Hal's website is a train wreck!!!

[cruisemom42]

16 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Or is it intuitive to use the website to easily explore and find what they have to offer? When exactly did you last use the new HAL website to book your next HAL cruise?

 

It is teaching me new tricks, but very few treats.   I hope using the feedback side bar that in time I will be able to teach it some new tricks, like K.I.S.S.   (Keep it simple, stupid)

 

Just used it about 6 weeks ago to look for cruises and eventually booked a cruise on Westerdam in 2020 around Japan. 

[OlsSalt]

10 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Just used it about 6 weeks ago to look for cruises and eventually booked a cruise on Westerdam in 2020 around Japan. 

 

Great, now using your demonstrated intuitive skills find the 2020 World Cruise on the Amsterdam for me - starting with the opening page. Walk me through it.

[cruisemom42]

8 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Great, now using your demonstrated intuitive skills find the 2020 World Cruise on the Amsterdam for me - starting with the opening page. Walk me through it.

 

No thanks, do your own work, as you once said to me when I asked you to help me find something in the CCL Annual Report. 

[colbe]

1 hour ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Great, now using your demonstrated intuitive skills find the 2020 World Cruise on the Amsterdam for me - starting with the opening page. Walk me through it.

Sail to - World Cruise

Date - Jan 2020

Click - Search

Go to top RH corner - More Filters - Sold out

Click - Sold Out

Click - Apply Filters

BINGO!!! - World Cruise 2020 and all the segments listed

Add extra dates to get the later segments.

 

 

 

[OlsSalt]

1 hour ago, colbe said:

Sail to - World Cruise

Date - Jan 2020

Click - Search

Go to top RH corner - More Filters - Sold out

Click - Sold Out

Click - Apply Filters

BINGO!!! - World Cruise 2020 and all the segments listed

Add extra dates to get the later segments.

 

 

 

 

That is really intuitive. Of course, one needs to click "sold out" when they are looking for a cruise in 2020.  Sorry I missed that step.

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

No thanks, do your own work, as you once said to me when I asked you to help me find something in the CCL Annual Report. 

 

Fair enough. 

[harryw]

Every time I search for a future cruise I have problems applying filter settings.

Tiles are non responsive or frozen. I’ve been forced to search on more user friendly cruise sites.

[keeponcruising]

I still can not book shore excursions or gifts/indulgences from my account login on HAL's website.  I called last week and asked for technical support and was transferred to Mariner's Society.  I was told there is no one to speak to for website support.  The rep looked at my account and said it is a known issue.  That was Wednesday and I am still waiting for it to be fixed.  Anyone else having issues booking shore excursions for their upcoming cruise?  My cruise is 3/24/19 Nieuw Statendam.

[terrydtx]

Another example of this terrible website having wrong information. We are doing a cruise/land package on the Noordam in July, the D5C package. The cruise portion goes from Vancouver to Anchorage but actually this cruise disembarks in Seward but the Itinerary on the website shows we disembark in Anchorage which is totally wrong. All HAL Vista and Signature class ships cruise in and out of Seward, Anchorage has no passenger terminals that can handle the bigger ships. From Seward you have to take the train or motor coach to Anchorage to fly home if you are not on a land tour. Anyone using the website would be totally confused if they were booking the cruise on the website.

[PSR]

3 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Anchorage has no passenger terminals that can handle the bigger ships.

 

I totally agree with the rest of your post, but we just did a 14-day HAL roundtrip from Seattle last fall and we stopped in Anchorage for a day of touring. However, I'll give you that it was on the Zaandam, rather than a Vista ship, so technically you are correct. 

 

The new web site for HAL is wrong to show Anchorage as the stopping point for the one-way 7-day tour, but that would be an interesting idea for a 9 or10-day one-way tour. Easier to fly in and out of Anchorage than Seward; probably some logistical/budgetary reason they can't do that.

[terrydtx]

11 hours ago, PSR said:

 

I totally agree with the rest of your post, but we just did a 14-day HAL roundtrip from Seattle last fall and we stopped in Anchorage for a day of touring. However, I'll give you that it was on the Zaandam, rather than a Vista ship, so technically you are correct. 

 

The new web site for HAL is wrong to show Anchorage as the stopping point for the one-way 7-day tour, but that would be an interesting idea for a 9 or10-day one-way tour. Easier to fly in and out of Anchorage than Seward; probably some logistical/budgetary reason they can't do that.

For the Alaska season this year the only ships that are stopping in the Port of Anchorage  are the Amsterdam, Maasdam and the Queen Elizabeth (September only). All of these ships are just stopping there as part of a longer cruise and are not embarkation or disembarkation stops. In 2020 only the Maasdam and Queen Elizabeth will be using the Anchorage Port.

 

I did not want to hijack this thread, but my point is made, the HAL website is just awful. Alaska is a huge market for HAL yet their website has so little information on the itinerary details of the land tour portions of their cruises. It makes it very difficult to determine which tour to book out of the many options available. Some packages have only coach transportation to Denali and Fairbanks, some have a combination of train and coach and some are all train. You have to call HAL to find out which tour has what transportation and what lodging is available for each tour.

[Sooz49]

Still relatively new to using the HAL website ... and maybe I am missing something ... is there a "search" option ... not for finding cruises ... but for finding info that may not be in the "Know Before You Go" brochure? If there is I must have "selective sight" because I'm not seeing it.

[colbe]

11 minutes ago, Sooz49 said:

Still relatively new to using the HAL website ... and maybe I am missing something ... is there a "search" option ... not for finding cruises ... but for finding info that may not be in the "Know Before You Go" brochure? If there is I must have "selective sight" because I'm not seeing it.

Scroll right down to the bottom of the page. Click on 'frequently asked questions'. Start typing key words from your question to bring up a drop-down box.

Edited January 29, 2019 by colbe

[Sooz49]

Thanks for that ... yes I have found that but was thinking there might be more of true "search" option ... the type you normally get with the "magnifying glass" which will bring up all references related to a topic ... particularly if it is something not directly related to any FAQs ... I guess not 😉

[PSR]

3 hours ago, Sooz49 said:

Thanks for that ... yes I have found that but was thinking there might be more of true "search" option ... the type you normally get with the "magnifying glass" which will bring up all references related to a topic ... particularly if it is something not directly related to any FAQs ... I guess not 😉

 

If you don't mind starting a new topic with the question you have, there will probably be someone on this forum who will have an answer.

[Fouremco]

10 hours ago, Sooz49 said:

Still relatively new to using the HAL website ... and maybe I am missing something ... is there a "search" option ... not for finding cruises ... but for finding info that may not be in the "Know Before You Go" brochure? If there is I must have "selective sight" because I'm not seeing it.

I frequently use Google to find information on HAL's website. It's quicker and more accurate than poking around in the website.

[HMSDingy]

I booked my first HAL cruise through a TA, therefore I can't complain about the booking part.  My complaint is that because I access the website from Canada, I am quoted everything in Canadian funds.  But because the prices are based on the US dollar, the Canadian version gets to be quite expensive given the exchange rates.  If I book excursions and/or wine packages, I pay in Canadian even though I prefer to pay in US.  I assume this will change when I check in and I can use my US credit card. Right?

[Been There, Planning That]

6 minutes ago, HMSDingy said:

 

6 minutes ago, HMSDingy said:

 

If I book excursions and/or wine packages, I pay in Canadian even though I prefer to pay in US.  I assume this will change when I check in and I can use my US credit card. Right?

 

We book thru' a  Cdn. TA and pay fare in Canadian dollars based upon web site.  Everything else is in USD and paid with our US Visa.  This includes excursions, wine etc.

 

HAL does adjust their exchange rate from time to time and when we booked next week's cruise our dollar was  at a much better exchange rate.

 

Ruth

[HMSDingy]

3 minutes ago, Been There, Planning That said:

 

We book thru' a  Cdn. TA and pay fare in Canadian dollars based upon web site.  Everything else is in USD and paid with our US Visa.  This includes excursions, wine etc.

 

HAL does adjust their exchange rate from time to time and when we booked next week's cruise our dollar was  at a much better exchange rate.

 

Ruth

I too booked through a Canadian TA but the website won't allow me to prepay my wine package in US. Therein lies the problem.  I might as well buy the package after I've checked in and registered my US card.

[Been There, Planning That]

6 minutes ago, HMSDingy said:

I too booked through a Canadian TA but the website won't allow me to prepay my wine package in US. Therein lies the problem.  I might as well buy the package after I've checked in and registered my US card.

 

Strange, though I must admit we've only prepaid for excursions on line and in the past when we were planning for our family of 16,  I found it easier to call but again paid immediately in USD.

 

Maybe your TA could help or I'm sure someone helpful on CC would offer an appropriate number to call direct.

 

Ruth

 

Edited January 29, 2019 by Been There, Planning That

[HMSDingy]

16 minutes ago, Been There, Planning That said:

 

Strange, though I must admit we've only prepaid for excursions on line and in the past when we were planning for our family of 16,  I found it easier to call but again paid immediately in USD.

 

Maybe your TA could help or I'm sure someone helpful on CC would offer an appropriate number to call direct.

 

Ruth

 

Sorry about the misinformation.  I should of just made a dry run to purchase the package on the website.  It does charge me in US. It was the HAL rep that gave me the wrong information.

[AncientWanderer]

I know how to use the new website.  I've worked through learning it and can get to what I need to do.  But booking cruises is tedious and laborious in a way it didn't used to be.  They're just trying to "pack in" too much.  It used to be a much more streamlined experience.  And searching for cruises is more laborious.  Again, I've figured out the workarounds, but it takes more time.  (And as somebody else said, Celebrity's is just as bad or worse.)   I've personally wondered if the ultimate goal with the new web design is to steer people first into the cruises and staterooms that they want to fill first.  Nice work, if you can get it, but I doubt this would ultimately pay dividends.  People would probably just tend to book less.

 

Agree with RuthC that the website is a joy when it comes to selecting excursions and dining and other cruise enhancements.  All that goes without a hitch and items ordered have been there for us when we board, without any hiccups.

 

YMMV

[AncientWanderer]

Adding to my previous comments...

This has probably been discussed somewhere before, but what's the deal with the guarantee staterooms on the new website?  Luckily we usually pick specific staterooms, but am I correct in seeing that your only option is to select your "guarantee" by price -- you can't select a category?  This is so weird to me.  I can't imagine just saying, "Oh, I want to pay more," but not really know what I'm promised.

 

Am I missing something here?

[PSR]

7 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

Am I missing something here?

 

I did a fake booking yesterday just to try out my new upgraded Safari browser that now allows me to "plan a cruise" and also "book a cruise". The first choice they gave me was indeed, a guarantee, but looking at the page (I think near "check out") there was a "change stateroom" icon that lets you look at different decks and cabins, but you do need to go back and forth a lot to change the cabin.

 

Took me awhile to figure out how to use it. And I think you have to go back to step 1 to change cabin category, say from veranda to ocean view to suite, etc. I always got starting prices when I chose a category; they do go up when you change location, and you can't look at the whole deck plan for a given deck...you have to move from forward to center to aft, another time consuming chore.

 

So, it worked, but not as well as the old site.....

[AncientWanderer]

9 minutes ago, PSR said:

 

I did a fake booking yesterday just to try out my new upgraded Safari browser that now allows me to "plan a cruise" and also "book a cruise". The first choice they gave me was indeed, a guarantee, but looking at the page (I think near "check out") there was a "change stateroom" icon that lets you look at different decks and cabins, but you do need to go back and forth a lot to change the cabin.

 

Took me awhile to figure out how to use it. And I think you have to go back to step 1 to change cabin category, say from veranda to ocean view to suite, etc. I always got starting prices when I chose a category; they do go up when you change location, and you can't look at the whole deck plan for a given deck...you have to move from forward to center to aft, another time consuming chore.

 

So, it worked, but not as well as the old site.....

 

Thanks for the reply, PSR.  You bring up another point -- that the default is indeed to a guarantee, and then one has to jockey around to get to a choice.  But still, even if one is okay with the guarantee, the guarantees seem to be sorted just by price, not by stateroom category, such as VA or VB, etc.  I assume if I select the most expensive verandah guarantee, I'll get the VA...but will I?  I'd like to know for sure what I am being "guaranteed."  Not all "verandahs" are created equally.

 

Again, I'm glad we prefer to select specific staterooms.  Seems like this would be a frustration for folks who typically book "guarantees."