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Sail Standby for $49 a day- new program

BermudaBound2014

By BermudaBound2014,
in Holland America Line

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mcrcruiser

mcrcruiser

Posted
Posted
On 11/26/2023 at 10:05 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

I think it's per person also due to the language that states $49 is for the first two people in the cabin with the 3rd and 4th free. 

 

BUT...... I wonder if a HUCA would produce different results?

 

I've been dealing with HAL this week to get the free gratuities applied to a booking which caused some other challenges. It's not the challenges that bug me, it's that every time I HUCA I get a different answer depending on whom I speak with.

 

In my experience, consistency is becoming a serious issue with HAL. I also have a Carnival and NCL booking coming up in January and both of those bookings have been seamless comparatively. With HAL, you just never know what the answer is going to be. Example, some people were able to get AARP OBC applied to already booked cruises while others weren't. On our roll call right now there is a person who was told she MUST use stockperks to obtain SOBC while another person stated she bypassed Stockperks and went right thru HAL the old fashioned way just a few days ago. There appears to be some inconsistencies in what counts for additional mariner days and don't even get me started with the website. 

 

HAL offers some great itineraries, but without that I'm not sure this company has any game left. 

That list seems at first to be enticing ;however ,it will not apply to us even though we are just 28 mies door to door  from the pier in SD  .We first must have a handicap balcony  .We have not sailed in any other category in over 25 years . si ut us yseless for us but perhaps good for others . 

 

 Imconsistent is yes in communicating with this cruise line . Most likely all of us posting on this thread  has had that happen  more than we like to admit .  

 

 CCL corp has said that they are saving a lot on their food  recently . for us who invest into CCL stock that is great but ,what about the ciustomer on the ship ;which we are as well ?  This past March we sailed on Celebrity soltive B2B for 15 wonderful days . Yes we are very high with X but ,that has nothing to do with comparing both lines .Definitely the food was better & more selections at dinner in the MDR .The entertainment was better because they had full shows every night  ie . Yes it was worth iit for us  .We just can not sail Celebrity because my DW no longer can fky & X rrarely sails from San Odro .They once sailed from San diego & wish they did this again .So we have adapted to HAL koningsdam ,the only ship we would consider sailing on with HAL from our local port SD 

 

 We are not against HAL as we can stay busy wotjh what they do offer but ,ues there are vast differences between HAL &  Celebrity

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Host Kat Holiday Sharing Rare

Host Kat

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, DesertRat46 said:

Anyone on CC attempted to book the new stand-by cabin?

It seems to me that you are most likely to get an insider cabin/ Hope to learn from experienced cruisers.

 

Hello @DesertRat46

 

Your new thread has been merged into the existing thread regarding your topic.

 

I suggest you use the Follow feature on any new threads you start or any other threads where you are interested in the new replies. That way you will not have to go looking to see if there are new posts because they will come looking for you as notifications. If you need information on how to do it, please click here: How to: Follow Topics & Forums (Subscribed Threads/Forums Info)

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

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Raybit

Raybit

Posted
Posted

On the list for a 7 day out of San Diego in January.  Simple phone call, you put the money up front, it gets refunded ONLY if you do not get selected.  Agent stated it was first come, first served with no choice but room could be anything from Inside to Veranda.  We'll see how it goes!

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Sea42

Sea42

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Raybit said:

On the list for a 7 day out of San Diego in January.  Simple phone call, you put the money up front, it gets refunded ONLY if you do not get selected.  Agent stated it was first come, first served with no choice but room could be anything from Inside to Veranda.  We'll see how it goes!

If you asked, did they tell you how many people were on the list ahead of you?

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Laurie59

Laurie59

Posted
Posted
21 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

If you asked, did they tell you how many people were on the list ahead of you?

We did sign up for a cruise for March but did not say how many were in front of us…I asked and she said it’s a new program

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Laurie59

Laurie59

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, SanniAtTheBeach said:

I called for more info…if you don’t get to cruise, it takes 4-6 weeks to get your money back. Nope. I don’t give interest-free loans to corporations.

Didn’t realize refund will take that long. At this point you pay upfront anyway and money is sitting for months,

you will never do a river cruise on Viking. You need to pay in full when you book which is usually more than a year out

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Xcelsior

Xcelsior

Posted
Posted (edited)

Providing an update on my situation.  I was on Standby for Dec 27th sailing.  I was told by the agent when I put down my deposit that I would be advised by email 7 days prior to sailing as to whether or not there was a cabin available. There was much confusion between the date I made the payment and today as to whether or not I was waitlisted for a Category N stateroom, or truly on the Standby program. The email confirmation they sent me said Waitlisted for Category N, no amount of money paid showing - just that a deposit was PAID and zero dollars were owing.  Yesterday (7 days prior to sailing date) I was told that I would get an email most likely in the morning.  Nothing came by end of day.  Last night I called and I had a very rude agent tell me that I would be advised "within" 7 days of sailing -- with no deadline as to when one would actually know.  Anything up to the day before sailing!  The HAL website clearly states "approximately 7 days" prior....yet nobody could give me a clear definition of what "approximate" was.  This morning I called again and got an even ruder resolution agent when I requested to speak to a supervisor.  She literally shouted at me for 15 minutes --- telling me the agent should never have booked me for this, that it was again "within" 7 days...and when asked why their website stated something completely different she told me that she was "not the website developer" and "what exactly would I like her to do?".  All I was seeking was clarification of a deadline that I would be notified as their actions were not in keeping with the spirit of what I was sold or the terms stated on their own website.  I demanded it be cancelled and refunded if they could not keep their word as promised.  She relented surprsingly.  This entire ordeal has left a very bad impression of HAL - a line I haven't sailed on in over 20 years, but used to enjoy very much.  Needless to say, I will never even consider sailing with HAL in the future.  I will stick with Celebrity and Azamara.  They're not perfect, but at least my dollars won't be going towards the salaries of the rudest customer service agents I have ever dealt with at any cruise line.  In short --- AVOID THIS PROGRAM.  At least for now.  It's a total scam.  I was never seeking a bargain when I paid this deposit - I called to make a reservation at the advertised rate --- but my luck the last cabin sold out same day I called.  I didn't even know about the program - the agent recommended it to me.  Never again!  I hope this info helps others avoid the frustrations I encountered.   The ill-trained and sarcastic resolution agent was literally blaming me for signing up when their agent talked me into it.  Totally bizarre.

Edited by Xcelsior
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Troysers1

Troysers1

Posted
Posted

I thought I would share my experience so far in case others run into similar problems.

 

In November paid total for standby on a late March cruise through my travel agent.

 

I received an email on Wednesday from my TA that I have cleared the list and was assigned an interior stateroom much to my surprise as I had thought I would only receive confirmation approximately seven days before cruise departure.

 

Yesterday, it turns out, according to my TA, that Holland agents are not well versed on this program, and there was confusion between being "Standby" versus "waitlisted."  When my TA made the reservation I was charged the full standby fare (as per my request); however, in Holland's system I was coded as "waitlisted" for an interior cabin.  I "cleared" the "waitlist" when an interior cabin became available and Holland reached out to my TA to receive further payment from me as the price for an interior cabin at the prevailing rates were higher than the total standby cost.

 

Apparently, my TA has had to go through several HA agents and their supervisor to have me added back on to the standby list (including waiving any penalty charges for changes) and to the position I was in originally as the standby list is supposed to be handled on a first come first served basis.

 

It would be interesting to hear whether anybody has successfully been assigned a cabin for a December or early January cruise.

 

I hope Holland is not just using this to help them with temporary cash flow.  While no direct impact on their income statement, any cash they receive from this program could reduce any interest payments they would otherwise have to make (which would have any impact on their bottom line).

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Laurie59

Laurie59

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Troysers1 said:

I thought I would share my experience so far in case others run into similar problems.

 

In November paid total for standby on a late March cruise through my travel agent.

 

I received an email on Wednesday from my TA that I have cleared the list and was assigned an interior stateroom much to my surprise as I had thought I would only receive confirmation approximately seven days before cruise departure.

 

Yesterday, it turns out, according to my TA, that Holland agents are not well versed on this program, and there was confusion between being "Standby" versus "waitlisted."  When my TA made the reservation I was charged the full standby fare (as per my request); however, in Holland's system I was coded as "waitlisted" for an interior cabin.  I "cleared" the "waitlist" when an interior cabin became available and Holland reached out to my TA to receive further payment from me as the price for an interior cabin at the prevailing rates were higher than the total standby cost.

 

Apparently, my TA has had to go through several HA agents and their supervisor to have me added back on to the standby list (including waiving any penalty charges for changes) and to the position I was in originally as the standby list is supposed to be handled on a first come first served basis.

 

It would be interesting to hear whether anybody has successfully been assigned a cabin for a December or early January cruise.

 

I hope Holland is not just using this to help them with temporary cash flow.  While no direct impact on their income statement, any cash they receive from this program could reduce any interest payments they would otherwise have to make (which would have any impact on their bottom line).

 

2 hours ago, Troysers1 said:

I thought I would share my experience so far in case others run into similar problems.

 

In November paid total for standby on a late March cruise through my travel agent.

 

I received an email on Wednesday from my TA that I have cleared the list and was assigned an interior stateroom much to my surprise as I had thought I would only receive confirmation approximately seven days before cruise departure.

 

Yesterday, it turns out, according to my TA, that Holland agents are not well versed on this program, and there was confusion between being "Standby" versus "waitlisted."  When my TA made the reservation I was charged the full standby fare (as per my request); however, in Holland's system I was coded as "waitlisted" for an interior cabin.  I "cleared" the "waitlist" when an interior cabin became available and Holland reached out to my TA to receive further payment from me as the price for an interior cabin at the prevailing rates were higher than the total standby cost.

 

Apparently, my TA has had to go through several HA agents and their supervisor to have me added back on to the standby list (including waiving any penalty charges for changes) and to the position I was in originally as the standby list is supposed to be handled on a first come first served basis.

 

It would be interesting to hear whether anybody has successfully been assigned a cabin for a December or early January cruise.

 

I hope Holland is not just using this to help them with temporary cash flow.  While no direct impact on their income statement, any cash they receive from this program could reduce any interest payments they would otherwise have to make (which would have any impact on their bottom line).

We are also trying the stand by program for a March cruise and it’s listed as waitlisted not standby. I can see why that happened!  It is too new a program for the agents to know what they are doing. I’m sure there no where to code standby. It will interesting for sure

 

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rj59

rj59

Posted
Posted

When I called, I heard the agent saying 'standby' as he searched for it, but after that it was simple, and I'm on standby for Koningsdam on Jan 6, with a refundable flight booked. The most surprising thing is that they only charged me $49/nt, even though I'm going solo, so that would be a wonderful option for a flexible solo cruiser. I'm afraid that by paying half as much as a couple, I'd be at lower priority for when and if they actually have standby spots. The agent rattled off the verbiage about not being able to change your mind if you get a spot, etc, so the procedures and coding are there for agents, but it's unreasonable to expect them to be able to be able to tell you exactly when you might be assigned a cabin or how many people are on a list, just as you never know when you'll actually be assigned a guarantee cabin or upgrade, but it gives the same feeling of excitement.  Sticking to 7 days notification would be foolish for them and bad for me, because what if somebody gets sick the day before a cruise and cancels? I'd want to be able to get that cabin, even if it is completely last minute. While I did manage to get shareholder OBC assigned to the standby sailing, there's no option to purchase excursions. With so many of the Mexico cruises already sold out, I'm not holding out hope of getting a spot, and a ship at 100% or higher capacity isn't the best experience, but with the nice solo discount over all other cruises, it's worth a shot and having them hold onto my money for a while. 

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TiogaCruiser "Live from...." Rare

TiogaCruiser

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, rj59 said:

When I called, I heard the agent saying 'standby' as he searched for it, but after that it was simple, and I'm on standby for Koningsdam on Jan 6, with a refundable flight booked. The most surprising thing is that they only charged me $49/nt, even though I'm going solo, so that would be a wonderful option for a flexible solo cruiser. I'm afraid that by paying half as much as a couple, I'd be at lower priority for when and if they actually have standby spots. The agent rattled off the verbiage about not being able to change your mind if you get a spot, etc, so the procedures and coding are there for agents, but it's unreasonable to expect them to be able to be able to tell you exactly when you might be assigned a cabin or how many people are on a list, just as you never know when you'll actually be assigned a guarantee cabin or upgrade, but it gives the same feeling of excitement.  Sticking to 7 days notification would be foolish for them and bad for me, because what if somebody gets sick the day before a cruise and cancels? I'd want to be able to get that cabin, even if it is completely last minute. While I did manage to get shareholder OBC assigned to the standby sailing, there's no option to purchase excursions. With so many of the Mexico cruises already sold out, I'm not holding out hope of getting a spot, and a ship at 100% or higher capacity isn't the best experience, but with the nice solo discount over all other cruises, it's worth a shot and having them hold onto my money for a while. 

It sounds like this program is a good match for you. (It’s also something I would consider. ) Perhaps it’s not the best fit for OP and others.

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boze9999

boze9999

Posted
Posted
40 minutes ago, Commodore2022 said:

Has anybody been accepted? We are on standby for two out of San Diego, January 6th to Baja and January 13th to Hawaii. Booked December 5th.

Looking forward to seeing how this new experiment goes! Thanks for being our guinea pig!

 

 

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Suncitycruiser1925

Suncitycruiser1925

Posted
Posted
On 11/28/2023 at 3:45 PM, TiogaCruiser said:

Then there is/was the “free” inside cabins offered for the cost of port fees,taxes and gratuities that were coded as Casino fares but were not related to the casino. $49pp/pd is greater than 0.

How do you get notifications of "free inside cabins", just need to pay taxes and port charges?  We signed up on HAL's website for offers, but never got this promo.  Thanks.

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TiogaCruiser "Live from...." Rare

TiogaCruiser

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Suncitycruiser1925 said:

How do you get notifications of "free inside cabins", just need to pay taxes and port charges?  We signed up on HAL's website for offers, but never got this promo.  Thanks.

It was a Mariner private sale. I think HAL occasionally targets specific demographics that they think might help them in the long term. 

My guess is that DH got the offer because he had not booked a cruise ( under his name) in many years ( I normally book us, and I’ve done some solos) and he reached a particular milestone age that makes it likely he’ll have or has more free time on his hands ( and perhaps more likely to book more cruises).😉

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