Your Cruise Has Departed

[QuattroRomeo]

Talk about a heart-stopping moment...logged in online this morning to print out our itinerary for the cruise that starts tomorrow, and see this:

 

Then I checked our December booking, and it has also departed...Tried Navigator, it at least shows we leave in 14 hours, but, all of the reserved items are empty... Anyone else seeing this?

[canadianbear]

That would have given me a heart attack!

[dfish]

Just checked and mine is ok.  But, doesn't mean there isn't a problem.

[QuattroRomeo]

18 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

That would have given me a heart attack!

Yes.. so here's me checking my calendar, paperwork, everything I can think of!!

[MikeD4134]

9 minutes ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Yes.. so here's me checking my calendar, paperwork, everything I can think of!!

What did HAL say when you called about this?

[SilvertoGold]

Have a GREAT! cruise on the Noordam. Hope you have good weather and enjoy all aspects of your time on a HAL ship Thanks for the interesting info on the computer systems' latest wild characteristics :) Always a fun read to see how things can go wrong.

[QuattroRomeo]

1 hour ago, MikeD4134 said:

What did HAL say when you called about this?

Haven't gotten through yet...

[QuattroRomeo]

1 hour ago, SilvertoGold said:

Have a GREAT! cruise on the Noordam. Hope you have good weather and enjoy all aspects of your time on a HAL ship Thanks for the interesting info on the computer systems' latest wild characteristics 🙂 Always a fun read to see how things can go wrong.

No kidding! Latest iterations of the online screen included: "Please complete the online check-in to avoid departure delays" ...well of course that was done ages ago, but at least the booking showed up again. Then, we get the ubiquitous :

[QuattroRomeo]

Finally got through on the phone..I didn't get much of an explanation but she reassured me for the departure date and that various things I reserved are all there. I pressed a bit to see what was going on and she simply admitted that there were lots of issues with the website, that even they get error codes they can't explain to customers, and it messes with the talk-times they are supposed to adhere to...!

[coolbluegreenseas]

59 minutes ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Finally got through on the phone..I didn't get much of an explanation but she reassured me for the departure date and that various things I reserved are all there. I pressed a bit to see what was going on and she simply admitted that there were lots of issues with the website, that even they get error codes they can't explain to customers, and it messes with the talk-times they are supposed to adhere to...!

The CSR (Customer Service Rep) probably knows about as much as you concerning the website and likely backend problems. What they can confirm is if the ship has departed. Beyond that, no one is talking to them about the IT problems which are likely all Cloud based and handled by a third party. Cut them some slack when “pressing” them for technology answers.

Edited May 25 by coolbluegreenseas
Typo

[Copper10-8]

No worries! Noordam just entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca enroute Vancouver, BC with a Sunday morning arrival

 

 

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-128.2/centery:51.0/zoom:10

[HappyInVan]

Very sad.

 

This is the latest indication that HAL is in desperate state. Hope that they are able to pay the bills. What next?😒

Edited May 25 by HappyInVan

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, coolbluegreenseas said:

The CSR (Customer Service Rep) probably knows about as much as you concerning the website and likely backend problems. What they can confirm is if the ship has departed. Beyond that, no one is talking to them about the IT problems which are likely all Cloud based and handled by a third party. Cut them some slack when “pressing” them for technology answers.

Since the IT people probably have little or no knowledge of what's going on, it is safe to assume that the customer service people are just as confused as you are. All they probably know is that there are a lot of calls because of these system errors.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

3 hours ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Finally got through on the phone..I didn't get much of an explanation but she reassured me for the departure date and that various things I reserved are all there. I pressed a bit to see what was going on and she simply admitted that there were lots of issues with the website, that even they get error codes they can't explain to customers, and it messes with the talk-times they are supposed to adhere to...!

Glad it worked out.

[QuattroRomeo]

5 hours ago, coolbluegreenseas said:

The CSR (Customer Service Rep) probably knows about as much as you concerning the website and likely backend problems. What they can confirm is if the ship has departed. Beyond that, no one is talking to them about the IT problems which are likely all Cloud based and handled by a third party. Cut them some slack when “pressing” them for technology answers.

Don't worry, I wasn't mean to her! I used to manage a call center, and there are things you can do to mitigate the call volume and call duration. For example, you can record messages about system problems that play while a caller is waiting; you can give scripts to the CSRs, etc. I didn't get any coherent explanation from her, which tells me that it isn't adequately addressed by management, as we all suspect. I agree that it isn't fair to the reps to have to face the ire of customers with no support. Anyway, we are still looking forward to a great cruise!🙂

[Boatdrill]

20 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

This is the latest indication that HAL is in desperate state. Hope that they are able to pay the bills. What next?😒

What a strange thing to say about a computer glitch.  

 

[ChinaShrek]

3 minutes ago, Boatdrill said:

What a strange thing to say about a computer glitch.  

 

Some people think HAL is going out of business this year but there is no evidence to support this idea.

[HappyInVan]

1 hour ago, Boatdrill said:

What a strange thing to say about a computer glitch.  

 

 

What's a computer glitch? Is it the same as a gremlin?

 

From what the CSR people say, it sounds like a systemic problem. Insufficient funds for IT infrastructure? Incompetent cheap contractor? Forgot to pay the bills? Never heard of a problem like this in the past, or with any other brand.

 

Every organization has its strengths and weaknesses. Good and bad days. What matters is the trajectory! 🥸

 

Of course, failing brands have loyal customers to keep them going a little longer! 😍

Edited May 26 by HappyInVan

[Sea42]

2 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

Never heard of a problem like this in the past, or with any other brand.

I've been around CC for awhile and have read about these kinds of issues on many different lines from day one. It seems to be some weird rule that most cruise line websites are bad, very bad.

 

[WriterOnDeck]

I'm guessing it is because for about the final 72 hours before a cruise, you cannot book anything online (it's explained in the FAQs). You will need to shift to the Navigator app once onboard or CS. Granted, it is awkward language at the least....

[HappyInVan]

6 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

I'm guessing it is because for about the final 72 hours before a cruise, you cannot book anything online (it's explained in the FAQs). You will need to shift to the Navigator app once onboard or CS. Granted, it is awkward language at the least....

 

To quote OP...

 

"Then I checked our December booking, and it has also departed...Tried Navigator, it at least shows we leave in 14 hours, but, all of the reserved items are empty... Anyone else seeing this?"

[Copper10-8]

[QuattroRomeo]

Well, whether HAL thinks the ship has departed or not, we are successfully on board!

[Lido deck main]

4 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

What's a computer glitch? Is it the same as a gremlin?

 

From what the CSR people say, it sounds like a systemic problem. Insufficient funds for IT infrastructure? Incompetent cheap contractor? Forgot to pay the bills? Never heard of a problem like this in the past, or with any other brand.

 

Every organization has its strengths and weaknesses. Good and bad days. What matters is the trajectory! 🥸

 

Of course, failing brands have loyal customers to keep them going a little longer! 😍

In recent memory the Rogers cell phone network was out across Canada.  Moneris one of our credit card payment systems was out as well, not at the same  time as Rogers.  Neither of these companies are in trouble.  Just because a company may have computer trouble for a day here or there means nothing.  You obviously do not work with software.  Networks can go down.  Glitches in systems.  One of our large Western Canada organization, which has multiple retail stores was just shut down for a week due to hacking of its software.  

[canadianbear]

15 minutes ago, QuattroRomeo said:

Well, whether HAL thinks the ship has departed or not, we are successfully on board!

Awesome!  Have fun!