They Do It so Well so Why Would They Change it?

[sail7seas]

At least three times, I have read on this board murmerings that HAL is considering changing to the Princess method of Debarkation which forces guests out of the cabins early, refuses room service on debark day and people have to do the squeezed into lounges routine that HAL got away from years ago.

HAL does disembarkation the best of any of the cruise lines IMO so why, oh why, would they consider changing when the way they do it now is so smooth, easy and appreciated?


IMO, it isn't broken. Does anyone have info that says they plan to change it?

[DAllenTCY]

I wouldn't want to see it changed.....who remembers their first meal or two, or how difficult embarkation might have been? All we tend to recall are the last few days and the debarkation. That is why HAL has always leaned towards putting the best foot forward at the end of the cruise.
David

[sail7seas]

We've already filled out the surveys before we debark.

[jaspersmycat]

I like it the way it is and hope they don't change it. While I would like to get in my room earlier, I would really hate to have to be out of my room on the last morning.

['The Bear']

'Sail' --- This is the first I've heard of this!!! I agree with you that disembarkation is smooth and seamless, as it is, leave well enough alone! :rolleyes:

Last year we experienced the disembarkation of the Millineum, and it appeared to me to be more congested than the Noordam the year previous. Similar size ships, why the difference??? :confused:

[Himself]

I think the way they do it now is just fine. I hope they keep it as is. I have a hunch they are being strongly encouraged by Carnival Corp to change the way things are.

[mamaofami]

Another vote for keeping things the way they are. Being able to have room service that last morning and staying in the room till called, makes leaving the ship relaxing instead of having to hurry up and then sit in lounges and wait.

[jhannah]

I hope this is unfounded. Current disembarkation is civilized and easy. I've seen many people who go to lounges and the atrium anyway; so getting in to turn the rooms can't be that big a deal. I hope they leave it as-is.

[pinnaclegirl]

We like disembarkation just the way it is. Having breakfast in the MDR and not hurrying is quite nice.

[Linda&Vern]

My take on this is as follows ... and disclaimer - I know nothing as fact - just speculation.

If you read the CC Reviews section, a common complaint is that "my cabin was not ready when I boarded the ship." While this has never bothered me, apparently it does bother some people. I think HAL has two alternatives to make this group of people happy:

(1) Empty the cabins early in the morning so they can be changed out faster. Or (2) and I hate this idea - eliminate the popular "early embarkation" - passengers board AFTER lunch time. Saves HAL that lunch cost and fuss ... and rooms are ready for guests because they board later.

Just "off the top of my head" thoughts.

[foodsvcmgr]

It was my impression that the only part of the final morning/diembarkation
routine being considered for change is the "silent" aspect.

That part has caused some confusion overall and often resulted in
thoughtless folks crashing the line earlier than their scheduled time.

So while HAL might revert to calling color codes again, that does
not require changing the more popular elements of the last morning
like not being forced out of your cabin.

I don't believe the silent thing has been done uniformly since its
inception anyway. Personally didn't care for it, seemed to add to the chaos.

[sail7seas]

foodsvcmgr.... Thank you for your post. I hope that is what they are talking of changing. I am not sure everyone understands how the silent debark works and wonder if everyone reads the letter that accompanies their luggage tags.

If all they change is that, GREAT. That would be wonderful to leave the rest the same. :)

[DutchByAssociation]

Nothing official I've heard from my end but consider this.

Some people will grumble about rooms not ready at embark. Some will grumble about needing to take the "anywhere EXCEPT your room on disembark day" approach. Those two things go hand in hand. So while I'm not aware of anything official, leaving the rooms early also means they can be gone to immediately when you board. Staying in them late at the end means you need to wait until they're ready.

[cruisinjudy]

I would rather wait for my cabin on boarding. The waiting in a public room to disenbark on other ships is really a pain and ruins the end of the cruise. At the beginning of the cruise you can just relax and have lunch.

[rochelle_s]

For myself as a passenerger I really enjoy the current disembarkation system. For those in a hurry they can be up and gone. For those that are not it can be a relaxing, although often sad, final morning.

But...

This system has to be much more difficult for the stewards. I would imagine that it would be quicker and easier for them to do all the necessary things to have the cabins ready for new guests if there was no current passengers around. With passengers still in their cabin areas the stewards will be interupted. A departing guest pops their head in the door of the cabin they are working on to say a final good bye and thank them once again for there service. The crew always take the time for the passenger..so five minutes here and five minutes there really add up.

My cruises on HAL so far have all been some sort of b2b. Since the first one, where I saw just how hard they work on turnaround day and how tired and exhausted they look, I have always told my steward not to service my cabin that day. They always ask me if I am sure and say it is okay they can do it. I just tell them if I need anything I will let them know. This seems to always be followed by a grateful smile and thank you from them...and sometimes an extra cholocate or two appears on my pillow afterwards.:p

It goes to reason that with code orange or worse code red, turnaround day is now even more diffilcult for these hard working men.

Things change all the time on cruise lines. I think people will be more accepting of this change as opposed to something like....oh let me see...perhaps removing trays from the Lido.....oops they already did that ;)

Just my thoughts....

Rochelle

[jhannah]

It was my impression that the only part of the final morning/diembarkation routine being considered for change is the "silent" aspect. ... So while HAL might revert to calling color codes again ... On our recent Maasdam cruise, numbers/colors were called out. No silent disembark.

[rangeley]

There is a reason we sail HAL and if they keep taking away the reasons we do, then they will be just like all the others. We did one Princess cruise and having to be out of our room at 8am stunk. My hubby is in a wheelchair and it takes hours for us to get ready. We had to get up at 4:30am to be out of the room that early. Then sat in the casino for 2hours! Hated it! Who cares if you can't get to your room til 1:30, when you first get on the ship do you sit in your cabin? We have lunch and go exploring. Besides when each color is called, the stewards start cleaning those rooms. They can't clean every room at once. JMO

[sevenseasnomad]

Count me in on HAL keeping the current disembarkation procedure. Why is it such a problem to embark & eat a delightful lunch, then walk around looking at the lovely dam ship? We always try to take care of a little business before heading to the cabin, such as making spa appointments, dinner reservations, grabbing a good book from the library before the selection gets picked over, or just sitting in a deck chair making new friends and relishing the anticipation of leaving.

Yes, I'd like to unpack as quickly as possible, but often luggage arrives later in the day. No problem. If it comes to a trade-off between arriving in our cabin early, such as the minute we embark at 11:30, or lingering in our cabin over a leisurely breakfast that last morning, I vote a hundred times for the latter.

Please, HAL Seattle, if you're reading this, keep your current policy.

[ironin]

On our recent Maasdam cruise, numbers/colors were called out. No silent disembark.

Same was true on our September Eurodam cruise. I don't care about not getting into the cabin right away when embarking but do object to being herded like cattle into the public rooms to sit and wait for permission to get off on the last day.

[RuthC]

I love being able to stay in my cabin on that last morning; I don't mind not being able to go directly to my cabin when I board. People are embarking over a much longer period than they are disembarking. Anyone who does mind waiting to go to their cabin---well, they can just board later, when the cabins are ready!

It wasn't so many years ago that we all had to wait until the cabins were ready before boarding began. And we had to leave the cabins early on that last day, too. Now we have the best on both ends of the cruise. I can't believe anyone wants to go back to the way it was.

[FoxyTerrier]

Corporate HAL if you are reading CC please don't change a thing!!!

I love staying in our room until it's time to get off and love one last room service on our balcony.

As for room not being ready when we board - that's fine too as they are normally ready after a fabulous lunch.

If you love the current arrangement say so on your end of the cruise comments questionaire. If enough people let them know they won't change a thing.

[sail7seas]

Big deal we can't go to our cabins until 1:30 or 2:00? I'd far rather have use of our cabin until we leave in the morning than to be thrown off with the 'bum's rush' which is what it feels like to be forced out of our cabin so early. That is the last impression we have of our cruise...... how we were treated right to the end.

We are guests on HAL ships and are always treated that way. Let's keep it like that. :)

[sail7seas]

Why don't they add another sentence to the never ending smoking survey.......

After we complete that thing once again after all the years of doing so, they could add a box which asks, "Would you rather wait until 1:30 to go to your cabin on Embarkation day or be able to go directly to your cabin when you board but be forced out of it to wait in jammed lounges by 8:00 A.M. on Debark Day?"

Of course, some want it both ways but we know that is impossible.

[mr green]

I have no problem getting out of a bleak, bare cabin early, remember they like to make up the cabins as soon as possible.
I think it much better to sit, and or, say 'goodbye' to new friends, than sit in a bleak cabin. Princess serves coffee, juice, and cookies in the Platinum and Elite lounges too.
The speed at which one gets off is usually dependent on what is going on at the dock anyway, and no cruise line has any say in the matter. One time things were very slow, [a bomb scare], but we were not informed so as not to cause panic on the ship.

john

[jtl513]

It was my impression that the only part of the final morning/diembarkation
routine being considered for change is the "silent" aspect.

That part has caused some confusion overall and often resulted in
thoughtless folks crashing the line earlier than their scheduled time.

So while HAL might revert to calling color codes again, that does
not require changing the more popular elements of the last morning
like not being forced out of your cabin.

I don't believe the silent thing has been done uniformly since its
inception anyway. Personally didn't care for it, seemed to add to the chaos.

On our recent Maasdam cruise, numbers/colors were called out. No silent disembark.It was also the case on our recent Nieuw A cruise, and it went very smoothly. That's a much better way IMO. When we debarked the Amsterdam in L.A. under the "silent" procedure, there was about a 45 minute delay getting the whole thing started because of a medevac and some other minor problem with CBP. There was never any announcement that everyone should "slip" their assigned times by 45 minutes, with the result that there was chaos, with a huge jam of people in the atrium and hallways leading to it.

[Sea King]

leaving the rooms early also means they can be gone to immediately when you board. Staying in them late at the end means you need to wait until they're ready.

have to disagree DBA

anyone will tell you that on disembark day, cabin stewards are "flying" from the second the 1st group is allowed to leave right through embarkation which now begins about 11:15 to 11:30 for the most part

it's not allowing people to "stay in their rooms" that causes a problem ..

it's the # of stewards

their ranks have been cut and continue to be cut .. if you have the same number of pax in a given area but cut the number of stewards available, logic says it will take longer to get everything ready especially when on embark day new stocking must be done, flowers, wine and gifts delivered etc

I don't see any "sensible way" to improve the system as it now stands other than to let some of the pax off before home port:eek::eek:

anyone for spending a day or 2 at HMC:D

[solocanadian]

Nothing official I've heard from my end but consider this.

Some people will grumble about rooms not ready at embark. Some will grumble about needing to take the "anywhere EXCEPT your room on disembark day" approach. Those two things go hand in hand. So while I'm not aware of anything official, leaving the rooms early also means they can be gone to immediately when you board. Staying in them late at the end means you need to wait until they're ready.

Dutch: I hope HAL leaves things the way they are. I don't mind waiting for my cabin to be ready when I embark. It gives me time to look for my favourite bar tenders from past cruises.:)

[Roz]

My sister took her first HAL cruise with me in September, and it was also the first time she experienced a debarkation where you got to stay in the cabin until your tag color was called. She specifically commented on what a difference it made at the end of the cruise, not feeling like you're being pushed and herded off the ship, and made to wait in uncomfortable public areas.

On my last Carnival cruise (January 2009) they had starting using the same process HAL does, and I think it really does leave the passengers with a good impression.

Roz

[VioletHorse]

DD and I took our first ever Princess cruise in June. We were doing self disembarkation which I've done before on HAL, and expected a similar experience. It was not to be.

We proceeded to the elevators at our self disembark time, and could not get on due to the large number of pax who were already proceeeding to their assigned disembarkation waiting areas, well in advance of the 8 AM cutoff.

There was no way we could manage our luggage on the stairs (8 decks!), so we waited and waited and waited. Finally I was able to jam myself and my luggage on one elevator. My DD waited another 10 minutes before she was able to get an elevator that had enough room for her and her bags.

It took us 45 minutes to get off the ship, as opposed to my 5 minute experience on HAL.

It's a luxury to be able to stay in your stateroom until your color is called, and it not only is stress free, but also provides crowd control when it's needed the most.

[MM42]

Never been on HAL but now considering it for next fall. Could someone explain to me how disembarkation is done? My last 3 cruises were with Princess and I hate their method. You have to be out of your cabin by 8:00. It's like: 'ok, your cruise is over, now, get off the ship'. Also, your luggage has to be outside your cabin before dinner the night before. I hated that too. Does HAL do that too or you can wait until you go to bed?

[RuthC]

Could someone explain to me how disembarkation is done?
Early in the cruise you will be asked about your post-cruise plans. Your disembarkation will be developed around those plans.
On (usually) the last day of the cruise there will be a disembarkation talk, and a packet of instructions will be delivered to your cabin. The packet will have a letter letting you know the expected time of your disembarkation, and the tags that go on your bags.

Your bags need to me out before you retire, or 1:00 AM---whichever comes first. If you are in a suite, you have until 6:00 AM.

In the morning you can stay in your cabin until it's your time to leave. :) You can even have a full room service breakfast delivered, which makes the whole ordeal of leaving a bit more civilized.
Those people who need wheelchair assistance leaving the ship will have to report to a specific lounge about 15 minutes before their disembarkation time. They will have a second letter of instructions in their disembarkation packet.

[mr green]

DD and I took our first ever Princess cruise in June. We were doing self disembarkation which I've done before on HAL, and expected a similar experience. It was not to be.

We proceeded to the elevators at our self disembark time, and could not get on due to the large number of pax who were already proceeeding to their assigned disembarkation waiting areas, well in advance of the 8 AM cutoff.

There was no way we could manage our luggage on the stairs (8 decks!), so we waited and waited and waited. Finally I was able to jam myself and my luggage on one elevator. My DD waited another 10 minutes before she was able to get an elevator that had enough room for her and her bags.

It took us 45 minutes to get off the ship, as opposed to my 5 minute experience on HAL.

It's a luxury to be able to stay in your stateroom until your color is called, and it not only is stress free, but also provides crowd control when it's needed the most.

On our last cruise the time that our luggage had to be out by midnight. The very latest that we have waited to get off Princess was two hours after docking, the same I might add as HAL. The reason, In Vancouver our home port, we fill out our form saying that we are making our own way home, with no flight to catch, so, we are usually about the last ones off.
It seems strange to me. Some folk want to stay with the ship as long as possible, while others want to get off like yesterday. My advice to all is simple, RELAX!

john

[sail7seas]

On our last cruise the time that our luggage had to be out by midnight. The very latest that we have waited to get off Princess was two hours after docking, the same I might add as HAL. The reason, In Vancouver our home port, we fill out our form saying that we are making our own way home, with no flight to catch, so, we are usually about the last ones off.
It seems strange to me. Some folk want to stay with the ship as long as possible, while others want to get off like yesterday. My advice to all is simple, RELAX!

john

:) EASY to say relax when you are a short car ride home. ;) Not so when people are facing lines and connections at airports.

We sail from our home city each summer but we also sail from ports to which we must fly. It is VERY different when we need to get to an airport vs. our car company waiting on the dock for us.

Even still, we like to be off the ship in the first groups. When our cruise is over, it is over. :sadface:

[Kay240]

I love being able to stay in my cabin on that last morning; I don't mind not being able to go directly to my cabin when I board. People are embarking over a much longer period than they are disembarking. Anyone who does mind waiting to go to their cabin---well, they can just board later, when the cabins are ready!

It wasn't so many years ago that we all had to wait until the cabins were ready before boarding began. And we had to leave the cabins early on that last day, too. Now we have the best on both ends of the cruise. I can't believe anyone wants to go back to the way it was.

I used to hate debarkation day; having to get up early, rushing through an early breakfast, waiting endlessly for our color/ number to be called. I LOVE the current debarkation, with the "silent" schedule. This way, you know when you need to be ready and don't find yourself wandering around the ship while your friends and /or family are hanging out of the cabin door looking for you! Strangely, I seem to recall much less congestion leaving the ship when using this method.

I also agree that waiting for our cabins on embarkation day can be a positive experience. Since we probably have been rushing to the pier (flying or driving in that day), standing in line to check-in and rushing off to lunch in the Lido Buffet, the last thing we need to do is start unpacking without a little time to "chill-out". If cabins are not ready, we have the opportunity to just explore or sit on a deck chair and unwind.

[punknhead]

I just left the Eurodam this morning. We were 4 women that all had different flight times back. I was so nice having room service for our last morning together as our wake up call. The "primpies" (those who take a long time to get ready for the world) had pleanty of time to do their hair and makeup, while the 2 of us with earlier flights had our coffee and danish, and hugged each other good bye in the privacy of our stateroom.

Stateroom to airport was about a half an hour. So smooth!

Please don't change this last memory!

I high recommend dining in the one of the small restaurants the last night with your friends. Food was good, but the service and quiet civil atmosphere was a very relaxing way to wind down the cruise with some great memories.

Punk

[MM42]

Early in the cruise you will be asked about your post-cruise plans. Your disembarkation will be developed around those plans.
On (usually) the last day of the cruise there will be a disembarkation talk, and a packet of instructions will be delivered to your cabin. The packet will have a letter letting you know the expected time of your disembarkation, and the tags that go on your bags.

Your bags need to me out before you retire, or 1:00 AM---whichever comes first. If you are in a suite, you have until 6:00 AM.

In the morning you can stay in your cabin until it's your time to leave. :) You can even have a full room service breakfast delivered, which makes the whole ordeal of leaving a bit more civilized.
Those people who need wheelchair assistance leaving the ship will have to report to a specific lounge about 15 minutes before their disembarkation time. They will have a second letter of instructions in their disembarkation packet.

Thank you so much for the detailed information.

[bepsf]

have to disagree DBA

anyone will tell you that on disembark day, cabin stewards are "flying" from the second the 1st group is allowed to leave right through embarkation which now begins about 11:15 to 11:30 for the most part

it's not allowing people to "stay in their rooms" that causes a problem ..

it's the # of stewards

their ranks have been cut and continue to be cut .. if you have the same number of pax in a given area but cut the number of stewards available, logic says it will take longer to get everything ready especially when on embark day new stocking must be done, flowers, wine and gifts delivered etc


That's the answer right there.
Seattle has been cutting the number of cabin stewards year after year because they can't keep ticket prices high enough to maintain service levels - actually selling some berths for less than Carnival and RCI.

Perhaps if HAL quit building new ships & adding staterooms to existing ships and instead concentrated on providing service levels that would justify fares higher than Carnival the way HAL used to be as little as 5 and 6 years ago...

[room010]

Our last HAL disembarkation worked fine until we actually set foot on dry land again where a loooooooooong line of passengers was being processed by only 2 Canadian immigration officials who took their sweet time perusing every page of every passport..... :( I know that has nothing to do with HAL but it still shows that the most seamless disembarkation can still fall victim to plodding bureaucracy.

[jtl513]

I used to hate debarkation day; having to get up early, rushing through an early breakfast, waiting endlessly for our color/ number to be called. I LOVE the current debarkation, with the "silent" schedule.The silent method works great when the whole process starts on time ... but see my post #25.

[Laminator]

The silent method works great when the whole process starts on time ... but see my post #25.

I have sailed HAL three times in the last 3 months and never once was the silent method used. Out of Seattle on the Oosterdam we were running about 15 minutes behind so it is possible that is the reason. Out of Ft. Lauderdale on the Zuiderdam we were running 15 minutes ahead so that may have been the reason. Yesterday on the Eurodam we were pretty much right on time but the luggage tag colors were still being called.
Yesterday was also the first time in the last three cruises where there was actually someone checking the luggage tag colors before we disembarked.

I guess every ship is different but in this instance I was three for three. Actually four for four if you include last May's Oosterdam cruise.

[mr green]

:) EASY to say relax when you are a short car ride home. ;) Not so when people are facing lines and connections at airports.

We sail from our home city each summer but we also sail from ports to which we must fly. It is VERY different when we need to get to an airport vs. our car company waiting on the dock for us.

Even still, we like to be off the ship in the first groups. When our cruise is over, it is over. :sadface:

If you fill in your debarkation form correctly, any cruiseline should get you off the ship in time, unless you booked yourself a tight scedule, for which the cruiseline can't be blamed.

john

[sail7seas]

Yes, Mr. Green. I understand. We (almost) always book our flight home for next day.

I'm sure you are aware that even 12 noon flights can be a tight connection if things do not all go as they should. We were on the Eurodam cruise that left the anchor at HMC. We arrived back at Port Everglades hours late and folks with 1:30 flights missed them.
It was not unreasonble for them to have booked that time flight.

We are all different personalties. We each 'are who we are' and all have our private preferences. We want "off" ASAP when our cruise is over.

Our last cruise was a last minute booking as we were pressed for how long we could be away from home and flew home the day we got off the ship. I was not calm and relaxed and lolling around. It isn't who I am. There was no way to know how long airline check in would take, how long security lines would be........ I find that anxiety producing and seriously doubt I am the only one. ;)


But, as stated, even when we disembark in Boston where we live, we still want to be among the first off. It's another thing we like about booking our cabin. We can choose the debark time we want. It's what we like. Doesn't mean anyone else has to agree.

[mr green]

Yes, Mr. Green. I understand. We (almost) always book our flight home for next da


But, as stated, even when we disembark in Boston where we live, we still want to be among the first off. Doesn't mean anyone else has to agree.




Your right, we don't all agree. If all those persons from Boston wished to be first off, where would that leave everyone else who have flights to catch. We should all play fair IMO.

john

[flgolf]

anyone will tell you that on disembark day, cabin stewards are "flying" from the second the 1st group is allowed to leave right through embarkation which now begins about 11:15 to 11:30 for the most part

it's not allowing people to "stay in their rooms" that causes a problem ..

it's the # of stewards

their ranks have been cut and continue to be cut .. if you have the same number of pax in a given area but cut the number of stewards available, logic says it will take longer to get everything ready especially when on embark day new stocking must be done, flowers, wine and gifts delivered etc

I don't see any "sensible way" to improve the system as it now stands other than to let some of the pax off before home port:eek::eek:

anyone for spending a day or 2 at HMC:D


This is exactly the problem. I was on board last month and overheard two bartenders talking that starting Jan. that the beverage staff would be helping the room stewards on embarkation day to ready the cabins.
there was also a question on the survey as to how important it was to be able to go right to your room when you arrive.

[petrakae]

Nothing official I've heard from my end but consider this.

Some people will grumble about rooms not ready at embark. Some will grumble about needing to take the "anywhere EXCEPT your room on disembark day" approach. Those two things go hand in hand. So while I'm not aware of anything official, leaving the rooms early also means they can be gone to immediately when you board. Staying in them late at the end means you need to wait until they're ready.
And some will grumble about the sun rising in the East. Patience is a virtue on disembarkation day.

[kalliekae]

foodsvcmgr.... Thank you for your post. I hope that is what they are talking of changing. I am not sure everyone understands how the silent debark works and wonder if everyone reads the letter that accompanies their luggage tags.

If all they change is that, GREAT. That would be wonderful to leave the rest the same. :)




When we disembarked last week from the NA, it was not silent. The CD made announcements as to what color tags were to disembark and gave a 15 minute timeframe for disembarking. Also, the CD strongly discouraged room service breakfast on day of disembarkation when he did his talk the day before.

[bepsf]

This is exactly the problem. I was on board last month and overheard two bartenders talking that starting Jan. that the beverage staff would be helping the room stewards on embarkation day to ready the cabins.

If that doesn't prove that there's been a decline in staffing levels...

What next: Bridge officers serving as Bartenders?
Self-Serve Buffet Dinners in the MDR?
Spa Personnel manning the Tenders and securing the ship to the pier?
:cool:

[airlink diva]

I also agree with the majority because this is one of the small perks that I love about HAL.
I know there are some who cruise that want access to their cabin once they board the ship. Others have no problem enjoying a nice embarkation meal and exploring the ship.
Since I like to arrive to port after 1:00 p.m. and normally get on board around 1:30 p.m., I either don't have a wait or a very short wait.
But I love sitting in my cabin reflecting on my cruise. On my 2008 Maasdam cruise we also had the silent disembarkation. When I left my cabin at the time requested, I walked right off the ship, gather my luggage and cleared customs in about 20 minutes.
There are some guest who will eat breakfast and sit in the public areas and those who will have very early disembarkation. This mean that a certain percentage of the cabins are empty early.
I hate having to leave the cabin early, stake out a spot (heaven forbid if I'm solo and need to head to the restroom :(!) and then a mad rush to the elevator to head to the level to leave the ship.
If I get this question on my upcoming cruise, I will mark "NO!!"

[LAFFNVEGAS]

While I am not a voice of authority I have had confirmation from a very reliable source that infact the cabins will be ready upon Early Embarkation starting the first of December.

Also another Princess type thing that will be starting is a Back of the House Tour, that HAL will charge $150.00 per person.

Fox News will be available on the TV starting December first fleetwide, as well as the Roll out of Le Cirque for the remaining ships that do not already have it.

Just my personal opinion HAL is becoming more Princess like that Carnival like :D All of the above new stuff is just the passengers starting to see the gradual change. HAL has been copying Princess on many other things this whole year of 2010 especially when it comes to pricing and Flash rates.
I am just not sure why HAL finds the need to copy Princess :confused: I am really wondering if Stein hired someone in Seattle that was a former Princess Exec :rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

Does that mean forced out of our cabins by 8:00 on Disembarkation Day?
And No Room Service last morning?

:( Darn but my 'source' was correct.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Does that mean forced out of our cabins by 8:00 on Disembarkation Day?
And No Room Service last morning?

:( Darn but my 'source' was correct.

Sail, yes I believe your source is correct. and yes we will most likely need to be out of our cabins by 8 am. I look at it as being a reverse of embarkation. Instead of going to the dining room or Lido on embarkation with our carry ons, we will be going there for debarkation :D

[Jade13]

I hope they do not change.

We just got off the Celebrity Eclipse (and Celebrity Century in April), and they still do silent disembarkation. Like HAL, boarding usually starts early at 11:30am and rooms officially ready by 1:00pm although we had no problem dropping off our luggage right when we arrived. Celebrity also allows walk-off with no luggage tags and opened their dining venues early at 6:30am for full breakfast on the last day, so we could go to the dining room, come back to get our stuff and still be at the airport (MIA) by 8:30am.

Also note this was on a Celebrity "Solstrice Class" ship with approx 2,800 pax capacity.

If HAL starts making changes, sending people out of their rooms and to lounges, they will be going backwards, not forward.

[lorekauf]

If HAL starts making changes, sending people out of their rooms and to lounges, they will be going backwards, not forward.
No kidding. That's something I really love about HAL.

[sail7seas]

<snip>
I hope they do not change.



[B] Too late, I think. It seems to have been decided.

This is sounding a lot like Princess. :rolleyes:

[jaspersmycat]

This is punishing people who like to sleep a little later on disembarkation day by rewarding people who want early embarkation AND "need" to get into their cabins right away.

I am very disturbed by this. If HAL is going to change, why not try it on a couple of ships first and see the reaction. I know they had a survey question but the responses depend on how it was asked.

If asked "Would you like your cabin to be ready when you get on the ship?" then most people will say YES.

If asked "Would you like your cabin to be ready when you get on the ship but you would need to be out of your room by 8am on the last morning?" then I believe most people would answer NO.

[mr green]

If asked "Would you like your cabin to be ready when you get on the ship but you would need to be out of your room by 8am on the last morning?" then I believe most people would answer NO.

I disagree. The last day is a sad day, so why prolong the agony, I am more than happy to get out of a cabin that is bare, as early as is reasonable. Did you not get up early once in a while for a a tour?
Now you should have been on NCL, 15 years ago, on the last day. No buffet, no room service, BUT breakfast at your appointed table. Time? 5.30 am. If you did not tip the night before, it seems that you got no breakfast.

As a footnote I find nothing worse than getting on a ship, and having no room to go to.

john

[RuthC]

I disagree. The last day is a sad day, so why prolong the agony,
As a footnote I find nothing worse than getting on a ship, and having no room to go to.
But that's you. I'm the exact opposite. I want to wait in my cabin as long as it takes to be summoned off. Going to my cabin as soon as I board isn't necessary to me.
I just canceled your vote.

Anecdotal stories aren't what should drive the decision. It's what the majority want, within corporate ability to deliver, is what should matter.

[peaches from georgia]

I disagree. The last day is a sad day, so why prolong the agony, I am more than happy to get out of a cabin that is bare, as early as is reasonable. Did you not get up early once in a while for a a tour?
Now you should have been on NCL, 15 years ago, on the last day. No buffet, no room service, BUT breakfast at your appointed table. Time? 5.30 am. If you did not tip the night before, it seems that you got no breakfast.

As a footnote I find nothing worse than getting on a ship, and having no room to go to.

john
I agree with you, mr. green. I would much rather have my cabin ready so we can go straight to it, drop our carry-ons, look around the suite, check things out, freshen up, and then go to lunch. The Lido would be much more pleasant and less chaotic without people schlepping their carry-ons and everyone tripping over luggage, etc. The debark morning we are ready to have any early breakfast, get out of the room and get on our way. Cruise is over.

[Homala]

When I got off the Oosterdam last weekend, we only had a short drive home, so we asked for late disembarkation and were assigned 10:15. We enjoyed room service breakfast, but luckily ordered it early. Turns out that disembarkation went so quickly - and it was NOT silent - they called each color/number - that our 10:15 group was called at 9:15! :eek: Good thing we were ready to go!

I did notice on the survey that they asked if it is very important for our cabin to be ready upon embarkation and I answered "no," for the reasons discussed by some others here - I prefer to be able to stay in my cabin a little later and have a relaxing last morning on the ship. Obviously, there needs to be give and take on one end or the other. I think RuthC pointed out that they'll do what corporations do - whatever the majority wants and/or whatever works best for them.

As the old saying goes, You can't please all the people all the time. ;)

[Halgirl1278]

i most definitely prefer the current embarkation method...I remember the days when HAL subscribed to the move to the public room method -this is SO much better - i truly hope they dont change it!

[sail7seas]

As I've said before, I have no idea how to run a cruise ship nor a hotel but it seems to me this might be about number of stewards and just how fast they can get those cabins turned around. If there are fewer stewards doing the work, of course, it has to take longer.

If they force us out of cabins at 8:00, stewards have over three hours until 11:15 or 11:30 to get them ready for embarking guests.
If we aren't out of the last cabins until 10:15, that gives them one hour before new guests are arriving.

[DizzyDallasDi]

I'm also in the "let me sleep in and enjoy room service" camp. Being able to lazily get dressed while sipping coffee is one of the HAL biggies in my book. I could care less about heading straight to my room upon boarding. Heck, if that's such a big deal to some then they should just board after 1:30. :)

What I don't understand is why the room stewards can't stagger their cleaning schedules to coincide with when passengers leave? Clean the early-to-rise early-to-leave guests' rooms first and get to the others as they depart. That way they're not trying to clean all of the rooms during a very short period of time.

[lorekauf]

I disagree. The last day is a sad day, so why prolong the agony, I am more than happy to get out of a cabin that is bare, as early as is reasonable. Did you not get up early once in a while for a a tour?
Now you should have been on NCL, 15 years ago, on the last day. No buffet, no room service, BUT breakfast at your appointed table. Time? 5.30 am. If you did not tip the night before, it seems that you got no breakfast.

As a footnote I find nothing worse than getting on a ship, and having no room to go to.

john
I generally sail solo so to me to have my cabin until I leave is really important. I don't have anyone to leave my stuff with should I have to go to the bathroom. In addition, there is usually a long line up for one. To get into my cabin on the first day at 11:30 does nothing for me. Why look at a bare cabin like you say.

[Boatdrill]

.....and I hate this idea - eliminate the popular "early embarkation" - passengers board AFTER lunch time. Saves HAL that lunch cost and fuss ... and rooms are ready for guests because they board later.


Sounds good in theory but....

You cannot imagine the amount of complaints from guests when embark is delayed any time later than 12 noon. Unfortunately they've forgotten that HAL offers early embark as a courtesy, not as a right.

[sail7seas]

I well remember the dozens of HAL cruises we sat in the terminal waiting to board until 1:30 and later. It was a drag and we were so happy when they changed to earlier embarkation.

[mr green]

I well remember the dozens of HAL cruises we sat in the terminal waiting to board until 1:30 and later. It was a drag and we were so happy when they changed to earlier embarkation.



For the life of me I don't know what you want.:)

john

[sail7seas]

For the life of me I don't know what you want.

john




Mr. Green,
In 'my perfect world, we would be permitted to board around 11:15 or 11:30. We would have lunch in Lido and wait for our cabins to be ready around 1:15 or 1:30 and be permitted to go to them at that time.

We would be permitted to remain in our cabins until it is our designated disembarkation time.

In other words, in 'my perfect world', I want exactly what we now have.

[peaches from georgia]

Sounds good in theory but....

You cannot imagine the amount of complaints from guests when embark is delayed any time later than 12 noon. Unfortunately they've forgotten that HAL offers early embark as a courtesy, not as a right.
Exactly. It wouldn't take long for pax to know that HAL means what the docs say and they'll arrive at the terminal later and get over it. Don't arrive at 10:30, arrive at 12:30. I asked the roll call people for the cruise that we are taking on another line what time they board. The experienced cruisers just said, "Well, of course the docs say 1pm, so boarding is at 1pm", like I couldn't read the docs or had lost my mind. The cutback in stewards has to take a toll somewhere. You just can't have the same service with not enough crew, both cabin and dining.

[jaspersmycat]

Passengers opt for "Early Arrival". By doing this they should know they they are also opting for waiting for their cabins. We usually arrive around 1pm and are allowed to go right to our cabin - no problem!

[sail7seas]

Passengers opt for "Early Arrival". By doing this they should know they they are also opting for waiting for their cabins. We usually arrive around 1pm and are allowed to go right to our cabin - no problem!


Exactly.
If you come early, you must accept you cannot go to your cabin immediately. If that bothers you, come a little later.

I think this conversation is moot. Strong suggestion a decision for change has been made.

[mr green]

Well, at least on Princess a person can board at 11.00am, go to ones cabin, and then have lunch in the Buffet.
That is my, Perfect World.

john

[sail7seas]

What time do you have to vacate Princess cabins disembarkation morning?
Can you have full room service breakfast delivered?

[AZNative2000]

What time do you have to vacate Princess cabins disembarkation morning?
Can you have full room service breakfast delivered?

Or how about eating breakfast in the Pinnacle the last morning?

Debarking the Zuiderdam yesterday we were called by bag tag color but not until after 8am (unless it was the "walk-off" group).

On the questionnaire they asked (again) how important going directly to the cabin was to you. Again, we answered "not very". Rather relax upon waking up the last day than a couple hours sooner on the first one.

[mr green]

What time do you have to vacate Princess cabins disembarkation morning?
Can you have full room service breakfast delivered?



We leave our rooms by 8.30am, and have breakfast in the buffet. No we don't get breakfast served to us in bed, I for one honestly believe that the staff have better things to do on the final day.

john

[lorekauf]

We leave our rooms by 8.30am, and have breakfast in the buffet. No we don't get breakfast served to us in bed, I for one honestly believe that the staff have better things to do on the final day.

john
You can also go to the dining room too. The reason HAL has a better room service menu is because meal times are much more limited. Princess has a 24 hour buffet and it better IMO then HALs. The Lido is something I very much avoid.

[lorekauf]

Or how about eating breakfast in the Pinnacle the last morning?

.
Nope, can't do that because Princess doesn't have the Pinnacle:p;). The perk is not open to anyone except for Suites so really not readily available to most people on the ship.

[bepsf]

I am just not sure why HAL finds the need to copy Princess :confused: I am really wondering if Stein hired someone in Seattle that was a former Princess Exec :rolleyes:

Either that, or Stein was informed by Miami that Princess is more profitable than HAL, Princess' management style has also succeeded in making Cunard profitable, and Seattle needs to do what it takes to emulate that success.

[sail7seas]

We leave our rooms by 8.30am, and have breakfast in the buffet. No we don't get breakfast served to us in bed, I for one honestly believe that the staff have better things to do on the final day.

john

You should try HAL's Room Service sometime. You may not know what a treat you are missing that is available to everyone on the ship.

Also, you don't have to have it in bed. They're fine about bringing your order to your cabin and finding you up and dressed and quick to open the door for them.

Why does the question re: Room Service deserve such a response?

[jtl513]

We leave our rooms by 8.30am, and have breakfast in the buffet. On HAL we leave our rooms by 8:30 at the latest, have breakfast in the buffet ... and then go back to our rooms to pack our carry-ons and relax to get ready for the trip home. :)

[Boatdrill]

Not too long ago on one of Carnival's ships, they offered a new policy: early embark and passengers were told that although their rooms weren't ready, they could stop by and drop off their carryons, and then go to the Lido and relax. An announcement would be made in the early afternoon when the rooms were cleaned and ready.

But once they got to the room, many passengers opted to take showers, and so the stewards couldn't get in to finish cleaning, change sheets, towels, etc.

The new policy was dropped after only a few months.
Early embark, yes. But no more going to the rooms.

[lorekauf]

Not too long ago on one of Carnival's ships, they offered a new policy: early embark and passengers were told that although their rooms weren't ready, they could stop by and drop off their carryons, and then go to the Lido and relax. An announcement would be made in the early afternoon when the rooms were cleaned and ready.

But once they got to the room, many passengers opted to take showers, and so the stewards couldn't get in to finish cleaning, change sheets, towels, etc.

The new policy was dropped after only a few months.
Early embark, yes. But no more going to the rooms.
Wow....and this is why things change. A few not so bright people ruin it for everyone.....

[sail7seas]

We've read here about folks who post "I just want to stop at the cabin and (a) drop off my carryon (b) see what the cabin looks like (c)use the restroom - they don't like public restrooms (d) put things in the safe (e) .... fill in the blank.

Everyone 'just wants to' ..... and that puts them in the cabins when the stewards are working as hard as they can to get them clean and ready.

Way too many guests didn't follow instructions as 'they just wanted to'........

[jtl513]

One problem with letting folks drop-off things before the steward services the cabin is possible confusion about what is new and what was accidentally left behind by the last guests.

[sail7seas]

Good point. I didn't think of that. If someone left a small tote bag he wouldn't know if it should be turned in as left behind or kept for new occupant of the cabin.

[airlink diva]

I generally sail solo so to me to have my cabin until I leave is really important. I don't have anyone to leave my stuff with should I have to go to the bathroom. In addition, there is usually a long line up for one. To get into my cabin on the first day at 11:30 does nothing for me. Why look at a bare cabin like you say.

You and I think the same way!!!
Even had this problem on a Carnival cruise once. I had to drag all my luggage to a bathroom only lose a half way decent seat only to drag my stuff around to finally leaning against a wall!
On all my HAL sailings, the latest (even with the late disembarkation) that I was leaving is around 9:00 a.m.

[mr green]

You and I think the same way!!!
Even had this problem on a Carnival cruise once. I had to drag all my luggage to a bathroom only lose a half way decent seat only to drag my stuff around to finally leaning against a wall!
On all my HAL sailings, the latest (even with the late disembarkation) that I was leaving is around 9:00 a.m.

If a person with a late disembarkation can get off at 9.00am, what is all the fuss about?
Sorry I forget. Some of you like to sleep in, and breakfast in your cabins.:)

john

[sail7seas]

If a person with a late disembarkation can get off at 9.00am, what is all the fuss about?
Sorry I forget. Some of you like to sleep in, and breakfast in your cabins.:)

john


:) It's called vacation! ;) Few have those luxuries during their 'regular life'.

I hadn't thought of the difficulties those who travel solo can encounter. Sadly, unless we experience something for ourselves, we don't recognize those realities. I'd be annoyed if I had to give up my seat in public area in order to use the rest room, have to drag all my 'stuff' with me and then not be able to find another suitable place to sit. That does not make for a pleasant end to your cruise.

[lorekauf]

If a person with a late disembarkation can get off at 9.00am, what is all the fuss about?
Sorry I forget. Some of you like to sleep in, and breakfast in your cabins.:)

john
You would still have to be out of your cabin by 8am:confused:. For Canadians many times we have to report to immigration VERY early so I don't EVER get to sleep in on the last day. I'm generally up by 5:30am. Please don't tell me HAL has no control over that as I've sailed on Princess many times and just go through it with the masses. HAL has to make easy things difficult in certain situations. I'd rather not have one more issue adding to the pile.

[mr green]

:) It's called vacation! ;) Few have those luxuries during their 'regular life'.

Too true, but that's what persons say also, trying to get on, then being told that they can't go to their cabin.

john

[sail7seas]

.....They get to enjoy the more pleasant debarkation at the end of Their cruise. ;)

Enough. HAL will do what they will and we will either comply or we will choose to sail elsewhere.