Things being Discontinued the Fall?

[TiogaCruiser]

[quote name='LAFFNVEGAS'][SIZE="3"]Dave I must humbly disagree. NCL does not allow for the HSC to be removed and it works quite well for them . In all honesty I find their service to be superior in almost all areas especially when comparing Suite to Suites. [/SIZE][/QUOTE]

So then, do they count it as part of the total cost of the cruise?
Several people have said if it is not optional that it gets counted and HAL could not compete. I don't get it....

[cruisemom42]

[quote name='DaveOKC']Lisa - I am glad to hear that it is working for them. I love the idea, but as I mentioned, I am afraid that service levels will decline. Must be due to good management - good for NCL!

Dave[/quote]

I think it is largely a myth that tipping leads to better service.

I've traveled in cultures where tipping is considered extremely bad manners (e.g., Japan) and on cruise lines where gratuities are included as part of your fare -- and I have received excellent service each time.

I suspect excellent service has more to do with a "culture of excellence" among management, and less with the idea of working for a tip. Look at what Disney does at their theme parks with their personnel, as opposed to the same type of staff at your average theme park.....

[LAFFNVEGAS]

[quote name='TiogaCruiser']So then, do they count it as part of the total cost of the cruise?
Several people have said if it is not optional that it gets counted and HAL could not compete. I don't get it....[/QUOTE]

[SIZE="3"]No, NCL charges separate the $12.00 PP per day and encourages passengers to pre pay that. They also will not allow to have this taken off. Because everything is Free Style for dining in most cases you never get the same server so for them it makes more sense. You also do not see long lines toward the end of the cruise at the front desk. The HSC is mandatory and it does not appear anyone second guesses it. HAL just needs to state NO adjustments. What they should have done is when they changed what they called it to the Hotel Service Charge at that point should have stated these was mandatory. [/SIZE]

[catl331]

[quote name='dr.dawg']frankly, hal has, over the last fifteen years, cut back on or negated just about everything i loved about the line. i am, you cheerleaders, not trying to denegrate or defame your beloved hal. just saying that it is time to explore other vacation possibilities. a hal cruise has, gruadually, become a chore rather than a pleasure. a duty rather than a priviledge. now, instead of paying for a vacation in relative peace and comfort, i'm responsible for paying for crew/staff families back home; giving great reviews for mediocre mdr food, poor service in lido, paying extra for good coffee, having to endure poor entertainment and no strings in the lounge, lousy looking flowers if there are any fresh ones anymore, and on and on. could someone explain to me, without bashing me, i've had plenty of that, just why i should be the hal cheerleader i was ten or fifteen years ago? or why i should continue to cruise with hal, though i am a 4-star and like the free laundry -- but that's likely to go, also. ? just a short, non-hate answer, please.[/quote]Gee, with all that stuff so terrible I certainly can't see why you should continue to cruise hal.

[blossom]

All businesses have to evolve and stay current to remain profitable. If the consumer is

not interested in the changes that this cruise line may offer , the option is to find a cruise

line that suits your taste.

With that being said , you cannot wonder how much of a total impact the

Costa disaster has had on the parent company. Are they trying to cut back on costs

and services in other divisions to make up for their losses?

blossom

[jayjaycan]

This is a classic example of a thread being hijacked.The latest posts have no bearing on the original thread.

For what it is worth.I think the cruise industry should adopt an across the board po;icy wher ALL CRUISE LINES impose mandatory "hotel service charges".
"daily service charges","gratuities",or whatever they want to call it and include it in the cruise pricing the same as they include port and other taxes.

That will end the discussion but not the complainibg.

[kazu]

[quote name='PunkiC']As you can see from my signature, we have been primarily Princess cruisers and will be taking our first Princess cruise where they charge the $15.00 per bottle corkage fee in August. We don't mind the fees and will be bringing a case of wine on board to share with our friends with whom we have adjoining cabins. We actually kind of like the corkage fee because that frees us up to take our own wine anywhere on the ship that we would like to take it.

In October we will be taking our first long (well relatively long) HAL cruise but it has nothing to do with HAL's liberal wine policy. We just got a smoking deal on a balcony for a Rome/Fort Lauderdale cruise, were able to find award air tickets, and decided to go for it.

We will miss all of the generous OBC and free laundry and internet that we get on Princess, but love the beautiful ambiance and great dance music on HAL, as well as the fact that we can attend daily Mass. I will also miss the wonderful Princess Pizza--my favorite--but am sure I will find lots of wonderful things to eat on HAL as well.

When you remove the auto tip on Princess, anything you give an individual crew member has to be put back in the pot to be split up among the crew. Does it work that way on HAL? Not that we would ever remove the auto tip (those guys all work hard for their money) . We just leave it on and then tip extra for extra service. We have never had a steward who didn't deserve an extra tip.[/QUOTE]

I don't think your question was answered?

Yes, when you remove the auto tip - anything you gives has to be put back in the pool - so the person you are trying to give 'extra' to usually ends up with less.

Many of us do the same thing as you - leave the auto tip (aka HSC) in place and then tip over and above (not mandatory to tip over and above of course)

[jtl513]

[quote name='blossom']A
... the Costa disaster has had on the parent company. Are they trying to cut back on costs and services in other divisions to make up for their losses?[/quote]I doubt that very much. The connection between the lines has always been very minimal.

[quote name='jayjaycan']This is a classic example of a thread being hijacked.The latest posts have no bearing on the original thread.
[/quote]All threads that don't end quickly will drift. Highjacking is the deliberate diversion of a thread to something totally off-topic.

[quote name='jayjaycan']For what it is worth.I think the cruise industry should adopt an across the board po;icy wher ALL CRUISE LINES impose mandatory "hotel service charges".
"daily service charges","gratuities",or whatever they want to call it and include it in the cruise pricing the same as they include port and other taxes.[/quote]Good luck with that! :)

[puli]

[quote name='surfergirle']This only applies to clients who do not have alot of onboard spending. That counts us out. We got to 3 star in no time at all. ]

We have large amounts of onboard spending.

This does however apply to guests with low onboard bills....[/QUOTE]

Sorry I am a little late in catching up on this board but from the above associated posts and the and at least one other later post( which hopefully is actually a bad joke ) it sounds like for some reason guests who do not have large onboard bills are less than desirable cruisers who affect HAL's bottom line...and thus might result in the loss of "wine loading".

If that is valid then... why not also draw attention to those guests who do not book the high end cabins?

Don't you think that someone who pays $4,000 + for a one week cruise and only has a $200 bar bill is far more profitable than a guest that grabs a $299 flash sale and carries $1000 Tab???

Seem to me that HAL profits from both types of cruisers... personally if I owned a cruise line I would hope for as many of the first type as possible and settle for as many of the latter as needed to sail full.

Bottom line of course, being to have all of the cabins occupied but best done from the top down!

now flame away!!!

[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.

[puli]

[quote name='puli']Sorry I am a little late in catching up on this board but from the above associated posts and the and at least one other later post( which hopefully is actually a bad joke ) it sounds like for some reason guests who do not have large onboard bills are less than desirable cruisers who affect HAL's bottom line...and thus might result in the loss of "wine loading".

If that is valid then... why not also draw attention to those guests who do not book the high end cabins?

Don't you think that someone who pays $4,000 + for a one week cruise and only has a $200 bar bill is far more profitable than a guest that grabs a $299 flash sale and carries $1000 Tab???

Seem to me that HAL profits from both types of cruisers... personally if I owned a cruise line I would hope for as many of the first type as possible and settle for as many of the latter as needed to sail full.

Bottom line of course, being to have all of the cabins occupied but best done from the top down!

now flame away!!![/QUOTE]

I meant the above to show that both hypothesis are equally silly! Cabin choices and spending habits are personal decisions and neither should bear the responsibility of future HAL cut-back decisions!

[pris993]

It has been a few years since we have been on HAL, we are booked on the N Amsterdam for a TA next spring. We cruise Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Cunard and NCL... generally 2 cruises a year... we are 2 Star on HAL. Am surprised by the negative comments regarding passengers being dishonest... we have not had that experience on any cruises we have been on. Either we have been lucky or the comments here are over stated.

[kazu]

[quote name='pris993']It has been a few years since we have been on HAL, we are booked on the N Amsterdam for a TA next spring. We cruise Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Cunard and NCL... generally 2 cruises a year... we are 2 Star on HAL. Am surprised by the negative comments regarding passengers being dishonest... we have not had that experience on any cruises we have been on. Either we have been lucky or the comments here are over stated.[/QUOTE]

I don't think the comments are over stated - I think you are just hearing from some people who it happened to.

You have to remember that cruise critic is a small segment of the cruising market so the odds of it happening to this small segment are small. It is very possible that no one on other lines have reported it - but it doesn't mean that it hasn't happened;)

To alleviate your worries - it has happened on the other mass market lines. On NCL - it was a wallet (why anyone carries their wallet on a cruise ship is beyond me). On Disney it was a child's cherished stuffed animal. On Princess - it was a camera and on Celebrity - forget it - the list is too long and I don't want to get sued:rolleyes::D

Bottom line is it does happen - whether it is reported here or not. It is NOT crew members

edited to say - these are my personal experiences on the different lines. Just my experiences. Like everything, they can vary from week to week and ship to ship

[cruz chic]

[quote name='pris993']It has been a few years since we have been on HAL, we are booked on the N Amsterdam for a TA next spring. We cruise Princess, HAL, Celebrity, Cunard and NCL... generally 2 cruises a year... we are 2 Star on HAL. Am surprised by the negative comments regarding passengers being dishonest... we have not had that experience on any cruises we have been on. Either we have been lucky or the comments here are over stated.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure if the city you live in is large or not. I can tell you that living in a big city makes you doubt others and guard your belongings. I lock up my purse every day at work because one of my colleagues stole the wallet of another colleague. You think you can trust colleagues. Luckily that waste of skin has since left the company. I think it's only being prudent to guard your belongings if you want to keep them.

[pms4104]

So, I keep thinking about the OP's question about HAL (maybe) abolishing something ... wonder if HAL is considering limiting the room service orders from the MDR menu, either eliminating that option completing or restricting it to suites only.

[CowPrincess]

[quote name='pms4104']So, I keep thinking about the OP's question about HAL (maybe) abolishing something ... wonder if HAL is considering limiting the room service orders from the MDR menu, either eliminating that option completing or restricting it to suites only.[/quote]

Noooooooooooo! :eek: That is truly one of the reasons we continue on HAL -- I love their room service, even if they mess up the orders from time to time. I'd pay for room service, which is maybe something that will be tried. I'd prefer a "pay" option as opposed to NO option ;)

[pms4104]

[quote name='CowPrincess']Noooooooooooo! :eek: That is truly one of the reasons we continue on HAL -- I love their room service, even if they mess up the orders from time to time. I'd pay for room service, which is maybe something that will be tried. I'd prefer a "pay" option as opposed to NO option ;)[/quote]
Not saying I think it's a good idea to eliminate or limit that room service option ... but I would think that doing so would free up some staff time and energy for other tasks. Whatever HAL is considering getting rid of certainly is a $$$ decision in some way.

[barante]

[quote name='happyglobetrotter']This may explain why there are so many things are 'disappearing' on a ship, this may be why people steal from the other passengers and crew.

One laptop were taken during the WC 2012, it went disappearing from the Neptune lounge when a person stepped out for less than 5 minutes...and nobody saw anything. This is why a ipad was taken from the Debbie B. piano bar area (she was the pianist) during the WC 2013 when she inadvertedly forgot it there for 15 minutes. And this is why at least 40 small silver tea pots went missing from tea time during Grand Asia 2012. One it the staff members told me: I wish we could search the passengers luggage !!!! The crew have their luggage searched when they leave the ship. So it has to be passengers. IMO removing the tips is also a form of stealing...from the crew.

Also, WHY on earth is it that on a normal MDR meal, only one person or 2 persons at the table buy wine but when COMPLIMENTARY wine is offered, some <non wine drinkers> take 4 or 5 glasses each.


Louise[/QUOTE]

I can vouch for this because on one of final TA sea days, someone stole my bathrobe (with a Kindle in the pocket) from the pool while I was in sauna on the Nieuw Amsterdam two years ago. I reported the incident and told the cabin attendant about the bathrobe and he took care of that. I reported the Kindle stolen but heard nothing further, despite frequent checks.

In fact, I think that the thief was not after the Kindle (since I had not used it at the pool) but simply wanted to get a free bathrobe in a situation where, if caught, one might plead confusion without any further questions asked.

Things on the Nieuw Amsterdam on that cruise got so bad that the cruise director -- the cruise director! -- went on the public address system and declared that the thievery had to stop. That happened after someone broke to the Exploration Cafe cum library cum computerroom overnight and stole something. And a woman passenger calmly put into her handbag all the prizes intended for trivia contestants.

Back in Maryland, I related all this to a friend who works with the elderly. She was not surprised at all. She said that old people habitually swipe something. "That's why we have so many free give-away items at our booth," she said. (Don't flame me. At nearly 70; I just feel young).

After several cruises over the past two years we will return to HAL in April when we'll take a splendidly itineraried HAL Amsterdam cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle. It will be interesting. Because lately we have been trying everything from Costa to MSC and soon will return to Carnival (Miracle trans-Atlantic in September) and then, seven months after HAL, to NCL.

Just trying to see what's offered by various lines.

[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.

[cruz chic]

[quote name='pms4104']Not saying I think it's a good idea to eliminate or limit that room service option ... but I would think that doing so would free up some staff time and energy for other tasks. Whatever HAL is considering getting rid of certainly is a $$$ decision in some way.[/QUOTE]

I could see them possibly charging for it but not eliminating it. Compared to other lines Hal has very short hours in the lido. They need to have some place open to get a bite because its not like you can go somewhere to grab a bite when the ship is at sea. I rarely order room service but I do enjoy it when I do.

[peaches from georgia]

Do any of the mass market lines not have 24 hour room service or charge extra for it? I'm sure some have a more limited RS menu than HAL, but I think charging for or reducing RS would be one of the last things HAL would change.

[sail7seas]

[B]Some major hotels have stopped offering room service. Just that week I heard announcements some in the four star category have said no more room service. The entire travel community is cutting in every place they think they can get away with.

[/B]

[Tinknock50]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B] I actually like the idea of doing the survey on line after we come home. I am often rushed last day and don't take the time I'd like to complete the surveys as thoroughly as I'd like. Once home, I would have the chance to give more thought to what I wanted to say.[/B]

[/quote]

I hear ya, Sail.

I always think of something else to comment on, AFTER I drop it off.:rolleyes:

[Tinknock50]

[quote name='dr.dawg']frankly, hal has, over the last fifteen years, cut back on or negated just about everything i loved about the line. i am, you cheerleaders, not trying to denegrate or defame your beloved hal. just saying that it is time to explore other vacation possibilities. a hal cruise has, gruadually, become a chore rather than a pleasure. a duty rather than a priviledge. now, instead of paying for a vacation in relative peace and comfort, i'm responsible for paying for crew/staff families back home; giving great reviews for mediocre mdr food, poor service in lido, paying extra for good coffee, having to endure poor entertainment and no strings in the lounge, lousy looking flowers if there are any fresh ones anymore, and on and on. could someone explain to me, without bashing me, i've had plenty of that, just why i should be the hal cheerleader i was ten or fifteen years ago? or why i should continue to cruise with hal, though i am a 4-star and like the free laundry -- but that's likely to go, also. ? just a short, non-hate answer, please.[/quote]

"Other than that , Mrs. Lincoln, Did you enjoy the play?"

:D

[cruz chic]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B]Some major hotels have stopped offering room service. Just that week I heard announcements some in the four star category have said no more room service. The entire travel community is cutting in every place they think they can get away with.[/B]

[/quote]
I'm surprised at that with the prices normally charged for room service at hotels.