Ipeeinthepools

It seems like you have assumed my goal is to train all of the HAL agents, nothing is farther from the truth. I am only interested in training the HAL agent that is on the phone with me at that moment. When that HAL agent does what I know is possible, then it is a success. Some agents require more training than others and some are very good. As far as how will I know the correct answer, that’s simple. I just ask my friends on CC. No one is smarter than the people on CC.

Me too. I hope everyone gets their point soon.

Congratulations on boarding another cruise. We’re on the current cruise and I promise we’ll bring the ship back to you on the 17th. I’ve also battled cancer for the last 2 years and I’ll be waiting for you with open arms. Congratulations on resuming your cruising.

If I understand you correctly, you lost your DD and I’m very sorry for that and I wish and your family peace. But with all do respect I can train HALs representatives, one person at a time. I’ll just keep moving them to the correct answer. I’m not trying to cheat them, just trying to get fair treatment.

Not me, I’m still looking for my point

Congratulations, this is a well deserved honor.

Isn’t the 14th supposed to be the magic day?

I’m glad you have found a good TA but CC is also filled with stories about unresponsive TAs and OBC that doesn’t get posted to the account. At least there is someone at your old big box TA that answers the phone and works to resolve your issues. If I found a TA that I can trust and provides a better deal, I would use them.

This is problem that I’m trying solve. I can usually train the person on the other end of the phone. I often use a big box TA and they have hired a lot of new people after the pandemic. So when I end up with an inexperienced TA who is dealing with an inexperienced person at HAL it’s sometimes very difficult. So if I could just deal directly with HAL’s inexperienced person and transfer it to TA of my choice, it should be easier.

So far, nothing for me this morning.

Thanks, I guess I’ve never really understood exactly how you would reach a HAL PCC. I was concerned that the person I reached on the 800 number was a PCC.

I’m a DIY kinda guy, I investigate all of the details and enjoy doing things myself. Like many on CC I book through a TA to get some sort of OBC or gift card. However one of my frustrations is not talking directly with HAL. Sometimes when I have specific questions or concern, the TA isn’t very knowledgeable in a certain area and I’m never quite sure if they are communicating my concerns or requests to HAL. Is it possible to call HAL directly book a cruise with the phone agent and then transfer the reservation to another TA? I’m never sure if the phone representative is a HAL employee or if that person really works for a third party TA that works for HAL. If it’s a third party TA I’m concerned that there might be an issue transferring the reservation. I have dealt with another cruise line that distinguished between online and phone reservations and had different people handling follow up questions. TIA

Perhaps it’s obvious but don’t purchase this insurance until you make final payment because it’s not refundable if you cancel prior to final payment.

Great. It’s good that you have a TA you can trust and works well with you and hopefully provides a competitive obc

It’s time to start the watch party for this month's power up points added to your Captain’s Club account. When will it start and who will be first? I hope everyone gets their points.

I use a big box TA that also has some great deals on pizza and toilet paper. If you are comfortable being a DIY trip planner I suspect that you’ll continue to do well with the big box TA. But you will need to call and talk with them. Lately it seems that a lot of the cruises or deals I’m interested in are not listed on their website. However, I just call and explain what I’m looking for and I can always get the same deal as shown on the HAL website. You may need to do a little teaching of the agent but that usually isn’t a problem. It’s gets to be a little more difficult when the TA contacts the HAL agent and the HAL agent needs some education. But as long as you are an experienced cruiser and know what you want, you’ll do fine. I like the fact that I can always call during normal business hours and handle any issue that I have and I’m never waiting for a return call.

Were there any cabins available in the category you wanted for the combined voyage? I’ve run into this situation a couple of times and I understand that HAL may cap the number of cabins it wants to sell for a combined voyage. I can understand that limitation.

A lot of the discussion has been about suites, what about the average cruiser? I did a couple of mock bookings for a 7 day Caribbean cruise for the first week in March 2025. I compared Celebrity to Holland America, two similar cruise lines. These comparisons are for a standard veranda cabin with drinks, WiFi and a refundable deposit. Tips are not included. Fees and taxes are included. I also compared a new ship and an old ship Celebrity Ascent March 9th. $4915 Celebrity Equinox March 8th. $4230 Holland America Nieuw Standendam March 8th. $3878 Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam (older ship) March 9th. $3658 The Holland America cruises also include a free dinner at a specialty restaurant, $100 credit for shore excursions and $200 OBC with the current promotion. At least for this situation Celebrity is a lot more expensive but I have found similar comparisons for a lot of other cruises I’ve considered.

That’s not good.

James was an ok singer and piano player. I believe he will be leaving after the current cruise.

You know what they say about assuming something. I’m sure that’s the plan but it doesn’t work very well on the Rotterdam.

If they stop, I’ll bet they make money.

Celebrity will make money no matter what they port they stop at.

When was the last time your government helped you? I’ll go with Celebrity.

I’m glad it was packed for music trivia🤷🏻‍♂️. I don’t know about the first set but the second set had very light attendance with many seats next to the piano. Not a crowd favorite. Even James the piano player wants the second piano player to return. That should tell you something.