Website question, change?

[fatcat04]

I know in the past I have been able to check the availability of individual cabins on HALs website by simply typing the cabin number in the box when doing a dummy booking. I have had mixed results but at least the option was available.

I just tried to check on a particular cabin with a dummy booking using the most recent promo and the little box you type in the cabin number was not there. I tried it again with a differing fare type, the non-refundable, and still no box was there. It automatically defaults to the cheapest cabin in the area and you can only select the cabins they choose. This is not helpful as it often is not the category for which I am seeking a price. This make their website even less useful, which is saying something. I am wondering if this is just a glitch or have other noticed this recently?

 

edit: And yes, I know I can call them, I do to actually book but I don't always want to call every single time I have a question about one particular cabin's fare when I am researching multiple cruises.

Edited April 1, 2019 by fatcat04

[oaktreerb]

I think HAL wants us to choose guarantees.  I also find their website very difficult.  It’s also hard to determine how many rooms are available in a category due to their emphasis on guarantees.  This can’t be good for business. 

[VennDiagram]

You know the big warehouse store that also sells travel, tires, dog food, and soap?  I have been able to check for specific cabins # on their travel site.

Edited April 1, 2019 by VennDiagram

[fatcat04]

Just now, VennDiagram said:

Y'know the big warehouse store that also sells travel, tires, dog food, and soap?  I have been able to check for specific cabins # on their travel site.

Yep... it's getting so that is really the only way now. Frustrating. Can I say.. I liked the old website much better.

[VennDiagram]

That is the only way I can find that is consistently available.  At one time, on occasion, I'd see a spot to check for a specific cabin on the HAL website. But it was not always visible.  So now I use that other website.

I dislike the new HAL website.  Flaky, glitchy, unintuitive.

[oaktreerb]

The problem I encountered on the old website was if I put in a room # to find it available and then called my TA (above) to book it, the room was no longer available.  When I clicked on it the room # came out of inventory for a period of time.  MY TA had to call HAL to have it put back into inventory  so that I could book it.  Maybe that is the reason HAL has removed the option to input room #’s to check availability.  You can only choose rooms that they show as available on the deck plan.

[3rdGenCunarder]

The last time I tried to check specific cabins I could check specific cabin numbers. But I had to go through all of the "edit" choices (forward/mid/aft, then deck, etc) before I could get to the little box. Website is slow and clunky. (what I would like to say about it will only get replaced by ****)

[LF23]

Hmmm I was able to use that search box at some point last week, clunky as it is, it was there. 

[fatcat04]

26 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

The last time I tried to check specific cabins I could check specific cabin numbers. But I had to go through all of the "edit" choices (forward/mid/aft, then deck, etc) before I could get to the little box. Website is slow and clunky. (what I would like to say about it will only get replaced by ****)

I have gone through all the levels and hit "Save Changes" a few times now today and never get the little box anymore to input a different cabin number. Maybe the little box was causing "waste" and had to be cut but if you just pay $10 you can have the little box back

[ottahand7]

2 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

The problem I encountered on the old website was if I put in a room # to find it available and then called my TA (above) to book it, the room was no longer available.  When I clicked on it the room # came out of inventory for a period of time.  MY TA had to call HAL to have it put back into inventory  so that I could book it.  Maybe that is the reason HAL has removed the option to input room #’s to check availability.  You can only choose rooms that they show as available on the deck plan.

This has been a real source of frustration for me.  I had seen on another thread that an aft NS on the Zuiderdam had a huge covered balcony.  I had done a dummy booking on the Holland site just to see if it was available and to get the price - HA allowed me to type in the number of the aft NS cabin.  Since it was available I went to my TA and asked her to book it as it was available.   When they went to book it was not available so they booked me 2 decks higher and uncovered even after I asked them to call as I had seen it was open.  That room has still not cleared for my booking.  Today I was messing around on the HA website looking to see available NS as I wasn't comfortable with the uncovered deck 7 NS and lo and behold the desired cabin on deck 5 aft was available.  My head is spinning.   We have a long way to go so I will wait a month and then ask my TA to book me a regular NS if the huge deck one doesn't show as open.  It is frustrating.