Extra fee to select your own cabin?

[DaveOKC]

1 hour ago, mwj said:

We booked an SC Guarantee on the NA last year. Our only concern was being upgraded to an SQ (ugh!). In the end, we were upgraded to an SA (ty!).

One option is to ask to stay in the SC category and not be upgraded.  I did this on a ship where the lowest level Neptune was in a good location so I opted to take that one and then marked DO NOT UPGRADE on the reservation.  My PCC agent thought I was crazy for doing this until I explained it.

 

By the way, on our last cruise we got the SQ cabin on the NA and while it was not "bad", I would have been happier with any other Neptune on the ship.  The strategy for booking these Neptune guarantees varies by ship for me.

 

Edited July 15, 2023 by DaveOKC

[3rdGenCunarder]

18 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

The strategy for booking these Neptune guarantees varies by ship for me.

 

Yes, you have to check the deck plans carefully because HAL has so many different ships. I don't think there's a bad Neptune on a Vista ship. But moving above that, you have the risk of getting the SQ. I think HAL is calling some of those forward cabins with small balconies "spa cabins" to make them sound better than they actually are.

[Boatdrill]

6 hours ago, Mary229 said:

The customer can pick guarantee.  I am offered the following choices: base fare, guarantee or select,  advantage fare, guarantee or select and finally the HIA promotional fare with the refundable deposit guarantee or select.  In most, but not all cases, HIA can be added and in some cases club orange can be added 

We're talking about two different choices:  fare choice (as you described)  and room # choice. 

On the travel agent portal, there is no fee charged for choosing a specific room #. or a Guarantee room within the chosen room category. 

After the fare type is selected (Advantage, Non-refundable, HIA, etc) for the booking,  a list of available room #'s in the chosen room category (not fare) is displayed. The agent chooses a room # from the list, OR checks the Guarantee box, and the booking is complete.

Again, there is no fee for choosing a specific room, or Guaranteed room category from the list. 

The selected fare stays the same for either choice.   

[Mary229]

23 minutes ago, Boatdrill said:

We're talking about two different choices:  fare choice (as you described)  and room # choice. 

On the travel agent portal, there is no fee charged for choosing a specific room #. or a Guarantee room within the chosen room category. 

After the fare type is selected (Advantage, Non-refundable, HIA, etc) for the booking,  a list of available room #'s in the chosen room category (not fare) is displayed. The agent chooses a room # from the list, OR checks the Guarantee box, and the booking is complete.

Again, there is no fee for choosing a specific room, or Guaranteed room category from the list. 

The selected fare stays the same for either choice.   

I will get more info this week 

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, Boatdrill said:

We're talking about two different choices:  fare choice (as you described)  and room # choice. 

On the travel agent portal, there is no fee charged for choosing a specific room #. or a Guarantee room within the chosen room category. 

After the fare type is selected (Advantage, Non-refundable, HIA, etc) for the booking,  a list of available room #'s in the chosen room category (not fare) is displayed. The agent chooses a room # from the list, OR checks the Guarantee box, and the booking is complete.

Again, there is no fee for choosing a specific room, or Guaranteed room category from the list. 

The selected fare stays the same for either choice.   

 

This discussion is all semantics. Booking a guarantee is almost always less expensive than choosing a cabin, any way you say it. I just did a dummy booking for a week in the Caribbean on NS in 2024. The only category that did not have a difference between the guarantee price and the lowest fare to choose a cabin was obstructed verandah, probably because there are so few of them. The difference in price increased with the cabin grade. ($30 to $385)

 

I can't see the advantage fare, but I chose the cruise only, no HIA. I selected verandah, "from $1014" pp. From, as in $1014 or higher. A regular balcony (not obstructed or spa or aft), was $1114 pp. When I chose that price, I had two options. If I let HAL choose my cabin, it would be $1114. If I wanted to choose, it was $1174. 

 

You can see that $60 difference as a fee to choose. That gets you choices forward or aft. For another fee ($180) you can choose something midships. For another fee ($60 or $120), you can choose midships on a different deck. 

 

OR, you can see it as HAL's pricing structure. They charge more for a cabin in what is considered a better location. I've seen the same thing in hotels.

 

In my example, if I want to be in a midships cabin on what HAL considers the best deck (5, Gershwin), it's going to cost me$1354 pp. If that's more than I want to pay, I can choose a different deck and save $60. Or go forward and save more. Or take the guarantee verandah and sail for $1114.

 

 

[Mary229]

15 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

This discussion is all semantics. Booking a guarantee is almost always less expensive than choosing a cabin, any way you say it. I just did a dummy booking for a week in the Caribbean on NS in 2024. The only category that did not have a difference between the guarantee price and the lowest fare to choose a cabin was obstructed verandah, probably because there are so few of them. The difference in price increased with the cabin grade. ($30 to $385)

 

I can't see the advantage fare, but I chose the cruise only, no HIA. I selected verandah, "from $1014" pp. From, as in $1014 or higher. A regular balcony (not obstructed or spa or aft), was $1114 pp. When I chose that price, I had two options. If I let HAL choose my cabin, it would be $1114. If I wanted to choose, it was $1174. 

 

You can see that $60 difference as a fee to choose. That gets you choices forward or aft. For another fee ($180) you can choose something midships. For another fee ($60 or $120), you can choose midships on a different deck. 

 

OR, you can see it as HAL's pricing structure. They charge more for a cabin in what is considered a better location. I've seen the same thing in hotels.

 

In my example, if I want to be in a midships cabin on what HAL considers the best deck (5, Gershwin), it's going to cost me$1354 pp. If that's more than I want to pay, I can choose a different deck and save $60. Or go forward and save more. Or take the guarantee verandah and sail for $1114.

 

 

I agree.  The insistence implied all ‘em the same price.  Of course not. 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Air lines do the same.