myrivers88 Posted January 29 #276 Share Posted January 29 I sailed standby last month on Nieuw Statendam solo for 11 days and had the inside cabin they notified me one week before sailing. I am booked again on the Eurodam on Feb 24th and hope to sail again. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FancyTales Posted January 29 #277 Share Posted January 29 21 hours ago, SoloYolo said: Yes, that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. I am on standby and it is exactly one week away so I’m curious what approximately is supposed to mean. By the time you get accepted there probably isn’t a chance to schedule anything. I thought I would try it, but I think it’s just a money grab . I’ll be curious to see how long it takes to get my refund if I’m not put on the ship. It's 4 days until the cruise and we have not heard anything from HAL. Luckily we are only 4 hour drive to the port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicpersona Posted January 29 #278 Share Posted January 29 12 hours ago, Chicanocruiser said: Based on my review of this thread, everyone on this thread who purchased a Standby Program booking was notified no later than 24 hours before departure that they were going to board the ship or get a refund. Does this seem accurate? Insufficient data. I have asked for clarification a couple times, but I don't recall that anyone was notified that they were not sailing without them first having to call HAL and ask what the heck happened to the 7-day notice. Was anyone who took no action at all notified in advance of debarkation that they were not sailing? I was explicitly told that the expectation was that you would show up at the terminal and learn 90 minutes before sail away that you didn't make it. Regardless, if they want to define the program as being 24 or 48 notice, that's fine. But that's not what they said when we paid in full for the cruise. Side note: The people that I talked to at HAL were extremely nice and understanding that what they promised was not the way it worked. And I was thrilled beyond words that my full refund was posted within a couple days of speaking with them about it. The *only* beef I have with them was the seven day misrepresentation. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicanocruiser Posted January 29 #279 Share Posted January 29 12 minutes ago, publicpersona said: Insufficient data. I have asked for clarification a couple times, but I don't recall that anyone was notified that they were not sailing without them first having to call HAL and ask what the heck happened to the 7-day notice. Was anyone who took no action at all notified in advance of debarkation that they were not sailing? I was explicitly told that the expectation was that you would show up at the terminal and learn 90 minutes before sail away that you didn't make it. Regardless, if they want to define the program as being 24 or 48 notice, that's fine. But that's not what they said when we paid in full for the cruise. Side note: The people that I talked to at HAL were extremely nice and understanding that what they promised was not the way it worked. And I was thrilled beyond words that my full refund was posted within a couple days of speaking with them about it. The *only* beef I have with them was the seven day misrepresentation. They definitely should change the advertised notification timeline or actually follow the advertised timeline. No reasonable arbitrator, mediator, or jury would agree that the approximately seven days notification includes standing by at the port/dock up to 90 minutes before sail away. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloYolo Posted February 1 #280 Share Posted February 1 On 1/26/2024 at 2:59 PM, ChinaShrek said: I just checked Royal for August and the cheapest rate $1100 plus taxes for an interior. Again, $350 for a solo is a steal. I can't even eat out around here for 7 days for under $350. The HAL standby program is a decent option for poor but flexible people. I am trying standby . I think it is unfair that solos are charged double. If the cabin is empty, more cruise line should do this. I don’t mind the one week prior notice since I live near the port . cruise prices have skyrocketed this year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FancyTales Posted February 1 #281 Share Posted February 1 Just got off the phone with the resolution department. Our cruise is 1 day 11 hr away and we still don't know if we are going on this cruise! The information email can arrive up to the day of sailing. They did't say that in the stand-by program details. We won't do this again. Not worth the aggravation. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted February 1 #282 Share Posted February 1 1 hour ago, SoloYolo said: I am trying standby . I think it is unfair that solos are charged double. If the cabin is empty, more cruise line should do this. I don’t mind the one week prior notice since I live near the port . cruise prices have skyrocketed this year. We agree with you that cruise prices have gone up substantially . If the cruise lines think that they can keeping hiking prices , then it will back fire at some point in total bookings . It comes down to basic economics Cliff 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FancyTales Posted February 1 #283 Share Posted February 1 35 minutes ago, FancyTales said: Just got off the phone with the resolution department. Our cruise is 1 day 11 hr away and we still don't know if we are going on this cruise! The information email can arrive up to the day of sailing. They did't say that in the stand-by program details. We won't do this again. Not worth the aggravation. Well my phone call must have done something. Just received an email that we have been confirmed for this Saturday sailing! No cabin or boarding pass yet. Fingers crossed. 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted February 1 #284 Share Posted February 1 13 minutes ago, FancyTales said: Well my phone call must have done something. Just received an email that we have been confirmed for this Saturday sailing! No cabin or boarding pass yet. Fingers crossed. Do you expect to get any other than a inside cabin ? We have to agree with the ither person most people would fing this last minute program that Holland out in more aggravating that it is worth the discounts . & when you boil it all down see how much you did save over normal bookings . We don't believe that any cruise line is doing this because they care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorenceItaly Posted February 1 #285 Share Posted February 1 1 minute ago, mcrcruiser said: Do you expect to get any other than a inside cabin ? We have to agree with the ither person most people would fing this last minute program that Holland out in more aggravating that it is worth the discounts . & when you boil it all down see how much you did save over normal bookings . We don't believe that any cruise line is doing this because they care Several have received Vista Suites. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisy-mae Posted February 1 #286 Share Posted February 1 55 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said: Several have received Vista Suites. That's interesting. We have reserved an unobstructed verandah guarantee for an upcoming cruise and have already received two upsell offers for Vista Suites. Your news may or may not bode well for us, depending on the number of people who have opted for a standby spot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorenceItaly Posted February 1 #287 Share Posted February 1 2 minutes ago, daisy-mae said: That's interesting. We have reserved an unobstructed verandah guarantee for an upcoming cruise and have already received two upsell offers for Vista Suites. Your news may or may not bode well for us, depending on the number of people who have opted for a standby spot. I believe it is this thread where people have shared this. You would have to go back to page 1 and read through. The standby program states you are guaranteed an inside room. What HAL assigns is outside ones control. One always has the option to participate in the standby program. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisy-mae Posted February 1 #288 Share Posted February 1 11 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said: The standby program states you are guaranteed an inside room. What HAL assigns is outside ones control. One always has the option to participate in the standby program. Understood. But if there is no uptake on the Vista upsells, then the folks who have reserved a guarantee in a verandah category may be next in line - or they may not - depending on the total number in the pool. Just having a little fun speculating; we'll have to wait until the dust settles to see what we get. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloYolo Posted February 1 #289 Share Posted February 1 1 hour ago, FancyTales said: Well my phone call must have done something. Just received an email that we have been confirmed for this Saturday sailing! No cabin or boarding pass yet. Fingers crossed. I just got my phone call Tuesday for a Sunday departure. I had to laugh when I saw someone posted They got Vista suites this way. I got the inside cabin on the lowest deck you can get so I’ll see how this goes. as a solo traveler, it’s still cheaper than paying double so I have no complaints and I look forward to seeing what my first experience on Holland America Will be like. I am sapphire on Ncl and wanted to start experiencing other cruise lines. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorenceItaly Posted February 1 #290 Share Posted February 1 1 minute ago, daisy-mae said: Understood. But if there is no uptake on the Vista upsells, then the folks who have reserved a guarantee in a verandah category may be next in line - or they may not - depending on the total number in the pool. Just having a little fun speculating; we'll have to wait until the dust settles to see what we get. There is no rhyme or reason to what HAL does....seriously....wishing you a wonderful cruise! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicpersona Posted February 2 #291 Share Posted February 2 (edited) 7 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said: Several have received Vista Suites. Only one person (Raybit) said that they ended up with a Vista Suite. That has been quoted and discussed in a few other posts, but no, only one person has said this. One shouldn't go into this program expecting anything better than an inside cabin with an earth-shaking-at-4AM aft thruster below, and an all-night heavy metal bar immediately above. Anything better would be icing on the cake. Edited February 2 by publicpersona 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Haljo1935 Posted February 2 #292 Share Posted February 2 1 hour ago, publicpersona said: ...One shouldn't go into this program expecting anything better than an inside cabin with an earth-shaking-at-4AM aft thruster below, and an all-night heavy metal bar immediately above.... All-night heavy metal bar? Am I in the wrong place - I thought this was a HAL thread. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicanocruiser Posted February 2 #293 Share Posted February 2 1 hour ago, publicpersona said: Only one person (Raybit) said that they ended up with a Vista Suite. That has been quoted and discussed in a few other posts, but no, only one person has said this. One shouldn't go into this program expecting anything better than an inside cabin with an earth-shaking-at-4AM aft thruster below, and an all-night heavy metal bar immediately above. Anything better would be icing on the cake. Someone posted getting into a signature suite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sunviking90 Posted February 2 #294 Share Posted February 2 1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said: All-night heavy metal bar? Am I in the wrong place - I thought this was a HAL thread. Well, I’ve been cruising since 1991 and I don’t know how many cruises, but a few weeks ago I accompanied my sister on a “free” cruise offer on the Koningsdam. We paid to upgrade to obstructed balcony and were given 4047 (we couldn’t choose). The music from decks below us was SO loud we could make out each song and lyrics! It was the first time I’ve been bothered by loud music on a cruise to that extent, and we’ve often had guarantees. We called down to the front desk and they were very nice and luckily able to move us to a nice quiet veranda aft on deck 8 the next day. I think they “knew”. The new Holland America? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseDuckDuo Posted February 2 #295 Share Posted February 2 On our standby cruise, we did get a Vista Suite (Category A) which was the cabin of a couple that cancelled last minute. (package/lanyards for their group were still in the cabin when we got aboard) That said, the standby program is for a INSIDE CABIN, (category N) however if you get lucky and fill in for a last minute cancellation, it seems you get the category of that person/couple. (my guess) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare HappyInVan Posted February 2 #296 Share Posted February 2 (edited) 10 hours ago, CruiseDuckDuo said: On our standby cruise, we did get a Vista Suite (Category A) which was the cabin of a couple that cancelled last minute. (package/lanyards for their group were still in the cabin when we got aboard) That said, the standby program is for a INSIDE CABIN, (category N) however if you get lucky and fill in for a last minute cancellation, it seems you get the category of that person/couple. (my guess) That's interesting. Why would I pay big bucks for a suite when I could try for standby? That must be why my next HAL cruise is for a partial ocean view, after suites on three 2023 cruises . Well done HAL! 🤩 Edited February 2 by HappyInVan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FancyTales Posted February 2 #297 Share Posted February 2 Received our cabin assignment today. Deck 8 verandah mid ship! Way better than I thought we would get. We were prepared for inside. 12 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisy-mae Posted February 2 #298 Share Posted February 2 5 minutes ago, FancyTales said: Received our cabin assignment today. Deck 8 verandah mid ship! Way better than I thought we would get. We were prepared for inside. Just curious - when do you sail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorenceItaly Posted February 2 #299 Share Posted February 2 5 minutes ago, daisy-mae said: Just curious - when do you sail? I believe they sail tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FancyTales Posted February 2 #300 Share Posted February 2 31 minutes ago, daisy-mae said: Just curious - when do you sail? Tomorrow out of Ft Lauderdale 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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