HAL Cruise Pricing; have they gone nuts !

[bUU]

The bean counters will figure it out and the CEO will do what is best for the bottom line. Airlines and hotels have the same challenge.

They already are. They're learning that the typical American consumer will reward them for keeping the fare increases lower, offering discounts and deals, and making it up with cost-cutting reductions in service, and monetization of previously included services.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[RedneckBob]

RedneckBob,

Hope your pellagra is getting better.

 

Last year HAL's new president announced to employees that he wants to slowly get rid of HAL's many discount cruisers.

You are correct about the inflation rates. Since 2009, the US dollar has decreased in value only about 15%, and prices in America have increased only about 30%.

Even lacking math skills, the 260% increase you are quoting is far greater than that.

Could it be that HAL is attempting to price out the rednecks?

Maybe they are succeeding?

 

Heck no, there is more than one bass, I mean one fish in the sea.

I have mostly been sailing on Celebrity and Oceania past three years. Got incredible deals !

For example last 5 sailings on Celebrity in Caribbean (10-14 days) have included balcony cabin, free tips, free drinks and $300 cabin credit for $150 a day. No way can HAL match that.

And in February sailed 10 days on Oceania on Riviera, balcony cabin; included free tips, free internet, free speciality restuarants (4 total); free drinks except booze and a $1000 cabin credit for $133 a day.

I could continue but as long as there are so many cruise lines out there sailing to the same places there will always be great deals.

[RedneckBob]

Way to go! Looking forward to your cruise reports!:)

 

Thanks

[iancal]

HAL's president may say this. But it is contradiction to the current final payment window prices for HAL's Alaska runs. This season, last season, and the season before.

 

Bottom line wins! Always. A significant portion of upside executive compensation is based on stock options and stock grants. These are tied to financial performance.

 

HAL is a mass market cruise line with lots and lots of cabins to fill each day. And they are adding even more. Empty cabins represent foregone revenue. The competition is not simply other mass market lines but rather all other travel options- of which there are many.

Edited May 28, 2017 by iancal

[SilvertoGold]

HAL's president may say this. But it is contradiction to the current final payment window prices for HAL's Alaska runs. This season, last season, and the season before.

 

Bottom line wins! Always. A significant portion of upside executive compensation is based on stock options and stock grants. These are tied to financial performance.

 

HAL is a mass market cruise line with lots and lots of cabins to fill each day. And they are adding even more. Empty cabins represent foregone revenue. The competition is not simply other mass market lines but rather all other travel options- of which there are many.

 

 

Agree.

Fares are only one part of the equation. Flight Ease, shorex, cabanas, drinks and much other onboard spending can equal or easily surpass fares, especially on shorter cruises.

 

One example of this is the Club 21 promotions with extremely low fares (almost give-aways). Some on this board have noted they don't really spend that much in the casino, but get the offers.

Edited May 28, 2017 by SilvertoGold

[iancal]

The last time we looked at a Med cruise we considered the prices to be too high. Especially since we are paying in devalued Canadian dollars. Even the late booking prices were relatively high.

 

We passed because another alternative seemed better from several perspectives. So, instead of the cruise we flew to Athens. Spent a few days there. Then rented a car for 8 days to tour the Pelopponese. After that, we headed to Piraeus and used the ferry system to island hop down to Crete. A week there on a driving tour and home. The cost of that vacation was the same as what we would have paid for a short cruise. Early last Dec. we grabbed an AI instead of a 7 day cruise.

 

Just two examples of why, for us, cruises compete with other travel options. There are many others like us. The world has become a smaller place and millennials, IMHO, are very much attuned to travel alternatives. The cruise industry is turning to family, destination cruises for a good reason.

[SilvertoGold]

 

Last year HAL's new president announced to employees that he wants to slowly get rid of HAL's many discount cruisers.

 

He did? Wow! Not exactly a polite way to put it. No wonder some pax feel the crew/officers are sometime snotty to them. I guess the "Signature of Excellence" is truly gone.

 

Maybe he could have set a professional example and instead of targeting the pax, he could have told his employees that he wants to slowly get rid of low pricing.

[bUU]

Read for yourself...

 

"Each year we look at ways to enhance not only the guest experience but our employees and crew too." http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6820

 

"How do we make the cruise industry attractive to people that didn’t cruise before?"

http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2016/02/22/fox-front-to-black-orlando-ashford-president-holland-america-line.html

Edited May 28, 2017 by bUU

[tiredlady]

I think that it does pay to call the cruise line for a price check when you are inside the final payment window. if you booked directly in this non refundable window. Or they could loose you to another cruise line or to another vacation options. Once the ship sails, the cabin inventory looses all value.

 

We have noticed an increase, in some instances significant, in mass market cruise prices over the past two years. This includes where we typically shop...inside the final payment window. We are doing less cruising and more independent land travel and AI's.

 

Sorry, but what is this payment window regarding inside or outside this window?

[iancal]

Sorry, that was not clear. What I mean to say is that when we are booking inside the final payment window we check the cruise line web site for pricing. We also speak to our TA.

 

But, we also call the cruise line. In one case the cruise line rep kept offering us increased incentives to book. These were much more attractive than then current cruise line web price and more attractive than the TA price.

I suspect that the cruise line reps had been told to sell and close deals in order to fill the ship. Even if it meant increasing the discounts...which he did whilst we were on the phone humming and hawing. The cruise line line knows that if we had hung up without buying we probably would not book. But, if we said yes on this inside the final payment window cruise, the sale would be made and it would be a final sale with no cancellation.

 

We said yes. We were happy, the cruise line was happy. That is the essence of a good deal.

[RedneckBob]

Sorry, that was not clear. What I mean to say is that when we are booking inside the final payment window we check the cruise line web site for pricing. We also speak to our TA.

 

But, we also call the cruise line. In one case the cruise line rep kept offering us increased incentives to book. These were much more attractive than then current cruise line web price and more attractive than the TA price.

I suspect that the cruise line reps had been told to sell and close deals in order to fill the ship. Even if it meant increasing the discounts...which he did whilst we were on the phone humming and hawing. The cruise line line knows that if we had hung up without buying we probably would not book. But, if we said yes on this inside the final payment window cruise, the sale would be made and it would be a final sale with no cancellation.

 

We said yes. We were happy, the cruise line was happy. That is the essence of a good deal.

 

Please, don't give away our secrets :cool:

[SilvertoGold]

Sorry, that was not clear. What I mean to say is that when we are booking inside the final payment window we check the cruise line web site for pricing. We also speak to our TA.

 

But, we also call the cruise line. In one case the cruise line rep kept offering us increased incentives to book. These were much more attractive than then current cruise line web price and more attractive than the TA price.

I suspect that the cruise line reps had been told to sell and close deals in order to fill the ship. Even if it meant increasing the discounts...which he did whilst we were on the phone humming and hawing. The cruise line line knows that if we had hung up without buying we probably would not book. But, if we said yes on this inside the final payment window cruise, the sale would be made and it would be a final sale with no cancellation.

 

We said yes. We were happy, the cruise line was happy. That is the essence of a good deal.

 

When you write about "cruise line reps" do you mean the reservations line or PCCs?

Thanks

[iancal]

Cruise rep.....on the toll free cruise line number.

[SilvertoGold]

Cruise rep.....on the toll free cruise line number.

 

Thanks.

 

We have never used them, but have used a PCC.

How good, different are these reps? I'm not crazy about the PCC I have used in the past: off at 2 pm, not much interested, a person of as few words as is humanly possible, not a good sharer of information........ Can't see this one ever even thinking of offering an incentive.

 

Also, calling the TA about booking a specific cruise and then HAL PCC has, for us, resulted in HAL refusing to deal with us because they know we have talked to the TA first. The TA may have placed a hold on the cruise, although we were not informed of that. Not sure how you get HAL to talk to you about booking once you have contacted a TA.

Edited May 30, 2017 by SilvertoGold

[iancal]

One reason we typically deal with a TA instead of a company rep or PCC is that on a few occasions we called to make a specific booking (as we usually do) . She told us about a better offer on another ship/cruise line that we also liked. The itineraries were almost identical. So we booked it. Both options were inside the final payment window. On another occasion she steered us away from a ship based on then recent feedback from a few clients. Cannot see a company rep or PCC doing that either!

 

A cruise line rep or PCC certainly would not do that. We prefer it because we have zero cruise line loyalty. We are more interested in ship, then the cruise line.

[G&G]

We just booked a South Pacific cruise, 28 days, round trip San Diego, March 2019. Standard Balcony is $4,250 per person. Same exact cruise March 2018 on the Maasdam is +$8,000 per person for a Vista Suite; which is very similar to standard balcony on the Eurodam.

 

No brainer for us.

[SilvertoGold]

We just booked a South Pacific cruise, 28 days, round trip San Diego, March 2019. Standard Balcony is $4,250 per person. Same exact cruise March 2018 on the Maasdam is +$8,000 per person for a Vista Suite; which is very similar to standard balcony on the Eurodam.

 

No brainer for us.

 

Hi, G&G

 

Good to see your booked on a great cruise. Hope you will be sailing before then, too.

 

The pricing will probably decrease on both, so keep your eyes open.;)

 

Thanks for pointing out these two cruises. Since this thread is about pricing gone nuts, I looked up the CND pricing, just to compare to the last two Tahiti cruises we have done. The pricing for amazingly more that the 35% exchange in effect now. Wow!

 

Glad you grabbed a good deal!

Edited June 10, 2017 by SilvertoGold

[G&G]

Hi, G&G

 

Good to see your booked on a great cruise. Hope you will be sailing before then, too.

 

The pricing will probably decrease on both, so keep your eyes open.;)

 

Thanks for pointing out these two cruises. Since this thread is about pricing gone nuts, I looked up the CND pricing, just to compare to the last two Tahiti cruises we have done. The pricing for amazingly more that the 35% exchange in effect now. Wow!

 

Glad you grabbed a good deal!

 

Thanks SilvertoGold.

 

Never booked a cruise so far out but HAL significantly cutback on number of cruises to the South Pacific. This will be our 4th to the region with two full days at Bora Bora !

 

One thing I find interesting is the schedule for the Eurodam ends after last Alaska cruise in Sept 2018 and the next schedule cruise is the March 2019 South Pacific. Is it in drydock six months ? :')

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks SilvertoGold.

 

Never booked a cruise so far out but HAL significantly cutback on number of cruises to the South Pacific. This will be our 4th to the region with two full days at Bora Bora !

 

One thing I find interesting is the schedule for the Eurodam ends after last Alaska cruise in Sept 2018 and the next schedule cruise is the March 2019 South Pacific. Is it in drydock six months ? :')

 

Sounds great! B-B is a good port to have two days, we enjoy it more than most of the ports. A long way out, indeed. You'll find some more for in between!