iancal

That surprises me. We saw numerous Alaska last minute cruise offers on HAL, Princess, NCL, and a few on Celebrity. Air can be a challenge even if you live close to the port since many of them are one ways north or south.

We typically book either just inside or just outside the final payment window.

Depends on pricing and cabin availability.

 

We usually have two itineraries on the watch, and two or three ships for each itinerary.

Not in the market this year. But last year, in mid Nov. we did snag a 14 day Eclipse veranda Caribbean. Christmas cruise for about the same per diem as HAL is currently offering. Perhaps Celebrity start discounting a little earlier and they certainly discount to fill the cabins. HAL seems to be a day late and a dollar short this year when it comes to unloading unsold Christmas cruises.

Keep in mind that Celebrity ships have multiple dining venues AND they are no smoking. I certainly would not, all things being equal, take my kids on a HAL ship if only because of the liberal smoking rules.

Now that we are retired, we are through with booking early. We are keeping a close eye out for Australian cruises in late Jan/early Feb. Not a lot of discounting going on in that market-either by NA TA's or Oz based TA's.

We do both but would typically prefer pre cruise.

 

Prior to retiring, pre cruise was a way for me to wind down for a few days so that I could truly enjoy the cruise. Often it was a winter cruise. Flying from the snow zones and adding a pre cruise ensured that we would not miss the cruise because of inclement weather conditions.

 

Since retiring, we often keep our schedule open and add a last minute cruise to the back end of a land trip.

And that is exactly why they are giving away Caribbean cruises for such a low price

Think about it. Questionable entertainment, absolutely no amenities for kids other than the club, a formal environment, dress-up for dinner, a well earned reputation for a certain demographic, and zero marketing to families.

How many families would choose HAL for a Christmas vacation in the sun? How many TA's would recommend HAL for a family sun vacation? Only if the price was right. People who are familiar with HAL may.... but what about the others who have never cruised before?

My only comment would be that when my son or daughter were eight, nine, etc. and had a choice between a club HAL, Celebrity, whatever or a ship with a great pool, slide, etc , I KNOW which one they would pick. It would be the slide.

HAL is cutting back.

 

Perhaps they are only willing to pay for half a song instead of the whole tune.

 

Costumes and loud music do not do it for us.

That lack of amenities, comparatively speaking, may be one of the reasons why HAL is struggling to fill it's ships in the Caribbean over the Christmas season.

This is a time when cruise lines should be fully booked and commanding top dollar because of demand.

If you were taking your children or grandchildren on a Christmas cruise do you think they would prefer what is to them probably a 'stuffy' ship to something with a little more zip?

That lack of amenities, comparatively speaking, may be one of the reasons why HAL is struggling to fill it's ships in the Caribbean over the Christmas season.

This is a time when cruise lines should be fully booked and commanding top dollar because of demand.

We were on an RCI Serenade Med cruise this past fall.

 

Flew home one way Nov.6, Barcelona-Calgary, Canada, on a cruise air ticket. $475 USD each. British Airways flight with one stop in LHR.

 

You can actually get on the Celebrity/RCI/Azamara Choice Air site and check out the flight costs even if you do not have a booking.

 

One thing that we noticed when doing this was the first airline that came up was a United/AC flight for $750. We were able to expand the offering to several airlines and it was only then that the BA option was displayed. It happened to be about the best option for us from an elapsed flight time perspective-and it was by far the least expensive.

We never considered it as an issue so it made no impact on us whatsoever.

 

I think the issue is that people make decisions or form opinions based on 15 second TV news sound bites or by reading the first paragraph of newspaper article. Or listening to their TA who does exactly the same.

 

There are times when informed travellers can take advantage of this and score some good offers.

It is really simple. Hospitality industry folks are usually very well trained....not only in taking care of the customer but also in taking the initiative to solve customer issues. And quickly, without fuss.

 

Good customer service folks are empowered to act and behave like they are empowered to act.

 

The only conclusion that I can arrive at is that these HAL staff were not properly trained and had ZERO initiative. It could be because they have not been empowered by HAL management or that empowerment has been taken away from them. This is often the case in companies that are exercising tight cost controls. Staff become reluctant to make decisions, including those that may not involve cost.

 

Whatever the case, it certainly reflects very poorly on HAL and on the ship management team. HAL is much better than this.

We had a great last minute offer on the ship this past summer. I think it was $349 an outside.

 

Only one thing stopped us from taking the offer...it was a Statendam cruise. For the maintenance issues mentioned above.

 

We not willing to take a chance on being stuck in a malfunctioning cabin for 7 days-regardless of how good the offer was.

I would not call it very poor guest services. That is too kind.

 

I would call it for what it is...abysmal customer service.

 

HAL can do better, and usually does.

 

Last time I heard something as bad as this it was from a former HAL customer who had been, in his words, 'Veendamized" twice in nine months.

Two years old?

 

Perhaps they are still in the MDR patiently waiting to get their entrée or desert....and searching endlessly for a waitress since no waiters are to be found.

 

Or looking for someone who has witnessed the Maitre D' walk past the dining section.

From my perspective it does not matter who is to blame.

 

The issue is it happened, and HAL's response was zero.

For us a last minute deal is anything booked inside the final payment window...which is when we most often book. Sometimes just in the window by a day or so. Once in a while within a week or ten days of departure date.

 

Our experience ,depending on the cruise line, sometimes the prices drop substantially after final payment date for a few days but subsequently increase. That seems to be a sweet spot where we can snag a good cabin if it is not a gty.

 

Looking for exactly this when we are on vacation in Feb/March. Holding back on our return air arrangement in anticipation of getting a great offer and perhaps some attractive cruise air

Something similar happened to us a number of years ago in San Diego. We arrived at the hotel with a reservation/reservation number. Two kids in tow.

 

Hotel realized our reservation was valid. No room. The concierge, a wonderful woman, jumped in and took care of us. She had all of our bags taken in and stored. She told us we would have a room later in the day. She took us aside and told us where to tour with the children for a day. We came back at 4PM. Walked in, front desk handed us our key. Upgraded to a penthouse suite and provided with complementary breakfast buffet tickets for the length of our stay.

 

We never had to ask. But the hotel was run by a professional hospitality group who understood what customer service meant and instilled this in their staff.

 

The only downside....from that day on my daughter knew what an 'upgrade' was and always pestered us for it. She still mentions the chandelier in the dining room of that suite since it was the first thing she saw on entering.

 

Now, how did the HAL team do?????

I think the quote from the financial article regarding HAL and CCL is right on the money. The posts on the HAL board over the past eighteen to twenty four months tell the same story...if you are inclined to listen.

Any supplier can have problems.

 

What really differentiates one from another is how they acknowledge the issue(s) and how they respond to them.

 

I feel very sorry for you. Not what you want on the very first day of your cruise.

 

Your treatment so far, as described, speaks volumes about the quality and the professionalism of the on board management team. It also speaks to the on ship management culture at HAL.

We do not get homesick BUT after about 10-12 days all the food starts to taste the same to us. When we are travelling DW gets homesick by about week six. I can go for months...no issue BUT not on a ship or not on the same ship with no land travel in between.

What kind of cruise line is it when you are on the ship, have a problem, but find out that everyone seems to recommend contacting Seattle in order to get a shipboard issue resolved?

 

What kind of customer service is this?

 

Have they offered you a $50. OBC on your next cruise or a bottle of cheap wine....notwithstanding that you do not yet seem to have a cabin in which to enjoy it?

We live in Canada and usually book with an on line US TA.

 

BUT, we have been researching prices and it appears that, from time to time, pricing on Australian TA websites for Australian cruises are better priced than on our usual site. Did a price compare on the recent Diamond sale and saw a 20 percent or more delta.

 

We do not want to ask an OZ on line or regular TA if they will accept our booking given that we are from Canada. We do not want to 'compromise' the agent/agency by asking this upfront.

 

BUT, we do have an Australian accommodation address (friends) that we could use in a pinch.

 

So, for those in the know, will a OZ online TA accept our booking with our home address, should we use an OZ address, and do the cruise lines do anything silly like check you home address against where/how you booked the cruise?

 

Thanks very much. Looking very much forward to coming back to Australia again for a visit! Lots of snow here today.

We almost always go for a balcony gty on all cruises...unless we can swing a better value on a pick your own. Only once have we asked to be put back in the gty pool in order to secure a better cabin. And we got a much better one.

Agreed. We were in Vienna/Budapest in mid Sept this year prior to flying south to Malta and warm weather. Rain and overcast. And it apparently rained all summer from what we were led to believe. Not at all what we anticipated.

 

Felt sorry for the folks on river cruises -lots of rain and elevated water levels in some rivers translated into itinerary changes for a few cruises.