HAL to announce new celebrity voyage(s) Thursday (2/9/17)

[Tinknock50]

NO! Not Oprah, please God NO!

 

 

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Well, as you can see from the postings here, there are plenty of people, including me, that don't like Oprah.

 

I'm just grateful that she's not going to be on my Alaskan cruise!

 

I see now she won't be on mine either. Whew!

[Marion B]

Thanks to Cruise Critic, I learned that my November 29th Koningsdam cruise was one of the four special sailings. This was a landmark birthday celebration. It was disappointing that HAL wouldn't let us change to an earlier sailing without paying several hundred dollars more. Luckily we were well before final payment, with a fully refundable deposit. Yesterday, we cancelled this cruise and booked with another cruise line.

Having been on short repo cruises where special interest groups took over public venues, we weren't willing to gamble on an eleven-day sailing. Had HAL told us beforehand that our cruise was on the list, we would not have booked it.

 

Marion

[Charlie1422]

Thanks to Cruise Critic, I learned that my November 29th Koningsdam cruise was one of the four special sailings. This was a landmark birthday celebration. It was disappointing that HAL wouldn't let us change to an earlier sailing without paying several hundred dollars more. Luckily we were well before final payment, with a fully refundable deposit. Yesterday, we cancelled this cruise and booked with another cruise line.

Having been on short repo cruises where special interest groups took over public venues, we weren't willing to gamble on an eleven-day sailing. Had HAL told us beforehand that our cruise was on the list, we would not have booked it.

 

Marion

We are thankful we were able to change ours also. Grateful we had not made final payment. We lost a perk, but it's worth it to us to avoid the circus.

 

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[SteelMagnolia9]

New cruisers couldn't care less about libraries, promenades and movie theatres. All cruise companies need to focus on getting the non cruisers onboard. I will guarantee you libraries aren't going to do that.

 

You are right. I read on one of the travel magazine websites that the April issue of O Magazine will feature Holland America on the cover and inside.

[bUU]

Over two million pairs of eyes... Not sure it was free but heck of a decent bit of advantaged advertising.

[JEH]

HAL got rid of librarians , dance music with areas to dance at , bridge instructors and other things passengers enjoyed and cruised with HAL for because it was cutting costs. Now they are turning cruises into sea going infomercials to generate reveue. I will book the Slow Cooker and Magic Pan Cooking Cruise when it's offered.

[bUU]

I will book the Slow Cooker and Magic Pan Cooking Cruise when it's offered.

I'm holding out for the tabletop board game cruise, or the week-long murder mystery cruise - something interesting to pass the time on at-sea days.

[SteelMagnolia9]

Yes, they are doing it to generate revenue. Previously, HAL had "Dancing With The Stars" and in addition to dance competitions onboard, they had themed cruises where the ABC dance pros and celebrities were onboard.

[DoorCounty]

So "O" magazine will suddenly appear in the empty libraries? I used to like her until '08.

[sail7seas]

If HAL becomes the Oprah cruise line I'll be switching lines after this years cruise. We go on one a year so I know HAL won't miss my business, but I'll move to Celebrity.

 

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I cannot understand these 'despearte sounding announcements. Why not keep working on and continue to offer the basic c ruise most of us seeek and if they are as outstanding as so many in gthe past have been, they won't need all this nonesense. Some of the latest 'new ideas' are pushing guests away rather then attracting, IMOSeems they are flaying in the air trying to find a ' stunning brainstorm They have not yet hit my 'like button, I LIke a great HAL c ruise just f ine. No need to keep announcing these new 'features.

 

I also really wonder why Oprah wants any part of this . I c ould g uess but my guesesses might not be popular. It isn't like we have any reas on to think she needs money .:rolleyes:

Edited February 12, 2017 by sail7seas

[3rdGenCunarder]

It's not Oprah I have a problem with (never met the woman so no idea rather I like her or not) specifically, it's this whole mind set that "common" people need some celebrity to tell them who to vote for, how to dress, what to read, what to eat and on and on. That celebrities are some how better at life than we are and so we should follow them. With a few exceptions celebrities are the biggest group of dysfunctional people on the planet, the drug issues, the relationship issues, the delusion that they are important, the need to have their egos stroked and in the case of some of the women the weird competition to see who can get in the news wearing the least amount of clothing. I will give them this, they are good for a laugh when I have nothing better to do.

 

 

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[bold is mine] I don't know if celebrities are all as dysfunctional as you describe. But I agree with the rest of your post. I do not need any celebrity to tell me how to live. Yes, Oprah has done a lot of good for a lot of people, but she does tend to say "you should..." And if anyone declares that something they are going to tell/give/sell/show me will "transform my life," I am totally turned off.

 

I think it's sad that a lot of people look to what some celebrity does/wears/buys instead of thinking about what works for them. But it's a fact of how people live these days, and HAL is cashing in on it.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I cannot understand these 'despearte sounding announcements. Why not keep working on and continue to offer the basic c ruise most of us seeek and if they are as outstanding as so many in gthe past have been, they won't need all this nonesense. Some of the latest 'new ideas' are pushing guests away rather then attracting, IMOSeems they are flaying in the air trying to find a ' stunning brainstorm They have not yet hit my 'like button, I LIke a great HAL c ruise just f ine. No need to keep announcing these new 'features.

 

I also really wonder why Oprah wants any part of this . I c ould g uess but my guesesses might not be popular. It isn't like we have any reas on to think she needs money .:rolleyes:

 

[bold is mine] What a great expression! This doesn't hit my "like" button, either. But it's a very competitive market, and HAL is trying to attract new cruisers. Their ships are too small for an ice rink or a zipline. They've got to have something new, just to get people's attention. We can only hope that the new bells and whistles don't edge out any more of the things we already like about HAL.

[sail7seas]

Yes so nice there are so many choices for us so we can sail with whomever we chose or not...

Indeed, ;:cool::D

[sail7seas]

I'm a Weight Watchers member and we received information about a WW cruise on MSC. Oprah isn't involved.

 

If someone doesn't want to sail with a particular celebrity on an advertised cruise, just don't book that cruise. What's the big deal?

 

Roz

 

 

The big deal l IS that cruise lines are often very closed mouthed aa bout any grups on a particular sailing. Silent on the subject to acuttlly being un truthful on occassion even if dirreclty asked. One could inquire from one of the reps if there are qany groups on for a cetain date aqnd not alwasy be sure to get an accurrate answer. THAT is thevig deal. I would be huggely upsset tto be 'aurrprised,' after I booked and would suffer either air fare penaltyry or cruise line cancellation penalty ifIIi did not know about it at the time of booking.

[sail7seas]

I'm a Weight Watchers member and we received information about a WW cruise on MSC. Oprah isn't involved.

 

If someone doesn't want to sail with a particular celebrity on an advertised cruise, just don't book that cruise. What's the big deal?

 

Roz

 

 

The big deal IS that cruise lines are often very closed mouthed a bout any grououps on a particular sailing. Silent on the subject to actually being un truthful on occassion even if dirrectlty asked. One could inquire from one of the reps if there are qany groups on for a cetain date aqnd not alwasy be sure to get an accurrate answer. THAT is thevig deal. I would be huggely upsset tto be 'aurrprised,' after I booked and would suffwe either air faeew pewnqltry or cruise line cancellation penalty ifIi did not know about it at the time of booking

[Marion B]

Sail's post struck home. We were blindsided by our booking being one of the special cruises. It would have been a big deal if we had booked airfare or insurance, but luckily had not.

As Sail posted, we felt that HAL was not being open when our TA tried to get specifics about what venues would be affected. When HAL started talking about tickets being issued for crowd control, it was all vague and we felt it didn't bode well for us.

In cancelling our cruise, we thought back to when a large group took over our short repo: Crow's Nest out of limits, our anniversary dinner at the Pinnacle cancelled last minute....

It may turn out that we would not have been impacted much, but we weren't willing to chance it.

Luckily, there are many cruise lines from which to choose and we will see how we like the cruise line we chose which is new to us.

 

Marion

[RJ2002]

The big deal l IS that cruise lines are often very closed mouthed aa bout any grups on a particular sailing. Silent on the subject to acuttlly being un truthful on occassion even if dirreclty asked. One could inquire from one of the reps if there are qany groups on for a cetain date aqnd not alwasy be sure to get an accurrate answer. THAT is thevig deal. I would be huggely upsset tto be 'aurrprised,' after I booked and would suffer either air fare penaltyry or cruise line cancellation penalty ifIIi did not know about it at the time of booking.

 

Fortunately we have a dedicated group of CC'ers who help maintain the list of sailings with groups. I always check out the list before I book.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2430548

[bUU]

Why not keep working on and continue to offer the basic c ruise most of us seeek and if they are as outstanding as so many in gthe past have been, they won't need all this nonesense.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

 

Change or die is much more likely to be the overriding reality of 21st century business... It is absolutely essential for vacation destinations, and especially cruise lines, to keep things fresh or they will have far too few passengers to sustain their business.

[sammiedawg]

It's not Oprah I have a problem with (never met the woman so no idea rather I like her or not) specifically, it's this whole mind set that "common" people need some celebrity to tell them who to vote for, how to dress, what to read, what to eat and on and on. That celebrities are some how better at life than we are and so we should follow them. With a few exceptions celebrities are the biggest group of dysfunctional people on the planet, the drug issues, the relationship issues, the delusion that they are important, the need to have their egos stroked and in the case of some of the women the weird competition to see who can get in the news wearing the least amount of clothing. I will give them this, they are good for a laugh when I have nothing better to do.

 

 

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Wow, you articulated for millions. Thanks so much. This particular celeb is good for a laugh whenever she talks about honesty, hmmm.

I've never been a big OW fan but she had some interesting shows back in the day.

[sppunk]

I cannot understand these 'despearte sounding announcements. Why not keep working on and continue to offer the basic c ruise most of us seeek and if they are as outstanding as so many in gthe past have been, they won't need all this nonesense. Some of the latest 'new ideas' are pushing guests away rather then attracting, IMOSeems they are flaying in the air trying to find a ' stunning brainstorm They have not yet hit my 'like button, I LIke a great HAL c ruise just f ine. No need to keep announcing these new 'features.

 

I also really wonder why Oprah wants any part of this . I c ould g uess but my guesesses might not be popular. It isn't like we have any reas on to think she needs money .:rolleyes:

 

HAl bookings are at highest levels in a decade or more.

 

Companies have to evolve. If they don't, they die. HAL hadn't evolved for years and was quickly becoming a major drawback for Carnival Corp.

 

The Vista ships isn't going to attract new cruisers on their own. Since the S and R ships are numbered and gone by 2022, HAL needs new passengers.

 

Their new initiatives are working very well fir HAP corporate, regardless of any personal feelings about them.

 

Look around - all lines are offering these types of marketing partnerships. Just be happy it isn't the Blue Man Group or Guy Feiri.

[Charlie1422]

HAl bookings are at highest levels in a decade or more.

 

Companies have to evolve. If they don't, they die. HAL hadn't evolved for years and was quickly becoming a major drawback for Carnival Corp.

 

The Vista ships isn't going to attract new cruisers on their own. Since the S and R ships are numbered and gone by 2022, HAL needs new passengers.

 

Their new initiatives are working very well fir HAP corporate, regardless of any personal feelings about them.

 

Look around - all lines are offering these types of marketing partnerships. Just be happy it isn't the Blue Man Group or Guy Feiri.

One question-if HAL hasn't evolved for years, then why are their bookings at an all time high before this new partnership was announced. Some times"if it ain't broke don't fix it".

HAL got rid of librarians , dance music with areas to dance at , bridge instructors and other things passengers enjoyed and cruised with HAL for because it was cutting costs. Now they are turning cruises into sea going infomercials to generate reveue. I will book the Slow Cooker and Magic Pan Cooking Cruise when it's offered.

 

Fortunately we have a dedicated group of CC'ers who help maintain the list of sailings with groups. I always check out the list before I book.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2430548

 

 

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[sail7seas]

Nice to inject some new activities. I don't see it taking over the cruise.

 

 

I have been on a cruise where the was a larg e goup and it wasa awful f or those not a part of the group. Have you ever sailed with large group which you were un connected to?

Edited February 12, 2017 by sail7seas

[Cruising-along]

I have been on a cruise where the was a largw e goup ands it wasa awdul f or those not a patdf the group. Have you evveer sailed with a larrg group which you were un connxted to?

 

I have, recently. And I agree, not the best cruise for the rest of us! A large Inspirations Group took up 1/4 of the Koningsdam on our cruise last month.

[bUU]

One question-if HAL hasn't evolved for years, then why are their bookings at an all time high before this new partnership was announced.

Which new partnership? What sppunk was referring to was a general change in marketing policy for Holland America which goes back a few years, and is finally now paying dividends. Before Oprah, there were partnerships with America's Test Kitchen, BBC Earth, Afar Media, Billboard, RWS & Associates (Lincoln Center Stage), B.B. King's Blues Club., Microsoft, etc.

 

Some times"if it ain't broke don't fix it".

And sometimes it is time to change. This is one of those times.

[Charlie1422]

Which new partnership? What sppunk was referring to was a general change in marketing policy for Holland America which goes back a few years, and is finally now paying dividends. Before Oprah, there were partnerships with America's Test Kitchen, BBC Earth, Afar Media, Billboard, RWS & Associates (Lincoln Center Stage), B.B. King's Blues Club., Microsoft, etc.

 

And sometimes it is time to change. This is one of those times.

Your opinion not mine. Fortunately, we are still allowed to have differing opinions on this forum.

 

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