HAL has a new website...Naturally it doesn't work!

[Bill B]

2 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Maybe that's the issue - redesign optimized for W11? That would account for those of us (which is many) not on W11 having issues.

 

I'm using Windows 11 (with Chrome) and have no issues whatsoever with the website.

[ukpylot]

The Continue button for bookings is working for me now on Chrome on Mac but still broken on the iPad. But in some good news, when I login I now see my January cruise and, perhaps as a bonus, one of the tours I was waitlisted for has become available.

[sambamama]

Apparently, it DOES NOT WORK WITH FIREFOX, at least with Windows 11 at all.  Imagine telling your customers you need to use a different browser.  What the Heck!!?  How can you even say this?  this is JUST LIKE my local bank.  They have great service, but the worst IT.  Their mobile deposit goes wacko all the time, as does the log in!!!  And since they are closing all the branches, and taking away the ATMs, it is a real problem.  Especially when I go away for two months.

[sambamama]

Well, you can't make dining reservations with Chrome.  What a bunch of junk this website is!  When I logged onto Chat today, there were 76 people ahead of me!  76!!!

[Mary229]

11 minutes ago, sambamama said:

Well, you can't make dining reservations with Chrome.  What a bunch of junk this website is!  When I logged onto Chat today, there were 76 people ahead of me!  76!!!

There is a little feedback button on the left margin of the website.  Leave feedback, if nothing else send them a link to this thread. 

[Shmoo here]

2 hours ago, iflyrc5 said:

I just logged in with Chrome and Windows 10 and it seems to be working fine.  Did have issues last week but all good now.

Not here.  Chrome/Windows 10 - still getting the greyed out screen with spinning circle.  

[RGBFamily]

Go figure it isn't working now.  I was ready to pull the trigger and book my cruise laundry 😆 and one of my excursions.

[WVU_Neal]

As of this post, the website seems to work. I was able to log in from the home page and view my booked cruise.

 

As a retired software developer, there is a significant level of complexity in building and app and/or website. There are often bugs upon launch that even get through testing.

 

However...significant pieces of the website, ones right out front, did not work and should have been found before launch. Fortunately for us customers, these bugs and probably others were squashed over the weekend.

[iflyrc5]

22 minutes ago, WVU_Neal said:

As of this post, the website seems to work. I was able to log in from the home page and view my booked cruise.

 

As a retired software developer, there is a significant level of complexity in building and app and/or website. There are often bugs upon launch that even get through testing.

 

However...significant pieces of the website, ones right out front, did not work and should have been found before launch. Fortunately for us customers, these bugs and probably others were squashed over the weekend.

Yes - I could not even log on last week but this week all is good with my account - good thing since we board the Rotterdam Jan 14 so I will need to print out my boarding pass when the bar code is added.

[sambamama]

I found a workaround.  I actually managed to book my 4 Pinnacle reservations on the Navigator app-which I was shocked about.  Even that was not easy, but it got the job done.  I was glad that I did not book the Tamarind taste as they have cut the menu to bits and offer about 4 entrees.  I was thinking about booking a Pinnacle lunch, and the one entree I always wanted to get, the lobster mac and cheese, is off the menu.  The Pinnacle lunch menu is very, very beef heavy and did not tempt me at all.

[ukpylot]

3 hours ago, WVU_Neal said:

However...significant pieces of the website, ones right out front, did not work and should have been found before launch. Fortunately for us customers, these bugs and probably others were squashed over the weekend.

Its definitely hard to test everything across all platforms but I would have hoped that testing would have included making sure the purchase button works everywhere. Still doesn't work for me on my iPad, or anyone in my office, but perhaps they don't get many bookings from iPads so it doesn't matter to them.

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, RGBFamily said:

Go figure it isn't working now.  I was ready to pull the trigger and book my cruise laundry 😆 and one of my excursions.

I have a cruise at final payment and had to call in since I couldn't get the website to work. Amazingly short wait time, especially given all the issues. You might call in since all the things you want to do can be done on the phone - whichever you start with (reservations or excursions) can transfer you to the other so you only have to call once. 😏

[iflyrc5]

4 hours ago, sambamama said:

I found a workaround.  I actually managed to book my 4 Pinnacle reservations on the Navigator app-which I was shocked about.  Even that was not easy, but it got the job done.  I was glad that I did not book the Tamarind taste as they have cut the menu to bits and offer about 4 entrees.  I was thinking about booking a Pinnacle lunch, and the one entree I always wanted to get, the lobster mac and cheese, is off the menu.  The Pinnacle lunch menu is very, very beef heavy and did not tempt me at all.

When I look at the Tamarind menu on the Navigator app I see the normal 9 offerings for mains and 5 different sides.

[shipmeoff!]

The fact that the website continues to come up with new and exciting ways to not work is nothing short of amazing.

 

Rarely it seems fine, but the majority of times these past few days it’s been like playing Russian Roulette if I can just manage to log in.

 

I don’t care about the splashy auto play videos, I just want to check prices, and dates, poke about, see a few quick loading pictures and not be traumatized.
 

For example sometimes it knows my name but thinks I’ve yet to step foot on one of the vessels that I’ve known and loved since the late 80s…but in the next visit does recall our relationship but won’t let me get past the cabin type selection button to try to price a trip out. 

 

Just now I logged in and it refused to let me look at anything but my current booking which it jumped straight into although I had no intention of dealing with and no, I didn’t use the booking number to log in.
 

Logged out and back in and now I can see the rest of the site options including “my account” that it will not open. Logged out. Now I can’t log in at all. 
 

I’m exhausted !!! Arrrrgggghhh

 

[crystalspin]

7 minutes ago, shipmeoff! said:

I don’t care about the splashy auto play videos, I just want to check prices, and dates, poke about, see a few quick loading pictures and not be traumatized.

The problem could be that you are expecting "quick loading pictures". I discovered that on any screen loading (esp. those with pictures!) -- if I wait, the screen will refresh at least once, and then give me options that SOMETIMES work. I won't promise anything, but try treating the website like it was on dialup...

[iflyrc5]

I thought mine was working OK but not really.  I can see my booking but when going to book a dinner that menu give me a 404 error.  Just so I can print the boarding pass in about 3 weeks is all I really need to do and if that doesn't work I hope the Navigator app will let me see it and I can do a screen capture.

[ukpylot]

Well tonight it all seems to be working for me. Continue button works on the iPad, and my upcoming trip is in my bookings. 

[Shmoo here]

I had a little bit of progress - when I click on the link to go to the HAL website, that page opens for me.  But as soon as I click on any link (My Account; Manage My Booking; Site Map) I get the greyed out screen with the spinning circle.

[Betty567]

I am hoping someone in this group might be able to help me. I am not able to see the favorite cruises I have saved with the heart icon in the upper right corner of about 8 cruises. Is anyone else having this issue or have a solution to finding how to just see these saved favorite cruises?  I've called HAL twice and emailed a cruise consultant with no help offered.  They just say the website is having issues. 

 

I know last weekend it was easy to select favorites from a drop down filter menu. That seems to have disappeared from the website this week. 

 

 

[crystalspin]

11 hours ago, Betty567 said:

I am hoping someone in this group might be able to help me. I am not able to see the favorite cruises I have saved with the heart icon in the upper right corner of about 8 cruises. Is anyone else having this issue or have a solution to finding how to just see these saved favorite cruises?  I've called HAL twice and emailed a cruise consultant with no help offered.  They just say the website is having issues. 

 

I know last weekend it was easy to select favorites from a drop down filter menu. That seems to have disappeared from the website this week. 

Hi Betty! I can't help you (I did not know favorites was (or used to be) a thing... and I have spend countless hours on the HAL website). But I wanted to welcome you to Cruise Critic!

 

Things that have disappeared, have come back. I won't say they all have, but keep checking! Also you might try a different browser OR an incognito browser window.

[VMax1700]

12 hours ago, Betty567 said:

I am hoping someone in this group might be able to help me. I am not able to see the favorite cruises I have saved with the heart icon in the upper right corner of about 8 cruises. Is anyone else having this issue or have a solution to finding how to just see these saved favorite cruises?  I've called HAL twice and emailed a cruise consultant with no help offered.  They just say the website is having issues. 

 

I know last weekend it was easy to select favorites from a drop down filter menu. That seems to have disappeared from the website this week. 

 

 

The latest 'upgrade' seems to have removed the facility to recall 'favorite' cruises.  You can still mark them as favorite, but there does not seem to be a way to recall them.

Also it seems that the 'Recently viewed cruises' section has been removed from the home page.

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

The latest 'upgrade' seems to have removed the facility to recall 'favorite' cruises.  You can still mark them as favorite, but there does not seem to be a way to recall them.

Also it seems that the 'Recently viewed cruises' section has been removed from the home page.

Hope this is temporary while they continue to get the new site functional. I still can't get in, so I'm really in the dark.

Both "favorites" and "recently viewed" are big helpers for me.

[Toofarfromthesea]

I've had my share of problems with the website and the app, but I was gratified yesterday when I was able to complete the online check in for my 1/13/24 cruise and get the luggage tags and boarding doc emailed to me.  I'll have to get the boarding pass re-emailed to me later since the check-in time is not yet listed.  I hope it works as well when I have to do it for real.

 

As a tangential aside, if I'm not using HAL's air service, why do they ask for details about my flight arrangements during the check in?

[boze9999]

It is indeed frustrating. I've tried for three days to purchase something in my cart and regardless of the device or the browser, it always just goes to a whiteout page with no ability to complete the purchase!

 

[Haljo1935]

4 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

...

As a tangential aside, if I'm not using HAL's air service, why do they ask for details about my flight arrangements during the check in?

I've been told it's used for basic things such as shuttle coordination if purchased through them (I know that's true as I've seen an agent look through a list of flights and pax names) to helping with passport control forms (verifying where pax most immediately come from - no idea if that's true) to contact tracing for disease control and other such detailed things. 🤷‍♀️