Hal-la land not so grand any more.

[bUU]

Do you have proof that the program only tracked nights?

You raise a good point. We can be confident that they track more than that. What I should I written was that the reward programs (which is what I think alwaysfrantic was talking about) are based on tracked nights, and that that's the problem.

 

If you book and enter your Mariner number, I will bet they have right there the number of cruises you have taken,

Which is even more meaningless than number of nights.

the amount of spend (what you spent on your cabin, what you spent onboard after OBC),

Now you're talkin'. This is the beginning of how a business would measure loyalty... not just based on amount spent, but also taking into consideration whether or not the amount spent was at a discount versus at a premium. This is why you are starting to see airline loyalty programs no longer offering frequent flyer miles for passengers flying in the lowest priced fare classes.

[tuolumne couple]

Thank you for posting this reply. This is exactly how we feel!

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

glad to find like minded people :)

[Charlie1422]

After 10 years of being unable to cruise due to health reasons, we have taken 3 cruises in the last 18 months, 2 of them on HAL. While we have noticed some changes, I can say they are no less enjoyable than what we experienced before. I still feel that cruising is a great value for the money, and God willing, plan to cruise on HAL for many years to come. We have never experienced a "bad" cruise. Some were better than others, but all enjoyable in their own right.

 

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[pris993]

Finally found someone who is saying what I've been saying for many years..Our Cruises cost almost the same as they cost when we started cruising in 1998...

 

In 1998 we paid $267 per night in an Outside cabin for a 10 day Caribbean cruise on the Ryndam.. In Oct. 2016 we paid $270.50 per night for an 11 day Panama Canal cruise in a Balcony Cabin on Zuiderdamn..

 

How can Cruise Lines maintain the same level of service, when they charge the same prices they charged 18-19 years ago? :cool:

 

P.S. I also have all the paper work from every cruise Approx (24-25) we've ever taken..

 

We started cruising in the early 1980s; actually cruise prices have come down ... I remember our first cruise in the Mediterranean... we paid $3500 for a limited view cabin each; not including air....we are booked on the Royal for TA, mini suite this October, paying $4600 for 2.

 

All the cruise lines are pretty much run a couple of companies... so basically see the same thing on all of them.

 

Still a very good travel bargain, if you know what you like and look for that on board you can create the cruise experience you want.

[Tinknock50]

HAL has always been mainline three star. And darn good value for what they charge. Remarkable they can continue to offer as much as they do for the price. Please do seek other travel options. It is your vacation and you are obviously not happy. You are welcome.

 

That's how I feel. I shop all lines and HAL often comes up on top with good prices most of the time. It is also one my favorite lines, so a bonus.

[Linaeve]

If you don't agree, I really don't really care about any snotty remarks in rebuttal, than you very much.

 

Thus far yours is the only one that seems "snotty". I hope you find another line that you will enjoy and that fits your needs. So long!

[Dismomx5]

You know, the older I get the less things are the same. We really can't control that but what we can control is how we react to it.

 

Where is the darn like button?(y)

 

We are relatively new to cruising, having done Disney in 2013, HAL in 2014, Disney in 2015, HAL in 2016, and NCL this year. We understand that standards have 'dropped' for those that have been around for many, many years. But we enjoy the cruising, the relaxation, the choices, and the all included amenities. I can understand why many have 'abandoned ship', but for us, we're happy just to be ON the ship. :D

 

 

Save

[bUU]

We understand that standards have 'dropped' for those that have been around for many, many years.

That's just it, though. It is a disservice to lead people to believe what you've been led to believe. The standards have been broadened, expanding such that they now offer more affordable options for those who used to be unable cruise at all due to the high price, as well as still offering premium options with that superior level of service of-issue, in some respects on the same ships, via unbundling, and in an all-inclusive manner on the new brands deliberately intended to serve up service in accordance with those legacy standards. If people have specific complaints about Seaborne delivering that legacy level of service of-issue, I haven't seen them.

[iancal]

We have never understood people who moan and groan about a ship or a cruise line but continue to buy it. It took one or two bankruptcies, a public bail out, and healthy competition for GM and Chrysler to realize that customers were no longer willing to pay top dollar for poor quality.

 

If you are unhappy with the ship experience or the with cruise line simply a different option next time around. It is that easy. Something that meets your preferences and your budget.

 

Mass market cruises like HAL have kept prices constant. In many cased competition has caused fares to go down in inflation adjusted dollars. If you desire a premium cruise line experience then spend the same amount of 1985 inflation adjusted dollars on a cruise today. Or consider downgrading your cabin class but upgraded to a premium cruise line. Or simply select an alternate travel option. Lots of them out there. Cruising is certainly not the be all and end all of leisure travel.

[earljr]

(y)

We have never understood people who moan and groan about a ship or a cruise line but continue to buy it. It took one or two bankruptcies, a public bail out, and healthy competition for GM and Chrysler to realize that customers were no longer willing to pay top dollar for poor quality.

 

If you are unhappy with the ship experience or the with cruise line simply a different option next time around. It is that easy. Something that meets your preferences and your budget.

 

Mass market cruises like HAL have kept prices constant. In many cased competition has caused fares to go down in inflation adjusted dollars. If you desire a premium cruise line experience then spend the same amount of 1985 inflation adjusted dollars on a cruise today. Or consider downgrading your cabin class but upgraded to a premium cruise line. Or simply select an alternate travel option. Lots of them out there. Cruising is certainly not the be all and end all of leisure travel.

 

(y)

[iancal]

We make a point of avoiding older ships. Most especially older ships that are on the market for sale by the cruise line or have a lengthy record of mtce issues. We also avoid ships that are newly out of dry dock. Absolutely zero interest in inauguration cruises or 60/90 days after for that matter. Does not matter what the cruise line is. No interest in cruising in a construction zone, being second class customers to compted cruise line execs/suppliers/media , or training staff for that matter.

 

So, if we happen to cruise knowingly on one of these and have an issue then it is more fool us as far as I am concerned.

 

There are so many great ships, great itineraries, great cruise lines out there that we simply don't have to cruise on any that are on our no fly list. Why tempt fate or take a chance on a what we consider to be a potential dud?

[sandbag7]

I just reviewed the OP's Bio and realized my earlier response was totally off base; the OP has been on many other cruises including a fair number of Princess cruises; he's going on 79 and has probably made an informed choice for himself; given his random comments I wonder why he felt the need to share his decision, but we may never know as he has not posted since.

[styles27]

I just reviewed the OP's Bio and realized my earlier response was totally off base; the OP has been on many other cruises including a fair number of Princess cruises; he's going on 79 and has probably made an informed choice for himself; given his random comments I wonder why he felt the need to share his decision, but we may never know as he has not posted since.

 

 

Maybe he left his laptop open and his grandkids are having some fun lol:')

[frbob]

We cruise Princess, HAL, Cunard now primarily, have cruised Celebrity, NCL, Crystal, Royal Carribean, plus lines no longer around i.e., Royal Cruise line, Sitmar. Complaints and changes are similar on all the lines. What we have learned to do is to focus on what we like, go after it on any ship/line we are on and forget the rest... seems to work. You can only live in the now, not the past or the future.

 

Good advise! Thanks. I had just come off a particularly terrible cruise on Maasdam with lots of unresolved issues, so I vented. I'm old enough to know better. From now on I will focus on destination and use cruise lines as basic transportation. :')

[OlsSalt]

Not for nothing, but aftet 40+ Hal cruises I find the Company has done more cutting than improving. Staffing is down, food quality is down, service has slipped, equipment is not so great. No niceties anymore on Hal. They have turned to cheap, cheap, cheap. I rate the Cruise Line no better than 3-Star, maybe less. Time to seek other travel options. If you don't agree, I really don't really care about any snotty remarks in rebuttal, than you very much.

 

For the record:

The OP litany of complaints

 

1. Staffing down

2. Food quality down

3. Service has slipped

4. Equipment not so great

5. No niceties anymore

6. Cheap

7. Cheap

8. Cheap

9. HAL less than 3 star

10. Demanding no snotty disagreement with the above list of subjective complaints

 

(Whatever)

[pcur]

We've been cruising since 1973, so we expect things to change with the changing markets by now. Our primary criteria for cruise line choices are price and itinerary, with RCCL and Celebrity getting the first look. We have upper tier perks with both lines, but have found RCCL's itineraries to be pretty boring by now.

 

I just got back from an 11 night NCL cruise in Europe that was FANTASTIC! Specialty dining and shore excursion discounts included, an amazing itinerary, and $1049 base price ocean view.

 

We have a HAL booked for the end of this year in the Caribbean. Again, an unusual itinerary, tips included, 15 nights for $1,399 base price ocean view. Our first HAL cruise was a wonderful 28 night cruise from Sydney to Seattle.

 

Princess has amazing itineraries from CA, so we give them a hard look all the time, too.

 

If you stay flexible, there's some great cruising out there.

[iancal]

Our experience is that regardless of ship or cruise line it is well within the realm of the possible to have a disappointing cruise on any ship, any line. Just as it is possible to have a wonderful cruise.

 

More so I suspect with the mass market cruise lines. They all seem to be getting down to the lowest common denominator. It is the price we pay for the current market climate where price is king. The pressure to maintain or even reduce price points has resulted in cuts across the board. HAL certainly is no different that the others in 'the pack'.

[johnmik1]

OP, I think I do understand why you would make this post. Probably in the hopes that somebody at HAL is watching and they can then know why they are losing regular customers. I do agree that quality is slipping all over the place, on all lines, but so what? They're all owned by basically a few companies. They may as well know what's going on with their most loyal customers -- the ones who love to cruise. If they want to find another "demographic," so be it. Good luck to 'em, I guess.

I totally agree.We disembarked Noordam on Sunday and will probably never sail HAL again.We expressed our opinions in the survey and if HAL requires any additional info,they can contact us.When you see a product that you considered excellent in the past,you naturally want to tell the vendor what perceived issues you are now witnessing.If they don't care,so be it.As a stockholder I am concerned with financial results and will just go on to the cruise lines we have enjoyed in the past.

[endless travel]

Johnmik1 may I ask what you were displeased with on the Noordam? We are sailing on her in a few weeks and would like to set our expectations (as well as those of our first-time cruiser companions) at a realistic level. We last sailed HAL in 2014 and have never been of the Noordam. Thank you for any comments you can give.

[OlsSalt]

I totally agree.We disembarked Noordam on Sunday and will probably never sail HAL again.We expressed our opinions in the survey and if HAL requires any additional info,they can contact us.When you see a product that you considered excellent in the past,you naturally want to tell the vendor what perceived issues you are now witnessing.If they don't care,so be it.As a stockholder I am concerned with financial results and will just go on to the cruise lines we have enjoyed in the past.

 

As a CCL stockholder I suggest you read the 2016 Annual Report then. And tell us why this stock is now trading well over 60 when it was only a in the 40s to high 30's a few years ago and suffered the horriific Costa Concordia sinking.

[bUU]

As a CCL stockholder I suggest you read the 2016 Annual Report then. And tell us why this stock is now trading well over 60

Good point. It bears repeating: There are so many more options now, including many up-market options that provide the higher level of quality that used to be the only option in the past. Don't get caught up in what brand name is applied to what you want. If you want something better than what Holland America is offering today, then do yourself a favor and follow the grade of service you remember from the old days to where CCL now offers it:

 

 

• Seabourn
  

• Cunard
  

[kira5]

Good point. It bears repeating: There are so many more options now, including many up-market options that provide the higher level of quality that used to be the only option in the past. Don't get caught up in what brand name is applied to what you want. If you want something better than what Holland America is offering today, then do yourself a favor and follow the grade of service you remember from the old days to where CCL now offers it:

 

 

• Seabourn
  

• Cunard
  

 

I was on a 14 night Cunard Baltic cruise (booked 4 weeks prior to sailing) two years ago. It was superior in some ways (food, atmosphere) but perhaps a little excessive in the dressing up and ballroom dancing. Interestingly though, we paid a little less (1250) than we did for a 7 day Alaskan HAL cruise last summer. So price isn't always the determiner of quality.

[johnmik1]

Johnmik1 may I ask what you were displeased with on the Noordam? We are sailing on her in a few weeks and would like to set our expectations (as well as those of our first-time cruiser companions) at a realistic level. We last sailed HAL in 2014 and have never been of the Noordam. Thank you for any comments you can give.

I would be happy to share our experiences but won't do so here,

as the cheerleaders would dispute everything I say.

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

Notice that OP is MIA.

[OlsSalt]

I would be happy to share our experiences but won't do so here,

as the cheerleaders would dispute everything I say.

 

People don't dispute what you say, when they offer their own differing experiences or mitigating explanations.

 

When one maligns an entire ship based upon their own unfortunate set of circumstances, it is reasonable to expect others to come to that ship's defense if their experiences had been otherwise. That does not make them cheerleaders, just those who feel obligated to balance the sweeping claims.

 

Sorry you personally had a bad cruise on this ship. Clearly you did.