HAL's user unfriendly website

The majority of you are talking about booking and looking at cruise prices.

OP was talking about booking shore excursions!!

You are right, of course. In my experience, if I tried booking an excursion, HAL always gladly excepted my credit card. Never had problems.

I see the OP figured out her problem with the 'log on'.

I just booked a shore excursion the other day and it is very simple -- same as it used to be.

Log into HAL -- go your reservation -- click on the port - choose the excursion -- select the time you want if there are 2 times for a tour -- indicate 2 people -- give your credit card -- and you are done. You get an e-mail right back confirming the booked excursion(s) and I run that off to take with me on the cruise.

You may be used to cruise lines where you don't pay for the excursions until you are on the ship. HAL has never done that. The same goes for specialty restaurants and anything else you want to buy.

^quote above for truth--for how to do it and how HAL has always done it.

I'm not sure how much easier it could be? :confused:

Derek

^quote above for truth--for how to do it and how HAL has always done it.

 

I'm not sure how much easier it could be? :confused:

 

Derek

All I have to say is, LOTS.

Hmm ... I just booked an excursion through the website last week with no problems or trouble finding the information I wanted. Maybe I was just lucky??

Hmm ... I just booked an excursion through the website last week with no problems or trouble finding the information I wanted. Maybe I was just lucky??

Maybe you were.

Just lucky, that is.

Yesterday I tried to book a shore excursion on a future cruise, using my HAL Visa card. That's a card I have used many times before on the HAL site, and has a credit from left-over on-board credits from my recent cruises.

My card was declined. Several times.

Today, the purchase went through with no problems. Same excursion, same name, same credit card.

It's the site that is screwed up.

Thanks for this extra information.

 

When I gave our Travel Agent your instructions, he was impressed that someone in Canada was able to tell me how to access prices on the HAL website, when the HAL staff could not!!!

I'd be scared to use that ta. I've been using the same procedure as was given on this thread since the new website came out. I didn't have any problems seeing the price but I'm used to booking guarantees so maybe that helps. I was thinking people were looking for a heck of a lot more info based on the complaints that I've seen on this board.

I've said this for years, their web site is Awful.

A couple months ago it just got a whole lot awfuller.

If I can't see a price quote without entering all that data, they won't be getting any type of booking from me.

Agreed. There is a roadblock at every turn in booking attempts now. I cruise on four different lines and was ready for another HAL experience. After 5 minutes with the new web configuration, my attention went back to Princess as the alternative to my recent RCI cruises.

The "new" system is diabolical. Some people have reported no problems at all, easy to book lalalalala.... way more people have complained about it both here and on HAL's facebook page. So evidently there are real issues. Those who have had "no problems" are obviously very fortunate or are not wanting to compare pricing or see various categories with explanations of the type of room without having to jump through hoops. Having spoken to someone at HAL and hearing that they frustrated as well, it is clear it's a big problem and they are not able to find a fix for it.

It is mindblowing how difficult it is now to book a cruise online -- even to just locate a cruise to book on HAL's website. I have been away from HAL for a bit and thought I'd look around the site to see what was out there. It was ridiculous how much wasted keystrokes are necessary to just get a little piece of information. There are annoying windows popping up all over the place that need to be closed and useless pages you have to now work through just to get information on a cruise. The site used to be so easy and quick to navigate -- why oh why did they have to "update" it like this? It is the worst cruiseline website I have ever encountered. :(

p.s. I gave up and left without ever getting what I needed off the site...

You must be doing something wrong. It is very easy to book an excursion on the HAL web site once you have your booking code. I had no trouble booking a HAL excursion for our last cruise.

Hint: Start with your booking rather than the excursion.

igraf

It could just take a lot more learning than I am willing to give, but I wanted to book a shore excursion. It is SO EASY on another cruise line that I often use. Here I have to go in through my husband's login, use his credit card to prepay. I just gave up.

Have booked a couple of cruises, as well as shore excursions, indulgences, and restaurant reservations on the new website with no problems. Always sign into the website and do not have to enter any new information when booking a cruise or searching for prices except for husband's Mariner # and at the end before payment, some information on address etc. Everything else is there. And I have never had to deal with an agree or disagree screen except when doing the online registration for a cruise we are sailing on. I admit the website is somewhat different from previous but not that hard to figure out if you take the time. I personally have real trouble with NCL and RCCL so we all have out individual issues.

We call HAL's travel agents to book cruises. We find talking to a "real person" better than trying to deal with Internet deck diagrams and web sites and her cabin advise has never been wrong. We've booked excursions, restaurants and indulgences via the web site and have not had the problems discussed here.

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

I just booked a shore excursion the other day and it is very simple -- same as it used to be.

Log into HAL -- go your reservation -- click on the port - choose the excursion -- select the time you want if there are 2 times for a tour -- indicate 2 people -- give your credit card -- and you are done. You get an e-mail right back confirming the booked excursion(s) and I run that off to take with me on the cruise.

You may be used to cruise lines where you don't pay for the excursions until you are on the ship. HAL has never done that. The same goes for specialty restaurants and anything else you want to buy.

Same here! I have not had any problems! Especially when you have already done your registering and entering all info. I can go through a dummy registration to the end and see the price. I have booked excursions to our wine and liquor pkgs no problem.

3STAR MARINER becoming 4 on next cruise

Sailing Nieuw Amsterdam B2B western/eastern Caribbiean Cruise 3/15/2015

The "new" system is diabolical. Some people have reported no problems at all, easy to book lalalalala.... way more people have complained about it both here and on HAL's facebook page. So evidently there are real issues. Those who have had "no problems" are obviously very fortunate or are not wanting to compare pricing or see various categories with explanations of the type of room without having to jump through hoops. Having spoken to someone at HAL and hearing that they frustrated as well, it is clear it's a big problem and they are not able to find a fix for it.

I have a question. Why not just phone HAL and go through their agent? They can do the searches for you. It seems to be much simpler. I do have the ship's deck plan onscreen so I can look also at cabin locations while talking to the CC.

Hmm ... I just booked an excursion through the website last week with no problems or trouble finding the information I wanted. Maybe I was just lucky??

I also booked dinner reservations on their website. No problems. It worked first attempt and my credit card has been billed. Upcoming cruise is in Dec.

I have a question. Why not just phone HAL and go through their agent? They can do the searches for you. It seems to be much simpler. I do have the ship's deck plan onscreen so I can look also at cabin locations while talking to the CC.

Because I don't want to..... I like to keep checking on my cruise and other possibles, and that was very easy previously. Why on earth should I keep phoning HAL to do what should be available on their website?

There is no difficulty at all in booking shore excursions or indulgences.

It could just take a lot more learning than I am willing to give, but I wanted to book a shore excursion. It is SO EASY on another cruise line that I often use. Here I have to go in through my husband's login, use his credit card to prepay. I just gave up.

Without a doubt HAL has worst website, not only among cruise lines but generally as well.

Without a doubt HAL has worst website, not only among cruise lines but generally as well.

Sorry that you have such problems but I have booked online shore excursions with no problems. I booked the specialty restaurants too using their new website and everything went through fine.

BUT I do notice that we didn't get our 25% discount for our specialty restaurant bookings since we are 3 star mariners. Does anyone know if the discount is credited immediately upon booking or does it show up later? To me it should have been discounted initially.

Sorry that you have such problems but I have booked online shore excursions with no problems. I booked the specialty restaurants too using their new website and everything went through fine.

 

BUT I do notice that we didn't get our 25% discount for our specialty restaurant bookings since we are 3 star mariners. Does anyone know if the discount is credited immediately upon booking or does it show up later? To me it should have been discounted initially.

The mariner discount will show on your onboard account, likely when you embark the ship. Check your onboard account a couple of days into the cruise. If you don't see it, speak to the Front Desk/Concierge. Sometimes, it's credited on the first day, sometimes it's credited after you eat at the restaurant.

Yes, most of us agree with you that it should have been discounted right away. Unfortunately, the website is not programmed that way. One has to pay in full and get the credit later.

The mariner discount will show on your onboard account, likely when you embark the ship. Check your onboard account a couple of days into the cruise. If you don't see it, speak to the Front Desk/Concierge. Sometimes, it's credited on the first day, sometimes it's credited after you eat at the restaurant.

 

Yes, most of us agree with you that it should have been discounted right away. Unfortunately, the website is not programmed that way. One has to pay in full and get the credit later.

Thank you for the information. Good to know.