HAL cancelled our cabana 2 days before sailing

[fatcat04]

I wonder which corporate executive/big shot decided to take their family on a Christmas cruise last minute and got you bumped out of your cabana? That would be my guess. Slimy elitist move. 

 

Dh and I had thought of doing as you did, booking 2 insides or OV for the family and then booking the Family cabana for the duration so we would have an outdoor family space. Won't be doing that now that's for sure!! Also makes me wonder how many times this happens with cabanas but also cabins, especially on these sold out holiday and special cruises. I mean 99% of people that cruise have never heard of Cruise Critic. 

Edited December 22, 2022 by fatcat04

[The-Inside-Cabin]

3 minutes ago, lagirlforjesus said:

My husband is headed to Guest Services again to seek resolution.  This will be our 9th attempt to get the situation resolved. We still have not received any kind of explanation.

 

We’d really like to get back to our cruise. We need HAL to take responsibility for this situation. 
 

So far, this is our 3rd cruise with HAL.  Our first cruise was in December 2019 and our ship had engine trouble and we were held captive for 3 days in Fort Lauderdale.  We never left FL.  HAL “made good” and provided refunds to everyone along with a free credit for the future.  I’m hoping they will do the right thing and “make good” in this situation.

 

i am optimistic although I would like to get back to the business of having fun with my family. 
 

If HAL does the right thing then we will continue to cruise with them.  If not, then we will be leaving the line and head somewhere else and we will tell others of our experiences.  We will contact our local media outlets and tell them about the response that we received from HAL. We will utilize social media so that others are aware of the service that we received.  We will give the facts of the situation. 

What resolution are you seeking?  What could they to to "make good" this situation?

 

What does "the right thing" look like"

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

3 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

I wonder which corporate executive/big shot decided to take their family on a Christmas cruise last minute and got you bumped out of your cabana? That would be my guess. Slimy elitist move. 

 

Dh and I had thought of doing as you did, booking 2 insides or OV for the family and then booking the Family cabana for the duration so we would have an outdoor family space. Won't be doing that now that's for sure!! Also makes me wonder how many times this happens with cabanas but also cabins, especially on these sold out holiday and special cruises. I mean 99% of people that cruise have never heard of Cruise Critic. 

It's more likely in my mind that it was already booked and their system showed it as available.   Then a few days before sailing the error surfaced and then they kicked out the last person to book.   The remedy in my mind would be to comp two side by sides and toss in a HIA package..

 

[Florida_gal_50]

12 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

I doubt this would work.  They may sort it out by booting you off the ship.

I can guarantee 💯 that would not happen unless you started throwing punches or getting violent.

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I agree that it's risky to pin the whole plan on one element. That said, I've done a few cruises for a specific port, and been lucky that nothing was cancelled. But even so, that would have been just one day.

 

The cabana is for the whole cruise. OP did not say what kind of cabin they booked. I've seen people say they book an inside or OV knowing they will have the cabana as their outdoor space. If that's the situation, losing the cabana really does ruin the cruise.

 

I agree that this issue should be pursued on board. 

I understand  what you are saying but people have also lost their preferred cabin.   HAL should have a first paid, first service policy.  

[Florida_gal_50]

21 minutes ago, lagirlforjesus said:

My husband is headed to Guest Services again to seek resolution.  This will be our 9th attempt to get the situation resolved. We still have not received any kind of explanation.

 

We’d really like to get back to our cruise. We need HAL to take responsibility for this situation. 
 

So far, this is our 3rd cruise with HAL.  Our first cruise was in December 2019 and our ship had engine trouble and we were held captive for 3 days in Fort Lauderdale.  We never left FL.  HAL “made good” and provided refunds to everyone along with a free credit for the future.  I’m hoping they will do the right thing and “make good” in this situation.

 

i am optimistic although I would like to get back to the business of having fun with my family. 
 

If HAL does the right thing then we will continue to cruise with them.  If not, then we will be leaving the line and head somewhere else and we will tell others of our experiences.  We will contact our local media outlets and tell them about the response that we received from HAL. We will utilize social media so that others are aware of the service that we received.  We will give the facts of the situation. 

Guest services is useless.  On my last cruise hal lost a lot of my information plus recognition I was blamed for all of it.  Eventually they found out it was my room steward.  No apology.  That no way to run a company.

[tupper10]

If you have access to email I would be emailing corporate right now and asking for a large room with a veranda. Gus@hollandamerica.com - President of Holland America.

 

 

[tupper10]

If you have access to email I would be emailing corporate right now and asking for a large room with a veranda. Gus@hollandamerica.com - President of Holland America.

 

 

[tupper10]

If you have access to email I would be emailing corporate right now and asking for a large room with a veranda. Gus@hollandamerica.com - President of Holland America.

 

 

[tupper10]

Sorry about the multiple posts - my CC was having issues.  

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, tupper10 said:

If you have access to email I would be emailing corporate right now and asking for a large room with a veranda. Gus@hollandamerica.com - President of Holland America.

 

 

Great idea but I suspect the op will be off the cruise by the time they answer.

[Sea42]

2 minutes ago, tupper10 said:

If you have access to email I would be emailing corporate right now and asking for a large room with a veranda. Gus@hollandamerica.com - President of Holland America.

 

 

Probably not possible on a full holiday cruise

[Wakepatrol]

I bet it’s the guy with the big speaker blaring his music 

[iceman93]

2 hours ago, lagirlforjesus said:

It is not helpful when someone suggests that we should just accept this change and move on.

 

That's not exactly what I suggested, but I would counter that it is helpful advice anyway (and advice can be either taken or ignored, so no need to be snippy).  You are now allowing this one thing to ruin your entire vacation.  That's your choice--it's your money and time with your family.  But it is what it is, and pouting or stewing (or complaining on CC) isn't going to change anything.  So you can accept it and make the best of the situation, trying to salvage some semblance of a good time, or just focus on the issue and be miserable.  It is 100% your choice.

[wdw1972]

3 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

They are really beautiful on the non pinnacle.  I love me a pinnacle ship but those family cabanas are not worth it.

When the 3 of us (3 women, 3 staterooms) are on a Pinnacle, the family cabana is a bit tight.  We have the table/chairs removed to make room for another lounger.  Like you, love just about everything else about the pinnacles - so we suffer through the cabana 😉  We tend to do 1 cruise all 3 of us and 1 just 2 of us each year.  The other person & I have decided that even when it's just the 2 of us, if it's a pinnacle we're booking the family stateroom anyway.  That's what we have (for 2) on Nieuw Statendam coming up in March!  To me the family cabana on pinnacles are 2-person cabanas but with a little extra space and a bigger view.

 

Sue/WDW1972

[Guest ldtr]

4 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I don't love comments like this.  Would you like if you booked a neptune suite or above and then hal told you here is this lovely inside room but don't let it ruin your vacation?  It would absolutely ruin mine.  I'm sure you could still have a lovely vacation in that inside room!

With appropriate compensation - sure

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

It's more likely in my mind that it was already booked and their system showed it as available.   Then a few days before sailing the error surfaced and then they kicked out the last person to book.   The remedy in my mind would be to comp two side by sides and toss in a HIA package..

 

Highly likely that a problem occurred somehow in the information in the land based and the ship based system had different information.  The timing fits when the information for the next cruise gets transferred to the ship and all shore side transactions get locked.  

[wdw1972]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

It's more likely in my mind that it was already booked and their system showed it as available.   Then a few days before sailing the error surfaced and then they kicked out the last person to book.   The remedy in my mind would be to comp two side by sides and toss in a HIA package..

 

I agree.  The chance of a family cabana on ANY ship being available to book in October for a December sailing (same year) is beyond believable.  Granted, an inexperienced person might not think anything of it when HAL said it was available.  Those cabanas disappear early & fast - similar to the pinnacle suite(s)!  It's a shame the OP was (most likely) misinformed by that HAL rep 😞

 

 

Sue/WDW1972

[Florida_gal_50]

8 minutes ago, iceman93 said:

 

That's not exactly what I suggested, but I would counter that it is helpful advice anyway (and advice can be either taken or ignored, so no need to be snippy).  You are now allowing this one thing to ruin your entire vacation.  That's your choice--it's your money and time with your family.  But it is what it is, and pouting or stewing (or complaining on CC) isn't going to change anything.  So you can accept it and make the best of the situation, trying to salvage some semblance of a good time, or just focus on the issue and be miserable.  It is 100% your choice.

People just love to minimize the feelings of others.  As I asked before, would you be happy with an inside room instead of a pinnacle suite or Neptune if hal kicked you out of it?  For some this is their big celebration, maybe a once in a long time cruise.  I know some people take cruises every other month.  Maybe that would be no big deal then.  Problems happen.  It’s how you fix them that matters.  Hal’s method is ignoring them and hoping they go away.  Just like the airlines that do nothing to fix their issues.  Now they are paying the price.

[iceman93]

17 minutes ago, iceman93 said:

So you can accept it and make the best of the situation, trying to salvage some semblance of a good time, or just focus on the issue and be miserable.  It is 100% your choice.

I just wanted to add that I'm not advising you to put on a happy face, forget about this, and sing a little tune.  You have every right to be upset and, if HAL doesn't resolve things to your satisfaction, never to sail HAL again.  But you do have a choice regarding your attitude regarding everything else on the voyage.

[Destiny0315]

3 hours ago, lagirlforjesus said:

It is not helpful when someone suggests that we should just accept this change and move on.

My question would be based on your profile name is, What would he do?

[Florida_gal_50]

I’m not buying that it was a computer problem.  Whenever I book a cabana I’m on hold forever while they go check whatever they check.  If this was such a archaic system there would be a lot more issues than this.  That said I can see hal having some kind of excel spreadsheet to keep this information 😛.  While I’ve never booked a holiday cruise close to the sailing I have booked a few cruises within 10 to 14 days of sailing I’ve always been able  snag a cabana.  On my American thanksgiving and the week before cruises I booked my cabana about 3 months before and had my choice.  Didn’t ask about the family cabana.

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 hour ago, lagirlforjesus said:

...

If HAL does the right thing then we will continue to cruise with them.  If not, then we will be leaving the line and head somewhere else and we will tell others of our experiences.  We will contact our local media outlets and tell them about the response that we received from HAL. We will utilize social media so that others are aware of the service that we received.  We will give the facts of the situation. 

 

 

This is the best approach and the only approach that will change HAL's behavior

[Sea42]

7 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

 

This is the best approach and the only approach that will change HAL's behavior

How much interest do you think local media would have in this issue? While it is disappointing for the OP I don't see it generating any outrage or even much interest to the average person. At best maybe a local ombudsman might look into it if the OP wasn't refunded their money for the cabana.

[leerathje]

2 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

How much interest do you think local media would have in this issue? While it is disappointing for the OP I don't see it generating any outrage or even much interest to the average person. At best maybe a local ombudsman might look into it if the OP wasn't refunded their money for the cabana.

 

My local media LOVES this stuff.

 

L.