"Agency issue"....???

I received a call from HAL this afternoon. The message said it was regarding my upcoming Grand Voyage and they had an "agency issue" they needed to discuss with them. Would I please call them back. I didn't notice that I had a message until 5:10.....when I called they said corporate offices were closed until Monday.

I am totally scared.............I have no idea what could be wrong and now I have to wait the entire weekend to find out. Of course all sorts of bad things are going through my mind.

Has anyone ever had such a message? Any idea what it means?

I received a call from HAL this afternoon. The message said it was regarding my upcoming Grand Voyage and they had an "agency issue" they needed to discuss with them. Would I please call them back. I didn't notice that I had a message until 5:10.....when I called they said corporate offices were closed until Monday.

I am totally scared.............I have no idea what could be wrong and now I have to wait the entire weekend to find out. Of course all sorts of bad things are going through my mind.

Has anyone ever had such a message? Any idea what it means?

 

I feel for you having to wait until the weekend is through to sort out this mystery...

 

Is the agency still in business?

 

Hopefully it is something simple...

 

:confused:

Take a look at your credit card statements and verify payment to HAL.

 

 

Rich

I paid in FULL in April, 2008.

I paid in FULL in April, 2008.

If your Cc statements show HAL was paid I wouldn`t worry.

Enjoy the weekend. Start packing.:)

 

 

Rich

I paid in FULL in April, 2008.

 

:confused: Why would you have done that?

 

:rolleyes: Was it TA said you'd get a nice discount by paying really early. Hope that isn't the situation and TA is in financial trouble.

 

I think that once you make final payment, you are into penalty phase even though actual final payment due date is still in the future.

 

In any case, I so hope that your credit card charge was directly to HAL and not to your TA.

 

If HAL is paid, there shouldn't be anything you can't work out.

 

If TA was 'handling' the payment through their books, that might not be good.

 

Certainly hope all is fine and sorry you have to stress about this over the weekend.

The reason I would do that is because I am not an experienced cruiser like so many of you. Yes....the agent said I would get a nice discount.....and it was through American Express. I checked with HAL to be sure it was a reputable company. Then I paid.

 

My credit card statments say the the AGENCY was paid.....NOT HAL. I am getting even more worried now. I can't believe I have to wait until Monday....and yet I see no way around that.

 

My stomach is in knots.

:confused: Why would you have done that?

 

Sail: when one books a Grand Cruise or a Grand World Voyage (if you are lucky enough to be able to afford one of those) one can get a 3% discount by paying in full by a certain date. 3% does not sound like much, but when you take into account the fare it is quite a savings.

 

I booked this year's Grand Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific cruise too late to take advantage of the savings but last year on the Grand Asia/Australia cruise I did book and pay early and saved quite a bit of money.

 

Valerie:)

I will keep my fingers crossed for you, Karen, that it is a minor issue...please keep us updated.

Yes...I received that 3%....and an additional 5% by paying right away. It was a nice amount and seemed well worth it at the time.

I have since learned that perhaps that is not such a good idea and likely wouldn't do it again.

But NOW....TODAY......I am in a real panic.

Have you tried calling the "agency?"

The are on the east coast......and I will try that in the morning. I have emailed them. Hopefully I don't get the same "Out of the office until Monday" message there. Thanks for the suggestion.

I would log in to HAL site & see if there is any notes on your file.

 

Call the reservation line to see if they can find someone to talk to you now.

 

I would not sleep all weekend if it were me

The reason I would do that is because I am not an experienced cruiser like so many of you. Yes....the agent said I would get a nice discount.....and it was through American Express. I checked with HAL to be sure it was a reputable company. Then I paid.

 

My credit card statments say the the AGENCY was paid.....NOT HAL. I am getting even more worried now. I can't believe I have to wait until Monday....and yet I see no way around that.

 

My stomach is in knots.

 

Oh Karen,

 

I don't know what to say: it seems as though you did everything right, and it's probably what I would have done also had I not had a tried, true and trusted agency to deal with. Please know that I will be thinking about you all weekend and hoping and praying that it's just a glitch in the system. Honestly, my thoughts are with you since you have mentioned over and over again that this is your dream cruise and you have been doing so much on the roll call board arranging tours, etc.

 

I really do care and I hope sincerely that everything will fall into place for you. I am so looking forward to meeting you onboard ship.

 

Try to get some rest this weekend - there's nothing you can do anyway until Monday and hopefully it's simply some computer glitch.

 

Fondly,

 

Valerie:)

I have logged into the HAL site....I see that my reservation is still there....and my shore excursions are all still listed.

 

I will call the reservation line in the morning too and see if they can help out at all.....give me an emergency person to talk to or something.

 

Thanks for the support......I am not sure sleep is in the picture.

Karen, I also send best wishes your way. I have followed your posts since you first booked your Grand Voyage & your enthusiasm is palpable. I really hope it all works out for you.

 

I would call HAL first thing tomorrow & ask about the message they left. Surely someone could tell you the nature of the "agency issue". Speculation here - but perhaps HAL is going to alert you that the agency hasn't yet remitted your final payment. If so, you have time to sort things out, either with the agency or with your cc company. I'd be reassured that your reservation & shorex are still valid on the HAL system. Now get some sleep! :):)

Have you tried completing your online check-in? Seems I've read that you can do that only after final payment... Hope the issue is a minor one.

Karen, I also send best wishes your way. I have followed your posts since you first booked your Grand Voyage & your enthusiasm is palpable. I really hope it all works out for you.

 

I would call HAL first thing tomorrow & ask about the message they left. Surely someone could tell you the nature of the "agency issue". Speculation here - but perhaps HAL is going to alert you that the agency hasn't yet remitted your final payment. If so, you have time to sort things out, either with the agency or with your cc company. I'd be reassured that your reservation & shorex are still valid on the HAL system. Now get some sleep! :):)

 

Calling general reservations will only result in a transfer to the message that says the World Cruise desk is closed until monday or someone looking at the hours on the computer and seeing that they are closed until Monday. General Reservations does nothing with regard to grand voyages. Again, that would be nothing with regard to grand voyages.

 

BUT, you could call and ask to speak with a Supervisor. (You'll be transferred to a 'lead' and then you can see if they can assist you. If not, ask for a 'supervisor' as there might be notes on the booking they can make a judgement call and discuss with you.)

 

Hope everything is okay!

I paid in FULL in April, 2008.

Maybe the travel agency you booked with is no longer in business. They just want to find out which agency you'd like your booking transferred to. If an agency (often a franchisee who is part of a larger consortium) leaves the business, and stops paying their franchise fees, they will often not be allowed to collect any commissions. They will also no longer be allowed to book with the cruise lines and qualify for commissions on their bookings. So, HAL may have gotten notice that your agent is no longer affiliated with her host agency and now wants to find out how you'd like your booking handled.

 

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

DBA....Thank you SO much for your suggestion. I will give it a try.......I am quite worried.

Rita.....thanks for your thoughts. That is a good note to try to go to bed on!!

The are on the east coast......and I will try that in the morning. I have emailed them. Hopefully I don't get the same "Out of the office until Monday" message there. Thanks for the suggestion.

No travel agency or even home-based agent should be "out of the office until Monday." They should at least be available on Saturday, and the better ones will make themselves available on Sunday as well.

 

Did you deal with a large agency on your booking? If so, they should have someone available for emergencies 24 x 7. Won't necessarily be your agent, but it will be a supervisor who can help you.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

Karen

Saying a few prayers for you that everything will work out.

I hope you got some sleep last night Karen:) I am sure this is some little glitch that will be sorted out easily.

90% of what we worry about never comes to pass, so the odds are on your side this is won't be anything major.

What an exciting trip you have planned,I am writing a short story now about a women taking her first solo cruise ( you'll be pleased to know she's having an extraordinary time:D)

I am sure your cruise will be everything you hoped it would be. full of wonderful sights,new friends and lots of tales to tell.:)

Thinking of you ,

Regards Colleen

I hope that you have reached someone at HAL this morning and have been assured all is well.

 

I really hope it is something small and that we all worried more than necessary.

 

Best wishes, Karen. Hope you can happily go back to anticipating your wonderful cruise.