HAL Mariner Wine Packages Are No More?

[POA1]

I am putting on my Magic Swami Hat and the spirits (as in Wine & Spirits) are telling me that this is going to be another one of those threads where we get all upset for naught.

 

There's probably an excellent business opportunity for a panties-unbunching service.

 

Of course, if the Magic Swami Hat is wrong, you guys can be all like, "In your face, Brian!"

 

[frankc98376]

Our friends that are on Eurodam are excellent sources.  I;m sure they are doing research in San Francisco as I type. I'm  confident I should have a definite answer today.

Edited October 24, 2018 by frankc98376

[POA1]

I decided to call again and ask very, very specific questions. Here's what I found out. (Take this with the usual grain of salt. I recommend the Pink Himalayan or Black Hawaiian sea salts.)

 

1. The old program is not in force at the moment. Something is, but I couldn't get them to tell me what because they don't know what the ships are doing.
2. They know it's wrong on the website. (So print out the website page with the time stamp and the Mariner Benefits PDF if you are sailing soon. This is just my advice, but that should have you armed for bear with your credit card company so you can file a dispute if needed. HAL shouldn't be able to fall back on the "subject to change without notice" clause if their website is wrong at the time of the transaction. Your credit card company can take up your case. If you have an American Express, they're brutal when they fight for the customer.)
3. Apparently the ships are doing something about the discount, but the people in Seattle don't know what exactly.
4. The wine packages are being re-worked completely.
5. The Mariner Society has no ETA on when the changes will be announced, but they are pretty sure that it will be before I sail in mid-December.

Confidence has been inspired!

 

[POA1]

3 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

Our friends that are on Eurodam are excellent sources.  I;m sure they are doing research in San Francisco as I type. I', confident I should have a definite answer today.

Dare I say, You da man!

[frankc98376]

34 minutes ago, POA1 said:

I decided to call again and ask very, very specific questions. Here's what I found out. (Take this with the usual grain of salt. I recommend the Pink Himalayan or Black Hawaiian sea salts.)

 

1. The old program is not in force at the moment. Something is, but I couldn't get them to tell me what because they don't know what the ships are doing.
2. They know it's wrong on the website. (So print out the website page with the time stamp and the Mariner Benefits PDF if you are sailing soon. This is just my advice, but that should have you armed for bear with your credit card company so you can file a dispute if needed. HAL shouldn't be able to fall back on the "subject to change without notice" clause if their website is wrong at the time of the transaction. Your credit card company can take up your case. If you have an American Express, they're brutal when they fight for the customer.)
3. Apparently the ships are doing something about the discount, but the people in Seattle don't know what exactly.
4. The wine packages are being re-worked completely.
5. The Mariner Society has no ETA on when the changes will be announced, but they are pretty sure that it will be before I sail in mid-December.

Confidence has been inspired!

 

So......... Seattle HQ for HAL has no idea what each ship is doing and is pretty sure a change is coming but no one knows details. Sad when I think that Walmart in Bentonville knows every item that is sold in every store instantly and Apple likely knows when I am in the bathroom and possibly knows what I am doing

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by frankc98376

[POA1]

1 hour ago, frankc98376 said:

So......... Seattle HQ for HAL has no idea what each ship is doing and is pretty sure a change is coming but no one knows details. Sad when I think that Walmart in Bentonville knows every item that is sold in every store instantly and Apple likely knows when I am in the bathroom and possibly knows what I am doing

 

Kind of comforting? No? 

 

Hope your onboard friends (super spies) get to you soon. 

 

I *did* invite some "In Your Face" responses earlier. I own those. 

[kazu]

5 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Changes without advance notice are not unheard of with HAL. Remember the wine policy change of ~4 years ago?

 

(suddenly NO carry on wine was allowed).

 

Oh I remember that all TOO well 😉

 

But, the "know before you go" had been updated to reflect that.  Although most of us don't read that for every cruise (I have started double checking since that "little" incident) since we "know" many were caught unawares.  Fortunately a poster gave us a heads up.

 

Between our posts on CC and our email campaign, we were at least able to get the free bottle and corkage fee in play and the wine policy was delayed by about 6 months.

 

This scenario is a bit different IMO since a) the website hasn't been updated and b) no one really knows.  The ships are doing "something".  Seattle can't tell you what though?

[Vict0riann]

2 hours ago, POA1 said:

I decided to call again and ask very, very specific questions. Here's what I found out. (Take this with the usual grain of salt. I recommend the Pink Himalayan or Black Hawaiian sea salts.)

 

1. The old program is not in force at the moment. Something is, but I couldn't get them to tell me what because they don't know what the ships are doing.
2. They know it's wrong on the website. (So print out the website page with the time stamp and the Mariner Benefits PDF if you are sailing soon. This is just my advice, but that should have you armed for bear with your credit card company so you can file a dispute if needed. HAL shouldn't be able to fall back on the "subject to change without notice" clause if their website is wrong at the time of the transaction. Your credit card company can take up your case. If you have an American Express, they're brutal when they fight for the customer.)
3. Apparently the ships are doing something about the discount, but the people in Seattle don't know what exactly.
4. The wine packages are being re-worked completely.
5. The Mariner Society has no ETA on when the changes will be announced, but they are pretty sure that it will be before I sail in mid-December.

Confidence has been inspired!

 

 

So, does that mean you are recommending that I buy my wine package now, and then ask for the discount when I board, with the "proof" being the dated pdf?  If they are changing all the wines around, do you think it will work?

 

I have confidence in you, but not so much in HAL!

[VMax1700]

I now remember that one of the bottles I ask for from my package was sold out, so they gave a replacement. It could be that each ship has been given instructions to reduce their stock levels before the new wines packages are introduced.  That would make commercial inventory management sense.

[POA1]

4 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

So, does that mean you are recommending that I buy my wine package now, and then ask for the discount when I board, with the "proof" being the dated pdf?

Honestly, I don't know. However, if I were going on a cruise that was leaving soon, I'd print the Mariner Benefits PDF and the wine package page from the website. We're big fans of having our ducks in a row.

[NRFBQN]

We're just off the Zuiderdam this morning - POA1, we didn't hear you yelling 🙂 - and we did get our 4-star 50% discount on the wine package we bought.  So, for that moment in time on that ship, the discount was still in force and there was no discussion about it.  Hope that helps!

[kazu]

39 minutes ago, NRFBQN said:

We're just off the Zuiderdam this morning - POA1, we didn't hear you yelling 🙂 - and we did get our 4-star 50% discount on the wine package we bought.  So, for that moment in time on that ship, the discount was still in force and there was no discussion about it.  Hope that helps!

 

Thank you for reporting 🙂 

[acrowe]

Best package is buy your own. markup is so large that paying 18 per bottle is nothing. Even with a 50% off you make out a lot better and get much better wines. 

[POA1]

2 hours ago, NRFBQN said:

We're just off the Zuiderdam this morning - POA1, we didn't hear you yelling

Probably would have lost some friends in my building yelling pre-dawn. I did see the Zuiderdam sail in though. 

[Scrapnana]

On ‎10‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 4:15 PM, Daisyloo said:

Our upcoming cruise in December will be our first as 4 star and we were really looking forward to the discount.  Fingers crossed that it is still available on the wine packages.  If not we are going to be .

OP,  please let us know what you find out about this on your cruise next week.  

My next cruise will be the first as 4 star.  The only package I purchased was at the 25% off of 3 star.  I don't think I would pay full price for a wine package.

[GarySuzy]

My PCC talked to Guest Services Manager and was told - HAL has re-instated the Mariner discounts due to the amount of negative feedback they were receiving from the 4 and 5 star community.

Hope that helps

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just now, GarySuzy said:

My PCC talked to Guest Services Manager and was told - HAL has re-instated the Mariner discounts due to the amount of negative feedback they were receiving from the 4 and 5 star community.

Hope that helps

 

 

Hope HAL follows through with re-instating the discounts.

[frankc98376]

Never doubt that HAL follows these forums

[VennDiagram]

2 hours ago, GarySuzy said:

My PCC talked to Guest Services Manager and was told - HAL has re-instated the Mariner discounts due to the amount of negative feedback they were receiving from the 4 and 5 star community.

Hope that helps

 

 

Thanks 😄  Our first cruise as 4* is coming up, and I am really looking forward to the wine package discount🍷 🍷🍷

[TiogaCruiser]

On 10/24/2018 at 11:49 AM, kazu said:

 

Oh I remember that all TOO well 😉

 

But, the "know before you go" had been updated to reflect that.  Although most of us don't read that for every cruise (I have started double checking since that "little" incident) since we "know" many were caught unawares.  Fortunately a poster gave us a heads up.

 

Between our posts on CC and our email campaign, we were at least able to get the free bottle and corkage fee in play and the wine policy was delayed by about 6 months.

 

This scenario is a bit different IMO since a) the website hasn't been updated and b) no one really knows.  The ships are doing "something".  Seattle can't tell you what though?

IIRC the KBYG didn’t get updated until after the first week. I remember downloading a copy, then the new version suddenly replacing it. Wasn’t that around July 2014, or was it 2013?

[Daisyloo]

3 hours ago, GarySuzy said:

My PCC talked to Guest Services Manager and was told - HAL has re-instated the Mariner discounts due to the amount of negative feedback they were receiving from the 4 and 5 star community.

Hope that helps

 

 

Fingers crossed that this is true.

 

[Kynana]

If true, and they follow through, this is very good news. And thanks to all who took the time to contact HAL concerning this. I'm sure they know by now that they have a large and growing group of unhappy loyal customers whose loyalty was wearing thin! 

[*Miss G*]

4 hours ago, GarySuzy said:

My PCC talked to Guest Services Manager and was told - HAL has re-instated the Mariner discounts due to the amount of negative feedback they were receiving from the 4 and 5 star community.

Hope that helps

 

 

What did they think was going to happen?  

 

But I’m still pretty leary of all this.  There’s only a few of us on this thread.  We can’t possibly have any impact.  Most Mariners probably don’t even know about it.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, TiogaCruiser said:

IIRC the KBYG didn’t get updated until after the first week. I remember downloading a copy, then the new version suddenly replacing it. Wasn’t that around July 2014, or was it 2013?

 

Oh my, you have a great memory. 😉

 

I do believe you are right..  My memory isn't as good as yours and searching right now on CC for the infamous whining about wine thread is hard to find.  (As some people liked to call it 😉 )Thinking back, they were late at updating the KBYG because I did go and look. 

 

It was around July and I remember the World Cruise people were exempt.  I honestly can't remember if it was 2013/14 that it was announced.  I think I paid corkage in 2014 but I don't keep my HAL bills that far back 😉

[*Miss G*]

17 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Oh my, you have a great memory. 😉

 

I do believe you are right..  My memory isn't as good as yours and searching right now on CC for the infamous whining about wine thread is hard to find.  (As some people liked to call it 😉 )Thinking back, they were late at updating the KBYG because I did go and look. 

 

It was around July and I remember the World Cruise people were exempt.  I honestly can't remember if it was 2013/14 that it was announced.  I think I paid corkage in 2014 but I don't keep my HAL bills that far back 😉

 

Is this it?