Transferring Future Cruise to our Travel agent

[debut]

We purchased a future cruise while on board and would like to transfer to our agent, is there a time limit to do this, would like to wait till Thanksgiving and see if we could get a better deal. Cruise is for 2020

thank you,

Debbie

 

[Cruising-along]

4 minutes ago, debut said:

We purchased a future cruise while on board and would like to transfer to our agent, is there a time limit to do this, would like to wait till Thanksgiving and see if we could get a better deal. Cruise is for 2020

thank you,

Debbie

 

The only time limit is that you do it before final payment.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

You won't have any problems transferring your cruise to a travel agent of your choosing.

[debut]

Thank you both for getting back to me

[Scrapnana]

Quick and easy to do.  Give your TA your booking number and he/she does all the work.

[0bnxshs]

I just transferred my January 2020 cruise booking made on board Zaandam in October to our preferred TA without any trouble.

 

I would agree with "Cruising-along" that the only deadline that exists in doing so would be the final payment date and I don't know if HAL would notify you about it beforehand so you can take care of it.  I didn't wait to find out.

 

 

[oceanmom]

Done it several times with no problems. Just check with the TA first as ours ( a big box store) asks for two weeks before final payment date in case there are any glitches. Then I call the TA the day before final payment, get put on a three way call with TA and HAL, and purchase insurance.

[bEwAbG]

Easy to do per what other people have said regarding the timeline.  However, I had to call HAL myself and tell them that I wanted to transfer.  This was per a big box store's instructions.  So start with your TA and see what they say.  The people I had to contact at HAL had specific hours to call, so it wasn't something I could do at night on the East Coast because they were already closed on the West.  Once I got that done, though, the TA could then see the reservation and make the switch.  

[Hlitner]

The last time we did this with HAL it involved a multi step process.  We first shopped around among several of our favorite cruise agents/agencies asking each (through a simple e-mail) how they would "enhance" our reservation if we transferred it to their agency.  Essentially we got bids for our business/reservation.  One agency offered us about $500 more then any other so they got the deal :).  At that point we e-mailed the chosen cruise agent that she could have our booking.  We then had to telephone HAL, wait on hold (one reason why I dislike dealing with cruise lines) and then tell the HAL clerk (PCCs are just clerks) the name and related info about the chosen cruise agency.  The following day our cruise agent e-mailed us that the reservation had been transferred.

 

For those wondering about our "shopping around" comment, this is something we have recommended for many years.   We use 4 excellent high volume cruise agencies and the deals offer by these agencies vary depending on the cruise line (we have booked with 16 cruise lines), ship, cost, and other factors.  The last HAL reservation that we transferred got us an extra $1050 OBC above what was offered by HAL.  Our 4 favored agencies all offered OBCs ranging from $300 to that $1050 number that we accepted.  In very simple terms, if we had left our reservation with the HAL PCC, we would have been paying HAL $1050 extra for the cruise.

 

Hank

[COTINGEY]

I asked my TA about a booking I made on HAL and want to transfer to her.  It is for a sailing in January 2020.  She responded that sh'e'd look into it and then wrote "Keep in mind the new policy, you have to transfer bookings with in 60 days from creation."  True or not?  The big box that I'm comparing with said nothing of that requirement, just that it needs to be done prior to final payment.

[Cruising-along]

9 minutes ago, COTINGEY said:

I asked my TA about a booking I made on HAL and want to transfer to her.  It is for a sailing in January 2020.  She responded that sh'e'd look into it and then wrote "Keep in mind the new policy, you have to transfer bookings with in 60 days from creation."  True or not?  The big box that I'm comparing with said nothing of that requirement, just that it needs to be done prior to final payment.

I haven’t heard anything about a new policy. I think (and hope) your TA is mistaken. 

Can a TA have their own policy? We transfer to the big box also and never had a problem.

I know Celebrity requires it be transferred within 60 days of booking. 

[OVgirl]

That is a restriction for some cruiselines, but not for HAL.

[richwmn]

Last week I transferred a cruise to the "Big Box" agency. HAL's final payment is Dec 11th. So I don't think the policy has changed.

[kazu]

52 minutes ago, COTINGEY said:

I asked my TA about a booking I made on HAL and want to transfer to her.  It is for a sailing in January 2020.  She responded that sh'e'd look into it and then wrote "Keep in mind the new policy, you have to transfer bookings with in 60 days from creation."  True or not?  The big box that I'm comparing with said nothing of that requirement, just that it needs to be done prior to final payment.

 

I think your TA is confused.  That's not a HAL policy.

 

I just transferred and spoke to World Cruise Reservations and, they confirmed that as long as it is done BEFORE final payment all is good.  Of course, it's always wise to transfer a bit before in case there is a hitch.

 

 

[COTINGEY]

I wrote to her "I know that this is a rule on Celebrity - but on Holland and Princess too?"

She responded "Princess was effective Nov 12 and I am sure HA will follow and they did it with no notice to passengers or agents"

 

On November 12 2018, Princess changed their booking transfer policy.

Effective iimmediately: Bookings may only be transferred within 60 days of booking creation as long as the request is made outside the final payment period & the booking is not paid in full.

 

I've used her for many years and trust her.  I think she is just giving me a heads up since they are both Carnival Corporation lines

[Cruising-along]

17 hours ago, COTINGEY said:

I wrote to her "I know that this is a rule on Celebrity - but on Holland and Princess too?"

She responded "Princess was effective Nov 12 "Keep in mind the new policy, you have to transfer bookings with in 60 days from creation."  

 

On November 12 2018, Princess changed their booking transfer policy.

Effective iimmediately: Bookings may only be transferred within 60 days of booking creation as long as the request is made outside the final payment period & the booking is not paid in full.

 

I've used her for many years and trust her.  I think she is just giving me a heads up since they are both Carnival Corporation lines

Thanks for explaining. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, I'll be sorry to see this change if/when it happens.  

I'm confused, you quoted your TA in post #10:

18 hours ago, COTINGEY said:

"Keep in mind the new policy, you have to transfer bookings with in 60 days from creation." 

 

but in post #15 

17 hours ago, COTINGEY said:

and I am sure HA will follow and they did it with no notice to passengers or agents"

which says to me that it isn't a done deal.  She may be sure, but it hasn't happened yet...again, I'll be sorry to see this if it does happen.  

It does make me think now, our long-time PCC just left HAL to stay home with her children and the new PCC has been gung-ho to get new bookings.  Maybe they know something, who knows. 

[bennybear]

Just transferred a booking to the big box,  they want two weeks before final payment as that is when they have you make payment in full on HAL.   

Sadly, we checked about Princess and it is now with in 60 days of booking like Celebrity.

so hoping HAL maintains status quo! 

[avian777]

On 12/3/2018 at 5:14 PM, kazu said:

... I just ... spoke to World Cruise Reservations and, they confirmed that as long as it is done BEFORE final payment all is good...

 

 

 

👍👍👍  Thanks for the helpful Post - good to hear that WCR was able to provide you with definitive & authoritative information and guidance.