Things being Discontinued the Fall?

[jayjaycan]

You guys are wasting your time. Go to the Princess boards. Their wine policy was similar to HAL. Now, passengers are charged for the wine brought on, except for 1 bottle pp. In some cases, the bottles were taken and stamped (when brought on) and then delivered, after their onboard accounts were charged. They pay $15 per bottle. I hope HAL has the decency to not charge more than that, like the $18 they currently charge for corkage.

 

This policy is for wine consumed anywhere on the ship.

 

Mark my word....this is going to be it. All of those people who drank their wine around the ship ruined it for all of us. Of course, people like that will be the last to truly feel any responsibility for this change. I hope I can eat my words, but if Princess is doing this, you know HAL will follow!! Actually, HAL could disallow all wine --hope that doesn't happen!

 

All the cruise lines are changing or amending policies when it comes to bringing spirits onboard.Princess allows 1 bottle of wine per person and charge a corkage fee for any others.NCL charges a corkage fee for all wines brought on board (no freebies) while Carnivaal & RCCI have restrictive policies as well.it is inevitable that HAL will change also and I forsee them permitting one free wine bottle per person with corkage fees for all others.

 

Payment of the corkage fee on the other lines permits you to take that bottle with you anywhere on the ship...dining room,lounges,theater,bars etc..

[jtl513]

I forsee them permitting one free wine bottle per person with corkage fees for all others.

One bottle pp for the entire cruise? Regardless of the length of the cruise? Doesn't sound fair to me! Should be 1 per person per week at least.

[LindaM]

All the cruise lines are changing or amending policies when it comes to bringing spirits onboard.Princess allows 1 bottle of wine per person and charge a corkage fee for any others.NCL charges a corkage fee for all wines brought on board (no freebies) while Carnivaal & RCCI have restrictive policies as well.it is inevitable that HAL will change also and I forsee them permitting one free wine bottle per person with corkage fees for all others.

 

Payment of the corkage fee on the other lines permits you to take that bottle with you anywhere on the ship...dining room,lounges,theater,bars etc..

 

Hmmm...I wonder how that will help HAL in the long run. Charging the fee will probably get them the same amount of revenue as when we had the discounted wine cards. We always buy drinks in the dining room or lounges. Now, I may have to buy a traveling winesack, to sling over my shoulder!! How are they going to be able to keep everyone's white wine chilled? Oh well...it was a truly great perk, while it lasted. On Celebrity, they allowed your one bottle to be the 1.5 size. I can't recall seeing that size in Europe. Seriously, I just can't see myself shlepping my wine around the ship. It's bad enough buying and bringing it on! It would be nice if they allowed 1 free bottle per 7 days. I hate change---I just have to accept what I cannot change and move on!!

[kazu]

Hmmm...I wonder how that will help HAL in the long run. Charging the fee will probably get them the same amount of revenue as when we had the discounted wine cards. We always buy drinks in the dining room or lounges. Now, I may have to buy a traveling winesack, to sling over my shoulder!! How are they going to be able to keep everyone's white wine chilled? Oh well...it was a truly great perk, while it lasted. On Celebrity, they allowed your one bottle to be the 1.5 size. I can't recall seeing that size in Europe. Seriously, I just can't see myself shlepping my wine around the ship. It's bad enough buying and bringing it on! It would be nice if they allowed 1 free bottle per 7 days. I hate change---I just have to accept what I cannot change and move on!!

 

I haven't seen any 1.5 L bottles in Europe either;) I don't think a fee would solve their problems as those who only had a drink in their cabin may choose to drink their own in other areas on the ship. So, in essence the income they would have earned from the wine purchases on board could diminish.

 

My biggest fear would be the elimination of wine (other than one bottle) being brought on board. I'd far rather pay a corkage fee for some sampling of European wines. HAL's wine list is lacking IMO. We can usually find a few that are drinkable and that we like - but the choices for us are somewhat limited

[NoWhiners]

I know this is all speculation but I think 1 bottle pp per port would be a better solution, especially in Europe. I am hoping that HAL gives this some real thought before they implement this as a policy. Probably not going to prevent anything but I can hope...!

 

ML

[TiogaCruiser]

And this is all speculation at this point, right?

[jimmy2x]

And this is all speculation at this point, right?

 

Exactly. All this gloom and doom without any basis.

[chrisbu315]

Just off Volendam today. No disembarkation talk and no paper survey. In fact, the disembarkation announcer had to catch herself when she started to encourage everyone to fill out the paper survey.

[erewhon]

Just off Volendam today. No disembarkation talk and no paper survey. In fact, the disembarkation announcer had to catch herself when she started to encourage everyone to fill out the paper survey.

 

Thanks for this information.

[Tennessee Titan]

I don't even recall "Love in any Language"!

 

If someone really resents "snooty old timers" he should spend more time in the Carribean...

[VMax1700]

Yes we have 1.5L wine bottles here in Europe. They are called 'Magnums'. (Not Tom Sellick!). They contain 1.5Litres not cubic inches nor quarts. Guess where they originated. ;) (tongue firmly in cheek!)

[VMax1700]

I reckon HAL will turn the Neptune Lounge in to a Pay as you Go Launderette. Those who currently get free laundry would be given a couple of tokens per cruise to use the machines. Costs would double on sea days. Pre booking would be available on the 'Indulgences' part of the website.

 

Just think, if DW went on a cruise with her girl friends, I could gift them a 'free wash token'.

;):D

[sail7seas]

Just off Volendam today. No disembarkation talk and no paper survey. In fact, the disembarkation announcer had to catch herself when she started to encourage everyone to fill out the paper survey.

 

 

Maybe they will discontinue the survey entirely?

Perhaps they are tired of reading complaint after complaint after complaint.

 

They've been in this business long enough to know what they are doing well and what they know they are not doing well. They know when they are understaffed and don't need us to tell them. They know a great many of us can't stand the screamingly loud music yet they continue to have the HAL Cats blast us away from wherever they are screaching..... I'll correct that to 'some of us'.

 

They certainly know by now the vast majority of us hate smoking permitted on verandahs. It is financially in their interest to continue to permit it despite our pleas to let us live smoke free on the ships the same as many of us do at home. They know a number of suite/verandah guests on every cruise are forced of their verandah because of smoking neighbors yet they continue to permit it. They don't need to read it on surveys as they are very well aware the majority of their cruisers do not want smoke in their faces.

 

Paper survey on the ship, electronic in our e-mail boxes, they aren't going to make many changes IMO according to what we write though I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE they read them all and crew are answerable for poor ratings. I have seen them pour over them when we've been b-to-b, I have seen some officers/staff assembled reviewing the surveys.

 

They have gone a path of selling cruises, in more than a few cases, at very low prices. They know better than us where they have cut corners and what has disappeared. Why bother reading what they already know?

 

Sorry, just musing.......... :D

 

[cruz chic]

I reckon HAL will turn the Neptune Lounge in to a Pay as you Go Launderette. Those who currently get free laundry would be given a couple of tokens per cruise to use the machines. Costs would double on sea days. Pre booking would be available on the 'Indulgences' part of the website.

 

Just think, if DW went on a cruise with her girl friends, I could gift them a 'free wash token'.

;):D

Behave.....:D;):p.

[LindaM]

And this is all speculation at this point, right?

 

Hi Lorna!!

 

When are you going to finally try Prinsendam??? A friend is doing a 21 day to Iceland on her next week---I know you like cold weather ports!! Yes, this is speculation....but it's not our speculation, coming out of nowhere. Mark my words....it's going to happen. Reading between the lines....I just hope it's not NO wine and not punish us completely!! Then Princess would be the line for people who want to bring wine onboard, and HAL for the smokers.

 

I will be glad to eat my words, and I do hope I will. This is going to end with....Wow, LindaM must be psychic!!

[kazu]

Hi Lorna!!

 

When are you going to finally try Prinsendam??? A friend is doing a 21 day to Iceland on her next week---I know you like cold weather ports!! Yes, this is speculation....but it's not our speculation, coming out of nowhere. Mark my words....it's going to happen. Reading between the lines....I just hope it's not NO wine and not punish us completely!! Then Princess would be the line for people who want to bring wine onboard, and HAL for the smokers.

 

I will be glad to eat my words, and I do hope I will. This is going to end with....Wow, LindaM must be psychic!!

 

Agree Linda - there have been plenty of hints - from cc members reporting that they were told things would change by crew members, etc.

 

If you have to eat your words - I'd be happy to join you for the meal:D

[iancal]

We don't spend much on board...from our perspective there is not much to spend it on that has value to us other than the odd pay dining venue.

 

We don't bother with the photos. We prefer private tours. The HAL casino is a no go for us-too much smoke. And we are not big drinkers so our bar bills are usually low. Once you have been on a few cruises everything is the ship's stores seem to be the same. The high end jewelry stores are, in our experience, about 30 percent overpriced...even with one of their so called 'sales'.

 

But we would never consider removing the gratuities. Actually, the opposite is true.

 

Not certain why anyone would relate on board spending to removing gratuities. We are retired and often add a last minute cruise to a land tour....so does that also imply to some that we would remove gratuities??? Just because we get a great price on the cruise?

[pms4104]

Lisa:

You have a way of getting the "hot ones." I am currently on the Volendam. The disembarcation talk going away would not bother me. I think many of us have caught on to the fact that we can watch the replay in the stateroom.

HIMSELF

 

Thanx for refocusing this thread back to the original topic:D

[Himself]

Himself, is this working or pleasure? :) Or Both ;) Say Hi to to the Hotel Director for me.

 

 

Lisa:

Chaplain for two weeks and if I see him I will tell him you said hello. I think David and Anicia will be on the Amsterdam starting next Friday so I presume you will be doing the fleet report.

Himself

[RuthC]

It took a lot of hard work for both of us to get where we are now. There was no silver spoon or magic wand involved. I suspect it's the same for most folks. I always say that I am exactly where I should be given the decisions I have made in life.

Exactly. Personally, I feel like I have a PhD in delayed gratification! :D

For most of my adult life I scrimped & saved. I denied myself things I wanted so I could pay for the things I needed, and to put something away for my old age. Now I can reap the rewards of my efforts.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Lisa:

Chaplain for two weeks and if I see him I will tell him you said hello. I think David and Anicia will be on the Amsterdam starting next Friday so I presume you will be doing the fleet report.

Himself

Thanks Himself, That is correct about David and Anica ;)

[sail7seas]

Lisa:

You have a way of getting the "hot ones." I am currently on the Volendam. The disembarcation talk going away would not bother me. I think many of us have caught on to the fact that we can watch the replay in the stateroom.

HIMSELF

 

 

We always have watched the replay in our cabin while I pack but if they don't do the talk, how will there be a 'replay'? All I care about is hearing Love in Any Language but I know there are recordings of it on the web I can listen to when I really miss it. :)

 

[kazu]

It's a date!! Oct. 5, 2014, Athens, Greece, at the sailaway. Actually, we don't have a sea day until a few days into that cruise. We'll have to plan a M&G before that! I just got a thrill of anticipation!

 

You're on:D I'd be delighted if we could eat our words together:D seriously afraid it won't happen though (not the sail a way - the eating of words:p;))

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We always have watched the replay in our cabin while I pack but if they don't do the talk, how will there be a 'replay'? All I care about is hearing Love in Any Language but I know there are recordings of it on the web I can listen to when I really miss it. :)

 

 

On Pricess the Cruise Director, does a pre-recorded disembarkation talk relevant to the particular cruise i.e. 7 day Pacific Coastal, 14 day Panama Canal which is played for 24 hours on the TV. I suppose the HAL CD could do the same.

 

I too would miss Love in Any Language but don't want to sit through the CD talk again. Just did it on the Amsterdam and realized it was a big waste of our time.

[iancal]

Money, Politics, and Religion. Topics to stay away from when one is cruising (or any other activities with complete strangers for that matter).

 

Cannot imagine anyone actually watching a rerun of the disembarkation talk. You would have to be mighty bored.