New amenities for Mariners on HAL

[pms4104]

How can HAL realistically give free things to Mariners when on many cruises they constitute 90% of the passangers. It is not economically pheasable.

 

What we would rather see them do is maintain their high level of services and keep the prices affordable.

 

Ruth & Jim

I understand your point ... and I would guess that HAL will come up with a token, such as a discount or OBC. I also acknowledge that the more stuff HAL gives away, the more apt they will be to look for other ways to increase the revenue stream: higher prices for beverages, internet minutes, spa services, etc. I would hate to see HAL charge for room service, for instance, to make up for what's being endowed on some 80-90 percent of passengers each sailing. Even worse would be dumbing down the entire experience by reducing the quality of service and food to compensate for the Mariner Society expenses.

 

Indeed, HAL needs to be mindful of maintaining the excellence and tradition that have made the line so attractive to so many for so long.

[jtl513]

HAL will need to come up with something unique/not redundant that has universal appeal. It should be interesting to see what the Society dreams up.

Money - discounts or OBC's.

[Alan2504]

How about "Mariner Miles".......based on the number of days on board....plus recognition of on-board $ spent ?.....redeemable against future cruises?

 

I know, not original, but it seems a fairly equitable way to appreciate loyalty.

[Pam in CA]

It's very easy to pooh-pooh past passenger rewards but when you get them on one line but not on another under the same corporate umbrella, you think twice about taking a cruise on the other line. I'm "Elite" on Princess and get the free Internet and free laundry/dry cleaning, and I will really miss it on my two upcoming HAL cruises. Most of the Princess cruises I take are almost all repeat passengers. I don't know the percentage but at the Captain's Circle Party for past passengers, the ship is a ghost town if you don't go to the party. I don't think that the incentive program has dumbed down or reduced the level of services on Princess. While I have only one HAL cruise so far, my experience is that they were pretty equal with the nod definitely going to Princess for better steward and waitstaff. I realize that you can get the good, the bad or the ugly on any cruiseline so I wasn't turned off by my HAL experience and have two more long cruises booked. However, I certainly didn't think that the service on HAL was superior (and at times not even equal) to Princess.

 

I love being able to throw my things into a bag and have it back that night. Trust me, on a 28-day or 31-day cruise, you can pack a lot less and you can very quickly grow to like it.

[sail7seas]

There was a thread a while ago about what people would want as additional Mariner perks. Here's what I'd like to see:

 

- Confirmation of requested dining arrangement upon booking (or waitlist priority, at least)

 

- Free day pass to thermal suites

 

Wouldn't cost HAL much, and would be something that could be given just to Mariners without cutting back on what is currently provided to all pax.

 

 

Seeing as (quite frequently) there can be as many as 75 - 80% of the total number of guests on a given cruise are Mariners, how can they offer these things? If most everyone is a Mariner, they can't provide requested dining preference or free passes to thermal suites to everyone.

[LoyHAL]

As I relatively high number Mariner there is only one thing I am looking for from HAL.......

 

I want to continue to receive the high level of service we have become accustomed to on the beautiful HAL ships and maintain some semblance of the Tradition they have long followed. It's good to remember 'who brought you to the party' and to honor that which made you successful to begin with.

 

I hope HAL does not lose itself in the race to build and fill all these 'dam' cabins.

 

I don't care about free Internet; I don't need free anything. I want what we have paid for and what we have come to expect. No more......no less.

 

 

Well said, Sail! I couldn't agree more!

LoyHAL

[Krazy Kruizers]

It's very easy to pooh-pooh past passenger rewards but when you get them on one line but not on another under the same corporate umbrella, you think twice about taking a cruise on the other line. I'm "Elite" on Princess and get the free Internet and free laundry/dry cleaning, and I will really miss it on my two upcoming HAL cruises. Most of the Princess cruises I take are almost all repeat passengers. I don't know the percentage but at the Captain's Circle Party for past passengers, the ship is a ghost town if you don't go to the party. I don't think that the incentive program has dumbed down or reduced the level of services on Princess. While I have only one HAL cruise so far, my experience is that they were pretty equal with the nod definitely going to Princess for better steward and waitstaff. I realize that you can get the good, the bad or the ugly on any cruiseline so I wasn't turned off by my HAL experience and have two more long cruises booked. However, I certainly didn't think that the service on HAL was superior (and at times not even equal) to Princess.

 

I love being able to throw my things into a bag and have it back that night. Trust me, on a 28-day or 31-day cruise, you can pack a lot less and you can very quickly grow to like it.

 

We are also Elite members on Princess. I can remember one Baltic cruise on the Royal Princess years ago when they ran out of champagne for the cabins for the "Circolo" members as we were called then. Nealy 95% of us were repeat passengers. Princess also has a lot of repeat passengers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Money - discounts or OBC's.

 

I mentioned about discounts depending on the number of days you have sailed on HAL.

But extra shipboard credit (which can be combined with AMEX PLat and Carnival) depending on your days is also a great idea.

[sail7seas]

Instead of free handouts, I am far more interested in HAL maintaining a high level product.

 

Who care about a free drink if the food becomes distasteful, all traditions of cruising HAL disappear, all traditions of cruising period are no long observed, if staff becomes so limited they can't possibly deliver a good product.......You get my drift.

 

I'd far rather pay for my internet time, buy a drink etc and have a great cruise than to get freebies and decide I've had it with cruising because I no longer recognize what is offered.

 

[Kyana]

Agree with you 7Seas. Don't need perks for my business. Just keep the quality high. Especially in todays world if they give something in one hand you can bet they will have to claw it back somehow with the other. Leave it alone, don't break what is not broken!!:eek:

[luxurysailer]

I don't need free anything. I want what we have paid for and what we have come to expect. No more......no less.

 

Sail7seas has the right idea. By the same token, I don't want them to start penny anteing (?spelling) me to death. I for one continue to cruise with HAL, because I like the product. I don't want anything less than I have gotten in the past. I just hope the bean counters don't ruin the product. More than one profitable company has done that in the past and, if they didn't regret the changes, was out of touch with reality. Incidentally, on our recent Zui cruise HAL stumbled by not providing adequate dancing in the Queen's Lounge; and, in fact, leaving this lounge virtually unused on several nights.

[hammybee]

I'm "Elite" on Princess and get the free Internet and free laundry/dry cleaning, and I will really miss it on my two upcoming HAL cruises.

 

I am one of those people that does not believe in the concept of "free".

Everyone pays the price of loyalty programs.

 

I think HAL would be nuts to embark upon a new loyalty program at this most uncertain economic time. It's wiser to not do, than to do and then have to take it back because the cost of fuel has doubled.

[hammybee]

I don't want them to start penny anteing (?spelling) me to death.

 

Are you referring to what some call "nickle and diming" ?

 

Other than soda that used to be included in the cost of a HAL cruise, I cannot think of one thing that HAL charges for that used to be included.

 

Most of the incremental charges are for things that were previously unavailable and are discretionary.

[Juanita462]

Let's see, the Java cafe and free coffee and latte, coffee and tea in the Explorer's lounge after dinner. Lemonade out on the deck. Those used to be free but now have to be bought.

[Growler]

Another way of looking at this, from HAL's POV, might be to try and understand where their 'high margin' profit lines lie.

 

Wine is one of these for sure - they charge upwards of $60 on board for wines that you can buy wholesale for £5-$10, so there could be room to offer substantial discounts on wine cards.

 

Photographs are another. I don't know how much they charge these days for a formal portrait, but the 'raw materials' can't cost much more than a dollar, would it really hurt to 'give away' one picture per cabin per cruise to repeat passengers?

 

Internet minutes, soda cards, coffee cards, free excursions - all are possible, but if I ran HAL, what I'd be looking for is a means of attracting people to dates/ships/destinations that aren't usually full sailings. Perhaps offering much lower 'on-board' booking fees (yes, I know they're low already) for future cruises. Does anyone know what the attrition rate is for such bookings? ie how many repeat bookings made on board actually convert into sailings?

 

Everyone knows that the cost of gaining a new customer is exponentially higher than the cost of retaining a happy one - I hope that HAL makes a decent effort to retain me as a customer whatever they decide to do!:rolleyes:

[RedmondCruiser]

Why not make the 100 - 300 - 500 day crossing special. In addition to the medal they should receive a free Pinnacle Dinner for two, a free bottle of champagne and a cruise credit. It would only be a one time expediture for HAL and right now they provide all the above as incentives to book a cruise.

Right now your lucky to get a free complementary shoe shine. They CAN do something.

[kakalina]

Let's see, the Java cafe and free coffee and latte, coffee and tea in the Explorer's lounge after dinner. Lemonade out on the deck. Those used to be free but now have to be bought.

 

They still offer free lemonade on the decks at about 11am every sea day. At least they did on the Ryndam in Feb. :D

[jtl513]

Why not make the 100 - 300 - 500 day crossing special. In addition to the medal they should receive a free Pinnacle Dinner for two, a free bottle of champagne and a cruise credit.

Now there's an idea I like. And even for the 25 day and 50 day points (which we are now past) they could give the PG dinner at least.

[sail-a-bration]

Because anyone who has sailed automaticaly becomes a Mariner, it would not be good business to offer perks lightly. The cost of perks for all would be need to recouped so it more than likely would be added to ticket prices. I agree those who have 300 day sailings and 500 day sailings should receive customers perks; like free PG lunch for 300 days and free dinner for 500 days. Loyalty Upgrades would be a nice benefit and promote sales.

[jtl513]

... like free PG lunch for 300 days and free dinner for 500 days.

C'mon, let's not be cheap! :eek: Anyone who has sailed even 25 days has spent a minimum of $2500. A $20 dinner would only be a 0.8% rebate at that level! A free lunch after 300 days would be an insult to me.

[sail7seas]

Would there be enough tables in Pinnacle, enough nights of the week to accomodate all those free diners?

 

 

 

Can we get them retroactively? :D

[Sea King]

 

In addition to the medal they should receive a free Pinnacle Dinner for two, a free bottle of champagne and a cruise credit.

 

the word "free" has been eliminated in the HAL English-Dutch dictionary:D

 

it's been replaced with "revenue producing"

 

wouldn't be surprised if the word "complimentary" goes the way of "free":rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

I fret the word "Dutch" is more scarce.

 

 

I don't want to lose any more of the Holland in 'Holland America Line'.

[jtl513]

Would there be enough tables in Pinnacle, enough nights of the week to accomodate all those free diners?

I think so. What percentage of people on any given cruise pass a milestone? Then divide that by 14/week (early and late times) and I think it could be done. Maybe the 25 day-ers would have to get just lunch! :)

Can we get them retroactively? :D

NO! There definitely wouldn't be enough room for that!

[Juanita462]

Haven't seen the free lemonade on deck for years - but it may be the timing - we are usually at trivia around 11 a.m.

 

On the grand cruises there are many gifts - would rather have OBC or a discount - while the gifts are very nice it takes an extra suitcase to get

them home and with the charges today that is something to think about.

We gave several away as it was - mugs and bowls and tiles are very heavy.