Returned From 10 Aug-24 Aug AK RT On Statendam

[CowPrincess]

<SNIP<

 

The HAL product is not what it use to be - that's for sure - but you do get what you pay for. Some one mentioned the Alaska cruises having the highest per diem of most cruises - the point being - what was the per diem?

 

>SNIP<

 

That "someone" would be me. I specifically said that WE paid either the highest or second highest per diem WE have ever paid, and quoted the specific dates of our cruise. I did not say "Alaska cruises... the highest per diem". I am not discussing our cruise spending on a public board. There is information on the HAL website about the costs of various cabins for this itinerary.

[Rotterdam]

That "someone" would be me. I specifically said that WE paid either the highest or second highest per diem WE have ever paid, and quoted the specific dates of our cruise. I did not say "Alaska cruises... the highest per diem". I am not discussing our cruise spending on a public board. There is information on the HAL website about the costs of various cabins for this itinerary.

 

1. the per diem mention was from a very long time ago about Alaska cruises on most lines.

 

2.As far as the FLY GUY's per diem - if you cannot back up thoughts w/ facts your thoughts are irrelevant

 

3. You(CP) were not on this specific cruise so your spending etc is not even worth noting.

[Rotterdam]

Cut a dime and charge a penny less here and cut a dime there. At first it isn't noticeable, but after awhile the whole product becomes cheap. And cheap is what a lot of people want- but not everyone.

 

Tiffany still does a brisk business. People will pay extra for LuluLemon quality. And every woman "needs" a Coach bag. I have never seen the local Whole Foods empty.

 

All the cruise lines are headed to the cheap experience. No one is offering quality value. For instance, one could offer organic locally grown food. The cost might be $100 more per guest, and the ship would have to substitute more vegetables instead of meat; but they could easily advertise the healthy part and charge $200 or more extra. I know I would pay.

 

Instead of finding ways to chisel a penny here and there, why not look for quality values. Perhaps people would pay $5 more if there were better toiletries, but the cost is only $4. Five bucks to feel pampered? A no brainer.

 

Hire extra help so people feel that there are crew members chomping at the bit to make my experience special. There is value in that and I'm willing to pay. If it costs each passenger a buck so that there are extra people going around filling glasses and getting utensils, do it! I will think the extra cost is worth it and I will tell all my friends how wonderful the service is.

 

But I'm never going to cruise again as long as the mind set is one of cost cutting. I didn't like being a captive audience to a cheap product where the company thinks of me as a cheap person. ("What do you expect for X amount a day?")

 

I agree with you as far as paying for quality but unfortunately most businesses are headed down the same path. Actually modern cruising was born out od a dying industry - the Trans Atlantic immigration on ocean liners. Lots of these older ships were put to use as cruise ships to fill cabins - one of the most successful ships of the 1970's onward was Home LInes Oceanic - it was originally built to do trans Atlantic runs & by the time she was launched there was no TA business left. It was funny that a cruise on the QE2, The France & Oceanic was deluxe all around but built as TA liners for the Atlantic Ocean it was quite different than a "cruise ship" experience. Carnivore Corp was one of the first to introduce modern cruising(on an old ship btw). After buying up some of the old lines like HAL, the sales pitch was about luxury & romance of the sea - the reality was more like being on a floating mall...price it so the cabins are filled & get the passengers to open those wallets and spend spend spend. And the difference between the old HAL & CCL's HAL is the quality of the experience.

 

After 50+ cruises & TA's since the 1970's I've learned to adjust my expectations & yet I love being in the middle of the ocean being rocked to sleep. Living in NYC we experience enough of formal evenings & events so the country club atmosphere is appealing. Even the Four Seasons & Ritz Carlton hotels are not the same & we find ourselves looking at small boutique hotels. As far as cruising we do less ....but we plan on travelling to Europe by ship & spending the winter in Australia by sailing from NY or Ft Laud to Sydney.

 

You certainly can't believe a lot on these boards but you can find the type of holiday that suits you......I won't give up on the ocean..thats why I'll return(not on a CCL ship most likely) but I'll dance across that ocean again. I wish you the same!

 

Full moon & smooth seas to you!

[Lottie Linda]

I agree with you as far as paying for quality but unfortunately most businesses are headed down the same path.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with you. True, most businesses are racing to the bottom, but the ones who'll be successful in the future are offering quality at a value.

 

Many people think dining out means choosing from the dollar menu. And the bean counters are busy squeezing the last bit of profit from a dollar burger- a tiny bit less ketchup, limit the time the onions are fried, redefine what "meat" is. Over the years the steady customer hardly catches on, but it doesn't bring in new customers.

 

The new model is offering quality at a higher price. Chipotle advertises "food with integrity", using organic ingredients and eschewing GMO produce. Even though a meal at Chipotle costs much more than eating at Taco Bell, investing in one would have made you rich while the other is just treading water.

 

Surely with all the brands at Carnival Cruise Lines, there could be room for one brand that offers quality over discount.

[Fouremco]

The new model is offering quality at a higher price.

Which is fine if you are targeting a very limited clientele, but very few cruise lines or other competitive businesses can afford to. There is always room at the top for luxury, but the remaining 95% of cruise passengers expect to receive reasonable quality at a reasonable price. If you take a look at the growth of the cruise industry over the past decade and at the new ships coming on line in the foreseeable future, it's primarily in the mainstream lines, not the luxury line.

[Lottie Linda]

Which is fine if you are targeting a very limited clientele, but very few cruise lines or other competitive businesses can afford to. There is always room at the top for luxury, but the remaining 95% of cruise passengers expect to receive reasonable quality at a reasonable price. If you take a look at the growth of the cruise industry over the past decade and at the new ships coming on line in the foreseeable future, it's primarily in the mainstream lines, not the luxury line.

 

Chipotle is not luxury. Whole Foods is not luxury. Hilton Hotels is not The Four Seasons. Not everything has to be WalMart or dollar menu.

[flyguy]

Obviously I have offended some and I'm sorry if that is the case. When one purchases a product, they expect a certain value in return. In my opinion I didn't receive what was advertised. I usually don't eat at McDonald's or Golden Corral but if I do, I know what to expect and that's the way it is at those establishments. Some people are satisfied with mediocrity-some aren't and I am one of those. Give me value and I'll return if I like your product, take advantage of me and maybe I'll give you a second chance-maybe.

 

You see, I have heard so much about the elegance of Holland America that I expected more than what was received. If one likes and appreciates the value of HA, then by all means give them more of your money. I think there was a fifty-fifty balance regarding the value received according to other passengers comments and if that is the case, they all can't be wrong.

[doublebzz]

Obviously I have offended some and I'm sorry if that is the case.

 

You don't have to apologize for offering your opinion which obviously you are free to offer.

While I don't have such a harsh view of the food quality as you do, I find the food mediocre at best and the Lido can be a hog fest at times. Having sailed on most of the lines, including Seabourn, I find it hard to differentiate the quality among the lines. It seems to me there is greater variance among ships in each line.

[bobpatj]

We were on the June 29th sailing, and were very pleased with the whole experience. The Statendam was well cared for, the staff was wonderful, the entertainment on board, including the singers & dancers, the guitar player, Diane Fast at the piano, the Ocean Bar and Explorers Lounge musicians, and even the HAL Cats were terrific! Our servers in the dining room were stretched, but we enjoyed our food and had no complaints. What a fantastic itinerary! If it rained, which wasn't often, we had umbrellas and kept dry. We've had many cruises on HAL, so maybe we are used to the way things are, these days, and don't complain about the "way things used to be." We had taken a 7 day cruise to Alaska in 1997, so this was our first time back there and would recommend this itinerary to all that can take a 14 day cruise. :)

[rostbp]

Just off the Volendam. Our first HAL cruise and I definitely thought food on Princess, RC, and NCL far superior. I did enjoy the Pinnacle dinner though.