Holland America Line Privileges

[RocketMan275]

tperru,

 

Thanks for taking the time to attend these presentations and sharing this information which only confirms what others have said.

 

BTW, if you gave them a phone number of email address, you can expect them to contact you every few months. One of their associated groups calls me every five or six months to make sure I understood what a good deal I'd turned down.

[DaveOKC]

Curious - what was the gift?

[alwaysfrantic]

I'm sorry HAL is pimping crap like this. It's like the art auctions.

[tperru]

The free gift was a selfie stick. We gave it back. Thank you for the nice wordsof welcome!

[CherryG]

Things like this just cheapen the cruise experience. We're going on a ten day cruise the end of Jan. Will definitely ignore any invitation for a free gift. I have no time for these kinds of things. A total turn off.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[imgagesmom]

Ok so we bought it knowing we could cancel. I was home 2 hours ad on their page and cancelled. Their prices are a joke! They had a 512 MB flash card (didn't know they still made them that small). On their page for guess how much?!?? $100. But you got $66 in cruise credits. Lmfao a card of that size isn't worth $5. Another one I searched was a 55 in curved lcd tv. I just bought a similar one for $600. Guess their price?!? $7,000! But you got $4,000 in cruise credits. Such a joke and a waste of time. I searched a to. Of items and all were the same way over priced. Supposedly they will match other websites but that takes days you have to call them they contact manufacture and go back and forth then supposedly they will match but of coarse your cruise credits go way down. Pisses me off that the are pulling this time share type ****.

[imgagesmom]

Ok so we bought it knowing we could cancel. I was home 2 hours ad on their page and cancelled. Their prices are a joke! They had a 512 MB flash card (didn't know they still made them that small). On their page for guess how much?!?? $100. But you got $66 in cruise credits. Lmfao a card of that size isn't worth $5. Another one I searched was a 55 in curved lcd tv. I just bought a similar one for $600. Guess their price?!? $7,000! But you got $4,000 in cruise credits. Such a joke and a waste of time. I searched a to. Of items and all were the same way over priced. Supposedly they will match other websites but that takes days you have to call them they contact manufacture and go back and forth then supposedly they will match but of coarse your cruise credits go way down. Pisses me off that the are pulling this time share type ****.

[Scrapnana]

I wonder how many people are being suckered into this? Shame on HAL!

[wesport]

Our gift was a tiny bottle of sparkling wine and a bag of popcorn.

[TiogaCruiser]

I'm sorry HAL is pimping crap like this. It's like the art auctions.

 

So we'll put.

[RuthC]

Our gift was a tiny bottle of sparkling wine and a bag of popcorn.

Popcorn??? :eek: POPCORN!!! :rolleyes: You have GOT to be kidding!!!

A bag of popcorn is free at the movie venue! Just grab & go.

 

Was the tiny bottle of sparkling wine at least decent??? :confused:

[RocketMan275]

Our gift was a tiny bottle of sparkling wine and a bag of popcorn.

 

Others have reported a selfie stick.

 

I would prefer the popcorn.

[detroit70]

I am just off the Oosterdam where I received my free selfie stick in exchange for agreeing to an appointment with one of the Privileges staff. Prior to the appointment time, I was waiting for a friend in one of the lounges that was not yet open for the day, and a Privileges staff member was meeting with a couple to explain the program. When he finished, the couple thanked him but said this was not the right option for them at this time. The staff member kept pushing and, I believe, lowering the price each time in an attempt to get them to sign up. They said no 3 or 4 times before my friend showed up and I could no longer observe the conversation.

 

I then found the invitation to the free wine and presentation which I attended in hopes I could learn more details about the program without the higher pressure of the one-on-one sales pitch. At the end of the video, which offered only a very high level overview, the staff circulated to answer questions. I asked how much it would cost to join the program and was told I could make an individual appointment to learn more about that. I asked a couple different ways, including saying I wouldn't attend the individual meeting if I didn't know what the entry fee would be beforehand. They still wouldn't tell me so I cancelled the appointment.

[RocketMan275]

I then found the invitation to the free wine and presentation which I attended in hopes I could learn more details about the program without the higher pressure of the one-on-one sales pitch. At the end of the video, which offered only a very high level overview, the staff circulated to answer questions. I asked how much it would cost to join the program and was told I could make an individual appointment to learn more about that. I asked a couple different ways, including saying I wouldn't attend the individual meeting if I didn't know what the entry fee would be beforehand. They still wouldn't tell me so I cancelled the appointment.

 

That's consistent with what others have reported. Even more difficult in learning the cost, is trying to get them to tell you how much you will save. Other than up to xx% that is.

[Hlitner]

Just one more example of how low HAL is sinking (pun intended). If you are not interesting in this deal we can sell you a great Picasso Original (Giclee) which is only number 499 or 500 Originals. Unreal that HAL has gone along with this kind of rubbish.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

This is a new low for HAL....next to their other low which is Park West. We want to hear the usual HAL "cheerleaders" tell us more about "classy" HAL. We still like the line but are smart enough to stay far away from rubbish like this new program.

 

Hank

[Florida_gal_50]

That's consistent with what others have reported. Even more difficult in learning the cost, is trying to get them to tell you how much you will save. Other than up to xx% that is.

 

I ran into a couple people at breakfast on my last cruise that were singing the praises of this program. If I remember correctly there was a level at around $600 per year and one around $800. My memory may not be great because I had zero interest in it. They thought it was a great deal because they buy so much stuff online. She was talking about buying a fridge online. Personally I like to view big appliances before I buy them. I felt I was listening to a sales pitch right there during breakfast :D.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Just not interested in crap

Like this !!!

Reminds me of a wonderful time in Puerto Vallarta and all of a sudden

Out of nowhere we get wrapped up in a time share presentation at our hotel!

This is a low blow IMO with HAL.

Is this a third party ?

Denise:)

[alwaysfrantic]

I ran into a couple people at breakfast on my last cruise that were singing the praises of this program. If I remember correctly there was a level at around $600 per year and one around $800. My memory may not be great because I had zero interest in it. They thought it was a great deal because they buy so much stuff online. She was talking about buying a fridge online. Personally I like to view big appliances before I buy them. I felt I was listening to a sales pitch right there during breakfast :D.

 

I buy everything online, including appliances. But I'm not overpaying for anything in order to earn cruise points :)

[DFD1]

This is just further evidence that the current top management of HAL has no idea what the HAL experience we have all come to enjoy is really about.

 

Management moves within the Carnival organization are creating an atmosphere of "hucksterism" that is not part of the HAL tradition, but rather is a refection of the "ordinary" quality of top management which has crept into the HAL organization.

 

We have noticed this not-so-gradual deterioration for some time. I expect it will only get worse.

[taxmantoo]

This is just further evidence that the current top management of HAL has no idea what the HAL experience we have all come to enjoy is really about.

 

Management moves within the Carnival organization are creating an atmosphere of "hucksterism" that is not part of the HAL tradition, but rather is a refection of the "ordinary" quality of top management which has crept into the HAL organization.

 

We have noticed this not-so-gradual deterioration for some time. I expect it will only get worse.

 

Well said and very insightful.

[RocketMan275]

This is just further evidence that the current top management of HAL has no idea what the HAL experience we have all come to enjoy is really about.

 

Management moves within the Carnival organization are creating an atmosphere of "hucksterism" that is not part of the HAL tradition, but rather is a refection of the "ordinary" quality of top management which has crept into the HAL organization.

 

We have noticed this not-so-gradual deterioration for some time. I expect it will only get worse.

 

It's not my intent to defend HAL. In fact, you can find my posts where I've stated that this partnership reflects poorly upon HAL and should be cancelled.

 

That said, this is much broader than HAL. HAL Privileges is just one of many travel agencies that are part of the ICE network. You would be surprised at the fine organizations that are associated with these ICE affiliates. USAA for example uses an ICE affiliate. The Army's Family Morale, Welfare, and Recreational (MWR) is another very wonderful agency that uses an ICE affiliate.

[Hlitner]

One of my favorite travel industry people is a well known travel consumer advocate named Christopher Elliott (who now has published a book called "Scammed"). What Christopher says about Vacation Clubs is quite interesting and very clear:

“I’ve never come across a legitimate travel club. My advice is to run, don’t walk.”

 

We would add that the best "scams" are the ones where folks never even realize they have been scammed. Travel Clubs, Time Shares, Fractional Ownership, etc. all have one thing in common. They get you to put cash, upfront, with the promise of good things to come. While they may actually give you most of what is promised...it is more then likely you would have been able to later purchase the same product/services at an even lower cost...once you factor in the value of putting money upfront.

 

Hank

[mek]

We attended this presentation a few weeks ago on Eurodam. We were offered two 7 night stays in Mexico if we bought into the program. Any taxes and resort charges were not included, so the "free" stays could end up costing quite a bit in addition to airfare, meals, and other expenses.

 

Only select items purchased through the HAL website are eligible for rebates. Airfare and cruises are not eligible. You must buy gift certificates for restaurants for that to be covered.

 

Maybe it works for people who buy a lot of merchandise on line and stay at hotels frequently. I travel with my job, but have to just our designated travel agent, so that didn't work for me either.

 

We passed, but got the selfie stick for attending.

Edited January 1, 2017 by mek

[diane.in.ny]

Ugh! This is awful! I have sailed HAL a couple of times and always considered them kind of classy in an old world kind of way.

 

As if the art auctions weren't a bad enough of a scam!