Sail Standby for $49 a day- new program

[liamur14]

 ... so no have it all,??  do you add that on when on the ship?

[sunviking90]

2 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

So I just got off the phone with HAL at 24 hrs 10 minutes before sailing.

WE ARE CONFIRMED! And for $69 CDN per person, we’ve upgraded to a veranda cabin. Now to finish packing and water the plants! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
  @rj59, my fingers are crossed for you!

Congrats! Glad it worked out so well for you! Is this a 7 day inside passage? Sorry, I can’t remember which itinerary you had.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

1 hour ago, sunviking90 said:

Congrats! Glad it worked out so well for you! Is this a 7 day inside passage? Sorry, I can’t remember which itinerary you had.

Thanks!

Good grief, even I can barely remember what itinerary I had!😂

It’s a 5 day, to line up their repositioning with their 7 day summer schedule.

Edited April 30 by Horizon chaser 1957

[Horizon chaser 1957]

2 hours ago, liamur14 said:

 ... so no have it all,??  do you add that on when on the ship?

No Have It All. My husband only drinks Diet Coke, and I don’t drink nearly enough to justify the cost of HIA for two. But for those who want it, you pay for HIA when you book, and it is refunded with the rest of you don’t sail.

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

So I just got off the phone with HAL at 24 hrs 10 minutes before sailing.

WE ARE CONFIRMED! And for $69 CDN per person, we’ve upgraded to a veranda cabin. Now to finish packing and water the plants! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
  @rj59, my fingers are crossed for you!

Congrats on both making the cruise and the upgrade!!

Safe travels- enjoy your cruise!!

[St Pete Cruiser]

23 hours ago, sunviking90 said:

Well I appreciate you “taking one for the (local) team”, lol. Its is interesting to hear your experience with it.

I got an email from Stockperks that my standby cruise is Not eligible. Maybe you were just lucky?

[rj59]

6 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

So I just got off the phone with HAL at 24 hrs 10 minutes before sailing.

WE ARE CONFIRMED! And for $69 CDN per person, we’ve upgraded to a veranda cabin. Now to finish packing and water the plants! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
  @rj59, my fingers are crossed for you!

I foolishly waited for them to contact me, so now I guess I have to call in the morning. I'm not sure if I want to take the train in the morning, sit with my bag all day in hope of a last-minute no-show, and then face the heartbreak of watching Noordam sail away while I head back for a train home. In any case, I'm on Zaandam on May 29, non-standby, so I'm covered either way, and if I cancel and get my money back I can just try again later in the summer. It definitely is hugely stressful, though, especially if you have to deal with parking, transportation, pet sitters, and HAL not following through on their promise to notify you 2 days in advance either way.

[Real NHDOC]

Honestly, given the way HAL handles things, waiting for them to contact you is a formula for disappointment one way or another.  If I were to ever participate in this program I would definitely be proactive about contacting them at the 48 hour mark (or as close to that as you can given the office hours they keep) because you're basically risking a "your word against theirs" if they claim they tried to notify you (either through email or phone).  So many people on this thread only found out they were cleared after they called in.  The T&C of this offer are so poorly conceived that it's more likely than not that you could easily find yourself paying for a cruise you didn't go on just because of miscommunication if you wait for them to call you.  

[Horizon chaser 1957]

10 hours ago, rj59 said:

I foolishly waited for them to contact me, so now I guess I have to call in the morning. I'm not sure if I want to take the train in the morning, sit with my bag all day in hope of a last-minute no-show, and then face the heartbreak of watching Noordam sail away while I head back for a train home. In any case, I'm on Zaandam on May 29, non-standby, so I'm covered either way, and if I cancel and get my money back I can just try again later in the summer. It definitely is hugely stressful, though, especially if you have to deal with parking, transportation, pet sitters, and HAL not following through on their promise to notify you 2 days in advance either way.

And this morning’s SNAFU - we have no boarding passes.
We have our confirmation, our online check in is now complete, but no boarding passes. With being confirmed 24 hours before sailing time, our booking has disappeared from the HAL website. Navigator won’t give us a valid boarding pass. I deleted and reloaded the app, and no joy. So I’ve printed off yesterday’s confirmation from our TA, a copy of the luggage tag with room #, and took screen shots of the check in confirmation on Navigator.

As long as we make it to the check in counter we’ll be fine. Getting through port security and Customs may be an issue. Fingers crossed!

[rj59]

2 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

And this morning’s SNAFU - we have no boarding passes.
We have our confirmation, our online check in is now complete, but no boarding passes. With being confirmed 24 hours before sailing time, our booking has disappeared from the HAL website. Navigator won’t give us a valid boarding pass. I deleted and reloaded the app, and no joy. So I’ve printed off yesterday’s confirmation from our TA, a copy of the luggage tag with room #, and took screen shots of the check in confirmation on Navigator.

As long as we make it to the check in counter we’ll be fine. Getting through port security and Customs may be an issue. Fingers crossed!

I found when I cleared 2 days before a cruise in January that I never got a boarding pass in the app, and I only saw one online the day before the cruise, so I had the same adventure trying to get into the terminal in San Diego with a basic boarding pass with no boarding time. I also found that they didn't have me in the facial check-in machines, and once I was sent to a counter, they couldn't print out a boarding pass in order to get onto the ship. So total panic on my part, especially when the agent wrote on a sticky 'he's in the system' and told me to show it to ship security. Once I got to the ship, they just looked me up and I went on board and fortunately nobody else was in my $350 signature suite :).  

 

You mentioning not seeing your booking caused me some panic, because I saw that mine disappeared last night too and presumed they had canceled me. I just called, and they confirmed that I was canceled and don't have penalties, and they sent me a confirmation. I'm really disappointed that they didn't bother notifying me either way, but it's a lesson learned, to be on the phone at 48 hours, since they're not doing their job by sending the notifications they promise on the standby page. I'm a little bummed I'm not going, since it's supposed to be unseasonably sunny and warm in Ketchikan, but I'll have plenty of other opportunities to enjoy playing the standby lottery--maybe Eurodam this weekend as a start. 

[Horizon chaser 1957]

On 4/29/2024 at 9:10 PM, St Pete Cruiser said:

I got an email from Stockperks that my standby cruise is Not eligible. Maybe you were just lucky?

We don’t use Stockperks. Our TA is still able to go through HAL directly, and the Standby cruises are definitely eligible.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

On 4/30/2024 at 10:58 AM, rj59 said:

I found when I cleared 2 days before a cruise in January that I never got a boarding pass in the app, and I only saw one online the day before the cruise, so I had the same adventure trying to get into the terminal in San Diego with a basic boarding pass with no boarding time. I also found that they didn't have me in the facial check-in machines, and once I was sent to a counter, they couldn't print out a boarding pass in order to get onto the ship. So total panic on my part, especially when the agent wrote on a sticky 'he's in the system' and told me to show it to ship security. Once I got to the ship, they just looked me up and I went on board and fortunately nobody else was in my $350 signature suite :).  

 

You mentioning not seeing your booking caused me some panic, because I saw that mine disappeared last night too and presumed they had canceled me. I just called, and they confirmed that I was canceled and don't have penalties, and they sent me a confirmation. I'm really disappointed that they didn't bother notifying me either way, but it's a lesson learned, to be on the phone at 48 hours, since they're not doing their job by sending the notifications they promise on the standby page. I'm a little bummed I'm not going, since it's supposed to be unseasonably sunny and warm in Ketchikan, but I'll have plenty of other opportunities to enjoy playing the standby lottery--maybe Eurodam this weekend as a start. 

Well, I’m sorry you didn’t make it onboard after all. Check in in Vancouver was a nightmare and took three hours. About 90 seconds of that was due to not having a boarding pass. The rest was the sheer inability of the new company with the port contract to deal with three ships at once. 
The cruise itself was wonderful. The ship was full, but never felt like it. The weather in Ketchikan and Prince Rupert was warm and sunny. I’m glad we went!

[CruiseDuckDuo]

UPDATE:  There are now  two tiers for the standby program.  

 

$49 per night is for INSIDE CABINS

$79 per night is for Verandah staterooms

 

If you signed up at the $49 rate you're only considered for inside (and maybe oceanview?) cabins.  If verandahs are available on that sailing they *might* be available for upgrade by paying the per night difference.

 

So tired of the HAL guessing games and changing terms.  It's time to find a new primary line.  

[SittingDuck]

6 hours ago, CruiseDuckDuo said:

UPDATE:  There are now  two tiers for the standby program.  

 

$49 per night is for INSIDE CABINS

$79 per night is for Verandah staterooms

 

If you signed up at the $49 rate you're only considered for inside (and maybe oceanview?) cabins.  If verandahs are available on that sailing they *might* be available for upgrade by paying the per night difference.

 

So tired of the HAL guessing games and changing terms.  It's time to find a new primary line.  

Where are you seeing the $79 Verandah pricing?

[CruiseDuckDuo]

I got that information while talking to an upgrades agent while trying to get an upgrade from an inside cabin.  It's a new thing probably not published on their website yet.  

 

That said, I just don't see the value in their standby product anymore.  In my case, standby ended up costing a few bucks more than the standard inside cabin rate, I didn't get to choose my cabin,  (high deck, as far forward as you can possibly get) I lost out of the free gratuities promo they ran, by the time I got confirmation it was too late to prebook anything, so full price for internet, etc., and I lost at least $150 in military/AARP OBC.  (I'm waiting to see if stockholders goes through, but I'm not holding my breath)  All that and the anxiety of not knowing is just not worth the hassle.  

 

Regardless, Holland agents were EXTREMELY rude while dealing with this, were dismissive, and one intentionally hung up on me.  In two days Holland went from my line of choice, to my last choice and eliminated from all future cruise consideration.  It may have just been bad luck, but like always, YMMV.  🫤

[Horizon chaser 1957]

3 hours ago, CruiseDuckDuo said:

I got that information while talking to an upgrades agent while trying to get an upgrade from an inside cabin.  It's a new thing probably not published on their website yet.  

 

That said, I just don't see the value in their standby product anymore.  In my case, standby ended up costing a few bucks more than the standard inside cabin rate, I didn't get to choose my cabin,  (high deck, as far forward as you can possibly get) I lost out of the free gratuities promo they ran, by the time I got confirmation it was too late to prebook anything, so full price for internet, etc., and I lost at least $150 in military/AARP OBC.  (I'm waiting to see if stockholders goes through, but I'm not holding my breath)  All that and the anxiety of not knowing is just not worth the hassle.  

 

Regardless, Holland agents were EXTREMELY rude while dealing with this, were dismissive, and one intentionally hung up on me.  In two days Holland went from my line of choice, to my last choice and eliminated from all future cruise consideration.  It may have just been bad luck, but like always, YMMV.  🫤

Last week, we were confirmed the night before sailing and offered a Verandah upgrade for $10/ night/ person, a lot cheaper than the $30/night/ person difference you were quoted.
I never rely too much on new information from one HAL phone agent. There’s a lot of misinformation, and the next agent you talk to will say something different.

That said, I’m with you in not using the Standby program again. For two people, it’s not worth it. Just book late when the sailing is discounted if there’s space. Standby is a true bargain is if you’re solo, so your cabin has no singles supplement. Then it’s worth it. Otherwise, you just don’t save enough to justify not being able to choose your room, reserve parking and transportation, or book excursions or dining in advance.

I’m glad we tried it out, but one and done for me. 

Edited May 10 by Horizon chaser 1957

[cbr663]

8 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Last week, we were confirmed the night before sailing and offered a Verandah upgrade for $10/ night/ person, a lot cheaper than the $30/night/ person difference you were quoted.
I never rely too much on new information from one HAL phone agent. There’s a lot of misinformation, and the next agent you talk to will say something different.

That said, I’m with you in not using the Standby program again. For two people, it’s not worth it. Just book late when the sailing is discounted if there’s space. Standby is a true bargain is if you’re solo, so your cabin has no singles supplement. Then it’s worth it. Otherwise, you just don’t save enough to justify not being able to choose your room, reserve parking and transportation, or book excursions or dining in advance.

I’m glad we tried it out, but one and done for me. 

 

When the program first came out we thought about trying it.  After reading others' experiences and knowing that for us, a bad cabin location on a ship is a bad cruise, we won't be trying it.  The savings are not enough for us either.  😀

[Starwave]

On 4/29/2024 at 6:24 PM, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

No Have It All. My husband only drinks Diet Coke, and I don’t drink nearly enough to justify the cost of HIA for two. But for those who want it, you pay for HIA when you book, and it is refunded with the rest of you don’t sail.

I had a different experience with this. Despite the language on HAL's website suggesting it's possible to add the Have It All package in advance ("Plus, add the Have It All Package to your booking today to receive our best savings on Beverage Packages, Wi-Fi, Shore Excursions, and Specialty Dining."), I was told by an agent that I could only add the Have It All package after I am cleared for the cruise. Have others had the same experience?

 

I would think HAL would be interested in taking as much of my money upfront as possible, but I guess not. 😀

[Horizon chaser 1957]

On 5/11/2024 at 9:59 AM, Starwave said:

I had a different experience with this. Despite the language on HAL's website suggesting it's possible to add the Have It All package in advance ("Plus, add the Have It All Package to your booking today to receive our best savings on Beverage Packages, Wi-Fi, Shore Excursions, and Specialty Dining."), I was told by an agent that I could only add the Have It All package after I am cleared for the cruise. Have others had the same experience?

 

I would think HAL would be interested in taking as much of my money upfront as possible, but I guess not. 😀

Call six different agents, get six different answers. Post COVID, that is the HAL standard.

[KAKcruiser]

The Standby rate of $79 for a verandah cabin is now showing on the HAL website.