Frustrated with HAL website- answers please!

[JulieRose]

Is it just me or is their site terrible?

Anyway, I'm new to HAL and thinking about tagging along on a voyage of the Nieuw Amsterdam that my parents and grandparents are taking in December. I would be going as a 3rd in my parents cabin which I know will be tight but I think we can manage. Their travel agent won't talk to me about the booking because I am not one of her guests and my travel agent is MIA so I'm hoping that someone here can help with a few basic questions.

My parents are in a verandah cabin. [B]Is there generally a fee (other than port fees of course) for a 3rd berth?[/B]

[B]Does HAL have a soft drink package like other cruse lines?[/B] I like to drink diet coke pretty much around the clock and I don't want to have to pay for every one individually. [B]If so, does everyone in the cabin have to have it or can just one person get it? [/B] (My parents are not soda fans.)
[B]
Are onboard accounts kept separate for each individual in a cabin?[/B] In other words, can I attach my credit card to my onboard account and my parents to theirs so we don't have to go over the bill and settle up with each other at the end or is all our spending thrown into one big account?

[B]As for the wine policy, is the allotment by stateroom or per person?[/B] I know it is worded per person in their document but I have heard of other cruise lines capping it at 2 per stateroom at the port. Don't care either way but it's a good "Know before you go" sort of thing.

To those who have done holiday season cruises in the past, [B]can we reasonably expect any sort of holiday activities/ decorations/ shows/ etc on the Dec 15-Dec 22 sailing?[/B]

[B]Are there any weird nuances to traveling as a 3rd on HAL that I should know about?[/B] I have never traveled in a party on any cruise line where we had more than 2 per stateroom...

Thank you for understanding the time crunch that I am under. I did search for some of this information on my own but with less than 2 months before sailing, I really need answers asap so I can start planning. I appreciate your patience.

Thanks!

[Krazy Kruizers]

[quote name='JulieRose']Is it just me or is their site terrible?

Anyway, I'm new to HAL and thinking about tagging along on a voyage of the Nieuw Amsterdam that my parents and grandparents are taking in December. I would be going as a 3rd in my parents cabin which I know will be tight but I think we can manage. Their travel agent won't talk to me about the booking because I am not one of her guests and my travel agent is MIA so I'm hoping that someone here can help with a few basic questions.

My parents are in a verandah cabin. [B]Is there generally a fee (other than port fees of course) for a 3rd berth? [SIZE=4][COLOR=red]Yes[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Does HAL have a soft drink package like other cruse lines?[/B] I like to drink diet coke pretty much around the clock and I don't want to have to pay for every one individually. [B]If so, does everyone in the cabin have to have it or can just one person get it? [/B](My parents are not soda fans.) [B][SIZE=3][COLOR=red]There is a soda card -- I will it at the end of this thread.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Are onboard accounts kept separate for each individual in a cabin?[/B] In other words, can I attach my credit card to my onboard account and my parents to theirs so we don't have to go over the bill and settle up with each other at the end or is all our spending thrown into one big account? [SIZE=3][COLOR=#ff0000][B]Yes you can have your own on board account.[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[B]As for the wine policy, is the allotment by stateroom or per person?[/B] I know it is worded per person in their document but I have heard of other cruise lines capping it at 2 per stateroom at the port. Don't care either way but it's a good "Know before you go" sort of thing. [B][SIZE=3][COLOR=red]For a December cruise the new wine policies will not be in affect. You can take as many bottles on board on embarkation day and from every port as you want -- no limit.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

To those who have done holiday season cruises in the past, [B]can we reasonably expect any sort of holiday activities/ decorations/ shows/ etc on the Dec 15-Dec 22 sailing? [SIZE=3][COLOR=red]The ship will be decorated. But the real holiday activities will be on the Christmas cruise the next week.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

[B]Are there any weird nuances to traveling as a 3rd on HAL that I should know about?[/B] I have never traveled in a party on any cruise line where we had more than 2 per stateroom...

Thank you for understanding the time crunch that I am under. I did search for some of this information on my own but with less than 2 months before sailing, I really need answers asap so I can start planning. I appreciate your patience.

Thanks![/quote]


[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5]Your parent's TA is going to have to make the arrangements to add you to your parents cabin -- if it is permitted by HAL. There is a certain number of people allowed in each lifeboat and there is no way you can determine on your own if the capacity has already been met for your section of the ship. There is no way you can add yourself to your parent's cabin.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=5][/SIZE][/FONT]
[URL="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/gift/gift/giftMoreDetails.action?giftCatalogItemId=547"][U][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]$50.00 Soda Card [/U][/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/URL][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]cost $25.00[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]The ships have now changed from giving you a can to just about 6 ounces of fountain soda.
Your soda card is charged $1.50 + 15% gratuity ($0.23) for a [U]total of $1.73 for each “glass” of soda.[/U][/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=4]

[/SIZE][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Without a soda card, you can buy a “can” of soda for $1.95 + 15% gratuity ($0.30) [U]for a total of $2.25 per can.
[/B][/U][/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Alberta Quilter]

I can' t answear all your questions but can answer some.

Yes, there is usually a charge for a third person. Some,times it is free, sometimes there is a nominal fee like $100, sometimes it is more. Can your parents not speak with their TA about adding you?

There is no soft drink package per say but there is a soda card. For $25 you get $50 worth of soda. The catch is that this is fountain soda served in smaller quantities than a can. If you want cans of pop, you could bring it on at embarkation and ports, and chill it in the mini fridge in the room. Your only other alternative is to purchase each can using your card key.

I've not travelled with three in a cabin but I've been able to keep my shipboard expenses separate from my mother's on each of our cruises. You can define that when you do your online check-in.

The wine policy doesn't change until Jan/14 so for your cruise, you may bring on as much wine as you like. There is a corkage fee if the wine is consumed in a public area.

You can definitely expect the ship to be decorated for the season. I don't know about specials shows; that is more likely on the actual holiday sailings rather than just before.

Hopefully, someone can chime in with the other answers. I hope you can make it work out!

[JulieRose]

[quote name='Alberta Quilter'] Can your parents not speak with their TA about adding you?
[/quote]

Thank you for that info, it certainly helps. Yes, I'm sure my mother could speak to her TA but I've been having a bit of a time getting in touch with her as well since there is some drama involving the other set of grandparents right now. :rolleyes: Whoever said there ain't no drama like high school drama should have checked the assisted living homes as well...

[kazu]

I think most of your questions have been answered. What is key is that your parents must have a cabin that holds three so they may have to change their cabin.

HAL offers some 3rd or 4th parties sailing for free on some sailings and on others there is a charge. It should be readily available on the HAL site. In any case, your parents' TA should be able to help and this would be the person I would think would be best to use in this scenario.

You should be able to keep your charges separate - as for the nuances? other than being the third person in the cabin - I can't think of any.

The ship will be very pretty and I am sure everyone will be in the spirit of the season:)

[boulders]

Sometimes cabins that sleep 3 or 4 are more expensive for the first 2 passengers. HAL doesn't have many cabins that sleep 3 or 4, so your parents may have to move if they want to add you to the reservation. It may be worthwhile to get a cabin for a single. Have it priced out both ways to see which works better for you.

[runnergirl71]

I haven't cruised HAL yet (going to in July), so I can't answer most of your questions, but...

NO! It is not just you regarding the site. It is definitely NOT user friendly. When you have to search for the FAQs, someone did a poor job designing it. The pictures and videos and stuff are great, but easy access to basic information should be much more intuitive than it is. But what can you do...I'm trying to remember to bookmark things I find by accident I think I might need.

[adrift@sea]

[quote name='JulieRose']Is it just me or is their site terrible?

Anyway, I'm new to HAL and thinking about tagging along on a voyage of the Nieuw Amsterdam that my parents and grandparents are taking in December. I would be going as a 3rd in my parents cabin which I know will be tight but I think we can manage. Their travel agent won't talk to me about the booking because I am not one of her guests and my travel agent is MIA so I'm hoping that someone here can help with a few basic questions.

My parents are in a verandah cabin. [B]Is there generally a fee (other than port fees of course) for a 3rd berth?[/B]



Thank you for understanding the time crunch that I am under. I did search for some of this information on my own but with [B][U][COLOR=red]less than 2 months[/COLOR][/U][/B] before sailing, I really need answers asap so I can start planning. I appreciate your patience.

Thanks![/quote]

[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]Have your parents already booked this sailing? If so, there could be a problem adding you to their cabin as you have passed the final payment deadline. And then, there would be the question as to whether they are already booked in a triple or quad room--not all cabins can accomodate more than 2 passengers. You really need to speak with your parents and their TA as soon as you are able to sort this out. Time is not on your side here.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Lvteks]

To determine if your parents cabin can sleep three, ck the symbol for their cabin on the deck plan. I use an online site for that. If your parents are frequent cruisers, there may be a special rate according to their star status.

For serious study, go online with another agency, find a cabin like the present one and do a booking til you gat a cabin number and the total charge. The third person is itemized as is each of the other occupants. We often travel with three. Ous verandah class works well except HAL has the sofa bed by the balcony which blocks access outside. We booked an SY for Dec. 10 day.trip. However would have been OK w/ verandah. Just happy to be sailing. I really hope you go. Our daughter will be with us and it the best part for me.
Blessings,

Gail

[JulieRose]

as far as I know, the cabin has not yet been assigned but I am trying to push my mother to deal with it asap. thanks, all.