Mary229

I have been told numerous times that all of the CCL brands outsource to the same company. I do not understand why you would not change companies after the 7 year of poor performance. However there do seem to be operational differences among the brands

My DH and my brother in law both said of the Antarctica cruise, “best cruise ever”

Unfortunately people do buy it. We sold collectibles and know a tad about art. My husband’s friends wanted us to view the “art” they were going to buy. We refused as we never comment to another’s customer about valuation. Unfortunately this dear man paid $15000 for something I wouldn’t give $100 for. A well known tactic in sales is to charge an exorbitant price and the price sets the credibility

What you do is exactly what he is doing here - complain loudly. Be sure you leave a message on the app every evening it is closed, state it prominently on your post cruise survey and even email Seattle directly. I agree with you this should be changed.

Exactly. As I have noted numerous times I was offered a family room. Usually they don’t book those to couples ever but they offered so I snapped it up. I was warned coming and going. If this thread is still alive when I go I will report

Hint - they are not blocking the activity of streaming they are blocking videos on certain websites or are hosted by certain websites. 🤫. Funnily the only thing I couldn’t watch by slinking around the web was my training videos - oh boohoo.

Ask your steward. That looks like something the last passenger left behind. They still have the HAL pens.

They fail to understand that the website should operate as a retail outlet not a slick travel brochure. Then there are times I think they purposely obfuscate so customers will find a travel agent. I have come to realize they really want you to use a Travel Agent, they don’t want the retail headaches, they want to operate at the wholesale level so therefore the websites are just slick marketing brochures

I am sorry. I hope you get your money returned. I hope your mother lives a long life and you find another way to gather. I see you are in South Carolina- there are many great vacation cabins in the Smoky Mountains maybe try those but please find an agency in your home town, walk into their office and sit down and tell them what you want.

So here is the deal. As a 4 star Mariner I often get 3 and 4 free so I could just book someone in those and oops they didn’t show up.

And for those of us who spend many weeks if not months at sea not being able to select might be a deal breaker. 7 days in a noisy cabin is one thing any more than that is unbearable

I was surprised how much we enjoyed Port Stanley. My sister is a real Anglophile and I FaceTimed her as I walked through the grocery😂.

Someone a few lines up posted a change to the terms of contract. I booked my family cabin spring 2023 and was told that I could be bumped but that was standard before this change as the accessible room bump was. When booking those cabins in the past I was always forewarned. I guess the moral of the story is to have a really good TA or PCC who knows the rules. Actually I had not picked the family room but my TA was offered it on the phone for a very small amount of money extra when I was going to try a first floor OV

I think the under 14 day cruises will increase with industry competition, that would be the point. However the grands and legendaries have small perks that I do believe are subsidized by the mass market itineraries. My cost on lengendaries when compared to my costs on standard mass market sailings is hardly a smidge more however the experience is heads and tails above from reports here on cruise critic.

Which ship?

Not really, HAL has always been a bifurcated cruise line but that division is growing. As a business person I understand precisely what they are doing. They are maximizing profits on their most competitive sector - the under 2 week mass market sailing. They are perhaps even subsidizing their classic venture of the long, unique itinerary for the seasoned traveler. The first is easy to figure out - just watch your competition and pick off the most profitable ideas. The second is going after the fuller wallets and maintaining much of the ambiance. HAL does not want to be a luxury line, its higher end clientele want to travel well but don’t want to be smothered with butlers and caviar. This clientele will splurge on long exotic voyages and the take the grandkids on vacation in Alaska. It is a solid target.

Same with entertainment. I grew up in the very tail end of the variety show era with all of the dance routines and production shows. It is not what people watch anymore. I go to our theater a lot and rarely have I seen an equivalent to the cruise line production show. I see traditional, cultural productions and their updated cousins, small troupe plays and comedy, solo artists or small band performances. People also still attend ballet, symphony and the like but large scale performances cannot be accomplished well on a cruise ship just like 5 star dining is not easily replicated in the confines of a ship galley

I want to correct what I said. My negative experiences with the art studio and seeing Park West were on the Koningsdam not the Oosterdam.

PS when you complain on app Seattle receives a direct message also. I was saddened to see Park West back onboard. They were almost sued out of existence but now they are back. Yuck

That is something I would complain about on ship, immediately using the app and dropping a note into the box at guest services. We had a similar issue on the Oosterdam where the art studio was closed except during art presentations. That is stupid. I complained and gave notice that I would be going behind the velvet rope at will

Those little packets of powdered coffee mate in hotels. Not very healthful

That is a different thing they have been doing and I am not really sure what it portends. About 6-8 weeks out they have been “closing” the bookings then reopening them later. This started soon after RCCL had to turn away people at the pier because Royal had overbooked. Perhaps it is a new back office booking software?

There are plenty of agency owners using independent contractors who focus on group cruises and groups can be amazingly small. My TA’s agency is giving me the opportunity to try as I retired last year and am looking for a new retirement career. I just started and so far all of the training is online. There are plenty of such agencies. Perhaps the agency you are currently using has a program in place. Call the owner and ask

Buenos Aires is another great town. Get a private driver, your hotel concierge can set that up. Street taxis can be iffy so check with your hotels for their recommendations. It is surprisingly inexpensive and they can take you everywhere you want.

Ok, I misread. If you look at your booking confirmation or your itinerary it will give you sail away time. HAL lately has been assigning everyone noon embarkation. You can get there with no worries at 11.