Has "Have it all " changed ?

[peajay]

I am booked on a Westerdam cruise in April which I booked about 9 months ago. I paid for the Have it all package which at the time did not mention crew appreciation. I now see that the same cruise mentions crew appreciation included with the package. So my question is, has the Have it all package been changed to add crew appreciation ?

[FLCruiser97]

We booked about 10 months ago on the Oosterdam and at the time of booking the HIA package was offering an upgrade for early booking to include crew appreciation, streamimg wifi and OBC for the same price as the regular HIA.

Edited February 11 by FLCruiser97

[FLCruiser97]

Oh and also the premium beverage package as well. 

[Tampa Girl]

41 minutes ago, peajay said:

I am booked on a Westerdam cruise in April which I booked about 9 months ago. I paid for the Have it all package which at the time did not mention crew appreciation. I now see that the same cruise mentions crew appreciation included with the package. So my question is, has the Have it all package been changed to add crew appreciation ?

 

It changes according to the cruise; according to the class booked; according to how good the TA is; according to the date booked; according to  the time of day; and whether it is currently raining.  

[FLCruiser97]

17 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

It changes according to the cruise; according to the class booked; according to how good the TA is; according to the date booked; according to  the time of day; and whether it is currently raining.  

That is so true.

[Blackduck59]

@Tampa Girl While your post is indeed amusing I'm not sure how helpful it is. When we booked our cruise about 18 months in advance we got the "Early Booking" HIA upgrade which included Gratuities, the Elite beverage package and enhanced wi-fi. We received some OBC because we booked on board through "future cruises". A few months later we decided to extend the cruise and to do that we chose to go down in stateroom category to make it more affordable. With the help of our most excellent TA we were able to book the extension, in the new cabin class (and the same cabin throughout the now 43 day voyage), we were also able to have the enhanced HIA for the full voyage, although we lost $100.00 of the OBC when we went from a signature suite to a veranda cabin.

To the OP I'm afraid the answer to your question "has the HIA package changed?", no, although there is an "enhanced" version that has upgrades including "Crew Appreciation". How and when this version is available is a mystery to us the great unwashed. Perhaps the cruise you booked isn't selling well and they are adding the "enhanced" HIA package to boost sales.

[cbr663]

There isn't one standard Have It All bundle.  HIA is simply a bundling of amenities that you pre-pay for.  HAL changes the different amenities often.  Most common items changes are the drink packages (Signature and Elite), crew appreciation added or taken away, OBC credit amount varies and sometimes an air credit will be added.  Adding to the confusion is that all of this can change depending on the length of the cruise.  It simply depends on what HAL thinks is needed to sell the bundle.  

[bajae]

I think in general, the HIA with early booking bonus (includes crew appreciation, elite drinking package, and premium internet) is available on most cruises booked at least a year out. HAL also runs promotions thought-out the year. These could include some combination of crew appreciation, obc, free cabin upgrades, reduced deposits, etc. 

Edited February 11 by bajae

[CruiserBruce]

54 minutes ago, bajae said:

I think in general, the HIA with early booking bonus (includes crew appreciation, elite drinking package, and premium internet) is available on most cruises booked at least a year out. HAL also runs promotions thought-out the year. These could include some combination of crew appreciation, obc, free cabin upgrades, reduced deposits, etc. 

Depends on the promotion at the time. We booked a cruise for next month the day it became available. SPB, specialty restaurant and excursion credits, but not gratuities. Also booked a cruise for July 2025 within a month of release. EBP and gratuities were included. 

[Cruising Is Bliss]

5 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

It changes according to the cruise; according to the class booked; according to how good the TA is; according to the date booked; according to  the time of day; and whether it is currently raining.  

 

And if the day ends in a *Y*. It's all marketing. I've noticed on some cruises the "early" booking bonus stays there way past the first first few months.

[REOVA]

It's a shell game. HIA will change (and pricing) from when a cruise is first released to before final payment depending on what HAL needs to fill cabins. I booked a cruise a year ago and both HIA and pricing have changed twice since. The latest, the price went down thousands and HIA benefits reduced/changed a little.  I was able to reprice at a lower rate and remove HIA and the savings on the price was much greater and still came out ahead even using the savings to cover the HIA items originally booked. You have to check the rates of the cruise fare AND the difference in HIA to see if its worth it. Sometimes the cruise fare is higher when the HIA looks better. And a good TA can price out items that you cannot find online. 

[peajay]

So if I don't have tips included in my HIA, am I allowed to pay them using OBC that is earned for shareholder benefit ?

[kazu]

15 minutes ago, peajay said:

So if I don't have tips included in my HIA, am I allowed to pay them using OBC that is earned for shareholder benefit ?

 

Yes.  It will deducted from your OBC daily.

[Caribbean Chris]

Just think of it as a marketing tool that varies, as does the price of the cruise.  You just have to do the math. Almost always, if I’ve booked early, I still end up with a lower net price even if I’m paying for the Crew Appreciation. 

 

 

 

[ChinaShrek]

The problem is when there is a price drop. My cruise dropped in price more than $1000 a couple of months ago (after originally booking 18 months ago). In order to get the lower price, I had to get the HIA package that was running when I made the new booking. This means I lost gratuities, the premium WiFi, and the Elite Beverage Package. I received the Surf WiFi instead and the Signature Beverage Package. 

[Haljo1935]

7 hours ago, peajay said:

So if I don't have tips included in my HIA, am I allowed to pay them using OBC that is earned for shareholder benefit ?

You can pay the tips from any type of OBC - it will deduct from non-refundable first then automatically use refundable once non-refundable is gone.

[Iamthesea]

I have been following the price of my cruise almost weekly.  When we booked (for this coming May) it was almost a year out.  We got a really good rate on a Veranda room, and a great deal on the HIA (a  fare price, upgraded everything, and crew appreciation.  Plus we received a considerable amount of OBC from both our TA and HAL.  This thread reminded me to check the rates.  We have been looking to upgrade to a Vista Suite.  Not only have the rates gone up by $600pp on our Veranda, and $500pp on the Vista Suite, but the HIA isn't even in the offering!  I was really shocked by that.  

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, Iamthesea said:

I have been following the price of my cruise almost weekly.  When we booked (for this coming May) it was almost a year out.  We got a really good rate on a Veranda room, and a great deal on the HIA (a  fare price, upgraded everything, and crew appreciation.  Plus we received a considerable amount of OBC from both our TA and HAL.  This thread reminded me to check the rates.  We have been looking to upgrade to a Vista Suite.  Not only have the rates gone up by $600pp on our Veranda, and $500pp on the Vista Suite, but the HIA isn't even in the offering!  I was really shocked by that.  

So now your really good deal is now a Really Really GREAT deal!! Enjoy!!

[Iamthesea]

Yes!  I don't understand about the missing HIA, though.  Maybe it is a glitch and perhaps the pricing includes the HIA.  I tried a Faux booking twice (same way on the HAL site that I always have) and came up with the same result.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Have you called to see about getting the new package? Might be worth it or maybe you’d lose more than you’d gain.

[DaveOKC]

On 2/12/2024 at 7:23 AM, ChinaShrek said:

The problem is when there is a price drop. My cruise dropped in price more than $1000 a couple of months ago (after originally booking 18 months ago). In order to get the lower price, I had to get the HIA package that was running when I made the new booking. This means I lost gratuities, the premium WiFi, and the Elite Beverage Package. I received the Surf WiFi instead and the Signature Beverage Package. 

In reality a price drop is not necessarily a true decline in prices, as the old price often was reflective of a "package" of items,  Later the cruiseline may offer a barebones deal with fewer or no perks, but also a much lower price.  They are trying to appeal to different segments of the market is all.