Website Problems

[syesmar]

Here’s some links to recent discussions on this topic:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2619944

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2671561

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2668305

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2615003

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2654682

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2615003

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2647377

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2650478

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2646891

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2642838

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2642176

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2627444

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2623899

Issues have been going on for so long. I hope the site becomes functional for all soon!

Edited September 3, 2018 by syesmar
spacing

[ehogan]

I have had no luck using an ipad. I do better with my laptop but it is still a very awkward website. We also cruise a lot on Princess and their website is a dream in comparison. I prefer to do my own bookings directly with cruise companies because I dislike having to wait for TA to get back to me but I think in future I will use a TA to book with HAL.

[Kynana]

I thought I'd try one more time on the HAL site and experienced the same problem. If I log on, I can't get beyond the guarantee stateroom area. My computer is up-to-date, so the problem nothing to do with that. I deleted the cookies on my computer the HAL website thinking that might help, but that did nothing.

How Holland America can operate efficiently and profitably with such a sorry website is beyond me.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Kynana

[Mochidelight]

Hola! Wondering... has anyone tried raising these website concerns directly to HAL's pres? Not sure if there is a way to actually do that or maybe he is already aware of these issues and choosing not to act. What really gets me -- and probably another reason why I'll be switching to a different cruise line in the future -- is, in terms of the website, HAL thinks that they know what's best for their customers. Learning a new site is fine, but inducing customers to learn a new site that is totally counterintuitive is a waste of time on the customers' part, unfortunately. This experience reminds me so much of Ron Johnson's tenure at JCP. Apart from the wonderful customer service and hard-working onboard staff... HAL's corporate folks and IT seem to be very money-driven more so than customer driven or user-research driven. Maybe they are unable to revert back to old site due to potential financial loss (could it be that it was built by third-party vendors rather than relying on the abundant tech/IT professionals in Seattle area?). But settle the losses and gain back valuable customer base by making small adjustments to the old site. Walk before you run. Princess Cruises, the sister cruise line, has a pretty good site ... but they probably can't or won't help HAL out and don't want anything to do with HAL's site. understandable... I bet no one in Seattle's tech scene wants to go near the HAL site either. Of course, as a business, I hope HAL floats long enough for the thousands of onboard staff to retain their jobs. But I've lost hope that corporate HAL will ever fix their site... so I'm out. :(

[OlsSalt]

Hola! Wondering... has anyone tried raising these website concerns directly to HAL's pres? Not sure if there is a way to actually do that or maybe he is already aware of these issues and choosing not to act. What really gets me -- and probably another reason why I'll be switching to a different cruise line in the future -- is, in terms of the website, HAL thinks that they know what's best for their customers. Learning a new site is fine, but inducing customers to learn a new site that is totally counterintuitive is a waste of time on the customers' part, unfortunately. This experience reminds me so much of Ron Johnson's tenure at JCP. Apart from the wonderful customer service and hard-working onboard staff... HAL's corporate folks and IT seem to be very money-driven more so than customer driven or user-research driven. Maybe they are unable to revert back to old site due to potential financial loss (could it be that it was built by third-party vendors rather than relying on the abundant tech/IT professionals in Seattle area?). But settle the losses and gain back valuable customer base by making small adjustments to the old site. Walk before you run. Princess Cruises, the sister cruise line, has a pretty good site ... but they probably can't or won't help HAL out and don't want anything to do with HAL's site. understandable... I bet no one in Seattle's tech scene wants to go near the HAL site either. Of course, as a business, I hope HAL floats long enough for the thousands of onboard staff to retain their jobs. But I've lost hope that corporate HAL will ever fix their site... so I'm out. :(

 

There are numerous online contacts for Orlando Ashford, President of Holland America Lines. Here is his twitter link: https://twitter.com/oashford

 

You described the new website problems well - it is counter-intutitive. Clumsy, awkward, inefficient, annoying, and often malfunctioning works too.

[willow949]

The website is horrendous in this day and age! Go hire a new webmaster! Make it easy!!

[molole]

Does anyone know how to get Advantage fare on the site? I can’t find it anywhere!

[erewhon]

Does anyone know how to get Advantage fare on the site? I can’t find it anywhere!

 

What are Advantage fares?