HAL continuing to downgrade its product

[VennDiagram]

16 hours ago, OmarOak said:

Service modifications and significant price increases are a fact of life.

 

All forms of travel have become far, far more costly since 2019. Most airlines and hotels have cut service levels and raised prices dramatically. Likewise Restaurants. The Cruise Industry is not immune to the broader issues driving the situation: energy, labor shortages, food commodity prices, etc.

 

As you note, many things have changed, post-COVID, and not just travel.  I'm not pleased with most of the changes.  I can adjust or be unhappy -- those are my choices.  I'm working on adjusting but I'm having difficulty with many of the adjustments.  I am prepared to try whatever the new iteration of cruising is, and will try to have an open mind.

[Damcruiser]

17 hours ago, KroozNut said:

Either the glass is half full , or it's half empty..

No, most glasses are refillable, at least 15 times a day with have it all.

[Mary229]

20 hours ago, albingirl said:

I've decided. I'm not going to be a go with the flow person anymore!! I'm going to be a pain in the *s  Ha!

Complaining well shouldn’t be a PIA moment.   Approach customer service seeking an ally and advocate .  Have them want to help you.  If they have any latitude they will help you.  It doesn’t have to be an adversarial relationship.  I have never had a cruise issue that I felt warranted legal action.
 

[LocoLoco1]

HAL’s ‘Business Model’ is crippled. Promoting $549/cruises to counter Norwegian & Royal C’s $559/cruises. THEN once you’re aboard they add charges ad infinitum to get it up to a $999/cruise. In fact, they all brag about doing it in their Q3 reports. They’re all broke and it shows. And yet we still cruise. 

[albingirl]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Complaining well shouldn’t be a PIA moment.   Approach customer service seeking an ally and advocate .  Have them want to help you.  If they have any latitude they will help you.  It doesn’t have to be an adversarial relationship.  I have never had a cruise issue that I felt warranted legal action.
 

For heavens sake, I  was joking.

[Mary229]

11 minutes ago, albingirl said:

For heavens sake, I  was joking.

I guess I am having a dense day. 

[Maisyboo]

On 10/31/2022 at 6:22 PM, Wakepatrol said:

no yum yum man with chimes

no ginger or  mints after dinner

Say it ain’t so 😢😱. 

[KroozNut]

2 hours ago, Maisyboo said:

Say it ain’t so 😢😱. 

Sorry.... it's true! 😒

[oldbluff]

On 11/7/2022 at 7:22 PM, KroozNut said:

 

It's all in how one chooses to look at a particular situation. I'm sure everyone's heard of the 'self-fulfilling prophecy', whereby if one convinces themself that something is going to be bad, or annoy them, there is a 100% chance that it will.

Either the glass is half full , or it's half empty..

For me, it’s always half full. Sometimes with smooth full-bodied red wine, other times with pond water.

 

Possibilities. That’s the ticket. That place you’ve yet to visit; the person you’ve yet to meet; the all-consuming book to be read.

[LocoLoco1]

24 minutes ago, oldbluff said:

For me, it’s always half full. Sometimes with smooth full-bodied red wine, other times with pond water.

 

Possibilities. That’s the ticket. That place you’ve yet to visit; the person you’ve yet to meet; the all-consuming book to be read.

But that’s not the issue. EVERYBODY gets a watered-down experience when ‘The Vibe is Off’. Whyso?? Ambiance and fun trumps nickle-diming when vacationing and sitting in a Pinnacle Suite can’t buy a fun time with 2000 others. Almost nobody likes bare-bones. Everybody cruising lately has cases in point. ie Room service has a charge, the little chime guy eliminated. Free Lobster gone, librarian gone, pool activity/ exercise hosts gone, most lecturers gone, Adiago Strings to Adiago String… Wine steward. Limbo contests and musicians poolside. Chocolate extravaganza. Hor d’ouvres & Cashews. The vibe is off. Period. Repeat… the Vibe is off. They’re broke and now it’s showing. . But yet I still cruise…however, Cabo & Hawaii and such is looking better every year. 

[Florida_gal_50]

10 hours ago, LocoLoco1 said:

But that’s not the issue. EVERYBODY gets a watered-down experience when ‘The Vibe is Off’. Whyso?? Ambiance and fun trumps nickle-diming when vacationing and sitting in a Pinnacle Suite can’t buy a fun time with 2000 others. Almost nobody likes bare-bones. Everybody cruising lately has cases in point. ie Room service has a charge, the little chime guy eliminated. Free Lobster gone, librarian gone, pool activity/ exercise hosts gone, most lecturers gone, Adiago Strings to Adiago String… Wine steward. Limbo contests and musicians poolside. Chocolate extravaganza. Hor d’ouvres & Cashews. The vibe is off. Period. Repeat… the Vibe is off. They’re broke and now it’s showing. . But yet I still cruise…however, Cabo & Hawaii and such is looking better every year. 

Thank you.  Good to see some get it instead of using the glass half full analogy.  People have different standards but that is something to be poked and commented on.  Of course it’s usually more about who is saying it.

[Wakepatrol]

I too miss all the little niceties but when they’re selling 10 night cruises for $390 what can you expect? when it’s actually cheaper to be on a ship than to stay home

[Hlitner]

7 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

I too miss all the little niceties but when they’re selling 10 night cruises for $390 what can you expect? when it’s actually cheaper to be on a ship than to stay home

I can tell you, from personal experience, that all the little niceties still exist on some cruise lines.  In fact, on a couple of recent cruises (Seabourn and MSC Yacht Club) we noticed quite a few improvements from prior to COVID.

 

Hank

[HappyInVan]

2 hours ago, Wakepatrol said:

I too miss all the little niceties but when they’re selling 10 night cruises for $390 what can you expect? when it’s actually cheaper to be on a ship than to stay home

 

+1

 

That's what happens when you have too many ships and too much excess capacity.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

+1

 

That's what happens when you have too many ships and too much excess capacity.

And in a "when will they ever learn" moment, they keep building larger and larger ships.

[Wakepatrol]

I can’t believe the ships aren’t full. I thought we had all these people that were pent up to travel? The $119 hotel room no longer exists 

now the fleabag Inn is $300 a night. A cruise seems to be the cheaper option

[Hlitner]

10 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

I can’t believe the ships aren’t full. I thought we had all these people that were pent up to travel? The $119 hotel room no longer exists 

now the fleabag Inn is $300 a night. A cruise seems to be the cheaper option

Many ships are quite full.  I think the issue with this thread is that HAL ships are not full which seems to make sense in a thread that talks about downgrading their product.

Hank

[Florida_gal_50]

42 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

I can’t believe the ships aren’t full. I thought we had all these people that were pent up to travel? The $119 hotel room no longer exists 

now the fleabag Inn is $300 a night. A cruise seems to be the cheaper option

The koningsdam on the  west coast seems to be going out at almost capacity.  I can believe that the ships in the Caribbean are much less full.  Lots of capacity.  They should send the Rotterdam to the west coast for some 10 day cruises.  I can see that being successful.

[FlaMariner]

55 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

The koningsdam on the  west coast seems to be going out at almost capacity. 

 

Rate is $359 inside for K'dam 7 night on 12/10 Mariner rate (balcony is $539)....source is the large internet TA we use.  Those seem low also.  

 

24 night cruise on 1/7 to Hawaii and Cabo is only $63 a night pp.  

 

Great time to get out there........Go book 'em if you can!

 

[Wakepatrol]

57 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

The koningsdam on the  west coast seems to be going out at almost capacity.  I can believe that the ships in the Caribbean are much less full.  Lots of capacity.  They should send the Rotterdam to the west coast for some 10 day cruises.  I can see that being successful.

I never understood why HAL leaves Ft Lauderdale in April goes to Alaska and gets $299 for a 7 day cruise. What they can’t get $299 in Lauderdale and save all that fuel? I thought once that Covid protocols were  changed the ships would be packed because I kept reading. “I Won’t Cruise With The Covid Protocols In Place” now they’ve disappeared and the ships still aren’t full. I went on the Caribbean Princess this summer out of Lauderdale and the ship was full almost every trip?

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

The koningsdam on the  west coast seems to be going out at almost capacity.  I can believe that the ships in the Caribbean are much less full.  Lots of capacity.  They should send the Rotterdam to the west coast for some 10 day cruises.  I can see that being successful.

I would like to see more west coast cruises.  In the Caribbean there are so many varieties of itineraries, I wish someone would mix it up on the west coast and create a few some interesting itineraries.

[Florida_gal_50]

19 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

I never understood why HAL leaves Ft Lauderdale in April goes to Alaska and gets $299 for a 7 day cruise. What they can’t get $299 in Lauderdale and save all that fuel? I thought once that Covid protocols were  changed the ships would be packed because I kept reading. “I Won’t Cruise With The Covid Protocols In Place” now they’ve disappeared and the ships still aren’t full. I went on the Caribbean Princess this summer out of Lauderdale and the ship was full almost every trip?

I think you’d be hard pressed to get that price in Alaska unless it’s a one way trip.  You add air on that and it becomes pretty expensive.  Inside rooms aren’t in as much demand or the ship be full of them.  Most people on an Alaska cruise are likely not paying $299. 

[Florida_gal_50]

28 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Rate is $359 inside for K'dam 7 night on 12/10 Mariner rate (balcony is $539)....source is the large internet TA we use.  Those seem low also.  

 

24 night cruise on 1/7 to Hawaii and Cabo is only $63 a night pp.  

 

Great time to get out there........Go book 'em if you can!

 

I don't know why people always quote inside rooms.  Limited appeal for some.  How much are the balconies?  There is always a lul in cruises early December and early January. 

[Wakepatrol]

4 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I think you’d be hard pressed to get that price in Alaska unless it’s a one way trip.  You add air on that and it becomes pretty expensive.  Inside rooms aren’t in as much demand or the ship be full of them.  Most people on an Alaska cruise are likely not paying $299. 

My mistake - I’m only talking for the April trips where an inside is $299 and a verandah is $543

of course the rates go up as it gets warmer and we enter into summer etc. my question is.

why not hang back a month then go there. What’s the hurry to get there then get so little for the cabins , where I can’t imagine they couldn’t get the same in Lauderdale.

[Wakepatrol]

2 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I don't know why people always quote inside rooms.  Limited appeal for some.  How much are the balconies?  There is always a lul in cruises early December and early January. 

If the insides are $299 then the balconies are $569