HAL's user unfriendly website

[pegpowell]

It could just take a lot more learning than I am willing to give, but I wanted to book a shore excursion. It is SO EASY on another cruise line that I often use. Here I have to go in through my husband's login, use his credit card to prepay. I just gave up.

[sail7seas]

I tried pricing some cruises last week and gave up.

What a pain to have to keep entering name and all the info just to look at pricing.

Too big a nuisance.

[PathfinderEss]

Don't blame you for the way you feel, a lot of us are complaining about Hal unfriendly user website.

[Watson's aunt]

hi

 

I also went looking to booka cruise this Jan-Feb 2 or more weeks I have given up and at the point have given up

 

 

Mary

[Scrapnana]

I tried pricing some cruises last week and gave up.

What a pain to have to keep entering name and all the info just to look at pricing.

Too big a nuisance.

 

I'm not sure they could have made it worse. It is almost like they want to discourage possible bookings.

[sammiedawg]

I've said this for years, their web site is Awful.

[JimAOk1945]

I agree. It's terrible. I have been doing dummy bookings from time to time on a certain itinerary. Maybe they are trying to discourage dummy bookings and only want serious bookings done on their websites.

Edited September 23, 2014 by JimAOk1945

[boulders]

I agree. It's terrible. I have been doing dummy bookings from time to time on a certain itinerary. Maybe they are trying to discourage dummy bookings and only want serious bookings done on their websites.

 

If I can't see a price quote without entering all that data, they won't be getting any type of booking from me.

[erewhon]

HAL persists in sending messages to pre purchase various indulgences, shore excursions etc before our cruise next month.

 

I have so little faith in their website that I will not enter credit card details to make any purchase.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It could just take a lot more learning than I am willing to give, but I wanted to book a shore excursion. It is SO EASY on another cruise line that I often use. Here I have to go in through my husband's login, use his credit card to prepay. I just gave up.

 

I just booked a shore excursion the other day and it is very simple -- same as it used to be.

Log into HAL -- go your reservation -- click on the port - choose the excursion -- select the time you want if there are 2 times for a tour -- indicate 2 people -- give your credit card -- and you are done. You get an e-mail right back confirming the booked excursion(s) and I run that off to take with me on the cruise.

You may be used to cruise lines where you don't pay for the excursions until you are on the ship. HAL has never done that. The same goes for specialty restaurants and anything else you want to buy.

[1of4]

I can't even get past the agree/disagree screen - all I get is blank boxes and no pricing at all. As soon as I press "continue" and get the agree or confirm screen I go absolutely nowhere.

 

I have to log into my booking to see my booked voyage. I go to other websites to get pricing. Pretty soon I will go to other cruise lines too as this really doesn't seem like HAL wants customers to book their cruises.

 

Who doesn't want to know the price before they buy? Sometimes I want to compare myself without contacting a TA or PCC.

[whogo]

While the website is not in the least bit intuitive, I have been able to get non-mariner prices without entering any personal information. Online cruise agencies have much better websites, generally without all the irritating popups and slide down distractions.

[cruiser1955]

Looks like this is a "Carnival virus":) as it has spread to the Cunard and P&O (UK) sites as well in the last few weeks. I think some of the features started out on Princess at the start of the year. Not the best design for me. Haven't worked out yet how to find airfares - maybe I need to go further along the booking procedure to get that.

[OVgirl]

I tried pricing some cruises last week and gave up.

What a pain to have to keep entering name and all the info just to look at pricing.

Too big a nuisance.

 

I've learned another step on the HAL website!!!.

When you are on the page that shows the pictures of the different categories,,

1-you click on the picture of the category you want

2- click "save and continue"

3- click "we select your stateroom location"

 

Now you should see a list of pricing for each category.

 

4- to go back to other categories, click on "Stateroom Type" at the top of the page in the grey arrow.

5- Then you can select a different type of stateroom and check the pricing.

 

I know it's not the best, but at least you can navigate around the pricing part and then select an actual stateroom later and you won't have to re-enter you personal information each time.

The site still won't give you full price until the end of the booking, which is still a huge problem.

And it also won't give pricing if you enter a specific stateroom number to check for availability.

[Alberta Quilter]

I can't even get past the agree/disagree screen - all I get is blank boxes and no pricing at all. As soon as I press "continue" and get the agree or confirm screen I go absolutely nowhere.

 

I have to log into my booking to see my booked voyage. I go to other websites to get pricing. Pretty soon I will go to other cruise lines too as this really doesn't seem like HAL wants customers to book their cruises.

 

Who doesn't want to know the price before they buy? Sometimes I want to compare myself without contacting a TA or PCC.

 

That happens to me when I use my work computer which is on IE8. At home, where I'm on Safari, I get past the blank areas and get to where OVGirl mentioned. Might you be on an old browser, too?

[cruz chic]

I've learned another step on the HAL website!!!.

When you are on the page that shows the pictures of the different categories,,

1-you click on the picture of the category you want

2- click "save and continue"

3- click "we select your stateroom location"

 

Now you should see a list of pricing for each category.

 

4- to go back to other categories, click on "Stateroom Type" at the top of the page in the grey arrow.

5- Then you can select a different type of stateroom and check the pricing.

 

I know it's not the best, but at least you can navigate around the pricing part and then select an actual stateroom later and you won't have to re-enter you personal information each time.

The site still won't give you full price until the end of the booking, which is still a huge problem.

And it also won't give pricing if you enter a specific stateroom number to check for availability.

I've done this all along and have had no problems getting pricing. It's not as simple as it used to be.

[sppunk]

HAL just wants people to save money and use a travel agency. Better website, easier booking, better pricing.

 

HAL just has our best interests at heart.

[Lizzie68]

I've learned another step on the HAL website!!!.

When you are on the page that shows the pictures of the different categories,,

1-you click on the picture of the category you want

2- click "save and continue"

3- click "we select your stateroom location"

 

Now you should see a list of pricing for each category.

 

4- to go back to other categories, click on "Stateroom Type" at the top of the page in the grey arrow.

5- Then you can select a different type of stateroom and check the pricing.

 

I know it's not the best, but at least you can navigate around the pricing part and then select an actual stateroom later and you won't have to re-enter you personal information each time.

The site still won't give you full price until the end of the booking, which is still a huge problem.

And it also won't give pricing if you enter a specific stateroom number to check for availability.

 

Thank you OVgirl for writing the user manual for us.:D:D HAL is definitely not making any new friends with this system.:rolleyes:

[pegpowell]

Silly me, I was trying to log in myself, rather than using my husband's login. I did get to the page I wanted and then couldn't use my credit card. That' sw hen I gave up. You are right, I am used to paying when on board rather than ahead of time. I don't like the cancellation fee either.

[Scrapnana]

I've learned another step on the HAL website!!!.

When you are on the page that shows the pictures of the different categories,,

1-you click on the picture of the category you want

2- click "save and continue"

3- click "we select your stateroom location"

 

Now you should see a list of pricing for each category.

 

4- to go back to other categories, click on "Stateroom Type" at the top of the page in the grey arrow.

5- Then you can select a different type of stateroom and check the pricing.

 

I know it's not the best, but at least you can navigate around the pricing part and then select an actual stateroom later and you won't have to re-enter you personal information each time.

The site still won't give you full price until the end of the booking, which is still a huge problem.

And it also won't give pricing if you enter a specific stateroom number to check for availability.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was getting really tired of putting in all that information again and again.

[erewhon]

I can't even get past the agree/disagree screen - all I get is blank boxes and no pricing at all. As soon as I press "continue" and get the agree or confirm screen I go absolutely nowhere.

 

I have to log into my booking to see my booked voyage. I go to other websites to get pricing. Pretty soon I will go to other cruise lines too as this really doesn't seem like HAL wants customers to book their cruises.

 

Who doesn't want to know the price before they buy? Sometimes I want to compare myself without contacting a TA or PCC.

 

Are you using Google Chrome to access the HAL website?

Before I started using GC I was only getting a blank blue page after clicking "agree". Now I can progress, using the instructions from OVGirl .

[erewhon]

I've learned another step on the HAL website!!!.

When you are on the page that shows the pictures of the different categories,,

1-you click on the picture of the category you want

2- click "save and continue"

3- click "we select your stateroom location"

 

Now you should see a list of pricing for each category.

 

4- to go back to other categories, click on "Stateroom Type" at the top of the page in the grey arrow.

5- Then you can select a different type of stateroom and check the pricing.

 

I know it's not the best, but at least you can navigate around the pricing part and then select an actual stateroom later and you won't have to re-enter you personal information each time.

The site still won't give you full price until the end of the booking, which is still a huge problem.

And it also won't give pricing if you enter a specific stateroom number to check for availability.

 

Thanks for this extra information.

 

When I gave our Travel Agent your instructions, he was impressed that someone in Canada was able to tell me how to access prices on the HAL website, when the HAL staff could not!!!

[POA1]

I've learned another step on the HAL website!!!.

When you are on the page that shows the pictures of the different categories,,

1-you click on the picture of the category you want

2- click "save and continue"

3- click "we select your stateroom location"

 

Now you should see a list of pricing for each category.

 

4- to go back to other categories, click on "Stateroom Type" at the top of the page in the grey arrow.

5- Then you can select a different type of stateroom and check the pricing.

 

I know it's not the best, but at least you can navigate around the pricing part and then select an actual stateroom later and you won't have to re-enter you personal information each time.

The site still won't give you full price until the end of the booking, which is still a huge problem.

And it also won't give pricing if you enter a specific stateroom number to check for availability.

Very helpful instructions. Just wanted to add that you can see the port taxes on the room categories screen, which if added to the fare, get you pretty close to the actual price.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The majority of you are talking about booking and looking at cruise prices.

OP was talking about booking shore excursions!!

[take us away]

Maybe we should ALL contact HAL and let them know of our annoyance with their new website. There may be hope in numbers......

 

I quit checking prices and use a more generic website for comparing cruises and rooms.