They Have to do it Well the first few Days.....

[sail7seas]

Do you find the mood that is set when you are first aboard carries forward for the remainder of your (short) cruise?

 

If the dining room gets it all wrong on night one, your cabin isn't the way you want it, room service is messed up, another one or two things just aren't the way you expect......

 

It seems to set your mood for your short cruise and it's hard for HAL to recover and ultimately please you.

 

I think it might be somewhat different for a long cruise.

[KirkNC]

Do you find the mood that is set when you are first aboard carries forward for the remainder of your (short) cruise?

 

If the dining room gets it all wrong on night one, your cabin isn't the way you want it, room service is messed up, another one or two things just aren't the way you expect......

 

It seems to set your mood for your short cruise and it's hard for HAL to recover and ultimately please you.

 

I think it might be somewhat different for a long cruise.

 

It can but I fight it. My pet peeve is the photographers blocking the gangway when everyone is trying to get on:mad:.

[jkrislc]

Unfortunately, I think this is common among many people. Once something goes wrong, no matter how minor, everything else that is minor adds to it. My brother was quite peeved in May when he was turned away from the embarkation lunch in the MDR even though he was a Mariner (it was my first cruise). When he complained, he was told that he shouldn't have been turned away and was treated to the Pinnacle as a result.

 

As KirkNC says, you need to fight it or it will consume your cruise and you'll start to notice the negatives in spite of the positives.

[whogo]

It can but I fight it. My pet peeve is the photographers blocking the gangway when everyone is trying to get on:mad:.

Use my method. Bellow, "Those that want their picture taken stay to the right. Those that want to board walk to the left." It works.

 

I have not seen photographers block the gangway on my last few cruises.

 

About the first thing I notice on entering the cabin is that the beds aren't arranged the way I asked. Why does HAL bother asking?

[RuthC]

I guess the mood is set, but it's always a good mood! Even after the anxiety of boarding.

When I board I do check certain things, especially in my cabin, and if there is anything that needs attention, I speak up and it's attended to. Very simple; very easy.

On balance, there will also be so many good things going on that any minor little problems are just that---minor little problems. When I'm recognized---by name!---by crew, I know I am home.

How could I be anything less than happy about that. :)

[TTFromSommersTown]

Do you find the mood that is set when you are first aboard carries forward for the remainder of your (short) cruise?

 

If the dining room gets it all wrong on night one, your cabin isn't the way you want it, room service is messed up, another one or two things just aren't the way you expect......

 

It seems to set your mood for your short cruise and it's hard for HAL to recover and ultimately please you.

 

I think it might be somewhat different for a long cruise.

 

I have to sort of agree and disagree with you.

I find that if the little thing that can go wrong, do go wrong at the beginning and they are not put right when you ask, then they do become a much bigger irritant than they ever should be.

If however they get corrected as soon as you make the request and you do not have to ask two or three times, then it doesn't bother me and I often think of it as an example of how good service should be.

[bet410]

I try very hard to take each day as it comes. Sometimes the first day on the cruise is a case where everyone is adapting. Stewards are adapting to new passengers and their preferences; passengers are adapting to shipboard life once again. In some cases crew members are adapting to new partners. Little things can go "wrong", but if you address the issues politely, I've found that they do their best to resolve them quickly. And I do keep in mind that I'm one person on the ship, and many, many others may also be making requests. So I have to allow reasonable time for resolution of any issue that might come up.

 

Having the mindset that the first day sets the mood for the cruise only sets the person up for possible disappointment. I'm there to have a wonderful time and I try to keep that first and foremost in my mind!

[Typhoon1]

It can but I fight it. My pet peeve is the photographers blocking the gangway when everyone is trying to get on:mad:.

 

We walk right around the photographers, it speeds up the embarkation process. If only more people did this.

[surfsidemary]

I have to sort of agree and disagree with you.

I find that if the little thing that can go wrong, do go wrong at the beginning and they are not put right when you ask, then they do become a much bigger irritant than they ever should be.

If however they get corrected as soon as you make the request and you do not have to ask two or three times, then it doesn't bother me and I often think of it as an example of how good service should be.

 

This is a good point. I can live with almost anything if there is a reasonably prompt attempt to deal with it. Feedback, such as "we haven't forgotten your request" or even a "No" rather than avoidance is key. I think HAL is good at this and I have never had an issue with them. For me anywhere, it is when a polite request is ignored or unacknowledged for an unreasonable amount of time that I tend to turn my request into a crusade. The only one harmed by that is me.

[startwin]

We walk right around the photographers, it speeds up the embarkation process. If only more people did this.

 

So do we. But our last cruise they totally blocked the way through (from Vancouver, to Alaska) so as soon as they finished clicking with the couple in front of us we politely carried on, and they made it clear they were not pleased! Tough.

[sail7seas]

We always just walk on by the photographers.

They don't say anything.....

 

[Cruising-along]

For the life of me I can't remember one time that we had any problems so bad that it set a bad mood for the whole cruise. Never. Maybe we're lucky, but we're also go with the flow types.

 

If we'd had problems getting issues taken care of, that would be a different matter. But we've had no problems, everything has been handled within the first day, and that's soon enough for me. :)

[Alberta Quilter]

I'm always relieved when there are no issues at check-in and I get on board the ship, so I start off in a very good mood! Any issues after that, can be dealt with with a quick word to the room stewards/front desk.

[Yodalicious]

I try really hard to leave my "jersey" at the dock. The crew is typically great, it is my fellow passengers that get under my skin. Some folks just have a sense of entitlement. Your vacation is what you make of it! You can walk around with a grump on or you can relax and let a few things slide

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I think for any seasoned Cruisers a mis-hap in the begnning is just that a mis-hap and it is quickly ignored. But to that person who does not cruise that often who plans for many months often years to have their perfect cruise and if things go wrong in the very beginning it is pretty darn hard to sway it back the other way. I have learned when talking to these people that I try to find some that went well and attemtp to dwell on that to help to take away the negative.

 

Our May Alaska cruise would have been a perfect example, the gangway broke right before 90% of the passengers could board. It took almost 2 hours before the figured we needed to start boarding thru the crew gangway in Seattle. This gangway was steep and hard to climb, many passengers had a difficult time let alone having stood with no chairs to sit in for a very long time. But once on board it became one of the best cruises we have had:)

 

I think we tend to jump to conclusions too often here on CC that not everyone is as fortunate and blessed to cruise as often as many of us. I also agree that many of us that love HAL might make things sound like it is always wonderful. Unfortunately for that knew cruiser they are coming in totally blind. If they are not a seasoned traveler cruising can be a rude awakening. :o

[ASIWISH]

I know I'll sound like a partial HAL fanatic, but I can honestly nothing ever bothered me on a HAL cruise... although, now that you mention it the Photographers at the gangway do make me feel impatient.

[SwissMyst]

Do you find the mood that is set when you are first aboard carries forward for the remainder of your (short) cruise?

 

If the dining room gets it all wrong on night one, your cabin isn't the way you want it, room service is messed up, another one or two things just aren't the way you expect......

 

It seems to set your mood for your short cruise and it's hard for HAL to recover and ultimately please you.

 

I think it might be somewhat different for a long cruise.

 

Here is what happened for very first impressions on our last cruise and what HAL did to make up for it. We arrived and were able to go to our room immediately upon check-in - great. (Besides our perfect Rome airport pick-up and transfer, which was our very, very first impression)

 

We unfortunately then were greeted when we opened the cabin door with one of those huge noisy room fans and the explanation the carpet got wet when they were washing the outside of the ship because the balcony door had not been properly closed.

 

Lots of apologies but the room was unusable - no problem, we wanted to get off the ship anyway.

 

Came back and the fan was gone, but got put in for the next day too because the carpet had not fully dried. Lots of apologies by phone message, a note and a plate of chocolates from the front desk.

 

Next day they told us to be out of the room the next day because they needed to now shampoo the carpet. But with that request came a complimentary invitation to the Pinnacle restaurant, and continued apologies.

 

So while the first impression was not perfect (but things like this can happen and the balcony door did not close shut easily in fact), the follow-up was more than expected.

 

Plus it got us back to the Pinnacle which was the biggest treat for all considered because now we will be willing to pay the extra charge again after our one prior disastrous experience on another ship.

 

So HAL went out of its way to make something unfortunate work out for all concerned and added those unexpected extra touches that said they knew we should not have to expect this first impression inconvenience, and please can we make up for this in any reasonable way we can.

 

We never complained because we do know things like this can happen. So their generous unsolicited offers of compensation for our inconvenience was honored and appreciated.

[mamaofami]

Here is what happened for very first impressions on our last cruise and what HAL did to make up for it. We arrived and were able to go to our room immediately upon check-in - great. (Besides our perfect Rome airport pick-up and transfer, which was our very, very first impression)

 

We unfortunately then were greeted when we opened the cabin door with one of those huge noisy room fans and the explanation the carpet got wet when they were washing the outside of the ship because the balcony door had not been properly closed.

 

Lots of apologies but the room was unusable - no problem, we wanted to get off the ship anyway.

 

Came back and the fan was gone, but got put in for the next day too because the carpet had not fully dried. Lots of apologies by phone message, a note and a plate of chocolates from the front desk.

 

Next day they told us to be out of the room the next day because they needed to now shampoo the carpet. But with that request came a complimentary invitation to the Pinnacle restaurant, and continued apologies.

 

So while the first impression was not perfect (but things like this can happen and the balcony door did not close shut easily in fact), the follow-up was more than expected.

 

Plus it got us back to the Pinnacle which was the biggest treat for all considered because now we will be willing to pay the extra charge again after our one prior disastrous experience on another ship.

 

So HAL went out of its way to make something unfortunate work out for all concerned and added those unexpected extra touches that said they knew we should not have to expect this first impression inconvenience, and please can we make up for this in any reasonable way we can.

 

We never complained because we do know things like this can happen. So their generous unsolicited offers of compensation for our inconvenience was honored and appreciated.

 

From your signature, I assume you were on the Maasdam. There is just something about that ship from the very top to the bottom and especially the front office. They go out of their way to correct any problems.

[ASIWISH]

Here is what happened for very first impressions on our last cruise and what HAL did to make up for it. We arrived and were able to go to our room immediately upon check-in - great. (Besides our perfect Rome airport pick-up and transfer, which was our very, very first impression)

 

We unfortunately then were greeted when we opened the cabin door with one of those huge noisy room fans and the explanation the carpet got wet when they were washing the outside of the ship because the balcony door had not been properly closed.

 

Lots of apologies but the room was unusable - no problem, we wanted to get off the ship anyway.

 

Came back and the fan was gone, but got put in for the next day too because the carpet had not fully dried. Lots of apologies by phone message, a note and a plate of chocolates from the front desk.

 

Next day they told us to be out of the room the next day because they needed to now shampoo the carpet. But with that request came a complimentary invitation to the Pinnacle restaurant, and continued apologies.

 

So while the first impression was not perfect (but things like this can happen and the balcony door did not close shut easily in fact), the follow-up was more than expected.

 

Plus it got us back to the Pinnacle which was the biggest treat for all considered because now we will be willing to pay the extra charge again after our one prior disastrous experience on another ship.

 

So HAL went out of its way to make something unfortunate work out for all concerned and added those unexpected extra touches that said they knew we should not have to expect this first impression inconvenience, and please can we make up for this in any reasonable way we can.

 

We never complained because we do know things like this can happen. So their generous unsolicited offers of compensation for our inconvenience was honored and appreciated.

 

I like people like you!

 

Lemonade!!!!!

[Himself]

Do you find the mood that is set when you are first aboard carries forward for the remainder of your (short) cruise?

 

If the dining room gets it all wrong on night one, your cabin isn't the way you want it, room service is messed up, another one or two things just aren't the way you expect......

 

It seems to set your mood for your short cruise and it's hard for HAL to recover and ultimately please you.

 

I think it might be somewhat different for a long cruise.

 

 

 

If this is the senario, then "Murphy's Law" kicks in. "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong."

[jkrislc]

SwissMyst,

 

If all companies responded the way the way HAL did in your experience, I think that situations such as these would be less problematic to the customer. As you described, HAL recognized the problem, apologized for it, and attempted to show their sincere appreciation for your understanding by offering you some items (e.g., chocolates, Pinnacle Grill, etc.). Unfortunately, when they fail to take responsibility, the problems begin to fester. It also sounds like you have a good attitude overall, which helps.

[SwissMyst]

 

From your signature, I assume you were on the Maasdam. There is just something about that ship from the very top to the bottom and especially the front office. They go out of their way to correct any problems.

 

On our first Maasdam cruise after I got robbed in Antigua, the front desk went out of their way too to make sure I could contact my credit card company and cancel my card before the ship left and again, sent a plate of chocolates and a note of sympathy.

 

We were surprised because the robbery we thought was only our problem; not the ship's fault or responsibility in any way.

 

Yet, they made us feel very safe and cared for anyway -- and making us feel that way made us very happy passengers after that rough patch in the Caribbean.

 

It was a mutually beneficial gesture and help start our love affair with HAL - and who knows, maybe Maasdam does things a little better but Ryndam really came through for us too on our last cruise with special attentions too. Love those small HAL ships.

[SwissMyst]

SwissMyst,

 

If all companies responded the way the way HAL did in your experience, I think that situations such as these would be less problematic to the customer. As you described, HAL recognized the problem, apologized for it, and attempted to show their sincere appreciation for your understanding by offering you some items (e.g., chocolates, Pinnacle Grill, etc.). Unfortunately, when they fail to take responsibility, the problems begin to fester. It also sounds like you have a good attitude overall, which helps.

 

After many HAL cruises now, we think HAL has earned our good attitude towards them. See further story above about their response after we were robbed in Antigua.

[Richie2pies]

If the photographers hold you up and bother you, tell them at the prices they get for pictures, they should be arrested. It gets them mad.

[ASIWISH]

I've always secretly wanted to get robbed on a cruise, so I'd have a great story to tell... I'm a little jealous.

 

The only good story I have to tell is about the time I ate six cheese plates in the Lido.