Oprah, Godmother of Nieuw Statendam

[Aquahound]

Who would have thought that the choice of a ship's godparent would become a hot-button topic? Really, who cares? What possible impact can it have on my enjoyment of cruising? I can't name past godparents, and when choosing a cruise, I have never thought to look up who the godparent might have been to help me decide.

 

I have to agree with you on this. Personally, I can't stand Oprah but I really could not care any less who the Godmother is of a ship. Heck, RCI has a cartoon character as Godmother to one of their ships. That's how insignificant this is.

[stickey_mouse]

I absolutely love Disney Cruise Line but stopped sailing them when they chose Mariah Carey as the godmother for the Fantasy.

 

Just kidding. These things have no impact on the customer's experience. It's all a publicity stunt.

[Cap'nWoody]

I didn't know Oprah was a Dutchie!

[cbr663]

For those who may be interested, HAL recently blogged about the history of ship godmothers:

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/topics/news/why-do-cruise-ships-have-godmothers/

[cruisemom42]

I really could not care any less who the Godmother is of a ship. Heck, RCI has a cartoon character as Godmother to one of their ships. That's how insignificant this is.

 

I absolutely love Disney Cruise Line but stopped sailing them when they chose Mariah Carey as the godmother for the Fantasy.

 

Just kidding. These things have no impact on the customer's experience. It's all a publicity stunt.

 

I've said it before and will say it again: there is no issue so insignificant that HAL CC'ers cannot make a mountain out of it....

[HamOp]

Hey, Oprha's not such a bad choice. Could have been Bruce Jenner.......

[Sea girl 23]

I've said it before and will say it again: there is no issue so insignificant that HAL CC'ers cannot make a mountain out of it....

 

Some of the threads here are proof of that!:cool:

[AncientWanderer]

As the youngsters like to say..there are a few here who are "triggered" by any mention of Oprah.

 

For me at least, the real problem isn't so much with Oprah herself, but instead how she is woven in with a lot of really major changes on HAL -- the whole celebrity thing versus more solid and tangible things like libraries onboard and expert speakers giving interesting talks about destinations. Stuff like that. Oprah is probably a bit of the "fall girl" here. But she's making the big bucks to take the heat, so there you are. I really do want destination speakers, rather than breathing exercises, and judging by how well-attended our speakers were out in the South Pacific, I'm not the only one who feels this way.

[SilvertoGold]

For me at least, the real problem isn't so much with Oprah herself, but instead how she is woven in with a lot of really major changes on HAL -- the whole celebrity thing versus more solid and tangible things like libraries onboard and expert speakers giving interesting talks about destinations. Stuff like that. Oprah is probably a bit of the "fall girl" here. But she's making the big bucks to take the heat, so there you are. I really do want destination speakers, rather than breathing exercises, and judging by how well-attended our speakers were out in the South Pacific, I'm not the only one who feels this way.

 

No, you aren't the only one.

 

It is just a matter of finding the right combination of products to suit the widest pax base. Hard for HAL to win at this game with all their current and future pax. Coming in with larger ships (up to 3000 pax) will require HAL to appeal to more pax. Maybe Oprah is just the start......you wonder where this will lead.

 

I keep hoping that in changing, which HAL feels they must do on a big scale, they replace some products with others that suit us, so they can maintain their value for us.

Edited June 14, 2018 by SilvertoGold

[sail7seas]

No, you aren't the only one. It is just a matter of finding the right combination of products to suit the widest pax base. Hard for HAl to win at this game.

 

I just keep hoping that in changing HAL replaces some products with others that suit us, so they can maintain their value for us.

 

 

 

 

They managed to strike a balance for 145 years. Why do they seem unable or unwilling to do so now?

[mdenis]

Does this mean if HAL dies, Oprah is responsible for the Neiuw Stantendam's upbringing until it becomes 18?

 

 

 

People stop taking things so seriously there are more important issues in the world. Congrats to Oprah I will be on the Neiuw Stantendam in March 2020.

 

 

 

My question exactly! Is Oprah responsible for the ships religious education?

Why would anyone care who the ships “godmother” is? Really, move on to important issues!

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

They managed to strike a balance for 145 years. Why do they seem unable or unwilling to do so now?

 

Because they started to cease being what they were when Carnival took over a few years back; and they have, more recently, started competing with their sister brands: Princess and Carnival rather than seeking to retain the competitive advantage they had as an above-average main stream line. The more those three become alike, the less point there will be in having separate managements - or even color schemes.

[cruisemom42]

Because they started to cease being what they were when Carnival took over a few years back; and they have, more recently, started competing with their sister brands: Princess and Carnival rather than seeking to retain the competitive advantage they had as an above-average main stream line. The more those three become alike, the less point there will be in having separate managements - or even color schemes.

 

Carnival "took over" back in 1982 which is nearly 30 years ago -- so more than a few, even by the standards of the long-lived Holland-America brand. (20% of HAL's lifetime is not an insignificant chunk.) And if history is to be believed, there would not be any HAL today were it not for Carnival's financial rescue.

 

The same thing is happening with mass-market ships as with mass-market air carriers -- when you have so many seats/cabins to fill, you have to compete for the same pool. Based on what we've seen with the airlines, cost is the only differentiator that seems to matter to the masses. (Don't pillory me, I'm not talking about the HAL faithful, but the large numbers of passengers needed to fill large ships with short itineraries week after week after week....)

[bUU]

Based on what we've seen with the airlines, cost is the only differentiator that seems to matter to the masses.

I don't think excluding the faithful, as you did later in your post, makes sense. They are generally railing against the changes even though there are other cruise lines that offer more of what they want. Most have remained here because of how much more expensive those other cruise lines are. Cost drives practically the entire customer base, target and otherwise.

 

 

 

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[bUU]

In related news:

Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King's BFF Cruise Sold Out in Just One Day

 

This trip sounds seriously amazing.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/travel/a20266198/oprah-girls-getaway-cruise-holland-america/

[AncientWanderer]

In related news:https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/travel/a20266198/oprah-girls-getaway-cruise-holland-america/

 

It was the end portion of a collector's cruise. No? So some were already booked for a 10-day? I thought that's what I saw when looking for cruises on the new ship.

Not sure the girls' cruise filled the entire ship in a day. Maybe other's know more about this than I do. In any case, I'm sure this was well-received.

[rkacruiser]

Captain Bowland will be her takeout master. Can’t find the exact source but here is one: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2575274

 

Thank you for the link. I noticed that the date of the initial posts were December, 2017. When I asked Zaandam's Captain Norman in later December or January, 2018 (don't recall the precise date), he stated that the announcement had not been made by HAL. He did not know when it would be.

 

If Captain Bowland is the initial Master at the helm of Nieuw Statendam, I have no objections to his selection. If I recall correctly, he was the take out Master of Eurodam.

 

But, why is there not an official Press Release from HAL about who the Senior Management of Nieuw Statendam will be?

[SetAnOpenCourse]

I don't think excluding the faithful, as you did later in your post, makes sense. They are generally railing against the changes even though there are other cruise lines that offer more of what they want. Most have remained here because of how much more expensive those other cruise lines are. Cost drives practically the entire customer base, target and otherwise.

 

 

I’m generally very cost-conscious, but would pay more for HAL because I like the ships, and the atmosphere let’s you experience the sea voyage aspect, rather than being like an amusement park hotel.

[sailingdutchy]

Thank you for the link. I noticed that the date of the initial posts were December, 2017. When I asked Zaandam's Captain Norman in later December or January, 2018 (don't recall the precise date), he stated that the announcement had not been made by HAL. He did not know when it would be.

 

If Captain Bowland is the initial Master at the helm of Nieuw Statendam, I have no objections to his selection. If I recall correctly, he was the take out Master of Eurodam.

 

But, why is there not an official Press Release from HAL about who the Senior Management of Nieuw Statendam will be?

 

From what I have heard and also seen on Captain Alberts blogs it will be Captain De Vries who will be taking out the Nieuw Statendam just as he did with the Koningsdam a couple of years ago . But it is still almost 6 months away and things can change ! :D:D:D

[bob brown]

Because they started to cease being what they were when Carnival took over a few years back; and they have, more recently, started competing with their sister brands: Princess and Carnival rather than seeking to retain the competitive advantage they had as an above-average main stream line. The more those three become alike, the less point there will be in having separate managements - or even color schemes.

I agree that HAL has been brought down to the same level as all of the other mainstream cruise lines, albeit up until lately, with a more traditional slant on the sailing experience.

Every line needs to find a unique 'niche' in today's market, to find some way to both attract new customer's, while trying to retain as many old customer's as possible.

Where I think the corporate planner's at Carnival "missed the boat", was not trying to fill a truly upscale slot, say halfway between the mainstream, and the all-inclusive luxury brands like they have with Seabourne.

NCL Holding's has such a slot covered with its Oceania brand. That is what I would like to see HAL have become...

[Cruizer Bill]

No Oprah, thank you.

[Cruise Junky]

No Oprah, thank you.

News flash... you don’t get a vote

[bUU]

I’m generally very cost-conscious, but would pay more for HAL because I like the ships, and the atmosphere let’s you experience the sea voyage aspect, rather than being like an amusement park hotel.

The question is whether you would pay Seabourn-more if that was what was necessary to retain "the sea voyage aspect".

 

Incidentally, in related news, RCL just bought controlling interest in Silversea, so now they have a direct competitor to Seabourn.

 

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[bUU]

Where I think the corporate planner's at Carnival "missed the boat", was not trying to fill a truly upscale slot, say halfway between the mainstream, and the all-inclusive luxury brands like they have with Seabourne.

I doubt there is enough room in the marketplace for more than three grades. Remember, they have to manage a company through the good times and through the recessions.

 

 

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[Roz]

Where do you put Cunard?

 

Roz

 

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