After 4 Years May Come Back Have ?'s

[thepoint]

We are thinking about coming back to HAL. We very much enjoyed our cruises on HAL, but had one bad experience and so we jumped ship to Celebrity four years ago. I have been reading the HAL website, but would like some first hand experience regarding any changes. (Ruth C, you were always a wealth of information :)).

 

I have been reading about the Explore4 program, but seems that is only offered on certain sailings. Can you still bring one bottles of wine aboard per person?

 

Does the Neptune Suite still provide unlimited free laundry? Does Neptune Suite or Lounge include free bottled water? (Water and laundry are important factors for me.)

 

Has the Neptune Lounge been upgraded re: breakfast offerings and snacks? I understand they now serve alcohol in the Neptune Lounge?

 

The dress code on Celebrity is very informal, has HAL relaxed it's dress code? Do most people still dress formally for dinner or is it at least business casual? (I still have all my cocktail dresses, would it be out of place to wear them.)

 

Do Neptune Suites get any speciality dining? Previously we were able to enjoy breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, is that still available?

 

Thank you for your help.

[kazu]

We are thinking about coming back to HAL. We very much enjoyed our cruises on HAL, but had one bad experience and so we jumped ship to Celebrity four years ago. I have been reading the HAL website, but would like some first hand experience regarding any changes. (Ruth C, you were always a wealth of information :)).

 

I have been reading about the Explore4 program, but seems that is only offered on certain sailings. Can you still bring one bottles of wine aboard per person?

 

Yes, you can still bring 1 bottle of wine on board pp for consumption in your cabin.

 

Does the Neptune Suite still provide unlimited free laundry? Does Neptune Suite or Lounge include free bottled water? (Water and laundry are important factors for me.)

Yes, unlimited laundry & drycleaning.

One free bottle of water - the rest are charged to your room but the Neptune Lounge has water there available infused with lemon, lime or watermelon, etc.

Has the Neptune Lounge been upgraded re: breakfast offerings and snacks? I understand they now serve alcohol in the Neptune Lounge?

 

Not sure what you mean by upgrade? There is continental breakfast, lunch snacks & pre dinner snacks in the Lounge.

There is alcohol available in the Neptune Lounge but it is not complimentary. Same cost as in the bars on board.

The dress code on Celebrity is very informal, has HAL relaxed it's dress code? Do most people still dress formally for dinner or is it at least business casual? (I still have all my cocktail dresses, would it be out of place to wear them.)

Formal night has been replaced with Gala night. So, yes you can do smart casual (collared shirt and trousers for men, pants/skirt/blouse/top or dress for women).

 

Do Neptune Suites get any speciality dining? Previously we were able to enjoy breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, is that still available?

Yes, breakfast in the PG is still available.

Thank you for your help.

 

Tried to help you above in red, based on my experiences.

[avian777]

We are thinking about coming back to HAL. We very much enjoyed our cruises on HAL, but had one bad experience and so we jumped ship to Celebrity four years ago. I have been reading the HAL website, but would like some first hand experience regarding any changes. (Ruth C, you were always a wealth of information :)).

 

I have been reading about the Explore4 program, but seems that is only offered on certain sailings. Correct. Can you still bring one bottles of wine aboard per person? Yes, with any additional bottles being charged a corkage fee of $18 each IIRC.

 

Does the Neptune Suite still provide unlimited free laundry? Yes. Does Neptune Suite or Lounge include free bottled water? I do not think so. (Water and laundry are important factors for me. Free bottled water is not an important factor for me.)

 

Has the Neptune Lounge been upgraded re: breakfast offerings and snacks? Not significantly IMO. I understand they now serve alcohol in the Neptune Lounge? I think so but am not certain, as availability of alcoholic beverages is also not an important factor for me.

 

The dress code on Celebrity is very informal, has HAL relaxed it's dress code? Yes IMO. Do most people still dress formally for dinner or is it at least business casual? No, except on Gala Evenings when most passengers "dress up" a little but still very few in "formal" attire. (I still have all my cocktail dresses, would it be out of place to wear them. No IMO.)

 

Do Neptune Suites get any speciality dining? Yes. Previously we were able to enjoy breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, is that still available? Yes.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Not RuthC but see my answers in red above. Hope you decide to give HAL another try.

[thepoint]

Thank you both. HAL seems to have the best cruises for the Panama Canal. We did do the Canal on Celebrity from Ft Lauderdale to San Diego. Call us crazy, but we want to do it again. This time from San Diego to Ft Lauderdale or Miami.

 

Two more questions, Celebrity offers a service when disembarking where they check your luggage and bring it to the airport for you. That was a perk for being in a suite. On the website it appears HAL charges for this service. Or, is it complimentary for a suite guest?

 

Can you bring a bottle of wine onboard at each port? I recall doing that in Europe and it was ok.

 

Thank you.

[kazu]

Thank you both. HAL seems to have the best cruises for the Panama Canal. We did do the Canal on Celebrity from Ft Lauderdale to San Diego. Call us crazy, but we want to do it again. This time from San Diego to Ft Lauderdale or Miami.

 

Two more questions, Celebrity offers a service when disembarking where they check your luggage and bring it to the airport for you. That was a perk for being in a suite. On the website it appears HAL charges for this service. Or, is it complimentary for a suite guest?

 

Can you bring a bottle of wine onboard at each port? I recall doing that in Europe and it was ok.

 

Thank you.

 

Your luggage service is not complimentary for suites. At least, it hasn't been when I've been on.

 

You can bring on wine in ports but you will be charged the corkage fee of $18 or you can have it stored until you disembark

 

The corkage fee also applies on embarkation day for any wine you bring on in excess of the permitted one bottle.

 

The good thing about the wine that you pay a corkage fee on is that you can consume it anywhere on the ship - public rooms and MDR.

[crunchii]

I think most of your questions have already been answered, but I have a couple of things to add.

 

We got one free 1-liter bottle of water and 1 free bottle of San Pellegrino. And since we don't drink alcohol, we traded the complimentary sparkling wine with a few bottles of water.

 

They do have alcohol in Neptune Lounge, but they're not free, and I believe you can't use your drink package (Signature or Elite). As I said, I don't drink, so I didn't try it.

 

We did the Panama Canal from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale on Westerdam last January. Please feel free to check out my blog for details (sorry, it's imcomplete...)

[OlsSalt]

We are thinking about coming back to HAL. We very much enjoyed our cruises on HAL, but had one bad experience and so we jumped ship to Celebrity four years ago. I have been reading the HAL website, but would like some first hand experience regarding any changes. (Ruth C, you were always a wealth of information :)).

...........

 

Do you want to disclose your prior "bad experience" so we can respond to the likelihood it might happen again? Which ship and which ship are you currently looking at. There still is quite a difference in the overall experience in HAL ships across their brand.

[Krazy Kruizers]

If you decide to take your bottle of wine that you brought onto the ship to the dining room or a bar/lounge -- then you will be charge a corkage fee.

As mentioned -- if you want to buy a drink in the Neptune Lounge, you can't use any of the Drink packages -- nor can you use a Beverage card. You fill out a slip and turn it into the concierge. You can either have that cocktail in the lounge or take it to your cabin.

[thepoint]

Do you want to disclose your prior "bad experience" so we can respond to the likelihood it might happen again? Which ship and which ship are you currently looking at. There still is quite a difference in the overall experience in HAL ships across their brand.

 

 

It probably won’t happen again, that is why we are willing to give it another try. I tried to find my post from that incident, but it has been over four years. Someone may remember this, as we were part of a large roll call. Short version: It had to do with HAL having added inside cabins across from the Neptune Suites. However instead of giving them completely different cabin numbers, HAL assigned them, for example 7047A and our cabin number was 7047. I received a call from the concierge telling me my husband was in the bar being unruly and demanding free drinks. This was 2:00 in the afternoon. I told him that was a mistake and that my husband was in the cabin with me and had not been in the bar. He would not except that it was not my husband, so my husband went down to see the concierge. The concierge refused to believe my husband. My husband told them to look at the security footage and they would see it was not him. They refused to do this. HAL actuallly called our travel agent during the cruise to complain about us. In addition, we were receiving calls from the medical department regarding the man across the hall, as he was suppose to be in quarantine due to nurovirus. Again, they would not accept they had the wrong cabin. Finally, the medical department came and saw there were two different cabins. It was not until we got home that we found out HAL called our travel agent. Needless to say, my husband was furious. We cancelled our two books cruises to the tune of about $35,00. When our travel agent told the HAL representative all we wanted was an apology, the rep said “no point, they already cancelled their cruises.” So, We never got an apology. Believe it or not this is a short version!

[OlsSalt]

It probably won’t happen again, that is why we are willing to give it another try. I tried to find my post from that incident, but it has been over four years. Someone may remember this, as we were part of a large roll call. Short version: It had to do with HAL having added inside cabins across from the Neptune Suites. However instead of giving them completely different cabin numbers, HAL assigned them, for example 7047A and our cabin number was 7047. I received a call from the concierge telling me my husband was in the bar being unruly and demanding free drinks. This was 2:00 in the afternoon. I told him that was a mistake and that my husband was in the cabin with me and had not been in the bar. He would not except that it was not my husband, so my husband went down to see the concierge. The concierge refused to believe my husband. My husband told them to look at the security footage and they would see it was not him. They refused to do this. HAL actuallly called our travel agent during the cruise to complain about us. In addition, we were receiving calls from the medical department regarding the man across the hall, as he was suppose to be in quarantine due to nurovirus. Again, they would not accept they had the wrong cabin. Finally, the medical department came and saw there were two different cabins. It was not until we got home that we found out HAL called our travel agent. Needless to say, my husband was furious. We cancelled our two books cruises to the tune of about $35,00. When our travel agent told the HAL representative all we wanted was an apology, the rep said “no point, they already cancelled their cruises.” So, We never got an apology. Believe it or not this is a short version!

 

Grim. Don't blame you for being unhappy after hearing that story. I have not seen that type of alpha-numeric cabin numbering as routine on the Neptune Suite deck. I had one of those inside cabins next to the Neptune Lounge on a recent cruise and it was very much a uniquely numbered cabin, To be be certain you can check the deck plans on the ship you are now looking at. Yes, it would be hard to imagine this happening .... even once for the first time ... but it obviously did. Hope you get to wipe that experience out of your memory banks on your next HAL cruise. And I hope the guy in 7047A got his well deserved come-uppance.

[RuthC]

Since you remember me as being helpful, I thought I would help you find your old thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1988461&highlight=7047A

[thepoint]

Thanks Ruth. We are willing to give it another try because we did love HAL.

[OlsSalt]

Thanks Ruth. We are willing to give it another try because we did love HAL.

 

I think HAL still loves you too. What happened sounded like a series of administrative glitches that quickly took on a life of its own, after it should have been quickly resolved onboard. Indeed as was pointed out, your cruise card for the Neptune Suite is totally different than the inside cabin across the hall.

 

How this mix-up finally leaked out to your travel agent well after the fact is one for the Upgrade Fairy deep inside DeepHAL to sort out. She was caught snoozing on that one. Probably because the rest of us had her in full overload with our incessant demands she tap us with her magic wand, and instead she tapped you with her back-up Glitch Stick. Yikes. Your story serves as a lesson for us all.

 

Best wishes and hope you come back with good news. Though be prepared for changes -some good, some not so good. It will be interesting to get your fresh perspective. HAL is still a winner in our book for value and itinerary. And overall ship design comfort. The ever-changing details not so much ...except for the misplaced and/or disappearing libraries. Not sure if the Noordam had her's excised or not - she was the last of the Vista sisters to have retained her's where it belonged.

[kazu]

OlsSalt

 

What happened sounded like a series of administrative glitches

 

Seriously?:eek::confused::eek:

[OlsSalt]

Seriously?:eek::confused::eek:

 

Did you read the first thread?

[kazu]

Did you read the first thread?

 

 

Of course I did - you can't justify that malarky to an administrative error over and over and over.

 

I certainly wouldn't if I were in the OP's place and I doubt you would either ;)

[OlsSalt]

Of course I did - you can't justify that malarky to an administrative error over and over and over.

 

I certainly wouldn't if I were in the OP's place and I doubt you would either ;)

 

OP had good time according to her first report. . Sounds like things settled out finally while on board. Only later when the husband learned the travel agent was also contacted, did things go permanently south. That was a very unfortunate administrative glitch. Never should have happened, but it did.

 

My own reaction, since this was an innocent mistake at this point, would have not been as extreme. But the OP is the only one who has the right to the reaction to these events to this admittedly unfortunate "glitch". Not you and not me. I was happy to learn she had a good time anyway and hope that one-off incident will be now just a fading memory. Calm down, kazu.

[fatcat04]

Of course I did - you can't justify that malarky to an administrative error over and over and over.

 

I certainly wouldn't if I were in the OP's place and I doubt you would either ;)

 

Agree. When it progresses to the point of contacting a 3rd party and labelling a customer a problem case, it ceased being an glitch and became a serious customer service error on HALs part. HAL was in the wrong and I don't blame OP or her husband for reacting the way they did. Cancelling was the logical choice to the mess of an easily fixed issue gone terribly wrong and then followed up by a false report to her TA, especially when tens of thousands of dollars are involved.

 

That said, I hope they enjoy coming back to HAL and that this cruise will make that bad experience a fading memory.

Edited August 11, 2018 by fatcat04

[ellieanne]

I can totally understand the mix-up in room numbers. More than once I had to deal with getting charges for cabin 10001 taken off my bill for my cabin 1001. It was a nightmare one cruise because not only did there seem to be a problem with the swiping cards, the people in cabin 10001 couldn't remember their cabin number and wrote it as 1001 on the tickets for things like water at the gangway or the sidewalk sales on the Lido Deck.

 

I kept getting calls and messages for them on my cabin phone as well. It didn't help matters that we happened to have similar names -- like if I were Jane Johnson and the person in cabin 10001 was Jane Johnston.

 

Now I save all my receipts and religiously check my account balance daily. It happens, but there should be a way to avoid it.

[RuthC]

Of course I did - you can't justify that malarky to an administrative error over and over and over.

Agreed. IF it were a "glitch" in the first place, that would have been bad enough. But contacting the TA was not an error of omission, but one of commission. That moved any "glitch" into the deliberate category, and at a much higher level than clerical or computer.

 

HAL makes mistakes, and it is in everyone's best interest when those mistakes are recognized, acknowledged, and corrected.

[avian777]

... We are willing to give it another try because we did love HAL.

 

(y)(y)(y) Thanks for your very mature reaction to this matter. I hope you enjoy your next HAL cruise. (yn)(yn)(yn)

[sail7seas]

It probably won’t happen again, that is why we are willing to give it another try. I tried to find my post from that incident, but it has been over four years. Someone may remember this, as we were part of a large roll call. Short version: It had to do with HAL having added inside cabins across from the Neptune Suites. However instead of giving them completely different cabin numbers, HAL assigned them, for example 7047A and our cabin number was 7047. I received a call from the concierge telling me my husband was in the bar being unruly and demanding free drinks. This was 2:00 in the afternoon. I told him that was a mistake and that my husband was in the cabin with me and had not been in the bar. He would not except that it was not my husband, so my husband went down to see the concierge. The concierge refused to believe my husband. My husband told them to look at the security footage and they would see it was not him. They refused to do this. HAL actuallly called our travel agent during the cruise to complain about us. In addition, we were receiving calls from the medical department regarding the man across the hall, as he was suppose to be in quarantine due to nurovirus. Again, they would not accept they had the wrong cabin. Finally, the medical department came and saw there were two different cabins. It was not until we got home that we found out HAL called our travel agent. Needless to say, my husband was furious. We cancelled our two books cruises to the tune of about $35,00. When our travel agent told the HAL representative all we wanted was an apology, the rep said “no point, they already cancelled their cruises.” So, We never got an apology. Believe it or not this is a short version!

 

 

 

What a horrible experience. Shocking.

 

It is ridiculous they refused to pull the security tape to verify their mistake

[CherryG]

I don't blame you for being annoyed, I would have been livid. However, give HA another try. We've stayed in a Neptune Suite twice and love it. It is easy to get numbers mixed up or reversed, but what happened to you shouldn't have happened. The first time we stayed in a NS, I was charged twice for having my hair done, which I didn't. My hair is extremely short, and except for hair cuts, there's no need for me to get my "hair done", and the concierge took care of correcting the error immediately for me. I said to him, I'm not leaving this ship till I have an updated print out of corrected charges. Errors do happen.

[VMax1700]

Why would HAL contact the travel agent? That seems ludicrous to me. What does a pax's behavior or drinking habits have to do with a travel agent. To me that is an infringement of customers personal privacy.

 

HAL were way out of line on the OP's cruise.

[dag144]

This is the worst incident that I have ever heard in all my years of cruising! HAL's actions are inexcusable. At least someone should off their lazy a***, and checked the cabin numbers. While have am a 5 star mariner, I experienced a wonderful Panama Canal cruise from San Diego to San Juan on Celebrity equal to any of the six HAL Panama Canal cruises that I sailed on.

 

 

Your experience with HAL was so bad, in my opinion you should not give them another dime