Has anyone ever had their reserved HAL cruise chartered?

[Boytjie]

Word has it those particular charters are a blast!;)

 

 

That's right! Staff and crew will do anything to work on them. :)

[sportsmum]

The prices were higher for the charter last year than what I paid. Enough to compensate for lost revenue on drinks. Not so sure about casino, as I don't s spend money there and have no idea how much the cruise line makes in the casino.

 

This was my bad joke on the charter being Baptists! I will stop before I say something about them first being refused by Carni..........:D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I know many people get upset when a Charter takes over a cruise that someone has booked but here's the deal from experience and even person experience from when I had the Eurodam charter out from me several years go.

 

HAL will continue to deny the Charter even if you go on line to book the cruise and it is not there until they have a plan in place of what they are going to offer those that had already booked. Many Travel agencies have already set up groups on the canceled cruises, the July Amsterdam is one of them. I have found that it truly is worth being patient and wait for the offer ;) I have seen people push wanting something NOW and the offer is lousy. I know it's upsetting but it is in everyone's best interest to just wait and see what HAL is going to offer.

[vbmom87]

I know many people get upset when a Charter takes over a cruise that someone has booked but here's the deal from experience and even person experience from when I had the Eurodam charter out from me several years go.

 

HAL will continue to deny the Charter even if you go on line to book the cruise and it is not there until they have a plan in place of what they are going to offer those that had already booked. Many Travel agencies have already set up groups on the canceled cruises, the July Amsterdam is one of them. I have found that it truly is worth being patient and wait for the offer ;) I have seen people push wanting something NOW and the offer is lousy. I know it's upsetting but it is in everyone's best interest to just wait and see what HAL is going to offer.

 

My question is this: Do all cruise lines handle charters in the same way? I can see people not booking again with HAL because of what happened. However, if they booked on another cruise line which then chartered their cruise, would that cruise line likely handle the situation in a similar manner, or are other cruise lines a bit better about early acknowledgment? I read these boards a lot, and the complaints I see that often result in someone refusing to book a certain cruise line in the future. However, I often read the same complaints on the boards of the other cruise lines. So, I am just wondering if you know how other cruise lines handle this kind of situation.

[sail7seas]

That's right! Staff and crew will do anything to work on them. :)

 

 

:) I've heard the bartenders are VERY tired at the end of the cruise. :D ....but a bit richer in the pocket.

 

[Boytjie]

:) I've heard the bartenders are VERY tired at the end of the cruise. :D ....but a bit richer in the pocket.

 

That is true. :)

 

We asked a waited on the Caribbean Princess how he was enjoying the cruise and his response was: "You guys can drink! I have never worked so hard in my life, and have never made so much money!" It is not unusual for especially the bar staff to request extensions of their contracts so that they can stay on until after an RSVP charter.

 

Now, interestingly enough the ship is not full of drunk people all day and night and I have not heard of anyone fall off a gay charter. ;)

 

The spa workers will tell you the same thing: they work nonstop and if you don't book your massage early you are going to be out of luck. They often bring extra spa staff onboard.

 

The other thing that it does is it breaks the monotony of the regular cruises for the staff where the entertainment is pretty much the same every week, as are the ports. We have been on some customized itineraries, like anchoring off St. john instead of docking in St. Thomas or going to new ports not usually visited.

[sail7seas]

Never have a I heard a single negative and we have cruised a number of times just after RSVP as well as just before.

 

I doubt cruise lines would continue to book charters if there were problems in the past. They won't risk their crews, ships and/or reputation if they continuously make 'bad choices'. I think these cruises and cruisers are most welcome.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

My question is this: Do all cruise lines handle charters in the same way? I can see people not booking again with HAL because of what happened. However, if they booked on another cruise line which then chartered their cruise, would that cruise line likely handle the situation in a similar manner, or are other cruise lines a bit better about early acknowledgment? I read these boards a lot, and the complaints I see that often result in someone refusing to book a certain cruise line in the future. However, I often read the same complaints on the boards of the other cruise lines. So, I am just wondering if you know how other cruise lines handle this kind of situation.

I do not know exact numbers but I can tell you that HAL tends to have far more canceled cruises for Charters than any of the other cruise lines. I think mostly because the other cruise lines require that people charter for a date that is out farther than they are excepting reservations. The cruise lines generally have a good idea where their ships are going to be farther out than we see.

 

Not that other cruise lines do not charter we have just never seen it happen for Carnival and Norwegian. We have had several occasions for Royal Caribbean but for their smaller short itinerary ships. These itineraries are normally the Bahamas so it is quite easy to move people to another date. RCI handles the situation the same way HAL does.

[Lisa63]

I have found that it truly is worth being patient and wait for the offer ;) I have seen people push wanting something NOW and the offer is lousy. I know it's upsetting but it is in everyone's best interest to just wait and see what HAL is going to offer.

 

What kind of offers have you seen? Also, how long did it take? I'm being patient, as there's nothing else I can do and I know my TA is well on top of it. Yet, this is a fairly unique itinerary that is going to be tough to reschedule... we are a family of three, can travel only during a seven-to-eight week window in the summer, and are part of a group of 20+ cabins. So, I'll sit tight, yet curious as to what others on HAL have been offered when this happened to them.

[cccole]

What kind of offers have you seen? Also, how long did it take? I'm being patient, as there's nothing else I can do and I know my TA is well on top of it. Yet, this is a fairly unique itinerary that is going to be tough to reschedule... we are a family of three, can travel only during a seven-to-eight week window in the summer, and are part of a group of 20+ cabins. So, I'll sit tight, yet curious as to what others on HAL have been offered when this happened to them.

 

20+ cabins? I will be waiting to see what they offer all of you. Hopefully you will all be booked on a summer cruise, in upgraded staterooms, with OBC. It seems fairly easy for reservations with 1-3 staterooms to be changed, but 20 will be a challenge. It must be stressful waiting. Cherie

[sail7seas]

At least there's close to a year to work on finding something to substitute.

 

Sorry for the disappointment. It's a shame when all those arrangements get cancelled.

[cccole]

If HAL cannot accommodate you on one of their ships will they try to find another cruise line? Hotels and airlines do this but I have not heard anyone mention that HAL would help with transferring reservations to another cruise line. I know, I know, when you pick a ship or cruise line you make an educated choice, but the same thing happens with hotels. Sometimes adjustments need to be made and they put the guests first and are "brand" blind. Cherie

[karatemom2]

If HAL cannot accommodate you on one of their ships will they try to find another cruise line? Hotels and airlines do this but I have not heard anyone mention that HAL would help with transferring reservations to another cruise line. I know, I know, when you pick a ship or cruise line you make an educated choice, but the same thing happens with hotels. Sometimes adjustments need to be made and they put the guests first and are "brand" blind. Cherie

 

Well no other cruise line offers an itineray anything like the Alaska 14 day on the Amsterdam. Believe me, if they did I would be jumping ship so to speak at this point. As angry as I am with HAL right now I am still hanging in here trying to get some information and I will move to a different date if only they will just give our TAs the notification they need to move us. I really still want to do this particular 14 day cruise, so I'm willing to get treated badly in the process I guess. If it wasn't for that I would say goodbye HAL and never look back at this point.

[Globaliser]

Not that other cruise lines do not charter we have just never seen it happen for Carnival and Norwegian.

This does happen on NCL. I remember having seen a number of threads on the NCL forum where people have become pretty irate from the same issue: confirmed reservations which were then cancelled by NCL because the ship had gone out on a whole ship charter.

 

It's got close to affecting me in exactly that way: Last year, I was about to book a week on an NCL ship when it went to Olivia on a whole ship charter. The subsequent discussions showed that Olivia had been taking bookings for a long time before NCL cancelled the week on its website (and the confirmed reservations that NCL already taken). If it had happened a week or so later, I would have been one more person in the list of those who'd had confirmed reservations cancelled by NCL.

 

No idea whether it happens more on HAL, though.

[vbmom87]

This does happen on NCL. I remember having seen a number of threads on the NCL forum where people have become pretty irate from the same issue: confirmed reservations which were then cancelled by NCL because the ship had gone out on a whole ship charter.

 

It's got close to affecting me in exactly that way: Last year, I was about to book a week on an NCL ship when it went to Olivia on a whole ship charter. The subsequent discussions showed that Olivia had been taking bookings for a long time before NCL cancelled the week on its website (and the confirmed reservations that NCL already taken). If it had happened a week or so later, I would have been one more person in the list of those who'd had confirmed reservations cancelled by NCL.

 

No idea whether it happens more on HAL, though.

 

Thanks for posting this. I kind of figured it would be similar on the different lines. It is important for cruisers to realize this could happen on any line. Way too often I read where someone will never cruise a certain line again for some reason or another. However, the other cruise lines would have handled their situation similarly. My last two cruises I booked relatively late, so I did not have that concern. However, it was crossing my mind when I booked my first cruise early.

 

I know back when I first starting reading this forum it was mentioned that usually the 7 day cruises are the ones that get chartered, not the longer ones. I thought the 14 Amsterdam would be not be chartered. However, last year they booked two, seven day charters in place of the 14 day itinerary. So, thinking the longer itineraries are immune from charters does not hold water.

[karatemom2]

While I'm sure it does happen on other lines, it hasn't happened to me and I guess that is the difference in the way I am feeling right now. This is my first experience with HAL and it has taken something that I was so enthusiastic about and tainted it. Just not a great first impression, and since I have no other experience with HAL, nothing to compare it to.

 

I did ask on the Princess Board about charters and the response was that while it can happen, it is rare on Princess and usually booked well out in advance so that the sailing is never open for reservations.

 

But the bottom line is I want to do this cruise and this itinerary. I was the one who brought it to my sister's attention and got her all excited about it and I'm not going to disappoint her. I told her to go ahead and book the July 27 cruise which she did yesterday and I will continue to try to get information from HAL and hopefully get my reservation transferred as soon as possible. So I am still a HAL customer and I have brought them one new customer, and soon a second when my niece books. I just wish they would treat me with a bit more consideration in return.

[Globaliser]

This is my first experience with HAL and it has taken something that I was so enthusiastic about and tainted it. Just not a great first impression, and since I have no other experience with HAL, nothing to compare it to.

And in this, I think you have everyone's sympathy. It's not a good feeling.

 

It might be easy to think that there has to be a better way, but actually there's no easy answer. Passengers demand the ability to book cruises ever further into the future, and the cruise lines have to try to satisfy that (or else lose those bookings to competitors). But most charterers can't commit to a whole ship charter until much closer to the sailing date, because they have to know that it's going to work commercially for them. They're often in for a liability of a million dollars or more when they sign the charterparty, so it's a real issue. The solution that many cruise lines seem to have adopted is to take the hit of cancelling all the confirmed bookings already taken for the cruise that's being chartered, and trying to work out satisfactory compensation and rebooking arrangements for those passengers.

[Himself]

The thing that makes this a bit more difficult is that this is a 14 day cruise and we are limited on our window of vacation time due to work and school schedules. The date we booked worked perfectly, but I'm not sure if any of the alternate dates for this cruise will work for us. I know it happens, but I guess I'm just bummed that it happened to us! :(

 

I am curious and so I ask when are you sailing? Or rather, when were you scheduled to sail on this magnificent 14 day cruise?

[karatemom2]

I am curious and so I ask when are you sailing? Or rather, when were you scheduled to sail on this magnificent 14 day cruise?

 

We are currently booked for the July 13, 2012 sailing next summer, but since it is being chartered will be moving over to the next sailing on July 27, 2012. I followed your thread about the cruise and must say it does sound just amazing!

[Himself]

I will have to check on that. I know a priest who is supposed to be Chaplain on that cruise. I wonder if he will go. He booked it on my recommendation.

[Himself]

I just went to the HAL website and the July 13th sailing is still listed as available. I will watch it for a while before I do some inquireing for my friend.

[vbmom87]

I just went to the HAL website and the July 13th sailing is still listed as available. I will watch it for a while before I do some inquireing for my friend.

 

Here is the link for the group that has chartered the Amsterdam for July 13-20. Not sure who has it chartered for the second week.

 

http://www.templetontours.com/alaska/index.shtml

[karatemom2]

I just went to the HAL website and the July 13th sailing is still listed as available. I will watch it for a while before I do some inquireing for my friend.

 

The July 13 sailing is definitely chartered by the Templeton group. Those of us on the sailing who have communicated with HAL have received both verbal and email confirmation and the response has indicated that we will be receiving our official notifications and move over assistance sometime next week.

[Himself]

Thanks for the information

[Wakepatrol]

I'd count my lucky stars you didn't end up on that cruise with such a large group.