Best Travel Agencies for HAL Good Pricing/Perks

[Hlitner]

HAL does a fantastic job playing to folks vanity and ego.  This is simply part of effective marketing techniques and it seems to work better with many older long time HAL fans, then with many other cruise lines although every line has their own marketing gimmicks.  Yes, I know that some folks would argue the point, but PCCs are a great example.  A PCC is nothing more than a reservations clerk (in any other organization) sitting in front of a computer monitor in their tiny cubicle.  Make no mistake, they work for the cruise line...not the customer.  Is that a bad thing?  Of course not.  A PCC (or a reservations clerk anywhere else) can be helpful because of their knowledge of the product, access to the appropriate "scripts,"  etc.  However what they cannot do is compete in terms of price, amenities, or knowledge of the industry beyond HAL.  Consider that about 80% (at least this is what it was about 4 years ago) of HAL bookings come from cruise/travel agents and agencies.  The cruise lines must compete with each other when it comes to wooing the agencies and this is done by paying generous commissions, overrides, bonuses, etc.  Agencies also get the opportunity to offer financial booking incentives that are not even available to PCCs.

 

I started out talking about "vanity and ego" and playing to that is key to many marketing campaigns.  You can see it right here on CC  Many HAL cruisers covet their Medallions, Pins, Mariner status, etc.  Many cruisers will stand in line for 15 minutes to get into a Mariners event where they might get a free drink.  It makes some folks feel "special" and part of something bigger then themselves.  It is all basic marketing strategy (taught in any marketing program at Universities).  When we have asked some fellow HAL fans why they book with a PCC when it costs them 7 - 10% more then booking with a decent cruise agency we usually get a comment such as "I like my PCC,"  or "my PCC treats me well."  I do not even know my PCC...other then its the voice of a reservations clerk on the phone and she has tried to convince me that I should book with her (but she cannot really explain why) and then I can transfer the booking to a decent outside agency who will give me lots of OBCs, pre paid gratuities, etc.  But it suits many folks...some of who have no problem paying hundreds or thousands of dollars more for the privilege of bonding with their PCC :).  When we have been contacted by our PCC we always give them the same challenge.   "Match or beat the deals we can get from our favored cruise agencies and we will give you are bookings."  And the answer is always the same.  "We cannot do that, but we can give you good service."

 

And finally, consider that marketing is also a major part of cruise agency strategy.  There is one particular cruise agency the seem to specialize in HAL bookings and who has a lot of HAL customers.  This particular agency will often have a "rep" on many HAL cruises and will schedule a few parties,  coffee chats etc.  We have a good HAL cruising friend that books all of her cruises with this agency, even though she is cognizant that they do not offer the best deals when compared to many other agencies.  But our friend is willing to pay more money (to book through this particular agency) because she enjoys the onboard comradery that happens with others who also book with this agency.  It is another example of great marketing 🙂   

 

Our message has remained the same for many years.  When booking a cruise, shop around among several high volume reputable cruise agencies and take the best overall deal.  I do not think of my favorite cruise agent as a friend, but I do toast her on the cruise because the money we have saved is paying for the drink :).

 

Hank 

[DaveOKC]

Hiltner - I tried a big box store booking and got the same fare as HAL, even getting the casino rate (impressed).  Plus it was showing an additional $550 OBC now for 2 people (very impressed).  With a new store finally coming to our city next week, I will check this out further.

 

Three questions though:

1.  How do I used my FCD (future cruise deposit) and will I get the ZPM promotion OBC with the big box?

2.  How good is the big box on passing along "upsells"?  I use this often.

3.  Any other perks for booking with them?  Such as membership discounts or credits?

 

Thanks - DaveOKC

[OVgirl]

20 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Hiltner - I tried a big box store booking and got the same fare as HAL, even getting the casino rate (impressed).  Plus it was showing an additional $550 OBC now for 2 people (very impressed).  With a new store finally coming to our city next week, I will check this out further.

 

Three questions though:

1.  How do I used my FCD (future cruise deposit) and will I get the ZPM promotion OBC with the big box?

2.  How good is the big box on passing along "upsells"?  I use this often.

3.  Any other perks for booking with them?  Such as membership discounts or credits?

 

Thanks - DaveOKC

If you have the executive membership you will get another 2% of the cruise price credited to your big box account.

[Cruising-along]

21 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

1.  How do I used my FCD (future cruise deposit) and will I get the ZPM promotion OBC with the big box?

    Yes.   FCDs and ZPM are handled by the Big Box store the same way any other TA or PCC would do it.

2.  How good is the big box on passing along "upsells"?  I use this often.

     We rarely are interested in upsells, but the one time we were, we let them know and they handled it beautifully, working a great deal with HAL.

3.  Any other perks for booking with them?  Such as membership discounts or credits?

     We get money back or store credits on the anniversary of our membership each year.  The more we spend the more we get.  🙂  

 

[DaveOKC]

3 minutes ago, OVgirl said:

If you have the executive membership you will get another 2% of the cruise price credited to your big box account.

Is there an upper limit on this amount (the 2%) that I can earn?

 

[OVgirl]

Just now, DaveOKC said:

Is there an upper limit on this amount (the 2%) that I can earn?

 

I think it's $1,000. At least here in Canada. This credit is only given to you at the end of the year. And I think just for use in the stores. Don't know if you can cash it.

[DaveOKC]

3 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

 

s to the upsells, how did the big box handle it?  Now I get the upsell email offer directly from HAL and I call a special number to accept it.  Do they contact you or do you have to originate the request somehow?

[Cruising-along]

1 minute ago, DaveOKC said:

s to the upsells, how did the big box handle it?  Now I get the upsell email offer directly from HAL and I call a special number to accept it.  Do they contact you or do you have to originate the request somehow?

In our case we usually have our bookings marked "do not upgrade" but in this one instance the price dropped after final payment on a higher category than we'd booked so we called them and asked what they could do for us.  They called HAL, and we came to a mutual agreement that we were very happy with.  It was all taken care of with a couple phone calls. 

[DaveOKC]

4 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

In our case we usually have our bookings marked "do not upgrade" but in this one instance the price dropped after final payment on a higher category than we'd booked so we called them and asked what they could do for us.  They called HAL, and we came to a mutual agreement that we were very happy with.  It was all taken care of with a couple phone calls. 

OK - Thanks, I understand your situation now.

 

My real question (which I should have better explained) is does big box pass on the "upsell" email offers that HAL seems to generate on almost every cruise lately (depends on category naturally)?  For example, on my April cruise, 4 weeks prior to sailing I received an email from HAL offering to upgrade me from a Signature suite to a Neptune Suite for $99.  I quickly called them directly on the provided special phone number and got it done in a matter of minutes. So, does the big box pass this type of offer onto you (most other TAs will do this, but the process speed varies)?

[oaktreerb]

10 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

s to the upsells, how did the big box handle it?  Now I get the upsell email offer directly from HAL and I call a special number to accept it.  Do they contact you or do you have to originate the request somehow?

Big Box will not call or e-mail you for upsells.  You will still get your free upgrade if you tell them you will accept an upgrade.  You will need to call BB to request any price adjustments or to inquire if there are any upsells being offered.  BB customer service rep (TA) will call HAL to see what HAL can do for you.  

[richwmn]

DaveOKC has asked a couple of questions about how things are handled by the "Big Box". I would like to address this.

 

With the "Big Box" and many other agencies that give the highest rebates, you talk to whoever is available at the time you call. At any given time you may get someone who is really interested in helping you, or you may get someone who doesn't know and really doesn't care how your cruise goes. If you get one that is not willing to help, you are SOL unless you call back and get someone who is willing to go the extra mile to help you get your best deal.

 

Going with an agency that is not quite as generous could give you the opportunity to have an agent that is your contact and may want to work with you more.

 

[DaveOKC]

10 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

Big Box will not call or e-mail you for upsells.  You will still get your free upgrade if you tell them you will accept an upgrade.  You will need to call BB to request any price adjustments or to inquire if there are any upsells being offered.  BB customer service rep (TA) will call HAL to see what HAL can do for you.  

Thanks!  This is what I thought, but was not sure of.

 

Based on all of the above great responses, I conclude that the BB is great if you know exactly what you want and do not need alot of "hand holding".   Further, if you are interest in upsells, you will have a more difficult time and it will be harder to get a great upsell deal (unless you time things just right).  

 

I think I will give them a try on a cruise that I do not expect upsells on.  The extra OBC sounds good, as does the 2% cash back.

[sandiego1]

The big box store rebate for Executive membership is a check that can only be used or cashed in at a store. Still, we get at least $4,000 back every year.

[yerdua]

In addition to the 2% rebate for executive members, also earn another 3% on all travel purchases by paying with the BB branded credit card. It all adds up.

 

I have always been pleased with how their agents handled negotiations with HAL for adjustments after price drops... even after final payment (sometimes a long time after final payment).

Edited May 12, 2019 by yerdua

[Love the beach]

On 3/30/2019 at 11:49 PM, Cruising-along said:

Unlike some other cruise lines, HAL allows transfers up to final payment.  We usually do it about a week before final payment. It's very easy, TAs and HAL all know the drill.  🙂  

This policy has changed....it is now 60 days from booking.''

 

[Cruising-along]

15 minutes ago, Love the beach said:

This policy has changed....it is now 60 days from booking.''

 

I am very much aware of that 🙂  The policy changed on April 8, my post was dated March 30. 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Cruising-along

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

Hiltner - I tried a big box store booking and got the same fare as HAL, even getting the casino rate (impressed).  Plus it was showing an additional $550 OBC now for 2 people (very impressed).  With a new store finally coming to our city next week, I will check this out further.

 

Three questions though:

1.  How do I used my FCD (future cruise deposit) and will I get the ZPM promotion OBC with the big box?

2.  How good is the big box on passing along "upsells"?  I use this often.

3.  Any other perks for booking with them?  Such as membership discounts or credits?

 

Thanks - DaveOKC

Dave,   I have never used a Big Box store to book a cruise :).  I talked about "shopping around" and this does include the Big Box stores...but we have always found much better overall deals looking elsewhere.   We are members of 2 Big Box stores but not for the travel perks.  

 

With the cruise agencies we use (there are currently 3 on our "favored list") a FCD is not an issue.  If I book on the phone they will apply that deposit while making the booking (they are tied directly into the cruise line computers).  If there are any issues about credits they simply put me on hold, call their contacts at the cruise line, and resolve it within a couple of minutes.  But we tend to book a majority of our cruises on-line with a few clicks of the mouse (we have done this for even expensive multi-month cruises).  If we have any kind of existing credit with that particular cruise line we will follow-up with either a phone call or an e-mail to the cruise agent and it is quickly resolved.  The agents I use will handle dozens of booking in a single day and these folks are good (or we would look elsewhere).   They work for me...not the cruise line :).  If there are any issues/problems I have a high volume agent/agency as my advocate and they have a lot more clout (and contacts) with every cruise line then me.   If I later notice a price drop (or change in promotions that gets my interest) I just send a quick e-mail (takes me less than a minute) to my cruise agent and he/she takes care of it.  

 

Also consider that we do quite a few longer (measured in weeks or months) cruises to pretty exotic places that involve complex pre and post cruise travel planning.  All things being equal we prefer an experienced agency that has some understanding of issues related to that kind of travel/cruising.  My current favorite cruise agent (she is very young and still learning) understands our cruise and travel habits and gives us a lot of support (when requested).  But I have often teased her that my "loyalty" to her (and her agency) is only as good as the last booking...and she is aware that we will book elsewhere (in a heartbeat) if we can get a better deal.   We have also discovered that certain cruise lines seem to have special relationships with specific agencies.  So we often book RCI products (Celebrity and Azamara) with one particular agency while are CCL products usually are booked through a different agency.  MSC tends to frustrate all cruise agents but our young cruise agent seems to have figured out how to deal with that company :).

 

Hank

[DaveOKC]

58 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

The big box store rebate for Executive membership is a check that can only be used or cashed in at a store. Still, we get at least $4,000 back every year.

I thought that the limit was $1000 (on the membership card)???  Am I missing something?

[DaveOKC]

22 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Dave,   I have never used a Big Box store to book a cruise :).  I talked about "shopping around" and this does include the Big Box stores...but we have always found much better overall deals looking elsewhere.   We are members of 2 Big Box stores but not for the travel perks.  

 

With the cruise agencies we use (there are currently 3 on our "favored list") a FCD is not an issue.  If I book on the phone they will apply that deposit while making the booking (they are tied directly into the cruise line computers).  If there are any issues about credits they simply put me on hold, call their contacts at the cruise line, and resolve it within a couple of minutes.  But we tend to book a majority of our cruises on-line with a few clicks of the mouse (we have done this for even expensive multi-month cruises).  If we have any kind of existing credit with that particular cruise line we will follow-up with either a phone call or an e-mail to the cruise agent and it is quickly resolved.  The agents I use will handle dozens of booking in a single day and these folks are good (or we would look elsewhere).   They work for me...not the cruise line :).  If there are any issues/problems I have a high volume agent/agency as my advocate and they have a lot more clout (and contacts) with every cruise line then me.   If I later notice a price drop (or change in promotions that gets my interest) I just send a quick e-mail (takes me less than a minute) to my cruise agent and he/she takes care of it.  

 

Also consider that we do quite a few longer (measured in weeks or months) cruises to pretty exotic places that involve complex pre and post cruise travel planning.  All things being equal we prefer an experienced agency that has some understanding of issues related to that kind of travel/cruising.  My current favorite cruise agent (she is very young and still learning) understands our cruise and travel habits and gives us a lot of support (when requested).  But I have often teased her that my "loyalty" to her (and her agency) is only as good as the last booking...and she is aware that we will book elsewhere (in a heartbeat) if we can get a better deal.   We have also discovered that certain cruise lines seem to have special relationships with specific agencies.  So we often book RCI products (Celebrity and Azamara) with one particular agency while are CCL products usually are booked through a different agency.  MSC tends to frustrate all cruise agents but our young cruise agent seems to have figured out how to deal with that company :).

 

Hank

Thanks for all the information Hank.  I guess I misunderstood about the BB and your bookings.

[OVgirl]

On 5/12/2019 at 2:41 PM, DaveOKC said:

I thought that the limit was $1000 (on the membership card)???  Am I missing something?

I thought there was a maximum on the rebates you could get on your membership card.

Looks like I might be wrong, unless it's a country thing. Canada vs USA.

[kazu]

On 5/12/2019 at 12:30 PM, Hlitner said:

HAL does a fantastic job playing to folks vanity and ego.  This is simply part of effective marketing techniques and it seems to work better with many older long time HAL fans, then with many other cruise lines although every line has their own marketing gimmicks.  Yes, I know that some folks would argue the point, but PCCs are a great example.  A PCC is nothing more than a reservations clerk (in any other organization) sitting in front of a computer monitor in their tiny cubicle.  Make no mistake, they work for the cruise line...not the customer.  Is that a bad thing?  Of course not.  A PCC (or a reservations clerk anywhere else) can be helpful because of their knowledge of the product, access to the appropriate "scripts,"  etc.  However what they cannot do is compete in terms of price, amenities, or knowledge of the industry beyond HAL.  Consider that about 80% (at least this is what it was about 4 years ago) of HAL bookings come from cruise/travel agents and agencies.  The cruise lines must compete with each other when it comes to wooing the agencies and this is done by paying generous commissions, overrides, bonuses, etc.  Agencies also get the opportunity to offer financial booking incentives that are not even available to PCCs.

 

I started out talking about "vanity and ego" and playing to that is key to many marketing campaigns.  You can see it right here on CC  Many HAL cruisers covet their Medallions, Pins, Mariner status, etc.  Many cruisers will stand in line for 15 minutes to get into a Mariners event where they might get a free drink.  It makes some folks feel "special" and part of something bigger then themselves.  It is all basic marketing strategy (taught in any marketing program at Universities).  When we have asked some fellow HAL fans why they book with a PCC when it costs them 7 - 10% more then booking with a decent cruise agency we usually get a comment such as "I like my PCC,"  or "my PCC treats me well."  I do not even know my PCC...other then its the voice of a reservations clerk on the phone and she has tried to convince me that I should book with her (but she cannot really explain why) and then I can transfer the booking to a decent outside agency who will give me lots of OBCs, pre paid gratuities, etc.  But it suits many folks...some of who have no problem paying hundreds or thousands of dollars more for the privilege of bonding with their PCC :).  When we have been contacted by our PCC we always give them the same challenge.   "Match or beat the deals we can get from our favored cruise agencies and we will give you are bookings."  And the answer is always the same.  "We cannot do that, but we can give you good service."

 

And finally, consider that marketing is also a major part of cruise agency strategy.  There is one particular cruise agency the seem to specialize in HAL bookings and who has a lot of HAL customers.  This particular agency will often have a "rep" on many HAL cruises and will schedule a few parties,  coffee chats etc.  We have a good HAL cruising friend that books all of her cruises with this agency, even though she is cognizant that they do not offer the best deals when compared to many other agencies.  But our friend is willing to pay more money (to book through this particular agency) because she enjoys the onboard comradery that happens with others who also book with this agency.  It is another example of great marketing 🙂   

 

Our message has remained the same for many years.  When booking a cruise, shop around among several high volume reputable cruise agencies and take the best overall deal.  I do not think of my favorite cruise agent as a friend, but I do toast her on the cruise because the money we have saved is paying for the drink :).

 

Hank 

 

And then there are those that tell us how many 100’s of days sailing they have, how many cruise lines they have been on and how much more astute they are than the rest of us along with some financial advice 😉 

[sammiedawg]

It is better to get a better price upfront through a big box or discount travel agency.  Why pay more upfront in return for OBC?  I don’t get it.  When I am on a ship I pay for what I want or need.  (We get OBC automatically on other cruise lines and sometimes struggle to spend it.  I don’t value overpriced massages or gift shop trinkets)

 

 Hiltner gave sound financial advice and I appreciate info from those who have sailed multiple lines.  It brings perspective.  

 

 

 

 

[kantonburg]

On 5/12/2019 at 11:30 AM, Hlitner said:

 

And finally, consider that marketing is also a major part of cruise agency strategy.  There is one particular cruise agency the seem to specialize in HAL bookings and who has a lot of HAL customers.  This particular agency will often have a "rep" on many HAL cruises and will schedule a few parties,  coffee chats etc.  We have a good HAL cruising friend that books all of her cruises with this agency, even though she is cognizant that they do not offer the best deals when compared to many other agencies.  But our friend is willing to pay more money (to book through this particular agency) because she enjoys the onboard comradery that happens with others who also book with this agency.  It is another example of great marketing 🙂   

 

Our message has remained the same for many years.  When booking a cruise, shop around among several high volume reputable cruise agencies and take the best overall deal.  I do not think of my favorite cruise agent as a friend, but I do toast her on the cruise because the money we have saved is paying for the drink :).

 

Hank 

 

Hank,

I have a non-HAL related question if you don't mind speaking through email w e s c a t 2 @ g ma i l . c o m (no spaces of course)

 

[Fouremco]

On 5/12/2019 at 12:23 PM, DaveOKC said:

With a new store finally coming to our city next week, I will check this out further.

It might be different in the US, but in Canada the BB stores have no travel agents onsite. They have a website and a call centre, but no mortar and brick presence. I don't know how much travel-related information you'll be able to get at the store.

[Cruising-along]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

It might be different in the US, but in Canada the BB stores have no travel agents onsite. They have a website and a call centre, but no mortar and brick presence. I don't know how much travel-related information you'll be able to get at the store.

It is the same in the US.