Does Holland America Care?

[sapper1]

OK I have not posted much lately because frankly I have been quite busy and will only come in on a post that I can help explain things but I do remember the OP's first post.

Maybe I look at things a bit differently but let me just post a few observations. First there is always the comment about not being up to the expectations of a "Premium" cruise Line. I think that word really confuses a lot of people and they want to classify HAL as a Luxury Line. Luxury and Premium are not the same thing. I think people read that word and expect 6 Star Everything. There is a big step between Luxury and Premium the first is $$$$ when you are willing to step up to the plate and pay the big bucks then yes you should get it "Your Way" Premium is simply some nice additional features that may not or are usually not included in the regular Mass Market Line such as slightly larger cabins, full bathrooms with bath tubs in most cabins, the Elemis Bath Products, a bathrobe even in the Interior cabins, the extremely wonderful beds and bedding. A step up in quality of food. All these things are what makes up the word "Premium" and that is in comparing to Carnival, Royal Caribbean and the lower Class cabins of Norwegian.

I agree with the comment that any letter complaint or positive must be simple and to the point and possibly give a quick example. And most of all be realistic.

Early this summer I received a complaint letter from a client that went to Alaska, this email was honestly the first time I never responded, this person went on an excursion to Salmon fish, he and partner were the only ones on the boat that did not catch a fish and he wanted assistance in getting his money back for the shore excursion. :eek:

I honestly think before we complain we need to take a hard look at what is really upsetting us. Is our complaint realistic, is it something that is really the fault of one person and or incident on the ship? I agree there have been many occaisions with some of the HAL ships in the past 6 months with legitimate problems and I think HAL is constantly trying to address these issues, sometimes like all businesses things are out of their control and or it is not an easy fix.

 

I know I get accused of being a HAL Cheerleader but I am sympathetic to legitimate complaints and those do need to be resolved in a timely manner of which if this is brought to the attention of the Crew and Officers on the ship 99% of the time these issues are resolved.

 

Lastly HAL reads these boards, and trust me they have figured out who many of us regulars are. Either by our avatar pics, handle name, or simply the ship and the sail date and stating the type of cabin we always stay in. Biggest way to hurt ourselves is to Bite the Hand that feeds us so to speak and in this case if you have sailed HAL before and complained then they give you something extra and try to take care of you and you still come back on here and complain about HAL....guess what, after a while HAL is going to no longer try to help you because frankly you will still stab them in the back again.

In the end HAL is Big Business that is all about the bottom line and profits, if we take a hard look at ALL businesses today everyone has eliminated personal and expects more done by one person when it really should be done by 2 or 3. Trust me some of the minor complaints we complaining about here are also being stated on Regent, Crystal and land based 5 Star Resorts. We say if we are not happy we should vote with our money and go to someone else but chances are you will find a whole new group of different problems or even maybe some of the same.

 

I agree with what you say. Love the salmon story.

I would like to say that our TA spoke with HAL and told them all the things that pleased us on our recent Zuiderdam cruise. She then mentioned the day without toilets or air conditioning when we did not receive the services we contracted for.

 

When we went in to make final payment for our Nov 11th cruise our TA said that HAL had given us 500 dollars in OBC. I was really more than pleased as I would have been happy with 25 dollars. It was more about acknowledging our discomfort than the money. At any rate they made things right and I mention it in response to your admonition about giving HAl credit where credit is due. I was quick to complain so I should be just as quick to express satisfaction. Thank you for the nudge.

[dakrewser]

If that was directed at me you might note that I didn't write a letter and don't intend to.

 

Since you didn't write a letter (and said so) how could a comment about a written letter be directed towards you???

 

Sometimes people are quick to take offense where none is intended - or given.

 

 

WE've also had problems with laundry bags from time to time but a quick word with the cabin steward almost always sorts it out right away. No calls to anyone, no notes - just personal communication.

[Wakepatrol]

Personally unless there was some major lack of product delivery I don't expect freebies or obcs. But I do think in a competitive market, service is a vital component. When we cruised on HAL we had already cruised many of the other mass market lines including Princess, Carnival, NCL, Disney and RCI. So I did have some basis of comparison where service is concerned. I was led to believe that somehow HAL was step up in service and the reality for our cruise on the Amsterdam is that overall I would rate it the worst overall service we have ever experienced on any of our cruises from the dining rooms, housekeeping, beverage service, room service and general guest services. And it wasn't that the staff was not pleasant, but they were clearly overwhelmed and unable to keep up which resulted in long waits and lots of little mistakes and oversites. This has not been our experience so consistently on any other cruiseline. So it makes it unlikely we will cruise with HAL again and we are exactly the type of people they should be pursuing - people who cruise multiple times per year and are young enough that we have a long cruising future ahead of us. We could have represented great repeat business for them. Thank goodness the itinerary was so amazing because that saved the vacation for us!

 

 

I'm sorry your cruise didn't work out. I'm surprised with the Amsterdam. This is the ship they use for the World Voyages with a little higher maintenance passenger who has plunked down alot of cash to sail on her. I was on the ship for 2 weeks,and thought it was the best ship in the fleet I'd been on. There was no scrimping and everything was done top notch.

 

Good luck on your next cruise with whatever line you choose.

[karatemom2]

Since you didn't write a letter (and said so) how could a comment about a written letter be directed towards you???

 

Sometimes people are quick to take offense where none is intended - or given.

 

 

WE've also had problems with laundry bags from time to time but a quick word with the cabin steward almost always sorts it out right away. No calls to anyone, no notes - just personal communication.

 

I didn't take offense, just clarifying that I was not the OP that wrote the letter since the post referenced my comment of cruising other lines and it was directly following that post so I believe that it likely referred to my comment.

 

As for the laundry issues, I would have loved personal communication. Unfortunately we rarely saw our room steward. In fact we had much more contact with the absolutely fantastic room steward taking care of my sister and her husband four doors away. The reason I called to request the bags and also to report the clothes that did not belong to us is because we had so little personal contact with our steward that my only choice was to call. I would hope if someone received my clothes in error they would make every effort to return them. The reason for the note with the shirt on the final day was that repeated calls had yielded no results and I wanted to make sure when our steward came it would be clear which clothing article did not belong to us so I thought leaving it on the bed with a note was our best option at that point as opposed to being stranded in our room until someone showed up to retrieve it. When that didn't even work I personally took the garment to guest services. Like you I prefer that personal touch and direct communication. Unfortunately that requires the person you need to communicate with actually materializes in person from time to time.

[karatemom2]

I'm sorry your cruise didn't work out. I'm surprised with the Amsterdam. This is the ship they use for the World Voyages with a little higher maintenance passenger who has plunked down alot of cash to sail on her. I was on the ship for 2 weeks,and thought it was the best ship in the fleet I'd been on. There was no scrimping and everything was done top notch.

 

Good luck on your next cruise with whatever line you choose.

 

The Amsterdam is a lovely ship and the crew we encountered was as pleasant as could be so I have no doubt that the potential is there for an excellent cruise experience. Unfortunately that was just not the case for us and it wasn't just limited to one or two things which I would tend to overlook. It just seemed to me that the hard working crew was in many instances spread too thin and lacking needed support which likely led to the high volume of error we encountered, especially related to food service. And there really isn't a bad cruise - can't imagine not having a good time on a cruise no matter what the circumstances especially with an amazing Alaska itinerary. My only point in chiming in here was to offer a bit of support to the OP in also finding that the service levels we encountered on our HAL cruise did not really live up to the expectations I had formed based on the information I had read here in advance.

[kazu]

I agree with what you say. Love the salmon story.

I would like to say that our TA spoke with HAL and told them all the things that pleased us on our recent Zuiderdam cruise. She then mentioned the day without toilets or air conditioning when we did not receive the services we contracted for.

 

When we went in to make final payment for our Nov 11th cruise our TA said that HAL had given us 500 dollars in OBC. I was really more than pleased as I would have been happy with 25 dollars. It was more about acknowledging our discomfort than the money. At any rate they made things right and I mention it in response to your admonition about giving HAl credit where credit is due. I was quick to complain so I should be just as quick to express satisfaction. Thank you for the nudge.

 

Bobbie - that is a nice gesture by HAL - it didn't fix your problems on your last cruise = but it is still a nice thing done IMO. I hope you have a great cruise:):)

 

As to the laundry issue 'suffered' by the OP - I still don't get it - if you ask for a bag and you don't have it - you don't wait for the next day - you call again.

 

No sides here - but if I need a laundry bag ]] - and I don't have one - I ask and I get - if I don't get (once) I ask again - pretty simple IMO:) We have had no laundry bag left a few times - it's a faux pas - and easily corrected.

 

Lisa - well said indeed (I'm trying to not post too much:) so I am trying to do it all in one thread:)).

 

Each to their own - a laundry bag is not a make or break deal for my cruise - if I have laundry that needs to go - I get the bag. If it takes two calls - I'll make two calls - Life is simple on board IMO -

[Wakepatrol]

Laundry Laundry Laundry

 

Never knew laundry was such an angst filled event.

 

Some posters have really aired their dirty laundry.

 

I'll just make sure I'm not downwind

[Cindy]

HAL is going to love me...I guess to me those are little things that don't have an impact on my enjoyment of a vacation.:) I've had similar annoyances on every cruise I've been on, but I've also loved every cruise I've taken, and the experiences weren't diminished by the glitches.

I've encountered a rude assistant maitre d' on Princess who insisted I didn't have late seating even though I had the documentation to prove it, spent a week with a lazy waiter on Royal Caribbean who lied and told us the ship was out of butter even though tables near us had plenty, and I had a major ordeal on a Carnival ship trying to get the wine we ordered in advance...you get the picture. If I let things like that keep me off a cruise line, I'd be running out of choices!:eek:

Don't misunderstand me...I do expect great service, and I'm disappointed when I don't receive it. In my experience the times things haven't met my expectations it was more of a problem with an individual than the entire ship or cruise line. The good has far, far outweighed the bad, even on a ship I didn't really care for.

[petrakae]

We had a laundry package last year on the Eurodam and had no problems with it. Mind you, we do pack sufficient outfits for 5 to 6 days, plus travel days. Unfortunately in this economic climate all businesses have to cut corners with costs, sad but true. HAL is no exception, but we as passengers still expect, some even demand, champagne service on a coca-cola price. Tolerance has always worked for me..... We have cruised with several lines and do prefer Hal as one of our favourite lines. We have never received OBC as we are Australians and it is not at all common for us from our TA's. We just save up, pay up, pack up, travel for 24 hours in a plane, board the ship and have a great time, and give thanks that we are able to do so. Minor hiccups are dealt with in time. JMO! Regarding the salmon tale, we had one passenger who complained they chose an aft cabin for the sunsets and the Captain had the audacity to sail the wrong way....DUH!:eek:

[skyedoggie]

Our last cruise on the NA resulted in the two of us disembarking and for the first time not having booked again. We were 2 of the biggest HAL cheerleaders there were. What happened to us? Well we booked an Aft balcony suite and ended up finding graffiti on our wall. We were shocked. I think I was shocked for a couple of reasons, one that it wasn't caught while turning the cabin around for us and two, for all the inconvenience it caused us in getting the crew to get it resolved. The only way they could do that was to replace wallpaper in that section. The compensation was $70 OBC. I have no idea how they came to that number and let me tell you I'd rather be in a cabin where you are not faced with having to think about ok when can I be out of the cabin so that workman can be in... that is too much like ordinary life and not a vacation. It was a back and forth to the Neptune to discuss it with the concerige. Originally they tried to clean the graffitti and that just left a huge white spot where it was that might as well of had flashing lights that said look over here.

 

So my sympathy...it hurts when it is your valuable vacation time and a quick response to make whatever is wrong right is what we need.

 

I've delete my photos off my desktop by now but did post them a while ago when we got back. I'm sure they are floating around somewhere if you'd like to see them.

[kjw869]

Lol:) Very funny. I had to think about it for a minute.

 

I also got it pretty quick when I changed one vowel.

 

Regarding the OP, friends of ours were on another cruise line (not a Carnival brand) in February and had some problems that they wrote in a letter to the company's main office. They still have not received a response after their initial letter was acknowledged.

[wallyboag]

I don't expect to sway anyone here. I learned that lesson the first time I posted, but I do want to make something clear:

 

I do not think that missing laundry ruined our vacation. I don't think that anything ruined the cruise. There is not ONE SINGLE EVENT that "ruined" the cruise. It's not the laundry, the bad drink, the rude and impatient security aggravating us because our cards didn't scan, the extremely slow and forgetful service in the dining room, it wasn't any ONE of those things that made me upset. So please don't think that I'm just complaining because my laundry bag was missing.

 

What made me upset was that when these little things did go wrong, the response from the crew was apathetic. No apologies, no attempts to make things better, no effort to recover from the flubs. THAT is the problem I had with the Westerdam and Holland America. Things go wrong. I get that. But when things go wrong, if you want to call yourself a luxury line or a step above Carnival or Norwegian, FIX THE PROBLEM AND APOLOGIZE. Don't pretend it didn't happen!

 

Had they immediately replaced the drink, hey no biggie. Mistakes happen. Thank you for fixing it.

Had the security gaurds been apologetic an unerstanding that it wasn't our fault that our cards didn't print properly and maybe offered some help in getting them fixed instead of making us feel guilty for making them take an extra step checking us in and out? No biggie, car printers have errors from time to time, I understand... but apologize and fix the problem... don't make us feel guilty and inconvenienced!

Had the room service people apologized for being backed up and said "Sorry, we can't fill your order tonight. We'll give you something extra special tomorrow to make up for it." Hey no biggie, you were busy and understaffed. Don't get angry with us on the phone when we call back to cancel an order that is over an hour late!

 

THIS is why we were upset with the service we received, and that's not the way a "luxury" line should deal with service issues!

[Jade13]

Our last cruise on the NA resulted in the two of us disembarking and for the first time not having booked again. We were 2 of the biggest HAL cheerleaders there were. What happened to us? Well we booked an Aft balcony suite and ended up finding graffiti on our wall. We were shocked. I think I was shocked for a couple of reasons, one that it wasn't caught while turning the cabin around for us and two, for all the inconvenience it caused us in getting the crew to get it resolved. The only way they could do that was to replace wallpaper in that section. The compensation was $70 OBC. I have no idea how they came to that number and let me tell you I'd rather be in a cabin where you are not faced with having to think about ok when can I be out of the cabin so that workman can be in... that is too much like ordinary life and not a vacation. It was a back and forth to the Neptune to discuss it with the concerige. Originally they tried to clean the graffitti and that just left a huge white spot where it was that might as well of had flashing lights that said look over here.

 

So my sympathy...it hurts when it is your valuable vacation time and a quick response to make whatever is wrong right is what we need.

 

I've delete my photos off my desktop by now but did post them a while ago when we got back. I'm sure they are floating around somewhere if you'd like to see them.

 

Do you have a link showing the graffitii?

[hrhdhd]

<snip> THIS is why we were upset with the service we received, and that's not the way a "luxury" line should deal with service issues!

 

I understand exactly where you're coming from. I don't like excuses, and when they pile up it's more than coincidence.

[CtheW0rld]

Our last cruise on the NA resulted in the two of us disembarking and for the first time not having booked again. We were 2 of the biggest HAL cheerleaders there were. What happened to us? Well we booked an Aft balcony suite and ended up finding graffiti on our wall. We were shocked. I think I was shocked for a couple of reasons, one that it wasn't caught while turning the cabin around for us and two, for all the inconvenience it caused us in getting the crew to get it resolved. The only way they could do that was to replace wallpaper in that section. The compensation was $70 OBC. I have no idea how they came to that number and let me tell you I'd rather be in a cabin where you are not faced with having to think about ok when can I be out of the cabin so that workman can be in... that is too much like ordinary life and not a vacation. It was a back and forth to the Neptune to discuss it with the concerige. Originally they tried to clean the graffitti and that just left a huge white spot where it was that might as well of had flashing lights that said look over here.

 

 

 

So my sympathy...it hurts when it is your valuable vacation time and a quick response to make whatever is wrong right is what we need.

 

 

 

I've delete my photos off my desktop by now but did post them a while ago when we got back. I'm sure they are floating around somewhere if you'd like to see them.

 

Do you have a link showing the graffitii?

 

grafitti link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1566041

[sail7seas]

I just looked at that photo and it shocks me.

Who would do such a thing?

I hope they were charged dearly for that vandalism.

 

[Cindy]

I am shocked that a passenger would scrawl grafitti on their cabin wall. Who would do such a thing? People amaze me...not always in a good way.:(

[3rdGenCunarder]

I just looked at that photo and it shocks me.

Who would do such a thing?

I hope they were charged dearly for that vandalism.

 

 

My thoughts exactly!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I am shocked that a passenger would scrawl grafitti on their cabin wall. Who would do such a thing? People amaze me...not always in a good way.:(

I agree ...

[kangforpres]

Through an on-line post cruise survey I commented that I hated the automated poker table on the Niew Amsterdam and said I would only play poker at a table with a human dealer.

 

My next cruise there was a note thanking me for my input about the last cruise and their was a human dealer at the poker table! I realize it was just the fact that the Maasdam is an older ship and they have not had the chance to install the automated poker table.

[skyedoggie]

I'm thankful that I posted and came back to this thread to read your responses. This is all that I needed to hear, that you understood our disappointment and were as shocked as we were. Thank you so much... you have no idea! We are talking about sailing again on HAL as we miss the Westerdam.

[pris993]

The only problem we have had on HAL is a broken suitcase once. They gave us $150 and we purchased another one in St Martin, so we were satisfied.

 

We have had experiences complaining to corporate on another cruise line and to Hilton Hotels.

 

We completed a detailed critique on Celebrity Cruise line, expressing our dissatisfactions with the MDR on the Equniox. Much to our surprise we received an follow up email after we returned home, along with a personal phone call within 2 weeks following the cruise. So obviously they wanted to hear our experience.

 

Another time we filled out a critique after staying at a Hilton in Barcelona. My DH did not like that all the bedding was "white" including top cover - he said the room looked like a hospital. Much to our surprised we received a written response from Hilton Hotels London, thanking us for our comments and saying they had decided to change the color scheme.

 

So sometime feedback is valued.

 

I also remember officers on Sitmar years ago, who acted like they were doing you a favor responding to requests... at Customer Service.

 

Run into all kinds travelling...

[Cindy]

The only problem we have had on HAL is a broken suitcase once. They gave us $150 and we purchased another one in St Martin, so we were satisfied.

 

We have had experiences complaining to corporate on another cruise line and to Hilton Hotels.

 

We completed a detailed critique on Celebrity Cruise line, expressing our dissatisfactions with the MDR on the Equniox. Much to our surprise we received an follow up email after we returned home, along with a personal phone call within 2 weeks following the cruise. So obviously they wanted to hear our experience.

 

Another time we filled out a critique after staying at a Hilton in Barcelona. My DH did not like that all the bedding was "white" including top cover - he said the room looked like a hospital. Much to our surprised we received a written response from Hilton Hotels London, thanking us for our comments and saying they had decided to change the color scheme.

 

So sometime feedback is valued.

 

I also remember officers on Sitmar years ago, who acted like they were doing you a favor responding to requests... at Customer Service.

 

Run into all kinds travelling...

 

I almost always send a "snail mail" letter to a cruise line when I get back from a cruise. My letters are primarily for the purpose of making sure I recognize the crew who gave us outstanding service, but I also mention the things I liked/didn't like.

It usually takes some time, but I always receive a "personalized form letter" in return. I have also received a small ($100) OBC from Princess for a mistake on their end with my reservation, and a phone call from Royal Caribbean concerning a huge problem with teens running amok on a ship. It has always taken about 6-8 weeks for my correspondence to be acknowledged.

[woodworker&knitter]

We have travelled extensively with HAL, and we too have from time to time experuenced moments of disappointment, however, on vertually every occassion we found crew/ or management most interested in resolving the angst. We have contacted corporate office and the reponse time was about 6 weeks, which may be long but seems to be the norm.

 

We have travelled with a competitor and have returned to HAL with great delight.

 

We have just returned from a 42 day(2 cruises) and are anxious for our 52 days (42 plus 10) in October. Does this mean we love HAL ...yes. Mainly because of the crew and ships.

 

When your problem occurred perhaps the comcern should have been brought to the attention of the Beverage Mgr and Hotel Mgr if you felt the crew hadn't addressed your concern, that way the issues are resolved immediately We have found these Managers more than willing to listen and always available.

[skyedoggie]

We were trying to remain calm and thought that our concerige was talking to the Hotel Mgr. It was rough because we made plans to be out of the room for them to work on the problem. It was formal night and rushing to get out of the cabin, but wanting to enjoy our suite and we came back only to find the graffiti still there. Failed attempt to remedy, better luck next time. Finally the next time we were out of the cabin, they were able to replace the wallpaper.