Good News You've Been Waiting To Hear

[sail7seas]

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

 

 

Probably (hopefully) not.

[pms4104]

I understand your point of view, and I believe that any new Mariner program that duplicates suite amenities would be a slap in the face to HAL's higher tier passengers.

 

The gurus in Seattle have a tightrope to walk here and will need to have some serious brainstorming sessions to come up with program features that are totally unique. I suppose HAL's other option, if they plan to include any traditionally suite privileges in the new Mariner program, would be to strip all benefits from the suites and reduce those fares by some arbitrary percentage. Say, something like 30 percent!

 

I can't even imagine what HAL could come up with ... but it better be unique. Personally, I'd be happy with bigger OBC or nicer discounts on the cruise fare. I would even consider HAL's pre- or post-cruise hotel arrangements if they were seriously discounted based on Mariner status.

[sail7seas]

I understand your point of view, and I believe that any new Mariner program that duplicates suite amenities would be a slap in the face to HAL's higher tier passengers.

 

The gurus in Seattle have a tightrope to walk here and will need to have some serious brainstorming sessions to come up with program features that are totally unique. I suppose HAL's other option, if they plan to include any traditionally suite privileges in the new Mariner program, would be to strip all benefits from the suites and reduce those fares by some arbitrary percentage. Say, something like 30 percent!

 

I can't even imagine what HAL could come up with ... but it better be unique. Personally, I'd be happy with bigger OBC or nicer discounts on the cruise fare. I would even consider HAL's pre- or post-cruise hotel arrangements if they were seriously discounted based on Mariner status.

 

 

Most of us who book Suites repeatedly do so for more than simply higher square footage. We do so for the extra comforts we are paying for included in the price. To simply take away those comforts makes our suites and the accompanying fare less attractive for some of us.....me included.

 

To my mind, the only way they can please most of the people IF they decide to give more Mariner benefits is to make it a sliding scale in the form of cash. The more days one has sailed, the higher the discount at booking or the higher the OBC on the ship.

 

Everyone likes cash. Use it as you want and book and use and do/drink what you want.

 

Anything else gets into "I don't want that, I'd rather ( fill in the blank). "

 

 

To make any possible future Mariners benefits things Suites are already paying for will only anger those people who are paying the most money. Is that a great idea? Get the best customer unhappy?

[Vic The Parrot]

Call me stupid, but ...

 

 

How is it possible to pay for "extra perks" twice ??

 

Other lines use the same type of amenities for thier repeat clients regardless of cabin category. The only difference is paying more for the suite, which is understandable.

 

 

Another company I sail with does just that. I don't hear anyone over there complaining. :rolleyes:

[Vic The Parrot]

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

 

 

It should, since the new rewards programme starts in the autumn.

 

Double check with your travel agent. They could get the details for you once they come out.

 

Enjoy your cruise :)

[pms4104]

Most of us who book Suites repeatedly do so for more than simply higher square footage. We do so for the extra comforts we are paying for included in the price. To simply take away those comforts makes our suites and the accompanying fare less attractive for some of us.....me included.

 

To my mind, the only way they can please most of the people IF they decide to give more Mariner benefits is to make it a sliding scale in the form of cash. The more days one has sailed, the higher the discount at booking or the higher the OBC on the ship.

 

Everyone likes cash. Use it as you want and book and use and do/drink what you want.

 

Anything else gets into "I don't want that, I'd rather ( fill in the blank). "

 

 

To make any possible future Mariners benefits things Suites are already paying for will only anger those people who are paying the most money. Is that a great idea? Get the best customer unhappy?

Understood ... my benefit stripping and fare reduction comments were somewhat in jest. While we have not yet enjoyed the privileges of the suite life, I can see that extra goodies would be attractive to us. As I stated, the Mariner offerings need to be unique and still attractive to the broadest range of passengers. Indeed, either in reduced fare or increased OBC, green and white paper with pictures of dead presidents on it would speak to me!

[Vic The Parrot]

Probably (hopefully) not.

 

 

That wasn't really necessary, now, was it? :rolleyes:

[hammybee]

 

free or REDUCED cost laundry and dry cleaning - Suites pay for this.

 

priority tender tickets - Suites pay for this.

 

priority embarkation/disembarkation tickets - Suite guests pay more money for this.

 

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 am in total agreement with you and I say this as someone who sails in the cheap seats more often than a Deluxe Suite.

 

If they feel they have to do it, I hope they give points based upon dollars spent or cabin class sailed. No reasonable way to do this on a retroactive basis but a no brainer going forward.

[Vic The Parrot]

Reduced laundry costs - works on other lines

 

Priority check-in and boarding - works on other lines

 

Tender priority - works on other lines

 

 

 

It's all in black and white (or whatever colour you prefer) on the other boards, and in the brochures.

[sail7seas]

Reduced laundry costs - works on other lines

 

Priority check-in and boarding - works on other lines

 

Tender priority - works on other lines

 

 

 

It's all in black and white (or whatever colour you prefer) on the other boards, and in the brochures.

 

On other lines we have sailed in Suites, those amenities were not included in our additional fare as Suite guests.

 

Those are things we pay additional sums (included in our fare) to have on HAL. We currently pay for dry cleaning, priority embark/debark and priority tendering.

 

If they are to be given as Mariners perks, if someone sails in a suite AND has high Mariner days, they are getting nothing for either (a) their added fare they are paying as part of the suite price or (b) the high number of Mariner days. They don't need those things doubled so either they get nothing for their high Mariner Days or they get nothing for the added money they pay for their Suite.

 

I hope I have explained myself more clearly this time, Vic. Hopefully, you see there was nothing wrong with my comment about not eager for this program to start. Why would I want to pay more and get less? Our Suite prices keep going up but this proposed (hypothetical) Maybe, might happen is not winner in the eyes of a Suite guest with high Mariner days.

 

BUT, so far as I know, no public confirmatory announcement has yet to be made.

[Vic The Parrot]

But like I said, it DOESN'T have to be based on accommodation type.

[sail7seas]

No, of course, it doesn't but those are the 'speculative' musings here on this thread about what will be offered.

[Vic The Parrot]

Well, regardless, I'm still looking forward to what they have to offer. It could benefit everyone who sails with them ... from the 1st-timer, to old dogs like us.

 

Manana`

[Sparkydear]

I left Princess also .... but probably for more reasons than you did. ;)

 

And yes, sometimes I paid for twenty minutes of internet time to just barely get into my email account and then be kicked off before I could open one message. And I still had to pay for it. After doing that several times, I gave up. Sometimes the whole internet place was empty, so I think it was more poor satellite rather than the number of users. But who knows.

[Sparkydear]

I'm confused. Vic the Parrot says he is an old dog. How can that be? Bird or dog? Or maybe bird-dog?

[Vic The Parrot]

I'm confused. Vic the Parrot says he is an old dog. How can that be? Bird or dog? Or maybe bird-dog?

 

 

 

Everly Brothers :D ;)

[marco]

A local agency had a cruise show a week or so ago. I went. They had reps from most lines and you could talk with, make inquires, etc. I was talking wiht the HAL rep, mentioned that we had just returned from a "Noordam" cruise and said,Ya know....I've sailed on HAL more than I have on Princess, but when I sail on Princess, as a repeater, I get: Complementary internet, initial mini bar set-up, dry cleaning, laundry, 10 % off in the shops, a top shelf cocktail party with the captain and a photo with him at it, prioity tendering if applicable, and a disembarcation lounge with continental breakfast being served. On HAL....I get a lapel pin". He said, "Well....we feel we have a superior product and don't need to entice people to sail with us again". I guess he's right, otherwise, why would we have been on the "Noordam" instead of the "Something Princess"? And on another note, friends did just return from a Princess cruise who have sailed on HAL and said, "geez....can you believe it....on Princess you have to PAY for ice cream when you want it in the middle of the afternoon, you have to PAY for expresso or cappaccino after dinner.....you don't on HAL" .....Ok, so they give you "a" for free and charge you for "b", and the other line is the opposite. When all is said and done, after you've come home and paid your on line account, assuming the same basic cabin category, a cruise on line "A" costs about the same as a cruie on line "B". And MOST importantly...the sun was just as warm, the ocean just as blue, and the ports just as iniviting.