Are you listening HAL?

[Tampa Girl]

On 9/1/2022 at 9:09 PM, iflyrc5 said:

When be became 5 star they had hands on cooking classes for the 5 Star by the chef on board and then after that we were hosted to a lunch with wine in the Pinnacle grill.   Also, now that HAL is selling  club orange the benefits for priority boarding and priority tendering are diluted and the club orange folks also get a priority line at guest services where the 5 Star folks that have spent thousands of dollars over the years are not given any priority.  There are a couple others but I can remember then since they were removed shortly after we became 5 star which was about 6 years ago.

 

Thank you.  I was not even aware of some of the perks.  Do we still get 50% off wine packages (or is it only 25%?)  Priority boarding on long voyages is not as important since there are so many 5*'s on the long cruises.  The most important perk, IMHO, is the free laundry achieved at 4*.

[iflyrc5]

5 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Thank you.  I was not even aware of some of the perks.  Do we still get 50% off wine packages (or is it only 25%?)  Priority boarding on long voyages is not as important since there are so many 5*'s on the long cruises.  The most important perk, IMHO, is the free laundry achieved at 4*.

Yes - at least as of Feb 2022 we still got the 50% off wine packages but it was interesting - we did a B2B on the NS.  During the first 21 days we got 50% off of the Gelato bar - that stopped on the second segment so only HAL knows what will be going on in the future for loyal 5 Star guests.

[BetsyS.]

18 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Thank you.  I was not even aware of some of the perks.  Do we still get 50% off wine packages (or is it only 25%?)  Priority boarding on long voyages is not as important since there are so many 5*'s on the long cruises.  The most important perk, IMHO, is the free laundry achieved at 4*.

I agree with you about free laundry being the most important perk.  The laundry staff 

does an excellent job. I never do ironing at home, so on the ship I loved how great my clothes looked.  I don't remove the laundry tags. When I see them, they are a happy 

memory of past cruises.

[sofietucker]

16 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

After the 5-stars claimed their spots in the cooking class, it was possible for others to buy the class. I was lucky to do it twice, both times with guest chefs. The conversation over the lunch was even more informative than the cooking class! When they went to ATK demos, the subjects never interested me.

 

 

And that's why they had to convert the space to Club Orange...

[sofietucker]

35 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

I agree with you about free laundry being the most important perk.  The laundry staff 

does an excellent job. I never do ironing at home, so on the ship I loved how great my clothes looked.  I don't remove the laundry tags. When I see them, they are a happy 

memory of past cruises.

Agreed! Saves so much space in packing.

[sofietucker]

On 9/2/2022 at 1:46 PM, 1ANGELCAT said:

Medallions are on actual sea days sailed, stars are earned by a different computation, example: onboard spending, suite category purchase. 

And that's a truer measure of "loyalty," as opposed to how much $$ spent. Folks who are 5-star but cruise in indoor staterooms--as do some on this board--tend to have spent WAY more time at sea...and have the splashier medallions. There was guy at one of the ceremonies that had logged a couple of thousand days on the ocean! And he didn't *look* that old, lol.

[Boatdrill]

On 9/1/2022 at 6:14 PM, Norseh2o said:

Suggestions for Zuiderdam Crow’s Nest changes:

3) Showcase the gorgeous views from the Nest with the removal of bookcase/game shelves and the nautical screens that block so much of the window view. Move the nautical screens and bookcases to a wall. 
 

Thank you mentioning this. It's a crime that someone decided to install the nautical screens front and center, blocking a fantastic view !  It's as if they put a flat screen tv in the middle of a car's windshield.   

[LocoLoco1]

I wonder which Cruiseline has NOT cut back whatsoever as of late. Aside from HAL we have only sailed Cunard recently, but I’m shopping. Any thoughts??