Vacation discount cozumel

On Oct. 6, '03, my wife and I booked with Holland America Line on the MS Noordam for their Baltic cruise starting June 22, '04. We were interested in a Deluxe B cabin, which was listed for $3,062 or, at an early-savings rate, for $1,970 plus port charges and taxes.

My longtime travel agent came up with a rate of $1,822.60, which included port charges and taxes. She also quoted $136.47 for the standard trip-cancellation coverage. According to her, this price also included a discount for being a "Mariner."

A good friend of ours had the same idea and booked exactly the same category Deluxe B cabin but through a "discounter," Best Cruises, on the Internet for $1,645.60 including taxes and port charges. An additional $90 was quoted for trip-cancellation coverage.

Well, so I got on my computer and received a quote from another discounter, Affordable-Holland-America-Cruises. Again, everything was identical, and this time the quote was for $1,744.60 including port charges and taxes. $136.47 was quoted for trip-cancellation coverage.

This all reminds me of a ferryboat crossing we once took between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, Mexico, in which a horse blanket vendor started out asking $20 per blanket but by the end of the trip, when the ship docked, was practically giving them away at $5.

I am staying with my travel agent, but I strongly believe that this borders on backstabbing. It really left a very bad taste in my mouth--and that seven months before the cruise departure.

GUSTAV MOELLER

Helendale, CA

ITN sent a copy of the above letter to Holland America Line (300 Elliott Ave. West, Seattle, WA 98119) and received no reply. ITN did receive this follow-up letter from Mr. Moeller, who had previously written to the cruise line.

Further to my letter regarding the pricing policy of Holland America Line, I have received an answer from them dated Dec. 18, '03, in which Sandra Bailey, Special Adviser, Office of the Chairman, stated, "Thank you for the letter regarding your upcoming ms Noordam cruise on June 22, 2004. We truly appreciate the valuable feedback you have provided us.

"We would like to explain how these price differences occur. Given the high, fixed cost of operation these days, we price our product according to near 100% occupancy. This allows us to keep our published fares as low as possible, which makes them an attractive vacation alternative.

"We offer an outstanding product at an extremely competitive price. However, some sailings, for a variety of reasons, fail to achieve full capacity. When this occurs, Holland America Line (as well as other cruise lines) offers special promotional fares. These fares may vary due to several factors, Such as cabin category, and the passenger's state of residence as well as whether or not the agency used to book the cruise has a special group rate. There are also situations where a specific travel agency may offer their own discount in addition to that offered by Holland America Line.

"Regrettably, we cannot make these special offers retroactive to all bookings. The offers apply only to unsold space, as these offers are merely an attempt to fill the ship. We can assure you that your travel agent provided you with the best discount available to you at the time of confirmation.

"Thank you again for taking the time to provide us with your comments. We look forward to serving you again in the near future."