Funatabi

1 hour ago, MAVIP said:

18% is not tax but for tipping.  In that way personnel receives the same amount as from passengers paying the full price.  Enjou your cruise and your wines 😋

28 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Yes, the gratuity is on the full price of the package.  It’s been that way for as long as I have been receiving the discounts and it’s the only fair thing to do for the crew IMO.

So the 18% is for gratuity, then that's great. I am glad it's going to the crew.  

Aaaah, Cruise Suzy, thanks for the heads up. I can imagine a lot of people question the amount charged. Hummm, nothing ever seems to be what it is, like a straight %% discount across the board. (Instead of discount on price but not tax.) Oh well, such is the situation. 

10 hours ago, kazu said:

 

You pay full price if you order the package pre-cruise.  You then receive on board credit once on the ship for the discounted portion.

Far better to book on board - a) to see what wines are available b) to give the crew credit and c) to be charged the correct amount right off the bat 😉 

10 hours ago, Sea42 said:

And you can use OBC if you purchase onboard!

As the OP, I thank you all for the good suggestions. I learn something new every day. I can see the points for buying once on board, so that is the plan. 

Mariner Society members who qualify can receive discounts on Sommelier Suite wine packages.

When booking these packages online before the cruise, I don't see any discount applied to the packages when I am ready to check out.  Maybe the discount is reflected at the time of payment?

I am curious to know when and how the discount is applied?

(Should I instead purchase on board in person, rather than online?)

On my PC and phone I can loggin to my HAL account, see my bookings and account details, and checkin.

A week or so ago, I was able to book shore excursions without any issue.

However, now when I click on "Book Shore Excursions", I get redirected to a blank screen.

I can make dining reservations and book beverage packages.

The shore excursions never load. 

On the URL line at the top, there is a box for an app called "Seconday Flow" (Not "Secondary with an "r"".

It was suggested that I install and open it. I did that, and still nothing good happens. Now all is get is:

" ERROR 412
Sorry, we ran into an issue with our system.
We will have things fixed as soon as possible, please check back later."

I hope things "get fixed" before I go on my cruise. Anyone else experiencing similar issues? 

On 11/3/2023 at 10:20 PM, LewiLewi said:

I read on this board that there is a table set aside for solo travelers in each of the dining rooms on board. Should I make a reservation at each of the specialty dining rooms before I board, or wait and join other solo travelers after I am on board? Also, is there a “shared table” option as well in all of the dining rooms?

From my limited experience on the OC, you could join the solo table(s) at Waterside every night at 6pm. No reservations necessary. Just be there on time at 6pm. If you arrive late, the others will have already ordered and started.  If there are too many solos for one table at 6pm, another table will be added. 
In addition,  "solos nights" in the specialty restaurants were organized and announced before hand. You need to advise if you plan to join the solos at the speciality restaurants. 

2 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Well I wish I was whole but that is another story and my fault but so it goes.

 

Could you please explain more the disconnect with what you were told and what you got. 

This is how it should work.

 

You submit the EI request. Let's say it is $25,000.00. Crystal confirms this with Mocker and if they say it is $25,000 you get a voucher which allows you to use $5,000 per cruise.  

 

If the cruise is $15,000.00 than one of the adjustments made would be to take the total fare down by $5,000.00  This is done as soon as the 1/5 sub credit is applied and you should get an invoice showing that.  If there is more than one person on the booking then each fare in this example will be taken down by $2,500.00 per guest.

 

It should be this straight forward.

 

Now if you submitted the request for $25,000.00 and Crystal is told by Moecker that it is $20,000 than that is what it is unless you can prove that you are really owed $25,000.00.

 

Keith

Thanks for your concern, Keith. Maybe you and other experts here can figure out my situation. 

I need to contact my TA again for sure.
Something is not jiving and maybe it's taking my TA a while to get it straightend through Crystal.
Here are the rough figures. There are 2 of us sharing one suite.
Each EI credit is worth roughly $12,000. I was told that I could use 2 credits. 
Cruise 1 full fare for 2 is $14,000. OC credit applied was $9,000 (not $12,000). Minus other discounts too. 
Cruise 2: full fare for 2 is $7,400 (OC credit applied was $3,800 (not $12,000). Minus other discounts too. 

In both cases, I was told that the $5,000 out of pocket expense that I had to pay was a "deposit" to hold the bookings. After the total fare was adjusted minus the EI, the deposit would be refunded totally or partially depending on the amount of the final  fare. 
From my perspective, the OC credits are way below what I was awarded and I don't know why. I was wondering if others here have experienced a simular situation with their EI credits and what was the result. 

2 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

Well I wish I was whole but that is another story and my fault but so it goes.

 

Could you please explain more the disconnect with what you were told and what you got. 

This is how it should work.

 

You submit the EI request. Let's say it is $25,000.00. Crystal confirms this with Mocker and if they say it is $25,000 you get a voucher which allows you to use $5,000 per cruise.  

 

If the cruise is $15,000.00 than one of the adjustments made would be to take the total fare down by $5,000.00  This is done as soon as the 1/5 sub credit is applied and you should get an invoice showing that.  If there is more than one person on the booking then each fare in this example will be taken down by $2,500.00 per guest.

 

It should be this straight forward.

 

Now if you submitted the request for $25,000.00 and Crystal is told by Moecker that it is $20,000 than that is what it is unless you can prove that you are really owed $25,000.00.

 

Keith

3 minutes ago, bayonejoe said:

Funatabi,

If your booked cruise is less than the EI , you will still have to pay the per person destination fees for that particular cruise. So there will be out of pocket expenses.

 

As far as the EI program,I am very pleased with. Moneys I never expected 😁

Thanks for the feedback. Please bear with me, but what are "destination fees"? I assume port charges? I did pay a certain amount. I asked if my payment was for port charges, but never received a reply. However, there are no "port charges" listed as expenses on the invoice. 

14 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

Extremely happy about the E-1 Credits.

 

Initially got one voucher for precisely what we expected and then over the course of time used 1/5 of each credit for five different cruises including some already booked and one where I had made the final payment so got a refund.

 

Then when they expanded them to river cruises, expeditions ships etc. submitted another form, got the amount I submitted in a second E1 voucher and have used all of the sub-credits.

 

Haven't gotten any money back yet via Moecker.  

Keith

I am glad that you are whole, Keith. It good to hear that there are cruisers here who have gotten what was "promised". Unfortunately,  I certainly don't feel the same way, as I write. I will continue to pursue why my EI credits are not near the amounts I was advised by NC.   

8 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

We didn't hear anything until a couple of months ago when they sent us an-email where we are listed for the claims we submitted which were filed with the court. It notes on there the max we might get. If you haven't gotten this (and since you paid cash maybe that is why) I would contact them.

 

Keith

Thanks, Keith. I will be contacting them, as you suggested. I know that Moeker has my claim. 

I booked what are considered 2 cruises using 2 of my 5 EIs. So what do I see on the invoices when they were sent

to me the other day, but a bunch of other discounts bundled with a paultry portion of the "old Crystal credit", which I assume

is the EI amounts.  Originally I was told that if any cruise is less than the EI amount,

I would not have to pay out of pocket.  

For one cruise the "old Crystal credit" is around 3/4 of what I was supposed to get. The other is 1/4th. In the end,

I was told by my TA in June to pay  $$$$ to hold the reservation as a deposit, being told that the EI credits would be deducted when final payment is due and the depost would be refunded. 

So I waited to see what the deal was. Since I heard no more,  I asked my TA to check what the ?????

So far no reply from TA. Silence. I have not received a penny from the bankruptcy settlement.

I paid my OC cruise by cash, so no credit cards involved for refunds. 

What are others finiding about the EI creidts? (Happy?) (Satisfied?) (Getting what you were told?) (Keep trying to get the amount reconciled?) (Scam???) (Switch and bait to get people to book?)

Never heard one word from Moeker yet about anything. 

Neither letter nor email. 

Here is just the tip of what Crystal sent to me about the Panama transit cruises in Dec.

(In the first part I rant. In the second part I explain what was told to me today by my TA)

From Crystal:

----------------------------------------

"Dear Valued Guest and Travel Partners,

RE: Mr .......

Thank you and your client for choosing Crystal for their upcoming voyage. For operational reasons, we have made the decision to change our Panama Canal winter deployment for the below sailings. To compensate for this, we would like to propose several alternatives:

(Details of 3 alternatives omitted here)

With Gratitude,

Crystal Guest Relations"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 3 alternatives were: (1) stay with what we are planning, (2) choose other canal transit cruises early next year, or (3) go on an LA to NYC cruise via canal in late 2024. Verbiage about onboard credit, same fare, etc. was mentioned, but NO mention or offer of a refund.

Furthermore, no explanation of the reason for this change. Only "operational reasons".  WHAT STUPIDITY and poor marketing and customer relations!

 If anyone at Crystal had a brain, they would have been honest and explained that the reason is the water crisis at the Panama Canal. (I had to do my own homework to find this out.)

Plus, on this notice, the revised itinerary dates were a total MESS!

What was supposed to be 2 cruises: MIA/Puerto Caldera and Puerto Caldera/MIA for a total of 21 days, was shown as either 14 days or 28 days. Couldn't make sense of what Crystal was offering.

After reading this garbage message that made no sense, I was extremely upset, having made plane and hotel reservations to make the Dec. 2 departure.

If Crystal is reading here, KNOW what you are doing, and what the solutions are, BEFORE you start announcing changes due to "operational reasons".  Don't only advise customers that you are changing the itinerary but also advise the reason why and what the new itinerary is. You left us in the dark and very upset. Like, "Huh? what?".

So, today I got a notice from my TA that the dept date and return to MIA dates are the same as the original canal transit dates. (Dec. 2/Dec. 23) So I can and will go, as scheduled.

The itinerary, as mentioned in another thread, is Mia/San Juan, San Juan/San Juan, and San Juan to Mia. Lots and lots of Caribbean ports, many I haven't visited, so not a total loss. Plus I will be on a cruise. 

While I am really disappointed about this, I understand the situation.

I am more disappointed for my travel partner who has never transited the Panama Canal.

Also, I am disappointed that Crystal wasn't more open about the reason and I am disappointed that Crystal made this announcement prematurely BEFORE they had a clue as to what the new schedule/itinerary was. Very amaturish. 

That said, I am glad Crystal at least figured out what to do, finally. Too bad from a customer-relations standpoint they ruffled a lot of feathers before they did. 

I am still looking forward to cruising again, albeit not what I had originally planned. 

2 hours ago, sullaRaffaello said:

I thought B2B counted as 1 cruise for Special Initiative purposes.

I don't know the "fine print" definition of what Crystal calls B2B. All I know is that  MIA/Puerto Caldera and Puerto Caldera/MIA are considered 2 different cruises, with 2  different "cruise numbers", so I could use 2 credits.  I too was surprised. The condition is "different cruise numbers". So what might look like B2B to us, might not be so according to Crystal. 

OK, here I go.

I am booked on the MIA/Puerto Caldera Dec 2 Panama Canal cruise, and return Puerto Caldera/MIA on the return sailing Dec. 13.

This itinerary perfectly fits time wise, before I go on another line's world cruise that starts in Jan. BUT, the biggest bonus to me, is that this itinerary counts as 2 separate cruises. This means that I can use 2 of my 5 exceptional incentives in 2023. Whooopie.

And then figure out how to use the remaining 3. 

If all goes well this will be my 2nd time on "Crystal". The first time was a fiasco caused by the bad taste left by "that bankruptcy". But, I am willing to try again. Why not. If I am on a cruise, I am happy. 

6 minutes ago, cruise_loverinlaval said:

Hello, I completed my form to request my credits on May 22, 2023.

I sent an email to Exceptional Initiative on May 27 to follow-up with them.  No answer yet.  I also sent an email to a NC representative who contacted us earlier this year.  No answer from her. We need to be patient!

I hope you receive a reply from Crystal soon. Seems like lots of us still waiting in line.

I sent my request for the credit in April and received a notice 3 days later stating that I will be given full credit. Great news and fast service. Now, I am trying to get clarification of 2 circumstances. So, I will just be patient and wait and see. Thanks for your input. 

46 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

Yes, use the e-mail.  Sometimes you hear right back and sometimes it will take time depending on how busy they are and how complex your issues it.

 

Be sure to check your spam folder.

 

Also forward what you sent a second time.

 

I know very recently they were very busy and most of the requests are very manually intensive.

 

Keith

28 minutes ago, TRIPACIAN said:

They did reply to my “second request” email with the answer to my inquiry. It helped me resolve my questions regarding the amount of my credit.

Thanks for the replies. I am glad that there is hope and I will recieve a reply from Crystal.  I will keep trying and see what happens. Reminder e-mail will be sent now.  

I needed help and information about my exceptional initiative credit.

I called the telephone number displayed in the exceptional initiative e-mail.

It turned out to be the general res number. Regardless, the gentleman who answered was clueless and no help at all.

He told me that the only action I can take is to send an email to the Exceptional Initiative section. I did that over a week ago.

I am disapointed because so far I have not received any response.

Has anyone ever sent an email and received a response from the Exceptional Initiative section?

Should I be more patient and wait further? Maybe they are "exceptionally" busy.

Is there a tel number/email address to get real assistance with the exceptional initiative?

Thanks for any feedback and advice, before I call ad try again.

Maybe next time a more responsive/knowledgeable customer-service agent will answer. 

31 minutes ago, bitob said:

As you should. I hope you have a great experience as you recoup some of your losses 

Thanks, and happy crusing to you too! 👍

7 hours ago, bitob said:

Money is a means to an end.  It is not the end itself.

 

My father, who was not a wealthy man at all (he never even owned his own home), always told me the "money is freedom."  In this case, it is the freedom to choose between spending a bundle to sail on an unknown with a less than desirable itinerary to get some money back or going on a cruise I really want to go on and forget the refund.

There are 2 sides of the fence when it comes to this Initiative. Your points are valid for you and your reasoning makes sense. I understand there are many unknowns at this point and we each have our own expectations and needs when it comes to service, cabin, meals, entertainment, and itineraries. 

On my side of the fence, I see this as an opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone: cruise and save some money too at the same time. However, I need to be flexible when it comes to needs, priorities, schedules, and expectations. I am easy to please. I have never had a "bad" cruise ever, from being in an inside cabin to one with a balcony, on HAL, Carnival, MSC, Regent, Cunard, Norweigian, etc. that have changed itineraries at a moment's notice and ended up going in circles.

I am optimistic that I will be happy with whatever the NC too offers, so I am going to be flexible and see if and how I can best use the sub-credits. 

My few cents on this initiative. 

First of all, I was very anti-OC and anti-NC too, to be honest, after having lost a lot of $$$$. I wasn't sure if I would consider cruising on a Crystal-brand ship again. But, then I too got the email about the Initiative and it piqued my interest.

I applied Tuesday this week and today Friday, 3 days later, I received notice from NC about full compensation. That's fast work.

Everyone has their own schedules, concerns about the NC, whether the initiative amount per sailing is worth it, etc., etc. In my circumstances, even if I don't/can't use up all 5 sub-credits, I still feel that I am ahead by XXX dollars if I can use even 1. This is based on the fact that I want to cruise anyway, so why not make use of these sub-credits and pay less out-of-pocket money if I can. 

Today I will go to bed $$$$ richer than when I woke up, thanks to the NC who is offering an initiative to compensate OC cruisers who lost money. This is the type of consideration that I had been hoping would come forth ever since the demise of the OC. I hope this Initiative becomes a win/win situation for both us cruisers and NC. We shall see. 

9 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

1. If you go on one cruise get off and return on a cruise after the next one starts and ends that is two different cruises. Voucher is good for five different cruises (20% value per cruise)

 

2.  Yes.

 

3.  Yes by July 1 is for any cruise through CYE 2025. Right now cruise thru 2024 are published.

 

Keith

Thanks, Keith, for the very prompt reply and solid answers. I assumed the same, but wanted to be double check my understanding. Based on this, I can plan how to fit in this offer into future cruises. I will keep an eye on this topic and your valuable input. 

 I received the e-mail from the NC. I have read all the postings here.  

I want to clarify a few basic questions in my mind, and appreciate any responses. TIA.

1) If B2B cruises count as one incentive, would it be reasonable to assume that I could use 2 incentives if I were to go on 1st cruise, get off at end of 1st cruise, and then wait to go again on a 2nd cruise after the ship departs and returns a few days (weeks, or months) later? 

2) I assume if I don't make the 1st initial reservation by July 1, 2023 for any cruise,  I will lose all 5 incentives?

3) The July 1st booking deadline is only the "book-by-date", and therefore has no connection to the actual sail-date, which could be in 2024 or 2025.

I am not sure if I can use all 5 incentives, but it's definitely worth looking into. 

Just now, BBWC said:

Correct, Mariner was denied docking today in Aruba. We are now heading to Curaçao tomorrow - who knows what will happen. I believe it was due to Covid cases, only announced at 8 am this morning. We continue to have the same issue of few cases but relatively high percentage because of so few passengers on board.

I see. Humm, that is really sad. If you know, how many passengers are there? And covid cases? AFAIK, Crystal had 1 positive early on and then no more.  

I am one of the Crystal - to-Regent cruisers and I just read about this on the Crystal board. When I read this I almost fell off my chair. And while it's not funny ha ha, it makes one think about fate, and how our not stopping in Aruba was a blessing in disguise (although I fainted at the time I found out that we were denied.😉)

Anyway, I am concerned as to whether the denied entry was due to covid in Aruba or just precations? Or cases on the Mariner?