30 minutes with a HAL representative

Last night the opportunity presented itself for DH and I to attend a 30 minute seminar entitled "Holland America Line: Savor the Journey". Although we are not new to HAL, we attended to see what was new since our cruising has been curtailed due to my medical issues.

I wasn't disappointed. But since my time on the boards has been severely limited the last year I am not sure if any of this is old news. Accept my apologies if it is since my computer time is very limited and I don't have the stamina to do searches and post this info.

• A new Pinnacle class ship will be named "Nieuw Statendam"
  
• The culinary arts center will be replaced with "America's Test Kitchen" starting this fall on all ships
  
• On the ships with a Northern Lights night club, the space is being converted to a quiet lounge due primarily to lack of use. She showed a picture with beautiful furniture and stated she believes that the library will be relocated to this area but with the focus on travel books. There will be a bar but no Explorers-like coffee machine.
  
• The music theme has been very successful on the Koningsdam so all ships will be converting to as many of the venues as space permits.
  

The Savor the Journey concept is focused on food and entertainment. We were told the current Explore 4 will go to early November. It will be replaced with OBC per stateroom promotion. Sorry that slide was up for less than 30 seconds so I didn't get the specifics.

Although I already had the new Atlas, I picked up another one. I am disappointed that fares are not given, or even a hint of the range. We have to go online for that but since we are always looking for quad fares we have to call a TA to get the fares. They are never given online that I can find and I have done dummy bookies both with and without using Mariner numbers and gone all the way through to credit card and no fares quoted.

The talk began with the upgrades to information available on each port on the website. Apparently we can now select our interests and locations will appear on the port map that match that interest. I haven't tried it but it looked interesting.

Hope something in this info was useful!

Thanks for the information - it is very informative.

Thanks for your information.

Wish we had some HAL presentations around her.

HAL has been making the decision to do away with the libraries as HAL assumes everyone has some type of reader device. Which isn't true. We don't have any. Nor would I buy any even though DH reads a lot. But he also falls a sleep a lot and the reader would drop to the ground and break.

I appreciate your posting this information. Some of it is new to me and I do like to have the most current info. Thanks.

For me (not Karen), one of the draws of Maasdam is the library. We have never had a librarian who was not committed to making the experience great. If they drop that, then I gotta do some re-thinking about which ship to have as my favorite.

Jim

Interesting hearing the Vista and larger ship Northern Lights becoming a reading room - better location than the current Crows Nests location on some of the larger ships, but nothing like where it belongs --on the older smaller ships - a lovely, spacious, windowed quiet lounge area on the main activity level deck.

We were on the Oosterdam in April, after she was dry docked in Palermo, and the Northern Lights nightclub was converted to an art gallery and "gallery bar". We spent many evenings before dinner having mini martinis there, and the room was beautiful, and the staff very friendly! On the Oosterdam, the Crow's Nest was where the library and coffee bar were located. Afternoon coffees at 330 led to Happy Hour cocktails at 4! The setting was beautiful!

Just off the Noordam, no librarian and no plans to get one.

Just off the Noordam, no librarian and no plans to get one.

Huh??? This something new? We were on the Noordam in February, and had a very gracious and knowledgeable librarian...

Apparently we were told she quit and they were not replacing her.

Thanks for sharing. We liked the library on Volendam. Seemed like a favorite spot for many passengers.

Apparently we were told she quit and they were not replacing her.

Many of the dedicated "librarians" are gone now and are simply staffed with someone from the cruise director's staff.

Thanks, Gail, for the nice update! Hope all is going well.

Thanks for sharing. We liked the library on Volendam. Seemed like a favorite spot for many passengers.

Ditto the library on the Zuiderdam. We were just on it a few weeks ago, and the library was always full. Didn't see a librarian any of the 10 days we were on board. We love having the library available (it's a great place to read), even though we both travel with our Kindles. It's one of the reasons we choose HAL.

Thanks for this update. I love the libraries and sure hope they still have one on the Rotterdam and zuiderdam in Jan. I do have a Kindle but I still enjoy the library.

 

• A new Pinnacle class ship will be named "Nieuw Statendam"
  
• The culinary arts center will be replaced with "America's Test Kitchen" starting this fall on all ships Actually starts with Westerdam and Nieuw Amsterdam and then will roll out fleetwide at some point after that.
  
• On the ships with a Northern Lights night club, the space is being converted to a quiet lounge due primarily to lack of use. Gallery Bar, as others have mentioned. She showed a picture with beautiful furniture and stated she believes that the library will be relocated to this area but with the focus on travel books. Gallery Bar is its own concept. I haven't heard anything about a library relocation. There will be a bar but no Explorers-like coffee machine. Yes, Gallery Bar has a bar
  
• The music theme has been very successful on the Koningsdam so all ships will be converting to as many of the venues as space permits. Billboard Onboard, Lincoln Center Stage and BB KIng are or will be incorporated on everything Zuiderdam and later. Not sure if remaining S class and R class ships will get the Billboard Onboard. (Lincoln Center Stage is a reutilization of Explorers Lounge and BB Kings is effectively the new "house band" so those can easily be worked in
  

 

In red

InTheWASide,

A question about your last "in red" post concerning the house band. On Rotterdam' s VOV, the house band was called "The Band" and played at the Ocean Bar and as the music group for the performers that needed a group. The BB King ensamble was a completely different group of performers and I would not consider them to be a house band. Is that arrangement actually changing?

InTheWASide,

 

A question about your last "in red" post concerning the house band. On Rotterdam' s VOV, the house band was called "The Band" and played at the Ocean Bar and as the music group for the performers that needed a group. The BB King ensamble was a completely different group of performers and I would not consider them to be a house band. Is that arrangement actually changing?

My phrasing may not have been the best. I believe that is still the arrangement for ocean bar, as you described.

Thank you for the information.

Thanks you for keeping us updated.

We were on the Eurodam after she was in drydock and the Northern Lights has been converted to the Gallery Bar but it is no place to quietly read a book! There are no "walls" between that area and the Dueling Pianos that replaced the Piano Bar. The "noise" from the dueling pianos made it difficult to hear the blackjack dealers just across the way and the Gallery Bar is just beyond that area.

Thanks, very helpful!

Good information...thanks so much:)

We were on the Eurodam after she was in drydock and the Northern Lights has been converted to the Gallery Bar but it is no place to quietly read a book! There are no "walls" between that area and the Dueling Pianos that replaced the Piano Bar. The "noise" from the dueling pianos made it difficult to hear the blackjack dealers just across the way and the Gallery Bar is just beyond that area.

How very disappointing! I found the "library" on the Westerdam to be too noisy for my liking and much preferred the library space on the Volendam. The rep stressed to me personally that the space will be QUIET. Not shouting, just emphasizing. To hear that is not the case is disappointing (to me).

Not to start a debate...but I just remembered...the rep also emphasized to the group that HAL no longer has formal nights. She said they are called gala nights and, in Alaska for example, matching socks qualifies as appropriate dress.....

Remember, I am just the messenger! :o

Not to start a debate...but I just remembered...the rep also emphasized to the group that HAL no longer has formal nights. She said they are called gala nights and, in Alaska for example, matching socks qualifies as appropriate dress.....

 

Remember, I am just the messenger! :o

Thanks for a laugh to start my day - "matching socks" - a hoot.