Onboard report NS

[don731]

Sigh.  Four days into this cruise, and the ship is completely out of Canadian rye whisky (and there are lots of Canadians onboard).

Plus my wife’s account has at least temporarily disconnected from the Have It All package.  Guest services sez not to worry, as the charges mount up.  😆😆😆

[highscar]

OH NO !!!!!!!!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Aaaack! Keep bugging guest services until it gets fixed. 

[CNSJ]

Out of Rye?  Is that mutiny worthy?

[don731]

Nope, just poor execution of the brand.  We have gotten bedtime chocolates one night out of four, as another example.  Inconsistencies are consistent so far.  We can see either Darden or Harvard doing a business case study of HAL if the brand fails in the next couple of years.  Trading high value loyal customers for bottom feeders who won’t be back never works out.  It doesn’t matter what your price point is….Walmart and Nordstrom both consistently execute their business model with great success.  Set the expectations for your brand, and deliver them without fail at every touch point.  We’ve been to guest services more times in three days than total on our last dozen cruises. Without a Disney style Immediate Business Recovery policy, it’s a setup for the front line workers who are dancing as fast as then can, and don’t have the tools to solve issues.  

[CruiserBruce]

6 minutes ago, don731 said:

Nope, just poor execution of the brand.  We have gotten bedtime chocolates one night out of four, as another example.  Inconsistencies are consistent so far.  We can see either Darden or Harvard doing a business case study of HAL if the brand fails in the next couple of years.  Trading high value loyal customers for bottom feeders who won’t be back never works out.  It doesn’t matter what your price point is….Walmart and Nordstrom both consistently execute their business model with great success.  Set the expectations for your brand, and deliver them without fail at every touch point.  We’ve been to guest services more times in three days than total on our last dozen cruises. Without a Disney style Immediate Business Recovery policy, it’s a setup for the front line workers who are dancing as fast as then can, and don’t have the tools to solve issues.  

Chocolates on formal nights only has been the standard since resumption. Its not news.

 

Walmart and Nordstroms weren't 100% shutdown for 16 months due to Covid.

[Laminator]

13 minutes ago, don731 said:

Nope, just poor execution of the brand.  We have gotten bedtime chocolates one night out of four, as another example.  Inconsistencies are consistent so far.  We can see either Darden or Harvard doing a business case study of HAL if the brand fails in the next couple of years.  Trading high value loyal customers for bottom feeders who won’t be back never works out.  It doesn’t matter what your price point is….Walmart and Nordstrom both consistently execute their business model with great success.  Set the expectations for your brand, and deliver them without fail at every touch point.  We’ve been to guest services more times in three days than total on our last dozen cruises. Without a Disney style Immediate Business Recovery policy, it’s a setup for the front line workers who are dancing as fast as then can, and don’t have the tools to solve issues.  

Pillow chocolates have been only on Dressy night for I can't remember how long. I am also sure the ship is sold out like it was last week. I took my son and his GF on the NS last week. They are in their early 30's. The ship was packed. They had a great time and can't wait to go back. I am pretty sure my age group is not HAL's future. 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Laminator

[don731]

12 minutes ago, Laminator said:

Pillow chocolates have been only on Dressy night for I can't remember how long. I am also sure the ship is sold out like it was last week. I took my son and his GF on the NS last week. They are in their early 30's. The ship was packed. They had a great time and can't wait to go back. I am pretty sure my age group is not HAL's future. 

 

 

Good to know.  Didn’t see that documented anywhere.  Our point is that we are finding execution to be inconsistent.  We have been on Oceania both immediately pre and post covid, and while changes were made, execution was flawless.  Same with Seabourn.  Due to unique circumstances, we didn’t book this cruise through our regular TA.  They indicate that they are finding Celebrity to offer a better product at a similar price point.  

[Crusin-Suzan]

No Canadian club, vo, CR onboard!   We leave Sat and that’s all I drink

[Laminator]

1 minute ago, don731 said:

Good to know.  Didn’t see that documented anywhere.  Our point is that we are finding execution to be inconsistent.  We have been on Oceania both immediately pre and post covid, and while changes were made, execution was flawless.  Same with Seabourn.  Due to unique circumstances, we didn’t book this cruise through our regular TA.  They indicate that they are finding Celebrity to offer a better product at a similar price point.  

There is no doubt HAL is having some issues. From reading posts across all lines on here it seems they are all having some issues. None of the issues would make us not want to sail HAL. 

[baggal]

26 minutes ago, don731 said:

Nope, just poor execution of the brand.  We have gotten bedtime chocolates one night out of four, as another example.  Inconsistencies are consistent so far.  We can see either Darden or Harvard doing a business case study of HAL if the brand fails in the next couple of years.  Trading high value loyal customers for bottom feeders who won’t be back never works out.  It doesn’t matter what your price point is….Walmart and Nordstrom both consistently execute their business model with great success.  Set the expectations for your brand, and deliver them without fail at every touch point.  We’ve been to guest services more times in three days than total on our last dozen cruises. Without a Disney style Immediate Business Recovery policy, it’s a setup for the front line workers who are dancing as fast as then can, and don’t have the tools to solve issues.  

You must go to a different Nordstroms than I was in today - in an upscale mall in a New Jersey suburb.  There was maybe 12 would-be customers in the entire store and if there were more, there was no merchandise for them to buy, specifically the children's department.  On the other hand, I disembarked the Rotterdam last week and the ship was sold out.  Yes, there were some shortages (bananas that went "bad" too early) and some slow service in the MDR, but overall we had a great time. 

 

IMO it will be many years before the cruise experience, on any line, will be what it was pre-COVID.

 

 

[AFNavigator]

2 hours ago, don731 said:

Good to know.  Didn’t see that documented anywhere.  Our point is that we are finding execution to be inconsistent.  We have been on Oceania both immediately pre and post covid, and while changes were made, execution was flawless.  Same with Seabourn.  Due to unique circumstances, we didn’t book this cruise through our regular TA.  They indicate that they are finding Celebrity to offer a better product at a similar price point.  

Given their price points, one would hope that Oceania and Seaborne would be closer to flawless execution than HAL.

 

Reading and watching multiple reviews lately, the line that appears to really be struggling in customer service is Norwegian.

[HappyInVan]

3 hours ago, Laminator said:

Pillow chocolates have been only on Dressy night for I can't remember how long.

 

 

I can remember a time not so long ago (2018/9?). Pillow chocolates every night. I was able to save a bunch of them, and ate them on an outing.

[oakridger]

I wonder though about the seemingly consistent running out of popular items on HAL.  That was a problem on my last couple of pre covid cruises also.  Items that ran out that I wanted were all common commodities and embarkation ports were all USA (as opposed to some obscure port somewhere).  A few come to mind:

 

Bud Light then Miller Light, then any light beer other than Amstel

Diet Coke

Strawberry puree for drinks (premade, in a carton)

Salad croutons

Fresh berries

Sour Cream

Fresh Limes for drinks

Stroopwafels in Dutch Cafe

 

I'm pretty sure Miami and San Diego don't have any supply issues with those items.

 

~Nancy

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by oakridger

[Laminator]

1 hour ago, oakridger said:

I wonder though about the seemingly consistent running out of popular items on HAL.  That was a problem on my last couple of pre covid cruises also.  Items that ran out that I wanted were all common commodities and embarkation ports were all USA (as opposed to some obscure port somewhere).  A few come to mind:

 

Bud Light then Miller Light, then any light beer other than Amstel

Diet Coke

Strawberry puree for drinks (premade, in a carton)

Salad croutons

Fresh berries

Sour Cream

Fresh Limes for drinks

Stroopwafels in Dutch Cafe

 

I'm pretty sure Miami and San Diego don't have any supply issues with those items.

 

~Nancy

 

Is this a HAL issue or a supply issue? I have no clue. I know my local supermarkets are still having some supply issues.

[oakridger]

19 minutes ago, Laminator said:

Is this a HAL issue or a supply issue? I have no clue. I know my local supermarkets are still having some supply issues.

 

Probably both @Laminator since HAL ran out of common items on all my cruises even before the shutdown.  It certainly wasn't enough to not cruise with HAL again, but it did have a certain impact on my enjoyment of the cruise......sometimes more than others depending on what was unavailable!

😉

 

~Nancy

[ski ww]

From reading not just this review but others the impression I get is some people are very happy & others very unhappy. Some times it's from people on the same cruise, same ship. Although having a problem with your ship board account is not acceptable, that seems to be a frequent complaint.  

[cruisemom42]

14 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

 

Walmart and Nordstroms weren't 100% shutdown for 16 months due to Covid.

 

Cruising restarted more than 20 months ago. At what point does the shutdown become an excuse rather than a reason?

 

If all lines were impacted equally, I would consider it more of a valid point. But having sailed on Celebrity 4 times since re-start, I can tell you that they were up and running very satisfactorily as early as July 2021 when we were on them for Alaska cruise. At the very same time there were a number of live reports from HAL Alaska sailings indicating reduced MDR menus and other shortages.

 

So how is it that Celebrity wasn't impacted by these shortages on the same route?

 

13 hours ago, don731 said:

Good to know.  Didn’t see that documented anywhere.  Our point is that we are finding execution to be inconsistent.  We have been on Oceania both immediately pre and post covid, and while changes were made, execution was flawless.  Same with Seabourn.  Due to unique circumstances, we didn’t book this cruise through our regular TA.  They indicate that they are finding Celebrity to offer a better product at a similar price point.  

 

Having just sung Celebrity's praises above, I also must say that since January 2022 Celebrity has made some extensive cutbacks in their cruising experience. They have begun to charge for all room service orders except for a basic continental breakfast (suites excluded); they have decimated their evening (dinner) buffet -- only a third or less of stations open, reports suggest you can only expect pizza, some pasta dishes, a stir-fry station and salad/dessert stations. No carving station, no availability of the same items being served in MDR. Entree items in all of their dining rooms (main, Blu, Luminae) have been downgraded, lots of cheaper proteins. Meanwhile cruise prices and rates for inclusive packages keep going up. Suite guests particularly are complaining about the high prices, saying they are often more $$$ than a comparable premium line like Oceania.

 

[don731]

We didn’t see huge changes on Oceania pre and post virus.  We spent over two weeks each time on the Riviera (February 2020, and August 2022), and perhaps some of the meal portions were smaller, but service levels  with many of our favorite crew members was still outstanding, as were the specialty restaurants.  Prices for each cruise were comparable.  We did notice fewer daily discounts onboard such as happy hour, spa specials, etc.  Tour prices were a bit higher, and quality lower (seemed to be exactly the same as tours from value priced ships in port with us).  Since there were four of us, we found better value in privately arranged tours. HAL has far superior onboard tech and satellite internet.  We are hoping that the issue with my wife’s account (and many others on this cruise, as described to us by guest services), where it’s been disconnected from Have It All, will be corrected soon.  

[FlorenceItaly]

It seems that it should be as easy as adding the HIA to the account and re-issuing a new card.

How frustrating for you guys.  Have you checked the Casino Bar for the whiskey?  In November my dh found this bar stocked some bourbon he could not find elsewhere.

[Colorado Klutch]

Just a few thoughts...

 

- Different cruise lines have different contract suppliers. Some suppliers are likely having problems getting some things other suppliers can get

- There are some upheavals going on in the spirits industry. Sazerac recently fired their distributor. Other companies are still working things out post-COVID. Demand for spirits is also extremely high these days and you just can't crank out more bourbon or aged whiskey

- The biggest problem is staffing. Service and IT positions are especially difficult to fill. Seems that is reflected in the cruise industry with complaints about service and apps that don't work. (I hear the Virgin onboard app is almost useless)

- Onboard challenges will always be easier to overcome on a smaller ship with fewer passengers

Edited February 22, 2023 by Colorado Klutch

[CruiserBruce]

@cruisemom42, each cruise line has their own financial issues, whether they be older, more expensive ships to maintain, or smaller ships that have different cost/profit calculations. Newer, larger  ships might have "mortgages" on them that can be extended easier. How Celebrity/RCL is balancing their books may have absolutely nothing to do with the ways HAL/CCL balances theirs.

 

 

[aliaschief]

Last fall we did a Scenic river cruise in France. Crown Royal was on the menu but beverage manager stated “ no matter how many times we have ordered Crown we never get it. Recent Azamara cruise they had some but stated it’s in short supply!

Couple of cruise bloggers who like Crown have stated a couple of ships they have sailed on didn’t have any.

I googled if there was a Crown Royal shortage and indeed there was back in 2020 during the pandemic along with other name brand spirits.

One would think production would have picked up by now but shipping around the world still has back logs. 
In Europe with the cut backs and rationing of natural gas there has even been a bottle (glassware) shortage. 
The world is still playing catch up and some industries do it better then others.

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by aliaschief

[cruisemom42]

21 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

@cruisemom42, each cruise line has their own financial issues, whether they be older, more expensive ships to maintain, or smaller ships that have different cost/profit calculations. Newer, larger  ships might have "mortgages" on them that can be extended easier. How Celebrity/RCL is balancing their books may have absolutely nothing to do with the ways HAL/CCL balances theirs.

 

 

 

True -- which would seem to reinforce my thought that it is not necessarily COVID to blame, but how cruise lines have chosen to respond to the challenge (or how much they are able to respond, given other constraints).

 

As a cruiser, I don't feel that I should need to deeply understand the financials of the cruise line, only whether they provide a decent vacation that matches up with what they "promise" in ads and brochures (not what they "guarantee" in contracts....)

 

[albingirl]

They ran out of Bud light on our cruise.  Imagine that; the most popular beer going and they didn't stock enough.  The embarkation the next day must have been tough for the bartenders.