Live Westerdam May 7-14 OMG!!

[1teach53]

We are 5 Star Mariners - boarding was a mess, ( in terminal) wheelchair assistance non available, then very slow, no one knew what was going on!! Very slow & confusing for all! Never seen it this bad! We have embarked many times in Seattle on HAL. 
At checkin on board my DH had one cabin number I had another! After 3!!!! Cabin changes, many trips to front desk, a good hour + in time we finally got a cabin. (We had booked 9 months ago & had a cabin number)! But no it didn’t work! 
We have next week booked, so BTB cruises. Now they are telling us we will have to move cabins for next week!!! We are happy to stay where we are. They are saying someone else has this cabin for next week!!! Ok, move them, switch their cabin like you did ours 3 !!! Times!! 
Our future cabin is yet to be determined!! We are to be told today our cabin for next week, some yak / double talk, about “ships inventory “, deflecting! 
During a massage I had cold water dripping from a ceiling fire sprinkler!! (5-6 times) What!!?? Therapist put a towels on me to catch the cold drips! Very relaxing massage! NOT!!!! 
Still beverage & food items non existent. 

Will update as we know more. 
K & J 

[ski ww]

Hope that doesn't set the tone for the rest of the cruise, good luck.

[gizmodog]

This is very disheartening as I board her on June 18. From Hanks review and now yours I’m not very excited about having an enjoyable cruise, should have stuck with celebrity I guess but my last two cruises on them also left a lot to be desired, so I switched to HAL.  This is a graduation gift cruise to my grandson and to say I’m apprehensive is an understatement.

[1teach53]

20 minutes ago, ski ww said:

Hope that doesn't set the tone for the rest of the cruise, good luck.

Thanks 💗💕💞

[1teach53]

13 minutes ago, gizmodog said:

This is very disheartening as I board her on June 18. From Hanks review and now yours I’m not very excited about having an enjoyable cruise, should have stuck with celebrity I guess but my last two cruises on them also left a lot to be desired, so I switched to HAL.  This is a graduation gift cruise to my grandson and to say I’m apprehensive is an understatement.

As you see we have been with HAL for many years! Now, it is very different & not for the better!!! We used to love HAL. Cut backs abound ! 

Edited May 12, 2023 by 1teach53

[1teach53]

Have very low expectations and you’ll be fine! 🙃

[OlsSalt]

1. We had water dripping from the fire sprinkler system once upon boarding - minor issue. Something about running tests on the system.

 

2. Port embarkation problems appear to be well outside of any thing HAL has control over.

 

3. Cabin number confusion - no excuses for that. Unless there is more to the prior story we don't know about.

[Mary229]

Adding to @OlsSalt comments.  There is a way to deal with cabin confusion - don’t book a guarantee.  

[1teach53]

1 hour ago, OlsSalt said:

1. We had water dripping from the fire sprinkler system once upon boarding - minor issue. Something about running tests on the system.

 

2. Port embarkation problems appear to be well outside of any thing HAL has control over.

 

3. Cabin number confusion - no excuses for that. Unless there is more to the prior story we don't know about.

Not a minor issue when during an overpriced massage!!! 

Edited May 12, 2023 by 1teach53

[1teach53]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

Adding to @OlsSalt comments.  There is a way to deal with cabin confusion - don’t book a guarantee.  

We did not! 

[doone]

7 minutes ago, 1teach53 said:

We did not! 

 

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

Adding to @OlsSalt comments.  There is a way to deal with cabin confusion - don’t book a guarantee.  

Did you tell your TA not to move or upgrade you?  I always tell my TA NO UPGRADES, never had a problem with being moved, always get the cabin I booked.  Friends of ours did not tell their TA no upgrades, they were moved from their original cabin.  It was supposed to be an "upgrade", but I tell you, the location for me would have been disappointing at best.  They are good sports and went with the flow.

Edited May 12, 2023 by doone

[1teach53]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

Adding to @OlsSalt comments.  There is a way to deal with cabin confusion - don’t book a guarantee.  

We did not book a guarantee! Many conversations with guest relation & ongoing. 

[sansterre]

I hope you do not have to move.  We had a similar situation with a back to back to back.

We thought we were going to have to move until the day before when somehow we were able to stay in our cabin.  

Expect the worst and hope for the best.

[USN59-79]

We moved twice on our recent b2b2b on the Westerdam.  Not a big deal.  Put all your small and loose stuff in your suitcases and they will move everything hanging in the closets.  Takes about two hours total.  If I book back to back cruises I am really booking two separate cruises and by the time I book the second the first stateroom is probably already taken.  What I cannot understand is how you were assigned different cabins for husband and wife on boarding.  Doesn't seem possible unless both of you booked separately.  Did you use a TA?

Ray

[1teach53]

1 hour ago, USN59-79 said:

We moved twice on our recent b2b2b on the Westerdam.  Not a big deal.  Put all your small and loose stuff in your suitcases and they will move everything hanging in the closets.  Takes about two hours total.  If I book back to back cruises I am really booking two separate cruises and by the time I book the second the first stateroom is probably already taken.  What I cannot understand is how you were assigned different cabins for husband and wife on boarding.  Doesn't seem possible unless both of you booked separately.  Did you use a TA?

Ray

No we booked together!! You are right,  how to explain it?!?! Yes used a TA ! All docs said we were in the same cabin til we reached the ship!! 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

1 hour ago, doone said:

 

Did you tell your TA not to move or upgrade you?  I always tell my TA NO UPGRADES, never had a problem with being moved, always get the cabin I booked.  Friends of ours did not tell their TA no upgrades, they were moved from their original cabin.  It was supposed to be an "upgrade", but I tell you, the location for me would have been disappointing at best.  They are good sports and went with the flow.

Sadly the DO NOT UPGRADE no longer works, This has been a thing for several years with Princess that it means absolutely nothing (they gave the excuse last year of needing stateroom for quarantine but this was not always true)  what I have seen happen frequently now even if marked DO NOT UPGRADE, someone with just move them at HAL especially if they are booked on a Collectors Voyage and the price drops. Some department seems to think it is a good thing to catch the price drop before the passengers does and give an upgrade within the same meta but may not be a good location. Just a location that is not selling. Often times the original stateroom that was reserved is still there but at a lower price. This was a practice being done by Princess prior to the shut down but has now trickled down to HAL.

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, 1teach53 said:

We did not book a guarantee! Many conversations with guest relation & ongoing. 

Oh.  We would like to hear the reason they moved you then.  Interesting 

[YourWorldWithBill]

4 hours ago, 1teach53 said:

Have very low expectations and you’ll be fine! 🙃

This is useful info; we are all on these boards to know more about the good and the not so good. I hope they do something not only to address your issues, but also to make amends.

I hope our cruise next week on the Rotterdam is only great! Probably because we live near the Arboretum... 😁

[1teach53]

1 hour ago, sansterre said:

I hope you do not have to move.  We had a similar situation with a back to back to back.

We thought we were going to have to move until the day before when somehow we were able to stay in our cabin.  

Expect the worst and hope for the best.

Thank you!! Yes , so hope we don’t have to move!! We are supposed to hear today. 

I’m no cheer leader but I state the facts! Positive/ - most of the crew is wonderful as on our other HAL cruises.  Just seem to be under staffed in areas. 
 

[1teach53]

Good news!🥂 Just got the message we can remain in our cabin!! 👏🏻

[Mary229]

19 minutes ago, 1teach53 said:

Good news!🥂 Just got the message we can remain in our cabin!! 👏🏻

I am unclear on what happened.  You booked a cabin let’s just say cabin A136 for two cruises, B2B.  And they took you out of that cabin A136 for both cruises.  And you actually selected this specific cabin and didn’t sign up for Club Orange and this wasn’t a handicap cabin, right?

[scooter6139]

6 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Adding to @OlsSalt comments.  There is a way to deal with cabin confusion - don’t book a guarantee.  

 

Our August cruise on Westerdam is with a guaranteed cabin, but after looking at the desk plans, there wasn't a Neptune we would have an issue with.  And we are only doing a single 7-day, no B2B for us (wife doesn't like being away that long).

 

Glad they worked their magic and you can stay in your cabin for both!!  

[doone]

3 hours ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

Sadly the DO NOT UPGRADE no longer works, This has been a thing for several years with Princess that it means absolutely nothing (they gave the excuse last year of needing stateroom for quarantine but this was not always true)  what I have seen happen frequently now even if marked DO NOT UPGRADE, someone with just move them at HAL especially if they are booked on a Collectors Voyage and the price drops. Some department seems to think it is a good thing to catch the price drop before the passengers does and give an upgrade within the same meta but may not be a good location. Just a location that is not selling. Often times the original stateroom that was reserved is still there but at a lower price. This was a practice being done by Princess prior to the shut down but has now trickled down to HAL.

It worked for 15 cabins out of the 16 we had booked in March.  One couple did not specify not to upgrade, they were the only cabin moved…..booked the Koningsdam for 2024, asked not to be upgraded, I guess we shall see, but this past March it worked.

[1teach53]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I am unclear on what happened.  You booked a cabin let’s just say cabin A136 for two cruises, B2B.  And they took you out of that cabin A136 for both cruises.  And you actually selected this specific cabin and didn’t sign up for Club Orange and this wasn’t a handicap cabin, right?

Yes you are correct! We had 2 sets ( both cruises ) of boarding docs with the original cabin number on both. All looked fine until we boarded the ship. That’s when it went upside down! 

[Boatdrill]

9 hours ago, 1teach53 said:

At check-in on board my DH had one cabin number I had another! 

 Just curious why HAL was doing check-ins onboard, and not in the terminal ?