One Tile or Two???

[csg99]

When I got home yesterday, my tile was waiting for me, along with a handwritten note on a lovely, antique-looking postcard of a HAL poster....very nice! I would try emailing the Mariner's Society instead of calling--that's what worked for me.:D

 

(and, no, I'm not GREEDY, but when I say I'm going to do something, I do, and so should they...)

[sail7seas]

CSG...I'm happy to hear your tile arrived and was presented in a way you found attractive.

 

Thank you for sharing with us that HAL did the right thing.

 

Most of us agree, it is not greedy to expect to receive a tile for each Mariner. Two Mariners = 2 tiles IMO

 

[TidePrideGA]

but if the biggest thing you have to complain about in your life is that you're only getting one ceramic tile every time you take a cruise then you need to step back and get some perspective.

 

You see people say this all the time. I was never aware that social etiquette/moral turpitude/social mores required that the only thing one should comment on negatively is the biggest thing they have to complain about? If this is not the case, why is it that people always say "if that's the biggest thing you have to complain about..." :confused:

[ekerr19]

For our last dozens of cruises, we've only gotten one tote bag. That is fine by me as we have so many and I usually bring one with me anyway, but I'm surprised to hear that others are getting one for each person.

 

We also get one invitation addressed to M/M for the Mariners party and that, also, is fine by me. When we're invited to a wedding, we only get one invitation. We're both Mariners and we're both invited; that is all that matters to us.

 

Sail - After reading your post, I thought back and last 2 cruises with the kids - only two tote bags - one for us and one for them... this would have been on the Maasdam 2004 and Volendam 2005 (both over Spring Break) and I was pretty certain we'd received four at some point in the past - but I'm with you though, I have far too many as it is and we rarely use them - even when on board.

 

Our Mariner's party invites have always listed DH & I on one and the kids as "Master" and "Miss" on the other.... I don't think we've ever received separate invites for them either.

 

Not that any of it this a big deal, I just think the "randomness" is sort of strange. Policies almost appear to vary from ship to ship and that's what I find interesting.

 

Perhaps this is the start of a new "official" policy.

[RuthC]

I don't know, to me it sounds like the Mariners are the ones sounding pretty "dam" cheap. Seriously, what's the big freakin' deal if you only get one tile? Aside from the occasional psycho who actually decorates their kitchen counters with the things, what does anyone use them for?

 

The very reason HAL has to cut corners on some things is because of the excessive demands placed on them by their increasingly greedy clientele.

 

I'm sorry to sound so harsh, and in principle I actually agree that when it comes right down to it, each Mariner is entitled to ALL the Mariner benefits, but if the biggest thing you have to complain about in your life is that you're only getting one ceramic tile every time you take a cruise then you need to step back and get some perspective.

Since you quoted me, iceman93, I feel compelled to ask: was it necessary to be so nasty in your phrasing?

Anyone who has read my posts knows full well that I've had a few severe negatives in my life---and that I have not "complained" about them. I have picked myself up, put a smile on my face, and gone on.

sail---what I wrote and what I meant about two invitations were not the same. What I meant was that two people are invited and does HAL expect them to pick which one goes to the party. Poor attempt at humor.

Sorry.

[sail7seas]

No reason at all to apologize for anything, Ruth. Your contributions here are wonderful and greatly appreciated.

 

You have no need to explain yourself to anyone!!! I'll be first in line to comment what a lady you are and how you, indeed, do exactly what you say. You pick yourself up and keep on keeping on. I have much respect for you.

 

Now, about all these requests for chocolate :) :)

 

 

[BCEagle78]

Sail7seas,

 

Just noticed you crossed the 8,000 mark for board entries. I see your entries often and appreciate the information that you have provided to others.

 

Look forward to many more contributions from you in the future!

 

Congratulations!

[Cruiseoften]

To date we've always received 2 tiles - I'd be complaining if we had only one!

As for the bags - DH is not into shopping! - over the past few years we've only received one - fine by me - I have a stack of them! Must say I prefer the 'old' style to the newer, skimper variety.

 

Never heard that the tile 'allowance' is one per cabin - RUBBISH!!! I'd be contesting that - how cheap can the 'bean counters' become? Hopefully there's a limit! :( :rolleyes: :eek:

[kakalina]

We just returned from a b2b on the Veendam. We received a total of 4 tiles and 4 bags. The extra bags because on the first cruise I asked for an extra and so on the second with their excellent service the automatically gave us the extra one. One time on a cruise they did run low on tiles but we received the missing one promptly on our return home.'

As you were shorted out of your rightful "booty" you have every right to air it here, in this forum that is meant for exactly that.

More power to you Ruth and thanks for your many great comments.

[sail7seas]

BCEagle........ Thank you so much for such a nice message. I greatly appreciate it.

 

[BCEagle78]

In the mail today was a Westerdam tile from the Mariner Society with a note of apology saying that there was a shortage of tiles on the Westerdam. Only 3 days after my call to them!

 

The HAL Mariner Society delivered... I am a happy cruiser again...

 

Thanks HAL Mariner Society!

[sail7seas]

I'm happy to hear they sent your tile and a nice note. Thank you for sharing this info with us.

 

[Grumpy1]

In the mail today was a Westerdam tile from the Mariner Society with a note of apology saying that there was a shortage of tiles on the Westerdam. Only 3 days after my call to them!

 

The HAL Mariner Society delivered... I am a happy cruiser again...

 

Thanks HAL Mariner Society!

 

OK, but why couldn't they have been open about it on the ship and said that they were short on tiles? One of the very few beefs I have about HAL is their total lack of candor about what is going on and the refusal of onboard management to accept responsibility for anything. I don't wish to get into a discussion of specific examples, but I observed enough instances on the 2005 world tour and I've seen enough threads of instances similar to the one being discussed here to make me believe that the standard operating procedure onboard is to blame everything on headquarters.

[aaerobear]

Grumpy is so very very right, pass the buck, pass the buck, all the way to the top. They need some folks to take responsibility.

[RuthC]

OK, but why couldn't they have been open about it on the ship and said that they were short on tiles?

As a personal choice I would rather have the truth than a lie.

But even if that were not the case, isn't the explanation that "we ran short of tiles" preferable to "we cut back on who's entitled"? :confused:

At least the passenger leaves the Front Desk happier. :rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

I, for one, believe that just about everything that is said and done aboard the ships is controlled by Headquarters.

 

I doubt the Captain writes his own speech for the Mariners' Party. He may add an aside that is 'incident appropriate' and some info about which he had received many questions but I think most of it is scripted.

 

I know the CD's Disembarkation talk is scripted. It is almost identical from ship to ship, cruise to cruise, year to year.

 

I think there is a manual that governs just about any imaginable scenario and how it is to be handled and what is to be told to passengers.

 

 

....and if it isn't in the "Manual", they are instructed to e-mail, call, discuss with Headquarters whatever situation has arisen before they take anything other action for a real emergency.

 

 

JMHO.....

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree with you 100% sail. The disembarkation is a script that is read by the CD and is almost identical from ship to ship. About the only thing that is said differently is how, when and where everyone will be going through immigration and customs since it varies from port to port.

And the captain's speeh - nearly the same on all ships - may add a little something at a Mariner's party if there is someone special among the passengers (like we had on our last cruise).

[boards]

We were just got off the Veendam and we got two tiles, but we had to ask for them. The most important thing is we got them within almost minutes after speaking to someone at front office, had hardly returned to our cabin and a knock on the door came and so did our two tiles, the SS Veendam I (1888-1898) and the ms Veendam III (1973-1984) Thank you very much Hal.

[sail7seas]

Veendam is a VERY well run ship. She has about the best Hotel Manager in the Fleet. JMHO.......

[sail7seas]

And the captain's speeh - nearly the same on all ships - may add a little something at a Mariner's party if there is someone special among the passengers (like we had on our last cruise).

 

Who was the 'someone special'? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

[CDRMark]

We got two on the Maasdam last week, and have been Mariners for less than a year. I sense a 'glitch'. Bet you get your tile.

Cheers

MarkB

[bepsf]

When I was aboard Oosterdam in September, there was NO Mariner's party and NO tiles were given out - even though we are prior HAL cruisers (both on whole-ship charters and on regular cruises)

 

I wandered into the Neptune and asked about the party and tiles - they let me know that since it was a charter that there would be no party due to the charter company having their own parties - but they were so nice and made sure that I had a pair of tiles before I left the ship.

 

 

;)

[Pilot70D]

We just finished the November 26th Veendam cruise and we got two tiles. The War Department (a.k.a. Mrs. B.) is one of those proud ladies who kept her own last name therefore just like we have different last names we have different Mariner numbers.

 

However we only received one shopping bag. After recovering from the shame and embarrasment of this we realized that we only had to spend half as much when shopping because we had only bag for the loot. There is a silver lining in every cloud.

 

Everyone have a great day out there.