Who would you have picked for NS Godmother?

Betty Boop!

Here is a screen shot from the CC email I got-

Westerdam attracts the youngest and most active crowd in Europe?

That's a joke, right?

We have been on possibly 25 cruises on various cruise line. Could not tell you the name of any cruise ship godmother either prior to booking or after any of those cruises. Nor do we car. From our perspective it is a bit of nonsense. Why on earth would anyone care....unless of course there is some compensation for the godmother for using her name.

Here is a screen shot from the CC email I got- speaks volumes

 

[ATTACH]423900[/ATTACH]

i also got that e-mail but have only glanced at any of the mail I got this morning. I had an early appointment and ran out of my house.

Westerdam attracts the youngest and most active crowd in Europe?

 

That's a joke, right?

 

 

It said " it's" most active c rowd...........

 

possibly true.

 

 

 

We have been on possibly 25 cruises on various cruise line. Could not tell you the name of any cruise ship godmother either prior to booking or after any of those cruises. Nor do we car. From our perspective it is a bit of nonsense. Why on earth would anyone care....unless of course there is some compensation for the godmother for using her name.

Perhaps they meant to say the youngest and most active OAP's

Nonsense.

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

Nonsense. This is something older folks would never have done two or three generations ago.

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

I don't know...

I think people have been climbing mountains in Switzerland and thinking theosophical thoughts for quite a long time.

But anyhow, this is silliness. Nobody is suggesting that HAL has to be cast in stone and stay exactly the same. Some change is expected and accepted. I'm just not willing to sacrifice a good speakers program for inhalation therapy. They can offer some of each.

The comments were taken from a Cruise Critic senior editor's review. To better understand the "youngest and most active" comment, it helps to read the actual review, part of which states:

Her summary of pros and cons states:

Yes. It may well attract it's youngest and most active crowds but does it say the age of those 'crowds.?

Yes. It may well attract it's youngest and most active crowds but does it say the age of those 'crowds.?

We were on the Westerdam in the Med for 37 days last fall, and the crowd was active, and I guess younger than what you'd find in, say, Alaska.

But going back to Frank's post about targeting the mid 40's people, that sounds about right. From following CC for awhile, seems like quite a few of us were "hooked" at about that age and became loyal to the brand. I don't see anything wrong with that target. They're quieter than you'd find on a party ship. I keep using the general word "mature," and I think that fits. Most people are mature in their 40s. If not, they probably never will be!

So, yeah, that age group eats more healthfully than the prior generation. They probably exercise more. There are a lot of things that are very "embraceable," at least to me. As long as HAL doesn't throw out the baby with the bath water, we'll keep going to HAL as our cruise line of choice.

I got "hooked on HAL" in my 20's in the early to mid 80's. I loved the atmosphere and crew on the ships- fit me perfectly. I still remember the Indonesian bar staff. We were on the first cruise that had Filipino bar staff on Noordam III.

Fortunately as my tastes and habits changed, HAL seemed to stay in sync.

Recently my doctor was thinking about their first cruise and asked me what I liked about HAL over others. I told him to me it felt like "grown up" cruising. No 24 hour a day activities and parties, no constant announcements about Bingo, horse racing, and drink specials- I am able to relax and set my own schedule. I remember a former CD David De Havilland used to say "We don't make a lot of announcements. You came on the ship to hear the sea- not me".

Not sure why many of we cruise lovers try to complicate simple things. HAL is merely one business arm of CCL. Like any for-profit Corporation in our Capitalistic society, the management of HAL is charged with maximizing profits. In fact, they actually have a fiduciary responsibility to make money for the investors/stockholders. Changes are all intended to increase the bottom line. Strategies do change, but in the final analysis its all about the bottom line.

 

Perhaps this is what makes MSC and interesting product. They are the only major cruise line that is privately held and has no fiduciary obligation to investors. Yes, they need profit to cover their debt service and generate income for the Aponte family. But unlike for-profit public companies, the Aponte family has the luxury of being patient. Instead of worrying about the annual report, the MSC management can think longer term. With about 20 new builds on their schedule it is going to be interesting to see if this line (along with Richard Branson's Virgin Cruises) can spur some positive changes in the industry.

 

Hank

I agree with your thoughtful analysis.

MSC interests me. The presentation of their ships and their product in their brochures and videos seems different from other companies and attractive to me. Then, I watch the Nassau web cam and see MSC Seaside sail. My, that is a BIG ship! I think: would I be pleased with my experience on such a vessel? Booking a Yacht Club suite would probably a good idea so that I could "fall back" into a smaller ship experience if I find myself overwhelmed by the rest of the vessel.

I would pick one of the following:

1. Nina Hagen

2. Dalida (posthumous)

3. Gloria Gaynor

4. Dame Edna

I would pick one of the following:

 

1. Nina Hagen

 

2. Dalida (posthumous)

 

3. Gloria Gaynor

 

4. Dame Edna

Dame Edna is a treasure, saw her show years ago and nearly died laughing.

To join the party, I nominate an entertaining Real Housewife, Ramona Singer.

If we are considering a godfather, Why not pick Captain Albert. He loves Hal history and he's Dutch.

Too late for the NS, but a 3rd pinnacle class will be built.

Sandra

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Gloria Gaynor as Godmother of Nieuw Statendam? Only if they will make her whistle play the tune "I Will Survive".

I love the song and one will find me on the dance floor when her signature song is played. But as Godmother of the new ship? LOL!

I don't get the big deal about Oprah being picked for Godmother. Other Godmother's were Debbie Reynolds, June Allyson, and the Olsen twins. Why were they better choices than Oprah?? If anything, Oprah is a better choice - a self made, strong woman. That said, I don't really care who they pick as it affects my cruising not at all.

i agree... since we do not get to decide...who cares. i do see my carnival stock increasing since her pick , so maybe it is a good decision ? :)

Nobody is suggesting that HAL has to be cast in stone and stay exactly the same.

Some change is expected and accepted. I'm just not willing to sacrifice a good speakers program for inhalation therapy. They can offer some of each.

Beyond that, while they "can" offer everything under the sun, it isn't a reasonable expectation that they would, especially just because a shrinking subset of passengers like that thing. And really, it isn't reasonable to expect them to offer anything that costs more than the additional revenue that they can attribute to offering that kind of programming. Earlier in one of the Oprah threads someone, perhaps it was you, made the clearest statement about why expectations regarding some things, like "a good speakers program," have no justification: Having them or not isn't going to change enough passengers' purchasing habits.

So, no, I don't buy your claim that, "Nobody is suggesting that HAL has to be cast in stone and stay exactly the same." Effectively, that's what a good number of people in this forum do every day, and prosecute that perspective, with their disparagement of the changes that are attracting those new cruisers to the cruise line, in a manner that makes those new cruisers feel unwelcome.

Effectively, that's what a good number of people in this forum do every day, and prosecute that perspective, with their disparagement of the changes that are attracting those new cruisers to the cruise line, in a manner that makes those new cruisers feel unwelcome.

You hit the nail on the head with that one.

Of course Hal has to attract new cruisers. The older ones won't be around for ever. They threaten to switch to other cruise lines, but they will find just as much to complain about there. One good thing, we won't have to read their incessant, complaints.

Sandra

IMO, people saying what they like an don’t like is part of the purpose of a forum like this. Just say what you like or don’t like and let such post by others stand. If 80% of what you write is refuting other posts, maybe that’s not helping the community as much as you think. We’ll survive without the guidance. :)

IMO, people saying what they like an don’t like is part of the purpose of a forum like this. Just say what you like or don’t like and let such post by others stand. If 80% of what you write is refuting other posts, maybe that’s not helping the community as much as you think. We’ll survive without the guidance. :)

(y)(y)(y)

Of course Hal has to attract new cruisers. The older ones won't be around for ever. They threaten to switch to other cruise lines, but they will find just as much to complain about there. One good thing, we won't have to read their incessant, complaints.

Sandra

It's wearing,but also,it's one of the reasons I think that potential new cruisers are scared off.Luckily,I think Oprah has enough of a following, and fans that can look past the hate(they don't post on Cruise Critic and therefore don't see all the hate,perhaps?):D

Of course Hal has to attract new cruisers. The older ones won't be around for ever. They threaten to switch to other cruise lines, but they will find just as much to complain about there. One good thing, we won't have to read their incessant, complaints.

Sandra

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.