HAL excursion sale?

[cat shepard]

Just wanted to let those of you already booked on a HAL Cruise know that the excursions for my cruise are on sale. Approximately 20% off. 

You might want to check your bookings to see if yours are also on sale. 

 

Stay well everyone.

[DaveOKC]

Got this also, but only for Alaska and Europe cruises.

 

[KirkNC]

And I assume you have to prepay?

[lderochi]

Yes, you do have to prepay. Still, it’s a pretty good sale, especially for Alaska, which has some pricey excursions. I’m thinking about it. There’s also a 10% gift card promotion going on. Buy a $500 card, get a $50 card. Buy a $1000 card, get a $100 card. So you could, I guess, it a $500 card, get a $50 bonus and then use that card to buy excursions and get the 20% off. 

[KirkNC]

Another way to raise cash.  The cruise lines aren’t getting any more money from me until there is clarity on the when they sail and what the experience would be like.  I wonder if these excursions go through the normal refund process if canceled (automatically refunded very quickly) or due to the nature of the deal they have to be refunded manually.

[Cruise Suzy]

19 hours ago, cat shepard said:

Just wanted to let those of you already booked on a HAL Cruise know that the excursions for my cruise are on sale. Approximately 20% off. 

You might want to check your bookings to see if yours are also on sale. 

 

Thanks. I was able to cancel our Alaska excursions and rebook them at 20% off. Saved a BUNCH!  Refunds hit the credit card before the rebooking.

[Cruising-along]

Does anyone know how long this sale will last?  I see that the excursions on our bookings are discounted but no other info.  

[VacationCharlene]

IF the cruise lines are going to make it mandatory, a BIG IF, then they better bring their prices down ALOT for their excursions.  You can usually book privately for about half the cost of those on the cruise line.  Yes, I realize the cruise lines want to make a profit BUT make them more REASONABLE and it could work in everybody's favor.

Here's to hoping cruising gets started, and continues, in a favorable manner 🙂  See you soon we hope.

[cat shepard]

21 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Does anyone know how long this sale will last?  I see that the excursions on our bookings are discounted but no other info.  

Someone on Facebook said the sale runs through the 9th of September. I could not find anything on HAL’s site. 

[Mary229]

39 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Does anyone know how long this sale will last?  I see that the excursions on our bookings are discounted but no other info.  

September 9. Write me at fendernatural at g mail dot com and I will forward the email

Edited August 27, 2020 by Mary229

[Cruise Suzy]

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

Someone on Facebook said the sale runs through the 9th of September. I could not find anything on HAL’s site. 

It is at the top of HAL's homepage. You have to click on it to see that only cruises to Alaska and Europe are included.

 

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the info.

[Cruising-along]

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

Someone on Facebook said the sale runs through the 9th of September. I could not find anything on HAL’s site. 

 

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

September 9. Write me at fendernatural at g mail dot com and I will forward the email

Thank you Cat and Mary.  Funny, right after I looked at my bookings I got the email about it from HAL.  Our cruises aren't until Sept. and Oct. '21.  I'll pass on this offer, maybe there will be more closer to our sailings (if not that's ok).  Too many "ifs" now, whether it will even sail, and whether the shore excursions will be remotely like the descriptions.  So I'm waiting before making decisions, too far out now.  There also will be ports we'll prefer to DIY (if allowed then). 

[Taters]

The special runs through September 9th.

[cat shepard]

Had I just waited a day, I would have received my email with all the info!  Thank you all!

 

Stay well everyone!

[What was that?]

I had questions so I used HAL Chat and conversed with Marcus.

• The sale is on until 9 September for the cruise areas identified.
• You must pay at the time you reserve your excursions.
• The discount is applied at checkout.
• Amounts paid are refundable if you change your mind.

I hope this helps.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

On 8/26/2020 at 4:53 PM, KirkNC said:

And I assume you have to prepay?

HAL shore excursions booked prior to the cruise have been prepay for some time. The same is true of almost all other cruise lines including luxury and river  So nothing new there. The option to book onboard, from the remaining selection, still exists as it always has. 
 

Many cruise lines run occasional sales/discounts for pre cruise purchases, and have done so for years. Only recently have a few started allowing the use of cruise line promotional onboard credit for pre cruise purchases. Travel agent gift onboard credit is not useable on any line for pre cruise purchases

 

HAL is not doing anything different here than their peers have already done for quite some time. 

[cat shepard]

7 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

HAL shore excursions booked prior to the cruise have been prepay for some time. The same is true of almost all other cruise lines including luxury and river  So nothing new there. The option to book onboard, from the remaining selection, still exists as it always has. 
 

Many cruise lines run occasional sales/discounts for pre cruise purchases, and have done so for years. Only recently have a few started allowing the use of cruise line promotional onboard credit for pre cruise purchases. Travel agent gift onboard credit is not useable on any line for pre cruise purchases

 

HAL is not doing anything different here than their peers have already done for quite some time. 

Thank you. I do not cruise that frequently, so when I happened upon the sale - with no explanation, I wanted to share it. Had I received the email first, I would have known.

[Woofbite]

I just pulled up our cruise in April and there is no reference to a sale but when I look at the individual excursions they seem to be discounted without an expiration date:
 

From $129.95  to now $103.96 Per Adult

            $99.95      to         $79.96,  etc.

 

 

[FlaMariner]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

We just bought a $500 gift card (w/10% bonus) and used it to buy excursions (w/20% off) for our October 2021 TA.

 

We have not used a cruise ship tour in a very long time...(never like the price or the crowd)..but we had two long day trips we wanted to take on this TA (Normandy WW2 sites & Stonehenge) and the discounts were close enough to the non-ship tour prices  we saw so we booked 'em.

 

[Vict0riann]

For our two cruises booked (Mexican Riviera and Med to Amsterdam), neither seems to have any discount on the excursions.  I have not received any emails either.  Maybe they are still working on them!  It does sound like a good deal though, to buy the discounted gift cards and then pay for the tours with them!   

[Mary229]

4 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

For our two cruises booked (Mexican Riviera and Med to Amsterdam), neither seems to have any discount on the excursions.  I have not received any emails either.  Maybe they are still working on them!  It does sound like a good deal though, to buy the discounted gift cards and then pay for the tours with them!   

It was only for Europe and Alaska.  Maybe next week they will expand the offer

[FlaMariner]

5 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

For our two cruises booked (Mexican Riviera and Med to Amsterdam), neither seems to have any discount on the excursions.  I have not received any emails either.  Maybe they are still working on them!  It does sound like a good deal though, to buy the discounted gift cards and then pay for the tours with them!   

 

Looks like Mexico would not be included but Amsterdam should be.....

 

From the HAL website:

 

For a limited time, take 20% off all Shore Excursions on your 2021 cruise to Alaska or Europe. Offer ends September 9, 2020.

[KirkNC]

13 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

HAL shore excursions booked prior to the cruise have been prepay for some time. The same is true of almost all other cruise lines including luxury and river  So nothing new there. The option to book onboard, from the remaining selection, still exists as it always has. 
 

Many cruise lines run occasional sales/discounts for pre cruise purchases, and have done so for years. Only recently have a few started allowing the use of cruise line promotional onboard credit for pre cruise purchases. Travel agent gift onboard credit is not useable on any line for pre cruise purchases

 

HAL is not doing anything different here than their peers have already done for quite some time. 

I know how it normally works but in my +15 years sailing HAL I don’t ever recall then having a sale on excursions.  If I am wrong I am sure someone will correct me.  To me, this is another clever way for them to raise cash, just like the gift card sale.  You have to ask yourself why is HAL willing to pay or give up so much to entice cruisers to prepay items.  Hopefully it works out but understand your “great deal” could end with you in the unsecured creditor line.

[KirkNC]

20 hours ago, What was that? said:

I had questions so I used HAL Chat and conversed with Marcus.

• The sale is on until 9 September for the cruise areas identified.
• You must pay at the time you reserve your excursions.
• The discount is applied at checkout.
• Amounts paid are refundable if you change your mind.

I hope this helps.

Don’t know if you asked the question this way but normally canceled excursions are refunded automatically and very quickly, I am curious if that is the case here or do they end up in some refund line that takes months to get.  This is from someone who has waited six months for reimbursement for expenses incurred to get home from Perth.

Edited August 28, 2020 by KirkNC