Evolution of HAL in 2013........

[Jade13]

Are you suggesting that the wine policy should be changed if you pay less than a certain fare? I'm paying over $5000 for my Alaska cruise. Is it ok for me to bring a few bottles of wine? I'm totally confused about your context. What does the wine policy have to do with the fare being paid. No one is forcing HAL to reduce fares.

 

I am being taken out of context. I also don't understand your comment about no one forcing HAL to cut fares. They are cutting fares on cruises that are not selling. I was originally agreeing with Wakepatrol who stated the following,

 

The next thing to go will be passengers toting wine,soda and water. They'll soon wake up and realize there's money to be made selling beverages.

 

It's crunch time and $349 for a cabin and bringing your own ripple just won't cut it anymore

[Jade13]

Interesting idea, though don't you think that the lack of verandas on these smaller ships with unique itineraries is a huge negative for potential revenue.

 

I think it is. The Veranda's on the smaller ships are very high in price because there are so few of them, so many end up on another cruise line because they want a Veranda (assuming itinerary is not an issue because HAL has overall the best at sea).

 

We looked at going back on HAL's Voyage of the Vikings for half of the cruise (17 or 18 nights). Pricing for a Veranda starts at $10,000 per person before taxes and gratuities. It is a great cruise but HAL is still a mass market line,...and we have to think twice before spending at least 25K (and on Veendam) when other things like air and excursions are added.

 

In that example I think HAL has likely lost the ability to market to new customers who want a Veranda.

[cruz chic]

I think you are kind of missing the point of this thread. Bottom line is HAL needs to appeal to a more diverse crowd and while it might not mean an ice skating rink, it is more than just saying HAL is not for you. Staying on their current path means price is their main draw... Which means they have to be priced at Carnival rates. We will see what the new build holds.

No I'm not missing the point of the thread. I don't think that all cruise lines need to be the same. I can 100% guarantee that there will be no rock climbing wall or skating rink on the new build. That may be attractive to some but some of us do like a ship instead of a park, otherwise why not have one cruiseline.

[Esri]

I write, having taken my family on over 30 HAL cruises over the past 32 years.

 

* snip *

 

I would prefer to see it charge more and restore unchallenged premier status; aim for cruises that nourish the brain as much as the body; use the smaller ships to visit ports that are rarely visited; and do with it what Cunard has done - retain the 'class' of old style cruising and bring it up to snuff for modern, yet affluent, cruisers. It is not too late. The brand is still there; but chasing upwardly-mobile mass market clients with mass market pricing and mass market service makes it a mass market brand.

 

I would rather see HAL scale back (if need be) while scale up its brand, than try to pack the ships and lower the standards. When I see Alaskan cruises advertised for as low as $499 a week on HAL, I know that the standards have had to drop.

 

I agree totally. I got a very nice brochure in the mail last week with $499 and $599 fares to Alaska and I was just flabbergasted imagining the cut backs to get to that price point.

 

* snip *

 

3 cases of diet coke per week? Good Lord! :eek:

 

It is my only vice -- I don't smoke, drink, or gamble.... Well, I guess being a couch potato is a vice, but I'm working on that too.

 

*snip*

 

And that provides HAL with a unique opportunity. It can upscale its product with the older ships stressing larger cabins and more intimate and attentive service with more unique ports which are not overwhelmed with mega-ships. It can offer more educational activities, lectures and cruise intensive itineraries.

 

The newer ships should cruise itineraries where the ship and its activities are much more the focus of the cruise than the ports. This is particularly good for Caribbean and Mexican cruises as well as East cost/Canadian and West cost/Canadian cruises. The newer ships are also better able to offer special areas for teens and kids---something provided already on Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. The older ships might still retain a formal night per 7 day cruise but the newer ships would all follow the lead of Azamara and Oceania and go upscale country club casual every night.

 

The only problem now is, for reasons I cannot begin to fathom, it HAL's management seems to have gone to sleep. What they are failing to realize is that their most loyal customers are very old seniors and many are entering an age where travel significantly declines. Seniors, once they enter their 80's begin to travel less, significantly less after 85. Meantime there is a waiting market of retiring baby boomers, who want to travel, are ready to go places they could not go when they had young children but and they want a sophisticated yet casually elegant product (where crying children are rarely heard).

 

That is exactly where I am... I retire next year and I want to travel, but I don't want to do it with 2500 other people, 1/3 of whom are children. I love kids, but I raised mine already. I'm taking the 2014 Grand World Voyage on the Amsterdam because she's a lovely ship and her world voyage itinerary is the best (for me, at least) there is next year. If HAL continues the cost-cutting my next cruise may be on Oceania or an expedition ship...

 

If only somebody from HAL's senior management team with some backbone would see this and similar threads and say "Hey, wait a minute.. maybe we should give this idea some serious consideration."

[Jade13]

If only somebody from HAL's senior management team with some backbone would see this and similar threads and say "Hey, wait a minute.. maybe we should give this idea some serious consideration.

 

I agree. Hopefully someone in Seattle is reading this thread.

 

My DH and I were just talking about the gym as one example. They did their multi-million dollar Signature of Excellence updates, but didn't even bother to change the carpet (at least not on Maasdam or Veendam), let alone update the gym equipment. I can guarantee whomever made the decision on where they would spend the money doesn't work out.

[kkorman]

No I'm not missing the point of the thread. I don't think that all cruise lines need to be the same. I can 100% guarantee that there will be no rock climbing wall or skating rink on the new build. That may be attractive to some but some of us do like a ship instead of a park, otherwise why not have one cruiseline.

 

Nor did I say or think the new build will. What I said is that they have to be a little more creative to draw in more people because their ships/ experience currently are not. There are plenty of good ideas on this board to improve experience. If HAL is competing with Celebrity, they should be targeting me as a passenger. There currently is nothing drawing me in to book a HAL cruise. As I said in an earlier post, I would be willing to pay 2x HAL pricing to sail on a Celebrity ship.

[jaguarstyper]

I am being taken out of context. I also don't understand your comment about no one forcing HAL to cut fares. They are cutting fares on cruises that are not selling.

Your right, HAL is cutting fares to fill their ships. The reason for this is because they have a product that is starting to lose its appeal to the masses of consumers, which is the market HAL has chosen to play in. Until they change to adapt to the market they have placed themselves in, they have to reduce fares to compete. Taking away little things that make them different just for the sake of generating a small amount of revenue is not going help them compete. Creating points of difference while maintaining a competitive price is their only option. HAL has many good things that it does, but they don't seem to market them very well. Most people don't even know about HAL allowing you to bring your own wine on board. Rather than do away with that, maybe they should market it as a point of differentiation. Continuing to remove amenities will do nothing more than make them more the same as the well established competition and further alienate their loyal customer base.

 

They have to sell cabins at a lower price because of the corner they have painted themselves into by not keeping pace with the market they are competing in. That is no ones fault but HAL's. They need to take a hard look at the market and figure out how they can compete with Wal-Mart (Carnival). Becoming Wal-Mart is not the answer as has been well documented in the retail world. Competing in the retail market with Wal-Mart requires retailers to make themselves different and a better experience than Wal-Mart. They can and do survive that way. As I type this, I am realizing this is actually a pretty good analogy. HAL cannot compete with Carnival, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean by offering the same old product. They need to change to appeal to a changing market, but figure out how to do it better. Cutting amenities all over the place is not the way to do it, IMO.

[tjcletsgo]

No I'm not missing the point of the thread. I don't think that all cruise lines need to be the same. I can 100% guarantee that there will be no rock climbing wall or skating rink on the new build. That may be attractive to some but some of us do like a ship instead of a park, otherwise why not have one cruiseline.

 

I think you miss the point. I have no desire to climb a rock wall, play mini golf, go bowling etc. But I like cruising with the type of fellow passenger who does. I have no desire to dine with people who are excited by the ventriliquist (or sock puppet show):(. If they pay $399.00 per week, more power to them for snagging a great bargain. HAL's sad attempt to lour in cruisers with rock bottom rates bears this out.

[cruz chic]

Nor did I say or think the new build will. What I said is that they have to be a little more creative to draw in more people because their ships/ experience currently are not. There are plenty of good ideas on this board to improve experience. If HAL is competing with Celebrity, they should be targeting me as a passenger. There currently is nothing drawing me in to book a HAL cruise. As I said in an earlier post, I would be willing to pay 2x HAL pricing to sail on a Celebrity ship.

OK, I didn't realize that they only wanted you as a pax. There is my mistake:eek:. Personally there is nothing to lure me on to a Celebrity ship again and I'm ok with that. Before you think I'm as old as the hills, I want to tell you I'm not. I don't that there are that many years seperating our ages.

[cruz chic]

I think you miss the point. I have no desire to climb a rock wall, play mini golf, go bowling etc. But I like cruising with the type of fellow passenger who does. I have no desire to dine with people who are excited by the ventriliquist (or sock puppet show):(. If they pay $399.00 per week, more power to them for snagging a great bargain. HAL's sad attempt to lour in cruisers with rock bottom rates bears this out.

I do not like sock puppets or ventriliquists either. I do not need to have HAL entertain me. I'm not trying to change RC or Celebrity. Neither line appeals to me and I'm ok with that. I don't think that every line has to cater to one crowd and that's the point for me. I think ALL cruise lines are offering bargains now, not just HAL.

[cruz chic]

If only somebody from HAL's senior management team with some backbone would see this and similar threads and say "Hey, wait a minute.. maybe we should give this idea some serious consideration.

 

I agree. Hopefully someone in Seattle is reading this thread.

 

My DH and I were just talking about the gym as one example. They did their multi-million dollar Signature of Excellence updates, but didn't even bother to change the carpet (at least not on Maasdam or Veendam), let alone update the gym equipment. I can guarantee whomever made the decision on where they would spend the money doesn't work out.

I agree, the gym does suck on most ships. I have a better eliptical at home then HAL does.

[sail7seas]

Interesting idea, though don't you think that the lack of verandas on these smaller ships with unique itineraries is a huge negative for potential revenue.

 

 

Just to avoid confusion.......

 

Every HAL ship has verandas. The Vista and Signature ships have larger percentage of cabins with Verandas but there are great verandas for "S" suites and category "A" and "B" on the "S" and "R" Class ships. Our "SA" veranda on Vista and Signature are noticeably smaller (though plenty large enough) but more cabins have them.

 

Also....... DH and I are the exact description of the cruiser at their peak of spending on HAL ships ( have been for about 80 previous cruises). We are baby boomers with some cash in our budget for about 5 cruises a year. We are not yet dead and hopefully not near dead. HAL would be making a big mistake to ignore/move away from their 'ripe' baby boomer market.

 

Also for clarity, we do not feel they have nor do we see signs they plan to.

 

I could not agree more that HAL has to reach out to the next generation for their future. They have been trying to do that for years with somewhat success. Over our many, many cruises, we have seen far more young families/young people many with babies in strollers and children of all ages on the ships. We recently sailed two weeks over Thanksgiving for two cruises and it was nice seeing the many family groups and young people. Young couples, young professionals established enough to start building travel into their budgets.

 

Not all baby boomers or senior folks want the same things for their enjoyment on cruises.

We just had that conversation here where respected CC member Kazu was raving the benefits of arranging CC Roll Call groups for private excursions. MANY folks of all ages like that. DH and I do not. We don't all want the same things. This applies to folks of all ages.

 

Not all late twenty/thirty something year olds want the same thing any more than the baby boomers and older.

 

There could be an issue of HAL not offering something a particular 'group' of that age range want but there are many in the same age range who like just fine what is being offered.

 

It could be a personal choice situation not an act of ignoring a certain age groups needs and wishes, in general. Maybe it's you that doesn't like what is offered but not all your contemporaries agree?

 

kkorman, I guess what I'm trying to say is just because you are not seeing what you want on the ship does not mean others in your age group are not. It could be HAL just is not the cruise line for you??

 

I hope I have expressed this in a way you do not find to be defensive or critical because I don't mean that. I mean, look around at all the cruise lines. It's okay if one or two or more are not for you but don't paint HAL generally as not good for anyone in your age range. :)

 

[jaguarstyper]

OK, I didn't realize that they only wanted you as a pax. There is my mistake:eek:.

Ah, but this is the problem. HAL needs more passengers than you to stay afloat. And, a lot (most?) of those potential passengers want the fun activities and amenities being offered on other lines. I have no interest in rock climbing walls, ice skating or bowling on a cruise either, but I would certainly love to have some lively and up-to-date entertainment options. I would love to have some interesting, fun specialty restaurants. A nice hot tub would be a welcome addition to HAL for me. Maybe a lounge with a decent live band that I could enjoy dancing to.

 

Not everyone wants to be entertained, I get that, but a lot of people who are shelling out money on a vacation do want to be entertained. What's so bad about HAL offering this? How would a rock climbing wall on the upper deck adversely affect your cruise? How would a progressive, modern show in the Vista lounge adversely affect your cruise? Crowds change with time and the crowd that HAL has catered to for many years is changing and reducing in numbers. They need to change with the times to stay competitive. If they don't, you won't be sailing on HAL at all in the future.

[cruz chic]

Sail, you expressed yourself very well and I agree 100% with what you have said.

[cruz chic]

Ah, but this is the problem. HAL needs more passengers than you to stay afloat. And, a lot (most?) of those potential passengers want the fun activities and amenities being offered on other lines. I have no interest in rock climbing walls, ice skating or bowling on a cruise either, but I would certainly love to have some lively and up-to-date entertainment options. I would love to have some interesting, fun specialty restaurants. A nice hot tub would be a welcome addition to HAL for me. Maybe a lounge with a decent live band that I could enjoy dancing to.

 

Not everyone wants to be entertained, I get that, but a lot of people who are shelling out money on a vacation do want to be entertained. What's so bad about HAL offering this? How would a rock climbing wall on the upper deck adversely affect your cruise? How would a progressive, modern show in the Vista lounge adversely affect your cruise? Crowds change with time and the crowd that HAL has catered to for many years is changing and reducing in numbers. They need to change with the times to stay competitive. If they don't, you won't be sailing on HAL at all in the future.

I'm not the one that said HAL is targeting me. Please answer why HAL has the be the same as all other cruise lines? What is the point of having different cruise lines? Let's just make one line. I think this is more about disagreeing with me then anything else.

[jaguarstyper]

I'm not the one that said HAL is targeting me. Please answer why HAL has the be the same as all other cruise lines? What is the point of having different cruise lines? Let's just make one line. I think this is more about disagreeing with me then anything else.

I am not saying HAL has to be the same at all. In fact, I feel that HAL becoming the same would be the final nail in her coffin. What I am saying is they cannot continue to be the same as they are right now, because its just not working for them anymore. They need to be different, that's how you compete. But, they do need to offer things that people want. And a lot of people do not want the same tired, stale HAL entertainment, the same boring menus, the same old specialty restaurant that hasn't changed its basic menu in years. They don't want the talent lacking Adagio. They don't want the HAL Cats. They don't want horrible shows. They don't want lounges that are empty by 10 o'clock because they offer no reason to want to be there.

 

And its not just about disagreeing with you, its about disagreeing with your resistance to change.

[sail7seas]

Ah, but this is the problem. HAL needs more passengers than you to stay afloat. And, a lot (most?) of those potential passengers want the fun activities and amenities being offered on other lines. I have no interest in rock climbing walls, ice skating or bowling on a cruise either, but I would certainly love to have some lively and up-to-date entertainment options. I would love to have some interesting, fun specialty restaurants. A nice hot tub would be a welcome addition to HAL for me. Maybe a lounge with a decent live band that I could enjoy dancing to.

 

Not everyone wants to be entertained, I get that, but a lot of people who are shelling out money on a vacation do want to be entertained. What's so bad about HAL offering this? How would a rock climbing wall on the upper deck adversely affect your cruise? How would a progressive, modern show in the Vista lounge adversely affect your cruise? Crowds change with time and the crowd that HAL has catered to for many years is changing and reducing in numbers. They need to change with the times to stay competitive. If they don't, you won't be sailing on HAL at all in the future.

 

 

I think we were saying some of the same thing. :)

You managed to compress it into a more manageable length message. :o

 

 

 

 

 

Sail, you expressed yourself very well and I agree 100% with what you have said.

 

 

Thanks, Lorekauf.

I was trying hard to not sound like I was attacking. I was just trying to present a 'concept'. :)

 

[cabinluvn]

This whole discussion reminds me of the movie "Dirty Dancing" where the owner lost sight of what turned the the new generation on. I personally am not looking to be entertained the entire cruise, but would like to have options to chose from if I decided that I wanted to do something out of the ordinary while cruising. We are taking our first transatlantic this spring. My DH thinks he will be bored to tears. We both are in our early 60's and very active. I love sea days and am hoping there will be just enough variety to keep us from boredom. I am trying to talk him into the Antarctic cruise, but he is nervous about a 32 day cruise. For the average young cruiser in their 30's and 40's I don't think many sea days would be appealing on HAL and that is what HAL needs to look at...variety

 

 

 

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[sail7seas]

We were forties and cruising, once upon a time. :) We never needed someone else to make our good time for us. We were and are what some call 'self-entertainers'. We're not 'joiners' and didn't need 'fun games' for us to have a good time.

 

I sincerely believe there are forty something year olds today that are also like that.

Not everyone needs or wants to hop from one activity to another.

Maybe that is why we always took a comfortable cabin so we didn't feel the need to run away from it. It is not that we aren't social because we are. We choose who we wish to socialize with as do most people but we certainly have made a great many friends on ships. But it's at our pace and on our own.

 

HAL does not have to be the cruise line for everyone IMO

Nor does it have to be the same as every other cruise line and I hope it maintains it's own style and identity and continues to offer graciousness aboard, beauty in the ships, art and flowers to add the refined touches we love........ I hope they avoid the neon lights and get rid of their screaming loud, noise they call HAL cats.

 

JMO....

[jaguarstyper]

We were forties and cruising, once upon a time. :) We never needed someone else to make our good time for us. We were and are what some call 'self-entertainers'. We're not 'joiners' and didn't need 'fun games' for us to have a good time.

 

I sincerely believe there are forty something year olds today that are also like that.

Not everyone needs or wants to hop from one activity to another.

Maybe that is why we always took a comfortable cabin so we didn't feel the need to run away from it. It is not that we aren't social because we are. We choose who we wish to socialize with as do most people but we certainly have made a great many friends on ships. But it's at our pace and on our own.

 

HAL does not have to be the cruise line for everyone IMO

Nor does it have to be the same as every other cruise line and I hope it maintains it's own style and identity and continues to offer graciousness aboard, beauty in the ships, art and flowers to add the refined touches we love........ I hope they avoid the neon lights and get rid of their screaming loud, noise they call HAL cats.

 

JMO....

I couldn't have expressed it any better. I also don't want neon lights and I am one of those 40 somethings (for a little while longer) that is just what you describe. I don't need to be entertained, but I would like the option of being entertained should I want to be entertained. Some of the things you mentioned, HAL does extremely well and I hope they never stop doing them well, but some things really do need to change.

[cruisemom42]

Some folks want to hop from one activity to another and others want to be left to do on their own....... There is a cruise line/a ship out there for everyone to get what it is they want from their cruise. Choose well.

 

HAL is not for everyone and I wish they would stop trying to be. RCI, NCL etc are not for everyone but they seem to have identified more clearly what their market is seeking/requiring.

 

 

I think these two paragraphs contain two important points.

 

First, it's very true that there are lines out there that have individual differences/personalities, or at least they have successfully marketed themselves that way. NCL is the "freestyle" line. Carnival is the "fun/party" line. Celebrity is the "modern luxury" line, RCL is the "active" line, and so on. If HAL wants to stick with the "signature of excellence" claim in this market, it needs to do more to actively define what that means and what people can expect when they sail with HAL.

 

Every line needs to have something that defines it, at least marginally, to attract new or nearly new cruisers that are poring over the various websites or glossy brochures. Rightly or wrongly, cruisers who have never been on HAL (and some that have) develop an idea that HAL is very nice but a bit "vanilla" or "bland" or "geared toward an older set".

 

Truthfully, there is not a lot of difference between many of these lines. But they have each implemented a few key "signature" things that identifies them and attracts a certain group. Those of us who cruise on multiple lines realize that the differences are at times small and that, depending on what we're looking for, any one of several lines might offer a good fit.

 

Second, it is indeed all about "choosing well." Lines that offer a more upscale experience (that HAL and others once offered) can still be found. Lines that offer more enrichment or varied itineraries can still be found. Lines that feature smaller ships can be found. You just have to be willing to not limit yourself to HAL.

 

Regarding the age issue in general:

 

I know many have said in the past that HAL is a line that folks may "move up to" as they get older and want a quieter more sophisticated environment with fewer kids and partiers. However, the things that each succeeding generation of cruisers is looking for does not necessarily remain the same. Think of how much "younger" we seem today than our mothers or grandmothers did at the same age. Baby boomers (and the next generation, of which I'm part) are not necessarily looking to live or vacation quietly. They are active, fit, and relatively sophisticated. Rather than spend their vacation dollars with HAL, I'd imagine that they might try an upscale line like Azamara or Oceania or Seabourne -- which seem to also have effectively developed an "image".

 

What I think HAL needs to do is by all means remain an upscale choice for this target market. They can offer quiet -- I'm not one that wants to see HAL promoting loud pool activities or big screen movies or rock walls. I think they DO need to work on offering more that fits with the other word -- sophisticated. For example, whether or not they appeal to you individually, some of the ideas that Celebrity has developed are interesting (e.g., the hot glass show, the "lawn", the "Blu" restaurant and spa cabins, etc.) and they do seem to project a level of sophistication.

 

I plan to be traveling and cruising for many years to come. I'm young and active and can take a long day in port and still enjoy evening activities onboard ship. I'd just as soon not spend my evenings reading a book or watching a CD in my cabin -- things I can do at home at any time. I'd like to find at least one or two innovative show ideas, fresh comedians, a variety of music (classical is just fine with me, as is light opera, jazz, Broadway, etc, but the quality needs to be there). These are the things that would make me consider a mass-market line again.

 

 

 

I'd also like to know that I can go to the MDR and enjoy a really good dinner. I think dinner should be an experience with good menus, good service, etc. I don't mind spending 2 to 2.5 hours to enjoy it if it is worth enjoying.

[ON cruiser]

This is a very interesting thread, and, given my wife and I are 4 star mariners, I thought to offer my 2 cents. There have been changes on HAL, some we notice more than others since our first cruise on HAL in 2001. Some are subtle--until it was pointed out by another poster here, I did not recall that, in fact, there was no music in the dining room during formal nights as there once was. It was a nice touch to have that music, but the absence of it is not a deal-breaker for us.

 

Other changes are more obvious, such as the increased charges for some things (the end of the Marco Polo and it years ago being replaced by the Pinnacle). Yet the complimentary laundry service for 4 star mariners is a nice benefit that was added back, along with the other 3 and 4 star perqs which are not just "key chains" but at least some have, for us, real value.

I do not think that ala carte dining in the main dining room will occur anytime soon--if it does, that will likely spell the end of cruising for my wife and me.

 

More entertainment options would be nice, even if I sometimes prefer to "snooze a book" on the verandah. As for the HAL cats and other entertainment, it really depends on the cruise. Our recent Zuiderdam cruise (Dec. 10-21/12) had some quite good entertainment, including a steel drum band that was very popular. The HAL cats on this ship could actually sing, not screech, and there were many dancing after 10pm in the Queens Lounge to the 60's & 70's music. The Ocean Bar combo was also talented (which is not always the case). On some cruises the entertainment is poor, we usually try one of the cast shows yet find that while they are enthusiastic, that is as far as it goes.

 

For us, by booking fixed seating for 8pm and a table for two, we may have thus protected ourselves from some of the service cutbacks in the dining room, as we continue to have very good service, although the staff have nowhere near the time to chat for a few moments while serving as they did in the past. The wine waiters are also stretched too thin, as we have noticed, with our having to wait for the few people in our area to get around to us. Our cabin stewards continue to be excellent.

 

Re cutbacks, from what friends who like Celebrity tell us, there are cutbacks on that line as well--that is the line we think is likely closest to HAL. So, given changes there, we see no reason, yet, to run to Celebrity. It would likely be different, not better, and we would also miss our 4 star perqs and, if we book a deluxe, the Neptunes Lounge which we use lots during a cruise.

 

What we like about HAL are the larger cabins and balconies in the superior and deluxe suites, which are the categories we typically book on the Vista ships. On the older S and R ships we book either the verandah or the deluxe verandah, depending on cost. We have thought of trying Azamera and Oceania, as we are told that the service, particularly on Azamera, is great. The prohibition on balcony smoking on those lines is also a plus as, on our last cruise we were surrounded by smokers, thus curtailing our balcony use at some points. Hopefully HAL will prohibit smoking on balconies--that would be one change which I would favour.

 

Yet for approximately the same cost as on HAL in a deluxe or superior suite, on those ships we would either get a small balcony or have to do without--doing without a balcony, and a spacious cabin, is not attractive tous. The same could be said for Seabourn or the other lines. To get the type of cabin we like, with the amenities we are used to, would likely cost us a lot more. At some point we may bite the bullet and make that jump, especially if HAL makes further changes to the service or amenities which do not suit us. For now, however, the service we receive, the assistance from the willing hotel staff, keeps us coming back to HAL.

 

Happy sailing, all.

[cruz chic]

And its not just about disagreeing with you, its about disagreeing with your resistance to change.

You do not know anything about me, so please don't make assumptions. I am just saying that HAL doesn't need to be the same. It sounds more like you and a few others are resistant to change because you want every cruise line to be the same.

[cabinluvn]

Our first cruise as "youngsters" in our early 40's was on a Carnival and we were so turned off by the whole experience it was another 10 years before we cruised again. The wet t-shirt contests and the endless drinking and yelling was definitely not our style. Luckily we found HAL on our next try and were hooked! We too tend to lay back and just enjoy being together. We do the anytime dining and enjoy meeting new people, but aren't looking for other people to do things with. I agree with having more choices in case you want to do something different. We really enjoy playing trivia in the Crows Nest type of activity, cooking lesson, etc. Just more

 

 

 

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[sammiedawg]

Back in this thread.

The signature of excellence was mentioned upthread. I was very impressed with this initiative several years ago but recent reports bad reviews and failed health inspection blow that catch phrase to bits.

I have received two in depth surveys from holland america via email that were unrelated to my last cruise. My guess is this data has been turned over to a consulting firm as I think this line is in some trouble within the marketplace. I like holland America but I do not see a quick fix.