Called HAL to inquire about tours. Underwhelmed at response.

[bocamom61]

I am sailing on the Dec. 21st Noordam cruise and am just so very excited! We are celebrating me being two years post breast cancer and earning my masters degree!

Anyway, I called the customer service line to inquire about tours, etc. The "gentleman" who answered the phone was very unprofessional. Now I have never sailed HAL but have on most other lines (NCL, RCCL, Celebrity, Disney, Carnival, Crystal, Costa). First of all, the man who "helped" me sounded like I had woken him up from a nap. When I asked for explanation of the cabana/half shell options he said they were both sold out and kind of refused to discuss it further. He laughed and said that there were 34 people on the wait list. Then he told me that my ship would be at the private island on a different day than its supposed to be! OY! He ended our call by reminding me that HAL was owned by Carnival and would be sharing the private island with a Carnival ship??? Oy again.

I asked him for suggestions on other tours and he suggested that I read the online descriptions. Yea, I can read. I was just so dissapointed by his attitude and lack of enthusiasm. I could rally more excitement for a root canal than he did for my call.

Please tell me that this is the exception! All I hear from my friends is how much better HAL is than other main stream lines, etc. etc. I'm keeping an open mind and determined to celebrate my personal triumphs. Just thought I would share my first impression. I'm hoping you will all tell me this was a fluke and not the norm!!

[GmaPajama]

... He ended our call by reminding me that HAL was owned by Carnival and would be sharing the private island with a Carnival ship??? Oy again ... Just thought I would share my first impression. I'm hoping you will all tell me this was a fluke and not the norm!!
I'd call again and talk to a different rep. This one won't last long, giving out bad information. Even though Carnival Cruise Lines owns HAL - Half Moon Cay is NEVER shared with a Carnival ship. Not ever.

I'm so sorry you got such a non-professional on the phone. My own experiences have been much better.

[EatonDoolittle]

I may get flamed here, but I think it may be a bit unreasonable to expect a minumum wage customer service rep sitting in a windowless cubicle to describe the difference between a clamshell and a cabana.

They only have access to "facts", not experiences. Better to ask the question here, where people LOVE talking about their experiences.

That said, congrats on your achievements, and enjoy the cruise. HMC will be crowded with 2 ships, but it shouldn't ruin your day. There are plenty of spaces to find and relax.

[lorekauf]

I may get flamed here, but I think it may be a bit unreasonable to expect a minumum wage customer service rep sitting in a windowless cubicle to describe the difference between a clamshell and a cabana.

I don't want to flame you because there is enough of that here already. Regardless of how much the person is paid....they are there to sell a product or give advice. It's about having a good work ethic...and IMO should have nothing to do with the money you make. I've had a lot of low paying jobs in my time....and I'd like to say I've always done a pretty good job regardless of the amount I made.

To the OP....I hope you have a great cruise and congratulations on overcoming your obstacles and your accomplishments.

[Pokeynose]

I disagree with Eaton Doolittle. The guy represents HAL and it doesn't matter what kind of wage he earns, he should have all the proper information when a customer calls. This is called a "job". I would have gotten his name and reported him to HAL. JMO

[bocamom61]

Wow I am so amazed that Carnival does not visit Half Moon Cay. He said that we would be sharing and also gave me a note about how much bigger the Carnival ships were...alluding to the fact that the island would be packed!

As for minimum wage employees...how the heck would I know how much this man makes? If he is tasked with customer service he should be providing it! Lol!

So I am learning something here, no carnival ships share the island. And although I understand the actual literal difference between clamshells and cabanas I was wondering where both were located on the island.

[GmaPajama]

Wow I am so amazed that Carnival does not visit Half Moon Cay. He said that we would be sharing and also gave me a note about how much bigger the Carnival ships were...alluding to the fact that the island would be packed! ...
Oops, I should have been more clear. Carnival ships DO use Half Moon Cay - but never on the same day an HAL ship is there.

[EatonDoolittle]

I don't want to spend a a lot if time here, but I certainly was not excusing poor customer service.

However, my interpretation of the OP was that she was asking more for descriptions - look and feel, experiences, recommendations, that sort of thing

An office person could probably not provide that, unless cruising is part of the job perks. Maybe it is, who knows?

[ziggypup]

This is why I have a great agent who only specializes in cruises. I'll call her for any information 99% of the time before I will call the cruise line. It seems like this is not only endogenous to HAL.

[Boytjie]

I am sailing on the Dec. 21st Noordam cruise and am just so very excited! We are celebrating me being two years post breast cancer and earning my masters degree!

Anyway, I called the customer service line to inquire about tours, etc. The "gentleman" who answered the phone was very unprofessional. Now I have never sailed HAL but have on most other lines (NCL, RCCL, Celebrity, Disney, Carnival, Crystal, Costa). First of all, the man who "helped" me sounded like I had woken him up from a nap. When I asked for explanation of the cabana/half shell options he said they were both sold out and kind of refused to discuss it further. He laughed and said that there were 34 people on the wait list. Then he told me that my ship would be at the private island on a different day than its supposed to be! OY! He ended our call by reminding me that HAL was owned by Carnival and would be sharing the private island with a Carnival ship??? Oy again.

I asked him for suggestions on other tours and he suggested that I read the online descriptions. Yea, I can read. I was just so dissapointed by his attitude and lack of enthusiasm. I could rally more excitement for a root canal than he did for my call.

Please tell me that this is the exception! All I hear from my friends is how much better HAL is than other main stream lines, etc. etc. I'm keeping an open mind and determined to celebrate my personal triumphs. Just thought I would share my first impression. I'm hoping you will all tell me this was a fluke and not the norm!!

Oye, it seems that those answering the phones don't always know what they are talking about. AFAIK there will never be a HAL and Carnival ship together at HMC; there may be 2 HAL ships at times.

I would also not rely too much on them to be very informed on excursions etc as some of them may not ever have been on a cruise! Rather ask questions here or on the Ports of Call boards - you will get much better information!

[Tricia724]

According to the cruise port schedule, Noordam will be sharing HMC with Eurodam (NOT a Carnival ship) during your cruise, so the island will be a busy place.

Both ships are scheduled to arrive at 8:00 a.m., so be ready to get off the ship quite early if you are planning to use the beach and don't want to do a lot of walking. There is a lot of space on the island, and the beach stretches out a long way, but the more convenient locations are taken early. We always try to be ready to catch the first tender, and have never had a problem even when there were two ships there.

I am sitting here drooling just thinking about this beautiful island on this fall-going-into-winter-day here in Pennsylvania. It has always been one of my favorite stops on my HAL trips through the Caribbean.

Congratulations on your achievements....both of them....and have a wonderful celebration on Noordam. Don't let one ineffective employee get you down. You'll meet so many great employees on the ship, and that's what counts.

[sparkle56]

I, too, have found HAL's telephone information to be sketchy and the personnel pretty disinterested. And I agree that no matter what one makes, if you take a job you should give it your very best. If you don't know the answer, it is always a good plan to say, politely, I don't know but if you will hold I'll check.

However, way back when I decided to check out the possibility of a cabana on HMC, someone gave me a number for shore excursions and when I called that the person was super helpful. But it was not the general HAL number.

The shore excursions rep listed each cabana by color and told me its approximate location on the beach. She told me where everything was in relation to the cabanas--toys, food court, bathrooms, etc. She made a recommendation, based on our interests, as to where we might want to be located (eggshell). And, yes, she had been there before so there was the personal knowledge factor.

We have a TA who provides answers, but it takes her FOREVER to do so. I might ask a question and get an answer to it two weeks later. This is the same agency we have used for years, but the TA herself is new.

[suse]

Very happy for you on the beating cancer stuff. You must be over the moon on that one. I would be.

[Boytjie]

Take a look at the Private Island threads for lots of HMC information: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=406

Here's a video of HMC (with a Carnival ship!) and shows cabanas and the blue clam shells: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfc78S0VidE

[Jemima]

The cabanas and clam shells may all be booked since the cruise is in just a month. I've called about shore excursions in the past. The responses have been polite and pleasant, but not very helpful. I've asked when excursions will be listed for a port and if an included meal will have a vegetarian option. I was given answers on excursion postings (next month, onboard...), but they were usually wrong. I was told not to book excursions with meals and missed several good excursions. Now we just take a chance when the excursion includes a meal. Twice there were veg options and once we just filled up on sides.

[Sailkeywest]

Well, I have never called HAL regarding excursions specifically, but I have called them at least 20 times regarding other things for our upcoming Alaskan cruise. I'd say only once did the phone rep seem not that interested, but all of the other times, the phone reps were actually very interesting people to talk to, and gave me some very good information and ideas. I always feel like I can trust the info that they do give me, and find them both friendly and genuinely interested in what I have to say. I like that :) (Princess also has EXCELLENT phone reps, they deserve a raise :P )

[bocamom61]

Thanks for all of your great responses! And the links to more information too :).

I am so excited about this cruise and most certainly won't let one person dampen my happiness about it. Two years ago I was having chemo therapy so even a week in a row boat would be better! I have researched HAL and it seems the perfect fit for a three generation holiday cruise. My dad is 73 and he loves the line.

We live in south Florida so the beach day at Half Moon Cay is nice but not something I can't do anytime. Unfortunately the cabanas are all sold out. I am concerned about the crowds at the island and we are planning to get on the island early and leave it early. I enjoy staying on board the ships when in port sometimes to just enjoy the empty pools, etc.

One really great thing about HAL already is the great people on these boards. I have sailed a few lines (great florida resident rates) and HAL has some of the kindest and most enthusiastic fans on cruise critic!

[Jade13]

I am sailing on the Dec. 21st Noordam cruise and am just so very excited! We are celebrating me being two years post breast cancer and earning my masters degree!

Anyway, I called the customer service line to inquire about tours, etc. The "gentleman" who answered the phone was very unprofessional. Now I have never sailed HAL but have on most other lines (NCL, RCCL, Celebrity, Disney, Carnival, Crystal, Costa). First of all, the man who "helped" me sounded like I had woken him up from a nap. When I asked for explanation of the cabana/half shell options he said they were both sold out and kind of refused to discuss it further. He laughed and said that there were 34 people on the wait list. Then he told me that my ship would be at the private island on a different day than its supposed to be! OY! He ended our call by reminding me that HAL was owned by Carnival and would be sharing the private island with a Carnival ship??? Oy again.

I asked him for suggestions on other tours and he suggested that I read the online descriptions. Yea, I can read. I was just so dissapointed by his attitude and lack of enthusiasm. I could rally more excitement for a root canal than he did for my call.

Please tell me that this is the exception! All I hear from my friends is how much better HAL is than other main stream lines, etc. etc. I'm keeping an open mind and determined to celebrate my personal triumphs. Just thought I would share my first impression. I'm hoping you will all tell me this was a fluke and not the norm!!

Did you talk directly to the Shore Excursions department?

HAL may be the only line that I have been on that has a dedicated Shore Excursions department you can talk to. The most help I got from Celebrity was a general email address where the responses came from the "Shore Ex Department". I was turned off that people would not even sign with a first name.