New Survey

[drowelf]

I filled out the survey. At one point in my career I used to design surveys, so I am fairly critical of the designs. I did not think that this one was poor, but it certainly could have been alot better. It was fairly quick and easy to fill out, so I liked that, but IMO it did not drill down deep enough on the areas to really expose the pros and cons people have.

 

I read the copy posted and one of the things I always find irksome on surveys is when the don't have a way to indicate when something does not apply to me. For example, we have not yet been on ship that has the BB Kings or Oprah experience, therefore I have no opinion on it at all. As I'm not familiar with those the Brand Partners, my general perception is N/A until I can actually experience them.

[drowelf]

The Microsoft thing....I know people go but to me, that is the oddest partnership /cruise offering I’ve ever seen. I just can’t imagine why anyone would go. I’m sure others wonder why I would like trivia so I get the different things for different people.

 

You know I thought that at first too, but I attended one once, not to really learn anything, but to get access to a computer with a USB Port and SD Reader. It was a Baltic Cruise and I had one of my Camera SD Cards go bad at the very start, so I had filled up the others and needed to offload them onto a USB Stick. So while I sat there watching the files xfer, I listened away.

 

Windows 7 was just out for about a year or so and I'd never seen it yet. So I got to experience it and learn a few things. These tend to be Novice level classes for folks who are not too computer savvy. It gave some nice info on how to deal with images and other stuff.

 

At the time my work and personal was still XP Based, so I saw how the UI had improved and found that I liked those changes. The next system I built (yes I build my own) got Win 7 plopped on it.

[bUU]

They(all of them) seem more like a feel good sales sales tool rather than a basis from which to elicit customer feedback.

I don't see that at all. They aren't sending the survey to people who haven't cruised on the cruise line.

 

It sounds like they are trying to gauge how successful their partnerships are. Perhaps they're trying to decide on new partnerships and trying to understand which types of partnerships are working best, so they can do more of those and less of the others.

[winddawn]

I'm enjoying reading everyone's comments about the value of HAL's "partnerships." I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks these partnerships hold little value. Nor do they influence my cruise booking decisions. Personally I see these as a waste of the cruise line's resources, in both the money the cruise line spent for the partnership and the waste of the space they take on a ship that could be better utilized from an entertainment standpoint. I think these partnerships are an attempt to provide cheaper entertainment although I use the term entertainment loosely because IMHO there is little entertainment value in them.

[whogo]

Is anyone willing to share the link so we can all take the survey?

[OlsSalt]

Here is at least one problem with the ATK partner - HAL investment having installed demonstration "culinary centers" in various venues on their ships. Th value of this feature was mixed -sometimes the onboard staffer did a terrific job and we had lots of fun food events with the staff, as well as semi-serious food demonstration. but mainly they were fairly light weight for any real cooking enhancements

 

More recently were the ones some that were pathetically bad, where one had to wonder why that person was even hired for the job in the first place. So nice potential as an in house operation, but too highly variable in quality to not look for other ways to use this dedicated space. Or maybe the industry fad offering "culinary classes" on board ships had past.

 

Consequently due to the prior inconsistent quality onboard, Americas Test Kitchen was a huge leap forward in a very professional direction. But again they offerings were pretty light weight, though I did pick up a lot of technique tips if no actual recipes I would ever use again.

 

However, the extra fee hands-on ATK demonstrations were simply not worth the time. Nor could you even eat what you made - just play with the ingredients a bit and only look now. That was a big non-event even though we were promised to make the "best deviled eggs ever". I did this only once only because it was a five star perk for free. There was nothing about them I thought that made them worth paying for.

 

But the biggest disappointment about ATK was the repetition of the classes for those who make several HAL cruises a year, ATK quickly become a-same old, same old. And none of the formerly very fun staff cook-offs and mystery box fun events were offered under the ATK brand.

 

So what do you do if you are HAL management? Take out the dedicated demonstration kitchens - have special staff training for what worked best in the past for guest cooking entertainment? -- go with a packaged commercial operation like ATK? Turn the space into a tooth whitening spa? Again, a decision that should be made from the perspective of someone who actually has cruised before - not detached Seattle management that is trying blindly to keep up with what other cruise lines are doing.

 

It will be interesting on the new InDepth cruise offerings as they claim they will be brining in local chefs using local ingredients so we can really dig into learning more about the places we are going. Perhaps that is a new way - make the culinary offerings really specific to the area traveled and what to look for when visiting local markets - Scandinavian, Russian, German, Italian, Caribbean etc. What better way to bring home a souvenir than learning how to make a new local dish from one's travels. And find a way to let us taste things again.

[richwmn]

Is anyone willing to share the link so we can all take the survey?

Each email gets a unique token. I just tried mine again and was reminded that I have already taken the survey.

[mame42]

I wish I would have received the survey so that I could let HAL know that the Brand Partnerships are actually a turnoff to me.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Here is at least one problem with the ATK partner - HAL investment having installed demonstration "culinary centers" in various venues on their ships. Th value of this feature was mixed -sometimes the onboard staffer did a terrific job and we had lots of fun food events with the staff, as well as semi-serious food demonstration. but mainly they were fairly light weight for any real cooking enhancements

 

More recently were the ones some that were pathetically bad, where one had to wonder why that person was even hired for the job in the first place. So nice potential as an in house operation, but too highly variable in quality to not look for other ways to use this dedicated space. Or maybe the industry fad offering "culinary classes" on board ships had past.

 

Consequently due to the prior inconsistent quality onboard, Americas Test Kitchen was a huge leap forward in a very professional direction. But again they offerings were pretty light weight, though I did pick up a lot of technique tips if no actual recipes I would ever use again.

 

However, the extra fee hands-on ATK demonstrations were simply not worth the time. Nor could you even eat what you made - just play with the ingredients a bit and only look now. That was a big non-event even though we were promised to make the "best deviled eggs ever". I did this only once only because it was a five star perk for free. There was nothing about them I thought that made them worth paying for.

 

But the biggest disappointment about ATK was the repetition of the classes for those who make several HAL cruises a year, ATK quickly become a-same old, same old. And none of the formerly very fun staff cook-offs and mystery box fun events were offered under the ATK brand.

 

So what do you do if you are HAL management? Take out the dedicated demonstration kitchens - have special staff training for what worked best in the past for guest cooking entertainment? -- go with a packaged commercial operation like ATK? Turn the space into a tooth whitening spa? Again, a decision that should be made from the perspective of someone who actually has cruised before - not detached Seattle management that is trying blindly to keep up with what other cruise lines are doing.

 

It will be interesting on the new InDepth cruise offerings as they claim they will be brining in local chefs using local ingredients so we can really dig into learning more about the places we are going. Perhaps that is a new way - make the culinary offerings really specific to the area traveled and what to look for when visiting local markets - Scandinavian, Russian, German, Italian, Caribbean etc. What better way to bring home a souvenir than learning how to make a new local dish from one's travels. And find a way to let us taste things again.

 

ATK: The topics they offer for demos just don't grab my interest. I'm disappointed that the class doesn't produce a meal the way the old version did. And I'm even more disappointed that lunch in the pinnacle doesn't follow it any more. It was fun to see how the pro version compared to our group effort.

 

InDepth cruises: I hope they beef up the cruise director's staff to include a port expert who truly knows the ports, the attractions, local customs, and what to shop for (not just food, but ideas for something special and local, not touting "partner" stores). Best port talks we ever had were on a Baltic cruise on Caronia. One of the CD staff had lived in one of the cities we were visiting and had been to the other cities. Each talk was illustrated with her own photos and lots of good stories and info. Yes, we can read travel books and websites, but hearing from someone who's been there is special.

[Carnevale]

I wish I would have received the survey so that I could let HAL know that the Brand Partnerships are actually a turnoff to me.

 

Agree! They are a turn off for us as well (especially the BB Kings as I previously mentioned). However, the survey didn’t let me express this. The wording of the questions and the response options narrowed things down so the worst one could say is these partnerships are not an attraction which is a long way from saying they are driving people away. I am concerned about what messages HAL HQ will take away from the results.

[bUU]

Meanwhile, what we can learn from the survey is that the partnerships are doing well since the survey makes very clear that they're looking for insight on differences between the partnerships rather than looking for complaints indicating that there shouldn't be partnerships. The fact that they aren't providing you an opportunity to condemn their business decisions indicates they're pretty confident in those business decisions. So that raises the questions why is the cruise line so interested in the people who are attracted by partnerships, and so unconcerned about those who are not that they don't even provide a means in the survey of expressing that.

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

[whogo]

Each email gets a unique token. I just tried mine again and was reminded that I have already taken the survey.

Thanks for trying.

[mame42]

Meanwhile, what we can learn from the survey is that the partnerships are doing well since the survey makes very clear that they're looking for insight on differences between the partnerships rather than looking for complaints indicating that there shouldn't be partnerships. The fact that they aren't providing you an opportunity to condemn their business decisions indicates they're pretty confident in those business decisions. So that raises the questions why is the cruise line so interested in the people who are attracted by partnerships, and so unconcerned about those who are not that they don't even provide a means in the survey of expressing that.

 

This message may have been drafted using voice recognition. Please forgive any typos.

 

An excellent question worth pondering.

[Sea42]

Meanwhile, what we can learn from the survey is that the partnerships are doing well since the survey makes very clear that they're looking for insight on differences between the partnerships rather than looking for complaints indicating that there shouldn't be partnerships. The fact that they aren't providing you an opportunity to condemn their business decisions indicates they're pretty confident in those business decisions. So that raises the questions why is the cruise line so interested in the people who are attracted by partnerships, and so unconcerned about those who are not that they don't even provide a means in the survey of expressing that.

 

My guess would be that people who are brand loyal or are enticed by the newest big name whatever are more likely to spend money on the things associated with the brand offerings. ATK -pay for cooking classes. BB Kings - dance and drink. O - books, merchandise, spa offerings. Most business decision come down to how to best generate revenue.

[bUU]

My guess would be that people who are brand loyal or are enticed by the newest big name whatever are more likely to spend money on the things associated with the brand offerings. ATK -pay for cooking classes. BB Kings - dance and drink. O - books, merchandise, spa offerings. Most business decision come down to how to best generate revenue.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. So much of the consumer marketplace, as measured in dollars of revenue, involves these intangible affinities - people who have a favorite brand of liquor; people who will pay very high premiums for Disney vacations; people who swear by Apple computers and tablets; etc. How often do we hear about some straight-forward, clearly "better", providers of a product or service going out of business, beaten in the marketplace by providers who are evidently more market savvy, meaning that they understand how to better leverage these clearly evident consumer behaviors to build market share, revenue and profitability at the expense of those providers who don't leverage such things?

 

It underscores one of the most inescapable facts of today's discretionary purchase marketplaces: You either get roped into playing the game or you sit out. For some things, I'm happy to endure the consequences of sitting out: I'll purchase bland, serviceable clothing rather than playing the fashion game, for instance. For other things, I'll pay the price of playing the game, getting drawn in by affinities that please me.

[colonialinnkeeper]

The only surveys we have gotten are the ones that come after each cruise. And, I'm not sure that they even look at them very closely. I have read in other threads that some people have been contacted for further comment after submitting these surveys. We never have been..

[bUU]

The only surveys we have gotten are the ones that come after each cruise. And, I'm not sure that they even look at them very closely. I have read in other threads that some people have been contacted for further comment after submitting these surveys. We never have been..

With surveys such as this, the information is aggregated, and action is taken mostly on feedback that is consistent and pervasive. For concerns unique to one's own experience, it is always best to provide that feedback while aboard ship, while the crew can do something to mitigate the concern.