taxmantoo

7 minutes ago, Hilltopper_2 said:

Supposedly HAL is working on Farm to table cooking classes since ATK didn’t tailor its classes to the locale of the cruise. 

Do you mean ATK's world renowned classes in how to boil an egg or how to bake a potato ???  🤣 I attended both those classes and can guarantee that those are two certificates that will never make it onto my resume!!!

Why would anyone pay to have their medallion shipped?  Been cruising for many years and have never heard of anyone ever paying to have a cruise card delivered before !!! 😁

4 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

The last several times I tried to use the Welcome Back offer, I was told it's not combinable. So, I've been disregarding the emails. Will be sad to learn if others have been able to stack it w/Military and/or AARP. 

We tried to get the VPM or ZPM offer last week when booking another cruise.  Our TA advised us it was no longer available.  Was surprised however when she confirmed that HAL was throwing in a $200 OBC on top of the OBC for using a FCC. Just got the email offer this morning so will be trying again !

2 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Proud card carrying member of said club also....and we think we "won the lottery" when we got our 4th star on our belly......FREE LAUNDRY and HALF OFF WINE rocks!

 

(If I could turn my medals and pins in for $2 in OBC I would)

Now you can even spill wine on your clothes and get them cleaned for free...life is good 🤣

12 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I have read a few more posts and still don't get the "Status" thing. Clearly it matters to some. 

Like much everything in life ... 5% of the folks are in the parade, 10% of the folks are watching the parade go by and the other 85% don't even know there is a parade going on or don't care 🙂 

2 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

I was due to receive my 100 day medallion on my May AK cruise on the Eurodam. I did not get it.🫣

Once home, I reached out to the Mariners Desk; response said I would get it during my next cruise,🤔 which was the one that just ended (NS Rome r/t Oct 29-Nov 9). I once again, I got off the ship w/o it and no invitation to a ceremony where they would have been distributed. 😪

A quick trip to Guest Services after boarding could have easily resolved this situation.  A gentle reminder, although it should not really be required, never hurts.

All receptions seem different and are mostly conducted as the cruise director and/or captain wishes them to be conducted.  Once again, HAL displays its lack of consistency.

Our last ceremony on the Nieuw Stantendam last month saw silver medallions and up given to the recipients, with pictures taken with the Captain/Hotel Director and then the Presidents' Club members introduced with their pictures also taken. 

The ceremony then was ended but the cruise director announced that any 4-Star or 5-Star Mariners still present who wished to have their photo taken with the Captain were welcomed to do so.  The picture was then delivered to our stateroom the next day free of charge. A nice touch.

Update!  Seems like patience, hard work and a lot of stubbornness paid off!  😉 I finally succeeded in reserving Premier perk's Specialty Dining without using a credit card or making any kind of payment by using the website tool instead of the app.  Does not show yet on Travel Summary but clearly shows now as reserved on the app.

We are also in a suite but no success. I keep trying!

17 minutes ago, EDDY0827 said:

I was given 2 reservation cards by my steward telling me when and where to show up for dinner.

That is exactly what we are trying to avoid... I want to be the one to decide where and when we will eat, not a computer program thousands of miles away!

18 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Not true.  I just booked specialty dinners (2 included with our Premier, one we paid for) on an Enchanted cruise in August 2024.  Do not pay!  As soon as I opened the app and chose which booking I wanted, a banner across the top acknowledged the included specialty dinners.  I was then able to choose the restaurant, date and time.  I was not asked for a credit card and the invoice indicated zero balance.  I went ahead a booked a third dinner, charged to my credit card, and my dining for the whole voyage shows correctly.

Thank you.  That is the way I assumed it would work because that's also how it works for excursions when you have OBC.

Booked a cruise with Princess Premier option that includes two Specialty Dining reservations per person.  When trying to book on Medallion app, it allows me to go all the way up to actually confirming reservation but then a credit card number is required.  Called Princess and they explained that before final payment, I have to pay with credit card even though complimentary dinners are shown on our cruise summary.  How easy is it to get reimbursed for these two pre-paid but complimentary dinners once onboard? Is the credit card charge reversed and the amount added to your onboard credit?

23 hours ago, grannyshell said:

We had a weird experience in PG at dinner (food was just ok). We declined dessert but the waiter said we could take it to-go. OK. He returned to the table with 2 covered dinner plates (the big silver covers) and cutlery and plunked them down. I said "can't you wrap it in something smaller?" No, that wasn't possible. Then he said "don't worry, I will can take care of you...I will send it to your room, just tell me what time."

Followed by something to the effect of see, I'm providing service over and above, don't forget to compliment me on Navigator and your survey. I'm sorry, but if that was always an option, why go through the theatrics of expecting me to walk the hallways with dinner plates?

Honestly, PG isn't what it's hyped up to be. It should be on the level of Tamarind (dined there twice) and Rudy's which were both amazing in every way.

Service definitely has changed in the PG.  Last month, we ate at the Pinnacle Grill on the last night of the cruise using our 5-Star complementary perk.  After over 25 cruises with HAL, we were shocked when the waitress approached our table at the end of the meal for what we thought would be an offer of coffee and desert.  Instead, she dropped a leather wallet on the table with a slip for us to sign,  opened the wallet and proceeded to physically show me where I should put in the amount of tip!!!  Keeping in mind our meal was $0 dollars, I tipped her 100% of that 🙂 

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

It doesn't have to be LCS, but there should be a level of quality that is rigorously ensured. I remember hearing some Adagio groups that were not all that good....

 

Sort of like the HalCats, some were good and some were not ...

Sort of like the comedians on the World Stage, some are good and some are not ... 

Sort of like Cruise Directors, some are good and some are not ...

Usually the ones we like are good and the ones we don't like are not that good 🙂

The Princess mini-suite is definitely a much nicer and livable cabin.  It is also our choice on Princess cruises.  The HAL Vista, which we have been in many times, is more like a Princess balcony cabin.  The difference between a HAL Vista Suite and a regular HAL balcony in the "V" category is a few extra square feet and a bit of extra storage space.

8 hours ago, billbunger said:

THERE’S NO JOY IN MUDVILLE

 

We heard back from the Future Cruise Consultant regard our FCC and this is what we were told. 
 

 To use the 25% Future Cruise Credit towards the February 2025 cruise, we would have to rebook the cruise, ( we booked it onboard on October 2, 2023) if we rebook we would loose the HIA upgrade with premium internet, elite beverage package and crew appreciation. We would loose the upgrade because that offer expired on September 30, 2023. Note above,

the date we booked the cruise. 

 

We still have no idea what our cruise credit would be as it has not been posted to our account on the HAL website. If we don’t rebook we will have an FCC on our account for a year. HAL’s logic makes no sense to us on this one. Making us rebook a new booking to loose the perks so we can rebook the new cruise with a likely FCC of a few hundred dollars is just plain silly. 
 

We will wait for a few more days to see what dollar amount gets added to our online account before we pursue it any farther. 

Don't waste your time trying to deal with a Future Cruise Consultant.  They are notoriously the least knowledgeable person on board about anything.  Just wait until you are back at home and deal directly with someone at HAL headquarters guest services or through your travel agent.  I am positive the result will be a different answer and a better solution to your situation.

44 minutes ago, Coral said:

One room is not gonna make a difference. Maybe we should experience it before we criticize it.

Wouldn't that be contrary to expected Cruise Critic poster behavior? 😁

9 hours ago, RuthC said:

No thanks. I'll never embark in San Diego again.
Worst. Embarkation. Ever. 

Totally agree.  We have sailed out of San Diego a few times and have had nothing but frustration every time.  Being a 5-Star Mariner or occupying a Neptune Suite does not seem to matter in the least when trying to navigate through their complicated and illogical embarkation procedures.  

Regardless of what a few San Diego port supporters report, I have spoken to many San Diego residents who readily admit that the port is a mess with the blame to be equally shared by the port authorities, the security personnel and the city administration.  HAL is simply the unfortunate beneficiary of the poor service offered by all these people blaming everyone else but themselves.

Anyone else having problems.  Half an hour ago I was able to view all cruises, all dates, all cabin prices.  Now I can see all cruises but cannot see the prices.  They are all listed as "Not Available" once you try to select a cabin to see the price.

27 minutes ago, Lizard13 said:

I realize it is only September but I like to plan ahead. We will be on our first Christmas cruise and I was wondering if others brought any decorations for their cabins.  Specifically what is easy to pack and doesn’t take up a lot of room in the suitcase and room.  Any suggestions?

When will people realize that BLUE and GREEN lanes have absolutely nothing to do with boarding??? It depends on whether or not you have a medallion before entering the terminal.  They simply identify the lanes you get into in order to check in to the ship.  Once you've done that everybody has their medallion and the regular boarding process resumes as it always has.  Those with priority (Elite, Platinum, Suites) get priority and those that don't have priority get assigned a number.  Blue lanes and green lanes wind up in the same group with the same number.

2 hours ago, shipshape sam said:

My wine we enjoy bringing onboard costs less than the corkage fee.  Not sure what that says about our taste. 😃

9 minutes ago, Kelownabccan said:

Same here.....actually there are lots of nice wines for $10 or so....quite drinkable.....lol

Not much sense in bringing those on board as they will cost you approx $30 ($10 for wine + $20 corkage) and a comparable wine on board can usually be purchased for approx $32-$33.  Schlepping your wine halfway across America to save $2 seems a bit useless.

18 minutes ago, WanderingTheWorld said:

This sounds a lot like NCL's policy, which I've experienced a number of times. On those ships, the charges were inconsistent, and we probably only paid corkage on about half of what we brought on.

 

The wine experience on HAL has pretty much been the same as you describe before or after the pandemic.  We have brought on a case or two at different times and not been charged but then brought on 3 or 4 bottles and been charged.  Be prepared to pay the corkage fee and if it is not asked of you when you board, it may be asked when you bring a bottle to a dining room.  If not, enjoy 🍷! 

43 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I have been very sympathetic but the OP said he traveled on an upgrade and no where did he say what he actually paid for this cruise.  Nosy people like me would want to know that before passing judgement on the offer.  

I am pretty sure he paid more than $1000 and it seems to me that nothing short of a full refund would be acceptable in this case, regardless of who he complained to.  HAL missed another opportunity to show compassion and earn a bit of goodwill.

17 hours ago, saltshell said:

I understand that I get 50% off dining. Question is, will I get discount on cabin flowers?

50% discount only on the edible flowers 🙂