Sail Standby for $49 a day- new program

[ChinaShrek]

53 minutes ago, publicpersona said:

So I guess that you no longer cruise because you have no assurance that the cruise ship is actually going anywhere. 

I cruise assuming that the cruise may or may not even sail and that the itinerary isn't really ever "set."  Live dangerously!

Edited January 5 by ChinaShrek

[lvz2cruz]

Very interesting. 

[rj59]

Drawbacks of the process: I never received a boarding pass in the app, only a generic one online with no bar code. So when I showed up at noon with no boarding time, I was told I’d have to wait until after 2, which I ignored and snuck through after luggage drop. Then the face scan didn’t work, and so after waiting in another line, they couldn’t print out a bar code to scan. Fortunately, ship security saw me in the system and let me on. The other system failure was that my $200 in military/stockholder credit didn’t appear, and the HAL rep I called said OBC can’t be applied after a cruise has started. So l’m not feeling real good about the standby program or about HAL now. The stress and uncertainty I’ve experienced the past 7 days are fairly strong and unpleasant, so I’m not sure if it’s worth the cost savings. 

[oakridger]

@rj59 thanks for letting us know your experience. 

 

I hope that the cruise itself will be great and you can finally relax!  Bon Voyage!!

 

 

~Nancy

[St Pete Cruiser]

The rules included no OBC.

[syesmar]

On 1/5/2024 at 8:11 AM, publicpersona said:

“…HAL, which wrote the terms after all, basically said ...Are you willing to put money at risk that you can be flexible enough to make arrangements to cruise about a week before departure?

but what they are delivering is ...Are you willing to put money at risk that you can be flexible enough to make arrangements to cruise within 48 hours of departure?

That's very different….”

Very different, indeed! I don’t know anyone who would equate “approximately 7 days” with only 2 days. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Edited January 7 by syesmar

[Skvalloney]

On 12/27/2023 at 8:50 PM, 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.

Did you get on your standby cruise???

[zgscl]

On 1/6/2024 at 3:33 PM, rj59 said:

Drawbacks of the process: I never received a boarding pass in the app, only a generic one online with no bar code. So when I showed up at noon with no boarding time, I was told I’d have to wait until after 2, which I ignored and snuck through after luggage drop. Then the face scan didn’t work, and so after waiting in another line, they couldn’t print out a bar code to scan. Fortunately, ship security saw me in the system and let me on. The other system failure was that my $200 in military/stockholder credit didn’t appear, and the HAL rep I called said OBC can’t be applied after a cruise has started. So l’m not feeling real good about the standby program or about HAL now. The stress and uncertainty I’ve experienced the past 7 days are fairly strong and unpleasant, so I’m not sure if it’s worth the cost savings. 

I don't think that I could take the stress of maybe going, maybe not going and not knowing the room type until so late. Glad you got a great room! 

[cbr663]

When I read the T&Cs for the programme even though it stated that you will receive confirmation from HAL approximately 7 days before the cruise departure, I placed more emphasis on the statement, "...is intended for those residing within driving distance from a port."

 

When I think about Standby for planes, for instance, you are typically at the gate waiting to see if you can board the flight.  Within driving distance of a port indicates to me that a short notice should be expected.  Standby also indicates to me that you should be all ready to go at a moments notice, not wait to get the confirmation and then get ready to go.  Seven days prior and almost anyone in the world could get there and I don't think that is the intention.

 

The T&Cs also state that guests who want the option to not sail should opt to go on the cruise waitlist instead.  

[CGinMTL]

Agreed,  this program is not a fit for every personality.

The lessons learned are good to help us figure if this program is right for you.

Also, you have to plan everything as if you were going,

And then be disappointed if you are not 

I planning a cruise in 48 hours, that would stress me out

[rj59]

More issues on board: I got a letter saying my account was frozen because I hadn’t submitted a credit card. I also was asked for am emergency contact. So it seems check-in info didn’t make it to the ship’s system within 2 days. I also got a more formal denial of military/shareholder OBC, saying they are not valid for this promotion. I wouldn’t risk buying HIA before the cruise, though, in case it also fails to show up in the ship’s system. Future guinea pigs can let us know if the cabins turn out to be as nice as the suites for me and the other poster.

[syesmar]

On 1/9/2024 at 8:28 PM, cbr663 said:

…Seven days prior and almost anyone in the world could get there and I don't think that is the intention.

The T&Cs also state that guests who want the option to not sail should opt to go on the cruise waitlist instead.  

If HAL doesn’t intend to notify people “approximately 7 days prior” then they need to update the wording to be more accurate, or have a “B” option for those who could sail in an even shorter window (I would imagine there would still be some willing to do so, though certainly not all).

There is a vast different between 2 days and 7 days when it comes to preparing for a trip. The customer should be able to depend on a common sense definition of “approximately” and in Raybit’s case, it was not.

Edited January 13 by syesmar

[Raybit]

Update:  We were notified at 1533 on Thursday that we were accepted for the Saturday 1500 sailing…and decided to go.  This was too close to sailing to complete online checkin, and even calling HA and having them try to enter data was unsuccessful. As Rj mentioned, the port staff were not sure how to handle standby passengers as we had no boarding pass with a barcode.  Advice is to just proceed to actual check in desk but even then, after manually having photos taken, data entered (to included credit card), and completed we boarded the ship with an unsigned yellow sticky that said, “Standby passengers, not in the system, use passport”.  

 

Also as Rj mentioned, account wasn’t properly set up, so even though we did pre-purchase the HIA charges showed up for three days and twice we were unable to make a purchase since “no CC was on file.”  I did have a hard copy of the Shareholder Credit email that stated that we were to received $100 OBC and while it was rejected twice we stuck to our guns and received it.  No Military/AARP credit thought as mentioned. Eventually everything worked out, but spent too much time in Customer Service line - will give it time to settle out next time…

 

We are writing off some of this to this being the first Standby out of San Diego.  We enjoyed the onboard experience enough that I called HA from the Customer Service desk and was placed on the Standby List for a March cruise.  Interestingly, the HA Agent was out of Florida and had sailed twice on Standby herself.  The statement she read to me to confirm booking varied in that it said confirmation would come approximately one week out but could be anytime up to embarkation day.  She also stated that she was surprised by the late notice we had received on this cruise and that 3-5 days was more typical, though this was just her opinion based on her experiences.  However the statement in the email confirmation that I received was the same as on the original Standby Program pdf - “approximately 7 days”.  

 

As mentioned, we are already on the list again, but we hope that HA refines its processes and communications as it continues.  Hopefully all of the posts by our fellow HA cruisers enable you to make a better informed decision!  

 

We will be making some specific suggestions to HA as well 😉 

[publicpersona]

1 hour ago, Raybit said:

Update:  

 

Just wanted to say thank you very much for sharing your experience.

[publicpersona]

To those who have been notified that you have cleared standby and are on the cruise, as well as those notified that you have not …

 

How were you notified? Were you called, or receive an email or text, or were you watching your reservation on their website and saw a change such as stateroom assignment?
 

And of course please share how much time before embarkation you found out. 

[Raybit]

PublicPersona - we were notified by email ~47.5 hours before sailing.  After receiving the email we checked our boarding and our cabin assignment was there.  We the called and successfully added HIA.  Also tried to get JA help with online boarding but it was too late leading to the problems described in previous posts.  Good luck!!

[FlorenceItaly]

4 hours ago, Raybit said:

PublicPersona - we were notified by email ~47.5 hours before sailing.  After receiving the email we checked our boarding and our cabin assignment was there.  We the called and successfully added HIA.  Also tried to get JA help with online boarding but it was too late leading to the problems described in previous posts.  Good luck!!

Thank you so much for sharing!  What category of cabin did you receive?

Have a wonderful cruise.

[Raybit]

We received an Aft Vista Suite, 4221.

[rj59]

I received a booking confirmation with cabin assignment, and then a separate email from a Cabin Assignment Specialist congratulating me and inviting me to add HIA. What was weird about it was the updated invoice billed me an extra $24, which after chatting with a HAL rep, I saw was an airport transfer I'd never ordered, so I had it refunded. It was Thursday afternoon, for a Saturday sailing. What was worrying is that the spot for printing a boarding pass online was grayed out the first 24 hours or so, but then I was at least able to print out one with cabin number, but no boarding time, and a boarding pass never appeared on the app. So definitely print out the booking confirmation to show at the port, so you can get inside and they can look you up on the computers. None of the port people or front desk people were aware of the standby plan, so I eventually just said I was a last-minute booking. Then when you get a chance, go to the front desk and give them a credit card or any other info that didn't make it to the ship in time. 

[Haljo1935]

13 hours ago, Raybit said:

We received an Aft Vista Suite, 4221.

That's a nice location - hope you enjoy the cruise and the hassles fade away.

[SittingDuck]

We signed up STANDBY on Jan. 4 for a HAL cruise departing Friday, Jan. 26. We were told we would be notified approx. 7 days before departure. I will update this post as we draw nearer to the departure date and when and how we are notified of our go-no go status. 🙂 
Also, if we don't get to go...how long it takes to get our refund. 🙂
Today is 8 days till departure. 

[Troysers1]

3 hours ago, SittingDuck said:

We signed up STANDBY on Jan. 4 for a HAL cruise departing Friday, Jan. 26. We were told we would be notified approx. 7 days before departure. I will update this post as we draw nearer to the departure date and when and how we are notified of our go-no go status. 🙂 
Also, if we don't get to go...how long it takes to get our refund. 🙂
Today is 8 days till departure. 

Given that the January 26 cruise is shown as being sold out (as are most cruises for Holland in January) it would appear you would only be selected if there was a cancellation.  Given that you joined the standby program relatively close to sail date, it would be surprising if you were to clear the list if HA is truly using a first come, first served model.

[Mary229]

11 minutes ago, Troysers1 said:

Given that the January 26 cruise is shown as being sold out (as are most cruises for Holland in January) it would appear you would only be selected if there was a cancellation.  Given that you joined the standby program relatively close to sail date, it would be surprising if you were to clear the list if HA is truly using a first come, first served model.

HAL seems to be using “sold out” for inventory management.  It is not a reliable indicator. 

[Troysers1]

18 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

HAL seems to be using “sold out” for inventory management.  It is not a reliable indicator. 

Genuinely trying to understand.  You are saying that HAL is showing all sailings in January as sold out (with the exception of a few 14+ sailings) where possibly there are some unsold cabins that they would like to sell in the hopes of ........?

[Mary229]

56 minutes ago, Troysers1 said:

Genuinely trying to understand.  You are saying that HAL is showing all sailings in January as sold out (with the exception of a few 14+ sailings) where possibly there are some unsold cabins that they would like to sell in the hopes of ........?

They are making sure they don’t oversell and trying to maximize fares through upsells.  In the last few weeks they make guaranteed assignments, offer upsells, perhaps add promotion guests and so on. This new program allows them to get it right before re-offering rooms.