HAL-Disappointment

[wheelchair cruiser]

I am very disappointed with HAL. I am a solo traveler plus I'm in a wheelchair. While most of the personnel on the ms Noordam was very helpful and respectful, one stands out as not. Their land based operations were not really any better to talk too. The land based operation lies to you and patronizes you.

I was the hit of the cruise, 01-27-07 abord the Noordam, with passengers and personnel.

I booked a 26-day cruise with HAL. I think I may have to cancel it.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wish you would give us more details about your bad experiences concerning how they treated you a wheel chair person and what went wrong sp that other wheel chair people may be able to avoid these problems..

[dakrewser]

Most of the "land based" personnel (for embarkation and debarkation) are port employees, not HALs. Or were you referring to something else?

 

We'd really appreciate some details of what happened.

[J&R Cruisers]

How about some details. Just what took place to make you so upset. Tell us your problems and maybe some one could help and make sure your problems do not continue!:cool:

[sail7seas]

Did you have a problem disembarking? In the terminal? You say you were the 'hit of the cruise' so whatever happened must have happened as you left the ship? I'm like the others......trying to understand.

 

[wheelchair cruiser]

Everyone, it's not disembarking, it's the office personnel. I know they have a job to do but they don't have to be rude and disrespectful.

[PrincessYoga]

What happened???

[Pyrate13]

Just telling us the "office personel don't have to be rude" tells us nothing. Until I see something more specific which can be addressed I have to take you complaint with a grain of salt. Certainly you can see that your statement is so general and uninformative that it is not going to help anyone, least of all, yourself.

[canadagal]

Hello wheelchair cruiser.......I think I may have been on the Noordam with you. Are you the lovely lass that was trying to talk a woman with long blonde hair into going on the Amazon cruise with you while seated at the cruise booking desk?

[tonykj1]

I'm confused... Did something change in between your post on 2/9 and your post on 2/17? I think if you gave more details about your disappointment, it would promote a more productive discussion. Everyone on the board wants to help you :)

 

Tony

 

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32

February 9th, 2007, 04:11 AM

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Cool Cruiser

 

Join Date: Feb 2007

Location: Hensley, AR

Posts: 3

 

 

 

Hello Bulldog! The cruise was great wasn't it?

 

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#1

Yesterday, 05:28 AM

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Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Feb 2007

Location: Hensley, AR

Posts: 3

 

 

HAL-Disappointment

I am very disappointed with HAL. I am a solo traveler plus I'm in a wheelchair. While most of the personnel on the ms Noordam was very helpful and respectful, one stands out as not. Their land based operations were not really any better to talk too. The land based operation lies to you and patronizes you.

I was the hit of the cruise, 01-27-07 abord the Noordam, with passengers and personnel.

I booked a 26-day cruise with HAL. I think I may have to cancel it.

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[MercedMike]

Everyone, it's not disembarking, it's the office personnel. I know they have a job to do but they don't have to be rude and disrespectful.

 

Well, I do have to say that I think it is a job requirement for the land based "Customer Non-Service" personnel that they learn to be rude and unhelpful. It seems to be pretty much a given on all cruise lines. My DW the TA spends half her working day on the phone for her clients trying to straighten out stuff they have messed up and she is routinely appalled at their uncaring attitude. I certainly wouldn't let it ruin your cruise.

 

As everyone else has said, "drive by bashing" by just complaining without giving any sort of details really is sort of pointless and tends to get ignored on the boards.

[niborHS]

MercedMike, you are so correct about it being a requirement for the job. 10 years ago my husband was seriously injured in St Martin and was flow back to NY on a medical plane sent by American Express. It could not accomodate me and my children, who were 11 & 8 at the time. We had to stay on board until the next day when the cruise ended in San Juan, and take our normally scheuled flight home. You can imagine what it was like to pack up our entire family, worry about my husband having surgery, and take care of 2 young boys. We were on a RCCL cruise, and no one would go out of their way one bit to try to help me or accommodate any of my requests. I wanted to get off the ship early so that I could call the hospital in NY, and they would not even accommodate that. And, mind you, we were in a suite, which gets early debarkation on other lines. Whatever I asked for, they were absolutely no help with. Then, when they handed out the airline tickets, the seat assignments for the 3 of us were all over the airplane. That was the final straw, especially with my 8 year old who at that time would not sit next to a stranger.After going through something so traumatic, I don't think it would have been too much to ask that I be seated with my children for a 4+ hour flight.

[cod]

Robinsilver, what a terrible time for you. Since you don't say, I'm assuming that all turned out okay. (Hopefully so!)

 

As for non-service personal, this is my take on my few dealings with HAL. I work part-time as a TA and booked my daughter's upcoming Amsterdam cruise. We live in what I call 'Carnival Country' with a smidgeon of RC thrown in. This is the first time I've booked anything but those two lines and although CCL is not my favorite, I do find the reservations agents at both ccl and rc to be very friendly and helpful. My couple of calls to HAL have painted a very different picture. They do sound like there noses are pointed straight up in the air. Sorry to put it like this but it really is a fitting description. But no matter, the cruise and the people they will actually interact with are most important!!

 

I've personally cruised X, NCL, CCL and RCI. I would have rated them all about equal at one time as I've found things on each that I liked better than the others. However, our Liberty cruise has put Carnival in the cellar with little chance of climbing out. Now I'm anxiouly awaiting family feedback on HAL!!

[wheelchair cruiser]

canadagal, that was me!

Robinsilver, I would have tried to help you.

I don't really want to go into it, I just think the office personnel are rude and patronizing.

cod, your daughter will have a wonderful cruise! The crew of the ship's are excellent!

[canadagal]

Wheelchair cruiser: I thought it was you. That's was me..... the lady, with the long blonde hair.....we ran into each other several times on the cruise. I think even on the last morning while you were having breakfast in the lido I put my arm around you, wished you luck with the problems you were having with Hal regarding your Amazon cruise. I told you to share your problem with the folks on CC as they might be able to help. I hope you got that resolved. If not, I urge you to look for help here, as the people on Cruise Critic are very willing to help someone out and they are quite knowledgeable about who to go to as well to get things resolved. They will eagerly help but you do have to describe the problem first. I sincerely hope that it all works out for you and that you will be able to take your dream cruise. You seemed so excited about it on the ship. Don't know if the rude office personal was related to that problem or something else but don't let that put you off another cruise. If I let every rude office person or reservationist get to me I would have stopped cruising a long time ago. It's the ship's crew that make or break a cruise and we all know that the crew on the Noordam were tops.

Your warm, bubbly, enthusiastic, personality is an inspiration to all, not just handicapped people and anyone that crossed paths with you on a cruise would surely remember you. So please let us all help you in return. I was truly touched having had the pleasure of meeting you.

Pat

[Navy_Chief]

I don't really want to go into it, I just think the office personnel are rude and patronizing.

 

Well I guess that puts this thread to rest. Nothing we can do with this. Sorry to hear you had such problems that made you deside to stop using HAL. Hope you have better luck on another line.

[mamaofami]

I hope that wheelchair cruiser's experience has nothing to do with the fact that she was traveling in a wheel chair. Regardless, when people go out of their way for me, I make it a point of noting their names and giving a favorable report to their department head. Ditto, when something goes very wrong. Since HAL has us fill out evaluations about everything on the ship, I am sure that reporting this incident to the right person would help your fellow travelers not be treated in the same way. The home office can't help anyone who doesn't report what happened.

 

Sometimes people are rude because they are rushed, but that doesn't excuse their behavior. The staff as well as the crew on board should be there to help you. Many of your fellow cruisers have posted here that they want to help, but unless you tell us what happened, we can only assume it isn't something of a huge nature...just a small unreportable incident. Please let us know so we can help. There are many knowledgable people who post here.

 

As far as the woman whose husband was medically evacuated, that is really a terrible story. I saw on this board yesterday pictures of a medical evacuation off the Noordam two cruises ago. They said the injured passenger was lifted by basket to the helicopter and I also wondered about his traveling companion if he had one.

 

Something should be done to assure that when an emergency happens the family is helped to pack and get home. What if the passenger is too sick to report properly to the doctor at the hospital he is taken to? How does this work?

 

I would love to hear from others who have had this experience. Does trip evacuation insurance only cover the sick passenger or is the companion also given help? Medical emergencies can happen to the young as well as the old, so this would be something of interest to us all.

 

Interesting topic for some research and discussion.

[cprofits]

I'm sorry that happened to you. I had a completely different situation on Carnival. My mother passed away (at home) while I was on a Carnival ship. We came back to our cabin from a port day and the light was flashing on our phone. We called the front desk and they asked us to come to the purser's office. You can imagine the thoughts that were running through our heads. My young son was at home with relatives, I was sure something had happened to him. As soon as we identified ourselves, we were ushered into a back room and were told that I needed to call my sister as there was a serious problem at home. No one on the ship told me any details. They left us in a private room and told us to call whomever we wanted/talk as long as necessary as there would be no charges (this was back when it cost a million dollars a minute to call from the ship). I spoke to my sister and spent the rest of the cruise, two sea days, in a daze. Carnival employees bent over backwards to help me. They offered the telephone for the rest of the cruise, they brought complete meals (unheard of for Carnival) to our cabin, they sent a condolence letter to our cabin, they offered to pack for me, they offered to help arrange any special/different travel arrangements once we docked, they told us not to put our luggage outside the evening before we docked and they sent an employee to our cabin when we docked who escorted us and our luggage immediately off the ship, stayed with us through customs and personally put us in a cab to the airport. This has been eight years ago and I still remember it all very clearly. They really did all they could to help me in any way and I feel they were very sympathetic to my situation.

[sail7seas]

If a guest is medically airlifted/removed from a ship, the family and/or traveling companions absolutely get assistance from the crew.

 

We personally saw the excellent care that was given to a lovely woman who's husband was airlifted from Veendam off the coast of Virginia on a cruise we embarked in New York. DH and I had a table for four that had been set for the two of us. Because of the way she was being treated at another table, my DH approached her and asked she dine with us. She accepted the invitation.

 

She could not go on the helicopter with her husband. Weight/space limits. Because of our itinerary, it was three days until she could disembark to join her husband. Maitre d' insisted she could not stay in her cabin for the three days worrying her head off. He pleaded with her to come to the dining room each evening. The Front Office kept in constant communication with her. They placed calls for her to the hospital where her husband was taken. She was advised of all that was occuring and participated in decision making. We know this first hand from her mouth.

 

Ultimately, the office helped her arrange a flight (I don't recall from which port), they helped her with all details, they showed every kindness and courtesy.

 

 

We personally know of instances when ladies from the front office have packed up ill people/assisted the husband's/wives/traveling companions of medical debarking guests.

 

I am sure that somewhere out there is an example of a time more could have been done. But it is very rare.

 

Everyone feels bad to see someone become seriously ill far from home. We all recognize the added hardships involved and while the crew on ships are professional at their jobs, they are people with feelings and assist in every way one would expect.

 

To OP: I am very sorry you seem to be unhappy about something that happened but I puzzle why you say you don't wish to talk about it. You started the thread presumably for the purpose of talking about it. We cannot understand what the issue is or what should/should not have happened and, therefore, cannot assist in any way.

 

Hope you find a solution that is satisfactory to you.

 

[mamaofami]

Thank you sail7seas for that answer. It's good to know that help is available if we need it. You are right. No one likes to get sick away from home!

 

Other emergencies happen too. People aboard another line talked to me once when we were aboard a Hal ship. It was 9/11 and they found the staff of the ship very unresponsive to the needs of the passengers who wanted to arrange for a memorial service while at sea. I can't imagine the HAL staff not responding to such a simple request.

[Sea King]

OP: really don't understand why you even posted:confused:

 

you obviously wanted to share your experience on CC; the problem quite honestly is you haven't told "us" anything

 

with all due respect to you, having a complaint and not telling someone about it IMHO is almost as bad if not worse that encountering a problem on board and then not bringing your complaint to someone so you can give the ship the opportunity of trying to remedy it .. if you don't, IMO you really have no "legitimate" reason to gripe

 

in effect, everyone reading this thread is "supposed to guess" what happened or what went wrong

 

that's not right and IMO not fair to HAL (or any other cruise line)

 

HAL is far from perfect; but at least, my experience has been an attempt to correct a situation will be made if you tell someone about a particular problem

[NotRobinSilver]

As the one who was evacuated, what was strange was the inconsistent treatment we received.

 

I was hurt in St. Martin (fractured pelvis) and could not walk. At first RCC said they would not let me and my family back on because of liability purposes. At that point the lawyer in me came out (I only do tax work) and told them if they left us on St. Martin, I would teach them the meaning of the word "liability".

 

The let us back on and put in in the infirmary. At that point they were really great to me. The room did not have a television. They immediately had 2 engineers install one in the room. The nurse spent the night sitting next to me and made sure I was comfortable and relatively pain free.

 

The next day, Amex sent a plane to St. Thomas and took me home. It was then that they started ignoring Robin. They would not give her the right time of day. Fortunately we had met 2 couples from home on the ship and they helped her but traveling with 2 young children under the stress, the line could have been more accomodating.

 

Fortunately, I was not permanently injured but I will never set foot on a RCC ship again.

 

Steve

[Boatdrill]

Most of the "land based" personnel (for embarkation and debarkation) are port employees, not HALs.

 

Check-in staff are employed by HAL, not the port.

[wheelchair cruiser]

Everyone, you're right. I was following what was told to me by the crew of the Noordam, following protocal, on applying for a new position onboard. When the reception found that I was in a wheelchair and seeking employment, it was like she laughed at me and didn't take me seriously!

I am serious, I would love the opportunity to help others, as an assistant cruise director or in a new position or both. With cruise ships having to adhere to the ADA, what better way to adhere than to have an onboard wheelchair user?

I am more than qualified, being in a wheelchair for about 27 years and having a college degree. And my running a trucking company should prove to everyone that I can get the job done.

[kryos]

We personally saw the excellent care that was given to a lovely woman who's husband was airlifted from Veendam off the coast of Virginia on a cruise we embarked in New York.

I believe HAL also makes the services/attentions of the onboard chaplain available if the family requests it as well.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita