HAL goes ALL IN on Standby Cruises!!
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Join us as we share our firsthand experience booking two HAL Standby Cruises and navigating the challenges and rewards of this unique program. Learn all about the intricacies of booking last-minute cabin deals, the risks involved, and insider tips for a successful booking. HAL is going ALL IN on Standby Cruises, offering an exciting opportunity for adventurous travelers - subscribe for more travel insights and cruise adventures!
I think that everyone is missing one point. I live in Arizona and let's say that I want to book a stand-by cruise for July 1st out of Fort Lauderdale. When I put my money down for the HAL Standby cruise, I book a non-refundable ticket PHX-FLL on Southwest Airlines for the day prior to the cruise. If I get the cruise, I jump on the plane and head to the cruise. if I don't since I will know two days in advance, I will cancel the ticket and the full amount will be available on Southwest Airlines for future flights as long as I cancel over an HOUR before departure. In my past experience dealing with HAL, Princess and Carnival, flights booked through their flights program are more than I pay using SWA. Also, SWA allows 2 bags free for each passenger. If I don't get the cruise, I lose NOTHING other than access to the cash I paid for the flights until I book another flight, which is pretty minimal/
You are right. Southwest in particular makes a lot of options possible.
Wow...never even heard of this from any of the big cruise UA-cam-ers. I had to subscribe just for that reason. Also loved the bloopers. Thanks for all the detailed information. I may try this in a few years when I retire
Glad you enjoyed it and welcome to the channel!
This has been on the HAL website since January AND mentioned by several UA-cam commentators.
Ship underway, very easy embarkation, got to the pier at 2pm and just had a nice dinner. All is well. Nice inside cabin by the way
Sounds great! I am going to do an update video tomorrow to clarify things people can't seem to grasp.
@@mytravelwindow3061 it’s all in the FAQ’s on their website
Is it 2 days notice that you’re picked? Then you don’t need to worry about a plan B. You can choose to cancel your flight and rebook later.
True, except that we are flying diagonally all the way across the country in this case. Given the things that can go wrong with airline travel, we are planning to get there 2 days early. So I just feel better having plan b.
It’s between 7 days to 48 hours.
I booked a standby cruise today. San Diego-to-San Diego, 51 day in the South Pacific departing September 30th. If I booked a regular booking it was $12,000 for an interior cabin. I travel solo but still would have had to pay for two people, instead I'm on standby for $5,000. I'm retired so flexibility is not an issue. I live in the Midwest, so I will book a $250 one-way flight to San Diego, and hope for the best.
When HAL adjusted prices to include taxes and port fees, they priced things so that Alaska cruises were about the same as before the change. But Alaska has higher taxes and fees than anywhere else. So all other cruises are now overpriced (in my opinion) relative to the standby risk. For some (if not many) of their newly listed Caribbean cruises, you can book an inside cabin for LESS than the standby fare. So it ONLY makes sense for singles.
As far as flying in to San Diego, you are following our strategy with our standby in Fort Lauderdale. Once we fly in, if we don't get on the ship we will rent a car and go to Disney World for a few days as our plan b.
One more thing. Make sure that you check to see that you are actually going to actually save some money. The cruise that I have already booked on HAL is $710 for a 14 day cruise so there would be no savings to book it on standby.
I agree. I did find a couple of cruises where you can a great rate without the uncertainty.
wish I could do it, but we live too-far inland, and we still work (don't quite have the flexibility). But 49 pppd is a great price for sure.
I appreciate the difficulty of still working. I remember having to try to squeeze an extra few days by leaving on Friday evening or including a holiday in the middle of the trip. It is nice to no longer be under that time pressure. But now we trade that pressure for, "will the doctors still let us go?" :)
DUDE OUTSTANDING INFORMATION THANK YOU
No problem! Glad you liked it.
Sounds exciting! Hope both cruises work out for you.
I hope so too! The one leaving out of Florida is more of a problem. It is 42 days long and all the way across the country from us. So we actually have a plan A, B, and C. We will fly to Florida and get on the standby if we can. If not, we will try to find a different last minute cruise out of Florida. There are about 30 that leave within a 3-day span of when we arrive. If that doesn't work, well, we'll rent a car and drive to Disneyworld for a few days.
@@mytravelwindow3061 Sounds like, to me, you can’t lose! 😊
Thanks for the standby tip! We are looking into this option now. Just subscribed and liked. I can relate to the blooper reel. 😆
Thanks for subscribing. I checked out your channel, subscribed, and sent you and email.
So are you telling me you pay months in advance you fly down to the The city, but still not be able to get on board?
Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. It only makes sense if you live near the port and don't fly, or if you are willing to fly and take an alternate vacation.
What about a single person?
You only pay for one person, not a double. It is a great option for singles. Check out their FAQ section where they address this.
@@mytravelwindow3061 careful on terminology . the 49 single option is for solo occupancy rooms (ie limited designated cabins on the pinnacle class ships) while all other cabins are 98 (ie 49 based on double occupancy) . agree the 49 single option is great but aware of the limitations attached
Thank you. Balanced summary.
Thanks!
Fantastic information. Please keep us posted on how it works out.
Will do! The first cruise we booked is completely sold out, and we are 4-5 hours from the port by car, so should be interesting when and if we will hear!
I was totally try it for the cruises from San Diego only because I’m based in Southern California and I can be there in less than three hours.
I’m totally gonna try, I don’t think I’m confident enough to do it for Alaska because flying up to Seattle or Vancouver just to hang out not so much.
Let us know how it works for you!
Just know, My morning 6am flight to Vancouver was canceled so I had to take the next one out at 2:30pm and with a very long lay over in Seattle, I finally arrived into Vancouver at Midnight. I could not enjoy that expensive hotel next to the terminal but I did board the ship that morning. I booked one here in San Diego for next week, it was very easy to book on the phone with Holland. Now waiting to see if I will be selected. Cruise terminal is only 22 minutes away.
@@fredsmodel3n192 Let us know how it goes. I'm tempted also.
@@kiwisun529 it went fine, can’t wait for the ships to return to San Diego so I can get back on them, in fact going to check now to see if they updated the list for May.
Sounds perfect! We don't do the extra stuff. One downer for us is...we need an accessible cabin.
At this point it doesn't seem like that would work, but as they get practice with this idea they might make some adjustments that will work. I hope so, because we might need it as well by then!
Unfortunately the link has already been taken down 😢 but great idea and I’ll keep watching for updates
Is this what you are looking for?
www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/standby-program
You can Google Holland cruise standby list and it comes up. I called and booked one today.
What was the total amount you paid? And i don't see SanDiego port listed. Is it seasonal?
The 7 day Alaska cruise was $1404 out of pocket. $49 x 2 people x 7 days - $686. Port fees and taxes in Alaska are high, so our actual payment was about $100 per day per person. With gratuities, the all-in price for 2 of us will be about $1600. At the time we booked, the all-in price for an inside cabin was about $2700. So if we get on the ship, we look to have saved a little over $1000.
Yes, the sailings out of San Diego are seasonal. HAL sails the Mexican Riviera and the Panama Canal out of San Diego in the winter, then moves the ships to Alaska for the summer. You should see more sailings after the Alaska season ends. If you look through the comments you will find the story of one guy who sailed out of San Diego on standby and plans to do it again.
We also booked a second standby cruise, out of Ft. Lauderdale. We will fly there two days ahead, with two possible return times. If we get on the ship, we will fly home later. If not, we will rent a car and go to Disney World, then fly home earlier. The price we paid for the 42-day (!) cruise was $5,554 (4,116 fare plus 1,438 in port fees). That price for two people is roughly the PER PERSON cost of an inside cabin right now. So if we are able to make this sailing, our savings will be over $5K. And if not, well, we will enjoy our time with Mickey and friends!
@@mytravelwindow3061 Thank you..great video!
Thanks. Just released a video today on the five cruises we have booked between May this year and next April. I give the price breakdown of each one of the five, including these 2.
What HAL FB group do you find most helpful? I've seen some feedback on Cruise Critic with successful stand by attempts. Have you seen any unsuccessful attempts or issues with refunds?
"Holland America Lines Fan Official" is my favorite.
"7-day standby ticket for two people to Alaska for $1400"? Wouldn't that be $200/day or $100/day/person?
Yes, it is 100 for cruise fare and 100 for port fees and taxes.
I just checked the list for San Diego, there is nothing for now as they are now sailing from Seattle/Vancouver and going into Alaska, I guess I can try booking one out of Seattle and take a quick flight up
It will be interesting to see how often they update the list. I am guessing just before the change of seasons, maybe in August or September for San Diego. I remember you said you had the option to upgrade on the last standby sailing. Where was your cabin on the ship, and could you tell how full the cruise was?
@@mytravelwindow3061 Inside cabin forward Portside deck 1, Cabin 1108 and the ship was around 80% full.
Thanks! We like that location. It is near our location on our last HAL sailing. We would pop up to the Crow's Nest for early coffee and to scope out our location each day.
The Alaska cruise we are booked on in June will be much more full. Vacations to Go shows both inside cabins and suites sold out. But we made our booking on the same day it was posted as available, so should be in the front of the line of any standby cruisers. I think we have a good chance of making it onboard.
@@mytravelwindow3061 you’re going to notice that V2G will have inside & ocean view cabins available, it changed daily. I guess people do cancel or they get more cabins to sell.
Did you notice that HAL modified the program this month? You now have 2 standby choices. Inside/oceanview for $49 a day or balcony for $79. I think it is a smart move on their part. I will be doing a new video on the change in the next few days.
Thank you! I'm a solo traveler that lives near a departure port and this is an amazing deal for solo travel.
Glad it was helpful!
Travgal, I’m a solo passenger as well, I’ve saved so much money on this booking this coming Saturday. Did not pay the double rate.
Was it on Holland America or another line?
Yes, it was on Holland America. In comments on another video Fred commented that he sailed on HAL out of San Diego, plans to do standby cruises from there again, and is even considering a trip out of Seattle. Hopefully he sees this comment and can add any other details.
Thank you, I am booking one out of San Diego, it shows sold out on V2G but who knows, they do have Balcony available so if I am selected I could probably be placed there. It’s only 6 days so this is to test the waters. I have one on Navigator already planned for April if this one doesn’t pan out.
Let us know what happens!
I would NOT hold your breath expecting to get a balcony. They are much more likely to offer the Balcony to a past cruiser who booked a cheaper cabin and give you the vacated inside cabin.
@@jlawrence0181 I was thinking that too. Hope I get a call this week, will post the findings here
@@fredsmodel3n192 Hi any updates? I'm curios also. Wonder if they are all insides. Although its so cheap we might not mind. lol
@@kiwisun529 Yes, they are for an inside cabin, but an hour after I was confirmed, I got a 2nd email to upgrade to a Veranda for 99.00 which I declined.
Great program for retirees. Maybe book airline with SW as you can cancel and they will give you full credit for your next flight. If the cruise does make, you have your airline flight booked w/o risk or higher price to buy cancelable fare. Thanks.
Totally agree. If it works for us this year, we will look to do it again next year.
Never heard of this before! Maybe it is something American because if i try the website it says not found and automaticly it goes to the site in Holland. I will send HAL a mail to ask if this come in Europe to :) Thanks for sharing.
Yes, my understanding is that it is only US and Canadian ports right now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I learned of this from you and now I am on the standby list for a May sailing.
You are right, the agents have now gone through extensive training and the one I spoke to was wonderful. 🤞
Glad it was helpful!
Update on my Booking. Called 8 days ago on a Friday and booked, the ship leaves the following Saturday. This morning Thursday at 9am which is 2 days prior to sail I got the confirmation email. I had to call Holland because I was not able to see the boarding pass. They fixed that. I can print it out. I do not have a check-in time and do not have a Cabin number. Was told I will find out on embarkations day. Easy process if you do get a knowledgeable agent when you call to book. Note that I live by the cruise terminal, drive time is 22 minutes. You might be able to risk a last minute flight if you are coming from the middle of the US or Canada but those last minute flights can be very costly. As long as Holland have these Standby cruises I will continue to book this way.
Are you sailing out of San Diego or Ft Lauderdale? (These are the only two that have sailings this Saturday.) I really appreciate hearing how things are actually working with these cruises. One of our two bookings is in Ft. Lauderdale. We plan to fly in 2 days before. If we can't get on the ship, we will do a different vacation in Florida.
@@mytravelwindow3061 sailing out of San Diego which is only 22 miles from the house. All is completed, I was able to print out the boarding pass which I will show at the terminal. No cabin number nor check-in time. Will arrive around 2:30pm, there’s 3 ships leaving that terminal so it’s going to be a nightmare and long waits. Will update you Saturday once Im on the ship. Also note that I emailed CLLshareholders at Holland today to get my $50.00 OBC so will see if they honor it last minute. Should hear back from them tomorrow morning. They are pretty good with that.
Vacations 2 Go is still showing inside cabins on their site for this cruise.
@@mytravelwindow3061 got my Cabin assigned this morning, inside cabin and they also sent me an email to upgrade to a Veranda cabin for $99.00 but when you read the fine print they are talking double occupancy. I cruise in Inside cabins all the time so I’m fine with the inside. The money saved for that upgrade will go to wifi. Don’t have a check-in time. I will get there later around 2:30pm, we got rain all day tomorrow on embarkation day.
What cabin number, and was the upgrade $99 per day extra or up from 49 to 99. Thanks for letting us follow along with the process.
@@mytravelwindow3061 no, it’s a one time charge of $99. For the upgrade which I didn’t get, location of inside cabin: main deck forward. Will arrive at 2pm, it’s raining out and we have 3 ships in port. Going to be a nightmare. Will update once onboard.
I can't wait to see the results of your trips. I will most likely be traveling single which may make airline reservations easier or like you have a plan B vacation setup.
Happy to let you know all the details when it happens!
I was told that you could get a refund if you say no to the email - if you get one.
Not sure who told you this.
This is a quote from their frequently asked questions: "Holland America Line will notify you and/or your travel advisor by email or phone. Please ensure that we have the most up to date and best email address and phone number for your booking by going into Online Check-in, once you have added yourself to the Standby List. Guests who are selected for the “Standby List” but do not ultimately travel, will not be entitled to a refund."
Is this price the all-in price, or do you also need to pay taxes and port fees on top of it?
You do need to pay taxes and port fees. We booked a 7-day Alaska trip for 2 people. The fare was just under $700, but taxes and port fees added another $700, meaning we had to pay $1400 up front. But this is still about $1000 less than the current price for an inside cabin.
New subscriber, great video. How far out are stand by notified? Don't cruise lines have to submit manifests to USCG and Customs and that could mean a 24 or 48 hour hard close on passengers manifest? Which could mean more notice for standby folks. I'm assuming a failure to sail would mean a refund? Looking forward to more of your videos.
Thanks, answered most of my own dumb questions by going to the site. Again thanks for heads up.
You are very welcome. Let us know if you give it a try.
Good luck, weather in FL is beautiful right now
Well, our Florida trip is not until October. Florida weather is usually good as long as there is no hurricane lurking!