avian777

On 5/14/2020 at 12:08 PM, ontheweb said:

But it was probably not because those doing the firings read these boards.

 

Those who got their wish granted can be happy even though they really cannot take credit for it.

Spot on, ontheweb - well said.

2 hours ago, taxmantoo said:

I think you should apply for the job vacated by Orlando.  😋

Bless your heart for the wonderful suggestion. 

25 minutes ago, Despegue said:

... Ps. I am currently quarantined in Dubai and having to undergo daily Covid19 tests, which by the way, are highly unpleasant.

Good luck and hope you get out of quarantine and home soon.

5 hours ago, comcox said:

Bring back the libraries, the good lecturers, the Crow's Nest as a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the scenary, the little movie theatre--the loss of those is what drove us away from HAL>

And HAL should also:  lower cruise fares and eliminate the single cruiser fare premium, increase the quality and variety of entertainment, increase the wages/salaries of ALL ship personnel, allow passengers to bring unlimited amounts of wine, liquor and beer on board (without corkage fees, of course), provide better and more ship excursions (at no charge, of course), keep the libraries fully supplied with both new and classic books with full-time professional librarians, improve Mariner Society benefits with more and larger discounts and "freebies", and host more cocktail parties for guests (with unlimited free drinks, of course) ... just to mention a few things that readily come to mind.

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Resizing and retiring ships would be prohibitively expensive due to the loss of invested capital.

You may be correct, RocketMan, but to accurately analyze any retirement/re-sizing plan would require a detailed knowledge of the depreciation history on each ship.  Just out of curiosity, what "useful life" does HAL assign to each new or remodeled (re-sized) ship and what depreciation schedule does HAL use?

21 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

You do realize that every mass market cruise line forum on this site is filled with similar complaints.  That should tell you that this isn't a problem unique to Holland or to Ashford.

 

I suspect that your emails aren't the biggest problem on Ashford's plate.

22 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I enjoy reading all the comments on how to run a cruise line from those who may never even owned a boat.

Spot on, RocketMan275, and thanks for sharing your on-the-mark comments!

15 hours ago, Himself said:

Orlando did not cause the current mess.  Fear and panic caused it!

While Mr Ashford did not cause the current mess, a fairly compelling argument can be made that he has totally mishandled HAL's response to it.

RIP, Sirio, and Godspeed on your journey Home.  Thanks for all the great meals and wonderful memories at Le Cirque - both on land and at sea!

Notwithstanding today's news about Zaandam's flu problem, my choice would be Zaandam ... although, in all fairness, I must admit that I've never sailed on Amsterdam.

20 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

Some info about "lay-ups" from Cruise Industry News:

 

Cruise lines are quickly familiarizing themselves with three lay up scenarios based on best practices from the offshore and tanker industries. They are hot, warm and cold lay ups ...

 

 

 Thanks, John, for the info - as usual, it is to-the-point, accurate, timely and non-hysterical.  May God's blessings continue to be on you and your family as we work our way through the COVID-19 pandemic.

I'm wondering if this might be a new twist on the old saw that the squeaky wheel gets the grease ...

3 hours ago, dag144 said:

... Princess says they have 50000 guests per month.  If each guest books a $1,000 cruise, this amounts to total cash refunds of $100,000,000 ...

Not to put too fine a point on matters, but I believe 50,000 guest refunds at $1,000 each would equal $50,000,000 and NOT $100,000,000.

8 hours ago, Kfrech said:

As the title say, I canceled last Sunday through the big box TA ... However, the reservation still appears on HAL's website. I haven't received any monies back yet. Should I be concerned about this?

 

 

IMO, no ... but since you obviously are, you may want to ask your TA when your money will be refunded to you.

18 hours ago, Teresa! said:

Do we have to book the next trip through HAL, or can we still use our own travel agent?

Thanks!

No & yes.

Just now, DaveOKC said:

In the past I have found it better to know upfront what you reasonably want - better chance to get it.

 

Makes sense to me - unfortunately to this point in time no one appears to have understood what you wanted.  So I'll jump in:  When I've encountered similar situations, the "negotiation strategy" I've used is to enlist the help of our TA, since TAs have as much clout with airlines as anyone.  That is also one of the very good reasons to have a regular TA who values you as a customer and is willing to go the extra mile for you when necessary.  Good luck.

1 minute ago, DaveOKC said:

I will, but wanted to know what others have done with them first, so I know what to ask for.

 

Good point, although I noticed that none of the replies appears to address negotiation strategy.

3 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I am going to cancel my April cruise under the new policy (thank you HAL), but now need to decide what if anything to do about my airfare costs.  Has anyone seen or heard from their airlines about exceptions to the standard cancellation rules?  I am on American and Southwest (I know that we can cancel the SW ticket for a refund but since the "time" on the ticket expires May 5, this really does not work for me).

 

Any thoughts appreciated.

IMHO your best bet would be to call the airlines directly.

17 hours ago, MudderBear said:

Hello.  Sorry to sound naive, but I'm having trouble figuring out the new HAL cancellation policy for trips between now and May 31.  Their cancellation would apply to me.  Would love it if someone could explain what I am entitled to if I choose to cancel by their March deadline.

 

Cruise: Triple Denali/Cruise

Total cost for two people: $7000

This ALSO includes the Standard Insurance Cost of $249 per person.

Basically, cruise cost is $6500....insurance is $500

Airfare (booked on own, so disregard).

 

So, if I cancel before their March deadline....what exactly would I be entitled to?  Thank you all so much for your help.  I truly appreciate it.

Sincerely...

Since your questions involve interpretation of HAL's new Corona virus cancellation policy, IMO the only sensible approach would be to call HAL directly or, if you booked through a TA, have your TA call HAL.

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

Next quarterly dividend is payable on March 13th (shares are ex div at moment) and the dividend on 100 shares is $50. This will more than likely drop over the coming quarters.

Just curious, on what specific facts or projections from CCL do you base your dividend-reduction prediction?

1 hour ago, Seasick Sailor said:

My post from last night was apparently flagged and deleted. The OP asked if they could take into Lido at breakfast and lunch, not MDR. Which IMO... we see people bring a can in all the time. It is not like they are carrying in a 6 pack. 

Not to put too fine a point on matters but in OP's Post #5, OP said, "Didn't know if it would be tacky taking his Diet Coke can into the MDR." (Emphasis added.)  And I even quoted OP's question  in my Post #10 above when I responded to it.

On 2/8/2020 at 4:15 PM, kcdd said:

...  Didn't know if it would be tacky taking his Diet Coke can into the MDR ...

IMHO it would be tacky to take one's own soda into the MDR or any dining venue.  JMO though.

One of our cruising friends has been able to purchase the non-alcohol wine, Fre, for at least the immediate past 10 years on HAL's Caribbean cruises.  IIRC she can only get Fre by the bottle and not by the glass.

FWIW, she is also from Wisconsin.

3 hours ago, sail7seas said:

How many years  and how many cruises enable us to self-refer as 'loyal HAL customers?  are  there some established numbers of which I am unaware?

Spot on, sail7seas - great use of the rhetorical question!!!

4 hours ago, gadgetlady said:

... I just have a knee-jerk reaction to paying $4 or $5 for a can of soda that I can get for 40c in a supermarket.  If I have to load up a carry-on with sodas in FLL I will do so, but it just seems silly to do that if I can get replenishments in other ports.

Just curious, how do you deal with this issue at theaters, symphony halls and restaurants at home?

1 minute ago, nursemommy7578 said:

Fabulous. But clearly many people have not been able to find this.  Is there a link?

Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly where I found this picture and only saved it as a .jpg file, so I do not have a "link" to it.  IIRC I spent many hours doing online searches and reading countless articles before I stumbled on this collage.  Wish I could be of more help.