Giving Good Gifts to HAL Cruisers

[RevNeal]

I have been blessed by churches and friends who have given me many wonderful bon-voyage gifts on my cruises. Word has come to me that, yet again, my congregation is going to give me a nice sailing-present for my Eurodam Inaugural Cruise this July. Such friends are a great blessing.

 

When I inquired as to how they knew my booking number in order to make the gift I was told that such wasn't necessary. All one has to do to give a gift to someone cruising on a HAL ship is to go to HAL's website, click on the "For Booked Guests" Link, then click on "Onboard Gifts" in the drop-down menu. On the next screen scroll down and click on the "Onboard gifts" button at the bottom of the screen. This brings up a sign-in screen, so sign in with your HAL online account (or create a new one) and this takes you to the "MY GIFT RECIPIENTS" screen. Here you can either enter the booking numbers you want to add (if you know them) or, if you don't know someone's booking number you simply need their:

 

1. Last Name

2. Ship Name

3. Sail Date.

 

This will bring up their booking, and then you can buy gifts for them. It's as simple as that!

 

Thanks to those wonderful people -- friends on this board and church members, alike -- who have been so generous with me in the past! And, now, you too can join me in giving good gifts to all your HAL cruising friends!!!!!!!! :D

[Sunshine91]

;) Greg - I've sent gifts several times, to HAL sailors & RCCL, never having a booking number. Sometimes I'm not even sure of the correct spelling of a friend's last name, but the customer service rep always finds my friend or family member. Now, I have always called ship services, and not used the website, so there's the difference.

 

See you in a few weeks. :)

[RevNeal]

;) Greg - I've sent gifts several times, to HAL sailors & RCCL, never having a booking number. Sometimes I'm not even sure of the correct spelling of a friend's last name, but the customer service rep always finds my friend or family member. Now, I have always called ship services, and not used the website, so there's the difference.

 

See you in a few weeks. :)

 

:)

True ... but it IS nice to be able to do this online, too. :)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have been doing this for quite a while except I call the 800 number to Guest Services. I have had several friend cruise and just called HAL and told them the name and ship and date. I will say that HAL has so many items that are really easy to purchase. My TA is on the RCCL Liberty she sailed yesterday and I wanted to send her a gift, she had made comment that she did not think she could afford a Soda Card this time so I wanted to get her one. Unfortunately RCCL has very limited gift selections and you cannot just order a Soda Card so I had to just give her ship board credit that equaled a Soda Card and gratuity and say on the card that it was for a Soda Card. It was nice she called me yesterday when she got to her cabin. She was very touched and surprised. Overall HAL is the easiest to select and help with friends that are sailing

[Northshorecruisers]

When we were on Princess last fall, the friends we were travelling with got numerous gifts that weren't even theirs. Took us a few days to figure out that their cabin number was the same as the cruise number. If people ordered gifts for people and only had the cruise number - the gift went to our friends cabin. The first couple times, the gifts arrived when the husband was in the cabin alone (or wife was in the bathroom getting ready for dinner). My friend's husband is blind so when he answered the door and the person said "this gift is for you", he would just take it. Then one time, the wife answered the door and read the note on the gift and it wasn't their name. She told the person who was delivering that it wasn't for them and all the person said was "it's for your cabin number" and walked away. She had to make a trip to the pursers desk to let them know they should be checking the name on the gift to get it to the right cabin.

I'm glad to hear that HAL's system works better than Princess.

[Growler]

As I'm going to be celebrating my 50th birthday on our next cruise, DW and I decided that should anyone be gracious enough to ask what I'd like as a present, they'll be directed to the HAL website, and told 'suprise us!'

 

On a previous cruise (a family Xmas get-together to celebrate my parents' Golden Wedding), our TA organised a number of special things for them without saying a word (Champagne in their Suite, Dinner in the Pinnacle grill, flowers for mum, Chocolate Strawberries etc etc)- was a HUGE surprise, and made the trip *very* special for mum&dad.

[jhannah]

H-m-m-m. Wonder if HAL would ever implement a "gift registry" like the retailers do for couples soon to be married? That way we could register what we'd enjoy getting so our friends could get us just what we wanted! :D

[RuthC]

H-m-m-m. Wonder if HAL would ever implement a "gift registry" like the retailers do for couples soon to be married? That way we could register what we'd enjoy getting so our friends could get us just what we wanted! :D

That's a good idea! Sure would simplify the ol' letter to Santa, too. :D

[RevNeal]

H-m-m-m. Wonder if HAL would ever implement a "gift registry" like the retailers do for couples soon to be married? That way we could register what we'd enjoy getting so our friends could get us just what we wanted! :D

 

That's a good idea! Sure would simplify the ol' letter to Santa, too. :D

 

That's a fantastic idea!!!!!! :D

It sure would make the process of figuring out what to get people a whole lot easier.

[kakalina]

Although I have never received a gift from anyone other than my PCC or the Captain I have never had a problem. My problem is I can't get the drop down menu for actually ordering something. All I can get to, even after signing in, is the generic gift listings but nothing specific.

[RevNeal]

Although I have never received a gift from anyone other than my PCC or the Captain I have never had a problem. My problem is I can't get the drop down menu for actually ordering something. All I can get to, even after signing in, is the generic gift listings but nothing specific.

 

What browser are you using?

I'm accessing with Safari 3.1.1

[kakalina]

What browser are you using?

I'm accessing with Safari 3.1.1

 

I'm sorry Greg, I am not computer savvy that is the job of DH ;) However, I followed your directions exactly and got the drop down menu. Thanks a bunch my friend.

[airlink diva]

I have been doing this for quite a while except I call the 800 number to Guest Services. I have had several friend cruise and just called HAL and told them the name and ship and date. I will say that HAL has so many items that are really easy to purchase. My TA is on the RCCL Liberty she sailed yesterday and I wanted to send her a gift, she had made comment that she did not think she could afford a Soda Card this time so I wanted to get her one. Unfortunately RCCL has very limited gift selections and you cannot just order a Soda Card so I had to just give her ship board credit that equaled a Soda Card and gratuity and say on the card that it was for a Soda Card. It was nice she called me yesterday when she got to her cabin. She was very touched and surprised. Overall HAL is the easiest to select and help with friends that are sailing

I know on my last sailing, my parents purchased me a wine card. My parents knew only my ship and sailing date and just called HAL services and it was waiting for me in my cabin. I forgot to take the receipt to the purser's desk and they left a message the next day to make sure that I received it.