HAL Needs New IT Department!!!!

[janmcn]

I just spent over 2 hours on iPhone, Mac Safari, and Google Chrome trying to make 4 dinner reservations and one excursion. I get to choose the time and restaurant, go through to the shopping cart, try to check out, and "submit" and nothing happens...(Oh, yeah, I did get an Error 404 at one point.) I finally did the "pay" choice, knowing I could have it adjusted when I board...nope...same...finally called them and it "only took" them 20 minutes to do the same (huh? should be 5 minutes at most!)

They constantly amaze me with the programming incompetence. At least I know if my son becomes unemployed he could submit a resume to HAL...he specializes in databases.

[AV8rix]

Actually, CCL (corporate) got a new IT department in 2016 -- just google "Carnival Cruise Line outsource Capgemini" and it's been downhill ever since. 

 

Web site is actually user-hostile, not user-friendly.  JMO.

Edited March 21 by AV8rix

[craig01020]

3 hours ago, AV8rix said:

Actually, CCL (corporate) got a new IT department in 2016 -- just google "Carnival Cruise Line outsource Capgemini" and it's been downhill ever since. 

 

Web site is actually user-hostile, not user-friendly.  JMO.

I don't know if I would call HAL's website "hostile", but it could be a lot better. Princess is the worst, and surprisingly, Carnival's in one of the best I've used.

 

Go figure.

[richwmn]

4 minutes ago, craig01020 said:

I don't know if I would call HAL's website "hostile", but it could be a lot better. Princess is the worst, and surprisingly, Carnival's in one of the best I've used.

 

Go figure.

HAL and Princess outsourced their websites to the same group in 2016, so both are managed by the same, outside, group.

 

[clueless2]

7 minutes ago, richwmn said:

HAL and Princess outsourced their websites to the same group in 2016, so both are managed by the same, outside, group.

 

As someone who has been outsourced.... Those companies are usually better at writing ironclad contacts than that are IT.

[ShipWalker]

4 hours ago, AV8rix said:

...just google "Carnival Cruise Line outsource Capgemini"...

 

 

I did. The only that showed up was this thread.  😂

[prescottbob]

Yup Jan,

 

BTW, how you and Chris doing?

 

We’ve noted since the HIA promos, post-COVID changes, & off-shore CS phone banking that HAL can be a challenge regarding dinning bookings, excursions (included in the HIA promos) &, I might add, difficulties with prior reservations & OBC’s.

 

So it goes, I suppose,
 

I’m certainly have no expertise computer- wise, but to me the HAL software ( or whatever it’s called these days) doesn’t seem to be so consumer friendly. Definitely needs improvement, to say the least.

 

Although dealing with CS in any realm these days (e.g, problems with banking, computer, phone, utilities, etc.) is a an ongoing challenge, as it were.

 

We’re tending to do more smaller river / ocean cruises, land tours or just renting a car.

 

We’re working on later 2025 at this point.

 

Be well and, of course, safe travels.

Loves & Hugs to you and Chris.

 

Bob & Judy

[AV8rix]

11 minutes ago, ShipWalker said:

I did. The only that showed up was this thread.  😂

OK, some links:

 

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3152896/facing-layoff-at-carnival-it-employee-makes-bold-counteroffer.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/carnival-outsourcing-plans-a-hard-blow-to-take/

https://finance.yahoo.com/video/outsourced-carnival-cruise-line-workers-133941113.html

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news-headlines/carnival-corp-outsourcing-200-it-jobs

 

Actually, there are more.  Don't know what search engine you are using.

Bottom line is that CCL has DEFINITELY outsourced IT and since then IMO the product has noticeably degraded. 

 

[POA1]

Silly people... It's a huge success. Says so right in the press release. 🤪

 

"With the successful launch of the new cruise brand and experience, the company is seeing strong online bookings in preparation for their inaugural cruise. The integrated Salesforce platform is enabling true end-to-end customer engagement."

 

 

https://www.capgemini.com/gb-en/news/client-stories/reinventing-customer-engagement-for-a-global-cruise-and-travel-company/

 

 

[prescottbob]

2 hours ago, POA1 said:

Silly people... It's a huge success. Says so right in the press release. 🤪

 

"With the successful launch of the new cruise brand and experience, the company is seeing strong online bookings in preparation for their inaugural cruise. The integrated Salesforce platform is enabling true end-to-end customer engagement."

 

 

https://www.capgemini.com/gb-en/news/client-stories/reinventing-customer-engagement-for-a-global-cruise-and-travel-company/

 

 

Funny.

Awaiting the “New Experience”.

 

Be well.

Bob

[crystalspin]

12 hours ago, janmcn said:

They constantly amaze me with the programming incompetence.

You are preaching to the choir.

[Haljo1935]

4 hours ago, crystalspin said:

You are preaching to the choir.

And I'm sitting in that row. Ugh

[lakedweller64]

Anyone trying to maneuver through Hal website would probably end up in the insane asylum.What a mess.Why they don’t they revamp it?

[POA1]

1 hour ago, lakedweller64 said:

Anyone trying to maneuver through Hal website would probably end up in the insane asylum.What a mess.Why they don’t they revamp it?

They just did revamp it. This is the result. All those 404s are typically the result of poor testing processes.

 

Having worked with web servers since they first became a thing in the 90s, I know that all these glitches are throwing errors into error logs.

 

You ignore them at your own peril.

[ontheweb]

14 hours ago, POA1 said:

Silly people... It's a huge success. Says so right in the press release. 🤪

 

"With the successful launch of the new cruise brand and experience, the company is seeing strong online bookings in preparation for their inaugural cruise. The integrated Salesforce platform is enabling true end-to-end customer engagement."

 

 

https://www.capgemini.com/gb-en/news/client-stories/reinventing-customer-engagement-for-a-global-cruise-and-travel-company/

 

 

Sounds like the same people who wrote the press release for the Princess Medallion.

[sambamama]

The website is very clunky, but at least somewhat useable.  However, I spent 10 minutes trying to pull up an Alaska cruise for 2025, and finally gave up and went to a cruise travel agency. The Navigator App, if you have an Android, is complete junk and does not operate at all.  And HAL has basically given everything over to the app.  You can't find out your current bill unless you go to Guest Services unless you use the app, and Guest Services almost always has a line now.  They used to have a handy machine that you could print a bill out on, but that is gone. 

[Oceansaway17]

not just HAL but other sites as well.

 

HAL also needs to do business the same way Princess and Carnival do in regards to cancels and refunds.  just saying. 

[janmcn]

On 3/21/2024 at 12:47 PM, janmcn said:

I just spent over 2 hours on iPhone, Mac Safari, and Google Chrome trying to make 4 dinner reservations and one excursion. I get to choose the time and restaurant, go through to the shopping cart, try to check out, and "submit" and nothing happens...(Oh, yeah, I did get an Error 404 at one point.) I finally did the "pay" choice, knowing I could have it adjusted when I board...nope...same...finally called them and it "only took" them 20 minutes to do the same (huh? should be 5 minutes at most!)

They constantly amaze me with the programming incompetence. At least I know if my son becomes unemployed he could submit a resume to HAL...he specializes in databases.

Update 36 hours later…received the verification of the 2 Pinnacle reservations and the excursion, but NO Canaletto reservations…so I’ll have to get back on the phone to get those verified! Argh! 

[kazu]

I’ve had my grief with the HAL website just like everyone else but can usually manage.

 

This is a first for me - 3 excursion credit with HIA - used one and now there are none - showing redeemed.  WTH??????

 

limited capacity tour (which is why I want it) but I’m not booking it without the shore excursion credit - pricey enough.  GRRR. Hopefully it is there on Monday when I call shore excursions and say WTH?

[*Miss G*]

On 3/22/2024 at 4:25 PM, sambamama said:

You can't find out your current bill unless you go to Guest Services unless you use the app

 

Statements can be viewed on your TV.

 

On 3/22/2024 at 4:25 PM, sambamama said:

They used to have a handy machine that you could print a bill out on, but that is gone. 

 

I’ve seen the statement printer terminals on each of my sailings.  Which ship(s) are you not seeing them on?

Edited March 24 by *Miss G*