If You Could Get HAL to Change One Thing....

[swannie]

I haven't cruised enough to know if this isn't already done somehow, but I wish just one show per cruise was dedicated to something a little less cheesy or "popular". How about a performance of a one-act play? Or a classical music performance?

[Roz]

Get rid of those horrible scrambled eggs, make the Mariner Society into something meaningful with real rewards, and lower the price of the internet packages and bingo.

 

Roz

[AirGorilla]

Change the format of the Mariners' Parties:

(1) Have it in the evening, NOT at 11:00 a.m.

(2) Serve decent hors d'oeuvres and a good choice of complimentary cocktails, vino and bubbly.

(3) Forget the silly "awards". This takes too much time and lessens the enjoyment of the event.

(4) Provide some decent musical entertainment.

(5) Have the captain or CD deliver a short presentation on the "state of the cruiseline".

[jhannah]

Gee, John ... don't do away with my fresh-ground salt and pepper. They provide that gourmet touch to our breakfast! Now if someone would come around with Parmigiano Reggiano to fresh grate on my eggs .......... ;)

[Copper10-8]

Gee, John ... don't do away with my fresh-ground salt and pepper. They provide that gourmet touch to our breakfast! Now if someone would come around with Parmigiano Reggiano to fresh grate on my eggs .......... ;)

 

No prob, Jim, I'll grate your eggs with that Italiano Regis stuff for you if you hold my hard boiled egg so I can get fresh-grounded salt on it (I need an extra hand so I can quit making intriquite scaffolding for my poor egg);)

[arzz]

I would love free internet service also -- enjoyed it on Princess -- would work for those who bring their own lap tops AND

 

on Princess, those with free internet privileges were allowed to borrow a lap top from the front desk whenever they were wishing to use the internet (I do not even think that we were allowed the free internet in their internet cafe) -- we never had a problem accessing one of the lap tops -- it has been a couple of years, does anyone know if this has changed?

 

On HAL, on the other hand. where everyone is a frequent cruiser even if they had lap tops available, I wonder if there would be difficulties accessing them -- my concern is with you here Sail

[bepsf]

We asked the staff if we could just go around the photo stand and go ahead to board -- but were very politely told that unfortunately we could not.

 

That's not necessarily the complete answer. True, there's only one line to board, but you can simply get in the same line as the rest of the folks and walk past the photographer.

 

It's not just the photographer holding up the line - the line to go through security to board the ship is just as slow...

[bepsf]

Small peanuts but get rid of those twister combo salt and pepper shakers in the Lido and replace them with traditional ones. Have you ever tried putting salt on a hard boiled egg while holding the egg in one hand and trying to twist that #@%& shaker with the other? :confused: Yup, I know, that pales in comparison with some of the other suggestions;)

 

John---

 

Try grinding the salt onto a plate, then rolling your egg in the salt...

;)

[Copper10-8]

John---

 

Try grinding the salt onto a plate, then rolling your egg in the salt...

;)

 

Worth a try, thanks dude:)

[FoxyTerrier]

I would like to see HAL revamp the Mariner program into something meaningful. I don't want key chains, buttons, bags, T-shirts, certificates......give us something along the lines of the frequent flyer or frequent hotel guest programs. Oh yes....and stop sending me "special Mariner offers" that are still more expensive than I can get from my TA without claiming Mariner status.

 

Go Randy!! Go Randy!! I like your idea! Even more annoying getting the special Mariner Offers for the a cruise you have already booked 10 months a head of the sailing!

[bobpatj]

I've had a hard time booking shore excursion online, and have had to call HAL to book. The wait for someone to talk to can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes! It would be nice to have a recorded message stating how long the wait will be. :mad:

[Randyk47]

Unfortunately Joni I don't think HAL pays much attention to me. :o As much as I've commented about other stuff that nothing has happened about I'm pretty sure I'm not on their "A" list. :D

[kryos]

I would like to see HAL revamp the Mariner program into something meaningful. I don't want key chains, buttons, bags, T-shirts, certificates......give us something along the lines of the frequent flyer or frequent hotel guest programs. Oh yes....and stop sending me "special Mariner offers" that are still more expensive than I can get from my TA without claiming Mariner status.

Amen! I'm with you 100%. Those Mariner offers we get in the mail are little more than the same Early Booking Discounts that anyone could get. A TA could always do far better than the HAL Mariner fares.

 

I agree with you. Set up a meaningful loyalty program where the discount is dependent upon your number of days sailed with HAL ... and it's a discount worth writing home about ... and applied AFTER all other discounts. Yes, Mariner discounts would ALWAYS be combineable with others ... and would be deducted from your invoice AFTER computation of your cruise fare ... whatever that would be after TA discounting.

 

Then ... fine ... keep the little "perks." I don't need things like some free internet time, appetizers delivered to my cabin, and some of the other possibilities that were mentioned. Just put the cold hard cash in my pocket so that I can afford to cruise more often. Then let the suite passengers enjoy those special little perks ... as they do now. I don't need 'em.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

2) There should be a separate queue for boarding for passengers who do NOT want to have their photograph taken. We had to wait around in the lounge for 30 minutes or so since everyone boarding was queued up to have a photo taken. We asked the staff if we could just go around the photo stand and go ahead to board -- but were very politely told that unfortunately we could not.

You are very polite.

 

I just barreled my way through the line and walked around the photographer. Heck with that. I wasn't waiting in a line for which I'm not taking advantage of the service that others standing there are. Sure, I'll wait my turn just like anyone else if I need whatever the line is waiting for ... i.e., talk with someone at the purser's desk, board a tender, etc. But no way am I waiting in a food line when there is nothing at that serving station I want, nor in a line for photos when I know dammed well I look like crap from being up working all night and would no way in Hades buy that photo anyway.

 

Just dodge it ... that's what I say. To heck with manners in that situation. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Change the format of the Mariners' Parties:

(1) Have it in the evening, NOT at 11:00 a.m.

(2) Serve decent hors d'oeuvres and a good choice of complimentary cocktails, vino and bubbly.

(3) Forget the silly "awards". This takes too much time and lessens the enjoyment of the event.

(4) Provide some decent musical entertainment.

(5) Have the captain or CD deliver a short presentation on the "state of the cruiseline".

LOL ... I could care less if they served NOTHING at the Mariner parties. Just give me a nice loyalty discount on my cruises ... which increases based on number of past days sailed. Those drinks at the Mariner parties are watered down anyway. I'd personally prefer to buy my own drink when I want it ... and have HAL save the money spent on that crap they serve at the party to give me a "REAL" Mariner benefit.

 

Now a talk by the captain ... on the state of the cruise line ... that might be nice. Wouldn't really cost HAL anything either and would be of great interest to loyal Mariners who like to know what the future holds for their favorite ships.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I'd love to have free Internet use as we almost always buy a package but think it would become almost impossible to get use of a computer or connection if they started giving it away to many people. In that case, the something that we paid nothing for would be worth nothing. In the end, we'd be worse off as we would be unable to do what we are (almost always) able to do now.

You are absolutely right, Sail. On Princess, where Elite members get free internet, it is almost impossible to get online to so much as read your email. Forget cruise critic. The time it takes to load makes accessing it almost prohibitively expensive. Sure, the folks getting the free internet don't care. They're not paying for all that connect time. But the poor folks who have to pay for internet access are left basically picking up the tabs for all the ones getting the freebies. Our internet charges wind up being MUCH higher.

 

While it wasn't always too difficult to find an empty computer work station on the ships I was on, the problem was with the time it took to connect and do your business. With so many people online, the internet access speeds were dragged down to the point that a cheap dial up connection on land would beat them by a mile.

 

The thing that really torqued me about it was that the Elite members get free UNLIMITED internet. This means that they don't hesitate to stay online for hours. Why not? It's not costing them anything. So, they will not only check their email, but do a host of other things online too ... such as check their entire stock portfolio and work on their ebay sites. Not fair when someone like me is just trying to check an email box and is spending close to an hour online to do it.

 

If Princess wanted to give free internet access to their loyal members, they should have limited the amount of time ... an amount sufficient to check email each day of the cruise and then get the heck off. I don't think that benefit was ever designed for people to park it in that internet center for hours at a time doing all manner of things online. If HAL ever decides to offer such a benefit, I sure hope they have the sense to make it so many hours of free internet access ... and not unlimited. The number of free hours, of course, would depend upon the length of the cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Copper10-8]

Now a talk by the captain ... on the state of the cruise line ... that might be nice. Wouldn't really cost HAL anything either and would be of great interest to loyal Mariners who like to know what the future holds for their favorite ships.

 

Some do that already at the Mariner's reception but it's not universal. Some captains are more talkative then others (think Frans Consen versus "Captain Jack" van Coevorden). Some seem more than happy to have their CD's be the master of ceremonies. I think a lot depends on their personalities and how comfortable they are talking in a different language in front of large crowds

[RuthC]

Let's make it two things, all right?

First, return to those days of yesteryear when the last lounge closed at 2:00 AM. Some of us like to stay out and play.

Second, I'd like real maple syrup in the Lido at breakfast, please. That "pancake syrup" stuff is awful. The sugar-free (which is what I'm supposed to use anyway) actually tastes better.

All right---I'm on a roll; let's make it a triple play. Add malt vinegar to the condiments tray in the Lido. I need it on my fries (it's a RI thing); the only time it's available is the day they have fish and chips.

[jhannah]

Ruth, you forgot one thing ... start leaving TWO chocolates on the pillow at night! :D

[canoeny]

As a veteran of five HAl cruises over a seven year period, I am surprised only one person commented on the disembarcation process. I have always found it difficult, and as I get older, more and more annoying. I would appreciate a better system of luggage sorting and a better transfer system than the current "scramble".. Makes for a disappointing end to a good time.

 

I also second the addition of kitchen and wait staff to the levels of several years ago. Our dining experience is still fine, but not like it used to be!!!!

[JmzandJojo]

We just returned from our first HAL cruise; our first cruise at all actually. It was such a glorious experience it's hard to nit-pick, but understanding the point of the post I'll give it a try. Nothing's ever perfect and putting in our 2 cents might mean meaningful changes if shared.

 

1. Food avaliability. I'd have loved to see more variety avaliable in off hours other than the Pasta station. Maybe even just the Deli would have been nice. With more ships going to the casual anytime dinning, I think HAL will have to make some changes here. It was my DH's greatest dissapointment.

Food Quality. Throughly dissapointing. It wasn't bad food...... It just never WOWed me. I suppose my expectations may have been too high. The presentations were always lovely, but improving the quality could go a long way.

 

2. Better descriptions of Excursions. The best example I can give is the Grizzly Bear trip in Prince Rupert. It was glorious on the float plane, seeing all the remote mountain lakes. It was MORE than glorious watching a Momma and her three cubs wander along the beaches. It was TORTUREOUS riding on a small boat back across an endless harbor for 2 hours back to the ship. We really only got maybe 45 mins of 5hours!!! watching the bears. The flight was 30 mins. If I'd know I'd be trapped on a lil boat coming back for the majority of the trip I'd have chosen differently. I'm contacting the tour company to reccommend they make it a longer time on the river and a flight back to the ship. It would HAVE to be cost effective. Less a HAL thing but still the description of the trip was vague.

 

3. More time in Sitka and Prince Rupert. I found them both quaint and charming, and far less tourist/cruiseline commercial than Juneau.

 

4. Friendlier staff in the gift shops. These were the only people, other guest included, that we found unfriendly. They could never answer questions about sales published in the daily programs.

 

Small things in the scheme of the trip at large. Still thought HAL was as near perfection for our style as could be.

[NorthernNeighbour]

Let's make it two things, all right?

 

First, return to those days of yesteryear when the last lounge closed at 2:00 AM. Some of us like to stay out and play.

 

Second, I'd like real maple syrup in the Lido at breakfast, please. That "pancake syrup" stuff is awful. The sugar-free (which is what I'm supposed to use anyway) actually tastes better.

 

All right---I'm on a roll; let's make it a triple play. Add malt vinegar to the condiments tray in the Lido. I need it on my fries (it's a RI thing); the only time it's available is the day they have fish and chips.

 

Ruth -- It's not just a RI thing. We Canadians (and the Brits too) love our malt vinegar on the chips (which Americans call French Fries when the government of the day in Washington is not in a spate with the government of the day in Paris).

 

But I'm glad to know it is a RI thing also. We'll make a point of having fish and chips in RI the next time we visit New England. Maybe on a fall cruise? Who knows.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Get rid of those annoying overhead annoncements for art auctions, bingo, etc. They are very cheesy. Celebrity does a much better job with this. Only one noontime announcement from the bridge regarding weather, position, etc.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Go back to having the Mariner's party in the evenings. We have decided that as long as they are in the morning we aren't going to go to anymore.

 

In fact we aren't even going to take our medals this cruise.

[Mack704]

QUOTE:

"1. Food avaliability. I'd have loved to see more variety avaliable in off hours other than the Pasta station. Maybe even just the Deli would have been nice. With more ships going to the casual anytime dinning, I think HAL will have to make some changes here. It was my DH's greatest dissapointment."

 

 

Having cruised before on RCCL, X, and Carnival, but never on HAL, I believe they all, including HAL, offer 24 hr. room sevice. And from what I've read, HAL's room service menu is quite extensive. And I've also read that they're pretty prompt. Your husband might want to explore that alternative on your next cruise.

 

Harvey