Holland America website frustrations

[dbsb3233]

Is anyone else having trouble getting the HAL website to find existing bookings in Firefox?  I can get it to work in Chrome, but when I give it a booking# and name in Firefox, it just says something like "Can't find any bookings".  Ugh.

 

An even bigger annoyance is having to type in the booking# and last name every single time I log into the HAL website!  (For bookings made outside the website.)  I can't find anything like a "save this booking" anywhere. Surely there's a way to do that. Or if there isn't, there should be. 

 

Just amazes me how bad cruise line websites continually are (not just HAL).  

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

You may be already doing it this way so disregard if this is the case. I use Edge most of the time but Chrome when I am trying to print the boarding pass. (Don't know why Edge does not allow me to do it; I just try to find a way around these weird things).

 

To find my booking when there are multiple (and I book direct  with HAL but I don't think that should make a difference but who knows)

 

Sign In

Click on Already Booked

Click on Manage my Bookings

There is a pull down menu with all bookings listed

Select the cruise you want to see and hi-lite

Click on Find Box and it should appear

[dbsb3233]

13 minutes ago, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

You may be already doing it this way so disregard if this is the case. I use Edge most of the time but Chrome when I am trying to print the boarding pass. (Don't know why Edge does not allow me to do it; I just try to find a way around these weird things).

 

To find my booking when there are multiple (and I book direct  with HAL but I don't think that should make a difference but who knows)

 

Sign In

Click on Already Booked

Click on Manage my Bookings

There is a pull down menu with all bookings listed

Select the cruise you want to see and hi-lite

Click on Find Box and it should appear

 

That's the way it's SUPPOSED to work.  When I pull up Manage My Bookings in Firefox, it doesn't find any bookings, nor when I give it booking# and last name.  Strangely, about 6 months ago it used to at least find it via booking#.  And even more strangely, it does find the booking when I go to Check-In.  It's just so buggy.

 

I can get to it in Chome (my secondary browser) but it's just annoying.  And I still have to type in the booking# every single time.  Hoping the cruise lines scan these boards periodically for feedback/issues. 

[colbe]

I use Firefox all the time and have no problems finding my bookings. Is the problem with your computer settings?

[dbsb3233]

2 minutes ago, colbe said:

I use Firefox all the time and have no problems finding my bookings. Is the problem with your computer settings?

 

Possible (thus why I'm asking if anyone else is having the same problem).  I did have an Ad-Blocker turned on, but I just tried it again with that turned off and it still did it.  Just comes up with a message saying "We found your account, but didn't see any related booking numbers. Enter a booking number and last name, then click Find Booking to continue."

 

Since it's working for you, I tried another test.  I just pulled out my laptop to try it there and it was able to find the booking via booking# with Firefox there.  So much be something on my desktop.

 

However it still doesn't remember any bookings (I still have to retype the booking# every time).  Does yours remember bookings?

[knittinggirl]

Is this all the time, or just today?  Pretty elementary, but if you haven't done it in a while run CCleaner and reboot.

[colbe]

3 hours ago, dbsb3233 said:

 

However it still doesn't remember any bookings (I still have to retype the booking# every time).  Does yours remember bookings?

Yes, no problem seeing my 4 bookings every time I check.

[dbsb3233]

25 minutes ago, colbe said:

Yes, no problem seeing my 4 bookings every time I check.

Interesting. Do make the booking through HAL directly, or use a TA? 

[dbsb3233]

27 minutes ago, knittinggirl said:

Is this all the time, or just today?  Pretty elementary, but if you haven't done it in a while run CCleaner and reboot.

 

It's been doing it for a few months now.  Might have coincided with when I installed an SSD and migrated Windows to it.  I think I installed the newest version of Firefox fresh too, but maybe not.  Anyway, I'll play with it.  My main question was just whether anyone else was having it fail in Firefox too.  Looks like not.  At least the "not finding it by booking# part", anyway. 

[colbe]

24 minutes ago, dbsb3233 said:

Interesting. Do make the booking through HAL directly, or use a TA? 

Yes we book directly with HAL. There is no advantage with booking any other way in New Zealand. I can see my bookings almost instantly.

[dbsb3233]

3 minutes ago, colbe said:

Yes we book directly with HAL. There is no advantage with booking any other way in New Zealand. I can see my bookings almost instantly.

Ah, ok. I figured the bookings made directly with HAL would automatically show up. 

 

I was just curious if anyone had any luck getting the ones make through a TA to save, or whether they also had to retype in the booking# every time. 

 

Thanks. 

[knittinggirl]

2 hours ago, dbsb3233 said:

 

It's been doing it for a few months now.  Might have coincided with when I installed an SSD and migrated Windows to it.  I think I installed the newest version of Firefox fresh too, but maybe not.  Anyway, I'll play with it.  My main question was just whether anyone else was having it fail in Firefox too.  Looks like not.  At least the "not finding it by booking# part", anyway. 

I often log inn, then go to my account, then my bookings from there.  I see my three cruises listed, and I can click on the hyperlink for a particular cruise.

[Stakeout]

HAL's website is HORRENDOUS since they changed it last year or was it in 2017...   can you imagine a multi million/billion or whatever dollar company and this is the best they can get as a website.. laughable.. actually it's a disgrace.. or are they really doing it on purpose-- one never knows... the big wazoo Orlando did a how-to video posting it on the new website when it first came out if I recall correctly to show people how the new website works there was so much trouble with it-- and BTW still is.. when one has to do that t.. it is SAD  

 

I normally use Firefox as my main browser and it is like the OP said very frustrating.. switching over to Chrome after a few searches here and there and it gets to be the same.. no good 

 

what I do  ..I clear out my Browser Cache and clear HAL's cookies and go from there-- when I go back to it .. it usually works...

 

obviously HAL does NOT care one iota.. many including us have called them mucho many times to no avail..

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 minutes ago, Stakeout said:

HAL's website is HORRENDOUS since they changed it last year or was it in 2017...   can you imagine a multi million/billion or whatever dollar company and this is the best they can get as a website.. laughable.. actually it's a disgrace.. or are they really doing it on purpose-- one never knows... the big wazoo Orlando did a how-to video posting it on the new website when it first came out if I recall correctly to show people how the new website works there was so much trouble with it-- and BTW still is.. when one has to do that t.. it is SAD  

 

I normally use Firefox as my main browser and it is like the OP said very frustrating.. switching over to Chrome after a few searches here and there and it gets to be the same.. no good 

 

what I do  ..I clear out my Browser Cache and clear HAL's cookies and go from there-- when I go back to it .. it usually works...

 

obviously HAL does NOT care one iota.. many including us have called them mucho many times to no avail..

 

The website is better than when they first made the change, at least most of the time (not today, alas). Cunard is now using a site that looks a lot like HAL's. But if they got the web design from HAL (IT in different places, but same parent company), it acts like they're using the early HAL site, complete with all of its annoying bugs.

 

I do not understand why companies accept this kind of IT work. It's to their advantage to make it easy to book a cruise, not difficult.

 

Today, I was thinking about making a booking on the HAL site, but it wouldn't let me select my own cabin. As soon as I chose that option, I got the Spinning Circle of Death. And did anyone notice the message at the top of the page about their phone issues? Geez, HAL, can't you get SOME form of communication working properly??????????

 

 

[Italy52]

I use Firefox.  I log into the HAL website -- select my account -- select my bookings -- select my cruise that I am interested in looking at.  Just checked my bookings a minute ago and had no problem.

 

[Pickalily, Wilts]

Tried today to log in to enter details for our cruise in the summer, but couldn't get any further than the HAL logo - the rest of the page was blank.  I've never had this problem before.  What am I doing wrong or is it because it's a weekend and all will be well tomorrow?  

[old mike]

The website seems to be going downhill fast. I noticed recently that both Carnival Corp and HAL both posted jobs for senior systems architects,  maybe a sign that they have realised they are facing some serious IT problems.

[Pickalily, Wilts]

OM - I kept trying and eventually succeeded late yesterday.  It shouldn't be that difficult.  Grrrrr.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Still having trouble with cabin choice.

Edited March 5, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Call me crazy but I think the Princess website is doable in comparison to HAL's. If it is true both Princess and HAL are in Seattle now under the same roof, HAL IT people could walk across the hallway and learn something.

[Sue from Canada]

On 3/5/2019 at 2:33 PM, SJSULIBRARIAN said:

Call me crazy but I think the Princess website is doable in comparison to HAL's. If it is true both Princess and HAL are in Seattle now under the same roof, HAL IT people could walk across the hallway and learn something.

Couldn't agree with you more.  I used the Princess site this week for the first time and what an improvement over the crap we have to deal with on HAL's site.

[british betty]

I just tried to search for a cruise for later this year, I gave up, then gave feedback saying I’m surprised anyone can find anything..

 

i believe the site site to be really user unfriendly. Surely it’s not too much to ask to be able to put in a date , a destination and maybe a ship , all on one screen and then be given your options!  Mr Ordinary shouldn’t have to be an IT wiz and change search engines etc just to research a cruise.

 

Sorry, rant over. 🤪

[qoap24]

I'm so glad to know I am not the only one to find HAL's website horrible. 

[StLouisCruisers]

While checking out a cruise yesterday, I tried picking my own cabin.  The circle of death appeared.  So I tried a new tab and went back to do it all over again.  Same thing happened.  Then went to a big box travel site and looked up the cruise costs.  Why can't HAL fix this problem?  It's been going on way too long.

[retafcruiser]

58 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Why can't HAL fix this problem?  It's been going on way too long.

They don't want to.  They will not spend the money.