almost a bait and switch experience

[puli]

I was just on the Hal Web site and on the phone as well...trying to understand why  when booking  a 2020 Sea  of Cortez cruise  if you don't want their  Explore 4  package you must pay a  $1200  deposit yet if you take that special package you only have to pay a deposit of $600. And just to keep you from opting for  the  regular Advantage package it is not even given as a option..your choice seems to be the Explore 4 package OR the restricted package where you pay less but must purchase their insurance immediately ..which is non refundable...

 

I realize this is not exactly a bait and switch practice but it seems a tad slanted to me...certainly not consumer friendly......just saying!

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, puli said:

I was just on the Hal Web site and on the phone as well...trying to understand why  when booking  a 2020 Sea  of Cortez cruise  if you don't want their  Explore 4  package you must pay a  $1200  deposit yet if you take that special package you only have to pay a deposit of $600. And just to keep you from opting for  the  regular Advantage package it is not even given as a option..your choice seems to be the Explore 4 package OR the restricted package where you pay less but must purchase their insurance immediately ..which is non refundable...

 

I realize this is not exactly a bait and switch practice but it seems a tad slanted to me...certainly not consumer friendly......just saying!

 

I've never seen the Advantage fare NOT available.  You probably have a PCC assigned.  Call the number and talk to them.  PCC phone # 1-800 - 355-3017 and ask for your PCC.

 

hope this helps.

[puli]

3 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I've never seen the Advantage fare NOT available.  You probably have a PCC assigned.  Call the number and talk to them.  PCC phone # 1-800 - 355-3017 and ask for your PCC.

 

hope this helps.

I know it  should  always be available ...however NOW it is  not shown on the web site so unless you knew about it or had a PCC  you would not even think to ask if there was an alternative pricing or better yet if you only booked on line you MUST select either the restrictive or the more expensive package so the Advantage price is not even in the ball game. and if you DO figure it out you are penalized by having to pay double the deposit!    I personally feel   HAL is going down the slippery slope with this type of sales pitch.....so sad!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Was the lower deposit a NON-refundable one?

[OlsSalt]

Defaulting the HAL cruise web browser into the highest price option and making the process to find lower prices option so tortured as to be virtually impossible, is the first HAL bait and switch (in reverse). Stick you with the highest price and make you think this is all you get.

 

This duplicitous up sales technique should be beneath them.  I find this offensive marketing, well before they stick you with the onerous deposit demands if you find a away to opt out of this default pricing. Booking on the website is the worst possible option under the current website configuration. Agree, talk to someone in person. .

[puli]

44 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Was the lower deposit a NON-refundable one?

yes.

[iancal]

Tacky, very tacky.

 

We prefer straightforward pricing in plain English.  We become very suspicious of any vendor where one needs a Ouiji board to understand the pricing options.  The options on the web and the options from a CSR.  Very out of character for HAL.  A shame really.

[Bill B]

A couple of years ago, when I discovered the website (after encouraging the pax to "Sign in for special pricing") listed the fare for a cruise I was considering at $1000.00 MORE for Mariner Society members than someone who had never sailed with HAL, I thought it was computer glitch. I posted on CruiseCritic... and found out (from all the 'cheerleaders') it wasn't a glitch... it's just "marketing".

 

Cruise lines prey on assumptions and ignorance. No one can tell me the above practice is not duplicitous and deliberately misleading. 99.999% of people will not realize, in some cases, "special pricing" actually means higher pricing - they will assume the opposite.

[CJcruzer]

I believe that the Explore4 promotion includes 50% reduced deposit ...meaning the regular deposit would be $1200 but under Explore4 you need only deposit $600 - 

 

Carol

Edited October 25, 2018 by CJcruzer

[dundeene]

My understanding as well.. . . 

Explore 4 is 50% off deposit, but mine is still refundable. (  I just booked a cruise yesterday with Explore 4 and the price, perks  ($500 OBC and lower deposit were just what I wanted).

I did not think any part of the process was misleading. The price was also lower than listed originally on HAL after I put in my mariner # to log in.

 

[puli]

if one does not drink the Explore 4  promotion is not  a good deal  financially...one can only drink so much non alcoholic specialty drinks to make it worth while ... having a two tier deposit schedule is punishing someone for not indulging....strange in a way!! and not even showing the Advantage fare is deliberately misleading...I think....and adding  insult to injury having to pony up double deposit  is insulting..especially to a 4 star cruiser.

[sevenseasnomad]

3 hours ago, puli said:

I was just on the Hal Web site and on the phone as well...trying to understand why  when booking  a 2020 Sea  of Cortez cruise  if you don't want their  Explore 4  package you must pay a  $1200  deposit yet if you take that special package you only have to pay a deposit of $600. And just to keep you from opting for  the  regular Advantage package it is not even given as a option..your choice seems to be the Explore 4 package OR the restricted package where you pay less but must purchase their insurance immediately ..which is non refundable...

 

I realize this is not exactly a bait and switch practice but it seems a tad slanted to me...certainly not consumer friendly......just saying!

Yes, I agree it's slanted.  I ran into the same deal when I went to computer pricing for a spring cruise.  My friend is sharing the cabin with me.  Explore 4 Fare was more than double the restricted price.  Since I wanted to avoid the Explore 4 Fare, I called my PCC, whom I've dealt with for 3 years.  My friend and I seldom drink adult beverages, so paying for a drink package with higher cruise fare makes no sense for us.  I was surprised that all we had to pay was $350 deposit pp, which is what we normally pay, restricted fare or not.  My PCC informed us that we would have to pay the insurance at final payment in order to get any money refunded should we cancel.  I questioned cancelling prior to final payment.  She sent me an email confirmation that allows us to cancel any time up to final payment and receive 100% of our deposit back even without the insurance.  

 

It seems HA gives out different information about this type of fare and its non-refundable/refundable policy.  A shame that corporate cannot apply these rules uniformly.  

[Hlitner]

In all due respect, taking the OP's issue to a PCC is like asking a serial poisoner to make your dinner :).  The PCCs are essentially order takers that work for HAL.....not the customer.  The OP would do better to find a very good cruise agent/agency that can work on their behalf and understands the issue.  We would suggest that since the OP is talking about a cruise in 2020 they might want to wait a few weeks until all the marketing changes to different options.    And yes, we understand that many HAL cruisers feel some kind of strange bonding with their PCCs which we have long found weird.   For me to deal with my PCC means I am going to pay 7-10% more for my cruise (after factoring in OBCs and other amenities).  When I once pointed out to my PCC that I could book the same cruise with one of my favorite cruise agencies and save over $1000...all the PCC could do was suggest I book with her (the PCC) and then transfer the reservation to the cruise agency to get the huge OBC.  In fact, our PCC even offered to take care of the transfer.  

 

The cruise industry has been changing (in a big way) for the past couple of years.  Now, its all about marketing various packages, different deposits, non-refundable deposits, etc.   Pricing is all over the place and the cruise lines (not just HAL) use packages as a ruse to confuse consumers who are not wise enough to reduce everything to a real cost per passenger day in order to compare.   I will give you an exaggerated example.  Suppose I am a cruise line and start selling a drink package for $1000 per passenger day!  I then increase the cost of the cruise by $500 but include that package....and now tell folks that its a great deal!  Or course the problem is that the drink package is not worth anywhere near $1000 a day...except for the fact that cruise line says so.  Even now, a couple can pay $120 a day for drink packages when its likely they have seldom spent more then $60 a day for drinks ever!  But some think its a good deal.

 

Our best example for HAL happened about 3 years ago when we booked (far in advance) a 40 day Oosterdam cruise that included the drink package.  A few weeks later we noticed that the price of our cabin had dropped about $11,000 after the drink promotion ended.  We called our cruise agent and suggested that she "rebook" our cruise at the new lower price.  When she saw the numbers even she laughed, put me on hold, and called HAL.  A few minutes later she came back on the line and said that HAL warned her that we would be losing the drink package if we rebooked at the lower price.  My reaction was to almost fall on the floor laughing as there is no way DW and I (or any couple) was going to spend anywhere near $11,000 on drinks in 40 days which would be $137.50 per person/day!

 

So be wise, do the math and think it all through.  And if you need help find a decent cruise agent who works for you...not the cruise line.

 

Hank

[sail7seas]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

Tacky, very tacky.

 

We prefer straightforward pricing in plain English.

 

[/quote]

 

I think most of us  share your preference. 

 

Also...   HAL does not sell insurance,   they sell  cancellation coverage with   a p athetically ridiculously low pittance for medical coverage.   NO  way I  would waste money on that.    UNless one's  usual  medical insurance pays out of country, they should think about buying 'insurance'    from third party,  IMO.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, iancal said:

 

We become very suspicious of any vendor where one needs a Ouiji board to understand the pricing options.  The options on the web and the options from a CSR.  Very out of character for HAL.  A shame really.

 

[kazu]

33 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

In all due respect, taking the OP's issue to a PCC is like asking a serial poisoner to make your dinner :).  The PCCs are essentially order takers that work for HAL.....not the customer.  The OP would do better to find a very good cruise agent/agency that can work on their behalf and understands the issue.  We would suggest that since the OP is talking about a cruise in 2020 they might want to wait a few weeks until all the marketing changes to different options.    And yes, we understand that many HAL cruisers feel some kind of strange bonding with their PCCs which we have long found weird.   For me to deal with my PCC means I am going to pay 7-10% more for my cruise (after factoring in OBCs and other amenities).  When I once pointed out to my PCC that I could book the same cruise with one of my favorite cruise agencies and save over $1000...all the PCC could do was suggest I book with her (the PCC) and then transfer the reservation to the cruise agency to get the huge OBC.  In fact, our PCC even offered to take care of the transfer.  

 

 

Hank

 

In all due respect your analogy of a serial poisoner is very wrong.  My PCC is upfront and honest.  She will never recommend a non refundable fare for a booking that is far out.  She doesn't recommend that at all.  I am always offered the advantage fare to compare to the current HAL offering (Explore4, Set and Sail, Prinsendam early booking offer - whatever).

 

Lots of us start with a PCC and then transfer to a TA.  Don't assume that because we use a PCC we are missing out.  Many of us are not and it is fine with our PCC's, they get the credit as long as we don't book on board.  I have asked.  But a good PCC can be very helpful and do a couple of things that some TA's (other than the good ones) cannot.

 

So don't compare these people to a serial poisoner.  It's just totally out of proportion IMO.  

 

 

 

 

[*Miss G*]

Has anyone heard when the Explore 4 promo will end? 

[VMax1700]

51 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Has anyone heard when the Explore 4 promo will end? 

According to Explore 4 t&c's it will run up to November 19th.

[*Miss G*]

17 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

According to Explore 4 t&c's it will run up to November 19th.

 

Good Lord.  This thing’s going to run forever!  Thanks VMax.

[VMax1700]

1 minute ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Good Lord.  This thing’s going to run forever!  Thanks VMax.

I know! and they will probably extend it as a Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday Special 

[*Miss G*]

1 minute ago, VMax1700 said:

I know! and they will probably extend it as a Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday Special 

 

I am waiting for the cyber sale.  They had amazing deals last year.  Shhh.  Don’t tell anyone.  

[terrydtx]

We used our TA and when we booked our Alaska cruise for next year we looked at both the Explore 4 promo VS the lower restricted fare. We will have our 10 year old grandson in our SS cabin. We mainly drink wine with dinner so the drink package in the Explore 4 wasn’t needed. Since we are Mariner members we booked the restricted fare and received the same Explore 4 offered $600 refundable deposit and reduced fare for our grandson in our cabin. The restricted fare saved us over $900 and the only thing we didn’t get was the $200 OBC. So we are saving $700. 

[RocketMan275]

What is an Advantage Fare?

[kazu]

13 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

What is an Advantage Fare?

 

It is the basic fare (refundable) without any of the bells and whistles.  So, for example, right now, the refundable fare without Explore4

[grsnovi]

We just booked three staterooms for an extended family Alaska trip in 2019. We had a very hard time nailing down the best rates. We found that the EXPLORE4 was not in our best interests. Luckily we work with two local TA's and I've always been able to convince them that they wanted our business - although that is certainly getting harder in 2018 than it was in 2006.

[RocketMan275]

45 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

It is the basic fare (refundable) without any of the bells and whistles.  So, for example, right now, the refundable fare without Explore4

Thank you.  To the best of my fading memories, I've never seen that kind of fare on the website.  I knew that one could ask for pricing that didn't include the current perks but I've always had to ask for that.