Mary229

Same here. We also travel on land journeys with couples. For land journeys which do require close daily quarters we add the rule “every person gets one day to complain, once you register any complaint that is your one and only day - so choose wisely”. Remarkably there are hardly any complaints 😉

I am sorry that happened but it does sound like an honest mistake. I hope you enjoy the cruise

The point is you can pick the agent of your choice and not rely on them discounting to get the same or better prices if you know all of the possible discounts already available. The big box stores are doing just that then divvying up those discounts to a broader group. If you want, as the OP, wants a full service TA then there is another way

Agreed. People are thinking their agents are making a fortune. It really isn’t that much. I always tackle it from perks. It costs the cruise line nothing to give you a dinner at the Pinnacle Grill but it costs money to get discounts.

Not all agencies provide the HAL confirmation letter. They simply provide their invoice

Any business needs to always be mindful of irritating loyal customers. If the crow’s nest was truly commandeered for the length of the cruise that would be called irritating the loyal base. Sure HAL could do this on a 7 day mass market cruise, it may not create any new loyal customers but their dedicated base maybe wouldn’t be there. Hal is a mass market cruise on the 7 day voyage to many locales and they will do everything that CCL, RCCL and NCL do

Also remember you can pay with AARP gift cards for a 10% discount.

No nor after, only while on voyage. You can also give commendations and kudos. Currently the crew is eager to receive a special mention through the app

I so agree. Being in the southwest we used them often buy tWyndham let them run down to the point where they are a hard pass for us.

My last onboard booking had to be redone but I caught the errors while still on ship and was able to make the corrections. I agree keep a careful eye on things especially when an error can lose a significant OBC

There should be an automatic transfer unless you the customer spectates you don’t want it transferred. Have you had an agent not want the onboard booking.?

Did you ever talk to La Quinta? You do get a second bite at the apple, so if you can work it out with them you still have a chance to overturn the charge. If Barclays treated you badly stay away from all of their credit cards. HAL doesn’t administer the card ,the bank does. I had a similar problem with another bank, I closed the account once it was straightened out and never used that bank again.

As to discounts there truly are no discounts. Learning a cruise lines in and outs is the best way to get a good deal. Know your Mariner benefits. Be keen to snap up an early booking bonus, many only agencies snap those up and offer them later to clients giving the appearance that they are giving you a big OBC. You could have had that same OBC if you had booked early. Always get a refundable deposit so you can refare if prices drop. Your agent should have access to software that tracks changes and that software is more robust than what consumers have available. so my advice is find someone who is attentive and you like and who likes you and let the prices fall in place. Make sure that person has good cruise experience and that they regularly keep up their training. Don’t focus on price

I will let you reread your own responses as I just did.

I have sailed HaL for years and I have never seen any special group use the crow’s nest for more than 2 hours - ONCE, or twice during a very long sailing. It is not a daily occurrence. The Crow’s Nest has gone to any iterations but it has always been probably the most popular venue on HAL. The original post has been called into question as to the complete facts, that I accept is a greater possibility than HAL using the Crow’s Nest as a reserved venue for special groups.