How Do I Contact Guest Services by Phone?

[LewiLewi]

After a week of trying to phone HAL Guest Services, remaining on the phone for over an hour on each occasion, I am quite frustrated.

The phone number I was given is 800-599-8256; I have had no luck in reaching anyone; just canned music over and over again.

Does anyone have any other phone number that might be more helpful? 

This is something that requires a "human" to handle, an email will not be helpful.

Thank you.

[FlorenceItaly]

Try this.  It is on the bottom of my PCC's email.  I think they are having phone problems.

800.355.3017 x0.

[kazu]

36 minutes ago, LewiLewi said:

After a week of trying to phone HAL Guest Services, remaining on the phone for over an hour on each occasion, I am quite frustrated.

The phone number I was given is 800-599-8256; I have had no luck in reaching anyone; just canned music over and over again.

Does anyone have any other phone number that might be more helpful? 

This is something that requires a "human" to handle, an email will not be helpful.

Thank you.

 

I used that very number today - was on hold with the muzac for around 50 minutes or so and got a real person.  Put your phone on speaker, muffle it a bit and do something else while you wait.

[rajkr74]

Called Guest Services today on a Covid Quarantine expense from our April  2022 cruise.  After submitting our expenses to our travel insurance the insurance company, who did not cover a medium 3 figure balance, I submitted, by mail, receipts for that amount to HAL back on Nov. 24th for reimbursement.  Called on Dec. 28th to phone number 1-877-932-4259. Pressed #6 (Guest Relations) when prompted then waited on hold for 1 hr 45 mins to get a rep.  He did not have access to my mailed in request from Nov. 24th.  So he stayed on the phone while I took pics of all docs and emailed them to him.  The call today to the same number had me waiting on hold for 1 hr. 32 mins. to find out the staus. Got a nice HAL rep who verified my claim, after waiting on hold for another 5 mins, that the claim had finally been approved and was pending in the Reimbursement Dept along with many many other claims waiting to have a check produced. Maybe another 2 weeks (?) to get a check if lucky.  

 

Conclusion?  When calling, be prepared to be on hold from 1 to 2 hrs to talk to anyone.  Then be nice even if you feel like pulling your hair out and screaming at a glass shattering level.  Patience, patience. 

[Hlitner]

I always smile when I read posts like "I deal directly with a cruise line because I can control everything."  Really?  Bottom line is that when you have a decent cruise/travel agent you simply send them an e-mail and they can deal with the hassles of getting through to the right folks.

 

If it makes the OP feel any better, there are similar issues dealing with most cruise lines these days.  The first big cut-back (during COVID) was customer relations.  Cruise lines got rid of a lot of their phone folks and it shows.

 

Hank

[Florida_gal_50]

11 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I always smile when I read posts like "I deal directly with a cruise line because I can control everything."  Really?  Bottom line is that when you have a decent cruise/travel agent you simply send them an e-mail and they can deal with the hassles of getting through to the right folks.

 

If it makes the OP feel any better, there are similar issues dealing with most cruise lines these days.  The first big cut-back (during COVID) was customer relations.  Cruise lines got rid of a lot of their phone folks and it shows.

 

Hank

Well I just got rid of a ta that booked me two cruises on the same ship same date,  neither of them right. She told me you can’t book flights through hal anymore.  She wanted to book transfers that I couldn’t possibly use.  This is a person that came highly recommended and has been in the industry for years.  She wasted my whole week and I had to almost threaten her to cancel what she booked after asking her nicely several times to cancel cruises.  That’s a great ta.

[Boatdrill]

My father was a TA. He owned the business with my mother, and another couple. All four had extensive travel experience.  This was before computers, and airline tickets had serial numbers, and were kept in the safe at the office. He had loyal clients, and  would personally deliver travel documents to their home or business.  

I also remember very well that when he came home after a day at the office, he and my mom would have their cocktail hour in the living room. Martinis, of course. He would tell her of clients who would call at the last minute with changes to their travel plans, and expect him to handle it seamlessly. He did the best he could, and somehow it always worked out. 

After college, he asked me, and my sister, if we would be interested in joining him in the travel business.

We loved to travel, yet we told him No, because we had heard all the stories. But after college, I began a long career in the travel business.

I can say without hesitation that now I fully understand why he'd come home and make himself a martini.       

[CafeBruno]

3 hours ago, rajkr74 said:

Called Guest Services today on a Covid Quarantine expense from our April  2022 cruise.  After submitting our expenses to our travel insurance the insurance company, who did not cover a medium 3 figure balance, I submitted, by mail, receipts for that amount to HAL back on Nov. 24th for reimbursement.  Called on Dec. 28th to phone number 1-877-932-4259. Pressed #6 (Guest Relations) when prompted then waited on hold for 1 hr 45 mins to get a rep.  He did not have access to my mailed in request from Nov. 24th.  So he stayed on the phone while I took pics of all docs and emailed them to him.  The call today to the same number had me waiting on hold for 1 hr. 32 mins. to find out the staus. Got a nice HAL rep who verified my claim, after waiting on hold for another 5 mins, that the claim had finally been approved and was pending in the Reimbursement Dept along with many many other claims waiting to have a check produced. Maybe another 2 weeks (?) to get a check if lucky.  

 

Conclusion?  When calling, be prepared to be on hold from 1 to 2 hrs to talk to anyone.  Then be nice even if you feel like pulling your hair out and screaming at a glass shattering level.  Patience, patience. 

@rajkr74 I hope you get your reimbursement soon, but don't count on it. I submitted my Covid expenses last June. In September they told me that my claim was approved for payment and to expect a check in 8 to 12 weeks. At 12 weeks I called again and was told it was in the que to be paid but they could not tell me when it would be paid. At 16 weeks (3 weeks ago) I emailed Gus Antorcha's office (HAL President) and after 2 weeks I got this wholly unsatisfying response:

 

 

Thank you for contacting Mr. Gus Antorcha regarding your ms Nieuw Amsterdam sailing. Mr. Antorcha has reviewed your concerns and asked me to express his regret for the disappointment you encountered. While we are extremely sorry for the wait times when contacting Guest Relations, we, like most companies, are experiencing staffing shortages due to Covid which causes wait times to be longer than normal. We are doing our best to keep up with the requests of our guests.

 

 We know you’re waiting for your refund ($1993.23) and may be frustrated by how long it’s taking. We hear you and are doing everything in our power to get it to you as soon as possible. Rest assured we’ve received your request, and it’s in our queue and the process has started.

 

 Because we are not able to use our usual automated process, our team is manually handling a large volume of requests while working from home. We want to try to make sure each and every guest’s booking is handled accurately. Please know we have asked that our Refunds Department finalize your refund and get it expedited. As a reminder, your check will not come from Holland America, rather from Paymode-X.

 

 As always, we thank you for your understanding and hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe during this difficult time.

 

 Sincerely,

 

Christine Ferris

Special Advisor
Office of the President

 

No promises, except that "the process has started" - I would hope so, 7 months after I submitted my documents for the reimbursement. Again I hope you get your $$ quickly but be prepared for a wait.  

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Well I just got rid of a ta that booked me two cruises on the same ship same date,  neither of them right. She told me you can’t book flights through hal anymore.  She wanted to book transfers that I couldn’t possibly use.  This is a person that came highly recommended and has been in the industry for years.  She wasted my whole week and I had to almost threaten her to cancel what she booked after asking her nicely several times to cancel cruises.  That’s a great ta.

The issue with TAs is that finding the right ones is not easy.  Over the years we have learned much by simply sharing tables on cruises and getting recommendations from other cruisers.  Our two favored agencies have been around for several decades and our favorite TA only has 9 years experience and I sometimes tease her that we are breaking her in :).

 

The alternative is to book direct with the cruise line, spend lots of time on hold, and lose out on thousands of dollars of OBCs and other amenities.  I guess it is appropriate to say "whatever floats your boat"   :).

 

 

[2LoveBikes]

Helpful information on what to expect.

[Florida_gal_50]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The issue with TAs is that finding the right ones is not easy.  Over the years we have learned much by simply sharing tables on cruises and getting recommendations from other cruisers.  Our two favored agencies have been around for several decades and our favorite TA only has 9 years experience and I sometimes tease her that we are breaking her in :).

 

The alternative is to book direct with the cruise line, spend lots of time on hold, and lose out on thousands of dollars of OBCs and other amenities.  I guess it is appropriate to say "whatever floats your boat"   :).

 

 

This ta offered zero obc.  She also wanted to charge me $800 over the rate on the hal website saying she couldn’t help it if the price went up.  It hasn’t.  Unless you are retired most  people aren’t taking 50 plus day cruise so very few will be “losing” thousands.  I haven’t spent a minute on hold.  I’m emailing a pcc.  I have a very busy desk at work  so I don’t have time to lose “experimenting” with ta’s.  Remember the one I just got rid of came highly recommended 🙄.

[Florida_gal_50]

10 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

My father was a TA. He owned the business with my mother, and another couple. All four had extensive travel experience.  This was before computers, and airline tickets had serial numbers, and were kept in the safe at the office. He had loyal clients, and  would personally deliver travel documents to their home or business.  

I also remember very well that when he came home after a day at the office, he and my mom would have their cocktail hour in the living room. Martinis, of course. He would tell her of clients who would call at the last minute with changes to their travel plans, and expect him to handle it seamlessly. He did the best he could, and somehow it always worked out. 

After college, he asked me, and my sister, if we would be interested in joining him in the travel business.

We loved to travel, yet we told him No, because we had heard all the stories. But after college, I began a long career in the travel business.

I can say without hesitation that now I fully understand why he'd come home and make himself a martini.       

I think any time you deal with the public it’s not going to be pretty.  Some are great, some not so much.

[Florida_gal_50]

9 hours ago, CafeBruno said:

@rajkr74 I hope you get your reimbursement soon, but don't count on it. I submitted my Covid expenses last June. In September they told me that my claim was approved for payment and to expect a check in 8 to 12 weeks. At 12 weeks I called again and was told it was in the que to be paid but they could not tell me when it would be paid. At 16 weeks (3 weeks ago) I emailed Gus Antorcha's office (HAL President) and after 2 weeks I got this wholly unsatisfying response:

 

 

Thank you for contacting Mr. Gus Antorcha regarding your ms Nieuw Amsterdam sailing. Mr. Antorcha has reviewed your concerns and asked me to express his regret for the disappointment you encountered. While we are extremely sorry for the wait times when contacting Guest Relations, we, like most companies, are experiencing staffing shortages due to Covid which causes wait times to be longer than normal. We are doing our best to keep up with the requests of our guests.

 

 We know you’re waiting for your refund ($1993.23) and may be frustrated by how long it’s taking. We hear you and are doing everything in our power to get it to you as soon as possible. Rest assured we’ve received your request, and it’s in our queue and the process has started.

 

 Because we are not able to use our usual automated process, our team is manually handling a large volume of requests while working from home. We want to try to make sure each and every guest’s booking is handled accurately. Please know we have asked that our Refunds Department finalize your refund and get it expedited. As a reminder, your check will not come from Holland America, rather from Paymode-X.

 

 As always, we thank you for your understanding and hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe during this difficult time.

 

 Sincerely,

 

Christine Ferris

Special Advisor
Office of the President

 

No promises, except that "the process has started" - I would hope so, 7 months after I submitted my documents for the reimbursement. Again I hope you get your $$ quickly but be prepared for a wait.  

That is such bs.  There is no way it takes months to cut cheques.  Speaking from experience staff does need to come into the office to cut cheques but that shouldn’t take months.  I’m pretty sure they are not telling their suppliers that.  I think a lot of Hal’s staff has been working home for years so they should have figured it out by now.

[GeezerCouple]

6 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

That is such bs.  There is no way it takes months to cut cheques.  Speaking from experience staff does need to come into the office to cut cheques but that shouldn’t take months.  I’m pretty sure they are not telling their suppliers that.  I think a lot of Hal’s staff has been working home for years so they should have figured it out by now.

 

If this is "real insurance", it is regulated by the states.  A letter to the State's Insurance Commissioner's Office should get some results.  Or, telling the vendor that if the claim isn't handled <however it should be> within, say, 10 days, then you will file a complaint with said office.

 

However, in many cases, the cruise line's own "coverage" isn't actually "insurance".  It might be some sort of "trip protection plan"... in which case, it's not regulated (surprise!).

 

I don't know whether HAL works with an actual insurer or has their own "plan", but if the former, you do have a resource.

 

Good luck.  That is WAY too long!

 

GC

[rajkr74]

13 hours ago, CafeBruno said:

@rajkr74 I hope you get your reimbursement soon, but don't count on it. I submitted my Covid expenses last June. In September they told me that my claim was approved for payment and to expect a check in 8 to 12 weeks. At 12 weeks I called again and was told it was in the que to be paid but they could not tell me when it would be paid. At 16 weeks (3 weeks ago) I emailed Gus Antorcha's office (HAL President) and after 2 weeks I got this wholly unsatisfying response:

 

Oh thanks for the GOOD news I think....LOL

 

Some may say this is BS but as others have said it's happening across many companies.  Due to a missunderstanding on my part I thought HAL was covering the quarantine hotel room in Vancouver.  Once I figured out that was not the case I submitted documents to our travel ins. co.  Then after months and numerous phone calls I finally received a partial payment.  The difference was my ins. only covered $250/night and the hotel charged $300/night.  I should have known this info and would have negociated a lower price at check in (the room was not a $300/night room).

It'a not worth getting upset about and I'll patiently wait for a check.  My request is only a middle 3 figure amount so it's not causing a cash flow problem with us.

[LewiLewi]

Sorry that I am taking this topic from insurance coverage back to the original question. I have tried the number offered, but that is only for personal consultants, which I do not have. When I called, they would not help at all. Again, I tried to call earlier, but once again, no luck. After 2 hours on hold, I gave up again.

Any other ideas? I have never had this problem with HAL before. We are close to being 5 Star Mariner’s, and this is really annoying. 

[trtog7]

I sailed on HAL August 2022. 

Was charged a fee that I was told would be cancelled but it was not.

After many phones calls, many different stories of what was going on and being told many times someone would call who did not, I am now being told that it has gone to a refund company but they would not give me a number or name so I could get in touch with them.

Never will sail with HAL again!