***HAL's website - what a mess!

[OlsSalt]

I really don't understand why HAL is having such problems getting their new site up. I makes you wonder about the ability and quality of the rest of their operation. Typically, if a new web site fails (either for poor design and/or programming), it's taken down until it's fixed. HAL seems to be very determined to shove it out, taking on water and on fire, too, no matter how poorly it works, or how inaccurate it is (we're going on an Iceland trip next year, and the itinerary is short one port, despite an email from HAL several weeks ago that it was indeed still on the itinerary). Maybe I'm missing it, but there's something very wrong in their IT unit.

 

I worry more about the growing disconnect between Seattle and the operating fleet of HAL ships, which still seems to be under very good onboard management and control. This website issue is purely a landlubber problem.

 

Love to learn who they contracted this out to and the management process by which the winning website development bid was chosen. How well did they survey current users or potential new users before HAL set out the new website operational requirements. What recourse does HAL now have against this website company, and when does HAL bail and start all over again?

 

Would be interesting to see the original HAL RFP (request for proposal) and the cases presented to management before the final contract was awarded. What were HAL's visions and goals for the new website? What were the promises this winning website company made. What are the damages provisions.

 

Concern now is the old website non-functional so there is no link at all to HAL online?

[kwb101]

I worry more about the growing disconnect between Seattle and the operating fleet of HAL ships, which still seems to be under very good onboard management and control. This website issue is purely a landlubber problem.

 

Love to learn who they contracted this out to and the management process by which the winning website development bid was chosen. How well did they survey current users or potential new users before, they designed its operational requirements. What recourse does HAL have against this company and when do they bail and start all over again?

 

Would be interesting to see the original HAL RFP (request for proposal) and the cases presented to management before the final contract was awarded.

Probably picked the low bidder.

 

I remember a very old story about one of the Mercury astronauts early 1960s) getting in his capsule, and seeing a sign taped to the control panel: Remember, this was built by the low bidder.

[OlsSalt]

Probably picked the low bidder.

 

I remember a very old story about one of the Mercury astronauts early 1960s) getting in his capsule, and seeing a sign taped to the control panel: Remember, this was built by the low bidder.

 

Interestingly in California which does have a low-bidder requirement for most state funded construction projects, they created an exception for technology contracts. Final choice for state funded technology contracts now also can include an evaluation of experience and reputation of the bidding company; not just final bidding price. You can see bricks and mortar to know what you are getting; not so much with electronic media contract promises.

[whogo]

Love to learn who they contracted this out to...

I like to think it is the French IT company Carnival Cruise Lines hired. The US employees that were fired in the switch worked for various lines including Holland America.

[OlsSalt]

I like to think it is the French IT company Carnival Cruise Lines hired. The US employees that were fired in the switch worked for various lines including Holland America.

 

Internecine warfare? Is someone inside CCL trying to sabotage HAL. They are doing a bang up job, if this is the case. Taking down the HAL loyalists and making it impenetrable for new cruisers is a real two-fer.

[Vict0riann]

I used kwb's link and got the new website - first, it wouldn't let me log in, then, when it finally worked, it said I have no points at all, no cruises, etc. I did the feedback thing, got the automatic reply. They need to be inundated with complaints!!

[kwb101]

Interestingly in California which does have a low-bidder requirement for most state funded construction projects, they created an exception for technology contracts. Final choice for state funded technology contracts now also can include an evaluation of experience and reputation of the bidding company; not just final bidding price. You can see bricks and mortar to know what you are getting; not so much with electronic media contract promises.

Got it: I worked for the State for over 10 years, but not in IT. Still, IT made plenty of poor decisions, whatever it cost them.

[kwb101]

I like to think it is the French IT company Carnival Cruise Lines hired. The US employees that were fired in the switch worked for various lines including Holland America.

Haha: the mention of a French company designing the website reminds me of a column in "Car & Driver" many years ago, which said that French cars were the only ones made that one could use the word "whimsy" to describe. Ditto HAL's site.

[OlsSalt]

Got it: I worked for the State for over 10 years, but not in IT. Still, IT made plenty of poor decisions, whatever it cost them.

 

It remains the Wild West when it comes to buying and selling airware. And it is always too late, after the fact when it all goes south. Time to go long on pulp farms, mechanical adding machines and quill pens. The paperless revolution has no clear winners at this time.

[kwb101]

Something else I'm seeing on the old website when searching for a cruise: incorrect counts of how many trips there are in a given time.

An explanation: to see if new itineraries are being posted for 2020, I search for all cruises for that year (Jan through May), just to see what the count is. However, I also count by month, to narrow down the number of trips I have to look at.

Right now, the month counts total 160 (sold outs not shown), while the web site reports (and shows) 118 (138 with sold outs). Not sure what's going on, just a word to the wise for those looking ahead.

[kwb101]

It remains the Wild West when it comes to buying and selling airware. And it is always too late, after the fact when it all goes south. Time to go long on pulp farms, mechanical adding machines and quill pens. The paperless revolution has no clear winners at this time.

Sometimes, you can't beat paper and pencil.

[old mike]

I see there were a lot of like minds posting whilst I wrote the below.

 

They, IT management, are probably using a third party to do the new website development and likely awarded the contract to the lowest bidder. They are now reaping the consequences of their poorly informed decision.

 

I'd like to know the name of the consulting firm or the title of the internal "new opportunity team" that sold the company a pig in a poke regards the "EXC Experience" strategy. Manifesting itself in some of the poorly thought out physical changes to some of the ships and of course the very visible "New website".

 

I have similar war stories about what I used to call "IT goon squads".

Edited June 26, 2018 by old mike
added first sentance

[whogo]

Haha: the mention of a French company designing the website reminds me of a column in "Car & Driver" many years ago, which said that French cars were the only ones made that one could use the word "whimsy" to describe. Ditto HAL's site.

Not known for their technical prowess, a wag once told me that the last French technical term to make it into the English language was 'chauffeur'.

[OlsSalt]

Not known for their technical prowess, a wag once told me that the last French technical term to make it into the English language was 'chauffeur'.

 

LOL. Even "cliquez-vous ici" is Franglais. Not to be confused with Veuve Cliquot which the French do extremely well. Vive la France.

[mame42]

At the moment, the new site appears to have disappeared (404 Not Found message), while the old one seems to be back online and working, as far as I can tell. This is the link HAL gave someone on another thread some weeks ago, and it often works. Good luck!

https://www.hollandamerica.com/?ASCookie=RSOrigin

 

OMG!! It worked!!!

[OlsSalt]

OMG!! It worked!!!

 

The only thing that just "worked" for me right was not seeing the spinning blue ball of death I I kept getting a few minutes ago - it opened to a totally non-functional page, but still did offer the technical help sidebar. (using Mac-Safari)

[SilvertoGold]

I access the HAL website through an ancient bookmark.

For weeks I have been getting the new website.

This morning, the old one comes up, with a different URL than has been posted here on this thread. However, the spinning circle of blue dots seems permanent - no loading of the site at all.

 

Now I can't look to see if our Mariner accounts have been vaporized!:)

 

I guess this is just a matter of time until HAL gets this working, but wow!!

[HBCcruiser]

Circle of Death for me ...or perhaps it’s a maelstrom!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[nana51]

Obviously you two over-loaded the system. Two people trying to access the same thing was just too much so it crashed . :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Probably 🤪

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Vict0riann]

OMG!! It worked!!!

 

Really? Lucky you! I still get the new site, which I don't like. Did you access "My Account"?

[mame42]

Really? Lucky you! I still get the new site, which I don't like. Did you access "My Account"?

 

Yes. All was correct. The only link that I could not bring up was Indulgences. Of course, that was then, it may be totally different now.

[old mike]

Yes. All was correct. The only link that I could not bring up was Indulgences. Of course, that was then, it may be totally different now.

 

It is.

 

I now can't get past the legal agreement on either the old or new site!!

 

Really, really, hope they are not trying to install a new enterprise system like SAP or Oracle. When my old company did that it took over eighteen months to get even some of the basic functional blocks, like invoice payments etc to work correctly.

[OlsSalt]

It is.

 

I now can't get past the legal agreement on either the old or new site!!

 

Really, really, hope they are not trying to install a new enterprise system like SAP or Oracle. When my old company did that it took over eighteen months to get even some of the basic functional blocks, like invoice payments etc to work correctly.

 

After five years wrangling with Oracle in development of customized institutional software, we had to bail and take a multi-million dollar consortium partnership loss. The only upside is the software we now had to purchase had been tested on other people for those prior five lost years, so we got a better product than had we bought something off the shelf five years early.

 

Oracle no longer has any special mystique in my mind. Plus they dared to market themselves as innovators of this particular institutional software. i was ready to report them to the SEC. Oracle later partnered with the off the shelf brand we had originally rejected. Which proves they never could get it right.

[catl331]

OMG!! It worked!!!

 

Yes. All was correct. The only link that I could not bring up was Indulgences. Of course, that was then, it may be totally different now.

I was just able to get the old site and everything I looked at was good, so at least they haven't lost all our info ... YET! :D

[old mike]

After five years wrangling with Oracle in development of customized institutional software, we had to bail and take a multi-million dollar consortium partnership loss. The only upside is the software we now had to purchase had been tested on other people for those prior five lost years, so we got a better product than had we bought something off the shelf five years early.

 

Oracle no longer has any special mystique in my mind. Plus they dared to market themselves as innovators of this particular institutional software. i was ready to report them to the SEC. Oracle later partnered with the off the shelf brand we had originally rejected. Which proves they never could get it right.

 

Similar experiences. Vapour ware with terrible support and dubious business practices. Our installation was apparently the largest and most complex install of SAP ever attempted. Nightmare, huge cost and time over runs and the epitome of under performance, verging on fraudulent behaviour. Dishonest employees and sub contractors, they would tell barefaced lies if they thought they could get away with it.

 

I feel sorry for the poor front line IT people at H and A who are probably taking the heat on this debacle.