Cabin change - very upset

[Florin]

We have just boarded a Holland America Alaska cruise on Koningsdam. Having spent a long time researching cabins we booked an ocean view cabin in the middle of the ship, not near any elevators or noisy areas, back in September 2023. We checked in and printed our luggage tags and boarding passes two weeks ago, but the night before we boarded we noticed that our cabin number had changed on the Navigator app. On boarding we went straight to the desk and asked why. We were told that our new cabin was larger and therefore an upgrade and that the ship was full so we couldn’t move to our previously allocated cabin.

 

Our bags did not arrive in our cabin, and although we asked at the desk no one seemed interested in finding them. I very quickly realised that our luggage tags had our original cabin number on them and told them this. However,  they refused to go to that cabin to look for our bags. They said they could not remove bags from another person’s cabin. They didn’t make an announcement or try to look for the passengers in the cabin containing our bags, they just said if the bags were in there they couldn’t do anything. In the end my husband went and stood outside our original cabin. At 9 pm the passengers arrived at their cabin and sure enough our bags were in there. This ruined the embarkation day for us. 

 

The new cabin is not an upgrade, it is a family cabin very slightly bigger but only because there is an extra bathroom with a tiny bath for children. The wardrobe is completely taken up with 5 life jackets, the cabin is in a horrible position at the back of the ship, and it seems to be right underneath the engines with banging and whining going on all the time. I can’t possibly sleep with all the noise. We do not understand why we were moved to this cabin and we are really upset. We have not been offered any other cabin or compensation and at this point in time we just want to get off the ship. Any advice at all would be appreciated. 
 

 

[ski ww]

I'm sorry for what HAL has put you through, not likely to give you fond memories of HAL. I'm sure you are not under the engines. 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

NUP    no up grade Must be on your booking ..

[cruiser man 60]

1 hour ago, ski ww said:

I'm sorry for what HAL has put you through, not likely to give you fond memories of HAL. I'm sure you are not under the engines. 

Yes under the engines you would have to be in a submarine!

[MISTER 67]

That wasn’t good what they did to you, HAL is a mess and someone needs to fix this company.

At one time they were our favorite line but since the startup after the pandemic we’ve had 2 less than stellar cruises on them with all kinds of issues, it will be awhile before we sail with them again.

Edited June 16 by MISTER 67

[Mary229]

I am sorry that happened.  Throw the lifejackets in the useless tub 

[cbr663]

I would request a meeting with the Hotel Manager to discuss the poor service you have received.  HAL has a new policy that if you book a cabin that can accommodate more than 2 people and your booking is for 2 and they receive a new request for a booking that has more than 2 passengers then HAL may move you to accommodate the new booking.  It sucks.  

 

In the past, once we selected our cabin, we used to be able to indicate "No Upgrades" to prevent HAL from moving you to a different cabin.  We always selected this option as what HAL considers an upgraded cabin we do not.  And like you, we are particular with cabin selection.  Changing cabins is a no-no for us.  Unfortunately, I don't know how this new policy HAL has affects the "No Upgrades" option.

 

The way your luggage was handled was very poor and unacceptable.  I would emphasize this with the Hotel Manager.  That you had to go and track down your own luggage is unacceptable.  This was the result of a change HAL made and HAL should have immediately taken care of the luggage.  To throw their hands up in the air and state that there was nothing that they could do was to not offer any solution to your problem caused by HAL.  Totally unacceptable.

Edited June 16 by cbr663

[Sea42]

41 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

HAL has a new policy that if you book a cabin that can accommodate more than 2 people and your booking is for 2 and they receive a new request for a booking that has more than 2 passengers then HAL may move you to accommodate the new booking.  It sucks.  

But that is probably not what happened here. If it was, why wouldn't the larger group have been put in the larger family cabin?

But I agree this is awful. This is a case, in my opinion, that deserves financial compensation.

Edited June 16 by Sea42

[skatelady]

It is interesting that HAL would just change your cabin,  when booking online you clearly pay an upcharge to select the cabin you want.

[WOTnow]

31 minutes ago, skatelady said:

It is interesting that HAL would just change your cabin,  when booking online you clearly pay an upcharge to select the cabin you want.

 

If you have agreed to an auto upgrade when you booked it isn´t really a surprise

[TiogaCruiser]

Being you booked so long ago, did you mark your booking “no upgrade”?

[SilvertoGold]

Personally we LOVE the Family Cabins! They are F's and seem to have booked a C - more expensive (but some of which are handicapped or triples). HAL needs to make up difference.Your luggage issue was handled appallingly. HAL really owes you on this. They can claim boarding day is too busy but that is NO excuse. Cabin stewards can be called on their phones to find out what luggage has been delivered. Please let us know what happens next. We are long-time HAL cruisers and are appalled by this treatment.

Edited June 16 by SilvertoGold

[Sea Hag]

4 hours ago, ski ww said:

I'm sorry for what HAL has put you through, not likely to give you fond memories of HAL. I'm sure you are not under the engines. 

I'm sure of that too. Looking at the deckplans, I think there's an excellent chance they were under the main galleys. That would be very noisy.

[1ANGELCAT]

First of all, I hope the Op is enjoying the lovely Koningsdam.

The op states they saw the cabin change the night before boarding, why would you not reprint the tags it at least cross out the old ones and write the correct one on them.

[twincheryl]

1 hour ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Being you booked so long ago, did you mark your booking “no upgrade”?

We are new to HAL, having only booked 3 cruises.  Where do you mark your booking? Did not notice this option when booking online.

[Sea Hag]

2 minutes ago, twincheryl said:

We are new to HAL, having only booked 3 cruises.  Where do you mark your booking? Did not notice this option when booking online.

I have never seen this option. I'm new to HAL also, and for my first booking I'd called in to get Club Orange. I picked the cabin we wanted and asked the phone rep to mark it "no upgrade." He (or she, don't remember) acted like I had two heads. Said that HAL never did upgrades. 🤔

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I am sorry that happened.  Throw the lifejackets in the useless tub 

 

That was my first thought, too. 

 

2 hours ago, skatelady said:

It is interesting that HAL would just change your cabin,  when booking online you clearly pay an upcharge to select the cabin you want.

 

I agree, it's a fairly large jump in the cost to choose your cabin. First, you are offered nonrefundable deposit/guarantee OR refundable deposit. That second choice used to mean you would get to choose your cabin AT THAT PRICE but now they have a second step where you have to opt to pay more in order to get the cabin of your choice. And the stories of people getting moved around, as happened to the OP, are making me wonder if I should have just gone for a guarantee on my next booking, since it seems that could be my situation anyway.

 

SHAME ON HAL for the way they handled this. Of course they could have sent the steward in to look for stray bags. Or they could have left a phone message or a Navigator message for the occupants of that cabin to ask if they had the bags. And a big SHAME ON THEM to the people who got that cabin and didn't do anything to help the bags get to their new location. 

 

Years ago on a Cunard ship we got a last minute upgrade (that really was an upgrade!) and our bags didn't follow us. We went to our original cabin and our bags were still in the hallway outside the door, so we just dragged them to our new room. 

[pmjnh]

I am sorry this happened to you and I would definitely arrange a meeting with the hotel manager to go over all the things you describe that should not have happened.....But I do have to say that an extra bathroom, (I presume with extra toilet?? ) would not be a bad thing. .

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

1 hour ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Being you booked so long ago, did you mark your booking “no upgrade”?

NUP   no upgrade

[QuattroRomeo]

37 minutes ago, pmjnh said:

I am sorry this happened to you and I would definitely arrange a meeting with the hotel manager to go over all the things you describe that should not have happened.....But I do have to say that an extra bathroom, (I presume with extra toilet?? ) would not be a bad thing. .

We like the family OVs but no, there is no extra toilet.

[MISTER 67]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

That was my first thought, too. 

 

 

I agree, it's a fairly large jump in the cost to choose your cabin. First, you are offered nonrefundable deposit/guarantee OR refundable deposit. That second choice used to mean you would get to choose your cabin AT THAT PRICE but now they have a second step where you have to opt to pay more in order to get the cabin of your choice. And the stories of people getting moved around, as happened to the OP, are making me wonder if I should have just gone for a guarantee on my next booking, since it seems that could be my situation anyway.

 

SHAME ON HAL for the way they handled this. Of course they could have sent the steward in to look for stray bags. Or they could have left a phone message or a Navigator message for the occupants of that cabin to ask if they had the bags. And a big SHAME ON THEM to the people who got that cabin and didn't do anything to help the bags get to their new location. 

 

Years ago on a Cunard ship we got a last minute upgrade (that really was an upgrade!) and our bags didn't follow us. We went to our original cabin and our bags were still in the hallway outside the door, so we just dragged them to our new room. 

That’s what I did back in 1984 on Sitmar’s Fairsky.

[shadow 123]

6 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

That wasn’t good what they did to you, HAL is a mess and someone needs to fix this company.

At one time they were our favorite line but since the startup after the pandemic we’ve had 2 less than stellar cruises on them with all kinds of issues, it will be awhile before we sail with them again.

I totally agree with you. I have been saying this for a long time. Since the pandemic they have not been the same. The company has changed completely. Their website ,their customer service, everything is a mess. I'm really sorry to say this because I always enjoyed traveling with them but I think I'm done too. I have a cruise in October and if it's as bad as  the one  that I just took last July I won't be doing this again.

 

Sometimes it's just little things but it makes you wonder. Like 1 morning I ordered breakfast in the room and they never brought me any silverware. It just seems like that's something that  should be automatic. Who forgets to bring silverware ??? Believe me it was not a big deal but it was just surprising. It did happen more than once and it made me wonder if everyone in the crew was new. I don't know, really I don't know, and I don't want to offend anybody but the company is not the same.

[shadow 123]

5 hours ago, cbr663 said:

I would request a meeting with the Hotel Manager to discuss the poor service you have received.  HAL has a new policy that if you book a cabin that can accommodate more than 2 people and your booking is for 2 and they receive a new request for a booking that has more than 2 passengers then HAL may move you to accommodate the new booking.  It sucks.  

 

In the past, once we selected our cabin, we used to be able to indicate "No Upgrades" to prevent HAL from moving you to a different cabin.  We always selected this option as what HAL considers an upgraded cabin we do not.  And like you, we are particular with cabin selection.  Changing cabins is a no-no for us.  Unfortunately, I don't know how this new policy HAL has affects the "No Upgrades" option.

 

The way your luggage was handled was very poor and unacceptable.  I would emphasize this with the Hotel Manager.  That you had to go and track down your own luggage is unacceptable.  This was the result of a change HAL made and HAL should have immediately taken care of the luggage.  To throw their hands up in the air and state that there was nothing that they could do was to not offer any solution to your problem caused by HAL.  Totally unacceptable.

Often times I've paid extra to choose my own cabin. I'd hate to think they would just change it.

[retird]

9 hours ago, Florin said:

We have just boarded a Holland America Alaska cruise on Koningsdam. Having spent a long time researching cabins we booked an ocean view cabin in the middle of the ship, not near any elevators or noisy areas, back in September 2023. We checked in and printed our luggage tags and boarding passes two weeks ago, but the night before we boarded we noticed that our cabin number had changed on the Navigator app. On boarding we went straight to the desk and asked why. We were told that our new cabin was larger and therefore an upgrade and that the ship was full so we couldn’t move to our previously allocated cabin.

 

Our bags did not arrive in our cabin, and although we asked at the desk no one seemed interested in finding them. I very quickly realised that our luggage tags had our original cabin number on them and told them this. However,  they refused to go to that cabin to look for our bags. They said they could not remove bags from another person’s cabin. They didn’t make an announcement or try to look for the passengers in the cabin containing our bags, they just said if the bags were in there they couldn’t do anything. In the end my husband went and stood outside our original cabin. At 9 pm the passengers arrived at their cabin and sure enough our bags were in there. This ruined the embarkation day for us. 

 

The new cabin is not an upgrade, it is a family cabin very slightly bigger but only because there is an extra bathroom with a tiny bath for children. The wardrobe is completely taken up with 5 life jackets, the cabin is in a horrible position at the back of the ship, and it seems to be right underneath the engines with banging and whining going on all the time. I can’t possibly sleep with all the noise. We do not understand why we were moved to this cabin and we are really upset. We have not been offered any other cabin or compensation and at this point in time we just want to get off the ship. Any advice at all would be appreciated. 
 

 

Is this really your first post on cruise critic as it is shown under you name?   Welcome to Cruise Critic

[shadow 123]

2 hours ago, twincheryl said:

We are new to HAL, having only booked 3 cruises.  Where do you mark your booking? Did not notice this option when booking online.

I have never been given that option either. Never