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Real Books are Still Wanted!

janmcn

By janmcn,
in Holland America Line

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Nanner

Nanner

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Posted

For a short cruise, it isn't a big deal, but when we are on a ship for more than a week or two, I really appreciate having the library. Lugging enough books, even paperbacks, for a TA cruise and more takes up too much weight and space in our luggage.

 

I have found new authors on cruises, and I am not a Kindle person. My DH left his charger for his Kindle home on the first cruise after he purchased it, so he also was glad to have a library available. I don't require a fully staffed or really huge library, but a variety of fiction, nonfiction and biographies is nice to have. Our Koningsdam cruise last March left me very unhappy, as there were no books on the shelf save a few left to share, none of which were even in English.

 

We have a 42 day voyage coming up shortly, and I sure hope the Zuiderdam has some books left on her!

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roses313

roses313

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Browsing through the ship library was a must on embarkation day. Often found something of interest. Since libraries are either gone or going, now bring my reader, plus a few paperbacks which I buy at whatever city we are leaving from. See no need to carry them on the plane. I leave the books on the ship.

 

In the past have struck up some very interesting conversations with folks on the ship when they either comment on the book I was reading or I comment on their book. That can't happen when everyone is into a reader. Times they have changed.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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I wouldn't dream of going on a cruise reliant upon someone else's opinion of something I might like to read. I can go through a book a day so I'll load my IPad prior to the cruise with several books.

 

I do check out the library and see what they have but I do what you do. I load up my iPad so I have books I want to read. Also it seems like many take books out of the library to save seats at the pool.......

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ithaca gal

ithaca gal

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On our last cruise, the Cruise Director said that an average of 40 books a week "walk off the ship". It does not make good business sense to keep spending money on something that passengers can easily provide for themselves.

 

(The key word here is "easily", before people start writing that passengers should have to bring their own table linens, flatware, drinking glasses, bed linens, etc. etc. etc.)

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Stratheden

Stratheden

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I have my eReader with hundreds of books. I would never rely on the ships library to have what I like. But I do love to sit in the library and read. One of the best places on HAL is the library on the Noordam. It was very hard to find a chair on our last cruise to NZ. I do hope they don't destroy that place when the Noordam is in drydock.

 

I can't imagine what the Crows Nest is like for relaxing with all this new Excursion areas and whatever else they have put on those ships that have been in drydock. We are on the Zuiderdam in June and that will be one of the first places I check out. That was our goto place on sea days.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

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A lack of a library is no big loss to me..I always bring several books along with me-both electronic and no.

 

Completely with HAL on the books getting stolen.All the more reason not to tempt people.Sorry but it's true.

 

 

 

They used to lock the books up and have a librarian to check the books out. It was the best library at sea except for QM2. They had all the current best sellers. That was before Kindles and iPads and it was a great reading area.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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dockman

dockman

Posted
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On our last cruise, the Cruise Director said that an average of 40 books a week "walk off the ship". It does not make good business sense to keep spending money on something that passengers can easily provide for themselves.

 

(The key word here is "easily", before people start writing that passengers should have to bring their own table linens, flatware, drinking glasses, bed linens, etc. etc. etc.)

 

 

then maybe holland needs to invest in the micro chips that sound an alarm when u try and take a book off the ship and pass by a sensor.....and why not put them in the towels and tea and silverware and dozens of other items that no doubt get stolen?

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Sea girl 23

Sea girl 23

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This.And also..Noro(I haven been on cruises where they kept the books locked up because of Noro outbreaks.)

 

As for it being a cozy place to read..it still is.I much prefer the set up on the Westerdam.Many more(comfortable)places to sit and(at least the last time I was on her)never horribly crowded.

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
On our last cruise, the Cruise Director said that an average of 40 books a week "walk off the ship". It does not make good business sense to keep spending money on something that passengers can easily provide for themselves.

 

(The key word here is "easily", before people start writing that passengers should have to bring their own table linens, flatware, drinking glasses, bed linens, etc. etc. etc.)

 

I don't disbelieve you but I find this hard to imagine. And I think someone is giving us a "story".

 

Why would anyone want weight in their luggage?

 

I've been on plenty of cruises and seen the books returned on the last day.

 

If the cost of books going was such a big deal, then they would have kept the libarian. They didn't so, I suspect some are left in rooms (or other places) and found later.

 

Lots of other ships have libraries and no librarians and if the book "walk off" there is no talk of it and no elimination of the libraries.

 

Libraries are one of the things that make HAL stand out. I remember the first time cruisers on the Rotterdam and when they walked into the library. they were awestruck.

 

And they weren't 80 ;)

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ithaca gal

ithaca gal

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I don't disbelieve you but I find this hard to imagine. And I think someone is giving us a "story".

 

Why would anyone want weight in their luggage?

 

First of all, that was a nice way to question the post!

 

Secondly, I found the story easy to believe for two reasons. (1) Most likely, people start to read a book on a cruise and they aren't finished by disembarkation day. They probably think that "a book here or there" won't hurt anything. After all, they paid so much for the cruise. (2) A few people are just too cheap to buy books.

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rkacruiser

rkacruiser

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I have done my part on helping to sock the library shelves on HAL ships when I debark.

 

For those sailing on the Zaandam that has Montevideo on their itinerary, in January, I left a hard cover book about the history of the German Pocket Battleship Graf Spee and her relationship to that port in the book exchange area. A good read and particularly timely when one is sailing in the area.

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Flatbush Flyer

Flatbush Flyer

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For the Powers That Be in management: Libraries with books are still wanted...and used! An informal small analysis of two rows of the main theater (folks waiting for the show) showed most people reading REAL books. Those on electronic devices were playing games. I saw nobody reading a Kindle and nobody was reading a book on a device. Keep the libraries with books!

 

 

 

You may want to consider Oceania. Both their R and O ships have wonderful libraries.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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albingirl Great Review Rare

albingirl

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No library? Horror! I often find interesting new authors in the ship's library. I also bring my kindle which is loaded with library books from home, but they don't last throughout a long cruise.

If you turn off your wifi on your kindle, they will last. The books stay on as long as you wish. They will disappear as soon as you turn on your wifi, however.

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dd likes to cruise

dd likes to cruise

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I love real books too. But, I also use a kindle.

On most cruises, I bring several paperbacks, read them and leave them in the library on the ship for someone else. I'm sure others do the same.

 

I do the same. There is no way I could rely on any ship library to have the books I want. I don't just read anything. I have looked before and nothing is of much interest to me.

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