HAL email asking me to volunteer for …

[Mary229]

15 hours ago, KroozNut said:

Did the story offer any insight as to the specific cause or causes of the staffing difficulties?

The work Visas seem to be a major bottleneck.   In the case of the land and sea in Alaska the onshore facilities have lost many employees as people found other employment.  Alaska, like much of the natural parks and wilderness in the US, relies on foreign and US college students for staffing. That has evaporated.  
 

As an aside and as an example our city is only opening 2 of our 4 community pools because they are unable to find lifeguards.   Lifeguards are usually students seeking summer employment and who took the training at school. 

[oaktreerb]

You are right.  Some of these cruisetours were booked for 2020 (pre Covid) and are now finally happening.  There are a lot of issues that nobody could have predicted.  I don’t think anybody thought we would still be dealing with Covid at this point.

 

In the past HAL has hired college students, teachers and others who want summer jobs to work in the tourist land itineraries  We have sen Russian young people on summer visas working in the hotels in Denali.  That’s not happening this year.  

 

We are also hearing of flights being cancelled and people are being bumped from flights.  HAL has asked for volunteers.  Maybe some people are not really looking forward to this trip but feel like they have to go since it’s been planned and paid for since 2020.  They now have a way to back out.  Some will probably be glad to take the offer.

 

 

[oaktreerb]

2 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

You are right.  Some of these cruisetours were booked for 2020 (pre Covid) and are now finally happening.  There are a lot of issues that nobody could have predicted.  I don’t think anybody thought we would still be dealing with Covid at this point.

 

In the past HAL has hired college students, teachers and others who want summer jobs to work in the tourist land itineraries  We have sen Russian young people on summer visas working in the hotels in Denali.  That’s not happening this year.  

 

We are also hearing of flights being cancelled and people are being bumped from flights.  HAL has asked for volunteers.  Maybe some people are not really looking forward to this trip but feel like they have to go since it’s been planned and paid for since 2020.  They now have a way to back out.  Some will probably be glad to take the offer.

 

 

@Boatdrill

[Mary229]

3 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

Some will probably be glad to take the offer

With sufficient notice I would gladly take this offer.  I am doing the whole tour and there have been some abridgments made since I booked.  

[Boatdrill]

Of course it's understandable that if HAL is understaffed on the land tours, those tours need to be adjusted.  My "issue" is that HAL was apparently advertising and selling the tours before everything was in place. If there was concern even a few months ago that the tours may not be fully staffed, and that having less staff would undermine guest services and the success of the tours, the number of people allowed on the tours should have been limited, and a wait list started.  No fully paid guest should be asked to give up their seat at this late date.  HAL sold land tours, and is now subtracting from the offered product. Maybe it would have been better to start with limited availability, and then increase capacity later, if possible.  

 

The change in onboard COVID testing is similar.  HAL offered pre-disembarkation testing for the convenience of their guests, which added value to the Vancouver sailings. Then HAL rescinded the offer (subtracted it) and left fully paid customers to make their own arrangements. Looking back, maybe it would have been better to not offer the onboard testing at all, and then if it became possible, add it. That would have made guests very happy, and HAL would be a hero for relieving the disembarkation testing burden on their guests.     

 

JMHO. 

Edited May 31, 2022 by Boatdrill

[Freckles1983]

Okay so I just got off the phone with HAL and it turns out that they would rebook me on another cruise at a later date at no charge and then also give me a FCC for the amount I paid for my booked cruise.  I would be out for the flights/hotel/car rental and the FCC would be good for one year.  So it’s actually a really good offer considering we paid almost 15k for the two of us to sail.  Which is why I don’t know if I’m going to regret not taking it but I need this time away and have decided to pass on the offer.  Thanks again for all the input and I hope I don’t regret the choice I made.  They did also say on the phone that not a lot of people have taken them up on this offer but they have had a lot of ppl calling for more info.  I just don’t have it in me to cancel this last minute after the time and energy I’ve put into making this trip happen.  I guess my mental health is worth more than $15,000.  🤷🏻‍♀️ 😂😢

 

[Expo67]

7 minutes ago, Freckles1983 said:

Okay so I just got off the phone with HAL and it turns out that they would rebook me on another cruise at a later date at no charge and then also give me a FCC for the amount I paid for my booked cruise.  I would be out for the flights/hotel/car rental and the FCC would be good for one year.  So it’s actually a really good offer considering we paid almost 15k for the two of us to sail.  Which is why I don’t know if I’m going to regret not taking it but I need this time away and have decided to pass on the offer.  Thanks again for all the input and I hope I don’t regret the choice I made.  They did also say on the phone that not a lot of people have taken them up on this offer but they have had a lot of ppl calling for more info.  I just don’t have it in me to cancel this last minute after the time and energy I’ve put into making this trip happen.  I guess my mental health is worth more than $15,000.  🤷🏻‍♀️ 😂😢

 

In the same boat here (no pun intended). As we have FCC $$$ due to expire this year associated with the cruise and plans already on the books for the rest of this summer and next we declined as well. Offered to take the offer for a full refund of this cruise and 100% FCC that w3 could apply for one of the other HAL cruise we have booked. They replied …. Sorry no deviations as it had to be for an exact replacement of the Alaska 18 night cruise tour this year or next and the 100% FCC. I also looked at the pricing for any of the 18 night replacement cruises and the cost on almost all of them was about 50% higher than the price we paid. While they would not confirm nor deny they also could not discuss the move out of the FCC we have on the current cruise due to expire by year end so obviously we declined. 

[Freckles1983]

10 hours ago, Expo67 said:

In the same boat here (no pun intended). As we have FCC $$$ due to expire this year associated with the cruise and plans already on the books for the rest of this summer and next we declined as well. Offered to take the offer for a full refund of this cruise and 100% FCC that w3 could apply for one of the other HAL cruise we have booked. They replied …. Sorry no deviations as it had to be for an exact replacement of the Alaska 18 night cruise tour this year or next and the 100% FCC. I also looked at the pricing for any of the 18 night replacement cruises and the cost on almost all of them was about 50% higher than the price we paid. While they would not confirm nor deny they also could not discuss the move out of the FCC we have on the current cruise due to expire by year end so obviously we declined. 

Thank you Expo67

that made me feel better.