Hats off to Holland America Personal Cruise Consultant

[Pam in KY]

Just want to say that we have had exceptional service from Holland America and especially our Holland America cruise consultant. Without going into details, I will just say we had an emergency issue two days before departure and our cruise consultant helped us out tremendously and resolved everything. This is our fourth cruise booked through Holland America (second one with large groups) and we have always had outstanding service from our Holland America representatives but this was truly over the top.

[DaveOKC]

Just want to say that we have had exceptional service from Holland America and especially our Holland America cruise consultant. Without going into details, I will just say we had an emergency issue two days before departure and our cruise consultant helped us out tremendously and resolved everything. This is our fourth cruise booked through Holland America (second one with large groups) and we have always had outstanding service from our Holland America representatives but this was truly over the top.

 

Glad to hear that everythng worked out for you.

 

I spent my career in retailing, so I am very aware about customer service. I have to say that I have always found HAL employees to be great in this area.

 

DaveOKC

[RuthC]

Nice to hear that it all worked out.

And very nice of you to come an give praise! So often we hear the bad tales, and don't get the balance of the good stories.

 

Thanks for posting.

[Cruising-along]

Thanks for posting this. Too often we hear only criticisms. Your PCC sounds a lot like ours, I can easily picture her doing the same for us. Glad it all worked out! :)

[dag144]

Agree totally! While I use both independent TA's and HAL's own, the HAL people are wonderful. I only use the independents if the deal that the travel agency is too good to pass up.

 

Here is an example of great service. I was on a TA in 2012 and had a complaint with the noise from pre-drydock repairs to the tiles at the Lido pool. The front desk and the concierge agreed with me but could do little. I did not book with HAL, but received a call from a HAL agent inquiring about the cruise. I told her my experience. She asked me to write her an e-mail to pass on at HAL. I did so and got a $400 on-board credit to use on my next cruise.:)

[DaveOKC]

Agree totally! While I use both independent TA's and HAL's own, the HAL people are wonderful. I only use the independents if the deal that the travel agency is too good to pass up.

 

Here is an example of great service. I was on a TA in 2012 and had a complaint with the noise from pre-drydock repairs to the tiles at the Lido pool. The front desk and the concierge agreed with me but could do little. I did not book with HAL, but received a call from a HAL agent inquiring about the cruise. I told her my experience. She asked me to write her an e-mail to pass on at HAL. I did so and got a $400 on-board credit to use on my next cruise.:)

 

Agree - my PCC was able to get us a far greater OBC for an issue than my former TA ever did. I think they just know how to approach it better.

DaveOKC

[PathfinderEss]

good to hear.

[gelo7]

Good to hear.

[RJ2002]

Thanks for sharing your good news story. We don't use HAL's PCC's, but they are certainly a good option for some. It is great to hear that you received outstanding customer service.

[kakalina]

We love our PCC. In the dozen years we've been cruising we've had two and loved them both. They can accomplish amazing things sometimes.

[Okie1946]

Our first cruise was booked using a friend who was an independent TA and the service was great. The next two I did all the research and booking my self, it was ok, but getting additional service was difficult. Our last cruise was booked through a TA recommended to us by a friend and to say the least we were VERY disappointed. It was a huge disaster (not the cruise - just everything else).

 

Then a PCC from HAL reached out with an e-mail inquiring about our last cruise and what if anything could be done to correct any problems. He has been absolutely amazing. He answered all our questions (we are doing a Land/Sea cruise this time) and made sure everything was laid out to our satisfaction. When he found out that we will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary on board, he included a complimentary evening of dining in the Pinnacle Room. A very special way to mark the occasion.

 

After this experience - we will continuing using the PCC's.

 

Barbara

 

Previous Cruises

 

Alaska - Westerdam - September 2009 - 7 days

Alaska - Rotterdam - September 2010 - 7 days

Mexican Riviera - Oosterdam - April 2011 - 7 days

Alaska - Amsterdam - September 2012 - 14 days

 

Planning Stages: Panama Canal - January 2015

[frankc98376]

Jury is still out for us. This is our first time using a PCC.

We had a problem with double Pinnacle charges on our upcoming cruise. After several calls and no resolution I emailed her the details. The response beck was "It can take up to 2 weeks to see a refund". Well, over a month and many calls to Ships Services later we finally saw the refund. This was double charge for six nights- so not just a couple of dollars.

During one of the recent sales (2 days after final payment) I saw that the price on our cabin had dropped $900. I emailed and let her know we weren't terribly thrilled about the price drop, and jokingly said "at least we got the Signature Beverage Card". The reply was "OK" (2 days later).

We aren't really concerned about upgrade possibilities as we always book NS many months in advance. We received seven Mariner nights last cruise for our shipboard account. I guess I thought we would see a little more personalized service using a PCC- at least a little more responsive.

Starting to wonder if we wouldn't have been better off with the big warehouse store- still would have gotten the Explore 4 and about $450 in shipboard credit. Possibly we may see a credit when we board- not going to hold my breath though.

[cbr663]

It's great reading these positive PCC stories. Like so many others, we have tried several TA's and haven't found one yet to meet our needs. We are using a different one for our upcoming cruise and so far, we are less than thrilled.

[Crew News]

We discovered our HAL PCC when we booked our first HAL cruise in 2008 and could not be happier. When we pass through Seattle, we go to dinner with her.

 

She is at work at 6:00 AM Seattle time but still answers her email even after work hours.

 

Whenever we discover a price change, we email her a screen capture from the HAL website and we have our new documents within an hour. If group discounts become available for pre-cruise hotels, she snags one for us. OBC if permitted is immediately applied to our account within minutes.

 

Her repeat customers and their referrals allow her to far exceed her sales quotas every year. It is fortunate that she and her family will be on our Alaska cruise this July. She is the best.

[bevfd]

I booked online direct with HAL and have had very good service from them. I don't think I have particularly challenged them but when I saw price changes and a small booking incentive come up, they dealt with both quickly and without fuss.

 

Always good to hear about great service.

[borasue]

Just want to say that we have had exceptional service from Holland America and especially our Holland America cruise consultant. Without going into details, I will just say we had an emergency issue two days before departure and our cruise consultant helped us out tremendously and resolved everything. This is our fourth cruise booked through Holland America (second one with large groups) and we have always had outstanding service from our Holland America representatives but this was truly over the top.

 

As first time cruisers, we turned to HAL and were very fortunate to stumble into the hands of a fantastic PCC. She's taken excellent care of us, answered all our questions, responds via email almost immediately and has called a few times since booking just to "check in" with us. She even recommended this website as a source for great information. :)