Is HAL looking to disappoint Have it All Passengers

[WriterOnDeck]

Just now, Ipeeinthepools said:

I think the question is can you see them on your itinerary after you book them.  I’m on the current cruise and the Feb 11 trip as a continuing voyage and restaurants that I booked were not visible until yesterday.  I also do seem to be able to book anything on the app for the rest of this cruise.  

This is a pet peeve for me. Apparently HAL's entire shorex programming limits a passenger on a collector voyage (B2B with a single booking number) to booking shorex and maybe dinners in advance. You can book for both segments before the cruise, but once you start the first segment, you are blocked from booking on the second until it starts. Even the shorex team cannot book you.

 

You would think a company would want to make it easier for you to spend money with it.

 

Last fall on the Westerdam I had waited to book my NZ shorex (second segment) until on board because I had a crazy amount of OBC. When I couldn't, I went only and booked private tours. Thus a loss of revenue for HAL.

 

I chatted with the shorex manager on my current cruise about this issue, because I have four B2Bs (2 booking #s) for this summer. He agreed it is frustrating for them as well. It just doesn't seem fair that people who booked only what is your second segment can by buying shorex but you cannot if you already are on the ship.

 

HAL should prioritize its IT work to fix this problem and enable it to make more money.

 

(steps off soapbox)

[WriterOnDeck]

Just now, Laminator said:

Maybe if you book them online they will show up. If you book them onboard they do not. This is HAL so who knows!

Once you've started your booking number cruise, you cannot book anything online.

[3rdGenCunarder]

19 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Once you've started your booking number cruise, you cannot book anything online.

 

Considering how many ways HAL combines cruises to make B2B (AND B2B2B) cruises, they should make sure their system serves those passengers as well as any others booking just one cruise. But look at other boards. It seems like no cruise line has good IT.

[Laminator]

41 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Once you've started your booking number cruise, you cannot book anything online.

I would have no clue. Once I am onboard anything I need to go to the Neptune lounge for. And I usually go there once a cruise. The first hour onboard. That's it for me.

 

[cbr663]

23 hours ago, Sea42 said:

For our cruise they were shown as soon as we were able to book reservations at about 4 months out. They were listed on the main page along with each individual restaurants. They are each one night only in the Pinnacle restaurant.

 

Our Alaska cruise for May is the same.  We have booked all our speciality dining and shore excursions via the web site.  Just checked and all are showing in our itinerary on the web site.

 

[WriterOnDeck]

Just now, Laminator said:

I would have no clue. Once I am onboard anything I need to go to the Neptune lounge for. And I usually go there once a cruise. The first hour onboard. That's it for me.

 

Even that won't work for booking excursions, etc., in the second half of a collectors. Even the shorex manager cannot book it. The system locks the option to book down.

Edited January 30, 2023 by WriterOnDeck

[Laminator]

7 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

Even that won't work for booking excursions, etc., in the second half of a collectors. Even the shorex manager cannot book it. The system locks the option to book down.

Yes...but the Neptune Lounge concierges on the first cruise most likely will be the same on the second cruise. Just let them know what it is you want for the 2nd cruise and I can assure you it will be taken care of. 

[WriterOnDeck]

Just now, Laminator said:

Yes...but the Neptune Lounge concierges on the first cruise most likely will be the same on the second cruise. Just let them know what it is you want for the 2nd cruise and I can assure you it will be taken care of. 

If there isn't a wait list by then. I've seen that happen, and even the Neptune concierges can't help. The shorex manager manages the wait list, and he has always helped if there is room. I'm just saying that we shouldn't be blocked from booking while people waiting to join the cruise can book.

[REOVA]

4 hours ago, Laminator said:

That's been there since I booked also!

If you log into website (not the app) and look at your itinerary to print out, do they show on that? Sometimes one doesn't connect the other and who knows which one the ship sees🤷‍♂️

[Laminator]

8 minutes ago, REOVA said:

If you log into website (not the app) and look at your itinerary to print out, do they show on that? Sometimes one doesn't connect the other and who knows which one the ship sees🤷‍♂️

It's there also!

[ChinaShrek]

3 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

This is a pet peeve for me. Apparently HAL's entire shorex programming limits a passenger on a collector voyage (B2B with a single booking number) to booking shorex and maybe dinners in advance. You can book for both segments before the cruise, but once you start the first segment, you are blocked from booking on the second until it starts. Even the shorex team cannot book you.

 

To be honest, I think that is only fair. Why should someone on an earlier cruise be able to book stuff on a cruise that they are not on yet? Why should they have preference over people only taking a single one-week cruise? All cruisers should be treated the same until Day One arrives.

[Laminator]

Just now, ChinaShrek said:

To be honest, I think that is only fair. Why should someone on an earlier cruise be able to book stuff on a cruise that they are not on yet? Why should they have preference over people only taking a single one-week cruise? All cruisers should be treated the same until Day One arrives.

I think her point is that if she were not on the cruise she would be able to book the excursion. SHe should not me penalized. 

[ChinaShrek]

5 minutes ago, Laminator said:

I think her point is that if she were not on the cruise she would be able to book the excursion. SHe should not me penalized. 

Yeah, I forgot that point. Sorry.

[WriterOnDeck]

2 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

To be honest, I think that is only fair. Why should someone on an earlier cruise be able to book stuff on a cruise that they are not on yet? Why should they have preference over people only taking a single one-week cruise? All cruisers should be treated the same until Day One arrives.

I believe you have misunderstood the situation. As it is, the people who haven't boarded yet have preference over the people already on board.

 

Let me explain it this way. Jack booked a collector's voyage with Segment A and Segment B both under one booking number. Jill books only Segment B.

 

Once shore excursions are open, either one can book excursions for either segment. They have equal opportunity.

 

But once Jack has started voyage A, he cannot book an excursion on Segment B, either online, through Navigator or through the shore excursions desk onboard. Anyone on Segment A is blocked from booking on Segment B until Segment A has ended.

 

Meanwhile, Jill who is not on board can continue to book excursions on Segment B online.

 

 

 

 

[KroozNut]

6 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

I believe you have misunderstood the situation. As it is, the people who haven't boarded yet have preference over the people already on board.

 

Let me explain it this way. Jack booked a collector's voyage with Segment A and Segment B both under one booking number. Jill books only Segment B.

 

Once shore excursions are open, either one can book excursions for either segment. They have equal opportunity.

 

But once Jack has started voyage A, he cannot book an excursion on Segment B, either online, through Navigator or through the shore excursions desk onboard. Anyone on Segment A is blocked from booking on Segment B until Segment A has ended.

 

Meanwhile, Jill who is not on board can continue to book excursions on Segment B online.

 

 

 

 

Yep... not fair.

[ChinaShrek]

13 minutes ago, WriterOnDeck said:

I believe you have misunderstood the situation. As it is, the people who haven't boarded yet have preference over the people already on board.

 

Let me explain it this way. Jack booked a collector's voyage with Segment A and Segment B both under one booking number. Jill books only Segment B.

 

Once shore excursions are open, either one can book excursions for either segment. They have equal opportunity.

 

But once Jack has started voyage A, he cannot book an excursion on Segment B, either online, through Navigator or through the shore excursions desk onboard. Anyone on Segment A is blocked from booking on Segment B until Segment A has ended.

 

Meanwhile, Jill who is not on board can continue to book excursions on Segment B online.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I misunderstood. I apologize

[shipshape sam]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:01 PM, Ipeeinthepools said:

I’m currently on the Rotterdam and the hostess booking Specialty Restaurants is frustrated.  We are just finishing Day 3 on the Rotterdam and the hostess bookings all of the Specialty Restaurants is frustrated.  The Specialty Restaurants are nearly completely booked with people. Booking Have it All packages before they board and others that are cash paying customers.  The reality is that people show up to book a restaurant from the Have it all promotion or someone with a lot of OBC can’t book restaurants because there isn’t any room.  It seems like HAL has over promised the specialty dining under Have it All and is disappointing a lot of passengers that hope to book once onboard.

I can see the problem happening when you overload the system with the Have It All program.  We have prebooked for our soon to sail Rotterdam and have not been on a HAL ship in over 10 years, so cannot comment just yet.  I just checked our Navigator app and excursions and dining is showing up still. 😅

 

I wonder if they did the calculation that if they sell 25,000 HIA promotions, can they accommodate them in the 2 restaurants they have designated.  They could open it up to get some relief. I just made up the 25,000 as a example, but I am sure it is a very high number. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by shipshape sam

[Hlitner]

The issue with booking excursions on back to backs (unable to book the 2nd cruise during the first cruise) is also the situation on Princess.  Perhaps that is not surprising since Princess is part of the HAL Group.  

 

Hank

[xjust4fun]

5 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

This is a pet peeve for me. Apparently HAL's entire shorex programming limits a passenger on a collector voyage (B2B with a single booking number) to booking shorex and maybe dinners in advance. You can book for both segments before the cruise, but once you start the first segment, you are blocked from booking on the second until it starts. Even the shorex team cannot book you.

 

You would think a company would want to make it easier for you to spend money with it.

 

Last fall on the Westerdam I had waited to book my NZ shorex (second segment) until on board because I had a crazy amount of OBC. When I couldn't, I went only and booked private tours. Thus a loss of revenue for HAL.

 

I chatted with the shorex manager on my current cruise about this issue, because I have four B2Bs (2 booking #s) for this summer. He agreed it is frustrating for them as well. It just doesn't seem fair that people who booked only what is your second segment can by buying shorex but you cannot if you already are on the ship.

 

HAL should prioritize its IT work to fix this problem and enable it to make more money.

 

(steps off soapbox)

I totally agree with you, we were on the Noordam for 91 days 2b2b and we experienced exactly what you said, in some ports we were cancelled out of some bucket shore excursions, others we had to be waitlisted after HAL cancelled the shoreex then re-added, we were told we were not on the priority list although the Shore Ex manager had told us we were.  You are bang on, we lived it also.

[xjust4fun]

1 hour ago, WriterOnDeck said:

I believe you have misunderstood the situation. As it is, the people who haven't boarded yet have preference over the people already on board.

 

Let me explain it this way. Jack booked a collector's voyage with Segment A and Segment B both under one booking number. Jill books only Segment B.

 

Once shore excursions are open, either one can book excursions for either segment. They have equal opportunity.

 

But once Jack has started voyage A, he cannot book an excursion on Segment B, either online, through Navigator or through the shore excursions desk onboard. Anyone on Segment A is blocked from booking on Segment B until Segment A has ended.

 

Meanwhile, Jill who is not on board can continue to book excursions on Segment B online.

 

 

 

 

Bang on,   Very well explained, that was the problem also on our cruise.  I now have concerns about our already booked 89 days for this year.

[AV8rix]

On 1/29/2023 at 9:00 AM, Florida_gal_50 said:

I spent buckets of money in the spa last time, something I rarely do.  No free cruises. 

Well, there's a BIG difference between spa and casino pax expenditures.  The casino is operated by the Ocean Players Club, which is actually a CCL entity.  You can check this out by accessing the OPC web site.  At the top of the splash screen you'll see "Carnival Corporation and PLC".  The spa, however, has nothing to do with CCL.  It is operated by the independent contractor Steiner Leisure Limited, which provides spa services to most of the cruise lines.

Edited January 31, 2023 by AV8rix

[Florida_gal_50]

9 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Well, there's a BIG difference between spa and casino pax expenditures.  The casino is operated by the Ocean Players Club, which is actually a CCL entity.  You can check this out by accessing the OPC web site.  At the top of the splash screen you'll see "Carnival Corporation and PLC".  The spa, however, has nothing to do with CCL.  It is operated by the independent contractor Steiner Leisure Limited, which provides spa services to most of the cruise lines.

Did you actually read the post I quoted?  It had nothing to do with casino free cruises so I have no idea why you are talking about it.

[AV8rix]

On 1/29/2023 at 10:09 AM, cruisemom42 said:

I don't understand why there is so much angst on this board about the casino offers. Now granted, I may have this wrong, but it is my understanding that the casino offers aren't extended by HAL per se, but by the company that runs the casinos onboard HAL ships. Also my understanding that this company guarantees some baseline dollar amount to HAL for those cabins.

 

 

 

See what I stated in my post #146 on this thread.  "...the company that runs the casinos onboard HAL ships" (Ocean Players Club) is not an independent contractor but is a subsidiary of CCL itself.

[3rdGenCunarder]

To go back to the original complaint about booking the specialty restaurants, I have no memory of seeing the special dinners listed when I made my booking on the website. I just looked back at the daily programs for my recent cruise, and the hours for Pinnacle are listed every day, but there's no mention of a special dinner. Don't they show those in the daily program? Or is it possible that so many people had HIA on my cruise that they didn't do the special nights in Pinnacle?

[shack]

8 hours ago, shack said:

Booked specialty dining and excursions for May 27 cruise on Jan 1.  Carrying the printed confirmations in case of SNAFUs.

Forgot to mention half of the bookings were via HIA pkg and they all were accepted.