Frustrated and Need to Vent :)

[jhannah]

FANTASTIC!!! I know that's a load off your mind. Enjoy your holidays.

[cp556]

That's great news, Pam ... I'm so happy for you. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas......

 

Carol in SC

[COLLEYBERRY]

Wonderful news !! Have a lovely Christmas.

Lot's of people here were wishing you well. Enjoy your cruise:)

[havepassportwilltravel]

Hi Pam -- I was doing a search on threads re "Antarctica" and saw your posting (and follow-up). Good to know someone way up the food chain is reading CruiseCritic! Actually, on the Constellation in the Baltics this summer, the captain showed up at several Cruise Critic events and then invited us all to a private tour of the bridge while leaving Stockholm. It was fabulous.

 

Bob and I are leaving on the 30th for Buenos Aires. On the 1st, we fly to Ushuaia where we board the Corinthian II for almost two weeks in Antarctica. My goal was to set foot on the continent, and hopefully that will happen. (Weather and sea conditions permitting!) Fun to know you'll be sailing down there at the same time.

 

Have a great trip! Hope to see you some time again on the high seas.

 

(and Happy New Year!)

 

Blessings --

 

Cathy

[Pam in CA]

Have a great trip! Hope to see you some time again on the high seas.

Cathy, sounds like you're going to have a terrific trip and will keep my fingers crossed that you'll be able to set foot on Antarctica. Too bad you're not flying to Rio rather than B.A. -- would love to get together. Who knows? Maybe our paths will cross on this trip and if not, there's always another one. :)

[mrskmirolla]

Pam I am sooooo happy your docs came and I am soooo happy HAL has you that they really care!!! This will be a great cruise and I wish you smooth sailing and a very Happy and Safe New Year.

Kathy

[Jade13]

I have to admit I was a bit disingenuous when I said I didn't know what hotels I'm staying at; my friend has received her docs so I could get the information from her. I was venting because I wanted this information in my hands and see it for myself, with vouchers.

 

In case any of you wonder whether HAL reads these boards, shortly after I posted, I received an email directly from the Office of the President. He had a couple of comments which I'll post below but also made a lovely gesture to make my cruise on the Amsterdam a more enjoyable experience. Needless to say, I'm blown away not only by the gesture but the time and trouble taken to look up my booking and reassure me.

 

I'm crossing my fingers that my docs arrive tomorrow, as I suspect they will. That's "Murphey's Law"... :)

 

"First and foremost, I wish to apologize for the undue stress this has caused you during the holiday season and as you prepare for your cruise. This does not meet our standards nor does it reflect the experience we wish for our guests to have with our line. For your reference, our goal is to have documentation sent to the guests (or travel agents if you book through one) 45-60 days before the sailing.

 

I would also like to let you know that Holland America Line is very close in being able to provide e-tickets to our guests as you suggest. We had hoped to make this feature available in November, however we wanted to test the new option more thoroughly before making it a reality in the interest of our guest’s overall experience."

 

WTG, HAL! I hope you all are impressed too. :)

 

HAL has the best Customer Service I have experience in the industry. So, did you get some OBC for the stress this caused you? :)

[Pam in CA]

HAL has the best Customer Service I have experience in the industry. So, did you get some OBC for the stress this caused you? :)

I don't think it's appropriate for me to say in case someone else might expect similar treatment. All situations are different and while it should be consistent no matter who it is, it wasn't an OBC but I was very pleased with HAL's generosity. Let me just say that I'll be toasting HAL throughout the cruise. :)

[kenish]

Pam- Great that your docs showed up. We had a minor problem on a HAL cruise last summer. I mentioned it in my review on CC and also sent a letter to HAL to let them know what was great and what could have gone better. (95% was excellent). To my surprise HAL went way out of their way to make things right, even though I didn't expect anything other than my input to be considered.

 

Like you, I didn't feel it was right to mention specifics of HAL's response on this board. It would probably vary between situations, cruises, and customers. Also in a way it's a private matter between HAL and me.

[Pam in CA]

Bob and I are leaving on the 30th for Buenos Aires. On the 1st, we fly to Ushuaia where we board the Corinthian II for almost two weeks in Antarctica. My goal was to set foot on the continent, and hopefully that will happen. (Weather and sea conditions permitting!) Fun to know you'll be sailing down there at the same time.

Cathy, not sure if you'll see this or not but we saw the Corinthian II several times while cruising Antarctica. I've got some photos of her pounding the waves at one point and sending passengers ashore to the Chilean station that I'd love to send to you. :) My email address is pammh2 at aol. com