HAL website unusable still

[RandyinDEN]

As a mid 50's tech savvy individual, navigating web sites are easy for me.  All except HAL.  I am not sure who created it, or thought it was workable, but it is the worst.  Not only is it difficult to see a full itinerary, but trying to book a cruise and change cabins is almost impossible.  I am not someone that just wants to tell someone to go do it for me, I want to see what is available and do it myself.  HAL has made that almost impossible.  I defy Orlando Ashford  try to navigate the website and then try to book a cruise on the HAL website.

 

  I think it is time to jump ship.

Edited January 1, 2019 by RandyinDEN
wrong name

[Shmoo here]

19 minutes ago, RandyinDEN said:

As a mid 50's tech savvy individual, navigating web sites are easy for me.  All except HAL.  I am not sure who created it, or thought it was workable, but it is the worst.  Not only is it difficult to see a full itinerary, but trying to book a cruise and change cabins is almost impossible.  I am not someone that just wants to tell someone to go do it for me, I want to see what is available and do it myself.  HAL has made that almost impossible.  I defy Orlando Ashford  try to navigate the website and then try to book a cruise on the HAL website.

 

  I think it is time to jump ship.

The biggest issue I have the HAL website is that there's no way to do a search.  At least I've not been able to find it.

 

[Shmoo here]

19 minutes ago, RandyinDEN said:

As a mid 50's tech savvy individual, navigating web sites are easy for me.  All except HAL.  I am not sure who created it, or thought it was workable, but it is the worst.  Not only is it difficult to see a full itinerary, but trying to book a cruise and change cabins is almost impossible.  I am not someone that just wants to tell someone to go do it for me, I want to see what is available and do it myself.  HAL has made that almost impossible.  I defy Orlando Ashford  try to navigate the website and then try to book a cruise on the HAL website.

 

  I think it is time to jump ship.

The biggest issue I have the HAL website is that there's no way to do a search.  At least I've not been able to find it.

 

[kazu]

I can get around the stoopid site (deliberate misspell), but it doesn't do what the old site did and takes forever to do anything.  

 

to look at one category and then another you have to go all the way back and then restart.  Foolish!  

I've been using TA websites to get an idea.  The HAL site is a PITA IMO.

 

Funny that the other CCL subsidiaries haven't adopted it. 😉 NOT 😉 

[OlsSalt]

I hope everyone takes advantage of the "feedback" side bar on the HAL website and offer their specific suggestions on what needs to improve.  There have been slight changes for the better, very slight, but sounds like they are listening.

 

No, we should not be a beta test and offer our volunteer services to help them fix what was not really broken. But it is one way to drum out the website frustrations. I was using it today to explore another cruise, and at every frustrating step along the way I filled out a new "feeback" side bar with my specific complaint.

 

They always say if they get five complaints saying the same thing, they think it is a groundswell. I used to just yell at them - now I am trying to be precise about what needs to improve,

 

Agree, they need to make the Big Five points of information about any cruise  readily accessible on one page: itinerary, price, dates, cabins, any special offers.

 

They continue to bait and switch their "best offer price" which is higher than the price you can find later, if you are not immediately put off by their "best price". There is nothing intuitive about moving from screen to screen using the features, clicks and arcane wording.

 

 "Choose your room" bugs me the most - those are cabins on ships and then later they start talking about staterooms. Make up your mind, HAL. Chopping up the ship in unlinked three sections and various decks is total nonsense. Let us see the big picture - don't ask us to slice and dice something we don't even yet know.

 

Bring back the deck plans of the entire ship with clickable available cabins- that tell us the price for each. 

Edited January 2, 2019 by OlsSalt

[mcrcruiser]

We could never get our boarding passes & bag tags from the HAL web site to print . We phone HAL & they e-mail these to us 

 

[Djptcp]

I've sent feedback messages from time to time and let a HAL booking agent know of my concerns. My biggest issue with the new site is that I can no longer put in my husband's Mariner number to get a cheaper price. But I really find the whole website difficult to use and was so frustrated a few months ago I stopped trying to book any HAL cruises. I finally booked another HAL cruise last month after receiving an amazing casino rate for another Neptune Suite. Had to call HAL to make the booking so didn't have to use the website, thank goodness. I normally prefer to make my own cruise bookings and not have to talk with a rep and still do it with all of our Carnival bookings, but I just find the new HAL website unworkable.

Edited January 2, 2019 by Djptcp
Forgot to add a final sentence.

[Shmoo here]

13 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We could never get our boarding passes & bag tags from the HAL web site to print . We phone HAL & they e-mail these to us 

 

Do you have an adblocker?  The HAL site says if you do it could cause problems with printing tags.

[OHCruiser]

I HATE the "new" HAL website for all of the reasons mentioned above--and more. 

 

I do all of my searching and booking on a big box store website. 

The COST is the same, or sometimes better than Holland, and the COmpany is very reputable.  I see all the rooms, can easily check to see what's above & below, and get all of the benefits HAL offer PLUS great extras including OBC, beverage cards, etc.  Their agent talks to HAL, gets all of my questions answered, and sends me a complete invoice.

 

When forced to use the HAL website for cruise docs,  I always run into one problem or another.  Heck, the website will no longer allow ME to sign in unless I clear ALL of the cookies on my laptop.  I don't want to do that and one stinking website shouldn't force me to.   Their lousy website is costing them money............too bad, so sad.

[HollDoll]

It’s just plain awful.  The old one was so navigable.  If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!

[dockman]

Maybe the OTA's bribe the HAL web guys to be horrible so that more and more people will book with OTA's and HAL can pay 15+% commission to OTA's  rather than keep the money they lose every single hour that HAL has a horrible website?

 

It defies logic that HAL would lose so much revenue on direct bookings.  HIRE some competent people HAL.

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Do you have an adblocker?  The HAL site says if you do it could cause problems with printing tags.

I printed luggage tags but can't print my boarding pass. And I checked the ad blocker and that isn't the issue. I think the problem is that the check-in process isn't taking my credit card info. And without that, they won't give me a boarding pass. so I guess my luggage can sail but I can't!

 

I find changing cabins to check price and availability of different cabin grades very clunky. I book through a TA, but I like to check things out online first. 

 

OP's comment about Ashford made me wonder. He took his very first cruise AFTER he was hired by HAL. I wonder if he has cruised since then?

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

And this morning, HAL liked my credit card, so all was well and I printed the boarding pass. Didn't change a single setting, so it isn't me, it's HAL. 

 

Sigh.

 

[Bill B]

It reminds me of the new CruiseCritic. 

[ChinaShrek]

On 1/2/2019 at 1:06 AM, OlsSalt said:

I hope everyone takes advantage of the "feedback" side bar on the HAL website and offer their specific suggestions on what needs to improve.  There have been slight changes for the better, very slight, but sounds like they are listening.

 

No, we should not be a beta test and offer our volunteer services to help them fix what was not really broken. But it is one way to drum out the website frustrations. I was using it today to explore another cruise, and at every frustrating step along the way I filled out a new "feeback" side bar with my specific complaint.

 

They always say if they get five complaints saying the same thing, they think it is a groundswell. I used to just yell at them - now I am trying to be precise about what needs to improve,

 

 

I assume that you are getting paid for these comments.  Otherwise, you are giving them free labor to fix their website.  I'm not sending them any comments unless they pay me to do it.  If people demand remuneration, they will get it!

Edited January 3, 2019 by ChinaShrek

[RandyinDEN]

HAL finally got back to me.  Their answer to their web site failure is that I need to clear my cache.  

 

HAL continues to not listen to its customers.

 

 

[OlsSalt]

On 1/3/2019 at 1:07 PM, ChinaShrek said:

I assume that you are getting paid for these comments.  Otherwise, you are giving them free labor to fix their website.  I'm not sending them any comments unless they pay me to do it.  If people demand remuneration, they will get it!

 

Two issues: (1) it helped my own frustration to send them these messages and (2) if it helps, I am willing to help. 

 

Then re-read my post before you assume anything further:  No, we should not be a beta test and offer our volunteer services to help them fix what was not really broken.

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by OlsSalt

[ski ww]

I think if every person who has a problem with the HAL web site were to send an email to head office addressed to Orlando Ashford they might get the message that something is wrong. In business isn't the saying " the customer is always right" carry any weight.  

[ChinaShrek]

8 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Two issues: (1) it helped my own frustration to send them these messages and (2) if it helps, I am willing to help. 

 

Then re-read my post before you assume anything further:  No, we should not be a beta test and offer our volunteer services to help them fix what was not really broken.

 

 

There is no trouble with my comprehension or reading skills. You wrote:  I was using it today to explore another cruise, and at every frustrating step along the way I filled out a new "feeback" side bar with my specific complaint.

 

This is free labor for HAL.  Certainly, not Beta testing but you are helping the company out nonetheless.  A better tactic would be waiting for them to contact us and then pay us for our advice.  But to each their own.

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

 

There is no trouble with my comprehension or reading skills. You wrote:  I was using it today to explore another cruise, and at every frustrating step along the way I filled out a new "feeback" side bar with my specific complaint.

 

This is free labor for HAL.  Certainly, not Beta testing but you are helping the company out nonetheless.  A better tactic would be waiting for them to contact us and then pay us for our advice.  But to each their own.

 

It will snow in hell before HAL contacts any of us and PAYS us for our advice. 

 

Some people are willing to give feedback in hopes that someone at HAL will pay attention. You are not. As you say, to each their own. 

 

[taxmantoo]

3 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

 

 

 

A better tactic would be waiting for them to contact us and then pay us for our advice.  But to each their own.

Thank you for the heads-up.  I've just instructed my wife to stay off the phone in case HAL wants to call to give us $$$ 

Edited January 5, 2019 by taxmantoo

[OlsSalt]

Unfortunately we will be paying them for this poor website if as suspected it leads to a serious decline in bookings.

 

I actually have seen some very small website improvements, for some matters I had specifically complained about in the feedback sidebar - did they get enough other feed back on those same issues to start making some changes? Who knows, but it keeps me plugging away at it. I would like to see HAL succeed so I ....persist.

 

If there is to be any value (for free) I agree it needs to be specific and targeted, and not just my own former running spiel of general and abusive complaints generated by the sheer frustration this new website  always triggered.

 

Let's assume they are hapless but earnest - there is a need on all counts for this website to improve - including our own future enjoyment of HAL cruising.

Edited January 5, 2019 by OlsSalt

[Mochidelight]

I am for sure no longer cruising with HAL. What do you guys recommend a better replacement for HAL AND preferably one that has an easier and more intuitive website to book things? I was eyeing Princess Cruises, but wanted to get feedback from this community. Thank you in advance!!

[OlsSalt]

7 minutes ago, Mochidelight said:

I am for sure no longer cruising with HAL. What do you guys recommend a better replacement for HAL AND preferably one that has an easier and more intuitive website to book things? I was eyeing Princess Cruises, but wanted to get feedback from this community. Thank you in advance!!

 

I hope you take the time to go back into the HAL website one more time and use the sidebar "feedback" feature and tell them exactly what you just posted here. This website failure has to be impacting their bottom line by now and we get reports that travel agents hate it too.

 

Amazing HAL management has not scrapped it entirely by now - it cannot be fixed because its approach, format and as you say lack of intuitive feel cannot be tweaked. It needs to start from the bottom up - not the top down. 

[Roz]

52 minutes ago, Mochidelight said:

I am for sure no longer cruising with HAL. What do you guys recommend a better replacement for HAL AND preferably one that has an easier and more intuitive website to book things? I was eyeing Princess Cruises, but wanted to get feedback from this community. Thank you in advance!!

If you surf the other forums for Princess, Celebrity, Norwegian, etc., you'll find that other cruise lines' website have the same issues.  I know it's frustrating when a line's website doesn't work properly, but I personally don't make my cruise selection based on how well or well not a website functions.

 

Roz