Exchange rate?

[Travelbug 2]

For fellow Canadians on the board. Anyone know what exchange rate HAL is using for the Canadian $. I would hope that it reflects the fact that the C $ is now more than the US $. At the moment it would be worth paying in US$. Anyone had any recent experiences?

[Barocl]

According to our travel agent HAL is still using 1.18. Pay in US dollars unless you want to be taken to the cleaners. Take care.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our Canada/New England cruises in August, we used US dollars everywhere. The exchange rate was very close - hardly any difference.

 

When I needed to charge something, I used my AMEX card and wasn't charged any fee for the conversion from Canadian price to American.

[Travelbug 2]

According to our travel agent HAL is still using 1.18. Pay in US dollars unless you want to be taken to the cleaners. Take care.

 

That is criminal, :eek: how can they get away with that? As a Canadian I take exception to being ripped off like this and will certainly complain to the powers that be at HAL. There is no justification for it, I am going to call them and confirm what they are charging. Yes, I will pay in US $ for sure. :mad:

[nosmothj]

That is criminal, :eek: how can they get away with that? As a Canadian I take exception to being ripped off like this and will certainly complain to the powers that be at HAL. There is no justification for it, I am going to call them and confirm what they are charging. Yes, I will pay in US $ for sure. :mad:

 

It has always been that you do your home work before buying. Most major retailers do not change the rate daily. Most cruise lines set it twice a year.

[earl_m]

Go on the HAL cruise site. go to find cruise. first type in USA and look for a cruisethen type in Canada and for the same cruise ,canadians prices are a lot higher, at least 20%

[haligonian37]

There are ways around the exorbitant exchange rate that HAL is charging: book with a US TA, book with a Canadian TA that will accept payment in US (like mine does) or book with a US funds credit card. My TA (CAA) had no problem accepting my deposit for my Alaskan cruise in US funds....she called HAL and got quotes in US and CDN.

 

Like nosmothj stated, most (not just HAL) cruise lines set their exchange rates once or twice a year.....when HAL is set to change it again is anyone's guess.

 

Major retailers here are slowly but surely dropping prices to reflect the change (as of noon today, CDN dollar is over $1.04).

[nosmothj]

Like nosmothj stated, most (not just HAL) cruise lines set their exchange rates once or twice a year.....when HAL is set to change it again is anyone's guess.

 

Major retailers here are slowly but surely dropping prices to reflect the change (as of noon today, CDN dollar is over $1.04).

 

$1.0501 in mid afternoon trading!

[HAPPY RETIREES]

We faced the dollar exchange rate with our 2008 world cruise. As HAL would not recognise the dollar at par. Our TA suggested we cancel and rebook using US funds, saving close to $9000 and getting free air, Air was extra when paying in Can.$. I am sure the cruise lines will recognise the exchange soon.

[bepsf]

That is criminal, :eek: how can they get away with that? As a Canadian I take exception to being ripped off like this and will certainly complain to the powers that be at HAL. There is no justification for it, I am going to call them and confirm what they are charging. Yes, I will pay in US $ for sure. :mad:

 

If you're paying with a Credit Card or Debit Card (and most folks do settle their shipboard accounts with cards rather than cash) - the exchange rate isn't set by HAL: it's your Credit Card company/Bank.

[gentlemancruiser]

If you're paying with a Credit Card or Debit Card (and most folks do settle their shipboard accounts with cards rather than cash) - the exchange rate isn't set by HAL: it's your Credit Card company/Bank.

HI Brian,

I don't think the issue is with the shipboard accounts so much as the actual cruise prices themselves. If you are from Canada and go to HAL's website to book a cruies you will be quoted a price in CDN, if you find a US website to book the same cruise in USD, that very same cruise is 300.00 cheaper!!!! On Friday the CDN dollar was $1.07 again USD.

This week I got an email from HAL about special cruise deals to the South Pacific on the Ryndam. The email quoted US prices. When I looked on the HAL's website the Canadian price displayed was $500.00 more.

It's made us decided that we are not going to book anything until the cruise lines recoginze the unfair exchange rate.

 

It's not like the cruise lines are having to pay more for anything, so why shouldn't they recognize this and adjust thier rates.

[iancal]

befsf: The ripoff occurs before the charge hits your credit card. Not sure how HAL does it, but their sister cruise lines do the following: they convert your shipboard account to the currency of your credit credit card. So, on another line, notwithstanding our request, the cruise line converted our on board account from US to CAD. The credit card company did not have to convert at all. Only issue was that the cruise line converted at a rate far in excess of the going rate. We caught it and had it reversed.

[Travelbug 2]

Go on the HAL cruise site. go to find cruise. first type in USA and look for a cruisethen type in Canada and for the same cruise ,canadians prices are a lot higher, at least 20%

 

 

Does HAL read your computer IP # when logging on to the web site?

 

Try as I may I can not get access to US $ prices from HAL on line. They seem to know I am from Canada and will only quote prices in Canadian $. :mad:

 

It used to be that you could choose which currency you wanted but not any more. It would seem that HAL is trying to hide the US prices from Canadians!! :confused:

 

Very fishy IMO. I guess I will have to phone to find US prices for comparison.

[camrosegirl]

When HAL went to this new system some smart person on the boards said to put in that I lived in the US when in fact I live in Canada. That worked as I now get US prices but cannot get Canadian so go to another website like CAA for canadian prices. In our local paper AMA is now advertising cruise prices in USdollars--enough people must be finding out about the ripoff.

 

I do not know what the person is talking about re the onboard ship accounts--my credit card is Canadian, I have taken close to 20 cruises on HAL and have always been charged US and my credit card company does conversion.

[artnak]

I totally understand the frustration you're feeling ....:mad:

 

Not long ago HAL's website was updated and the first time I accessed after the update it asked which continent and which country I was from .... by doing that it put a cookie :eek: on my computer which distinguished which country I was from and would only give me the cruise prices in Canadian dollars.

So I searched my computer for my cookies folder and found the file and deleted it. The next time I accessed the HAL website it asked me again to choose a country, so I chose USA and now have the prices in US dollars.

 

If you're looking for the HAL file in the cookies folder on your computer, although it varies from computer to computer .... it will have @wwwhollandamerica as part of the name of the file. Just delete it and you'll solve the problem.

[earl_m]

what I did to be able to compare prices at the \Hal site is first time put put down USA , check the price then log off and start againand go to canada . works for me.

[lindsaymarie]

Being a Canadian I checked the internet and the HA website and decided that I would book with an internet agency that was offering suites $1000.00 less than Holland America. Do you homework. Research the internet cruise agency and then do your booking. It saved me a bundle.

 

I just received my documents yesterday, so I am all set.

 

Good Luck, and remember there are deals to be found out there.

[tomorrowtamer]

I totally understand the frustration you're feeling ....:mad:

 

Not long ago HAL's website was updated and the first time I accessed after the update it asked which continent and which country I was from .... by doing that it put a cookie :eek: on my computer which distinguished which country I was from and would only give me the cruise prices in Canadian dollars.

So I searched my computer for my cookies folder and found the file and deleted it. The next time I accessed the HAL website it asked me again to choose a country, so I chose USA and now have the prices in US dollars.

 

If you're looking for the HAL file in the cookies folder on your computer, although it varies from computer to computer .... it will have @wwwhollandamerica as part of the name of the file. Just delete it and you'll solve the problem.

 

Thanks for the tip artnak! I just did a search of my computer - deleted the HAL cookies - then went to the HAL website. When asked for country of residence - answered United States. Now I can see the prices in U.S. funds instead of Canadian dollars!

 

Thanks again!

[cruiser9999]

I called HAL last night and asked for the price of a cruise in both Canadian and US dollars (which they provided). They also indicated that they could sell me the cruise at either the US price or the Canadian price (and they knew that I was a Canadian). Now maybe you need to ask to pay in US dollars as there did not seem to be an issue whatsoever. Just for info, the cruise I was looking at was quoted to me by HAL as $883 CANADIAN or $749 US (which is actually about $710 CANADIAN based on Friday's exchange rates) so why would anyone pay the Canadian $ rate?

[Travelbug 2]

I totally understand the frustration you're feeling ....:mad:

 

Not long ago HAL's website was updated and the first time I accessed after the update it asked which continent and which country I was from .... by doing that it put a cookie :eek: on my computer which distinguished which country I was from and would only give me the cruise prices in Canadian dollars.

So I searched my computer for my cookies folder and found the file and deleted it. The next time I accessed the HAL website it asked me again to choose a country, so I chose USA and now have the prices in US dollars.

 

If you're looking for the HAL file in the cookies folder on your computer, although it varies from computer to computer .... it will have @wwwhollandamerica as part of the name of the file. Just delete it and you'll solve the problem.

 

Thanks for the cookie information. I just clicked on tools then Internet options then delete all cookies. It worked very well. :)

 

As a result of my now being able to compare my 2 booked cruises for next year I have found out that HAL is charging a 14 percent exchange rate on a Mexico cruise = $498 and on our Med' cruise in Sept' they are charging a disgusting 18 percent!! = $935. So, for the 2 cruises I am being charged a total of $1433 over the US prices.:eek: Today our Canadian dollar hit $1.07. I thought we were being taken to the cleaners, now I am sure of it!! :mad:

 

I will be speaking to my TA next week to see what we can do about this. Payment in US $ is definitely the way to go for Canadians booking a cruise just now. Unfortunately my deposits were paid long ago when this was not much of an issue, however I still have final payments to make.

 

I hope someone in the HAL organisation reads this forum, Wake up HAL we do not like being taken advantage of in this way. :mad:

[nosmothj]

Just to let you know, and most should have seen it coming. Canadaina prices did not go down the USA prices wnet up. It is now cheaper to book inCDN. This is on RCCL.

[Travelbug 2]

Just to let you know, and most should have seen it coming. Canadaina prices did not go down the USA prices wnet up. It is now cheaper to book inCDN. This is on RCCL.

 

 

 

May be true on RCCL but not with HAL. RCCL prices must have taken a hefty increase???