Upgrade your cabin after booking onboard

[TAD2005]

We booked the Rotterdam, Oct 3, 2020, while onboard the Eurodam in March.  It is a 29 day, Rotterdam to Ft. Lauderdale cruise.  We originally booked a Lanai cabin, and because the Early Booking Bonus (EBB) was in effect at the time, we received a 29 day SBP which would cost us $3000 to buy it for 2 people, plus a PG dinner and some cabin credit.  I was watching this cruise's pricing for many months before booking on the Eurodam.  The Lanai cabin was $4499 six months before booking and the same price when we booked with the FCC onboard.   We were pleased with the deal, especially the $3000 SBP for no extra charge.  When EBB dropped off in July, the price was still $4499.

Around the first of August, we decided to upgrade our cabin to a Vista suite, priced at $6599.   We asked out TA to make the change.   She came back to us saying that HAL was giving her a hard time, because we booked onboard with a Future Cruise Consultant, and if we change our cabin now, more than 60 days after disembarking the Eurodam, we would lose all of the perks of the EBB, including the $3000 SBP.   We are not cancelling the cruise and re-booking, just trying to pay HAL about $4000 more money for a Vista Suite.   They are telling my TA no, you must cancel the booking and re-book.   We would get the $800 that is now offered by the newly designed Explore-4, but lose the $3000 SBP.   

Has anyone heard of losing all benefits if you just want to upgrade your cabin and pay for the upgrade ?   

[kazu]

46 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

Has anyone heard of losing all benefits if you just want to upgrade your cabin and pay for the upgrade ?   

 

I haven’t heard of this.  I have upgraded my cabin and kept my perks with no problem BUT I have never booked with a FCC onboard.  I book when I get home and either book with a PCC and transfer it or book with a TA most times.  

I have heard that those can cause issues for TA’s - I’m not sure of the intricacies though.

 

I’m just wondering if there was some condition with your booking that the FCC didn’t disclose?  Some (not all) of the FCC’s tend to give a lot of misinformation IME.

 

Good luck - I hope you can get it worked out.

[Shmoo here]

52 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

We booked the Rotterdam, Oct 3, 2020, while onboard the Eurodam in March.  It is a 29 day, Rotterdam to Ft. Lauderdale cruise.  We originally booked a Lanai cabin, and because the Early Booking Bonus (EBB) was in effect at the time, we received a 29 day SBP which would cost us $3000 to buy it for 2 people, plus a PG dinner and some cabin credit.  I was watching this cruise's pricing for many months before booking on the Eurodam.  The Lanai cabin was $4499 six months before booking and the same price when we booked with the FCC onboard.   We were pleased with the deal, especially the $3000 SBP for no extra charge.  When EBB dropped off in July, the price was still $4499.

Around the first of August, we decided to upgrade our cabin to a Vista suite, priced at $6599.   We asked out TA to make the change.   She came back to us saying that HAL was giving her a hard time, because we booked onboard with a Future Cruise Consultant, and if we change our cabin now, more than 60 days after disembarking the Eurodam, we would lose all of the perks of the EBB, including the $3000 SBP.   We are not cancelling the cruise and re-booking, just trying to pay HAL about $4000 more money for a Vista Suite.   They are telling my TA no, you must cancel the booking and re-book.   We would get the $800 that is now offered by the newly designed Explore-4, but lose the $3000 SBP.   

Has anyone heard of losing all benefits if you just want to upgrade your cabin and pay for the upgrade ?   

We had to, basically, cancel and rebook when we changed promotions. We, also booked our next cruise onboard, and then when the Cuba restrictions were implemented we transferred to a different cruise.  We were able to take our perks with us.  But a couple of months later, there was a promotion that had prepaid gratuities.  That's a better option for us.  So we had our TA contact HAL and see about getting that perk added.  We were willing to give up some or all of the other perks, however.  HAL told the TA they could do that, but it would be a cancel & rebook situation.  And we could only get the prepaid gratuity perk, nothing from the other promotion was able to be kept.

[crystalspin]

Yes, I understand that any re-faring will cancel benefits from the previous booking to get the new ones. I've never understood how Jacqui kept hers! I think the only one I've kept MAY have been the Welcome Back OBC when later re-faring under (the old desirable) Explore4. But the E4 may have still been within the Welcome Back ZPM period of 60 days...

 

Always notice they don't offer to give you back the difference in "lower deposits" when you re-fare but have already paid a higher depo. Just amusing, it all eventually comes out of the same bank account.

 

I would LOVE to sail in a Lanai! Had one booked for a transAtlantic on the Rotterdam but had to cancel for family health issues. Also we love to have the SBP, which we will have to buy outright at the price you state, for our 28-day So.Pacific.

[kazu]

8 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Yes, I understand that any re-faring will cancel benefits from the previous booking to get the new ones. I've never understood how Jacqui kept hers! I think the only one I've kept MAY have been the Welcome Back OBC

 

If you are refared, yes, you are subject to the new conditions and perks.  I probably wasn’t clear enough, apologies - I’m worrying about a sick puppy and it’s probably affecting my brain. 😞  I should have been more explicit.

 

I’ve only kept SBP once (I usually skip that perk for better pricing) so I rarely need to worry about losing it.  My OBC that HAL has given me hasn’t been lost when I upgrade (ie., FCD, Welcome Back, CCL & sundry OBC).

 

You also don’t lose the perks when you receive an upsell offer (including SBP)

 

The frustrating thing for TAD2005 is that the SBP was at no charge when they booked so no difference in pricing.  (It was the same thing when I booked next year’s cruise so right now I have the SBP - there was no benefit in pricing NOT to take it).  So, the price drop is not reflective of Explore4/EBB coming off.  

[DaveOKC]

I think the real issue here is that the old promotion is "off".  Whenever you change a reservation on your own, you have to abide by the current promotion and fare.

[MikeD4134]

There are no Lanai cabins on Eurodam, so I find this whole story questionable.

[MikeD4134]

Disregard, I reread the post and mistakenly thought they were talking about cabins on Eurodam.  My Bad

[TAD2005]

Thanks for all the input.   I don't want to cancel and re-book, because that will blow the $3000 (for 2) SBP.   I was just hoping to pay HAL more money for a better cabin and still keep everything.   I find it strange that HAL was perfectly happy to give me a $1500 P/P beverage package for a $4499 priced cabin, with NO increase in price, but when I want to give them $2100 P/P more money for a suite, they are saying NO.   They will happily take my money for the suite, but they will kill the SBP.   

My guess is that they never thought of giving a beverage package for a 29 day cruise that is valued at one-third of the cost of the cabin price.  Now they realize what has happened, they are trying to claw some of that back by blocking any paid upgrades.  Ironically, if I waited until 2 weeks out, I might be offered an upsell to a Vista suite,for the same price or less and I would still keep my SBP.

[crystalspin]

Your last sentence seems like the solution. But it is a chance of course. I was hoping for an offer to switch from an inside to a Juliet balcony on the Observation Deck of the Zuiderdam (because they weren't selling well) -- then the crane fell on the Oasis of the Seas leaving hundreds if not thousands of people with plans in Europe and no way to get there... and suddenly my ship was sold out!

 

As seen in the paltry Explore4 just launched, HAL is obviously re-thinking complementary Beverage Packages at all. At least the SBP is not as expensive as Princess's!

[Moriah]

Yes, it's annoying, but when you change your booking to a different promotion you lose all the perks of the promotion you had before.  It's happened to me as well.  You just have to choose whatever seems to be the best deal.  If it were me, I'd stick with the Lanai and all the perks you were originally offered, but in my opinion, a Vista suite is not an "upgrade" from a Lanai, so that's just me... YMMV!

 

[TAD2005]

6 hours ago, Moriah said:

Yes, it's annoying, but when you change your booking to a different promotion you lose all the perks of the promotion you had before.  It's happened to me as well.  You just have to choose whatever seems to be the best deal.  If it were me, I'd stick with the Lanai and all the perks you were originally offered, but in my opinion, a Vista suite is not an "upgrade" from a Lanai, so that's just me... YMMV!

 

I'm not changing my booking to a different promotion.  All I want to do is move from cabin A to Cabin B which is a little more expensive.  If HAL offers you a paid upsell, you pay the money and everything stays intact.   I received no special deal on the Lanai cabin price.  It's been the same (plus or minus $200) since June 2018.   If HAL was happy giving me a free SBP when I was spending $4599, why are they not happy when I want to pay $2100 more for a better cabin, which also has not changed in price for over a year?   

I agree that a Vista Suite on the Rotterdam is just about the same as a plain vanilla veranda cabin on the larger ships.  You have a little more space in the cabin and a slightly larger balcony.   But because HAL calls it a suite, they charge thousands more than the same cabin would cost on a Vista Class ship or larger.   And the extra cruise-day Mariner credits mean nothing to me, I am 4-star and the benefits of 5-star do not warrant the extra expense.  I have had a Lanai cabin before on the Rotterdam, and it was OK, but for 29 days, I would like a bit more room.

[Moriah]

4 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

I'm not changing my booking to a different promotion.  All I want to do is move from cabin A to Cabin B which is a little more expensive. 

 

It's just semantics really.  That beverage package you have is a "promotion".  It was probably available during certain dates.  It's the way these things work, and I agree it's a little crazy, but it's at least consistent.  To us, it seems like you just want to pay more and get a different room and leave everything else alone, and I totally agree that seems logical, but that's not the way they do it. Instead, they knock you off your previous booking altogether (including the drink package) and rebook you at whatever best price for the room you now want is, with whatever promotion is available.  You are right, no logic, just annoying, but it's the way it is.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Moriah