bluegiraffe

yes, go to user control panel, then edit ignore list. Add the name of the person whose posts you no longer wish to see and save.

thank you!

Question: is there a block or ignore function on these forums?

That has been a continuing problem! It happened to me before my recent Alaska cruise; HAL was absolutely no help. My TA came through for me, though.

I don't usually get sucked into these discussions, but really want to make a point: notwithstanding what BUU is posting, corporate management makes mistakes. That companies are still profitable, and still increase profit, does not mean that mistakes do not happen with, occasionally, reversals in approach or direction. Corporate management is also not infallible and all knowing through sophisticated methodology, etc. Rather, despite such sophistication, mistakes still do happen.

 

The B Schools are littered with case studies of mistakes made--for whatever reasons including executives not willing to speak up, "group-think", etc. Classic ones include "new coke"--remember that? Yet despite that being a mistake (with, arguably a good save when "classic" was brought back), coke was then and still is now a profitable company. Profits, again, however, does not mean a company is immune from doing something wrong.

 

Another example that many Canadians and some Americans will know is Target, and how it expanded into Canada...then, within 24 months of that, having squandered all the goodwill, the American parent bankrupted the Canadian entity and left Canada with its tail between its legs. Yet, so far as I know, Target remains as successful as any retailer can be in the age of Amazon--despite that whopper of a mistake.

 

What about HAL? Immune from mistakes? Well, how about the move some years back to remove the aft pools from the Veendam and Rotterdam? The plan was to put in wading pools in those classes of ships and add cabin space (thus, increasing revenue). When that plan attracted much negative feedback, and operational angst (like leaks, etc.) it was shelved. So, in other words, HAL reversed course and backed off its plan. Yet CCL has, as BUU has pointed out, still increased profits.

 

Again, however, we are not talking of profits. We are talking of a company that heeds feedback, especially consistent feedback, from multiple channels, and makes the necessary changes in response when in the "real operational world" what seemed like a sure-fire winner turns out to be a dud of an idea.

 

Regarding the website, notwithstanding those who defend it (for reasons unclear--perhaps as Ruth C stated, just to be contrary), it is likely a work in progress. The more people who have feedback to share about it, such feedback will benefit HAL and will benefit the rest of us. Consider delivery of feedback to be thus "enlightened self-interest".

 

Finally, notwithstanding statements about marketing departments and plans, how all these executives know better, etc., we all know that plans can go awry. Again, see the B School case studies of business examples of failures despite all the brilliant marketing and others in corporate planning--an older example that comes to mind is the Edsel. Do we not think that Ford did not market-test that vehicle and the concept thoroughly before blowing in those days ( late1950's for younger readers) millions on it--all which was flushed down the sewer.

 

Most businesses value customer feedback. The only exception that comes to mind is the airline bizz--anecdotal to be sure on my part. Yet leaving that industry aside, most businesses, big and small, appreciate customer feedback, especially if its reasoned and relevant. So, again, if you have feedback on the website, please do send it to HAL via the various direct channels to them.

 

In that regard, ignore those who say it does not matter, and that "they" know better. I believe that it does matter and that such feedback will be heard.

 

Safe and happy travels, all!

 

(this message was typed directly without use of voice recognition, but hopefully with some thought attached)

Thank you for that very thoughtful post. I wasn't going to bother answering the survey, but you convinced me to do so. And since HAL asked for candid feedback, that's exactly what I gave them, complete with specifics.

Our cat, Tony the Tiger, really enjoys digging around in those HAL bags. He is so goofy, he puts his head through the strap and walks around with it that way.

 

True, they don't last a long time, but he doesn't really care. I have several in reserve.

 

 

Jim

Our cat chewed his way through the strap of the bag in about 10 seconds. He likes those bags, too. ;)

It is more likely that the 6AM - 7AM and 8PM- 9 PM hours are the hours that had the least (or no) passenger use and were deleted for more efficient use of staff.

 

This reduction in hours will not even be noticed by 99.99% of the passengers.

I will have to disagree. While nothing could get me out of bed and into the fitness center that early, my husband goes there before 7 a.m. and has often told me how busy it is.

I'm sorry I didn't see this until now, and it's probably too late to be helpful to you, but it may help someone else. We did this excursion last year from the Amsterdam. It involved a long bus ride (comfortable, new bus, though) up through the hills and mountains to Iximche which is at around 7000 feet in elevation. Weather was hot and humid at the port, but absolutely lovely that high up. The ruins of Iximche were nearly deserted - ours was the only bus there. It is not at all crowded as some of the other, more famous Mayan ruins are. The guide on our excursion was a professor of archeology at a university in Guatemala, so he really knew what he was talking about and I learned a lot. We were there for around 2 hours, viewing the ruins, visiting the small museum, and watching (from a respectful distance) a Mayan religious rite. Then we were back on the bus, stopping at a ranch about a half hour away for a very good lunch of food grown on the ranch. Then back to the port. The excursion took basically the entire day; we left around 8:30 and returned around 4:00. It was a highlight of our cruise. A few photos attached (I hope!)

Wonderful! Brings back great memories of our trip to Glacier Bay. Thank you!

Just for clarification....were the diapers in a bag or just tossed out on the table?

 

I was not given diaper bags on my last cruise but fortunately brought my own. Yes, I'll be the first to admit I put a dirty diaper in a bag on my balcony but always let the steward know it was there. Why leave it in a lobby trash can or in your room where it can sit and smell for several hours.

 

For everyone who is so grossed out--you either A) never had kids or B) your kids are so old you forgot what it's like to travel with them as babies. Parents need vacations and traveling with kids is difficult enough without harsh judgement from others.

Why leave it on a balcony for other people to be forced to smell your kids' poop? But hey, as long as you don't have to deal with it, right?

This looks like what HAL has instituted (and FTR, I don't like it). You'd have to get the middle package for email. I'd call Princess regarding whether USA Today is available on that package.

Anybody dock in Puerto Quetzal? Sailing on ncl later and its one of the stops.

Yes, last year. Of course, with the volcano erupting, I don't know what your stop will be like now, but we had an excellent time there. There were a number of really good excursions - Antigua for example, or the one we went on which was a trip into the mountains to see fascinating Mayan ruins. The port itself had a nice area with a few places to eat or get a drink and some wonderful local crafts for sale. I don't know how much of this has been impacted by the volcano, though. :( I would guess that many of the excursions that were offered last year are, for the time being, anyway, not going to be available.

We did a land/cruise in Alaska in the month of May.We brought winter clothing and temperatures were close to 80 .

We've been lucky enough to have weather in the 70s in May; this May it was cold (40s and low 50s) and rainy/foggy in most of our ports. Prepare for anything by bringing layers. T-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, fleece, jacket.

IIRC, Alamo and National have rental kiosks at both Pier 66 and Pier 91. I think Enterprise did but not sure if they still do......

Enterprise also has a kiosk there. But (and please someone correct me if I'm wrong) you drop off your rental at the downtown location (which is also where you pick up rentals) on 3rd avenue. There is a shuttle service between the downtown location and the cruise terminal.

I was out there on the bow, too. We certainly got lucky with the weather that day! Thanks for posting your pics.

Feed a giraffe at the Brevard Zoo, zipline at Treetop Trek, kayak the Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach. brevardzoo.org - treetoptrek.com - finexpeditions.com

What is the location for these shuttles in Anchorage mentioned by "laughing husky"?

Not laughing husky, but I can answer that since I was just there and took the shuttle to the zoo. 4th and F Streets, downtown. Look for the Visitors Information Center, and the shuttle stop is right in front.

I am pretty sure you can disable the phone's ability to roam. And airplane mode is still the easy answer - for me, I have to stay connected for work so I will use Princess@sea while on the ship, then I'll connect to my carrier (Verizon) while out in port. Verizon's travel pass is only $10/24 hour period (check availability).

On my android phone, it's Settings - Wireless & Networks - More - Cellular Networks - Data Roaming. Then just toggle the data roaming button off.

I'd fly in on Friday, but that's because two days at the beach are better than one! Traffic on a Saturday should be moving along just fine - just be aware that if there is an accident on 528, it can be closed until that is dealt with.

**waves at cunnorl from over the causeway**

Thank you for the responses! I've printed their boarding passes and luggage tags so it sounds like they are good to go. They will have carry on luggage only (backpack, CPAP and 21" suitcases) so I will let them know they have the option of taking it through check in themselves or dropping it downstairs for the cruise personnel but of course to keep meds and essentials on their person.

 

When they disembark, can anyone confirm that Uber pickup is right outside the terminal? I'm getting conflicting info. Some sources say it's right in front of the terminal but others say they only allow Uber pickups in the Cell Phone Lot.

I disembarked there last week, and the Uber/Lyft pickup area was just past the building (blue roof) on the north end of the pier. If you look at the pier on google maps satellite view, you'll see what I mean.

May I respectfully ask why you did not ask for a meeting with the Guest Relations Manager?

Why do you assume we didn't? He/she was "busy" per the front desk staff. At some point you just want to try to enjoy your cruise, rather than deal with bad attitudes from unhelpful staff. That attitude was surprising to me; I haven't encountered it at HAL before.

We were on the cruise prior to the OP's, and had a similar experience. While our steward was fine and the food and beverage people in the Lido were great, there were problems with almost everything else. I overheard numerous complaints about the public restrooms and can verify how very poorly maintained they were. A number of things had out of order signs on them and were not fixed in the two weeks of the cruise. The one day we tried the Dive-in it took 40 minutes to get our food. Our room smelled like paint thinner three days in a row (not a good thing when you have respiratory issues), and the front desk staff was the most sullen, unhelpful group I've ever encountered on a ship. It was not a pleasant experience.

Living here, I can tell you - traffic is HORRIBLE (even going the opposite way), and our TSA is slower than mud flowing uphill. It has taken me 45-60 to get thru before. Pre-check does make it faster, probably. Too many things would have to align perfectly, I think. Not worth the risk.

Let me co-sign what you said and reiterate just how BAD the traffic is.

Or perhaps you looked sketchy, as this is normally not an issue. :o

Um, we must look "sketchy" too. We've had to produce ID and boarding passes at the port security checkpoint at Fort Lauderdale when we were either in taxis or in our own car.

Just booked my first cruise thru HAL this past week.

Not sure if it was on old or new website. I don't even know what an ad blocker is, but had no problem printing all documents. Maybe just fortunate.

The randomness is one of the things that makes this so frustrating. I've printed numerous HAL boarding passes over the years, and until today I've never had a problem.

I thought about writing to management, but honestly, that seems like a waste of time; nothing leads me to believe they'd be responsive.

My plan remains to use the PDF downloaded to my tablet, and if they don't like that at embarkation, well then they can print me a boarding pass.

If you have any type of Ad blocker running on your browser the boarding pass will not print nor will you get any indication that's it being blocked.

Yes, I disabled the Adblocker before I tried printing.