Timing of Mariner status update

[Infi]

Related question: are the Mariner receptions (medallion ceremonies) back? Not referring to the MDR brunches or embarkation day cocktail parties, but the ones in the theater where medals are presented. Been on several cruises post COVID and have yet to see one. 

[Haljo1935]

6 hours ago, Infi said:

Related question: are the Mariner receptions (medallion ceremonies) back? Not referring to the MDR brunches or embarkation day cocktail parties, but the ones in the theater where medals are presented. Been on several cruises post COVID and have yet to see one. 

Good question - I haven't seen one nor did I receive my 100 day medallion. 

[AV8rix]

10 hours ago, Infi said:

Related question: are the Mariner receptions (medallion ceremonies) back? Not referring to the MDR brunches or embarkation day cocktail parties, but the ones in the theater where medals are presented. Been on several cruises post COVID and have yet to see one. 

 

4 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Good question - I haven't seen one nor did I receive my 100 day medallion. 

Well, I can answer that one -- and it's a BUMMER!!  The Mariner medallion reception on the last sea day of every cruise (right before the Mariner luncheon) was a wonderful tradition.  ALL 4* and 5* Mariners were invited.  It was held in either the theater or the Explorers Lounge (depending upon the ship) with snacks and wine provided.  Each person receiving a medallion was called to the front, the ships Master himself placed the medallion on the recipient and a photo was taken with the Master and the Hotel Director.

 

Well, that was discontinued at the startup after the pandemic, when we were all masked.  Only a very few extremely high-status 5*s and PC members were invited. I've heard that some of the receptions had fewer than 12 attendees (other than the ones being awarded medallions).  Medallions were unceremoniously dropped off in staterooms.

 

Well, I could understand it back then.  Wanting to limit the Masters and HDs contact to as few people as possible because covid was still pretty prevalent.

 

But that's still the way the medallions are awarded now and IMO there's no excuse for it.  I received my silver in my stateroom, went to the reception, and all they did was call out the names of all of the recipients, each of whom put their own medallion on. No individual contact with either the Master or the HD. 

 

Just another lovely HAL tradition that's gone, along with the Yum Yum Man, the crew show, the librarian, the officers hosting tables in the MDR, etc, etc.

 

End of rant.

 

[Haljo1935]

24 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

...Medallions were unceremoniously dropped off in staterooms.

 

...I received my silver in my stateroom, went to the reception, and all they did was call out the names of all of the recipients, each of whom put their own medallion on. No individual contact with either the Master or the HD...

So, since my medallion was not in my stateroom nor did I get an invitation to drape it around my own beck at a gathering, would emailing the Mariner desk asking them to mail it to me result in me needing to check my mailbox? I'd even open it and drape it around my neck in front of the neighbors and the mail carrier, but someone else would have to take the picture cuz I don't have that many hands, lol.

Heck by this time next year I'll be asking about the status of my 200 day medallion.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[*Miss G*]

Last year, my medallion was left on my sister’s bed.  😒 (Only my sister will see the humour and irony in that.) I was not invited to a ceremony and did let them know how disappointing that was in their post-cruise survey.  In one fell swoop, HAL has managed to trivialize their own appreciation program and devalue “… our most loyal Mariners”.  Well done, HAL.

[AV8rix]

12 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

So, since my medallion was not in my stateroom nor did I get an invitation to drape it around my own beck at a gathering, would emailing the Mariner desk asking them to mail it to me result in me needing to check my mailbox? I'd even open it and drape it around my neck in front of the neighbors and the mail carrier, but someone else would have to take the picture cuz I don't have that many hands, lol.

Heck by this time next year I'll be asking about the status of my 200 day medallion.

 

4 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

Last year, my medallion was left on my sister’s bed.  😒 (Only my sister will see the humour and irony in that.) I was not invited to a ceremony and did let them know how disappointing that was in their post-cruise survey.  In one fell swoop, HAL has managed to trivialize their own appreciation program and devalue “… our most loyal Mariners”.  Well done, HAL.

Y’all want to know something?

 

I’m intending to pack up my copper and silver and mailing them (certified mail) back to the Mariner Society office.

 

Why?  Well, we no longer have ANY occasion to wear them.  We never wear them around the ship except for the reception which has now been closed to us lowly folk.  We certainly don’t wear them for any reason at all when we’re not on a ship. So I can’t see the point in awarding them at all below gold and platinum level.

 

When I do send them back I will of course include a message containing the paragraph above.

 

And why am I just talking about it and not doing it?  Because Gerald Bernhoft, the Mariner Society Director has retired.  He has not been replaced.  I don’t see any point in making the gesture until a new Director has been appointed.  The underlings would likely just shrug their shoulders and return the medallions back to inventory.

 

‘Nuff said.

 

BTW, @Haljo1935, there is no 200-day medallion.  The next level up from the 100-day copper is the silver for 300 days.  And if I were you I definitely would contact them about your missing copper.  Their email address is mariner_society@hollandamerica.com

Edited July 24, 2023 by AV8rix

[Haljo1935]

40 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

...BTW, @Haljo1935, there is no 200-day medallion.  The next level up from the 100-day copper is the silver for 300 days.  And if I were you I definitely would contact them about your missing copper.  Their email address is mariner_society@hollandamerica.com

Thanks - I have sent them an email, so we'll see. While the medallions obviously have no value beyond the memories they represent, they're an indication of HALs value of their passengers so it's a "big picture" thing to me. If they're going to discontinue the program recognition, communication would be nice.

[kazu]

I got to go to the one on the Koningsdam - no idea if it is big ship thing or not - but my friends’ medallions were on their bed and they brought them to the reception.

the reception was just long enough for a quick chat before hand.  the actual one didn’t even last 15 minutes.

 

When I was on the Oosterdam, while the reception was still short (but not that short), there was time to chat after and officers and the Mariner Society rep chatted with us all.  From what I could see on both ships, the reception was limited to the top medallion holders (silver and up) and 5* Mariners in that category.

It was far more sociable with the staff on the Vista class as opposed to the Pinnacle.  I’m glad I got mine on the Prinsendam pre-covid.  they made it special ♥️ 

 

I’ll see what happens on the Rotterdam (assuming I am “good”enough to be invited).

[oaktreerb]

We have been invited to the ceremonies on our last two cruises.   August 2022 in Alaska on the Nieuw Amsterdam  we were invited to the ceremony and I don’t know why but we got a picture with the masked Captain and hotel director.  In November 2022 on the Koningsdam we got a medallion.  The groups were small but the Captains posed for pictures and drinks were offered.  After our next cruise in November 2023 we hope to have enough points to qualify for 5* in time for our Solstice Alaska 2024 cruise.  Another ceremony maybe!   

[SDARCH]

On 7/23/2023 at 8:45 AM, Infi said:

Related question: are the Mariner receptions (medallion ceremonies) back? Not referring to the MDR brunches or embarkation day cocktail parties, but the ones in the theater where medals are presented.

We had our 100 day medallion ceremony on the Zuiderdam in May in B.B. Kings.  The medallions were on our bed a few days earlier.  We didn't think to bring them but they had spares for the photo with the Captain.  It was a nice event and if I recall there were 95+ receiving the bronze medallion.

[Haljo1935]

I got a response today from my email to the Mariner's Desk asking about the status of my medallion. BTW it didn't feel right for me to ask and I usually am not so bold or aggressive about things like that, but I guess it really struck something in me that others were reporting still getting them when I had not. So, off went the very short email.

I should have received the 100 day medallion in Feb on a B2B, but didn't. Thought maybe they were out (like the tiles we were getting cards in lieu of) so I thought I would receive it during an April/May cruise, but still no. So, again, off went the email.

Michael from the Mariner's Desk says I will receive it in Oct during my Europe cruise. And they appreciate my loyalty 🙄 Thank you, Michael.

[Mary229]

Please remind me - what are the medallion levels?

[*Miss G*]

29 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Please remind me - what are the medallion levels?

 

Days at Sea:

100:  Bronze

300:  Silver

500:  Gold

700:  Platinum

[Cruise4food]

For timing of update to Mariner Status, I disembarked Koningsdam on July 29, newly qualified to 4 Star. The new status now appears on my account listing today Aug 1 (just three days).

[WriterOnDeck]

On 7/23/2023 at 10:45 AM, Infi said:

Related question: are the Mariner receptions (medallion ceremonies) back? Not referring to the MDR brunches or embarkation day cocktail parties, but the ones in the theater where medals are presented. Been on several cruises post COVID and have yet to see one. 

I was on the Zuiderdam for 4 B2Bs in May-July. On the first cruise they had a medallion ceremony in the Rolling Stone Lounge. I got an invitation (5*), but other 5* friends on board did not. No idea why not.

 

If there was a ceremony on the 2nd leg, I wasn't invited.

 

For the third leg, there was a Mariners Brunch/Luncheon. The 4 and 5* were invited at 11 am, and the new medallions were given out then by the captain and hotel manager, photo included. at 11:30 am they let the 3* (don't know about 2*) in for the lunch, It was a full ship.

 

The same again for the fourth leg as the third, but this time I was awarded my platinum medallion (700 sea days), so I got notice a few days in advance and was invited with the other medallion recipients to a champagne reception at 10:45 am in the Explorer's Lounge. I got my medallion during the ceremony, not before, as did the silver and gold recipients.

 

I think they are trying to get back on track. But I am sure it varies by the ship at this time. On the world cruise (I was actually on Jan. 3-July 22), my sisters each got a medallion. One got a bronze delivered to her cabin and was invited to come have a photo made with it. The other got a silver and was invited to a reception in the Crow's Nest. But those of us who were 5* weren't invited to any medallion ceremonies if we weren't receiving one. Of course, there were constant opportunities to drink the free sparkling wine, so it didn't really matter to me.

[Infi]

On 8/1/2023 at 9:34 AM, WriterOnDeck said:

I think they are trying to get back on track. But I am sure it varies by the ship at this time

 

Thank you for sharing your experience, and agree wholeheartedly with this statement. With HAL, things often vary greatly from ship to ship, and I can see why it would be more likely to find a medallion ceremony on the Zuiderdam WC vs. the shorter voyages. Like everyone, HAL is still trying to bounce back from COVID as best as they can, and it's nice to see they are making an effort to have these nice events return. 

 

Also wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks for your blog - have been referring to it during my planning for VOV and the posts have been very helpful!

[carnivaljunkie]

On 7/10/2023 at 7:43 PM, Mary229 said:

The only correction is if you attain a new level during a grand they will honor your new benefits during the voyage 

We will be making 5 star near the end of the Grand Australia. Do we get the free Pinacle meal and Spa day on that cruise?   

[Mary229]

42 minutes ago, carnivaljunkie said:

We will be making 5 star near the end of the Grand Australia. Do we get the free Pinacle meal and Spa day on that cruise?   

When you reach 5 star you should.  As your day approaches go to the desk and remind them of your upcoming change of status.  They will also provide you with a new room card denoting your new status!  That is what you need to go ahead with your perks. 

[carnivaljunkie]

Thank You Mary,

We will really need a free Pinnacle meal near the end of a 94 day cruise.

 

[WriterOnDeck]

On 8/3/2023 at 10:15 PM, Infi said:

 

Thank you for sharing your experience, and agree wholeheartedly with this statement. With HAL, things often vary greatly from ship to ship, and I can see why it would be more likely to find a medallion ceremony on the Zuiderdam WC vs. the shorter voyages. Like everyone, HAL is still trying to bounce back from COVID as best as they can, and it's nice to see they are making an effort to have these nice events return. 

 

Also wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks for your blog - have been referring to it during my planning for VOV and the posts have been very helpful!

Thanks for your comments. Although I might not have been clear -- the medallion lunches were on 2- and 3-week cruises after the world cruise, not on it.

[H2Osign]

1) it took over 2 weeks from our last cruise. When I called to ask about it, I was told the ship had not yet sent over what was needed. 
 

2) provided you did book that b2b as 2 separate bookings and your cruise days would be enough to push you over, then yes, you should be able to have your status updated during that second week. 
 

 

[SeaCapt]

More data points-

My wife's info posted and status updated just 2 days after returning from our 24-day cruise ending July 26. She had received the card and pin recognizing her new status during the last sea day.

 

I passed 300 nights aboard last March 2022, and received my Silver medallion on my next cruise in June, 2022. There were only 5 people present at the ceremony in the Ocean Bar, but the Captain and Hotel Director were there to present it and take photo's. I was the only one to receive anything.

Edited August 6, 2023 by SeaCapt