HAL Roll Calls - What's Up?

[cruisemom42]

 

Stiff HAl out of shore excursions is another discussion all together.

 

When HAL offers their "small group tours". I consider them. I don't like getting on a bus with 40 passengers where someone always arrives late because the rules don't apply to them. so we don't do a lot of HAL tours for VALID reasons.

 

But HAL makes a ton of $ of us between the Master Chef's Dinner, Master Cellar's dinner, wine packages and the list goes on.

 

 

Completely agree with you. I don't understand where the idea started that people are 'obligated' to book shore excursions through the ship or else they are stiffing HAL... Whaaa???

 

Do they feel the same way about things like photos? Should we all have our cameras and phones confiscated before boarding to ensure that we are not ripping HAL off by taking our own photos instead of buying the overpriced ones that the photographer takes? :cool:

 

I have been cruising since the stone age and there never used to be such an emphasis on revenue streams via shore excursions (or anything else). I pay what is a fair price for my cruise, but do not feel guilty about spending my time and money in ports in whatever way works best for me.

 

Like you, I am itinerary driven and it's my mission to make sure I have the best experience possible ashore. I have concluded over the years (and various disappointing shorex) that this does NOT include ship tours most of the time.

[SteelMagnolia9]

Just curious -- were some posts deleted from this roll call? I just went back and read through it (yes all 30 some pages) -- did not see anything really offensive? The one remark made about "not living on CC" was to make the person who was handling the cruise webpage/spreadsheet feel better about not getting around to updating it as regularly as some seemed to think she should. :confused:

 

Of course, if posts were removed, that would explained my confusion. But sometimes people really personalize and/or misinterpret comments in this site (and, I'm sure, on other sites as well).

 

I have not gone back to the roll call since the time I left, so I don't know what may have been deleted. myfuzzy was on the roll call and there was a "BS" post directed at her.

 

This roll call was not a good fit for me - some unnecessary comments and 'too cliquey'. Going back to the OP's original post, I gave this as an example of a reason some may choose not to join a particular roll call or choose to no longer participate.

[kazu]

I have not gone back to the roll call since the time I left, so I don't know what may have been deleted. myfuzzy was on the roll call and there was a "BS" post directed at her.

 

This roll call was not a good fit for me - some unnecessary comments and 'too cliquey'. Going back to the OP's original post, I gave this as an example of a reason some may choose not to join a particular roll call or choose to no longer participate.

 

Totally understandable, but don't let one bad apple (or one bad roll call) spoil the bunch for you. Most are not like that, in my experience at least.

 

I hope you give another one a chance and enjoy it :)

Edited August 21, 2016 by kazu

[Cindy]

Using roll calls primarily to make local tour arrangements to the exclusion of all other chit chat became a turn off for me too.

 

Last straw was when these non-HAL shore excursion folks who took over the entire roll call got testy about HAL not accommodating their meet and greet demands. While they were all trying to stiff HAL out of shore excursion revenues.

 

 

I don't agree that organizing private excursions and using the roll call to do so is "stiffing HAL" of shore excursion revenue. I have had some of my best port experiences on private excursions that the cruise line simply couldn't match in size, quality, or price, and many of those were possible because of a roll call. I don't feel obligated to purchase HAL's shore excursions if I feel that I can have a better experience more tailored to my tastes than the ship's tours can provide.

 

I do think that roll call tour arrangements need to be made ahead of time, and not at a HAL sponsored event such as a meet and greet.

Edited August 21, 2016 by Cindy

[cruisemom42]

I have not gone back to the roll call since the time I left, so I don't know what may have been deleted. myfuzzy was on the roll call and there was a "BS" post directed at her.

 

This roll call was not a good fit for me - some unnecessary comments and 'too cliquey'. Going back to the OP's original post, I gave this as an example of a reason some may choose not to join a particular roll call or choose to no longer participate.

 

No doubt, then, that some posts must have been deleted. Sorry for your experience. :(

[RedneckBob]

HI y'all, Redneck Bob here. It is time for my too cents.

 

I stopped participating in these roll calls because,

 

1. As BB king sung, "The Thrill is Gone"

 

2. I find some comments insulting. Like the time I tried to be helpful and recommend a cab tour in Papeete and just noted that the driver may speak limited English. One of my dear CC members on the roll call stated instead of thanks for the recommendation, but maybe Redneck Bob who should learn how to speak French. Well I be dogged. I barely can speak English

 

3. Then their were those fellow CC roll call people who all they wanted too talk about is their health day by day. I thought this is personal stuff. Or the person who kept talking about why he can't get promoted at work. Or the person who had to hide their luggage before the cruise because their might dramatized ithe dog if it knew they were living, and on and on.

 

Can't we just talk about our cruise :confused:

 

I'm Redneck Bob and I see it like I tell it, I mean tell it like I see it.

[RuthC]

3. Then their were those fellow CC roll call people who all they wanted too talk about is their health day by day. I thought this is personal stuff. Or the person who kept talking about why he can't get promoted at work. Or the person who had to hide their luggage before the cruise because their might dramatized ithe dog if it knew they were living, and on and on.

 

Can't we just talk about our cruise :confused:

It's precisely for that reason that I have been turned off roll calls. I have been on too many where all the others want to talk about is setting up private excursions, to the exclusion of anything else.

 

That may be one reason for joining a roll call, but it is far from the only one. A primary reason is to get to know others on your cruise before you even board the ship. How else to get to know someone than to talk about life events?

If there is any forum on this site where it should be appropriate to talk about non-cruise things, the roll call is it.

 

I would love to go off on private tours some time, but there is no way I am going off for the day with people I don't know, at least a little bit. I need to feel there's some compatibility before I climb into a small vehicle with strangers.