Solo Cruiser Posted October 17, 2007 #1 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have been waiting (not too patiently LOL) for my cabin assignment for the 10-21 sailing of the Westerdam. My category H guarantee had not been assigned a cabin number. So today, my TA gets a call that HAL is offering me $100 to downgrade to a category I cabin (inside). I paid $300 to upgrade from an inside guarantee and they want to pay me $100 to downgrade? I refused. They have since offered to allow passengers who change the week of their sailing to upgrade to verandah cabins but I can't change. My TA says this is the first time in her 35 years in the business that a client of hers has been offered a downgrade. I'm hoping this fairy goes away and is replaced with her upgrade sister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted October 17, 2007 #2 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I have never heard of such a thing. Surely HAL has it on record that you paid $300 to upgrade and that offering you $100 to downgrade is a slap in the face. Your TA should have pointed this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kakalina Posted October 17, 2007 #3 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Very strange indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spender Nui Posted October 17, 2007 #4 Share Posted October 17, 2007 WOW! That would be an absolute disgrace. Big business at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innlady1 Posted October 17, 2007 #5 Share Posted October 17, 2007 That doesn't sound right. And, I guess it's why I choose our stateroom so I know where we're going to be. I hate a "guessing game!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorenceItaly Posted October 17, 2007 #6 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Sandy, I have been thinking about you waiting for a posting that you received your room assignment. What was HAL's response to the fact that you paid $300 to upgrade to a OV and they were only wanting to rebate you $100? That's insane! Marie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammybee Posted October 17, 2007 #7 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I recall something similar happening on an Alaskan cruise this past summer. Darn shame you can't take the other cruise. In any event, it's Let's Make a Deal Time and if you have a price in mind that you would sail in an inside cabin at, instruct your TA to communicate it to HAL. How does 50% off whatever it is you paid, sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Mtn Posted October 18, 2007 #8 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Please get your TA to work on your behalf ! This doesn't sound right !!! Sounds as if you got in the "regular" guarantee pool, w/o respect to your personal information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo Cruiser Posted October 18, 2007 Author #9 Share Posted October 18, 2007 My TA responded to the downgrade offer with an absolute no and informed HAL that they were offering me 1/3 of what I paid to upgrade. When they submitted the other offer she told them that my sail date was not flexible. She has given them a figure for which I would accept a downgrade but they aren't going for it YET. I'm not sure what a "regular guarantee pool" is but this is certainly the first time I've encountered this situation. My 3 previous cruises have all been guarantee cabins as well. Supposedly their response to my TA was that they were "trying to juggle the inventory." I'm not concerned as there is the guarantee of an H category but I'm beginning to believe that I will book cabin numbers not guarantees in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LAFFNVEGAS Posted October 18, 2007 #10 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Sandy this is crazy but not totally unheard of. Back in 2006 we went on the Maasdam for New England. We had a category B Verandah and had been on a waitlist for over 6 months for a S which we never got. About 2 weeks before we left HAL called my TA wanting us to switch cruises for a few months later for 2 different Caribbean cruises for 7 days. The offers were all for Ocean View cabins no verandahs and were offering us no money. We said wait a minute this is nuts you are offering us a 7 day cruise for an itinerary that is normally cheaper than the one we are sailing on and a category lower than what we are paying for on this cruise:confused: Sometimes I think they make these offers before they think or research what their passengers has done. Stand firm and tell them No Thank You I will keep what I paid for:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted October 18, 2007 #11 Share Posted October 18, 2007 I've heard of this sort of thing before. Not quite the same. Of course, you should have been offered AT LEAST the amount you paid for the upgrade to coax you to downgrade.....more would have been appropriate. I don't think there is any reason for worry. You said No and they will move along to someone else. They will upgrade, move around, make attractive offers until they get the kind and number of cabins they need. Some folks will welcome the offer and the offers will get better and better as sail date approaches if they still need cabins in a certain range. I wouldn't be at all nervous if I were you as you will be assigned at least the category of your guarantee and you will have a cabin. Too bad you were in a position that prohibited flexibility, you might have gotten a generous offer. Let us know how it ends up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseBoySEA Posted October 18, 2007 #12 Share Posted October 18, 2007 What's wrong with a downgrade of that nature? It's not like you paid for a verandah and they asked you to go to an inside cabin. Cruiselines oversell their sailings just like airlines do.....sometimes they need assistance "evening out" the sailing. It amazes me how some people (not necessarily yourself) gripe when something negative happens with a cruiseline (or anything for that matter) but yet they never remember all of the free upgrades they've gotten over the years.....hmmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrp96 Posted October 18, 2007 #13 Share Posted October 18, 2007 What's wrong with a downgrade of that nature? It's not like you paid for a verandah and they asked you to go to an inside cabin. Cruiselines oversell their sailings just like airlines do.....sometimes they need assistance "evening out" the sailing. It amazes me how some people (not necessarily yourself) gripe when something negative happens with a cruiseline (or anything for that matter) but yet they never remember all of the free upgrades they've gotten over the years.....hmmmmm. The problem is she had originally booked what they are now offering her at a price that is $300 less than what she has now paid for a nicer room and they are only willing to give back $200. So in essence they are telling the OP she can have her original room for $200 more than what she paid for a better room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseBoySEA Posted October 18, 2007 #14 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Okay then, I understand the frustration. People are right though, don't worry. You declined the offer, they'll move on to someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorenceItaly Posted October 18, 2007 #15 Share Posted October 18, 2007 deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhannah Posted October 18, 2007 #16 Share Posted October 18, 2007 This is very strange. I'll also be interested in knowing how it turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorenceItaly Posted October 18, 2007 #17 Share Posted October 18, 2007 It seems like this is a very popular date. The same thing is happening over on the Princess board! Marie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrp96 Posted October 18, 2007 #18 Share Posted October 18, 2007 It seems like this is a very popular date. The same thing is happening over on the Princess board! On two different cruises - the Crown Princess and the Caribbean Princess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemima Posted October 18, 2007 #19 Share Posted October 18, 2007 The problem is she had originally booked what they are now offering her at a price that is $300 less than what she has now paid for a nicer room and they are only willing to give back $200. So in essence they are telling the OP she can have her original room for $200 more than what she paid for a better room. Even if she had originally booked the H guarantee, she should not receive anything but an H or higher. That is the way guarantees work. The price makes no difference; it is the category booked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrp96 Posted October 18, 2007 #20 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Even if she had originally booked the H guarantee, she should not receive anything but an H or higher. That is the way guarantees work. The price makes no difference; it is the category booked. I know as I have booked guarantees myself but they are offering her money to drop back down a category (but not enough to cover the amount she paid to upgrade to the higher category). That's the issue here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barante Posted October 18, 2007 #21 Share Posted October 18, 2007 I'm not saying that this couldn't happen to me. But to lessen that chance I always book a particular cabin. I have never understood why people gamble with guarantees. If you lucky you will do well, but if you are unlucky you will cruise feeling bad. When you have an assigned cabin number, I would think that you are even firmer ground legally, should it come to litigation. I've never sailed in a penthouse or suite, But pretty much everything in between I have done. I always spend time studying deck plans, and I have never had any problem with the location of a cabin. Even my obstructed was fine. It seems to me that a pleasant cruise experience is not so much about your cabin type as it is about other aspects of onboard service and experience. I always have a good cruise, even when accommodations are not plush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makeithappen Posted October 18, 2007 #22 Share Posted October 18, 2007 I wouldn't have believed this was possible, but we just got the correct cabin assignment for our 10/20 sailing. What a hassle, but it was worth it. Good luck! Stay strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo Cruiser Posted October 18, 2007 Author #23 Share Posted October 18, 2007 It is my intention to have a great cruise. I'm confident HAL will provide me with a category H cabin for the sailing I've chosen. In no way has the length of time it's taken to get an assignment or the silliness of the original offer diminished my anticipation of this vacation. I am very enthusiastically approaching my first sailaway with Holland America. I will keep you all updated as to any future offers and my ultimate assignment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammybee Posted October 18, 2007 #24 Share Posted October 18, 2007 When you have an assigned cabin number, I would think that you are even firmer ground legally, should it come to litigation. Whoa. No reason to use the "L" word. When a cruise line oversells a cruise, they do what they need to do to get the necessary cabins. Cruise lines, like airlines, have the ability to bump passengers. Unlike airlines, the only involentary bump situation I am aware of, happened on Oceania. The rest are voluntary with incentives. Here is a link to that story. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1692 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bepsf Posted October 18, 2007 #25 Share Posted October 18, 2007 I have been waiting (not too patiently LOL) for my cabin assignment for the 10-21 sailing of the Westerdam. My category H guarantee had not been assigned a cabin number. So today, my TA gets a call that HAL is offering me $100 to downgrade to a category I cabin (inside). I paid $300 to upgrade from an inside guarantee and they want to pay me $100 to downgrade? I refused. They have since offered to allow passengers who change the week of their sailing to upgrade to verandah cabins but I can't change. My TA says this is the first time in her 35 years in the business that a client of hers has been offered a downgrade. I'm hoping this fairy goes away and is replaced with her upgrade sister. Just another reason to not book a "Guarantee"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.