Poor Communication Regarding Cancelled Cruise

[kazu]

When numerous passengers have been advised by email several days earlier that their cruises have been cancelled, the OP's expectation that the Redeployment Department should also be aware of the cancellation is eminently reasonable.

+1 Completely agree :De

[Cruise Junky]

What is reasonable is that when the redeployment department sends out email about the cancellations, at that time it's reasonable to expect those at the phone number provided in the email to know about the cancellations. Unless, of course, they are unique people who like being upset.

 

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

 

Go back and read the original post. HAL did send out an e:mail regarding that specific cruise two days before the OP's TA contacted them. Just not to her TA.

[Aquahound]

When numerous passengers have been advised by email several days earlier that their cruises have been cancelled, the OP's expectation that the Redeployment Department should also be aware of the cancellation is eminently reasonable.

 

+1 Completely agree :De

 

+2. I totally agree.

[Fouremco]

What is reasonable is that when the redeployment department sends out email about the cancellations, at that time it's reasonable to expect those at the phone number provided in the email to know about the cancellations. Unless, of course, they are unique people who like being upset.

 

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

Only an inveterate HAL apologist could pronounce that it's reasonable for some of the staff of the redeployment department to be unaware of the cancellation days after other staff members were made aware.

[TrolleyGirl]

We live in digital world, notification to all affected parties should have occurred at the same time and before news leaked through social media. The Prinsendam has been for sale for many months. A plan should have been in developed long before the sale was completed on how to notify guests. Why files of email lists of all affected guests and their TAs with the letter explaining the change and options available was not developed is beyond me.

[bUU]

Go back and read the original post.

Go back and read what I wrote.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[bUU]

Only an inveterate HAL apologist could pronounce that it's reasonable for some of the staff of the redeployment department to be unaware of the cancellation days after other staff members were made aware.

What self ratifying nonsense! I couldn't care less about Holland America specifically. I've cruised on many cruise lines and Holland America isn't my favorite. I called out unreasonable expectations because they were unreasonable.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Cruise Junky]

Go back and read what I wrote.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than do a repeat thanks.

[bUU]

We live in digital world, notification to all affected parties should have occurred at the same time and before news leaked through social media.

We don't pay anywhere near enough to justify a service specification like that. Thanks for underscoring the unreasonable nature of expectations that I have been highlighting.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[bluegiraffe]

We live in digital world, notification to all affected parties should have occurred at the same time and before news leaked through social media. The Prinsendam has been for sale for many months. A plan should have been in developed long before the sale was completed on how to notify guests. Why files of email lists of all affected guests and their TAs with the letter explaining the change and options available was not developed is beyond me.

 

I'm in 100% agreement. Companies can choose to be proactive and keep customers happy or reactive. As you say, this sale has been in the making for months. Proactive, HAL, be proactive.

[cbr663]

We live in digital world, notification to all affected parties should have occurred at the same time and before news leaked through social media. The Prinsendam has been for sale for many months. A plan should have been in developed long before the sale was completed on how to notify guests. Why files of email lists of all affected guests and their TAs with the letter explaining the change and options available was not developed is beyond me.

 

My guess is that such a plan was put into place, yet, as the OP has highlighted, its execution was flawed. Compounding this was the TA being told incorrect information. It is inexcusable that external stakeholders know more about the situation than those HAL employees tasked with responding to the situation.

[Cruzaholic41]

Only an inveterate HAL apologist could pronounce that it's reasonable for some of the staff of the redeployment department to be unaware of the cancellation days after other staff members were made aware.

 

What’s worse is, he’s on a cruise right now. The fact he’ll continue to argue with people all day long on CC while on a cruise is very telling.

[KroozNut]

What’s worse is, he’s on a cruise right now. The fact he’ll continue to argue with people all day long on CC while on a cruise is very telling.

That.. (y)

[*Miss G*]

Turn over is rather high with PCC even in the best of times.

I should have emphasized “sudden”.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

OK I am going to state some common sense here.... If HAL sent out an email all at once or say even in a two day period to every single passenger and their Travel Agents that is on one of the sailings that is involved in the change stop to think of the mass calling into HAL. First off this is hundreds of passengers, they would have to have the plan set in place of what will be offered already and where they can move them. Then logistically how many people do you suppose they would have to have manning the phones to answer and assist these passengers calling? How many hours are your willing to wait on the phone to have someone assist you.

Believe it not they have done this a few times. There is a process to this madness of delay.

You are far better to wait till HAL has contacted you. While I agree the TA that called into HAL should have been told the correct information it takes time to move and make offers to each and every passenger.

HAL may have sent out an email stating one's voyage was effected and that they would be contacting you shortly letting you know your options, but we all know that would cause problems and not stop people from calling in.

Thankfully not everyone reads Chat Boards and HAL will get around to contacting everyone and be offered a reasonable good offer getting close to what they had prior.

[TrolleyGirl]

We don't pay anywhere near enough to justify a service specification like that. Thanks for underscoring the unreasonable nature of expectations that I have been highlighting.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

So how many days need to pass before it seems reasonable for a customer to expect to be told their cruise is cancelled? The OP found out on Tuesday the cruise was cancelled via social media, only after diligence on her part did she find out on Friday her cruise was cancelled. And to make things worse, at that point HAL was still giving out incorrect answers. So is it 10 days, 12 days, 15 days after social media presents information that a customer should reasonably expect to be told their cruise is cancelled by the supplier?

[TrolleyGirl]

when numerous passengers have been advised by email several days earlier that their cruises have been cancelled, the op's expectation that the redeployment department should also be aware of the cancellation is eminently reasonable.

 

EXACTLY!!! This is a major blunder.

[Fouremco]

What self ratifying nonsense!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

To quote your earlier post "Being rude just demonstrates the lack of mature restraint".

[shrimp56]

I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than do a repeat thanks.

[knittinggirl]

We live in digital world, notification to all affected parties should have occurred at the same time and before news leaked through social media. The Prinsendam has been for sale for many months. A plan should have been in developed long before the sale was completed on how to notify guests. Why files of email lists of all affected guests and their TAs with the letter explaining the change and options available was not developed is beyond me.

I've been through this redeployment once w/ Royal Caribbean, and they handled it pretty much the same way. Make the passengers wait a long time before the ANNOUNCEMENT.

 

 

People are saying it takes a while to come up w/ the email lists. Prinsendam has been for sale for months, and unfortunately the lists of affected cruises keeps changing as ships completed their scheduled cruises.

 

 

But, if the cruise line can send ads on booked cruises regularly to get us to prebook onboard activities, they should already have those email lists ready, so it must not be too much of a stretch to use the same lists for announcing a cruise cancellation.

 

I think they should have delayed the article about selling the Prinsendam and redeploying the Prinsendam's cruises to the Veendam, Rotterdam and Volendam until after the passengers were contacted. And they have more affected ships, since I was rebooked on the Zuiderdam.

 

Emails isn't a very good way of notifying people. With all the emails we receive, they're too easy to overlook.

 

 

Temps can be hired help with some of the less skilled labor freeing up all the regular staff to handle the rebooking of affected passengers. I once was hired to do nothing but photocopy all day long.

 

Making the announcement on a week including a holiday wasn't the best timing. They had twice the passengers trying to get answers and half the staff to field the questions. But maybe HAL as a reason for this I can't fathom. Royal Caribbean waited until Thanksgiving week to make an announcement about redeploying the Rhapsody.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Thank you Lisa,

[bUU]

OK I am going to state some common sense here.... If HAL sent out an email all at once or say even in a two day period to every single passenger and their Travel Agents that is on one of the sailings that is involved in the change stop to think of the mass calling into HAL. First off this is hundreds of passengers, they would have to have the plan set in place of what will be offered already and where they can move them. Then logistically how many people do you suppose they would have to have manning the phones to answer and assist these passengers calling? How many hours are your willing to wait on the phone to have someone assist you.

Believe it not they have done this a few times. There is a process to this madness of delay.

You are far better to wait till HAL has contacted you. While I agree the TA that called into HAL should have been told the correct information it takes time to move and make offers to each and every passenger.

HAL may have sent out an email stating one's voyage was effected and that they would be contacting you shortly letting you know your options, but we all know that would cause problems and not stop people from calling in.

Thankfully not everyone reads Chat Boards and HAL will get around to contacting everyone and be offered a reasonable good offer getting close to what they had prior.

It is a shame that so few of those posting have a reasonable perspective like this.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[kazu]

OK I am going to state some common sense here.... If HAL sent out an email all at once or say even in a two day period to every single passenger and their Travel Agents that is on one of the sailings that is involved in the change stop to think of the mass calling into HAL. First off this is hundreds of passengers, they would have to have the plan set in place of what will be offered already and where they can move them. Then logistically how many people do you suppose they would have to have manning the phones to answer and assist these passengers calling? How many hours are your willing to wait on the phone to have someone assist you.

Believe it not they have done this a few times. There is a process to this madness of delay.

You are far better to wait till HAL has contacted you. While I agree the TA that called into HAL should have been told the correct information it takes time to move and make offers to each and every passenger.

HAL may have sent out an email stating one's voyage was effected and that they would be contacting you shortly letting you know your options, but we all know that would cause problems and not stop people from calling in.

Thankfully not everyone reads Chat Boards and HAL will get around to contacting everyone and be offered a reasonable good offer getting close to what they had prior.

 

Thanks Lisa,

 

You certainly are injecting common sense into this.

 

How about a little bit more? Every cruise is being replaced with certain ones. How hard is it for HAL to send an email out to these people and let them know? All they have to say is "do not contact us until x" or "your TA/PCC/we will contact you by x". They don't have any problem emailing us with shore excursions and all the other "stuff".

 

We can't fault people that are upset. People don't like wondering and not knowing. IF the word hadn't gotten out ahead of time (or the rumours) that would have been better too. People were on edge who had cruises in 2019 and I don't blame them.

 

And while I agree with you in principle, so far, from what I've seen the offers haven't been reasonably good at all.

 

I totally understand that HAL can only handle so many people at a time, but there is such a thing as a "special line" with lots of people to handle it (hire them to do the cancellations. It can't be that hard to push a cancel button, I would hope?) and not doing it on a holiday week when a number of regular staff would not be available and staff are naturally busy with the day off in the middle of a work week.

 

JMO though & FWIW, I've had to something somewhat similar with changes. Our customers KNEW before it was public knowledge.

[Fouremco]

Thanks Lisa,

 

You certainly are injecting common sense into this.

 

How about a little bit more? Every cruise is being replaced with certain ones. How hard is it for HAL to send an email out to these people and let them know? All they have to say is "do not contact us until x" or "your TA/PCC/we will contact you by x". They don't have any problem emailing us with shore excursions and all the other "stuff".

 

We can't fault people that are upset. People don't like wondering and not knowing. IF the word hadn't gotten out ahead of time (or the rumours) that would have been better too. People were on edge who had cruises in 2019 and I don't blame them.

 

And while I agree with you in principle, so far, from what I've seen the offers haven't been reasonably good at all.

 

I totally understand that HAL can only handle so many people at a time, but there is such a thing as a "special line" with lots of people to handle it (hire them to do the cancellations. It can't be that hard to push a cancel button, I would hope?) and not doing it on a holiday week when a number of regular staff would not be available and staff are naturally busy with the day off in the middle of a work week.

 

JMO though & FWIW, I've had to something somewhat similar with changes. Our customers KNEW before it was public knowledge.

Well said.

 

Twenty years ago, leaving booked passengers in the dark until everything was sorted out might have worked, but in this day and age, social media spread information far too rapidly. As soon as the decision was made and the first email sent out, it was only a matter of hours before the information spread. Rather than reducing the number of calls being placed by customers to determine what was going on, the decision not to notify everyone probably resulted in a greater number of calls being placed. As you say, an email to all booked passengers and their TA's where applicable with a request that they not contact HAL until a certain date or until HAL could provide more detailed information and options in a subsequent email would have reduced passenger anxiety and lead to a far smoother and less acrimonious period of adjustment.

[Cruise Junky]

Well said.

 

Twenty years ago, leaving booked passengers in the dark until everything was sorted out might have worked, but in this day and age, social media spread information far too rapidly. As soon as the decision was made and the first email sent out, it was only a matter of hours before the information spread. Rather than reducing the number of calls being placed by customers to determine what was going on, the decision not to notify everyone probably resulted in a greater number of calls being placed. As you say, an email to all booked passengers and their TA's where applicable with a request that they not contact HAL until a certain date or until HAL could provide more detailed information and options in a subsequent email would have reduced passenger anxiety and lead to a far smoother and less acrimonious period of adjustment.

 

or at the very least do all passengers on the same sailing at the same time so some on a roll call got it and some didn't. They risked even some people in families traveling together getting it and others not. Just silly to do a single cruise piecemeal