Lead passenger on casino comp cruise will be a no show, any advise?

[Fly and Sail]

We received a free casino comp via the HA status match in a Visa Suite for which I booked a 12 day Med cruise.

 

The comp cruise certificate is in the name of my girlfriend, and we booked for both of us quite a while ago. Due to some last-minute developments, she will have to sit for an exam and wants a few weeks to study for it. She can't take this cruise but needs alone time either way so I'd still go because it won't make a difference other than the free cruise expiring otherwise.

 

I wonder if HA will bat an eye if she (as the lead passenger on the reservation) won't check in on embarkation day. In the end, people get sick or miss their flights all the time. My parents had a similar situation on Celebrity last year, and they didn't care; even refunding the taxes for the no-show.

 

Thanks to anyone with IRL experience.

[Mary229]

I have been emphatically told by HAL the offer is for the named person and if they don’t show no one can step in their place. 

[Horizon chaser 1957]

So you are both already booked, but she will no show? Generally, if the lead traveller CANCELS, the booking is cancelled. If the lead traveller is a no show, the second person remains, and with no fare increase. How this applies to casino comp offers, I really don’t know. I’d think it’s the same.

[dobiemom]

I was almost in the same situation a few years ago. Guest #1 got ill and wasn’t sure if she would make the cruise. Our TA said don’t cancel Guest #1, just check in (me as Guest #2) and say the other person is coming later. Cancel Guest #1 right before the ship sails (not sure if you would need to do this on a free casino-comped cabin). Luckily she was able to make it and we had a lovely cruise. 

[rodndonna]

15 minutes ago, dobiemom said:

I was almost in the same situation a few years ago. Guest #1 got ill and wasn’t sure if she would make the cruise. Our TA said don’t cancel Guest #1, just check in (me as Guest #2) and say the other person is coming later. Cancel Guest #1 right before the ship sails (not sure if you would need to do this on a free casino-comped cabin). Luckily she was able to make it and we had a lovely cruise. 

 

What your TA suggested might "work" .... BUT, if I was the Casino comped Guest, I  would then not at all be surprised if they didn't extend any further offers to me (and I would totally understand why)

 

Essentially, if it CAN be done, the comp reservations are effectively "transferable" which defeats the whole purpose of offering a comp to a Casino player. 

[Wehwalt]

49 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

What your TA suggested might "work" .... BUT, if I was the Casino comped Guest, I  would then not at all be surprised if they didn't extend any further offers to me (and I would totally understand why)

 

Essentially, if it CAN be done, the comp reservations are effectively "transferable" which defeats the whole purpose of offering a comp to a Casino player. 

Agreed. Guest 1's presence is what HAL wants, in the expectation she will gamble enough to justify giving her the free cruise. To accept the free cruise, but with Guest 1 not there, and telling what amounts to falsehoods to accomplish that, well, there's something ethically wrong with that, at the very least.

Edited March 6 by Wehwalt

[FlorenceItaly]

As the second passenger I would be worried about being charged full prevailing rate.

[GeorgesGal]

Why not just contact HAL and ask them?  I assume you should speak with Guest Services or whatever they are called at headquarters.  This way you won't get any surprise at the pier.

Donna

[Fly and Sail]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I have been emphatically told by HAL the offer is for the named person and if they don’t show no one can step in their place. 

 

The offer is always for two people per cabin.

[Fly and Sail]

1 hour ago, GeorgesGal said:

Why not just contact HAL and ask them?  I assume you should speak with Guest Services or whatever they are called at headquarters.  This way you won't get any surprise at the pier.

Donna

 

Because I don't want them to annotate my booking or flag it in some way. Usually, the CC community always has better answers than cruise line representatives, especially when asking them a hypothetical case.

[Fly and Sail]

1 hour ago, Wehwalt said:

Agreed. Guest 1's presence is what HAL wants, in the expectation she will gamble enough to justify giving her the free cruise. To accept the free cruise, but with Guest 1 not there, and telling what amounts to falsehoods to accomplish that, well, there's something ethically wrong with that, at the very least.

 

Ethics aren't my concern at this point. And we don't expect to get any additional offers from HAL as Celebrity is our primary cruise line. We only took this offer because it was attractive and advertised, no intention to play much in the casino unless they have my favorite slot.

[POA1]

Read your terms and conditions. I'd bet that Pax 2 gets hit with the full, double occupancy non-refundable fare. (Less taxes, fees and port expenses.)

[Shippy]

 You just might get lucky...

I have a casino cabin booked on Holland for next month & one on Princess for August.

The Princess offer has specific wording that if the original owner of the offer does not checkin...the casino price (offer) will automatically be changed to the prevailing rate for whoever does checkin.  The Holland has a bunch of ambiguous language but nothing that specific.

 BUT....unless I REALLY wanted to take this cruise...I would be a bit leery about going !

[sunviking90]

2 hours ago, GeorgesGal said:

Why not just contact HAL and ask them?  I assume you should speak with Guest Services or whatever they are called at headquarters.  This way you won't get any surprise at the pier.

Donna

I feel like this would have been the best option in the “olden days” ie pre Covid, when they had knowledgeable staff. These days, you could probably get 5 different answers, none of which will be accurate. 
Probably why OP came here.

 

[leerathje]

I would have your GF check out the offer she received.  I have a Casino offer, and mine says "Invited guest must sail or full cruise fare will be applied to other guests sailing in the stateroom."  So, if her wording is the same, it looks like to me you'd be paying full fare.  So, go and take your chances, but be fully prepared to pay the full fare.  Otherwise, don't go, and there won't be any surprises on your credit card.

 

L.

 

Edited March 6 by leerathje

[Fly and Sail]

29 minutes ago, leerathje said:

I would have your GF check out the offer she received.

 

Well, we obviously have the T&C, but those aren't saying much about this situation. There is no language in it regarding the retail rate being charged, as some quoted above from their own offers. Not that they'd get with a blind charge in Europe anyway, they'd have to tell the passengers in advance.

 

GENERAL FREE DEAL TERMS (APPLICABLE TO ANY/ALL AVAILABLE MATCH PROGRAM FREE DEALS (“DEAL(S)”)) Free Deals exclude any deposit and Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses (“TFPE”). The promotional offer is applicable for 1st/2nd guests only; 3rd/4th/5th guests are responsible for prevailing cruise rates. Holland America Line reserves the right to assess a change fee according to the date of the request, the length of the cruise, and the actual cruise sail date. Cancellation penalties apply. Must be 18+ to play in the casino. Invited Guests under the age of 21 must travel with a relative or guardian of 25 years of age or older. Exclusions may apply to certain Deals. Deals (and any parts) are not transferable, not substitutable, not redeemable for cash and not combinable with any other offer/deal. Deals are only applicable to new bookings, on select sailings, and are capacity controlled (regardless of stateroom availability). Each Deal is only available on select sailings through the date set forth in the Deal’s specific terms. Free Play offers are only valid for the first two guests in the stateroom. Carnival Corporation (“Carnival”) is not responsible or liable for any printing errors. Any Deal may be changed or revoked at any time. Guests must be eligible for passage on Holland America Line ships to be eligible for these Deals. There is no guarantee of availability at time of booking. © 2022 Carnival Corporation. All rights reserved. Ship Registry: The Netherlands.

[Ready2go11]

1 hour ago, Fly and Sail said:

 Holland America Line reserves the right to assess a change fee according to the date of the request, the length of the cruise, and the actual cruise sail date. Cancellation penalties apply. Deals (and any parts) are not transferable, not substitutable, not redeemable for cash and not combinable with any other offer/deal.

wouldn't any of these excerpted parts allow them to change or cancel your trip and/or fare rate?  
 

1) the offer was extended to the first person on your reservation and they are cancelling so a penalty could apply. 
 

2) by the first guest not showing up, you are changing the reservation so a change fee could apply 

 

3) the deal was extended to the first person on the reservation, and would not be transferable to you. 
 

I agree with other posters in that you could show up and may get lucky, and nothing will change OR based on the above they could cancel the entire trip or make you pay the full non-casino, discounted fare, which would significantly increase your cost.  By showing up on your own, you are taking a gamble it will work out as you hope. 

 

I am not sure what you mean by not allowing a blind charge in Europe, since you are not taking the trip that is documented on your confirmation by having 2 people, including the one the offer was extended to, participate in the contracted journey. 

[TRLD]

4 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

As the second passenger I would be worried about being charged full prevailing rate.

That is what I would expect. One should read the terms and conditions of the casino offer. Would not be unusual if full fare were to be charged if those terms are violated.

[Fly and Sail]

12 minutes ago, Ready2go11 said:

I agree with other posters in that you could show up and may get lucky, and nothing will change OR based on the above they could cancel the entire trip or make you pay the full non-casino, discounted fare, which would significantly increase your cost.  By showing up on your own, you are taking a gamble it will work out as you hope. 

 

I am not sure what you mean by not allowing a blind charge in Europe, since you are not taking the trip that is documented on your confirmation by having 2 people, including the one the offer was extended to, participate in the contracted journey. 

 

Barcelona isn't much of an inconvenience for me and the city itself is quite nice to spend a weekend. In the worst case, I could always go back home, 8000 United miles for a short-haul flight on Lufthansa.

 

By blind charge, I mean if they wanted to charge me anything, they would have to do so at the time of sailing, allowing me to decline. They can't just charge the card at the end of the trip. Not that I'd give them a card that'd allow an unauthorized (high) charge in the first place.

[TRLD]

41 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Barcelona isn't much of an inconvenience for me and the city itself is quite nice to spend a weekend. In the worst case, I could always go back home, 8000 United miles for a short-haul flight on Lufthansa.

 

By blind charge, I mean if they wanted to charge me anything, they would have to do so at the time of sailing, allowing me to decline. They can't just charge the card at the end of the trip. Not that I'd give them a card that'd allow an unauthorized (high) charge in the first place.

You might want to read the offer terms. If you choose to board and the person in whose name does not board then depending upon those exact terms you certainly could find yourself charged while on the cruise. The other alternative is to notify the casino department that they can not make the cruise and see if the offer will stand. Most of these offers are not transferable and become void if the person does not cruise.

 

Do not have a copy of Holland casino offer terms and conditions but do have the link to Royals. Would expect them to be similar.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/terms-and-conditions/casino-promotions#:~:text=Casino Offers are nontransferable%2C cannot,be withdrawn at any time.

 

They very clearly address the situation of the primary not showing up. In addition to the other passenger to be charged full fare, the person that got the offer may find that they are nolonger eligeable for future offers.

Edited March 6 by TRLD

[Fly and Sail]

35 minutes ago, TRLD said:

You might want to read the offer terms. If you choose to board and the person in whose name does not board then depending upon those exact terms you certainly could find yourself charged while on the cruise. The other alternative is to notify the casino department that they can not make the cruise and see if the offer will stand. Most of these offers are not transferable and become void if the person does not cruise.

 

Do not have a copy of Holland casino offer terms and conditions but do have the link to Royals. Would expect them to be similar.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/terms-and-conditions/casino-promotions#:~:text=Casino Offers are nontransferable%2C cannot,be withdrawn at any time.

 

They very clearly address the situation of the primary not showing up. In addition to the other passenger to be charged full fare, the person that got the offer may find that they are nolonger eligeable for future offers.

 

I quoted the offer terms above, there is no such language. Either way, no matter what they write in their conditions it wouldn't allow them to charge without prior notification in the EU. T&C don't supersede valid consumer law.

 

I'll risk it and report back how it went.:)

[TRLD]

14 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

I quoted the offer terms above, there is no such language. Either way, no matter what they write in their conditions it wouldn't allow them to charge without prior notification in the EU. T&C don't supersede valid consumer law.

 

I'll risk it and report back how it went.:)

So is your friend agreeable to losing future offers.

 

They have provided notice in the T&Cs.

[kazu]

8 hours ago, dobiemom said:

I was almost in the same situation a few years ago. Guest #1 got ill and wasn’t sure if she would make the cruise. Our TA said don’t cancel Guest #1, just check in (me as Guest #2) and say the other person is coming later. Cancel Guest #1 right before the ship sails (not sure if you would need to do this on a free casino-comped cabin). Luckily she was able to make it and we had a lovely cruise. 

 

Yup, my TA told us the same thing when my DBIL had to head home and my DS continued on the cruise.  she just said he was joining later and no one bugged her later.

She kept his OBC to use and never had a question other than one port.  

 

Our TA gave super advice.

[kazu]

2 hours ago, Ready2go11 said:

wouldn't any of these excerpted parts allow them to change or cancel your trip and/or fare rate?  
 

1) the offer was extended to the first person on your reservation and they are cancelling so a penalty could apply. 

 

But they are not cancelling, they are just coming “later” at another port.

 

I don’t know enough about casino deals, but I have a suspicion it would be similar to the scenario I outlined a few minutes ago.

 

Of course, the 2nd person would most likely not be entitled to some of the benefits (like free drinks in the casino) but if the word cancel is not used and boarding later, I think / hope they would be ok.

 

My bigger concern is how it would  affect the lead person who received the casino offer.

 

 

[Haljo1935]

8 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

So you are both already booked, but she will no show? Generally, if the lead traveller CANCELS, the booking is cancelled. If the lead traveller is a no show, the second person remains, and with no fare increase. How this applies to casino comp offers, I really don’t know. I’d think it’s the same.

@Fly and Sail this has happened to me on HAL and was exactly as @Horizon chaser 1957 and @kazu said - passenger #1 was a No Show w/no repercussions. We did not cancel pax 1, they were simply a No Show.