Upsell

[VTcruisenut]

On 3/1/2022 at 7:46 PM, MISTER 67 said:

Received an upsell on Club Orange for 25 dollars per person per night on our 3/20 Rotterdam cruise, not interested.

I got that as well.  I guess I don't consider that an upsell.  Mostly because we aren't interested in what the Club Orange is.............

[KAKcruiser]

DaveOKC, what ship are you on?  I was wondering because it seems like the pinnacle class ships don't have as many neptune suites as the vista and signature class ships and I didn't know if it would be harder to get an upsell.

[DaveOKC]

4 minutes ago, VTcruisenut said:

I got that as well.  I guess I don't consider that an upsell.  Mostly because we aren't interested in what the Club Orange is.............

Club Orange can be a good value if you are interested in upgrading your cabin (within your Mega category such as Veranda) and if you are on a Pinnacle class ship where you have separate dining area for breakfast and dinner.

[MTAK]

30 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Club Orange can be a good value if you are interested in upgrading your cabin (within your Mega category such as Veranda) and if you are on a Pinnacle class ship where you have separate dining area for breakfast and dinner.

We're going to consider it if offered.  We are in a VD category and the idea of dining in CO has some appeal in addition to other benefits.

[albingirl]

33 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Club Orange can be a good value if you are interested in upgrading your cabin (within your Mega category such as Veranda) and if you are on a Pinnacle class ship where you have separate dining area for breakfast and dinner.

We just did that.  It's the upgraded cabin that grabbed us.

[MTAK]

1 hour ago, kentuckycruiser said:

I called last night and there were no upgrades available from our Vista Suite. Looks like the 4/3 cruise is pretty popular, but it is spring break time so that's a likely cause. I'm hoping it's not a packed house.

I had that in mind when I booked, but aren't most spring break times in March?

[DaveOKC]

54 minutes ago, KAKcruiser said:

DaveOKC, what ship are you on?  I was wondering because it seems like the pinnacle class ships don't have as many neptune suites as the vista and signature class ships and I didn't know if it would be harder to get an upsell.

Koningsdam.  And yes, quite a bit fewer Neptunes.  (45 vs 60 in most of the other HAL larger ships).  The big difference however is in Signatures - 14 vs 100 in the Vista class ships (which we like to book due to the more reasonable fares in this category).  However, right now the ships are not filling up, so upsells do not seem to be a problem.

[DaveOKC]

28 minutes ago, MTAK said:

We're going to consider it if offered.  We are in a VD category and the idea of dining in CO has some appeal in addition to other benefits.

Just call Holland and ask.  Club Orange is available all the time.  Prices may vary however.

[MTAK]

13 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Just call Holland and ask.  Club Orange is available all the time.  Prices may vary however.

I know, but thought I'd wait and see if it gets included in any sort of upgrade offer.

[Jinty684]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

Club Orange can be a good value if you are interested in upgrading your cabin (within your Mega category such as Veranda) and if you are on a Pinnacle class ship where you have separate dining area for breakfast and dinner.

I just did that yesterday. We're on the Nieuw Statendam in two weeks on a free casino offer. We paid the upgrade to a verandah so had a VH guarantee. Wanted to move out of those obstructed view verandahs so booked Club Orange for the cabin upgrade. Looking forward to the other dining options too.

[CarolAnnL]

On 3/1/2022 at 3:53 PM, SVBing said:

Anyone recently get an upsell from HA?

me too- I said no

[kazu]

11 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

First, I got the email before I called (I called IMMEDIATELY to get the best selection).  If you call before they send out the emails, they will generally just quote you the non-deal price, same as you can get on the website.  If you call later, you could lose out or not get the best selection of cabins (as the direct email people will have already jumped on the deal).

 

Second, once in awhile they will accept offers, but this is rare IMO.  You can always try of course.

 

The advantage of a proactive TA who knows when to call the upsell people.  She called right before the upsells came out and negotiated a price for me for a very special sailing.

 

11 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

 

Third, getting upsells is the main reason I book directly with HAL (through a PCC).  I know some of the big online agencies have lower prices (or rebates), but I save alot more than that my using the upsell process.  In yesterday's deal the upsell was a bit more than I would have liked to pay (but I did it anyway for other reasons) but I still saved about $1500 pp over having booked the Neptune in the first place.  This on a 7 day cruise. 

 

I’m just going to say you don’t have to book with a PCC to get upsell offers.  A proactive TA who knows you want them is on top of it and the phone rings with offer and the available choices.  

 

I’ve had a number of offers as well and I don’t use a PCC 😉 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

And yes, I do get offers on almost ALL of my cruises (like 80-90% of the time).  IMO, with the ships sailing at such a low capacity, this is a GREAT time to use the upsell program.  I book a cabin I would be satisfied with in the first place, just in case I do not get an offer.

 

[hpeabody]

On 3/1/2022 at 4:22 PM, jkrislc said:

I called a few minutes ago for our 3/27 sailing on the Koningsdam. The agent claimed that he had rates that had not yet been released, but they were no better than the rates currently being offered online. That is, they matched the price difference between the cabin categories that existed when I originally booked; thus, no discount.

Did you call the number in the email?  A regular agent would likely not be able to help with upsells

[DaveOKC]

38 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

The advantage of a proactive TA who knows when to call the upsell people.  She called right before the upsells came out and negotiated a price for me for a very special sailing.

 

 

I’m just going to say you don’t have to book with a PCC to get upsell offers.  A proactive TA who knows you want them is on top of it and the phone rings with offer and the available choices.  

 

I’ve had a number of offers as well and I don’t use a PCC 😉 
 

Just to clarify my previous statement - you do not have to use a HAL agent or PCC to get an upsell offer.  Travel agents get them as well and most will forward them onto you.  I just mentioned that I use a PCC since it is quicker and easier to get upsells.

 

IMO currently (due to low occupancies) this is likely a great time to use a travel agent who gives you lower prices AND passes on the upsells.

[hpeabody]

I did receive an email from HAL forward to me by my TA for the 3/27 sailing on the Koningsdam.  The email said "upgrade" but it was not, it was an "upsell"  It said Upgrade for select bookings from your Obstructed Verandah (Category VH) to the following best available: Verandah (Category VQ to VF) for an additional $99pp USD/$124pp CAD.  I decline.  I am a solo, so I am already paying double.

[kazu]

30 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

  I just mentioned that I use a PCC since it is quicker and easier to get upsells.

 

And that is where I respectfully disagree Dave and was trying to point out.  If you have a good TA they get the upsells as soon as you do (if not earlier). 😉 

 

30 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

 

IMO currently (due to low occupancies) this is likely a great time to use a travel agent who gives you lower prices AND passes on the upsells.

 

Good point.

[Laminator]

A few years back I had booked an SA Neptune Suite on an Alaskan cruise from a casino offer through my PCC. I also booked a Deck 4 balcony cabin for my sister and my daughter which I paid for. Lo and behold when we checked in for the cruise my daughter and sister wound up in the SA cabin right next to mine. Never heard a thing from my PCC. This same PCC offered us an upsell from an SB to the Pinnacle suite for a Panama Canal cruise for $250 per person. She specifically told me that the decision would not to be within 15 minutes as it would then be offered to everyone. And she has continued to help me on all my casino offers to book a specific cabin instead of a guaranty. This requires her to contact the casino division on every cruise. For the reasons stated above I will never book through anyone other than my PCC.

[kentuckycruiser]

On 3/3/2022 at 11:43 AM, MTAK said:

I had that in mind when I booked, but aren't most spring break times in March?

College spring break are about a month before elem-high school. I know some colleges are on break now and next week. Most school districts have spring break somewhere around Easter. Kentucky does their breaks the first week of April, some schools will be the week before that, some will be the second week of April. It's a about a 3-4 week stretch of spring break.

[AFNavigator]

On 3/1/2022 at 6:46 PM, MISTER 67 said:

Received an upsell on Club Orange for 25 dollars per person per night on our 3/20 Rotterdam cruise, not interested.

Club Orange can be a bargain when used for a cabin upgrade that outweighs its cost.  However, this upsell isn't really a bargain...it's the normal price for most sailings.  We bought Club Orange for our Dec cruise and it was exactly the price you listed, $25/person/night.  I have seen it priced at $35/person/night on some though.

 

We originally booked in a V category cabin then saw Club Orange.  I called and they allowed us to downgrade to a VH obstructed balcony cabin, buy Club Orange ($150/person for 7 days), then upgrade to our original cabin.  The end result was it lowered our overall booking by $60 and we get Club Orange essentially for free.