Why is it so difficult

[1of4]

I first apologize as I know this topic has been covered but I just wasted over 30 minutes on the HAL website trying to cost out cruises. I wanted to get some idea of the costs before contacting the TA.

 

I was pricing out a Canada/New England for next summer. The "new" website insists I go all the way through to payment options to get a total. That means for each cruise I want info on I have to put in 4 mariner numbers and select a specific cabin just to find out the total cost. I can not see any breakdown to find the dates where there may be a cost difference for the 3rd and 4th in the same cabin. Sometimes the date can save a lot of money.

 

Then, since I got my hands on the new Cruise Atlas, I decided to switch and searched on voyages on the Koningsdam. I repeated all the mariner numbers...twice just to be switched back to the Veendam Canada New England voyage.

 

I wanted to cost out the different family and quad cabin categories as I noticed that quads can finally sail in a mid ship location and even in S suites.

 

But no information on cost for me. I really wish HAL would go back and allow us to see the pricing breakdown like I used to be able to see. Perhaps I just can't figure out the now not-so-new web site. But the cabins look nice.

 

I guess HAL is forcing me to leave their site and go to some on-line sites that do give me that breakdown.

 

Okay :o vent over!

[chefestelle]

I couldn't figure it out either. I find it very frustrating. Hopefully either someone will tell us what we are doing wrong or HAL will realize this rates low on the customer satisfaction level!

[cruz chic]

I don't find it too bad but then I don't have t put 4 mariner numbers in. Sometimes I go to an online ta site just to get a rough idea on pricing. Pricing is so much easier on princess. Too bad Hal wouldn't copy that.

[1of4]

Well at least it is just not me!

 

I agree with cruz chic and go to an online TA to get the information HAL refuses to give me.

 

I guess I am just lazy as the mariner numbers are written in the back of my calendar...which is never beside the computer so sometimes I resort to Mariner # look up....times four...torture...then I got the last cruise results instead of the new one I wanted (results for the Veendam twice and not Koningsdam even when I started all over). These computers have bigger memories than me.

 

But that Canadian $.....hurts.....

[cruz chic]

Well at least it is just not me!

 

I agree with cruz chic and go to an online TA to get the information HAL refuses to give me.

 

I guess I am just lazy as the mariner numbers are written in the back of my calendar...which is never beside the computer so sometimes I resort to Mariner # look up....times four...torture...then I got the last cruise results instead of the new one I wanted (results for the Veendam twice and not Koningsdam even when I started all over). These computers have bigger memories than me.

 

But that Canadian $.....hurts.....

 

I've found if you sign in you don't have to put in the mariner numbers. I've used the look up a few times and it's painful.

[PSR]

I usually don't put in our Mariner numbers just to get a price, since it doesn't seem to make a difference....:rolleyes:

[cbr663]

The irony is that if you want it to change, you should exit before you reach the end and check elsewhere.

 

HAL is collecting way too much information for people who are merely pricing a cruise. The only way that HAL will change this is when it starts reviewing its stats on how many people leave the site before completion. The more that people leave, the sooner that HAL will make the changes.

[sail7seas]

I complained here a few weeks ago about trying to price on the HAL site and I'm still complaining. Folks gave great tips and told me how if I select cabin category it gives the price down below but it only gives range. I like "SA" cabins and the pricing states 'from $ xx". That means it is pricing for the "SC" cabins that I don't like. I can't get "SA" without doing a real booking and stopping before credit card.

 

[sail7seas]

The irony is that if you want it to change, you should exit before you reach the end and check elsewhere.

 

HAL is collecting way too much information for people who are merely pricing a cruise. The only way that HAL will change this is when it starts reviewing its stats on how many people leave the site before completion. The more that people leave, the sooner that HAL will make the changes.

 

I not only leave without completion but I get so annoyed I don't even consider calling PCC. I simply give up and decide it's too much aggravation trying to book a 'fun' vacation.

 

Can't they find a decent Tech person or is that all part of cut backs, also? Not that the site was ever all that user friendly IMO For pete's sake, they are in Seattle. Home of Microsoft and plenty of able techies.

 

 

Edited September 12, 2015 by sail7seas

[Scrapnana]

I really don't understand why HAL (and other cruise lines) make it so difficult to find the cost of different cruises. You would think they would want the website to be as user-friendly as possible. It's taxing enough to go through the process for one so I can only imagine the frustration of trying to do it for four.:eek:

[cruz chic]

The irony is that if you want it to change, you should exit before you reach the end and check elsewhere.

 

HAL is collecting way too much information for people who are merely pricing a cruise. The only way that HAL will change this is when it starts reviewing its stats on how many people leave the site before completion. The more that people leave, the sooner that HAL will make the changes.

 

I don't know. I'm in there multiple times a week checking pricing even though I have a site that does that. Surely there are a lot of people that do that. It's been a mess for a long time with no changes. They should have had the opportunity to do it by now. Can they really afford to annoy potential customers that may be doing comparison shopping?

[3rdGenCunarder]

I usually don't put in our Mariner numbers just to get a price, since it doesn't seem to make a difference....:rolleyes:

 

Me too. Being a Mariner never gets me a lower price. Plus if I sign in, I get a followup email asking if I want to book that cruise. If I don't sign in, I can poke around all I want.

 

I don't have trouble checking prices. I go as far as cabin selection, and then I can see the cost of the cabin grade I want, and also see what's available. I know it isn't all available cabins, but I can get some idea of what's there.

 

OP is trying to book for four people, and the website just is not set up for that. I don't know why, since they do offer triples and quads. All the website knows is double occupancy, like Noah's Ark.

[cruz chic]

Me too. Being a Mariner never gets me a lower price. Plus if I sign in, I get a followup email asking if I want to book that cruise. If I don't sign in, I can poke around all I want.

 

I don't have trouble checking prices. I go as far as cabin selection, and then I can see the cost of the cabin grade I want, and also see what's available. I know it isn't all available cabins, but I can get some idea of what's there.

 

OP is trying to book for four people, and the website just is not set up for that. I don't know why, since they do offer triples and quads. All the website knows is double occupancy, like Noah's Ark.

 

It works ok for single too. I never get a follow up email when I'm snooping but I've heard others do.

[1of4]

I've found if you sign in you don't have to put in the mariner numbers. I've used the look up a few times and it's painful.

 

That is what I thought...but it only gives the "main" mariner number information and I have to do the look up for the other 3.....

[1of4]

I complained here a few weeks ago about trying to price on the HAL site and I'm still complaining. Folks gave great tips and told me how if I select cabin category it gives the price down below but it only gives range. I like "SA" cabins and the pricing states 'from $ xx". That means it is pricing for the "SC" cabins that I don't like. I can't get "SA" without doing a real booking and stopping before credit card.

 

 

I don't like the range either. It gives an idea for passengers 1 and 2 but nothing on 3 and 4...but then again even if I go the whole way through I still don't get that information. But the total is something.

 

I not only leave without completion but I get so annoyed I don't even consider calling PCC. I simply give up and decide it's too much aggravation trying to book a 'fun' vacation.

 

Can't they find a decent Tech person or is that all part of cut backs, also? Not that the site was ever all that user friendly IMO For pete's sake, they are in Seattle. Home of Microsoft and plenty of able techies.

 

 

 

Excellent points Sail! It sucks the FUN right out of it.

[kazu]

I usually don't put in our Mariner numbers just to get a price, since it doesn't seem to make a difference....:rolleyes:

 

I don't bother putting ours in either if I want a price. I just click and I get it pretty fast.

 

If I am serious, then once I see it I might log in to see if there is a difference in the price, but I don't hold my breath ;)

[1of4]

Me too. Being a Mariner never gets me a lower price. Plus if I sign in, I get a followup email asking if I want to book that cruise. If I don't sign in, I can poke around all I want.

 

I don't have trouble checking prices. I go as far as cabin selection, and then I can see the cost of the cabin grade I want, and also see what's available. I know it isn't all available cabins, but I can get some idea of what's there.

 

OP is trying to book for four people, and the website just is not set up for that. I don't know why, since they do offer triples and quads. All the website knows is double occupancy, like Noah's Ark.

 

LOL...Noah's Ark...:D

 

What I really found mysterious is that the Koningsdam has cabin capacity of 5 in some cabins but the website stops at 4.

[1of4]

I don't bother putting ours in either if I want a price. I just click and I get it pretty fast.

 

If I am serious, then once I see it I might log in to see if there is a difference in the price, but I don't hold my breath ;)

 

I agree with you too. I keep forgetting that 3 and 4 are a big black hole now so there is no point in the whole exercise of logging in the mariner numbers.

 

But I did find out this afternoon that HAL is charging over 30% difference in the US $ price and the Canadian $ price for the 1 week Canada New England cruises. I checked the price in American and on the HAL site which only quotes Canadian.

 

I also found out that we could do an 11 day on Koningsdam in a V balcony for less than 7 days in an inside on the Veendam.

 

:confused:

[kazu]

I agree with you too. I keep forgetting that 3 and 4 are a big black hole now so there is no point in the whole exercise of logging in the mariner numbers.

 

But I did find out this afternoon that HAL is charging over 30% difference in the US $ price and the Canadian $ price for the 1 week Canada New England cruises. I checked the price in American and on the HAL site which only quotes Canadian.

 

I also found out that we could do an 11 day on Koningsdam in a V balcony for less than 7 days in an inside on the Veendam.

:confused:

 

It very much depends upon the itineraries. And the Koningsdam is a larger ship than the Veendam, so that should lower pricing on the Koningsdam, at least usually.

[sherilyn70]

I figure out what cruise in interested, then I look at the breakdowns on another site. It's a site I user for finding price history and alerts on drops in the future.

[0bnxshs]

A bit off topic here, but I have found that HALs website booking process looks and feels more much like Carnival's process than it ever used to.

 

My thinking here is that CCL is trying to consolidate their booking engines, one of those efficiencies I'm sure they are trying to reap from having so many lines under 1 roof. I don't see them retrograding to the previous process anytime soon, but perhaps could be persuaded to provide specific category pricing in some other manner. :(

Edited September 13, 2015 by 0bnxshs

[HELENPSL]

I must be doing something wrong because I'm actually not having a hard time getting pricing on the website. I never put in my mariner number. I just go to the main screen, click on plan a cruise and then on advanced search. I input the embarkation point and other appropriate info. It comes back with cruises matching that criteria. After clicking on the one I want I just click continue until I get to the point of choosing the deck and then the cabin/category. Once you do that it gives you the pricing plus the taxes on the right side of the page.

 

If I want to search for another cruise I have to start again but the process is pretty quick.

 

What am I missing?

 

Helen

[mechcc]

Can't they find a decent Tech person or is that all part of cut backs, also? Not that the site was ever all that user friendly IMO For pete's sake, they are in Seattle. Home of Microsoft and plenty of able techies.

 

 

Maybe they hired the techies that were fired from Microsoft. :-)

 

Trying to pick a cruise to the ABC's and comparing cruise lines. Bad news is HAL's site is frustrating. Good news is that its not the only frustrating site.

[1of4]

I must be doing something wrong because I'm actually not having a hard time getting pricing on the website. I never put in my mariner number. I just go to the main screen, click on plan a cruise and then on advanced search. I input the embarkation point and other appropriate info. It comes back with cruises matching that criteria. After clicking on the one I want I just click continue until I get to the point of choosing the deck and then the cabin/category. Once you do that it gives you the pricing plus the taxes on the right side of the page.

 

If I want to search for another cruise I have to start again but the process is pretty quick.

 

What am I missing?

 

Helen

 

I am looking for the cost of the 3rd and 4th passengers in the cabin. That is what started this thread. Their cost used to show on the right hand side of the screen and now it doesn't.

[cruz chic]

That is what I thought...but it only gives the "main" mariner number information and I have to do the look up for the other 3.....

 

Grrrrrrrrrrrr. That's really dumb!