Things being Discontinued the Fall?

[Tinknock50]

[quote name='lorekauf']I'm surprised at that with the prices normally charged for room service at hotels.[/quote]
Really.....I get nosebleeds just looking at the room service menu. To the Hotel's credit where I last did that, the food was excellent and plentiful as compared to room service in the past.

Certainly a revenue generator.

[LindaM]

[quote name='scdreamer'][B]"I firmly believe the service charge should NOT be allowed to be removed. Whether you think they did a good job or not, the service was still performed. We had less than stellar service on Regent. The service charge could not be removed. I kept notes on the people who did a great job and included them in my final evaluation." [/B][/B]

I think the problem that comes up once the service charge is mandatory is that then a "tip" will be expected for good service. Once the service charge becomes just another part of the fare (like the port charges, taxes, etc.) it is no longer a gratuity, regardless of what it's called.

Making it mandatory is just another way of upping the fare.[/QUOTE]

Like it or not, it is part of the fare. You are being charged for it everyday. People who remove it should be ashamed of themselves. Why would you consider it "upping the fare" unless you seriously consider removing it?? Tipping is always part of the fare, at least for those of us with scruples!! I've been on 25 cruises and I've never had service that was that bad on a daily basis.

[iancal]

We would never remove the tips. In fact the opposite is generally true for us.

But keep in mind that having gratuities listed as 'optional' allows the cruise lines that follow this practice to advertise the lowest possible prices.

On some of those highly discounted seven day cruises, HAL advertises insides for as low as $399. per person. Adding the cost of mandatory gratuities might mean that they would have to increase this price substantially (on a percentage basis). I would assume their goal is to attract a few customers by low ball advertising and compete with other travel alternatives.

In Canada, we have allow airlines to advertise $99. one way fares to certain cities in Europe. Sound good? Not when one finds out that fuel, tax, and other surcharges can add another $400. to the fare. There is a move to make this practice illegal.

[dawei]

I can report that if it's going to be a switch to online, post-cruise surveys, it only means that HAL will be following their owners' lead (or orders?).
Don't know for how long it's been in place, but Carnival now does post-cruise online surveying of passengers on their cruises.

[CowPrincess]

[quote name='Tinknock50']Really.....I get nosebleeds just looking at the room service menu. To the Hotel's credit where I last did that, the food was excellent and plentiful as compared to room service in the past.

Certainly a revenue generator.[/quote]

Yes, a revenue generator at most hotels, I'd say. DH and I still joke about our $20 pot of coffee from room service :eek: :D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

[quote name='dawei']I can report that if it's going to be a switch to online, post-cruise surveys, it only means that HAL will be following their owners' lead (or orders?).
Don't know for how long it's been in place, but Carnival now does post-cruise online surveying of passengers on their cruises.[/QUOTE]

[SIZE="3"] First off HAL is in FACT switching to doing On Line Post Cruise Surveys. Also Doing the On-Line Survey has absolutely nothing to do with following Carnival, Almost all the cruise lines have been doing the on line after cruise survey for several years. Norwegian and Celebrity are the first that come to mind. [/SIZE]

[rafinmd]

[quote name='LAFFNVEGAS'][SIZE="3"] First off HAL is in FACT switching to doing On Line Post Cruise Surveys. Also Doing the On-Line Survey has absolutely nothing to do with following Carnival, Almost all the cruise lines have been doing the on line after cruise survey for several years. Norwegian and Celebrity are the first that come to mind. [/SIZE][/QUOTE]

That surprises me, I got paper surveys from Celebrity for both of my 2012 cruises. When I was on Carnival this spring I got no opportunity for feedback. Looks like these 2 lines may not be very consistent.

I know Crystal has been doing the online survey for a few years now, I believe the only exception is on a B2B and are on the ship for an extended period after the first cruise ends.

Note to self: Be sure to do the Crystal survey before boarding the Prinsendam and Amsterdam.

Roy

[sail7seas]

[quote name='LAFFNVEGAS'][SIZE=3] First off HAL is in FACT switching to doing On Line Post Cruise Surveys. Also Doing the On-Line Survey has absolutely nothing to do with following Carnival, Almost all the cruise lines have been doing the on line after cruise survey for several years. Norwegian and Celebrity are the first that come to mind. [/SIZE][/quote]


[B] If they only have on-line surveys, does that mean they don't need or want the opinions of those 'hold outs' who do not have e-mail? Actually, I think I'm answering my own question. They probably don't need their input if they are so 'out of the loop' or so senior their travel days are probably limited.

YES, BEFORE SOMEONE SCREAMS AT ME, I realize there are reasonable exceptions for a great many reasons but speaking in general terms.....

[/B]

[jtl513]

[quote name='erewhon']During a Trans Pacific Cruise, I was amazed to overhear a passenger telling another passenger that she was removing the HSC because no one had told her that there would be so many days at sea without port stops.[/quote]I hope she didn't pass her genes on to any children! :eek::D

[taxmantoo]

[quote name='LAFFNVEGAS'][SIZE=3] First off HAL is in FACT switching to doing On Line Post Cruise Surveys. Also Doing the On-Line Survey[B][U][COLOR=red] has absolutely nothing to do with following Carnival,[/COLOR][/U][/B] Almost all the cruise lines have been doing the on line after cruise survey for several years. Norwegian and Celebrity are the first that come to mind. [/SIZE][/quote]

So, in reality, HAL is following Carnival AND Norwegian AND Celebrity AND many others ;)

[sail7seas]

[quote name='taxmantoo']So, in reality, HAL is following Carnival AND Norwegian AND Celebrity AND many others ;)[/quote]


[B] Don't cruise lines follow one another all the time?

HAL did not dream up the flexible dining concept. NCL started that.

Princess did not create the Lido concept. HAL started that.

etc

[/B]

[taxmantoo]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B] Don't cruise lines follow one another all the time?[/B]

[/quote]

Exactly. As in everything, someone has to start and others follow!

[iancal]

I would expect the cost to HAL of doing an on line survey vs. the traditional paper method is much less. Hence, no surprise in these times of cost cutting. We could really care less whether it is a paper or an on- line survey.

For us, it is much like the big fuss about nothing when the cruise lines switched to edocs and on line luggage tags.

[caladezi]

One way that HAL could cut costs would be doing away with all of the extra perks for ALL of their loyal customers and making everyone equal. No more special cocktail parties or meals. No more medals like kids get for winning the 100 yard dash in 5th grade. No more free laundry, The list goes on and on. I know because I too get it! Those that love HAL and have cruised many times will still return. New cruisers could be offered more bang for their buck, and everyone could enjoy everything without seeing all of the snooty old timers walking around the ship thinking how much better they are than everyone else and comparing who's list of past cruises is bigger than the other guys. What a wonderful world it would be.

[jtl513]

[quote name='caladezi']Those that love HAL and have cruised many times will still return.[/quote]And those who currently sail HAL just some of the time would desert in droves to lines that still have loyalty perks. HAL tried to stop the medallion program. It was kept by popular demand of the loyalists.

[sapper1]

One way that HAL could cut costs would be doing away with all of the extra perks for ALL of their loyal customers and making everyone equal. No more special cocktail parties or meals. No more medals like kids get for winning the 100 yard dash in 5th grade. No more free laundry, The list goes on and on. I know because I too get it! Those that love HAL and have cruised many times will still return. New cruisers could be offered more bang for their buck, and everyone could enjoy everything without seeing all of the snooty old timers walking around the ship thinking how much better they are than everyone else and comparing who's list of past cruises is bigger than the other guys. What a wonderful world it would be.

 

You are wrong when you say if the perks were taken away we would still return to HAL. Often in the last year or so we have thought of trying another line but the fact that we now have free laundry and all those nice 50% discounts is what keeps us loyal. That, along with our OBC we get for buying FCC's on board.

 

One thing I am curious about though---- when you are walking about the ship how can you tell the snooty old timers from the regular old timers? Do they look different or something? :confused:

[cruz chic]

One way that HAL could cut costs would be doing away with all of the extra perks for ALL of their loyal customers and making everyone equal. No more special cocktail parties or meals. No more medals like kids get for winning the 100 yard dash in 5th grade. No more free laundry, The list goes on and on. I know because I too get it! Those that love HAL and have cruised many times will still return. New cruisers could be offered more bang for their buck, and everyone could enjoy everything without seeing all of the snooty old timers walking around the ship thinking how much better they are than everyone else and comparing who's list of past cruises is bigger than the other guys. What a wonderful world it would be.

Yeah, that would be good:rolleyes:. Snooty old timers eh? Do people really act that way or is it something you think that goes on? I've spent a lot of money on HAL and I do return partly for the perks. Sounds like a bit of sour grapes.

[sapper1]

Yeah, that would be good:rolleyes:. Snooty old timers eh? Do people really act that way or is it something you think that goes on? I've spent a lot of money on HAL and I do return partly for the perks. Sounds like a bit of sour grapes.

 

I remember you. You were one of those snooty young timers. :D

[HALOnlyCruiser]

No more Love In Any Language???:(

[cruz chic]

I remember you. You were one of those snooty young timers. :D

Hey, that's a secret:D:p;).

[sapper1]

Hey, that's a secret:D:p;).

 

I could tell by looking at you. :D

[hvsteve1]

A couple of thoughts.

 

Regarding HSC, I seem to recall a thread quite some time ago where people supposedly in the know say a list of those who have opted out is posted in the restaurant so the servers know who is not tipping. There are always cheapskates and these are probably the same people who walk out of a restaurant without leaving a tip. On our first cruise on the Mississippi Queen, we had a guy at our table all week who disappeared on the last night when people were leaving tips. I guess this kind of stuff over the years led to the automatic charge. I've sailed on Regent and the service doesn't suffer due to included tips because the staff is supposedly better paid than other lines and know they must be above average to keep their jobs. Regent staff are not supposed to take extra tips and I have seen them refuse to take them. The line encourages a tip to be given at the office to be used for crew activities. They will also accept bottles of liquor for the crew bar, such as bottles you haven't opened in your included stock for your suite.

 

Bringing on wine and soda is a nice benefit. I don't mind the corkage fee as $18 still makes the bottle a lot cheaper than purchasing something similar on board. And the $18 is pure profit for HAL as opposed to a profit margin on a bottle.

 

I see discussion of tiles. We got tiles at the captain's reception last year. This year I saw no tiles given out. Are you supposed to get one every time you cruise? As we are not dyed-in-the-wool HAL cruisers, the tiles aren't that important to us. As we did our three previous cruises on Regent where the captain's reception is a champaign and caviar deal with an hour or so of personal interaction with the captain and senior officers (HAL's "the captain doesn't shake hands due to sanitation reasons" is BS in view of people having been slathering themselves with Purell for three or four days), the captain's reception where you hear a speech and, if you're lucky see where the captain is standing, would not be missed.

 

The daily carpets in the elevators are handy in figuring out what day it is but also kind of depressing as they count off the days left on your vacation.

[sail7seas]

No more Love In Any Language???:(

 

 

Many of us would miss that A LOT.

No HAL cruise is complete for me until we hear Love In Any Language.

 

Hope you are mistaken...... :(

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

First off HAL is in FACT switching to doing On Line Post Cruise Surveys. Also Doing the On-Line Survey has absolutely nothing to do with following Carnival, Almost all the cruise lines have been doing the on line after cruise survey for several years. Norwegian and Celebrity are the first that come to mind.

 

Well -- that is fine by me.

But HAL will only get form from this household -- DH does not use a computer.

[Krazy Kruizers]

One way that HAL could cut costs would be doing away with all of the extra perks for ALL of their loyal customers and making everyone equal. No more special cocktail parties or meals. No more medals like kids get for winning the 100 yard dash in 5th grade. No more free laundry, The list goes on and on. I know because I too get it! Those that love HAL and have cruised many times will still return. New cruisers could be offered more bang for their buck, and everyone could enjoy everything without seeing all of the snooty old timers walking around the ship thinking how much better they are than everyone else and comparing who's list of past cruises is bigger than the other guys. What a wonderful world it would be.

 

SO -- HAL should give up all the extra perks for ALL loyal customers??

What should the other cruise lines do?? Keep theirs or give up all the perks they offer their repeat customers?