End of cruise surveys

[Pettifogger]

For several years I have had the perhaps fanciful notion that I was in some minuscule way helping Holland America manage it's cruise line. (I didn't stop to think that I was about as helpful as a few thousand others.) Onboard, I would scratch one and two word notes on the back of those "move your clocks forward (or backward)" cards and save them to use in completing the surveys. But after my most recent cruise, I was not sent the e-mail survey. (I was sent one after the cruise before.) I don't know why; I've never given all 9s, but I'm sure there are lots that are meaner than mine.)

 

When I was younger, I was generally paid for my advice, although often grudgingly. As I have aged, even though my advice is now free, those requesting it about anything have thinned out. Holland America was about the last.

 

Although this development is somewhat humbling, I can now look forward to carefree future cruises on which I shan't have to try to remember the names of exceptional employees until I can get back to my cabin and jot them down. (I could have carried a pencil and paper with me everywhere on the ship, but, since it was just a hobby, I didn't think it was necessary.) And since Holland America must receive maybe a thousand or so completed surveys every day, I have to admit that it is likely to get along fine without mine.

[CruiserBruce]

A nice thing we like is, at least on 10 day or longer cruises, about midway there will be a comment card in the cabin. This gives us a chance to say who has already impacted our cruise, positively, and occasionally, negatively. In the small number of negative cases, there has always been a response from someone appropriate to the issue.

[indokiwi]

We didn't receive the e-mail survey after our last cruise. We called guest relations and they found out that our Travel Agent has put their e-mail address on our booking in our personal information - so that if any issues came up with the booking prior to sailing, it would be sent to them to correct. Only problem was that they were already on the agent information and HAL would have contacted them anyway and not us, so it was a mistake on the TA's part. Well, that also meant that our survey was sent to them. When we called our TA, they couldn't forward the link to the survey without disabling it (apparently it's some security feature), so we didn't get the electronic version. HOWEVER, when we called back Guest Relations, they forwarded a PDF version of the electronic survey to us, we filled it out and sent it back. A lot of work, but our Travel Agent promised not to put their address in our personal information again. Oh, and Guest Relations said that a small percentage of every cruise has this issue, so it's worth checking.

[Krazy Kruizers]

After our Collectors Cruise in November and by the time we got home we had the e-mail surveys as well as a reminder that we had not completed our e-mail surveys.

I filled out mine and DH gave in and filled out his.

One thing on the e-mail survey, they asked us if they could contact us -- we agreed -- never heard from them. And we did mention a couple of small minor problems where improvement was needed.

[sail7seas]

I like doing the survey on line after we are home. I'm usually busy that last day packing and getting us ready to leave the ship and though I have always completed the on board surveys, I don't always feel like taking the time to do so on the ship.

 

I also like there was plenty of space to write comments on the e-mail survey.

 

[Sea Belle]

Our survey arrived 3 days after we got home and a reminder came 2 days after that. We received a reply commenting on any suggestions for improvement in areas of concern and thanking us for the suggestions we had made. I like this e-mail method much better than taking the time away from our last day to fill out a survey. :D

[Typhoon1]

It never hurts to complete a survey. Not sure how much good they do.

[ellieanne]

I didn't get my email survey. When I called HAL customer service, they resent it while I was on the phone with them, and I still didn't get it. I asked if there was a way I could get a paper survey mailed to me. They told me the only option was to have a pdf emailed which I would print out and then mail back to them. When I asked her how that was going to work when I could not get the emails from them, she had no answer.n I asked about people who did not have email addresses and was told they cannot complete the survey.

 

I much preferred the "old" days when I got a paper survey on the ship and could fill it out there and then -- and have the reference to check names of people. As I told the customer service agent, by the time I get home, I forget names, particularly of people who I only ever saw in passing.

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

We generally leave written comments / feedback during the cruise via plain comments cards available at the front desk & in your cabin.

 

Regardless of the where you obtain the official cards you can also write a short note (plenty of free stationary in the ship library) to express your 'gratitudes' or 'concerns' (are you peevish?) for some sort of pleasnt incident / not so pleasent problem ( and anything in between).

 

I've always dropped the cards / notes at the front desk.

 

In fact, for any sort of problems, I've always have gotten a response within 24 hours.

 

I've never been a big fan of the 'end of the cruise' survey cards (800-2000 pax at a time?) due to the fact that the folks reading them (CD?, front office? corporate?) are so much busier keeping up.

 

There really is so much time in the day for them or anyone, no?

 

I'd say you'd be better off leaving feedback during the cruise versus the last day. JMHO

 

Be Well.

 

Bon Voyage, Good Health ^ Happy Holidays!

Bob

[Hflors]

I was just thinking that if the internet were faster on the ship we all could complete our surveys while onboard (no charge for internet of course).

[OHCruiser]

We've been home for over a week and still haven't received an e-mail survey.....which I find interesting because we had to make 2 complaints during the trip and I had to e-mail Guest Relations about possibly being shorted on OBC by 50%......

 

I wonder if they don't bother to survey people that they know aren't completely satisfied?

[iflyrc5]

We had our email survey sitting in our inbox when we got home - filled it out with some positives and negatives. Today (10 days after filling it out) I got a nice response from Christopher Hayes, Special Advisor, Office of the President thanking me for filling out the survey and stating that my areas of concern have been forwarded to the appropriate departments on the ship. I know this was not a form response since it mentioned the items I discussed in the survey. Nice personal touch:). We will be back on the Maasdam in 3 weeks so it will be interesting to see if anything has changed.

[USN59-79]

We had our email survey sitting in our inbox when we got home - filled it out with some positives and negatives. Today (10 days after filling it out) I got a nice response from Christopher Hayes, Special Advisor, Office of the President thanking me for filling out the survey and stating that my areas of concern have been forwarded to the appropriate departments on the ship. I know this was not a form response since it mentioned the items I discussed in the survey. Nice personal touch:). We will be back on the Maasdam in 3 weeks so it will be interesting to see if anything has changed.

 

Nice to see that someone actually looks at them. Our experience was different. We took a 22 day collectors cruise followed by a 15 day TA on the Prinsendam. When we got back we had emails nagging us for not filling out the survey for the first cruise. When I filled it in about two days after getting home, it couldn't be submitted as their deadline for submittal had passed. Guess their computer didn't know we were still on board - so much for the personal touch.

[TraelorMex]

" As I have aged, even though my advice is now free, those requesting it about anything have thinned out. Holland America was about the last."

 

LOL. Aint it the truth :)

[frbob]

We took a 22 day collectors cruise followed by a 15 day TA on the Prinsendam. When we got back we had emails nagging us for not filling out the survey for the first cruise. When I filled it in about two days after getting home, it couldn't be submitted as their deadline for submittal had passed. Guess their computer didn't know we were still on board - so much for the personal touch.

All who are on extended HAL agendas have the same problem...they don't get an opportunity to complete surveys. Through my long experience with HAL cruising I can offer no evidence the surveys are read in Seattle. Before, when they were paper surveys and left with the ship, they were likely scanned locally. I have always been suspicious that the bad comments were not forwarded to Seattle, but I can offer no proof of that. Nevertheless, I see virtually no benefit to me, as a frequent cruiser, deriving from surveys. All I've seen, through many years of cruising HAL, are cost cutting programs and reductions in quality of product and service. I doubt these changes came as a result of surveys.

 

And thanks for your Navy service! I served almost 4 years, mostly aboard USS Ranger (CVA61) back in the early '60s. Interesting times! HOO YAH

[ldog]

We both received emails from Christine saying that our concerns - internet and fruit selection would be forwarded to the departments involved. The internet was down most days and I left with 40 minutes unused of my 100 purchased for a 21 day cruise. And why on earth can't they have berries when we are leaving from Florida?

 

I usually have a letter in the cabin when we arrive saying that they hope my cruise will be a good one and they have noted my concerns from other cruises.

 

I'm not generally a complainer so I don't know what that means.