Never cruise on HAL again

[treasure4two]

We just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam on 2-27-11. We had a 17 day on Noordam last July and not really pleased with HAL, but thought we would give HAL another chance. Turns out the Noordam was better-much better. Noordam had good senior staff that was friendly and tired to be efficient based upon the HAL rules, but the Hotel Manager(Marco) and the Beverage Manager on the NA were basically useless plus they did not respond to direct needs and questions. The good on HAL is their corporate staff/Customer Service before we got on ship and the entertainment(booked through Stiletto(Barry Manilow's company), especially Cantare'. Our waiters tried but appeared to be short staffed.
I had a previously smashed magnifying mirror in my cabin and requested it replaced(ship not totally full) from right after we got on the ship. Never got an answer or my mirror replaced, despite asking every day. The Hotel Manager knew and never responded nor did he or any of his staff do anything about it. They also totally messed up our M&G by not providing as promised(info on another thread called M&G Concerns). Many little things added up to a poor cruising experience. I know many other cruisers who are loyal to other cruise lines, unless you are a Carnival fan, put down Carnival. We did a 5 day cruise over Thanksgiving on Carnival with 2400 guests, 800 of them kids-the service, food, and entertainment combined were better than NA and HAL. Formal night on NA/HAL was actually equal to or less formal than on Carnival- saw more informal dress those two formal nights on HAL than Carnival.
I am guessing I will be bashed by people who love HAL and never had a bad experience, but I had to say my two cents worth. I know good cruising, this just was not it!

[SwissMyst]

HAL doesn't work for you. Got it. Bye.

[JJGlanton]

We'll miss you :D

[Hflors]

We just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam on 2-27-11. We had a 17 day on Noordam last July and not really pleased with HAL, but thought we would give HAL another chance. Turns out the Noordam was better-much better. Noordam had good senior staff that was friendly and tired to be efficient based upon the HAL rules, but the Hotel Manager(Marco) and the Beverage Manager on the NA were basically useless plus they did not respond to direct needs and questions. The good on HAL is their corporate staff/Customer Service before we got on ship and the entertainment(booked through Stiletto(Barry Manilow's company), especially Cantare'. Our waiters tried but appeared to be short staffed.
I had a previously smashed magnifying mirror in my cabin and requested it replaced(ship not totally full) from right after we got on the ship. Never got an answer or my mirror replaced, despite asking every day. The Hotel Manager knew and never responded nor did he or any of his staff do anything about it. They also totally messed up our M&G by not providing as promised(info on another thread called M&G Concerns). Many little things added up to a poor cruising experience. I know many other cruisers who are loyal to other cruise lines, unless you are a Carnival fan, put down Carnival. We did a 5 day cruise over Thanksgiving on Carnival with 2400 guests, 800 of them kids-the service, food, and entertainment combined were better than NA and HAL. Formal night on NA/HAL was actually equal to or less formal than on Carnival- saw more informal dress those two formal nights on HAL than Carnival.
I am guessing I will be bashed by people who love HAL and never had a bad experience, but I had to say my two cents worth. I know good cruising, this just was not it!

I am sorry your cruise didn't turn out as you thought it would, but could you give more details? Saying that the two managers were "basicly useless" is a generalization. How and why you felt that way would be helpful. I'm not bashing you, but some of the items you are complaining about are very minor. Maybe your expectations are just a bit too high. I hope you find a cruiseline and ship that is better suited for your needs. Good luck with your next cruise.

[mmr923]

Could you please give us more details of why this last cruise was so terrible for you? You've mentioned that the meet and greet didn't go as planned (I read that thread - so sorry for your experience), and that you received no make up mirror, despite asking. An entire cruise was ruined because of these two things? I understand the lack of concern on the part of the hotel manager and his staff was annoying, but I can't imagine that ruining my vacation with my spouse/loved one.... There must be more you are not telling us. Please expand.

[taxmantoo]

I guess there goes one CC poster we will never have to compete with for that Penthouse upgrade on HAL ever again! :D
Adios and whichever cruise line you choose for your next litany of complaints, I hope you research a bit more!

[JJGlanton]

Could you please give us more details of why this last cruise was so terrible for you? You've mentioned that the meet and greet didn't go as planned (I read that thread - so sorry for your experience), and that you received no make up mirror, despite asking. An entire cruise was ruined because of these two things? I understand the lack of concern on the part of the hotel manager and his staff was annoying, but I can't imagine that ruining my vacation with my spouse/loved one.... There must be more you are not telling us. Please expand.

Nice summary - I probably shouldn't feed this thread but I'm just too appalled not to...

Right now I'm looking at images on the TV of mobs of people in Libya - refugees from the violence and oppression. Meanwhile, I'm preparing to go on a cruise - in a beautiful cabin with a balcony and constantly changing ocean view, cruising to exotic ports, enjoying fine food and being waited on - cheerfully - room service at my fingertips, an array of entertainment and social activities. I think of how blessed we are to experience such luxury at this time in history... we've come a long way from the cave.

And to complain - bitterly - about an awkward meet'n'greet and the lack of a ... make-up mirror?

It just boggles my mind :eek:

[treasure4two]

I am sorry your cruise didn't turn out as you thought it would, but could you give more details? Saying that the two managers were "basicly useless" is a generalization. How and why you felt that way would be helpful. I'm not bashing you, but some of the items you are complaining about are very minor. Maybe your expectations are just a bit too high. I hope you find a cruiseline and ship that is better suited for your needs. Good luck with your next cruise.

I have had great managers on other HAL and other cruise lines-I gave a note directly to the hotel manager about problems and asked for a response. No response. Other cruise lines have met my expectations, so I know that they are not too high.

[treasure4two]

Nice summary - I probably shouldn't feed this thread but I'm just too appalled not to...

Right now I'm looking at images on the TV of mobs of people in Libya - refugees from the violence and oppression. Meanwhile, I'm preparing to go on a cruise - in a beautiful cabin with a balcony and constantly changing ocean view, cruising to exotic ports, enjoying fine food and being waited on - cheerfully - room service at my fingertips, an array of entertainment and social activities. I think of how blessed we are to experience such luxury at this time in history... we've come a long way from the cave.

And to complain - bitterly - about an awkward meet'n'greet and the lack of a ... make-up mirror?

It just boggles my mind :eek:

Yes, I know I am blessed- I just have reasonable expectations-the mirror was just minor, the principle that they never even responded to this or other concerns is where I was not pleased.

[DRCANDON]

Found your thread on the M&G. All I can say is the CC M&G we had on the Noordam a year ago was incredible. Yes, we did have it in the morning and the folks who were arranging it contacted HAL way before the criuse and got a firm date and time ( At least that is the way it appeared, we were all emailed at least 2 weeks before the criuse on the date and time). HAL had the Cruise Director(short stay) and Hotel Manager both there and total surpise the Captain showed up (briefly)- we were all thrilled and quite shocked...

Hal provided cookies, coffee, tea and beverages. I thought it was far above the call of duty for a cruise line.

And yes, we were in the Crow's nest - on the left hand side in the corner for privacy and the area was roped off.

So, unless HAL has gone downhill considerably since then, maybe this was just a bad one up...

HOWEVER - having a M&G in the afternoon in the Crow's Nest with all the daily activities going on is a recipe for disaster...I am actually suprised HAL sanctioned it - usually they avoid the conflict.

As for the rest of your post - too bad you had a bad cruise...I am not a HAL cheerleader (like in other sections of this board) and if HAL messes up then they mess up...Lets face it with 2 to 3 thousand guests on a cruise someone is bound to be unhappy.

I was told once by a long time long distance traveller who said simply there are always screw ups on every vacation. If you let them(it) get to you then you just blew your money, the only one that suffers and ultimately cares is you - end quote...

[sail7seas]

Who was the Hotel Manager? Do you know who was Guest Relations Manager?

[treasure4two]

Could you please give us more details of why this last cruise was so terrible for you? You've mentioned that the meet and greet didn't go as planned (I read that thread - so sorry for your experience), and that you received no make up mirror, despite asking. An entire cruise was ruined because of these two things? I understand the lack of concern on the part of the hotel manager and his staff was annoying, but I can't imagine that ruining my vacation with my spouse/loved one.... There must be more you are not telling us. Please expand.

...a room that smelled of cigars and cigarettes and they could not move us even though not totally booked-not being permitted to use our alcohol beverage cards for Happy Hour-extra charge for second drink at Happy Hour, with no explanation-No magnifying mirror and just had eye surgery so needed one-tour posted by HAL as glass bottom boat and it was not a glass bottom boat and refused refund or even explanation(even the tour people said it was not glass bottom boat and did not know why it was noted as one)-tenders not set up properly for tours and missed one tour even though we were at the Ocean Bar as required (even early)-to name a few. ... and everything I mentioned, others on the cruise complained of same.

[sapper1]

...a room that smelled of cigars and cigarettes and they could not move us even though not totally booked-not being permitted to use our alcohol beverage cards for Happy Hour-extra charge for second drink at Happy Hour, with no explanation-No magnifying mirror and just had eye surgery so needed one-tour posted by HAL as glass bottom boat and it was not a glass bottom boat and refused refund or even explanation(even the tour people said it was not glass bottom boat and did not know why it was noted as one)-tenders not set up properly for tours and missed one tour even though we were at the Ocean Bar as required (even early)-to name a few. ... and everything I mentioned, others on the cruise complained of same.
Maybe the reason you have received no response to your list of complaints is because the list is simply so long that they haven't finished reading it yet. Just a thought.

[mamaofami]

This does sound like a vendetta and the best way to stop it from continuing is for us to stop posting on this thread.

[DRCANDON]

Magnifying mirror -HAL should be taken to task for that especially when there is a medical need - room steward also..

As far as tours go - these quotes are given to HAL from the tour organizers in the country and HAL reps - they always sound the best - to try and suck you in - all I can say to that is buyer beware - most of the tours we have done go good - some I wondered if the whales ever did frequent that area...:)

Missed tour - if the announcement or the joining instructions were clearly followed and you were there and they were not - then that is HAL's fault and should compensate. Of course you will have to prove the tour went without you and that you were where they said you were supposed to be...(Always get a crew member to verify - then get their name etc)

smoking is allowed in HAL rooms ( too bad for HAL) and moving a guest sometimes does not happen - but if you are allergic to the smoke and there are empty rooms in the same CAT then I see no reason HAL should not have done the deed...

[Krazy Kruizers]

...a room that smelled of cigars and cigarettes and they could not move us even though not totally booked-not being permitted to use our alcohol beverage cards for Happy Hour-extra charge for second drink at Happy Hour, with no explanation-No magnifying mirror and just had eye surgery so needed one-tour posted by HAL as glass bottom boat and it was not a glass bottom boat and refused refund or even explanation(even the tour people said it was not glass bottom boat and did not know why it was noted as one)-tenders not set up properly for tours and missed one tour even though we were at the Ocean Bar as required (even early)-to name a few. ... and everything I mentioned, others on the cruise complained of same.

we have been on quite a few different hal ships

never have we been able to use the beverage cards at happy hour -- and i have posted this many time

guess you didn't do your research here

[JJGlanton]

Magnifying mirror -HAL should be taken to task for that especially when there is a medical need - room steward also..


Perhaps HAL should have had the room manager and steward flogged - 20 lashes ought to serve the blighters properly. Then 30 days on bread and water.

[sail7seas]

I respectfully think she has every right to post whatever complaints she wishes. If she did not complain while aboard, I would feel it inappropriate to rush here with her laundry list of complaints but she says she sought assistance while aboard.

The worst complaint of all IMO is to be ignored and have no validation for her issues. Maybe she just wanted someone to listen to her and no one did that.


As for moving her, it is highly likely there were not nearly the empty cabins she thought there were. Almost all the ships go out full these days. It is likely NA was either sold out or very close to it IMO
I agree that cocktail cards are never accepted at the two for one happy hour. That is nothing knew and (hopefully) explained upon inquiry.

[iriemon]

Perhaps HAL should have had the room manager and steward flogged - 20 lashes ought to serve the blighters properly. Then 30 days on bread and water.

Hey that could have been part of the entertainment on board!!

...a room that smelled of cigars and cigarettes and they could not move us even though not totally booked

You knew this one was going to come up!!! :eek:

[JJGlanton]

Hey that could have been part of the entertainment on board!!

...a room that smelled of cigars and cigarettes and they could not move us even though not totally booked

You knew this one was going to come up!!! :eek:

lol - they could have the flogging as part of the entertainment for the Master Chef's dinner. Come to think of it they could turn the whole thing into a toga party that would make Caligula blush :D

[IRL_Joanie]

The Crows Nest starts out being busy early in the morning. I made a request for any time on the first sea day and that is what they gave me.
I have done numerous M&Gs before and never had a problem.
No vendetta-just got bad service on numerous levels.

I have been the coordinator for 3 M&G's now and ALL have been huge successes. Why? Because I give specific time and place, Crow's Nest, depending on size the little nook called The Captain's Corner."

There is a sticky started by LauraS, dealing specifically with the steps (and forms needed) for a M&G.

The 1st one I did May 2009 I set it up for 1 p.m., which was a good time for many of us, but NOT for the ship activities, Bingo, taking place at 2 p.m. If we had not been such a good CC group we'd not have taken so long but, no one really got that upset.

Our last 2 M&G's went beautifully as the 1st but were scheduled for 11 a.m. same spot. I not only emailed HAL with the request, but also followed threough with phone calls to the toll free number and spoke with our Coordinators.

We have 2 more cruises upcoming and I am once the coordinator and everything is already done. All I have to do is to follow through once I get on board to make sure everything is right.

You cannot expect to tell the ship you want the M&G at any time on the 1st sea day.... You must spell it out to include filling out the forms and verifying verifying verifying!!!!

I also arrange Invitations that I hand deliver to not only our CC members but also the Front Desk with invitations for specific Officers (at the suggestions of my fellow Roll Call Members). I arrange appetizers, Hot drinks, water, etc., etc. I never leave anything to anyone else as this is not another Cruise line that sets the M&G's up for us. This is HAL and we, the CC members are the hosts, not HAL. So it is up to us to do the leg work. If the M&G was a failure, do not put the blame on HAL. Put the blame where it belongs and take responsibility is my motto for M&G's.

IO have yet to read what you went through, but will. I must say that ALL of the Ships Officers and crew on Nieuw Amsterdam were very responsive to all of us on board in November-December.

As to the makeup mirror that was previously broken, could it be that they had no extras and had to wait until the part came in??

I am sorry that your cruise was ruined. I am sorry that you were not happy on the Noordam either.

I am glad that you will still cruise on a line that is more up to your expectations.

Enjoy, be happy and keep cruising.

The Crow's Nest is the perfect spot for the M&G and when set up correctly will flow smoothly!!

I make up the signs for the M&G (or as on our last one on NA, my Co-Coordinators did). The ship will put up a sign on a stancion that Says, "Private Party."

It is ny opinion that your peoblens were a fluke, not the norm, and should not be totally blamed on HAL.

Joanie

[KirkNC]

Donna,

What is going on :eek:, sorry to hear the cruise was that bad for you and Ron. I thought you had a good time on the Noordam, did I miss something? Maybe you were just being polite and not wanting to bring us down.

To set the record straight (or a little straighter anyway) Donna arranged for the M&G on the Noordam last year which I thought came off great, in fact we actually had two M&G's as many of us were on a B2B. As someone who has actually met Donna, she doesn't impress me as some wild crazy person out to get HAL. Based on her posts, she is pissed and wants people to hear her experience. Is she a little aggressive in the presentation, maybe but you know the saying "Hell has no fury like a woman scorned". Lets not forget this forum is called Cruise Critic ;).

Anyway, sorry to hear of your troubles and hate we will no longer see you on HAL :(. Best of luck to you and Ron.

Kirk

[JJGlanton]

"Hell has no fury like a woman scorned"

Kirk

Amen brother.

[gigianne]

On another thread I just read that the Nieuw Amsterdam was voted the 2011 ship of the year - by the World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society. 151 ships were rated. I am honored to have chosen to cruise on this award winning ship.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I too found it interesting that this thread and the one announcing that the NA won ship of the year award appear on the same day. I have never organized a meet and greet so have no idea how to do it BUT I must say the one organized by Joanie on the NA back in November was very well done. And I would agree with her, that we as CCers have to take the responsibility for the organization to have a sucessful outcome.

Barbara

[okiecruiser71]

I guess I'm confused about why HAL's staff onboard has to drop everything they're doing because you somehow managed to shatter your mirror. How does one smash the mirror in the first place?

Also, I don't get the comparison between Carnival and HAL. Two vastly different experiences.

[okiecruiser71]

we have been on quite a few different hal ships

never have we been able to use the beverage cards at happy hour -- and i have posted this many time

guess you didn't do your research here

I had the same experience with the beverage cards. I tried to buy a bucket of beers that were discounted but they told me I would have to pay full price if I used the beverage card. I had already bought the card at a discounted rate ($90 for $100 worth of drinks) so after being a little put off for a minute, it made sense and I was fine with it. I'm actually pretty impressed HAL even offers the discount for buying the cards in the first place.

[diamondgirl54]

Wow....When I go on a cruise and everything is outstanding I will post many things telling everyone about how great it was. On the other hand if I have a awful cruise and not happy with the service I will also post many things about how unhappy I am. I thought thats what this was all about.

[slimknyzer]

We have been to a number of M&G's and had no expectations other than to meet some really fine folk. Many thanks to the organizers of a M&G. Your efforts are appreciated, I can assure you!

When it comes to cruising, I like to think that most people have great times, while unfortunately....some others have less of a great time! You are are on a cruise! Seriously? Enjoy!

[taxmantoo]

When it comes to cruising, I like to think that most people have great times, while unfortunately....some others have less of a great time! You are are on a cruise! Seriously? Enjoy!

No scientific backing to this, but I believe the number of great times you have while cruising and the number of less great times you have while cruising are probably in direct relation and proportion to the number of great times or less great times you have while not cruising. Your attitude, personality, education and outlook on life do not change when you embark on a ship. ;)

[kazu]

I have been the coordinator for 3 M&G's now and ALL have been huge successes. Why? Because I give specific time and place, Crow's Nest, depending on size the little nook called The Captain's Corner."

There is a sticky started by LauraS, dealing specifically with the steps (and forms needed) for a M&G.

The 1st one I did May 2009 I set it up for 1 p.m., which was a good time for many of us, but NOT for the ship activities, Bingo, taking place at 2 p.m. If we had not been such a good CC group we'd not have taken so long but, no one really got that upset.

Our last 2 M&G's went beautifully as the 1st but were scheduled for 11 a.m. same spot. I not only emailed HAL with the request, but also followed threough with phone calls to the toll free number and spoke with our Coordinators.

We have 2 more cruises upcoming and I am once the coordinator and everything is already done. All I have to do is to follow through once I get on board to make sure everything is right.

You cannot expect to tell the ship you want the M&G at any time on the 1st sea day.... You must spell it out to include filling out the forms and verifying verifying verifying!!!!

I also arrange Invitations that I hand deliver to not only our CC members but also the Front Desk with invitations for specific Officers (at the suggestions of my fellow Roll Call Members). I arrange appetizers, Hot drinks, water, etc., etc. I never leave anything to anyone else as this is not another Cruise line that sets the M&G's up for us. This is HAL and we, the CC members are the hosts, not HAL. So it is up to us to do the leg work. If the M&G was a failure, do not put the blame on HAL. Put the blame where it belongs and take responsibility is my motto for M&G's.

IO have yet to read what you went through, but will. I must say that ALL of the Ships Officers and crew on Nieuw Amsterdam were very responsive to all of us on board in November-December.

As to the makeup mirror that was previously broken, could it be that they had no extras and had to wait until the part came in??

I am sorry that your cruise was ruined. I am sorry that you were not happy on the Noordam either.

I am glad that you will still cruise on a line that is more up to your expectations.

Enjoy, be happy and keep cruising.

The Crow's Nest is the perfect spot for the M&G and when set up correctly will flow smoothly!!

I make up the signs for the M&G (or as on our last one on NA, my Co-Coordinators did). The ship will put up a sign on a stancion that Says, "Private Party."

It is ny opinion that your peoblens were a fluke, not the norm, and should not be totally blamed on HAL.

Joanie

Joanie - you are on the money here. I too have organized several meet and greets and never had an issue. always well done and no problems with lots of officers. BUT............. in fairness to the op,

yes they may have been on a vendetta - but I agree with their complaints on the shore excursions on the NA and their issues. We had a shore excursion issue on ours and it sounds like the same person is in charge. I named them in my survey. Worst shore excursion I have ever had in my life - I was told I was the only person who complained even though I knew at least 5 couples complained from our cc group. Moreover, the HM was totally unavailable on our cruise. I know we had the one from HECK cruise with the NORO and stuff and after that it was clear sailing, but it wasn't the heck, it was the lack of communication and the uncaring attitude (seriously) or perhaps avoidance is the better word.

If the op hit the same stuff I did then i can really understand their reaction. Sorry, I love HAL and going again, but our cruise on the NA was the worst ever. some of the things that the op is saying is ringing true for me. Of course, I didn't go and post on every roll call.

Mind you the one thing that did go well were the two meet and greets on our cruise - in fact, the captain even thanked us for the first one and reminded people of the second one.

Ship happens and vendettas aren't required, but honestly the op might have some legitimate points from someone who's been there and won't buy their t shirt. :)

[michmike]

No need to bash the OP or minimize her concerns. Let them go elsewhere. She'll be happier (maybe) and those of us that continue to enjoy HAL (even w/ the occasional hiccup) will simply sail on.. content that we've made the right choice for ourselves

[Rutland Gate]

Enough of this. This subject has been brought up on multiple postings and is without merit to begin with.

[serendipity1499]

I guess I'm confused about why HAL's staff onboard has to drop everything they're doing because you somehow managed to shatter your mirror. How does one smash the mirror in the first place?

Also, I don't get the comparison between Carnival and HAL. Two vastly different experiences.

We just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam on 2-27-11. We had a 17 day on Noordam last July and not really pleased with HAL, but thought we would give HAL another chance. Turns out the Noordam was better-much better. Noordam had good senior staff that was friendly and tired to be efficient based upon the HAL rules, but the Hotel Manager(Marco) and the Beverage Manager on the NA were basically useless plus they did not respond to direct needs and questions. The good on HAL is their corporate staff/Customer Service before we got on ship and the entertainment(booked through Stiletto(Barry Manilow's company), especially Cantare'. Our waiters tried but appeared to be short staffed.
I had a previously smashed magnifying mirror in my cabin and requested it replaced(ship not totally full) from right after we got on the ship. Never got an answer or my mirror replaced, despite asking every day. The Hotel Manager knew and never responded nor did he or any of his staff do anything about it. They also totally messed up our M&G by not providing as promised(info on another thread called M&G Concerns). Many little things added up to a poor cruising experience. I know many other cruisers who are loyal to other cruise lines, unless you are a Carnival fan, put down Carnival. We did a 5 day cruise over Thanksgiving on Carnival with 2400 guests, 800 of them kids-the service, food, and entertainment combined were better than NA and HAL. Formal night on NA/HAL was actually equal to or less formal than on Carnival- saw more informal dress those two formal nights on HAL than Carnival.
I am guessing I will be bashed by people who love HAL and never had a bad experience, but I had to say my two cents worth. I know good cruising, this just was not it!

So sorry your meet & greet did not go as planned, however IMO, you did not follow through or take the time to read the sticky at the top of the main board which was posted by Laura, the Cruise Critic Community Mgr. on May 14, 2010..

This sticky is a compilation of instructions from various Posters who have run successful M & G's on HAL..If you decide to cruise on HAL again, suggest you read it thoroughly & follow the instructions...

We've never had a poor M & G on any HAL ship & like Joannie & other Posters I've organized quite a few of them...

Cheers...:)Betty

[marciaP]

Just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam and had a great time!! Family of 4 sailing on our 18th cruise and 2nd on HAL. Loved our cabins, most modern and spacious we have ever had!
And we thought the best food of any cruise!!! Did not eat at the pay restaurants except for Tamarind for lunch and enjoyed it. Was concerned about the smoking but never ran into any issues in fact rarely except for casino time did we notice it. Booked this cruise for the 4 fabulous stops and they were all so much fun!! Just goes to show we all come off the ship with different experiences. Everyone we spoke with the whole week had all positive things to say! 2 kids were 22 and 14 and they even said it was one of the best cruises they had gone on!!!

[hulamoon]

I don't think someone's poor cruise invalidates someones good cruise. Great ships occasionally have problems to solve. Stuff happens and to tell you truth it is not easy to navigate who to speak to on a ship to get results or a response especially if you are told to hang tight you will get a call back.

[Copper10-8]

I don't think someone's poor cruise invalidates someones good cruise. Great ships occasionally have problems to solve. Stuff happens and to tell you truth it is not easy to navigate who to speak to on a ship to get results or a response especially if you are told to hang tight you will get a call back.

Good point! Every HAL ship has a Guest Relations Manager or GRM who has a public desk plus daily hours. This individual is a good place to start if thing aren't totally right. He, usually she on most ships, is the "clearing house" for both compliments and complaints. A daily report is generated by the GRM and forwarded to the appropriate ship's Department, i.e. Housekeeping, Food Preparation, Dining Room Manager, what have you, for follow up.

[jeaniem]

It is beyond me how treasure4two's comments could seen as a vendetta! She had legitiment concerns and no matter how small they might seem to someone else,they should have been addressed in a timely manner--then taken care of. This is called customer service. Good customer service builds repeat business.

[ironin]

It is beyond me how treasure4two's comments could seen as a vendetta! She had legitiment concerns and no matter how small they might seem to someone else,they should have been addressed in a timely manner--then taken care of. This is called customer service. Good customer service builds repeat business.

Jeaniem: The "vendetta" allegation arose because of another thread started by the OP this morning, which she then re-posted as a comment to about two dozen different threads earlier today. The OP thought she was doing a public service in the process (see her comment above). The admins apparently viewed them differently.

[ETinCA]

Hi Ron and Donna!
I'm sorry to hear the experience wasn't a good one. We had a great time with you all last year on the Noordam and the M&G you organized was outstanding. That was a great group of people on that trip.
I know you are mad and I hope the cruise line responds. You spend a lot of money for a vacation and like to have things right. We've had a couple cruises with "things" that irritated us pretty bad. But remember that all these ships have different people and they change a bit. I wouldn't hold it against all of their ships. But that's the beauty of choices...there are so many for us and we can't get to them all unfortunately :)
We would travel with you guys anytime again on any line.
Also, Parker and Kara say hello too!


Hope all is well,
Eric and Marcie

[bob brown]

I never leave anything to anyone else as this is not another Cruise line that sets the M&G's up for us. This is HAL and we, the CC members are the hosts, not HAL.

Joanie

I am impressed by your ambition and energy in coordinating what I am sure are very nice Meet and Greets. Your statement has me curious, however.....what are the differences between HAL and the 'other' lines you make reference to?

[KirkNC]

A little color if I may on the beverage card comments. When we sailed on the Noordam last year (the OP was on this cruise) they DID except beverage cards during Happy Hour. I have posted this before as others reported that they did not except them on other ships. At that time the Noordam (along with the Westerdam) were the first ships to roll out the new beverage cards. I suspect that while they accepted them on our cruise HAL established a policy they would not accept them when they went to the full roll out. This is why the OP was irritated by that issue. Expectations are often what drive unhappiness.

Kirk

[IRL_Joanie]

I am impressed by your ambition and energy in coordinating what I am sure are very nice Meet and Greets. Your statement has me curious, however.....what are the differences between HAL and the 'other' lines you make reference to?

My understanding is that most other cruise lines are the Hosts of the M&M's (Meet & Mingle) their terms for what we call M&G (Meet & Greet).

The other cruise lines are totally in charge and we, Cruise Critic members have nothing to do with them, except to show up.

HAL, on the other hand, lets us, CC members, be completely in control and they just support us.

Hope that explains it..

Side to Kazu: I never mentioned vendetta. That was another poster. I have no idea if the OP has a vendetta or not, just offended at him for calling one specific poster the name he did. All I covered in my post(s) was to clarify, define the HAL M&G's I have done/am doing.

Joanie

[kazu]

sorry Joanie - did not mean to insinuate you were the poster on vendetta. That was another paragraph. I quoted you because M & G's have always gone well and I agreed with you. apologies for the confusion :o

[BumperII]

Yes, I know I am blessed- I just have reasonable expectations-the mirror was just minor, the principle that they never even responded to this or other concerns is where I was not pleased.

Why in the world would you want to approach 'senior staff' with a problem like a mirror? That is a problem that is normally handled by the cabin steward.

We have found that magic phrase that works wonders with the HAL staff. It is "thank you". All you have to do is show these folks a little respect and appreciation and they will give you the whole dam ship!

When you approach management with a problem, all you do is embarass the front line. Management should be your last resort, not the first.:D

[richwmn]

My understanding is that most other cruise lines are the Hosts of the M&M's (Meet & Mingle) their terms for what we call M&G (Meet & Greet).

The other cruise lines are totally in charge and we, Cruise Critic members have nothing to do with them, except to show up.

HAL, on the other hand, lets us, CC members, be completely in control and they just support us.

Hope that explains it..


Joanie

Joanie -- I believe that RCI has an agreement with Cruise Critic to provide for the gatherings. All other lines must have the CC members set up the meeting.
This shows at the top of the respective boards

Celebrity Connections
Azamara Club Cruises/Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle
RCCL Meet & Mingle

a random sampling of non RCI lines shows no similar link

Rich

[Okie1946]

This is totally off the subject but wanted to say "Thank you Joanie" - for sending me to LauraS and her sticky on organizing a M&M for our next cruise. I have been designated as the planner and had absolutely no idea of how to go about doing it. The posting will be a big help. :D

Enjoy reading the posts.

Previous Cruises:
September 2009 - Westerdam - Alaska
September 2010 - Rotterdam - Alaska

[JJGlanton]

Why in the world would you want to approach 'senior staff' with a problem like a mirror? That is a problem that is normally handled by the cabin steward.

We have found that magic phrase that works wonders with the HAL staff. It is "thank you". All you have to do is show these folks a little respect and appreciation and they will give you the whole dam ship!

When you approach management with a problem, all you do is embarass the front line. Management should be your last resort, not the first.:D

This is an excellent point, and worth remembering.

Still, one can see how one's weeklong cruise could be absolutely ruined by not having access to a makeup mirror.

The Horror - the Horror...

[Aussiemick]

It is beyond me how treasure4two's comments could seen as a vendetta! She had legitiment concerns and no matter how small they might seem to someone else,they should have been addressed in a timely manner--then taken care of. This is called customer service. Good customer service builds repeat business.

Come on folks, give here a break. I had a similar cruise experience on HAL in December. Dozens of little things that didn't warrant complaints to customer service until they became the norm rather than an exception. Everything from losing our wine on two different nights, giving us the wrong night for Wedding vow renewal, dirty robe they argued about replacing, dirty glasses in the bathroom, run around about the validity of our prepaid beverage cards, late and disinterested future cruise consultant and on and on. I both wrote and emailed HAL and thus far they have not found the time to respond.
So every cruise is not the "died and went to heaven" experience the cruise lines advertise and many people only want to hear about on CC.

[rafinmd]

Joanie -- I believe that RCI has an agreement with Cruise Critic to provide for the gatherings. All other lines must have the CC members set up the meeting.
This shows at the top of the respective boards

Celebrity Connections
Azamara Club Cruises/Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle
RCCL Meet & Mingle

a random sampling of non RCI lines shows no similar link

Rich

Actually, Crystal does as well. As a veteran of Crystal and Cunard, HAL's model sounds like they do a lot more to support the function than most other lines, and certainly more than Cunard does.

Roy

[serendipity1499]

I am impressed by your ambition and energy in coordinating what I am sure are very nice Meet and Greets. Your statement has me curious, however.....what are the differences between HAL and the 'other' lines you make reference to?


My understanding is that most other cruise lines are the Hosts of the M&M's (Meet & Mingle) their terms for what we call M&G (Meet & Greet).

The other cruise lines are totally in charge and we, Cruise Critic members have nothing to do with them, except to show up.

HAL, on the other hand, lets us, CC members, be completely in control and they just support us.

Hope that explains it..

<SNIP>

Joanie

Joanie -- I believe that RCI has an agreement with Cruise Critic to provide for the gatherings. All other lines must have the CC members set up the meeting.
This shows at the top of the respective boards

Celebrity Connections
Azamara Club Cruises/Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle
RCCL Meet & Mingle

a random sampling of non RCI lines shows no similar link

Rich

Rich you are correct..Only RCCL & their lines which include Celebrity & Azmara have a contract with Cruise Critic..They set up what they call "Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle" meetings..They advertise the meetings in their daily programs & require participants to sign up for the meeting..They are the only ones who have a contract with Cruise Critic..

However, I've found that for the most part HAL has been exceptionally good to us If we handle the Meet & Greet's correctly..On our last Noordam cruise in Nov. I was not the Organizer, however I helped the Organizer by making up & printing the invites for all participants (reminders which were delivered on board) & also made up special invitations for all the Officers which our Organizer hand delivered to each ..If the Officer was not in his office they were delivered to the Front desk..

We were on a B2B & our second Meet & Greet on the Noordam was held in the Afternoon..HAL blocked off a portion of the Crow's Nest for us & all of the Officers including the Capt. came & spoke to our group..In addition they served champagne & hors d' Oeuvre's..

When we have an a.m. meet & greet, we normally only ask for coffee, tea, & pastries in the Captain's Corner of the Crows Nest & we've always had enough room for all our partiicipants.. When we board the ship, The Organizer, should immediately go to see either the Beverage Mgr. or the HM & give them a list of all the participants.. They have always offered to have the invitations delivered by their staff & they've been very kind to us.. But the Organizer does all the planning...

Cheers....:)Betty

[Cruise Organizer]

Sailed last July in the Med - 12 nights
we had a great time, I wish we were going again this year, but I will be on the Westerdam in 2 weeks.

[richwmn]

[/b]
Rich you are correct..Only RCCL & their lines which include Celebrity & Azmara have a contract with Cruise Critic..They set up what they call "Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle" meetings..They advertise the meetings in their daily programs & require participants to sign up for the meeting..They are the only ones who have a contract with Cruise Critic..
Cheers....:)Betty


Betty, I agree that HAL does a wonderful job with out M&Gs. The two that I set up were easy to do, and worked out well. However, in her post, Joanie said
My understanding is that most other cruise lines are the Hosts of the M&M's (Meet & Mingle) their terms for what we call M&G (Meet & Greet).
So I was just pointing out that those on cruise lines other than the RCI group (and now Crystal) do the same thing we do.

Rich

[iancal]

There are bound to be more and more VALID complaints-on HAL and on the other mainstream cruise lines.

Staff cuts are impacting service in all areas- including quality assurance measures. Expense cuts are impacting food quality, entertainment, and most other areas.

The notion that people who voice concerns are exagerating, that most issues are attributable to the cruiser's expectations, or how or to whom the complaint was made simply does not cut it. It is difficult to imagine how staff and expense cuts would not impact customer satisfaction in a service oriented environment.

[SwissMyst]

Cruise lines face a tough choice: complaints about increased prices or complaints about cost-saving measures.

Crystal it appears is facing defection to HAL ships for their own round of increased prices, so those passengers can vote with their own dollars if they find the HAL service standards an acceptable compromise or not, or whether they remain willing to pay more to get more back on Crystal.

Value with HAL for me means I pay less and I get less, but both cruise lines safely still take me places I want to go, feed me and give me a clean bed to sleep in.

[ironin]

Come on folks, give here a break. I had a similar cruise experience on HAL in December. Dozens of little things that didn't warrant complaints to customer service until they became the norm rather than an exception. Everything from losing our wine on two different nights, giving us the wrong night for Wedding vow renewal, dirty robe they argued about replacing, dirty glasses in the bathroom, run around about the validity of our prepaid beverage cards, late and disinterested future cruise consultant and on and on. I both wrote and emailed HAL and thus far they have not found the time to respond.
So every cruise is not the "died and went to heaven" experience the cruise lines advertise and many people only want to hear about on CC.

Aussiemick: I immediately thought of you (and Kazu above) when I read the original post here. Sometimes things do seem to just go from bad to worse. Experiences like that may not happen often, but that shouldn't be an excuse for belittling the reporter, IMO. Then again, leading off with the statement, "Never cruise on HAL again," after spamming every NA roll call in existence at the time, doesn't strike me as an effective conversation starter. Fair or not, people do tend to respond to the tone set by an OP, or a later commenter.

[JJGlanton]

The notion that people who voice concerns are exagerating, that most issues are attributable to the cruiser's expectations, or how or to whom the complaint was made simply does not cut it.

With respect, the participants of this board will ultimately make their own judgements about whether the complaints voiced here are valid or perhaps unreasonable...

I believe that some people on this thread noted that the OP had spammed her complaints across multiple threads here, perhaps indicating a degree of outrage that might have been disproportionate to the perceived or inflicted slight - in fact some people came to voice the opinion that the OP was carrying out a "vendetta".

Also, some may have been puzzled that the OP complained that her vacation was "ruined" by a missing make-up mirror and a glitched meet'n'greet, and made a judgement about the validity of the OP's complaints on that basis:).

[hulamoon]

Sometimes being upset means communication is going to be less than efficient.

I appreciate Copper 10-8 explaining who to speak to because I have waited by a phone for a call that never came a few times.

[world~citizen]

I appreciate Copper 10-8 explaining who to speak to because I have waited by a phone for a call that never came a few times.

Never stay by a phone. Go out and enjoy yourself and check your messages when you come back.

The guest relations manager is the first stop.

If the problem is so bad as to ruin your cruise, you might try writing a note to the Hotel Manager or Purser etc. depending on the department you have an issue with. Make it clear and friendly and leave it with the Front Office. You get the impression they don't want to do it but they will and it gets attention. Again, this should be a last resort and sort of step back, take a breath and be sure you are being reasonable.

They really do want you to have a good vacation.

Smooth sailing...

[hulamoon]

Good points...

Hal has told me a time or two to wait by the phone, so I did as long as I could. I will remember this next time.

In the end, the issues were solved after a few days or by getting off the ship. ;)

[slimknyzer]

No scientific backing to this, but I believe the number of great times you have while cruising and the number of less great times you have while cruising are probably in direct relation and proportion to the number of great times or less great times you have while not cruising. Your attitude, personality, education and outlook on life do not change when you embark on a ship. ;)

OK.......thanks!

[Jemima]

We have been to a number of M&G's and had no expectations other than to meet some really fine folk. Many thanks to the organizers of a M&G. Your efforts are appreciated, I can assure you!

When it comes to cruising, I like to think that most people have great times, while unfortunately....some others have less of a great time! You are are on a cruise! Seriously? Enjoy!

That's are reason for attending M&Gs. I want to meet the people from the roll call and get to know some fellow passengers. A good turnout is most important. Goodies and CD or officer present is nice, but we're happy just to get together and meet roll call members.
Slimknyzer, my DD and I met you at the M&G on the Statendam PC cruise.

[qe2]

I sailed on the Niew Amsterdam for the New Year's cruise. I had many problems which were not addressed properly. One of them was a problem for the beverage manager...who ignored it.I caught him in the elevator and finally got to speak to him. He was not otherwise resposive to problems. (One of my problems was a wine steward in the Pinnacle grill who tried to serve a $500 bottle of wine in a dirty glass grabbed from neighboring table. ) He finally appogized when trapped in the elevator.
We encountered so many problems and poor service that if we had complained about all of them, we would not have had time for anything else. The Pinnacle Grill was the worst. There were food and service problems along with billing problems. Pre paid reservations were not honored and charged a second time. A waiter argued with me when I asked him to cook a steak a little more. Overall, service was spotty. There were some dedicated and wonderful people but there were more who were mediocre. Management seemed to be content with mediocre.
I can appreciate the complaints of the OP.The cruise on the Niew Amsterdam was one of the worst of my 50+ cruises.

[pinnaclegirl]

we just completed a two week cruise on the oosterdam. when we arrived at our verandah cabin there were four or five things in need of repair. our steward advised my wife to make a list of the items, which she did, and leave it in the suite. when we returned from dinner, the notes were gone and all of the repairs and maintenance were taken care of in 24 hours. this required the service of personel from four different departments.

each note was written with a please and thank you and a positve attitude. we have found this level of service on five holland cruises in the last year.

[Pettifogger]

iancal:

I agree with you that its "difficult to imagine how staff and expense cuts could not impact customer satisfaction...," but it may have impacted different customers differently.

Those who have more money and maybe less patience than I do, may object to any cuts, but the only cuts that have impacted me are the breakfast specials and the wine cards, which pale in comparison to the increase in value of lower fares. Overall, I worry only that a wonderful period for inexpensive cruising may be drawing to a close, but then I feel I should be grateful for having received a windfall benefit even after it expires.

However, I do hope that someone in Seattle is keeping a list of things like breakfast specials and wine cards to restore when fares rise a bit. When I start paying full fares, I'm going to start expecting those customer-friendly touches again.

But I do disagree with your reference to HAL as a mass market cruise line. I sailed on some of those before I found HAL and the difference was so striking that I've never looked back.

[iancal]

I do not think that entering a cabin and finding that as many as 'four or five things in need of repair' is a good thing...even if they are attended to promptly. Fortunately, we have never had this experience on HAL or any other cruise line...or hotel for that matter.

While I think that it is always important to start at the bottom when lodging a complaint, and approaching the correct management person responsible should things not go well is also the next best approach. But I have to say that it should not matter which management person one approaches...good customer service dictates that they respond directly or by taking the issue directly to the responsible manger on the customer's behalf. With that goes the responsibity of follow up by the manager who first received the customer issue. This is not rocket science, it is simple good business. That is why these individuals are in management and it is why stove pipe management never works in the hospitality business.

[Pettifogger]

I agree.

[serendipity1499]

I also agree!

Cheers...:)Betty

P.S. The one married to the guy who wears short sleeves...LOL

[JJGlanton]

On the Eurodam last year my wife and I were dining in Tamarind - a fantastic venue btw - we really enjoyed the food, atmosphere, and service.

After finishing our meal, we were presented with a bill to sign after dinner. We had prepaid (we pre-gifted/prepaid ourselves so we wouldn't have to hassle with reservations onboard - a trick we learned from these forums :)), and I mentioned this to the waitress. The waitress was extremely polite but still asked us to sign. We did sign, assuming that there was some kind of mixup and that we could straighten it out later.

During dessert, the headwaiter (Maitre'd?) rushed over with the waitress, and both apologized profusely for the error, informing us that we had indeed prepaid and that everything would be taken care of. Smiles all around, and that great feeling one has when finishing a fine meal with good company was not injured in the least - in fact, we developed a kind of bond with the staff in the Tamarind that lasted whenever we saw them at their various posts throughout the cruise.

I guess my point is that glitches happen, but our experience on that cruise effected us, in that we had the impression that the staff was out to do their very best by us, despite the occasional lapses that occurred because of slips in the system, their heavy workload, and slight gaps in communication.

Sorry for the lenghty post - it's just that I think that a little goodwill on both sides - customer and HAL staff - goes a long way, and I believe in my bones that the HAL staff has goodwill for miles.

[Copper10-8]

I also agree!

Cheers...:)Betty

P.S. The one married to the guy who wears short sleeves...LOL

I sure hope you make him shave his arms at least 'till the elbows prior to going on your next cruise, Betty;)

[iancal]

too funny

[Nancyquilts]

(One of my problems was a wine steward in the Pinnacle grill who tried to serve a $500 bottle of wine in a dirty glass grabbed from neighboring table. )
A $500 bottle of wine?:eek: Must have been the markup on two buck Chuck.;)

[iancal]

....and I just bought a case of Chilean plonk for under $100. and got change back!

[KirkNC]

On the Eurodam last year my wife and I were dining in Tamarind - a fantastic venue btw - we really enjoyed the food, atmosphere, and service.

After finishing our meal, we were presented with a bill to sign after dinner. We had prepaid (we pre-gifted/prepaid ourselves so we wouldn't have to hassle with reservations onboard - a trick we learned from these forums :)), and I mentioned this to the waitress. The waitress was extremely polite but still asked us to sign. We did sign, assuming that there was some kind of mixup and that we could straighten it out later.

During dessert, the headwaiter (Maitre'd?) rushed over with the waitress, and both apologized profusely for the error, informing us that we had indeed prepaid and that everything would be taken care of. Smiles all around, and that great feeling one has when finishing a fine meal with good company was not injured in the least - in fact, we developed a kind of bond with the staff in the Tamarind that lasted whenever we saw them at their various posts throughout the cruise.

I guess my point is that glitches happen, but our experience on that cruise effected us, in that we had the impression that the staff was out to do their very best by us, despite the occasional lapses that occurred because of slips in the system, their heavy workload, and slight gaps in communication.

Sorry for the lenghty post - it's just that I think that a little goodwill on both sides - customer and HAL staff - goes a long way, and I believe in my bones that the HAL staff has goodwill for miles.

Anytime a problem occurs, and it happens all the time either in business or on a cruise, there is an opportunity for a moment of magic or a moment of misery. The OP had the latter while you had the former.

Kirk

[katenp]

I too had a bad experience on a hal cruise. I was on one of the first eurodam cruises and it was awful from beginning to end. I swore I never would sail hal again.....that said, I am going on the Westerdam in April. I gave thought to what happened on the cruise and realized that something was terribly wrong ( or atleast I hope so) because so many people love hal that it must have been a fluke. I have been on over 20 cruises and I know that one persons experience can be very different from anothers. I was on a ship in October that had bad engine problems..... I had the time of my life ! But the people who missed flights and had go wait in long lines to re book and the people that had cabins near the smells and other problems probably had the worse cruise ever ( this was not a hal ship). So I think people should be able to tell their experiences without getting bashed.

[serendipity1499]

I sure hope you make him shave his arms at least 'till the elbows prior to going on your next cruise, Betty;)

Oh my!..Thanks for reminding me..;)

I'll be sure to get him a new razor..Wouldn't want his hairy arms to show while reaching for a roll!:eek:

Cheers...:)

[newmexicoNita]

We just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam on 2-27-11. We had a 17 day on Noordam last July and not really pleased with HAL, but thought we would give HAL another chance. Turns out the Noordam was better-much better. Noordam had good senior staff that was friendly and tired to be efficient based upon the HAL rules, but the Hotel Manager(Marco) and the Beverage Manager on the NA were basically useless plus they did not respond to direct needs and questions. The good on HAL is their corporate staff/Customer Service before we got on ship and the entertainment(booked through Stiletto(Barry Manilow's company), especially Cantare'. Our waiters tried but appeared to be short staffed.
I had a previously smashed magnifying mirror in my cabin and requested it replaced(ship not totally full) from right after we got on the ship. Never got an answer or my mirror replaced, despite asking every day. The Hotel Manager knew and never responded nor did he or any of his staff do anything about it. They also totally messed up our M&G by not providing as promised(info on another thread called M&G Concerns). Many little things added up to a poor cruising experience. I know many other cruisers who are loyal to other cruise lines, unless you are a Carnival fan, put down Carnival. We did a 5 day cruise over Thanksgiving on Carnival with 2400 guests, 800 of them kids-the service, food, and entertainment combined were better than NA and HAL. Formal night on NA/HAL was actually equal to or less formal than on Carnival- saw more informal dress those two formal nights on HAL than Carnival.
I am guessing I will be bashed by people who love HAL and never had a bad experience, but I had to say my two cents worth. I know good cruising, this just was not it!

stuff happens, I am sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise on HAL, but I think it was just the luck of the draw. Not every line is right for everyone and obviously HAL isn't for you. I have trouble believing the formal nights were more formal on Carnival. I have been on both lines, HAL probably is as formal as they get. Why you had this experience is anyone's guess. As for the kids program, HAL is not the line for people who are looking for a good childrens program. I don't know how much research you did, but it wouldn't take much to learn NCL, Carnival and RCI are much better for families as a rule. Entertainment of HAL is geared to an older crowd we have learned. As for the M&G.what were you expecting, a strip tease dancer or something. The reason most of us attend them is to meet others. What was your reason?

[kalliekae]

Just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam and had a great time!! Family of 4 sailing on our 18th cruise and 2nd on HAL. Loved our cabins, most modern and spacious we have ever had!
And we thought the best food of any cruise!!! Did not eat at the pay restaurants except for Tamarind for lunch and enjoyed it. Was concerned about the smoking but never ran into any issues in fact rarely except for casino time did we notice it. Booked this cruise for the 4 fabulous stops and they were all so much fun!! Just goes to show we all come off the ship with different experiences. Everyone we spoke with the whole week had all positive things to say! 2 kids were 22 and 14 and they even said it was one of the best cruises they had gone on!!!


Thank you for your comments. We had the same experience on our NA cruise back in November. We loved it, others hated it. HAL can't please every passenger; and I don't doubt there are legitimate concerns from passengers. However, I also believe many passengers are like us and don't allow issues to become major complaints. We're on vacation and any cruise is better than no cruise. JMO

[two4me]

I can't respond to post but do have a question for HAL's .
Was tryng to figure out if HAL-nice southern carib.(10 day)
Have only done one cruise on princess. (7 Western)
I know less people on the ships, but has anyone done both lines and what differences are there. (24 hr buffet?) etc?
Thanks in advance.

[qe2]

A $500 bottle of wine?:eek: Must have been the markup on two buck Chuck.;)

It was Penfolds Grange... brought onboard and paid the corkage. If bought onboard, it was $1500. The sad thing was that the wine steward had no clue about how to decant and serve it.. It was taken to the Pinnacle in time for them to make a proper presentation. Since it was on their menu, they should have had knowledge of the wine.They didn't . That was in addition to the huge problem of it being served in a dirty glass.

[kazu]

I can't respond to post but do have a question for HAL's .
Was tryng to figure out if HAL-nice southern carib.(10 day)
Have only done one cruise on princess. (7 Western)
I know less people on the ships, but has anyone done both lines and what differences are there. (24 hr buffet?) etc?
Thanks in advance.

Hal does not have a 24 hour buffet, but they do have 24 hour room servie (and very nice by the way). Princess probably has better entertainemt.

Hal offers cool towels when you come in from a hot port an hot towels when you come in from a cool port. Water there for your.

Orchids in the Lido. nice towels in the public washrooms.

the best beds on any cruise line.

terrific staff that really want to please and want you to be happy.

Just a lot of class & beautiful art that is a lot different from Princess.

My first Princess cruise, I got their cook book, my second? I couldn't eat the food (remember food is subjective), but no one came soon enough to replace it before desert. so, for once I lost weight on a cruise.

all cruises and food are subjective. it's each person's experience, but I prefer HAl.

[slimknyzer]

That's are reason for attending M&Gs. I want to meet the people from the roll call and get to know some fellow passengers. A good turnout is most important. Goodies and CD or officer present is nice, but we're happy just to get together and meet roll call members.
Slimknyzer, my DD and I met you at the M&G on the Statendam PC cruise.
Hey Jemima! I do remember meeting you. We had a great M&G! Good people, snacks, begs, and just a relaxed fun time! That was a really nice cruise. Take care and hope to see you again!

Tom

[two4me]

Thank You Kazu,
Your reply was helpful. Still looking, but one question. Pricing?
I know I watch for deals but is HAL a little higher end cruise (slightly)
then princess because...? Thanks again in advance.
When you have only done one cruise, you really still feel lost and
the help here is great.

[kazu]

Thank You Kazu,
Your reply was helpful. Still looking, but one question. Pricing?
I know I watch for deals but is HAL a little higher end cruise (slightly)
then princess because...? Thanks again in advance.
When you have only done one cruise, you really still feel lost and
the help here is great.

what type of room are you looking at booking. Most of Hal's rooms are larger than Princess. To me, Hal is a higher end cruise lines. A lot of little touches. Dh never compares and on our last Princess cruise he said he wished he was on HAL - we were both comparing because we were missing things. Most of Hal's ships are smaller than most of Princess' newer ships and appear much more intimate IMO.

I really enjoy my bathtub on HAL - small thing to some, big thing to me.

And we really, really enjoy their strings. I think you will find Hal's drinks more reasonable than Princess as well as Hal's policy of bringing on all the wine, water and soda you want (for consumption in your stateroom).

Oh, and I love the fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning on HAL.

Definitely do the 10 day - so much better than a 7.

hopefully others will join in will be of more help than I.:)

[woody14h]

....and I just bought a case of Chilean plonk for under $100. and got change back!

Must not have been a good harvest year (month)!! ;-)

[lorekauf]

what type of room are you looking at booking. Most of Hal's rooms are larger than Princess. To me, Hal is a higher end cruise lines. A lot of little touches. Dh never compares and on our last Princess cruise he said he wished he was on HAL - we were both comparing because we were missing things. Most of Hal's ships are smaller than most of Princess' newer ships and appear much more intimate IMO.

I really enjoy my bathtub on HAL - small thing to some, big thing to me.

And we really, really enjoy their strings. I think you will find Hal's drinks more reasonable than Princess as well as Hal's policy of bringing on all the wine, water and soda you want (for consumption in your stateroom).

Oh, and I love the fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning on HAL.

Definitely do the 10 day - so much better than a 7.

hopefully others will join in will be of more help than I.:)
Really Princess puts on a fine product. When you've only taken one cruise on Princess I don't think you can begin to compare the 2. I've been on one Celebrity cruise and I didn't like it that much but I would never think HAL was a step about them. I was on the Sapphire Princess in Dec.2010 and the food was so much better on that cruise then on the Oosterdam in Feb.2011. The beds are WAY better on HAL then Princess. My balcony was way better on Princess then HAL. One thing about Princess is that their ships always seem more crowded. Princess and HAL are in the same league IMO although I often hear that HAL is more of a classy line. Frankly, I don't see it. I might have agreed years ago but it's a different product now.

[kazu]

Really Princess puts on a fine product. When you've only taken one cruise on Princess I don't think you can begin to compare the 2. I've been on one Celebrity cruise and I didn't like it that much but I would never think HAL was a step about them. I was on the Sapphire Princess in Dec.2010 and the food was so much better on that cruise then on the Oosterdam in Feb.2011. The beds are WAY better on HAL then Princess. My balcony was way better on Princess then HAL. One thing about Princess is that their ships always seem more crowded. Princess and HAL are in the same league IMO although I often hear that HAL is more of a classy line. Frankly, I don't see it. I might have agreed years ago but it's a different product now.

Just to clarify, Lorekauf - I was referring to our LAST Princess cruise. We have been on more than one I definitely agree that Princess seems more crowded. Funny, both our room on HAL and our balcony were bigger than our rooms on Princess. Must depend upon what type of cabin or what ship you choose. We did a verandah the first time and a suite the second time, so I think I compared apples to apples.

anyways, the main thing is that the op goes on a cruise they enjoy.

[iancal]

We find that Princess, HAL, and Celebrity all have very good, very comparable products. Especially the smaller Princess ships and the newer Celebrity ships. For our tastes, recently Celebrity has the edge on both-especially with their new generation of ships. Celebrity is moving up on our charts, HAL is moving down slightly, and Princess is static. We are not loyal to one line, we decide where and when we want to go and then pick the best value on the basis of ship, price, etc. Having said that we have had one trip on NCL and one on Carnival. They were both very good-NCL actually stood out in our minds for entertainment and service. I am certain that each customer has their own perspective based on his or hers preferences and experiences.

[treasure4two]

. I don't know how much research you did, but it wouldn't take much to learn NCL, Carnival and RCI are much better for families as a rule. Entertainment of HAL is geared to an older crowd we have learned. As for the M&G.what were you expecting, a strip tease dancer or something. The reason most of us attend them is to meet others. What was your reason?[/quote]
We cruise about three times a year, so I do not need to do research to know Carnival is better for kids-I do not have any kids-just was saying, even with the kids, Carnival was better. For those who think I am just a complainer-I am NOT- I did not have one complaint all the cruises we have taken on Carnival, Oceania, Azamara, RCCL, nor NCL.
As far as the M&G, first, I do not know where you were coming from about the strip tease dancer comment.:confused: I take the time to set up and organize the M&G, so I can meet others and so can all of those on our threads. I have done 5+ M&Gs and never had problems. I expected an area where we could hear each other talk and have proper seating area-not much to ask but we got neither. Even the HAL rep on board admitted she made mistakes(plural) and said she was mortified(her words) about how bad it went.

[DCParky]

I was on the NA the week before the OP's cruise, and couldn't have had a completely different experience. Crew and staff were very responsive and courteous. The ship looked great and everyone went out of their way to make it a great experience. I can't wait to sail on her next February!

[ricki]

I'm coming to this party a little late, but I just wanted to post that our beverage cards were accepted every evening during happy hour in the Ocean Bar or the Crow's Nest on the Ryndam. This was just a week ago.

Ricki

[KirkNC]

This seems to be a point of inconsistency. The Noordam also allowed it but others report other ships do not.

Kirk

[LAKEMI1]

Our cards were accepted on the Volendam out of Sydney two weeks ago.

[Boatdrill]

We did a 5 day cruise over Thanksgiving on Carnival with 2400 guests, 800 of them kids-the service, food, and entertainment combined were better than NA and HAL. Formal night on NA/HAL was actually equal to or less formal than on Carnival- saw more informal dress those two formal nights on HAL than Carnival.


About the formal nights: "regular" 7 day CCL/HAL Caribbean cruises might be a better comparison among cruiselines for formal nights. Passengers tend to get a bit more dressed up on a holiday cruise (hopefully).

Please know I'm not disputing what you observed. It's just that a holiday cruise has a different atmosphere.

In any case, I'm sorry to hear you weren't pleased with your experience
on HAL.

[two4me]

what type of room are you looking at booking. Most of Hal's rooms are larger than Princess. To me, Hal is a higher end cruise lines. A lot of little touches. Dh never compares and on our last Princess cruise he said he wished he was on HAL - we were both comparing because we were missing things. Most of Hal's ships are smaller than most of Princess' newer ships and appear much more intimate IMO.

I really enjoy my bathtub on HAL - small thing to some, big thing to me.

And we really, really enjoy their strings. I think you will find Hal's drinks more reasonable than Princess as well as Hal's policy of bringing on all the wine, water and soda you want (for consumption in your stateroom).

Oh, and I love the fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning on HAL.

Definitely do the 10 day - so much better than a 7.

hopefully others will join in will be of more help than I.:)

I just found out yest. that bro-in-law always does the Hal.I know he was a cruiser for yrs, but did not know he stuck to one line as they preferr.
It was funny, he did mention about the orange juice. He said he would order 3 glasses for himself in the morning. hahaha
I was hoping that we could try for the april cruise but no balcony avai.
The only one would be March 23rd or start looking in sept. but not sure about that. So here goes another question. Has any one done the Sept.
cruises. I am concerned that too hot or hurricane season. Any one want to reply to the weather question? While I type the snow just stopped,YUCK!

[kazu]

I just found out yest. that bro-in-law always does the Hal.I know he was a cruiser for yrs, but did not know he stuck to one line as they preferr.
It was funny, he did mention about the orange juice. He said he would order 3 glasses for himself in the morning. hahaha
I was hoping that we could try for the april cruise but no balcony avai.
The only one would be March 23rd or start looking in sept. but not sure about that. So here goes another question. Has any one done the Sept.
cruises. I am concerned that too hot or hurricane season. Any one want to reply to the weather question? While I type the snow just stopped,YUCK!

JMO - but as you are facing snow as we do, I would far rather go in March when I can appreciate the sunshine and warmth than in September when we still have decent weather.

[topcop]

Just got off the Westerdam. We are regular HAL cruisers and although the cruise was great, we had a few complaints, albeit perhaps minor.

#1 - TV in room does not swivel so one cannot watch from bed. I thought for sure it had a swivel on the cruises we took. Again, minor complaint, but annoying.
#2 - Kid wore a very obscene worded T-Shirt for three days and no staff member took notice.
#3 - Tried to relax on the Promenade Deck during the Walk for the Cure but the music was unbelievably loud. I usually wear two hearing aids but did not have them in and it was loud for me. I, and several others went to the front desk and asked that the volume be lowered. nothing was done about it. Girl who ran the walk shrugged me off.

The fact that no one addressed #2&3 was annoying.

[two4me]

Just your opinion is about right for mine too! Seems this time of year, my body wants the warm sun, not in Sept. as you stated.
I should get a doctor note for it. :D

[mallbucks]

beverage cards were accepted every evening during happy hour in the Ocean Bar or the Crow's Nest on the Ryndam.Ricki

I know we can order all beverage cards on-line before our cruise - I would like to know that if we wait to buy them on board, can we buy them at every bar on the ship from the bartenders, or just certain locations? Thanks.

[coolsailing100]

We were on the same cruise if it was the 20th thru the 27th of Feb on the NA. We had a wonderful time, loved the ship and staff. All crew were kind and friendly. Had no complaints about the ship or the crew and always had special attention given to us by the staff. We loved every minute on board this beautiful ship.:)

[ricki]

I know we can order all beverage cards on-line before our cruise - I would like to know that if we wait to buy them on board, can we buy them at every bar on the ship from the bartenders, or just certain locations? Thanks.

We were told that we could buy the cards from any bartender---we bought ours in the Ocean Bar.

I would opt for a March cruise of the Caribbean over September. It was already getting pretty warm in February, but September will be much, much warmer.

Ricki

[Oceanwench]

I just found out yest. that bro-in-law always does the Hal.I know he was a cruiser for yrs, but did not know he stuck to one line as they preferr.
It was funny, he did mention about the orange juice. He said he would order 3 glasses for himself in the morning. hahaha
I was hoping that we could try for the april cruise but no balcony avai.
The only one would be March 23rd or start looking in sept. but not sure about that. So here goes another question. Has any one done the Sept.
cruises. I am concerned that too hot or hurricane season. Any one want to reply to the weather question? While I type the snow just stopped,YUCK!

September is the peak of hurricane season in the Caribbean.
HAL does not have any ships here until October.

[treasure4two]

We were on the same cruise if it was the 20th thru the 27th of Feb on the NA. We had a wonderful time, loved the ship and staff. All crew were kind and friendly. Had no complaints about the ship or the crew and always had special attention given to us by the staff. We loved every minute on board this beautiful ship.:)

Sounds like you did not run into any problems. Yes, staff was friendly. Problems happen-that is just a given as we are human but good customer service is how they handle them. Problem with the Pinnacle and the manager Ann resolved it. Great customer service. Notice, I did not comment on the Pinnacle as a problem because it was resolved and quickly. I wrote a note to the Hotel Manager about 3 problems and none of them were ever resolved or even responded to. Never had that happen to us, even on the Noordam or other cruise lines. No response, to me is unacceptable and in reading this thread and the other one on Beverage and soda cards I started, I am not the only one that had this problem.

[KirkNC]

I know we can order all beverage cards on-line before our cruise - I would like to know that if we wait to buy them on board, can we buy them at every bar on the ship from the bartenders, or just certain locations? Thanks.

Yea you can buy them from any bartender or waitress/waiter (I think you might have to buy them from the wine steward in the MDR).

Kirk

[JJGlanton]

People seem to have inconsistent experiences with the beverage cards.

On the Eurodam in the Carribean last year, I bought a 10 drink card at the suggestion of the bartender - I didn't even know they existed. They worked fine for happy hour (2 drinks one 'punch' in the card) - using Negroni Nuevo's as test cases :D

[serendipity1499]

Deleted..

[eliget]

Sounds like you did not run into any problems. Yes, staff was friendly. Problems happen-that is just a given as we are human but good customer service is how they handle them. Problem with the Pinnacle and the manager Ann resolved it. Great customer service. Notice, I did not comment on the Pinnacle as a problem because it was resolved and quickly. I wrote a note to the Hotel Manager about 3 problems and none of them were ever resolved or even responded to. Never had that happen to us, even on the Noordam or other cruise lines. No response, to me is unacceptable and in reading this thread and the other one on Beverage and soda cards I started, I am not the only one that had this problem.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I have cruised with different lines, CCL, NCL, Princess, just tried HAL last November, we loved it. Some have been better than others. However, that was our experience. You certainly have a right to post yours, and some of the very mean messages posted here are really uncalled for. It is wonderful to find a cruise line that really fits your needs, but that doesn't give people the right to bash other's opinions. We are planning a "family" cruise in November so we chose CCL. The next "us" alone cruise will be HAL once again. Hope you enjoy your next cruise with whatever line you choose.

[serendipity1499]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I have cruised with different lines, CCL, NCL, Princess, just tried HAL last November, we loved it. Some have been better than others. However, that was our experience. You certainly have a right to post yours, and some of the very mean messages posted here are really uncalled for. It is wonderful to find a cruise line that really fits your needs, but that doesn't give people the right to bash other's opinions. We are planning a "family" cruise in November so we chose CCL. The next "us" alone cruise will be HAL once again. Hope you enjoy your next cruise with whatever line you choose.

Just want to make one comment about your accusation about the poster being bashed!~IMO your remark is un-fair..You probably are not aware of what has gone on throughout the past few weeks on all the differnt threads..

The reason many people got so upset with the poster was that instead of bringing her problem to light on one thread she did it on two threads on the Main board PLUS at the same time put the same complaint & comments on every single roll call for the ship..I counted approx 7 more posts on different roll calls..To me that showed that she had an AX to grind..

Fortunately the HOSTS deleted all but her two threads on the main board..In addition, she finally admitted that one or two of her problems were handled, however she continued to rant about the HM etc not giving her an answer..She had a problem in the Pinnacle & it was resolved, but she chose to tell us about it anyway.. ..

Also, when it was pointed out to her that she did not follow the instructions which Laura the Cruise Critic Manager placed at the top of this board about organizing Meet & Greets on HAL, she chose to ignore us rather than admit that perhaps she had not followed through with HAL..

Instead of ranting about all the problems on 10 different posts, IMO it would have been accepted more if the poster had just made her points on one thread, & acknowledged that maybe she was partly to blame for the Meet & Greet fiasco? Agree, she was embarrassed, but people respect someone who will admit that they may have goofed even a little bit..

IMO that is why so many on this board got so upset & discounted many of her complaints..

JMO...Cheers...:)Betty

[kazu]

Just want to make one comment about your accusation about the poster being bashed!~IMO your remark is un-fair..You probably are not aware of what has gone on throughout the past few weeks on all the differnt threads..

The reason many people got so upset with the poster was that instead of bringing her problem to light on one thread she did it on two threads on the Main board PLUS at the same time put the same complaint & comments on every single roll call for the ship..I counted approx 7 more posts on different roll calls..To me that showed that she had an AX to grind..

Fortunately the HOSTS deleted all but her two threads on the main board..In addition, she finally admitted that one or two of her problems were handled, however she continued to rant about the HM etc not giving her an answer..She had a problem in the Pinnacle & it was resolved, but she chose to tell us about it anyway.. ..

Also, when it was pointed out to her that she did not follow the instructions which Laura the Cruise Critic Manager placed at the top of this board about organizing Meet & Greets on HAL, she chose to ignore us rather than admit that perhaps she had not followed through with HAL..

Instead of ranting about all the problems on 10 different posts, IMO it would have been accepted more if the poster had just made her points on one thread, & acknowledged that maybe she was partly to blame for the Meet & Greet fiasco? Agree, she was embarrassed, but people respect someone who will admit that they may have goofed even a little bit..

IMO that is why so many on this board got so upset & discounted many of her complaints..

JMO...Cheers...:)Betty

Betty, I think you hit that nail on the head. :) Well said.

[ricki]

Thank you for that clarification, Betty.

I did want to mention one thing. On our recent Ryndam cruise, we were given a quality assurance form to complete mid way through the cruise. We did fill it out and mentioned a few things that we thought needed attention, and some positive comments as well. We did not receive any response to it. What's the point of taking the time to complete the form if no one responds?

Ricki

[serendipity1499]

Thank you for that clarification, Betty.

I did want to mention one thing. On our recent Ryndam cruise, we were given a quality assurance form to complete mid way through the cruise. We did fill it out and mentioned a few things that we thought needed attention, and some positive comments as well. We did not receive any response to it. What's the point of taking the time to complete the form if no one responds?

Ricki

I agree with you Ricki..Someone should respond even if it was to say "Thank you, we are looking into your suggestions & comments"...

Cheers...:)Betty

[Pettifogger]

I'm not sure what a quality assurance form given out mid-cruise is.

We have always filled out the guest satisfaction survey at the end of the cruise and never expected a response because I assume that they receive at least a thousand of them most days. I think it would be remarkable if they read all of the manual insertions, rather than just tabulating the numerical results electronically.

Possibly the reference is to the Let Us Know forms which I use for compliments too long to fit on the guest satisfaction survey and rarely for a criticism. I assume they read all of those because there are probably far fewer to read and, since it requires a little effort on the part of the passenger to obtain and submit them, they are likely to express more definite opinions.

I am happy to be heard (or read in this case) so I don't mind that I've never received a response. (I don't send them mostly for my benefit, but for theirs.)

[kazu]

I'm not sure what a quality assurance form given out mid-cruise is.

We have always filled out the guest satisfaction survey at the end of the cruise and never expected a response because I assume that they receive at least a thousand of them most days. I think it would be remarkable if they read all of the manual insertions, rather than just tabulating the numerical results electronically.

Possibly the reference is to the Let Us Know forms which I use for compliments too long to fit on the guest satisfaction survey and rarely for a criticism. I assume they read all of those because there are probably far fewer to read and, since it requires a little effort on the part of the passenger to obtain and submit them, they are likely to express more definite opinions.


I am happy to be heard (or read in this case) so I don't mind that I've never received a response. (I don't send them mostly for my benefit, but for theirs.)

Ricki is right - we get those forms too about mid way through the cruise. they state something to the effect of 'let us know what we can do so we can improve before your cruise is over ' - that's not a direct quote, but a general idea.

We normally do longer cruises, so we always get them, however, i suspect by the time they are tabulated or gone through, the cruise is over.

Just my best guess.

[Pettifogger]

Maybe quality assurance forms are just for suites. We've never gotten one and our longest cruise was thirty-one days.

[KirkNC]

Maybe quality assurance forms are just for suites. We've never gotten one and our longest cruise was thirty-one days.

That's probably it, they don't want feedback from those of us in steerage :D.

Kirk

[kazu]

Maybe quality assurance forms are just for suites. We've never gotten one and our longest cruise was thirty-one days.

I don't believe Ricki was in a suite - seriously. I believe she had a verandah. ok :o we were

[opa&oma]

I think that once her ego was bruised at the Meet and Greet she let it ruin the rest of her cruise. It's a good lesson to the rest of us to never let little complaints ruin what should be a wonderful time.

[serendipity1499]

Maybe quality assurance forms are just for suites. We've never gotten one and our longest cruise was thirty-one days.

That's probably it, they don't want feedback from those of us in steerage :D.

Kirk

We don't book suites or verandas, but on the day before the last day on every HAL cruise, we've received the comment form from HAL...It asks that we rate every department on board..And as far as I know all the Officers read those forms..That is one reason the stewards want to be sure that you know their names, as they all want to have a good report from the Passengers..

Cheers....:)Betty

[world~citizen]

...reminds me of the refrain from a Dionne Warwick song (Burt Bacharach and Hal David)...:eek:;)

[mbodamer]

..tenders not set up properly for tours and missed one tour even though we were at the Ocean Bar as required (even early)

I of course was not there so i can't say what were your circumstances, however, i just spent 5 months as crew onboard a HAL ship. NO HAL TOURS leave without the guests. If you were in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time, even if the tenders were late, the Shore Excursion manager would have forced the tour operator to wait for the HAL guests. I simply do not see a way that someone can miss a HAL tour if they are in the right place at the right time.

If you are to report to the Ocean Bar at 12noon and have your sticker Red 1 on, then someone will come there and say ok everyone with Red 1 lets go to the tenders and you all go as a group.

[kazu]

...reminds me of the refrain from a Dionne Warwick song (Burt Bacharach and Hal David)...:eek:;)

Music anyone?

[treasure4two]

(1)The reason many people got so upset with the poster was that instead of bringing her problem to light on one thread she did it on two threads on the Main board PLUS at the same time put the same complaint & comments on every single roll call for the ship..I counted approx 7 more posts on different roll calls..To me that showed that she had an AX to grind..



Fortunately the HOSTS deleted all but her two threads on (2)the main board..In addition, she finally admitted that one or two of her problems were handled, however she continued to rant about the HM etc not giving her an answer..She had a problem in the Pinnacle & it was resolved, but she chose to tell us about it anyway.. ..

(3)Also, when it was pointed out to her that she did not follow the instructions which Laura the Cruise Critic Manager placed at the top of this board about organizing Meet & Greets on HAL, she chose to ignore us rather than admit that perhaps she had not followed through with HAL..

Instead of ranting about all the problems on 10 different posts, IMO it would have been accepted more if the poster had just made her points on one thread, & acknowledged (4)that maybe she was partly to blame for the Meet & Greet fiasco? Agree, she was embarrassed, but people respect someone who will admit that they may have goofed even a little bit..

IMO that is why so many on this board got so upset & discounted many of her complaints..

JMO...Cheers...:)Betty[/quote]
Betty,

Let me address your points:
(1) I took alot of time, not to rant, but to let people on different Roll Calls know, in case they did not read all the threads, just their roll call. I did not want others to start their cruise out on such a negative. I was trying to be helpful, not mean.
(2) If you read where I mentioned the Pinnacle, I was trying to show you that there was great customer service coming from the Pinnacle manager, but not the HM and Beverage manager-it was a compliment to Ann in the Pinnacle and it was carried over on the positive comment letter note I made about her.
(3)I had done several M&Gs before and never had a problem, even on the Noordam in July, 2010 and had two then.
(4) The HAL coordinator who arranges M&Gs on the ship admitted(as I mentioned before but you chose to ignore it) that she made the mistakes on the M&G and she was very embarrassed about it-said she was "mortified". I am first to admit when I make a mistake/goof and the only goof I made on the Roll Calls I commented on(more than 10) was that I was just trying to prevent any other M&Gs from having such a disappointing experience. I could have said it in fewer words, but want to be detailed.

I knew when I started this thread that I was going to be bashed by people that love HAL. I have read much worse on CC, to the point of where people insult others very viciously and attacked everything from their children to what they wear to their nationality. And lastly, there where several other people on this thread and others that have had bad experiences on HAL and I am sure the HAL people that monitor the CC threads were not happy to see my comments. All I needed was a response from the HM or BM, answering my 3 questions and I would have NEVER started this thread. Even if the answers were not what I wanted to hear, but at least, it would have been better customer service than I got.
Happy cruising to all-I know I will:D

[elycelynne]

Music anyone?

"What did I get when I cruised on HAL?
A whole bunch of stuff that burst my bubble,
That's what I got for all my trouble -- I'll
Never cruise on HAL agaaaaaa-ain,
No I'll never cruise on HAL again!"

(with apologies to Messrs. David and Bacharach);)

[kazu]

"What did I get when I cruised on HAL?
A whole bunch of stuff that burst my bubble,
That's what I got for all my trouble -- I'll
Never cruise on HAL agaaaaaa-ain,
No I'll never cruise on HAL again!"

(with apologies to Messrs. David and Bacharach);)

for karaoke night? :p Love it - you are talented :):) LOL:D

[treasure4two]

I think that once her ego was bruised at the Meet and Greet she let it ruin the rest of her cruise. It's a good lesson to the rest of us to never let little complaints ruin what should be a wonderful time.

My ego was not bruised- HAL looked bad to those who attended because
HAL was wrong and the female crew member I talked to admitted it, using the term 'mortified' about what happened and did not happen and should have-and my cruise was not ruined because I was with my wonderful husband and we just enjoyed being together and cruising. I just said I would never cruise on HAL again. I just have not had problems on 5+ other cruise lines and I did with HAL. As I said before, problems happen because we are human, great customer service is how the business/HAL responds. HAL just did not respond. Period.

[PROCRUISE]

We just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam on 2-27-11. We had a 17 day on Noordam last July and not really pleased with HAL, but thought we would give HAL another chance. Turns out the Noordam was better-much better. Noordam had good senior staff that was friendly and tired to be efficient based upon the HAL rules, but the Hotel Manager(Marco) and the Beverage Manager on the NA were basically useless plus they did not respond to direct needs and questions. The good on HAL is their corporate staff/Customer Service before we got on ship and the entertainment(booked through Stiletto(Barry Manilow's company), especially Cantare'. Our waiters tried but appeared to be short staffed.
I had a previously smashed magnifying mirror in my cabin and requested it replaced(ship not totally full) from right after we got on the ship. Never got an answer or my mirror replaced, despite asking every day. The Hotel Manager knew and never responded nor did he or any of his staff do anything about it. They also totally messed up our M&G by not providing as promised(info on another thread called M&G Concerns). Many little things added up to a poor cruising experience. I know many other cruisers who are loyal to other cruise lines, unless you are a Carnival fan, put down Carnival. We did a 5 day cruise over Thanksgiving on Carnival with 2400 guests, 800 of them kids-the service, food, and entertainment combined were better than NA and HAL. Formal night on NA/HAL was actually equal to or less formal than on Carnival- saw more informal dress those two formal nights on HAL than Carnival.
I am guessing I will be bashed by people who love HAL and never had a bad experience, but I had to say my two cents worth. I know good cruising, this just was not it!

Every cruise line is probably a little different and every ship in every fleet may have things/occurrences that are pleasing or displeasing. As you can see, we're VIP with CCL and have only cruises with HAL three times but I can honestly say that we've never been on any cruise ship that we didn't like at all. We actually didn't really care for the Carnival Dream but the cove balcony was super. We loved The Eurodam but would have like a little more activity in the evening. I'd never "write off" a cruise line based on a few events on one cruise. In 10 days we're giving Celebrity a try and I'm assuming I'll have a fabulous time because that's my assumption every time I board any cruise ship!

[jimmy2x]

I have never had the type of experience that the OP had, but it doesn't mean that it cannot happen. I give her a lot of credit for returning to the thread. We see way too many hit and run posts and it is refreshing that the OP stuck around.

[serendipity1499]

Betty,

Let me address your points:
(1) I took alot of time, not to rant, but to let people on different Roll Calls know, in case they did not read all the threads, just their roll call. I did not want others to start their cruise out on such a negative. I was trying to be helpful, not mean.

So you assumed that people on the roll calls don't read the Main Board.In addition you ranted on two threads on the main board, not just one & then put the same post on all those roll calls...Now you still think that was right to do :rolleyes: IMO "That to me indicated that you have an AX to grind.

(2) If you read where I mentioned the Pinnacle, I was trying to show you that there was great customer service coming from the Pinnacle manager, but not the HM and Beverage manager-it was a compliment to Ann in the Pinnacle and it was carried over on the positive comment letter note I made about her.

Yes I agree you did do that..
..
(3)I had done several M&Gs before and never had a problem, even on the Noordam in July, 2010 and had two then.
(4) The HAL coordinator who arranges M&Gs on the ship admitted(as I mentioned before but you chose to ignore it) that she made the mistakes on the M&G and she was very embarrassed about it-said she was "mortified". I am first to admit when I make a mistake/goof and the only goof I made on the Roll Calls I commented on(more than 10) was that I was just trying to prevent any other M&Gs from having such a disappointing experience. I could have said it in fewer words, but want to be detailed.

You were specifically asked if You followed Laura's instructions (sticky at top of main board) on how to organize a meet & greet on HAL & you chose to ignore that question..In addition I asked if you had contacted the on board coordinator as soon as you boarded the ship (as per Laura's instructions) to give her a list of participants & to assure that your Meet & Greet was going to be ok & you chose to ignore my question..That also led many of us to believe that you did not follow through, however you still won't admit that perhaps you are partly to blame for the goof!

I knew when I started this thread that I was going to be bashed by people that love HAL. I have read much worse on CC, to the point of where people insult others very viciously and attacked everything from their children to what they wear to their nationality. And lastly, there where several other people on this thread and others that have had bad experiences on HAL and I am sure the HAL people that monitor the CC threads were not happy to see my comments. All I needed was a response from the HM or BM, answering my 3 questions and I would have NEVER started this thread. Even if the answers were not what I wanted to hear, but at least, it would have been better customer service than I got.
Happy cruising to all-I know I will:D[/quote]

Yes I do enjoy cruising on HAL but I am not a cheerleader..If I had that many problems I would have written HAL in Seattle a letter instead of airing the problems the way you did on 10 differnet threads & then went on by calling the ships' Managers "useless" If that isn't ranting, I don't know what is..

You are upset because you think you were bashed on this board, but it's OK for you to call both the Hotel Mgr & the Beverage Manager "useless"..If that isn't bashing then I don't know what is..

You put it on all the roll calls, assuming that people on the roll call do not read the main board....I stand by what I said..That means to me that you had an AX to grind..

You were asked time & time again if you followed Laura's instructions on organizing Meet & Greets on HAL & you chose to ignore that..I asked you if you contacted the on board coordinator as soon as you boarded the ship to give her the list of participants & to make sure your Meet & Greet was finalized..You chose to ignore my question!

I can guarantee that if you had contacted the ship coordinator & had given her the list of participants your Meet & Greet would have gone off without a hitch....

I also have organized many Meet & Greets & have never had a problem, but I followed through when I boarded.. Most organizers also invite by personal invitation the Captain, Beverage Mgr, Hotel Mgr, CD to attend & they usually do..On our Noordam cruise in Nov. I think we had more Officers than I've ever seen..

As Laura mentioned HAL is not an official sponsor of the Meet & Mingles, but they have been very helpful & welcoming most of the CC Groups..They don't have to, you know!

Betty

[serendipity1499]

Oh Goodness..:oPlease excuse the above post where I copied & pasted a couple of similar paragraphs several times...Looks like I was ranting, but actually I was trying to do too many things at once..:eek: Guess I can't multi-task any more or I'll keep making a lot of stupid mistakes..:o It's too late to correct the post now..

Betty

[kazu]

Every cruise line is probably a little different and every ship in every fleet may have things/occurrences that are pleasing or displeasing. As you can see, we're VIP with CCL and have only cruises with HAL three times but I can honestly say that we've never been on any cruise ship that we didn't like at all. We actually didn't really care for the Carnival Dream but the cove balcony was super. We loved The Eurodam but would have like a little more activity in the evening. I'd never "write off" a cruise line based on a few events on one cruise. In 10 days we're giving Celebrity a try and I'm assuming I'll have a fabulous time because that's my assumption every time I board any cruise ship!

Great attitude PROCRUISE - Every cruise has it's good points and there are always things we would like or find lacking. Or we can get hit some problems and bumps - but it doesn't mean that you write off the line.

Never is a very, very long time.

In the op's case, if they couldn't get their problems resolved on board, then the best thing to do is write Seattle and see what type of reaction they get.

I would think they would want to know about unresolved issues.;)

[treasure4two]

Betty,

Let me address your points:
(1) I took alot of time, not to rant, but to let people on different Roll Calls know, in case they did not read all the threads, just their roll call. I did not want others to start their cruise out on such a negative. I was trying to be helpful, not mean.

So you assumed that people on the roll calls don't read the Main Board.In addition you ranted on two threads on the main board, not just one & then put the same post on all those roll calls...Now you still think that was right to do :rolleyes: IMO "That to me indicated that you have an AX to grind.

(2) If you read where I mentioned the Pinnacle, I was trying to show you that there was great customer service coming from the Pinnacle manager, but not the HM and Beverage manager-it was a compliment to Ann in the Pinnacle and it was carried over on the positive comment letter note I made about her.

Yes I agree you did do that..
..
(3)I had done several M&Gs before and never had a problem, even on the Noordam in July, 2010 and had two then.
(4) The HAL coordinator who arranges M&Gs on the ship admitted(as I mentioned before but you chose to ignore it) that she made the mistakes on the M&G and she was very embarrassed about it-said she was "mortified". I am first to admit when I make a mistake/goof and the only goof I made on the Roll Calls I commented on(more than 10) was that I was just trying to prevent any other M&Gs from having such a disappointing experience. I could have said it in fewer words, but want to be detailed.

You were specifically asked if You followed Laura's instructions (sticky at top of main board) on how to organize a meet & greet on HAL & you chose to ignore that question..In addition I asked if you had contacted the on board coordinator as soon as you boarded the ship (as per Laura's instructions) to give her a list of participants & to assure that your Meet & Greet was going to be ok & you chose to ignore my question..That also led many of us to believe that you did not follow through, however you still won't admit that perhaps you are partly to blame for the goof!

I knew when I started this thread that I was going to be bashed by people that love HAL. I have read much worse on CC, to the point of where people insult others very viciously and attacked everything from their children to what they wear to their nationality. And lastly, there where several other people on this thread and others that have had bad experiences on HAL and I am sure the HAL people that monitor the CC threads were not happy to see my comments. All I needed was a response from the HM or BM, answering my 3 questions and I would have NEVER started this thread. Even if the answers were not what I wanted to hear, but at least, it would have been better customer service than I got.
Happy cruising to all-I know I will:D

Yes I do enjoy cruising on HAL but I am not a cheerleader..If I had that many problems I would have written HAL in Seattle a letter instead of airing the problems the way you did on 10 differnet threads & then went on by calling the ships' Managers "useless" If that isn't ranting, I don't know what is..

You are upset because you think you were bashed on this board, but it's OK for you to call both the Hotel Mgr & the Beverage Manager "useless"..If that isn't bashing then I don't know what is..

You put it on all the roll calls, assuming that people on the roll call do not read the main board....I stand by what I said..That means to me that you had an AX to grind..

You were asked time & time again if you followed Laura's instructions on organizing Meet & Greets on HAL & you chose to ignore that..I asked you if you contacted the on board coordinator as soon as you boarded the ship to give her the list of participants & to make sure your Meet & Greet was finalized..You chose to ignore my question!

I can guarantee that if you had contacted the ship coordinator & had given her the list of participants your Meet & Greet would have gone off without a hitch....

I also have organized many Meet & Greets & have never had a problem, but I followed through when I boarded.. Most organizers also invite by personal invitation the Captain, Beverage Mgr, Hotel Mgr, CD to attend & they usually do..On our Noordam cruise in Nov. I think we had more Officers than I've ever seen..

As Laura mentioned HAL is not an official sponsor of the Meet & Mingles, but they have been very helpful & welcoming most of the CC Groups..They don't have to, you know!

Betty[/quote]
Betty,
You have your feelings and I have mine. I had the best intentions when I put it on all the roll calls. You might have not seen it that way, but that is how I meant it. Did not come across as I intended. No, I did not read Laura's instructions, as I am not a frequent responder, like many of you, on CC. Until you mentioned it, I did not know about it. Shame on me for not spending more time, reading every thread on CC. I work a fulltime job plus involved in another business, so I do not have as much time to read CC as others. Shoot me. People get really personal on CC and direct their own personal rants directly to others on CC, when they do not agree with them. I saw it in this thread and in others. Yes, I called the HM and BM useless and they were when it came to problems I had and tried to get addressed while on the ship. Other than in defense of myself, I have never gone after people on CC unless they attacked someone else and I felt it was unfair or when people attacked Americans and how we deal with them as opposed to other countries.
I have had a total of 24 days on HAL ships and as I keep saying, HAL is the only cruise line I have unresolved problems on. To me, that is not good customer service. I can take answers I do not like, just not
being given any answer at all. Enough on this. Everytime someone wants to make another hit at me, it puts this thread higher up on the HAL site and more people read why someone will not cruise on HAL again. Not everyone disagrees with me or wants to attack me for expressing my thoughts. Thought that was what CC was for-asking questions and telling experiences, positive and negative. You rant was a total personal attack of me, but you never said anything nice about HAL in their defense. I had problems with HAL on my 17 day cruise and wrote their corporate people and all I go back was a form letter and an offer of a two level upgrade.
I tried to address problems on the ship, to the people who could respond and I got NOTHING. To me, totally unacceptable. Go ahead and attack me again Betty-hope it makes you feel better about yourself.
Over and out on this thread. :)

[iancal]

It is really quite simple, if you do not like HAL (or any other cruise line), don't book any more cruises with them. There are several excellent cruise lines to choose from. That is the great thing about choices.

[firechiefswife]

Great attitude PROCRUISE - Every cruise has it's good points and there are always things we would like or find lacking. Or we can get hit some problems and bumps - but it doesn't mean that you write off the line.

Never is a very, very long time.

In the op's case, if they couldn't get their problems resolved on board, then the best thing to do is write Seattle and see what type of reaction they get.

I would think they would want to know about unresolved issues.;)


I have been following cc for a few years now and have enjoyed, appreciated and benefited from the advice and tips from MANY of you fine folks. And MANY THANKS TO ALL......;)

I have chosen NOT to read through each entry on this thread for quite frankly, I am developing a headache and am really "turned off". I concur with most of what " kazu " has quoted above. If one has an unresolved onboard issue, write a balanced, detailed letter to Seattle outlining your experience(s) AND SEND IT TO GUEST RELATIONS..... In our particular case, we did and were VERY PLEA$ANTLY $URPRI$ED :D. The ONLY reason I chose to respond is that I saw this post and thought "what, seriously, still on this?".

I want all the great folks on cc to know that I (and maybe some, or many others like me?) normally choose not to look at these types of threads, but when I saw the title :eek:..... please people, can we have some closure?


The Chief's Wife ;)

[VMax1700]

"What did I get when I cruised on HAL?
A whole bunch of stuff that burst my bubble,
That's what I got for all my trouble -- I'll
Never cruise on HAL agaaaaaa-ain,
No I'll never cruise on HAL again!"

(with apologies to Messrs. David and Bacharach);)

No need to apologise, after all it was by HAL David and Burt Bacharach :D

[world~citizen]

No need to apologise, after all it was by HAL David and Burt Bacharach :D

Very good!:D

Smooth sailing...

[halmariner]

Yes I do enjoy cruising on HAL but I am not a cheerleader..If I had that many problems I would have written HAL in Seattle a letter instead of airing the problems the way you did on 10 differnet threads & then went on by calling the ships' Managers "useless" If that isn't ranting, I don't know what is..

You are upset because you think you were bashed on this board, but it's OK for you to call both the Hotel Mgr & the Beverage Manager "useless"..If that isn't bashing then I don't know what is..

You put it on all the roll calls, assuming that people on the roll call do not read the main board....I stand by what I said..That means to me that you had an AX to grind..

You were asked time & time again if you followed Laura's instructions on organizing Meet & Greets on HAL & you chose to ignore that..I asked you if you contacted the on board coordinator as soon as you boarded the ship to give her the list of participants & to make sure your Meet & Greet was finalized..You chose to ignore my question!

I can guarantee that if you had contacted the ship coordinator & had given her the list of participants your Meet & Greet would have gone off without a hitch....

I also have organized many Meet & Greets & have never had a problem, but I followed through when I boarded.. Most organizers also invite by personal invitation the Captain, Beverage Mgr, Hotel Mgr, CD to attend & they usually do..On our Noordam cruise in Nov. I think we had more Officers than I've ever seen..

As Laura mentioned HAL is not an official sponsor of the Meet & Mingles, but they have been very helpful & welcoming most of the CC Groups..They don't have to, you know!

Betty
Betty,
You have your feelings and I have mine. I had the best intentions when I put it on all the roll calls. You might have not seen it that way, but that is how I meant it. Did not come across as I intended. No, I did not read Laura's instructions, as I am not a frequent responder, like many of you, on CC. Until you mentioned it, I did not know about it. Shame on me for not spending more time, reading every thread on CC. I work a fulltime job plus involved in another business, so I do not have as much time to read CC as others. Shoot me. People get really personal on CC and direct their own personal rants directly to others on CC, when they do not agree with them. I saw it in this thread and in others. Yes, I called the HM and BM useless and they were when it came to problems I had and tried to get addressed while on the ship. Other than in defense of myself, I have never gone after people on CC unless they attacked someone else and I felt it was unfair or when people attacked Americans and how we deal with them as opposed to other countries.
I have had a total of 24 days on HAL ships and as I keep saying, HAL is the only cruise line I have unresolved problems on. To me, that is not good customer service. I can take answers I do not like, just not
being given any answer at all. Enough on this. Everytime someone wants to make another hit at me, it puts this thread higher up on the HAL site and more people read why someone will not cruise on HAL again. Not everyone disagrees with me or wants to attack me for expressing my thoughts. Thought that was what CC was for-asking questions and telling experiences, positive and negative. You rant was a total personal attack of me, but you never said anything nice about HAL in their defense. I had problems with HAL on my 17 day cruise and wrote their corporate people and all I go back was a form letter and an offer of a two level upgrade.
I tried to address problems on the ship, to the people who could respond and I got NOTHING. To me, totally unacceptable. Go ahead and attack me again Betty-hope it makes you feel better about yourself.
Over and out on this thread. :)[/quote]

PLEASE...ENOUGH...Please Flush....try to find a glass that is half full.

Good Luck and Good Bye