Good News You've Been Waiting To Hear

[rangeley]

Cheaper cruises!!!!!!! Thats the only thing that would matter. And I'm not talking about 25 or 50 bucks less, thats nothing. I can't even believe people waste their time on the internet. It's a vacation!! On our first cruise one woman had like 950 days on HAL, they gave her a pin. WOW They couldn't give her a free cruise? You can't get much more loyal than that.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Cheaper cruises!!!!!!! Thats the only thing that would matter. And I'm not talking about 25 or 50 bucks less, thats nothing. I can't even believe people waste their time on the internet. It's a vacation!! On our first cruise one woman had like 950 days on HAL, they gave her a pin. WOW They couldn't give her a free cruise? You can't get much more loyal than that.

WOW, I guess you have NEVER owned a business or even managed one where you were responsible for profits. With all the hundreds of cruisers that have well over 700 days HAL would be broke quickly giving out free cruises. That would be like my car dealership giving away a free Toyota to someone that has purchased 10 or more Toyotas, that's not going to happen and getting a free cruise is not going to happen. Personally I think HAL has some good prices for what they offer, and TAs are still able to discount a HAL cruise not like some other cruise lines. For that reason alone I don't even want to go there with wanting HAL to give higher discounts, it is not going to happen. So why bother to keep harping on it.

[iamirish]

How about just telling us (via e-mail) about their "sales & discounted cruises" BEFORE telling the world about their new promotions?

 

Tom

[jhannah]

That would be like my car dealership giving away a free Toyota to someone that has purchased 10 or more Toyotas ...

Why not? That sounds like a wonderful promotion! One free car for every ten you buy! :cool: :D

 

How about just telling us (via e-mail) about their "sales & discounted cruises" BEFORE telling the world about their new promotions?

I think they do this already. If you register online for their e-mails, you'll find out about these promotions.

[iamirish]

I am a Medallion Member (over 110 days) and I have signed up for their e-mail specials and . . . to date . . . nothing!!!!

[arzz]

I really don't get the attitude that because you do something frequently that you deserve a "free lunch" ... businesses are accustomed to making profits and they cannot do that if they give too much away for free, or for less than cost. I guarantee that if HAL starts to up their perks, and the perks have real value, they will not be free. We will all be paying for them somewhere, somehow.

 

Suite passengers get significant perks because they are occupying about twice the on board real estate and they pay for it. What they spend to occupy the high end real estate is a whole lot more dollars than the monetary value of the extra perks that they are awarded, I guarantee. A cruise line is not a non-for-profit organization.

 

Air lines can afford to "give away" seats that they are not going to sell anyway as the use of miles for travel is always capacity controlled. Since they hardly feed us anymore, and since the planes have to be fully staffed whether flying with a few empty seats or completely full, their only real cost to give away a small (and it is a very small portion) of their seats is the additional fuel. Unfortunately that is no longer a nominal amount of money so that I am sure that over time even these perks will diminish in number or entirely.

 

For those of us who keep coming back to HAL, if it was truly all about extra perks, then why would the repeater ratio on HAL continue to be so high? Could it be that we just plain get a wonderful cruise experience (the type that great memories are made of) at a reasonable price? The more perks they add, the more the price will have to go up to cover the additional costs. This could be a two edged sword that could either drive the cost of cruising up, or diminish the value on board that we all receive by necessitating a reduction in standard amenities and services. We have to be a bit careful what we wish for.

[silvercruiser]

I guess I spoke too hastily when I said I'd only sail on HAL if they gave me free internet minutes. Actually, we find wonderful things about both HAL and Princess and stick to those two. Part of this is because we're older.

Itinerary is what sells us, as you can see by the lists of cruises in my signature (which I don't ordinarily include). And yes, on longer cruises halfway across the world, I do like to check in with the kids via e-mail for a few minutes a day, which I only do on Princess, because it's given to me at no charge. Could I afford to buy a package on HAL? Of course, but would I? Usually not. Hey, blame it on my mother, she was a penny pincher!

Actually, the wonderful ice cream in the Lido buffet just about cancels out any complaint I could possibly have about HAL. And the warm chocolate chip cookie and milk at 4pm on Princess makes up for some of the things I don't like with them. All in all, I'd say that HAL is more of a class act than Princess, mostly due to the type of people they attract.

[rangeley]

WOW, I guess you have NEVER owned a business or even managed one where you were responsible for profits. With all the hundreds of cruisers that have well over 700 days HAL would be broke quickly giving out free cruises. That would be like my car dealership giving away a free Toyota to someone that has purchased 10 or more Toyotas, that's not going to happen and getting a free cruise is not going to happen. Personally I think HAL has some good prices for what they offer, and TAs are still able to discount a HAL cruise not like some other cruise lines. For that reason alone I don't even want to go there with wanting HAL to give higher discounts, it is not going to happen. So why bother to keep harping on it.

Sorry to get you upset LAFFN. All I'm saying is that if you have cruised with HAL for a 1,000 days they can throw you a free cruise. A thousand dollar cruise is a bit different than a 30,000 car. I'm sure HAL gives away some free cruises and onboard credits. I don't think HAL is going to go broke. The subject of this thread was for mariner incentives. I was just saying what I would like to see.

[dmeyer]

I can't even believe people waste their time on the internet. It's a vacation!! On our first cruise one woman had like 950 days on HAL, they gave her a pin. WOW They couldn't give her a free cruise? You can't get much more loyal than that.

 

I would like to make one comment about this matter of people who want to use the Internet while on vacation. I would agree with the waste of a vacation for people who merely want to "surf" the net and have no other life. However, I find that having Internet service available while on vacation actually makes it possible for me to HAVE a vacation. Not only for managing my affairs (I'm speaking of monetary affairs and not the other kind) , but also being able to have piece of mind about the health of family members, pets (gold fish, etc.), whether the roof is leaking and being able to make decisions about it, etc. Yes, having access to the Internet makes me more relaxed while away from my other life.

[Cinder Again]

Several CC'ers and I actually had a discussion about this very topic while we were in Antarctica on the beautiful ms. Rotterdam.

Some of the suggestions of the folks have been mentioned here, such as:

free or REDUCED price internet minutes, based on your Mariner status.

free or REDUCED cost laundry and dry cleaning

priority tender tickets

priority embarkation/disembarkation tickets

Discount coupon for the Pinnacle lunches/dinners

Dining preferences, assuming you aren't booking an unassigned cabin.

coupon for free or reduced price spa service

reduced price non-alcoholic or coffee drink card

a complementary picture or two...

or maybe just a coupon you could use for ANY of the above, depending on what works for you...

 

I will point out that there were about 800 Mariners of the 1249 aboard, so the freebies should be pro-rated to match your day level, I think. I do plan to write to Hal with suggestions, can anyone think of others?

[longtimecruiser]

Kahi,

I remember that discussion coming back on the tender to the beautiful Rotterdam. I will write Hal too as we all discussed. Perks should all be based on the number of days people have sailed with Hal. I think we all came up with a good list.

[longtimecruiser]

Kahi,

I remember that discussion coming back on the tender to the beautiful Rotterdam. I will write Hal too as we all discussed. Perks should all be based on the number of days people have sailed with Hal. I think we all came up with a good list. Adele:o

[gentlemancruiser]

You can add (in my opinion) buttons, pins, and medallions to that list!

 

Imagine how much money HAL could save if they stopped giving those mariner buttons???

Since we are now having to pay extra for our garbage pick up at home, and they reduce the amount of garbage we can put out, I'm keeping all the junk that HAL includes in the blue ticket wallets (buttons included) and I leave them in my garbage on the ship.

[NHBob]

Interesting discussion. Of the three lines I cruise with most often, Crystal, Cunard, and HAL, Crystal offers the best repeat passenger perks by far, BUT you more than pay for them with their higher fares. For example, my recently completed 10-day transatlantic on Crystal Serenity worked out to about $390/day, compared to $150/day for my upcoming Zuiderdam transatlantic, excluding air in both cases. Yes, Crystal fares do include some items that are extra cost on HAL, but not to the tune of $240 per day! So obviously I don't choose Crystal for the perks!

 

Crystal's perks include past passenger discounts on every cruise, with amounts based on cruise length and cabin category, on-board credits at 5, 10, 15, etc cruise milestones, and cabin upgrades for the higher milestones; 100 cruise milestone will get you a free 11-day cruise in a penthouse! Anybody interested in more detail, check the Crystal Society tab on Crystal's website.

[AFuncruiser]

And thank God Princess had the sense to put restrictions on it.

 

I've told this story before ... but one of the reasons I stopped sailing Princess after two cruises (just one of the reasons ... there are others) was because of how I felt the cruise line shafted me on internet time. I would be sitting at a terminal ... trying to get connected to download my emails ... and it would take literally forever. After ten minutes, and all I accomplished was to get the directory display up on my web browser, I happen to turn around. The kid on my left is playing some sort of interative game, and the woman on my right is working on her ebay store. Those folks obviously were on the level that internet time was of no concern to them. So, if the connectivity was slow ... something they were clearly contributing to ... so be it. It wasn't costing them anything. But I, on the other hand, was paying through the nose for each minute it was taking me to do business.

 

I felt that Princess was basically using ME to compensate their long-time cruisers, and that's not fair. The fact that those people are Elite status doesn't do me any benefit, so why should I have to pay to reward them?

 

I was glad to see Princess give them a certain number of minutes instead of unlimited internet time. That time, I am sure, was never designed to be frittered away with web browsing and computer games. It was surely designed as a courtesy to their repeater guests so that they could check their email without cost ... something that, if they restricted their internet activities to, would not have slowed the connection down to a snail's pace.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

 

In my opinion Holland America has the slowest computers on the Seven Seas. I get frustrated every time I set down at their computers. One can almost take a book to read between connections.

 

Dennis

 

177 days at sea

21 cruises

11 cruise lines

T/P, T/A, Hawaii, Central & South America, New Zealand & South Pacific

Booked Holland American ZUIDERDAM T/A 18 nights 03/15/08

Celebrity CENTURY T/A 15 nights 12/1/08

 

 

De

[hammybee]

Interesting discussion. Of the three lines I cruise with most often, Crystal, Cunard, and HAL, Crystal offers the best repeat passenger perks by far, BUT you more than pay for them with their higher fares. For example, my recently completed 10-day transatlantic on Crystal Serenity worked out to about $390/day, compared to $150/day for my upcoming Zuiderdam transatlantic, excluding air in both cases. Yes, Crystal fares do include some items that are extra cost on HAL, but not to the tune of $240 per day! So obviously I don't choose Crystal for the perks!

 

Crystal's perks include past passenger discounts on every cruise, with amounts based on cruise length and cabin category, on-board credits at 5, 10, 15, etc cruise milestones, and cabin upgrades for the higher milestones; 100 cruise milestone will get you a free 11-day cruise in a penthouse! Anybody interested in more detail, check the Crystal Society tab on Crystal's website.

 

I think Crystal has one of the best reward programs in the business and yeah, you get what you pay for.

 

Crystal seems to be the perfect step up from HAL for those inclined to pay more to get more. Their ships are small and the fleet is limited to two ships, at this time. They are able to do what they do and consistently embrace traditional sailing values because they have stayed small and charge a serious premium for it.

 

Based upon everything I have read, the cabins do not compare favorably to most on HAL. A balcony cabin is going to cost substantially more because there are fewer of them. My sense is that sailing with Crystal has far more to do with the overall experience than the in cabin deal.

 

It's all about personal service, dining and ambiance. It seems to me this comes closest to what cruising used to be and maintaining such standards comes with the associated price tag.

[mrblack]

I...I find that having Internet service available while on vacation actually makes it possible for me to HAVE a vacation...

I agree. My husband has his own business and having access to internet allows him to take an extended holiday. he can stay in touch with the bank and his office to deal with any emergencies that might arise. Years ago without internet life moved at a slower pace in the office too, unfortunately today everything has been speeded up and that means people have to be more easily accessible sometimes. Because of internet we are going on a month long holiday. The internet allows us that luxury.:D

[Cinder Again]

Did I get all the suggestions we talked about on the ship? I feel like I'm missing something, but for the life of me, I can't remember what. Sent you an email today. Courtney thought your email was "longtimecruiser" and deleted your real email. Send her a note again! Kathi

[kryos]

In my opinion Holland America has the slowest computers on the Seven Seas. I get frustrated every time I set down at their computers. One can almost take a book to read between connections.

I guess my experience was just a bit different. Yes, HAL's computers are slow ... no question ... but on Princess it was more like die, go into suspended animation, and then get brought back to life. They were that slow. But, of course, the people getting internet access free didn't care about the speed. After all, it wasn't costing them anything to sit there and wait. I was the one paying for it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[LindaJ+]

What does internet cost on HAL? (taking my first cruise in June)

[mr green]

What does internet cost on HAL? (taking my first cruise in June)

 

About 75c a minute I believe.

 

john

[Vic The Parrot]

The (almost) free internet is a step in the right direction.

 

 

At least it shows that HAL is moving in the right direction.

 

(Now, all of us HAL faithful old-timers need is a good laundry package ... priority boarding ... a bottle of bubbly in the cabin ... a complimentary meal in PG ... the wish list can be endless. ;) )

[jhannah]

What does internet cost on HAL? (taking my first cruise in June)

It is 75 cents per minute if you pay as you go. But you can bring this down a bit with packages. 100 minutes is $55, and 250 minutes is $100. There is also a one-time $3.95 fee to establish your account.

 

I have purchased packages on some cruises, but prefer to visit an internet center in port. There, a dollar or two will get you half an hour!

[gebo]

I have reserved a cruise for Nov/Dec will this apply?

[sail7seas]

 

free or REDUCED cost laundry and dry cleaning - Suites pay for this so if I'm in a Suite and I have 500+ days, I get something taken away from me that I have paid for. I don't need the same laundry done twice. ;)

 

 

priority tender tickets - Suites pay for this. My Priority Suite tender promise becomes a whole lot less priority when dozens (?) become eligible for it. Again, as a Suite guest who has paid a high fare and as a 500 dayer, I can only ride the Tender once ashore.

 

priority embarkation/disembarkation tickets - Same as above. Suite guests pay more money for this. There goes my priority and gain, I'm getting it twice buy will only be embarking/disembarking once.

 

 

Dining preferences, assuming you aren't booking an unassigned cabin.

coupon for free or reduced price spa service - This is probably getting boring but, once again, we have bought the promise of our dining preference if we book a Suite. I'm only eating at one table each evening; only one table. So....my Suite fare and my Mariner benefit would be duplication thereby making the Mariner benefit worthless, for us.

reduced price non-alcoholic or coffee drink card - that would be very nice!

 

 

a complementary picture or two...

 

 

or maybe just a coupon you could use for ANY of the above, depending on what works for you...

 

Whenever this subject comes up, I usually pipe in with the same response. It would be very irritating to a Suite guest who has accumlated hundreds of days in that Suite to suddenly have all those benefits become doubled to the expense of what looks like we are paying more money to get less. I believe any change should be the offer of shipboard credit or fare reduction predicated upon number of days sailed. We all can use cash!

 

JMHO.