Price drop before final payment with Club Orange Paid

[Suncitycruiser1925]

There has been a price drop on the fare for our booked cruise for December on the Nieuw Statendam.  We have not made final payment and it is not due yet.

I called our travel agent and she has spent hours trying to get help with refaring our cruise with  Holland's customer service representatives with no success so far.  I am asking for any input /advice from any cruisers who have experienced a similar situation.

We booked a guaranteed inside and paid for Club Orange.  We requested and we were upgraded to an assigned inside category that we chose.

The price is now less for an oceanview cabin than what we paid months ago for an inside.  We paid for Club Orange when we booked.  I do not want to lose Club Orange since we really enjoyed the smaller dining room on our last cruise on NS.

My request is for Holland to refare our cruise at the current rate and change our cabin from an inside to an oceanview guarantee room and then upgrade our cabin to an assigned oceanview cabin we would choose (based on Club Orange).  Inside cabins are also less expensive now than when we booked, but I would rather have an oceanview cabin, if possible, since it is now more affordable to us.

Holland Representatives have told our travel agent that she would need to cancel our cruise, including Club Orange.  Then, rebook us at the new category and rate and pay again for Club Orange (if available--probably not at this point).  Holland's Representatives also told our travel agent we would lose our "welcome back" on board credit because the fare we booked is not available now. 

Does this sound accurate?  Should we just stay with the inside cabin we booked and the price at the price we booked? 

It seems to me we are being penalized for booking months in advance.  Thoughts?  Thanks for any input from more experienced Holland cruisers than me!  This is frustrating to our travel  agent and me.  Thanks in advance for any advice/input.

[colin v]

If you were happy with what you had stay there. Sometimes you try and save $50 and you lose $100 elsewhere.

 

I wouldn’t suggest you were penalized for booking early - you were rewarded. If you change that contract then you will lose the reward it’s not a penalty. 
 

 

[rodndonna]

1 hour ago, colin v said:

 

I wouldn’t suggest you were penalized for booking early - you were rewarded. If you change that contract then you will lose the reward it’s not a penalty. 
 

 

 

I'd agree. From what I understand of Club Orange is, they are limited in availability. If they allow people to cancel and rebook with Club Orange, it would sell out even faster. You have to view it as when you booked, you were able to purchsae Club Orange (which is likely sold out now).

[Suncitycruiser1925]

Colin V and Rodndonna:

Thank you both for your input.  I appreciate it!  I was feeling stressed about trying to make a change and potentially losing Club Orange.  My husband says if we lose Club Orang, he doesn't want to go on the cruise.  We both really enjoyed the smaller dining room.  We don't care for the buffet--just our opinion.  I tried to book 2 new cruises since this one and Club Orange was sold out on both sailings, so we did not book them.  

[Sea42]

35 minutes ago, Suncitycruiser1925 said:

Colin V and Rodndonna:

Thank you both for your input.  I appreciate it!  I was feeling stressed about trying to make a change and potentially losing Club Orange.  My husband says if we lose Club Orang, he doesn't want to go on the cruise.  We both really enjoyed the smaller dining room.  We don't care for the buffet--just our opinion.  I tried to book 2 new cruises since this one and Club Orange was sold out on both sailings, so we did not book them.  

I suggest that you ask for a fare adjustment for your current cabin and drop the request to move up to an ocean view. You may have better luck with that.

[cbr663]

Yes, unfortunately with HAL this is the process when a passenger requests a change in cabin category.  It requires cancelling the original booking and creating a new booking.  For some strange reason if HAL wants to upgrade you from an Inside to an Oceanview it doesn't require the cancel/rebook process, but when it is a passenger request it does.

 

Adding Club Orange to the mix can really complicate the matter.  Club Orange is managed by Ship Inventory and not the PCC so it isn't simple to just cancel and then re-apply it to another booking.  It should be, but it isn't as the minute a PCC cancels it on a booking it then becomes available for someone else to book.  I experienced this last year when I had a PCC call Ship Inventory to verify that CO was available only to tell me that it was no longer available at the end of the booking when the PCC called back to Ship Inventory to add the CO.  I cancelled the booking.

 

In addition, HAL treats CO as an addition to your fare and the charge for CO is captured as part of your deposit.  This means that should you book with a nonrefundable deposit and you wish to cancel the deposit that you will forfeit will include the CO charge.

 

Your options now are to stay put with the original booking or cancel and roll the dice with the understanding that with the new booking you may not be able to secure CO.  Personally, I find this utter nonsense and I wonder if your TA spoke to a HAL Pricing Specialist whether this can easily be resolved.

[BermudaBound2014]

41 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

I suggest that you ask for a fare adjustment for your current cabin and drop the request to move up to an ocean view. You may have better luck with that.

 

This ^^^. A re-fare would not jeopardize club orange as your booking number would stay the same.

 

Have you tried to do a mock booking as if you are booking for the very first time?  See if you can add club orange to an outside category and pick your cabin. Once secured, just cancel your inside (assuming you booked on a fully refundable fare). 

 

Changing cabin categories will require a new booking number and with the new booking number comes the current promotions/availability. In this case I think the HAL rep is correct.

[*Miss G*]

52 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

Yes, unfortunately with HAL this is the process when a passenger requests a change in cabin category.  It requires cancelling the original booking and creating a new booking.

I am not so sure of that^^. On one cruise, I had booked a veranda. A few weeks later, we changed our minds and asked our PCC to book us into a Vista instead. When I took a look at the Mariner credits, following the cruise, I noticed that we didn’t get the double credits for booking a suite. It was a bit of a fight with the Mariner Society to have them applied. She said that our original booking showed us in a Verandah so we weren’t eligible because we’d gone for an upgrade. We had not. We had paid the advertised rate to change our room long before we had received an upgrade offer or reached final payment. 

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, *Miss G* said:

I am not so sure of that^^. On one cruise, I had booked a veranda. A few weeks later, we changed our minds and asked our PCC to book us into a Vista instead. When I took a look at the Mariner credits, following the cruise, I noticed that we didn’t get the double credits for booking a suite. It was a bit of a fight with the Mariner Society to have them applied. She said that our original booking showed us in a Verandah so we weren’t eligible because we’d gone for an upgrade. We had not. We had paid the advertised rate to change our room long before we had received an upgrade offer or reached final payment. 

 

Did your booking number change when you moved categories? 

[*Miss G*]

Just now, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Did your booking number change when you moved categories? 

It will take me a bit of research to find that but I am pretty sure the booking number remained the same. I will get back. 
 

One thing she did say was that POLAR retains the original category information and that they calculate from that. 

[BermudaBound2014]

6 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

It will take me a bit of research to find that but I am pretty sure the booking number remained the same. I will get back. 
 

One thing she did say was that POLAR retains the original category information and that they calculate from that. 

 

Don't do a lot of digging for me, I'm just curious. It's been my experience that if the booking number stays the same you keep the original benefits. A change in booking numbers triggers the new benefits, but I could totally be wrong on this. 

 

 I recently rebooked an Antarctica cruise for January. I had booked the early booking with the upgraded internet, included gratuities, and upgraded drink package. Then HAL ran the special including Gratuities for our sailing (6 months out) and the price was less. In the rebooking I lost the better internet and drink package and early dining because we actually had to rebook from scratch (new booking number) and then cancel the original booking (made on $1 deposit),

 

 I'm guessing POLAR was the glitch in your matrix. 

Edited August 24 by BermudaBound2014

[sunviking90]

37 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

I am not so sure of that^^. On one cruise, I had booked a veranda. A few weeks later, we changed our minds and asked our PCC to book us into a Vista instead. When I took a look at the Mariner credits, following the cruise, I noticed that we didn’t get the double credits for booking a suite. It was a bit of a fight with the Mariner Society to have them applied. She said that our original booking showed us in a Verandah so we weren’t eligible because we’d gone for an upgrade. We had not. We had paid the advertised rate to change our room long before we had received an upgrade offer or reached final payment. 

Yes, we had the same experience when we changed from an ov to a Vista in Zaandam in 2019. The price on Vista had gone down a lot, so we paid the difference to change and kept the same booking number. Like you, we had to make a few calls to get the correct number of Mariner credits. They argued we’d taken an upsell, which we had not. 

This was in 2019, so maybe things have changed. 

[*Miss G*]

35 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Don't do a lot of digging, I'm just curious. It's been my experience that if the booking number stays the same you keep the original benefits. A change in booking numbers triggers the new benefits, but I could totally be wrong on this. 

 

 I'm guessing POLAR was the glitch in your matrix. 

 

Sheesh. Definitely a lot of digging.  And then I got ticked off, again, reading what a hassle it was to get my suite credits!  😂

 

So, yes, the booking number remained the same.  I also discovered that we upgraded to an SY (Signature Suite) from a Verandah; and not a Vista, as I had thought.  Following final payment, we received an upgrade offer to a Neptune, which we purchased.

[*Miss G*]

7 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

Yes, we had the same experience when we changed from an ov to a Vista in Zaandam in 2019. The price on Vista had gone down a lot, so we paid the difference to change and kept the same booking number. Like you, we had to make a few calls to get the correct number of Mariner credits. They argued we’d taken an upsell, which we had not. 

This was in 2019, so maybe things have changed. 

 

Yes!  That was exactly my experience!

[BermudaBound2014]

Thanks! 

 

With the same booking number looks like POLAR somehow coded it as an upgrade and not a refare or new booking. Glad it all worked out for you in the end. HAL technology has room for improvement. 

[srsurman]

Not to sidetrack this thread, but as a new cruiser (2 years, three 7-day cruises), I can't wrap my head around why a cruise line would allow people to refare.  I mean, what benefit does the cruise line get from this?  It seems counterintuitive to making the business money (especially since they have to increase administrative staff to handle all these changes), and the airline faring system seems to work just fine for airlines.

[*Miss G*]

11 minutes ago, srsurman said:

Not to sidetrack this thread, but as a new cruiser (2 years, three 7-day cruises), I can't wrap my head around why a cruise line would allow people to refare.  I mean, what benefit does the cruise line get from this?  It seems counterintuitive to making the business money (especially since they have to increase administrative staff to handle all these changes), and the airline faring system seems to work just fine for airlines.

 

An airline comparison is apples to oranges.  To compare apples to apples, the cruise lines operate in the same way that resorts and hotels work.  If you cancel within the window, providing you purchased a refundable fare, you will get a full refund.  (And airlines also allow for it if you purchase a refundable fare.)

[srsurman]

12 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

An airline comparison is apples to oranges.  To compare apples to apples, the cruise lines operate in the same way that resorts and hotels work.  If you cancel within the window, providing you purchased a refundable fare, you will get a full refund.  (And airlines also allow for it if you purchase a refundable fare.)

So what you're saying to the OP...just cancel and rebook?

[a.madruga]

9 hours ago, Suncitycruiser1925 said:

There has been a price drop on the fare for our booked cruise for December on the Nieuw Statendam.  We have not made final payment and it is not due yet.

I called our travel agent and she has spent hours trying to get help with refaring our cruise with  Holland's customer service representatives with no success so far.  I am asking for any input /advice from any cruisers who have experienced a similar situation.

We booked a guaranteed inside and paid for Club Orange.  We requested and we were upgraded to an assigned inside category that we chose.

The price is now less for an oceanview cabin than what we paid months ago for an inside.  We paid for Club Orange when we booked.  I do not want to lose Club Orange since we really enjoyed the smaller dining room on our last cruise on NS.

My request is for Holland to refare our cruise at the current rate and change our cabin from an inside to an oceanview guarantee room and then upgrade our cabin to an assigned oceanview cabin we would choose (based on Club Orange).  Inside cabins are also less expensive now than when we booked, but I would rather have an oceanview cabin, if possible, since it is now more affordable to us.

Holland Representatives have told our travel agent that she would need to cancel our cruise, including Club Orange.  Then, rebook us at the new category and rate and pay again for Club Orange (if available--probably not at this point).  Holland's Representatives also told our travel agent we would lose our "welcome back" on board credit because the fare we booked is not available now. 

Does this sound accurate?  Should we just stay with the inside cabin we booked and the price at the price we booked? 

It seems to me we are being penalized for booking months in advance.  Thoughts?  Thanks for any input from more experienced Holland cruisers than me!  This is frustrating to our travel  agent and me.  Thanks in advance for any advice/input.

You booked for December if its early the prices tend to drop as I believe you didn't say when in December you got a good deal and booking guaranteed with Club Orange IMO you should have thought better of cabin choice knowing the upgrade one recieves  no penalization IMO

[PROCRUISE]

3 hours ago, Suncitycruiser1925 said:

Colin V and Rodndonna:

Thank you both for your input.  I appreciate it!  I was feeling stressed about trying to make a change and potentially losing Club Orange.  My husband says if we lose Club Orang, he doesn't want to go on the cruise.  We both really enjoyed the smaller dining room.  We don't care for the buffet--just our opinion.  I tried to book 2 new cruises since this one and Club Orange was sold out on both sailings, so we did not book them.  

I think you're smart to keep what you have although you could check on just a fare adjustment but no other changes. I've found that whenever one tries to save a little money and make cabin changes etc. it's likely you'll lose your "perks" and CO too.

If you're cruising on the NS on 12/7 - we'll see you in the CO, which I really enjoy too.

[*Miss G*]

4 minutes ago, srsurman said:

So what you're saying to the OP...just cancel and rebook?

No. I am saying nothing to the OP; I am responding to your query. I use a PCC and not a TA. It’s the solution which works best for me in order to cut through the red tape. ( Such as the situation the OP currently faces. ) But that is also a thread “sidetrack “.

[sunviking90]

1 hour ago, srsurman said:

Not to sidetrack this thread, but as a new cruiser (2 years, three 7-day cruises), I can't wrap my head around why a cruise line would allow people to refare.  I mean, what benefit does the cruise line get from this?  It seems counterintuitive to making the business money (especially since they have to increase administrative staff to handle all these changes), and the airline faring system seems to work just fine for airlines.

It comes down to customer goodwill. We once booked on another cruise line after final payment and the price literally went down $500 within 24 hours. I called them asap to get a refare, or stateroom upgrade, and they wouldn’t do anything for me. Spoke to managers, etc and still nothing. We took the cruise and didn’t sail on them for another 5 years, but instead sailed on Princess and HAL for the majority of our cruises. To compare to airlines, even they will allow you to cancel, refare or change within 24 hours of booking for no charge.

I currently have a Princess PVP who is amazing and always seems to be able to work magic for us. I stick with her even when the original price may be cheaper with a TA.

Edited August 24 by sunviking90

[KAKcruiser]

I would try to get a price adjustment for your inside cabin.  

[cbr663]

3 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Sheesh. Definitely a lot of digging.  And then I got ticked off, again, reading what a hassle it was to get my suite credits!  😂

 

So, yes, the booking number remained the same.  I also discovered that we upgraded to an SY (Signature Suite) from a Verandah; and not a Vista, as I had thought.  Following final payment, we received an upgrade offer to a Neptune, which we purchased.

Yours is a perfect example of why I suggested that the OPs TA contact a Pricing Specialist as HAL continues to demonstrate that it is consistently inconsistent.  

[KAKcruiser]

I agree 100% that a Pricing Specialist is the way to go.  But, I always have trouble being connected to one.  The reps try to handle things themselves.