JAVERZ

Maybe there's some hope they will bring back some classical music although the "old" Lincoln Center will be missed. It's good to hear they are working on the entertainment overall -- but I think it's time for Step One to go away. The same old shows are getting old.

With the financial issues after COVID, the competition with so many new ships, and management changes, it seems HAL is not sure what their product should or could be. They are cutting back and experimenting. I believe some of the reasons a lot of people have enjoyed HAL in the past has been because of good service, interesting and longer itineraries, interesting lectures and on-board activities. Not everyone wants the glitz and noise that some of the other cruise lines offer. And not everyone can afford the luxury lines. It seems to me the HAL product could find and keep its niche in the more "traditional" way of cruising and still be competitive. I have been on more than 50 cruises, but the majority of them have been on Holland America because of the things I have mentioned here.

This is the explanation I received from the Office of the President in response to my letter asking about the fate of Lincoln Center. "We contacted our Vice President of Entertainment and he has advised us of what has become of the Lincoln Center Stage productions. The resident ensembles of 'Lincoln Center Stage' occupying the space formerly known as the Explorers Lounge on an almost nightly basis are no more, as this space was underutilized. For the remainder of 2023, we will be touring a 5 piece group under the banner of 'Lincoln Center Presents' that will appear on the World Stage as part of the evening entertainment program on a few nights of the cruise. As such, we will have a resident classical trio on Zuiderdam's Grand World Voyage, although not under the Lincoln Center Stage brand. We'll feature a resident classical ensemble on all Grand & Legendary cruises starting in 2024." Interesting!

I totally agree!

Has anyone heard what they plan to do with the LCS room on the Pinnacle ships? Will it just be for BB King performances and possible games? It will be interesting to see what the plans are.

The response mwj received from Holland America with respect to Lincoln Center was very disappointing. Lincoln Center is a much better venue than world stage for the classical music performance. The room is much too large and a few instrumentalists are totally out of place. The four or five performers would look very lonely on the big stage. They are not a symphony orchestra! Even the lounges are a poor venue because people don't necessarily pay attention and are much more interested in enjoying a cocktail and a visit with friends. I think we have to continue to tell the "powers that be" at HAL what we think. It has been our experience that the performances in Lincoln Center are very well attended so it is something that doesn't need to be changed.

I wrote a letter to the president of Holland America to express my feelings that it would be a mistake to lose Lincoln Center. I mentioned that it is something special on the HAL ships and that it would be greatly missed. Haven't had a response!

My husband and I have fond memories of a South America/Amazon River cruise on the original "Love Boat"-- the Pacific Princess. Don't remember the exact date, but our Princess cruise record shows it was in 1996. It was a beautiful cruise. There were about 600 or so passengers and the rooms and amenities were very different from today's. We only had a port hole, don't remember any TVs, the shows were fun but very simple by comparison to today. However, the food was wonderful. Every night there was a different pasta course that was prepared on a moveable cart right at your table. And, of course, they had the flaming baked Alaska parade! One day there was even a fantastic seafood buffet out on deck. In addition to treating the passengers very well, the ship brought some very needed supplies to some of the villages along the river. And the people were very grateful, friendly and welcoming.

We just returned from a cruise on the Ruby Princess. Now I am wondering what to do with the Medallion. Do you save it for another cruise? Does it still store your personal information on it? Or is the personal information deleted when the cruise is over? In other words, can anyone access data like credit card information, etc. that was entered into the Medallion App on your smart phone and was then available on the Medallion during the cruise? Does anyone have any insight or experience with this issue? Thanks.