how much they paid up front once you get on board. I always felt a little guilty enjoying the Neptune Lounge cabins on an upgrade so I never brag about what a good deal we got then either. Pay, go and don't look back.

 

I agree with you. "Demand pricing," or whatever they call it, means that prices will fluctuate. We're used to it with airlines. I can't remember seeing "published fares" for flights, it's been so long since that happened. But I do remember cruise booklets listing prices for cruises. Of course, that's gone now, too.

 

I like your philosophy of don't look back. I must admit, I sometimes do peek at prices for a cruise I've booked. I book early to get the cabin I want and I accept that there may be deals offered or price drops. But I guess I've chosen popular cruises in recent years, because when I do go back and peek, I find higher prices. My TA gets me a slightly lower price to start or extra OBC, but I'll look again a few months later and the savings will have increased from $200 to more like $600!

 

I'm sure I've missed out on price drops in the past. But the money is spent, I didn't go broke, and I've had lots of good times, so it's all good.

[Lizzie68]

Where does it state for your entire cruise they will pay for your gratuities? This is exactly what it says in the blurb for each area..

 

Quote More Savings

 

For one week only, receive prepaid gratuities on Ocean-view and above staterooms! Plus, book a suite and receive 100 free internet minutes! (learn more) Unquote

 

No where in this notice does it state prepaid Gratuities for your entire cruise.. My cruise is actually on the list.. I did not look at the other lists.. Guess you checked & your cruise is also on the list but I still think you are not interpreting it correctly..

 

Also can't imagine that other cruise lines would return $$$ for bookings which were made prior to the sale..IMO they would go broke if they had to do this for every booking.. Normally sales are for new bookings only, but HAL only said that reduced deposits are for new bookings only..N othing about Grat's. IMO it's very confusing & not clearly stated..

 

But if you are correct, then you should get it clarified by a Management Employee!

 

 

The sale is on for 7 days only. It applies to any cruise on the list which also includes cruises of more than 7 days. For instance, there are 30 and 35-day cruises that I noticed. It was quite clear it is a 7 days sale on select items, just as you would see in a store.

[kalliekae]

When you book it is always a cxxx shoot as there will probably always be a better deal coming along up to and including booking 2 days before a cruise and sailing for just a few hundred dollars. I also book early to get the cabin I want and with price decreases or better perks that come up, have usually been given extra OBC thru my TA.

 

It is always better to get a lower price but in the grand scheme of life, one makes choices and then has to handle the consequences. Recommend you sit back and have a wonderful cruise!

 

I couldn't agree more. When I book a cruise, I have decided that is the price I will pay and the cabin I want. I'm done. I book the excursions once we get closer to the sail date. I rarely check to see if the price has dropped. Maybe I'm weird, but I treat the cruise just like our land vacations. I don't constantly shop for a better priced hotel so I don't worry if the cruise I am on has different prices or promotions. When you are sitting on an airplane, there are passengers who have paid more and less than you have paid. Do you worry about that? Go and enjoy your cruise!

[blizzardboy]

You see alot of questions regarding booking early to get the specific cabin you want or booking excursions early to be sure you get the ones you want.

Well, this new 7 day sale, it is a prime example of why you shouldn't book everything too early with HAL. I sent off a phone call and email to my PCC first thing this morning to see if I could get this promo attached to my booking.

Well, lo and behold, I would have to cancel my entire booking as well as all my prepaid excursions, beverage cards and OBC I have purchased, and rebuy/rebook it all, if I wanted the free prepaid gratuities promo.

So to anyone who may ask, sometimes it does not pay to book or buy excursions too early. And even if you have purchased a suite, you will not get the benefits offered down the line necessarily, if and when they are offered. Never put the cart before the horse, as he may run to try and catch the carrot to no avail. Disappointed......:(

Saving $11 or $12 a day is a savings, but I wouldn't let not getting it ruin your day. If the cruise fare has gone up since you booked it, count yourself lucky you booked it early.

[kazu]

I couldn't agree more. When I book a cruise, I have decided that is the price I will pay and the cabin I want. I'm done. I book the excursions once we get closer to the sail date. I rarely check to see if the price has dropped. Maybe I'm weird, but I treat the cruise just like our land vacations. I don't constantly shop for a better priced hotel so I don't worry if the cruise I am on has different prices or promotions. When you are sitting on an airplane, there are passengers who have paid more and less than you have paid. Do you worry about that? Go and enjoy your cruise!

 

Unlike you I DO check my hotel prices (unless I have decided to prepay) and hotels DO honour their new price. It's easy to get it reduced or to rebook.

 

It's a little different with excursions. purchased items and stuff with a cruise ship, especially if you are dealing with exchange rates. The credit cards have one rate for "sell" and one rate for "buy" and you lose several percentage points. AND the small excursions do sell out and you can lose your place when you rebook.

 

Dammed if you book early and sometimes, depending upon exchange rates, dammed if you don't.

Edited September 15, 2015 by kazu

[iancal]

We always recheck hotel rates and rental car rates. They both can fluctuate significantly, based on demand, between your booking date and service date. We have travelled for five out of the last twelve months. Saving 10-20 percent (or more sometimes) made a significant difference in our ability to travel as often as we did/do. We don't spend all of our time checking but we certainly do follow up a few times.

Edited September 15, 2015 by iancal

[iancal]

Duplicate

Edited September 15, 2015 by iancal

[cruz chic]

I couldn't agree more. When I book a cruise, I have decided that is the price I will pay and the cabin I want. I'm done. I book the excursions once we get closer to the sail date. I rarely check to see if the price has dropped. Maybe I'm weird, but I treat the cruise just like our land vacations. I don't constantly shop for a better priced hotel so I don't worry if the cruise I am on has different prices or promotions. When you are sitting on an airplane, there are passengers who have paid more and less than you have paid. Do you worry about that? Go and enjoy your cruise!

 

There are a lot of people that feel this way. Not everyone is in the same financial situation. If you are sitting on a few million in the bank and never have to worry is not the same as someone who saves for years for a holiday. That's fine for you to think this way. Others may not have the same luxury or thoughts.

[avian777]

I couldn't agree more. When I book a cruise, I have decided that is the price I will pay and the cabin I want. I'm done. I book the excursions once we get closer to the sail date. I rarely check to see if the price has dropped. Maybe I'm weird, but I treat the cruise just like our land vacations. I don't constantly shop for a better priced hotel so I don't worry if the cruise I am on has different prices or promotions. When you are sitting on an airplane, there are passengers who have paid more and less than you have paid. Do you worry about that? Go and enjoy your cruise!

 

I'm with you 100% on this - I'd hate to think of how miserable I'd feel if I let myself worry about someone else getting a better deal than I got - I believe that is what's called envy!!!

[Tante Amalie]

I don't really understand the controversy here.

 

There are advantages to booking early. You get a guaranteed cabin, price, place on the cruise and all the security of making your plans for flights and vacations.

 

There are advantages to booking late. You get a shot at a great price, but you take a chance that the price may go up or that the cruise may sell out. You have to hope for the best on flights (which also may be better or worse by waiting).

 

The people who book early and complain seem to want it both ways. That doesn't make any sense. They seem to miss the fundamental point that an early booking and a last minute booking are two different products. HAL is trying to make a profit. They can't be blamed for charging a premium for a product that the marketplace values at a higher rate. You can't have it both ways. It's perfectly reasonable to choose to book early or to choose to book later. But it's unreasonable to think you should get the advantages of both.

[cruz chic]

Different products? Maybe for some. If you take a guarantee it most certainly is not. Early bookers are committing to the cruise line early. How is wanting it both ways? Shouldn't Hal appreciate it? What if everyone booked at the last minute and they had a empty ship until the end. Yeah, that would work. Same tired old argument.

Edited September 16, 2015 by cruz chic

[dakrewser]

Different products? Maybe for some. If you take a guarantee it most certainly is not. Early bookers are committing to the cruise line early. How is wanting it both ways? Shouldn't Hal appreciate it? What if everyone booked at the last minute and they had a empty ship until the end. Yeah, that would work. Same tired old argument.

 

Then everyone would get a great deal because there be one helluva promo to sell those cabins.

 

A guarantee is its own type of bet - you're betting you'll get more cabin than you were willing to pay for when you booked.

[iancal]

For us booking late is a different product. We may not know which of perhaps to two or three ships/itineraries that we will be going on since we typically follow the pricing on several.

 

We may not even go. We are on a land trip at the moment. We have shopped for a cruise but did not find one that we wanted. So we changed our plans slightly and are doing more independent travel. Two-three years ago when our dollar was higher and the wold economy was poor we were getting late booking balcony Med cruises for $100 per day. We did three one year.

 

This takes some planning and some flexibility that is not required if we booked early.

[Tante Amalie]

Different products? Maybe for some. If you take a guarantee it most certainly is not. Early bookers are committing to the cruise line early. How is wanting it both ways? Shouldn't Hal appreciate it? What if everyone booked at the last minute and they had a empty ship until the end. Yeah, that would work. Same tired old argument.

 

A guaranteed spot on a future cruise is simply not the same thing as taking a gamble on the price and availability of a place on that cruise. I'm sure HAL does appreciate does appreciate your business. But that doesn't mean they should charge you less than what the market will bear. People are willing to pay more for the security of a guaranteed place. It's just good business to charge what they are willing to pay. I sympathize if you have personal circumstances that prevent you from being flexible and taking advantage of last minute deals, but those are the cruel facts of the marketplace. If you really think there's no difference between buying early or late, then I guess you should wait until the last minute and get one of those bargains. But don't be surprised when things don't work out the way you hoped. You might conclude that the price premium required to get a confirmed spot would have been worth it. A product consists of many attributes, including the timing of the purchase. You can get a great deal on Christmas tree ornaments the day after the holiday, but most people will pay extra to buy them earlier. The same for chocolates and roses after Valentines Day. I don't think it's realistic to complain about others getting a better price because you choose to buy early.

[cruz chic]

A guaranteed spot on a future cruise is simply not the same thing as taking a gamble on the price and availability of a place on that cruise. I'm sure HAL does appreciate does appreciate your business. But that doesn't mean they should charge you less than what the market will bear. People are willing to pay more for the security of a guaranteed place. It's just good business to charge what they are willing to pay. I sympathize if you have personal circumstances that prevent you from being flexible and taking advantage of last minute deals, but those are the cruel facts of the marketplace. If you really think there's no difference between buying early or late, then I guess you should wait until the last minute and get one of those bargains. But don't be surprised when things don't work out the way you hoped. You might conclude that the price premium required to get a confirmed spot would have been worth it. A product consists of many attributes, including the timing of the purchase. You can get a great deal on Christmas tree ornaments the day after the holiday, but most people will pay extra to buy them earlier. The same for chocolates and roses after Valentines Day. I don't think it's realistic to complain about others getting a better price because you choose to buy early.

 

I'm not saying a person should get the same price as a last minute booker. What I'm saying is that Hal should offer some incentive to book early. I believe carnival does have a program that rewards early bookers. A cruise is not chocolates, a dress, or Christmas ornaments. Those are silly comparisons. On my cruise for October the price went down about a week after final. You can't tell me supply and demand changed in a week but posters sure like to trot that out. I'm always reading comments from posters that are bitter about these last minute discounts and they will not book early. If Hal keeps making enemies it might find very few will book early.

[dakrewser]

I'm not saying a person should get the same price as a last minute booker. What I'm saying is that Hal should offer some incentive to book early. I believe carnival does have a program that rewards early bookers. A cruise is not chocolates, a dress, or Christmas ornaments. Those are silly comparisons. On my cruise for October the price went down about a week after final. You can't tell me supply and demand changed in a week but posters sure like to trot that out. I'm always reading comments from posters that are bitter about these last minute discounts and they will not book early. If Hal keeps making enemies it might find very few will book early.

 

Prices go down after final payment date based on the supply of cabins left. There are people who cancel the day before final, you know.

 

The "incentive" to book earl is the chance to get exactly what you want (cabin, dining, excursions, etc.) which late bookers don't get. To compensate THEM, they are often "thrown a bone" in terms of promotions (which, as we've seen, really don't save them anything).

[iancal]

It Is like buying a winter coat in the spring.

 

You might get a reduction of 50-75 percent but you have missed out on the enjoyment of wearing that coat for the past winter months. Plus the styles or colours could change next year.