Five Sar Mariner Suggestion

[sail7seas]

Here is a post KK made i;n another Five Star Mariner thread

 

 

Krazyruizers Now that HAL is doing away with the Culinary Arts Center on the ship and putting in "America's Test Kitchen", I guess that the 5 star free cooking class perk will be goen

 

 

It got me thinking. Maybe HAL c ould substitute some other benefit when they take one away. :shrug: The give with one hand andtgake away with tther. They give Five sgtgtar astaus bu t tgake away the benefits trhat are supposed trro areruse wirh thagtg sgtatus.

 

I don't care foreer me as I never lug wine aboard but I know otherss do and they might like

 

In dfefference to some five stars I know llike to b ring wine aboard, how about n if HAL givce a certifivate that could re printed at th time wse print o boarding documentsd and that certrrifivate wouledd be good fo r c orkagae free waiver ron an etra bottle o r two of wine???

 

 

Anyone have ideas for other things they could sub sttutte?

Edited October 4, 2016 by sail7seas

[OlsSalt]

Not sure how valuable any loyalty club is after the 4 star level, since by then many of us have made up our minds and choose HAL anyway.

 

HAL appears to already have high passenger loyalty primarily for the basics all passengers share: size of ships, crew, itineraries, quiet more formal sailing traditions.

 

I suspect HAL may well have some bottom regrets since at a certain point increasing Mariner participation is a money-losing proposition rather than a passenger loyalty money-making proposition.

 

But the mysteries inside the Seattle mind are beyond mine to know or understand. They know their passenger demographics and what it take to fill their ships. I do not.

[USN59-79]

Not sure how valuable any loyalty club is after the 4 star level, since by then many of us have made up our minds and choose HAL anyway.

 

HAL appears to already have high passenger loyalty primarily for the basics all passengers share: size of ships, crew, itineraries, quiet more formal sailing traditions.

 

I suspect HAL may well have some bottom regrets since at a certain point increasing Mariner participation is a money-losing proposition rather than a passenger loyalty money-making proposition.

 

But the mysteries inside the Seattle mind are beyond mine to know or understand. They know their passenger demographics and what it take to fill their ships. I do not.

I am not sure you are right about the loyalty thing. We choose cruises based on the itinerary and length. Our first cruise after reaching 5-star was a 71 day cruise around Africa on Princess. Has been a year since we have booked on HAL. My take on the OP's suggestion is that it is good, but doesn't go far enough. Nice that I can bring aboard a bottle of wine on a 5-day cruise and get two free Pinnacle Grill dinners, but what about a 50 or 100 day cruise? One bottle of wine seems kind of lame.

[mllewis48]

Here is a post KK made i;n another Five Star Mariner thread

 

 

Krazyruizers Now that HAL is doing away with the Culinary Arts Center on the ship and putting in "America's Test Kitchen", I guess that the 5 star free cooking class perk will be goen

 

 

It got me thinking. Maybe HAL c ould substitute some other benefit when they take one away. :shrug: The give with one hand andtgake away with tther. They give Five sgtgtar astaus bu t tgake away the benefits trhat are supposed trro areruse wirh thagtg sgtatus.

 

I don't care foreer me as I never lug wine aboard but I know otherss do and they might like

 

In dfefference to some five stars I know llike to b ring wine aboard, how about n if HAL givce a certifivate that could re printed at th time wse print o boarding documentsd and that certrrifivate wouledd be good fo r c orkagae free waiver ron an etra bottle o r two of wine???

 

 

Anyone have ideas for other things they could sub sttutte?

 

 

 

Is it definite that Culinary is done?

 

 

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[OlsSalt]

I am not sure you are right about the loyalty thing. We choose cruises based on the itinerary and length. Our first cruise after reaching 5-star was a 71 day cruise around Africa on Princess. Has been a year since we have booked on HAL. My take on the OP's suggestion is that it is good, but doesn't go far enough. Nice that I can bring aboard a bottle of wine on a 5-day cruise and get two free Pinnacle Grill dinners, but what about a 50 or 100 day cruise? One bottle of wine seems kind of lame.

 

I should have said,..... after the five star level of cruising is reached we will either choose HAL or not, mainly on other criteria but probably not for any further perks.

 

Enjoy your trip - 71 days is a wow, and Princess does have their small ship world cruise options too.

Edited October 4, 2016 by OlsSalt

[InTheWASide]

Is it definite that Culinary is done?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It's being rebranded. That's all and they will still be offering classes. That was in the press release.

[avian777]

It's being rebranded. That's all and they will still be offering classes. That was in the press release.

 

Thanks, InTheWASide, for clarifying this matter - it certainly helps when one has the facts before going off on a rant. So thanks again and smooth sailing ...

[sail7seas]

Rant? Really? KK made a statement which I quoted and I made a suggestion.

 

If that is the worst rant to which you sre subjectedd. Lucky you Hardly a rant.a rant.

Edited October 4, 2016 by sail7seas

[mllewis48]

It's being rebranded. That's all and they will still be offering classes. That was in the press release.

 

 

 

Thx did not see the Press Release[emoji41]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Is there a new program?

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[just_cruising_along]

Here is a press release on the subject:

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/news/NewsRelease.action?newsReleaseId=1398

 

The complimentary 45-minute cooking demonstrations will combine video and live instruction and include audience taste tests — topics under development include Asian Dumplings, We Love Chocolate and Meatless Monday Meals.

 

The 90-minute hands-on workshops (for a fee from $39) will focus on such topics as Perfect Pies and Homemade Pasta and take place in the ships' cook station-equipped kitchens.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Here is a press release on the subject:

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/news/NewsRelease.action?newsReleaseId=1398

 

The complimentary 45-minute cooking demonstrations will combine video and live instruction and include audience taste tests — topics under development include Asian Dumplings, We Love Chocolate and Meatless Monday Meals.

 

The 90-minute hands-on workshops (for a fee from $39) will focus on such topics as Perfect Pies and Homemade Pasta and take place in the ships' cook station-equipped kitchens.

 

That does sound like a change. The description of the hands-on workshops sounds more about technique than recipes. Currently, the classes prepare specific recipes and then get to eat the meal as prepared by Pinnacle chef. No mention of the meal in the press release.

[RuthC]

No mention of the meal in the press release.

And yet the price is higher.

[3rdGenCunarder]

And yet the price is higher.

 

Yeah, I did notice that, from $29 to $39 is a big jump. I've done two of the classes with guests chefs, and it was great. Last time, the chef joined us for lunch, and the "foodie" conversations were so interesting! It would be a shame to take away that part of the class.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It would be nice if they came up with a new perk.

[Hlitner]

We are 4 Star with nearly 500 days (will make 5 Star on our next HAL cruise) and really find the 4 Star (and 5 Star) no biggie except for the nice discount on wine packages (if you don;t mind the cheap wine selections). And free laundry (at the 4 Star Level) is also nice on the really long cruises. But HAL pales in comparison to many other lines when it comes to the perks given to frequent cruisers. In fact, it is sometimes curious how we can get lower prices (on cruises) by not using our Mariner status. One of our favored cruise agencies tells us that they have more luck getting upgrades (not upsells) for 1st or 2nd time HAL cruisers then for those with lots of days. She figures that HAL wants to suck in new customers and does not worry about hanging on to its loyal customers.

 

Hank

[brainyblonde]

Perhaps five star mariners could have the"old" room service breakfast hang tag as a perk. The efficiency experts will deplore the idea, but having breakfast on our terms sounds like a winner.

[sail7seas]

Perhaps five star mariners could have the"old" room service breakfast hang tag as a perk. The efficiency experts will deplore the idea, but having breakfast on our terms sounds like a winner.

 

 

Good idea :)

Edited October 12, 2016 by sail7seas