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Who would you have picked for NS Godmother?

haladdict

By haladdict,
in Holland America Line

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1ANGELCAT

1ANGELCAT

Posted
Posted
I think the bulk of HAL's new target demographic is simply not interested in ships' godmothers period... royalty, celebrity or otherwise. For that matter, neither is the old demographic. ;)

 

 

 

Speak for yourself Some people still value tradition.

 

 

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Aquahound

Aquahound

Posted
Posted
I'm aware of the pendulum shifts in thought/opinion/norms over time, but I fail to see how that addresses my main point, which is respecting others' opinions and not demonizing them or allowing them to become a divisive force.

 

I really wish I knew why, nowadays, people wear their politics on their sleeves and allow differences in opinion to alienate one another. I think this attitude is rather recent, like in the past couple decades or so. So Oprah was named as a Godmother. So the heck what. Like I said earlier in one of these threads, I'm no Oprah fan, but I certainly don't hate the woman. She has her opinions and I have mine.

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Daisyloo

Daisyloo

Posted
Posted
To the extent there is any real business point in selecting godmothers, Oprah probably was a good choice. The bulk of HAL’s new target demographic probably are not as interested in Dutch royalty as in US celebrity. Martha Stewart might be a logical next choice - and well known women in show busines and other areas may follow: Cher, Venus Williams, retired political persons all have the

“names” which would be recognized.

 

Much as I like Martha, I don't think an ex-jailbird is a good choice for Godmother.

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frankc98376

frankc98376

Posted
Posted
Who is HAL's new target demographic and what interests them?

 

I'm not privy to HAL marketing info but I have been cruising on HAL since I was 28. HAL can't ignore the fact that at some point the base ages out and cruises less.

 

It's never been a secret that HAL attracts a more mature crowd, especially on cruises 2 weeks or longer.

 

I would think that they are reaching for the 40 to 45 and up crowd. We are in this group. This will be the next retiring group.

 

We wear jeans to work in the winter, shorts in the summer. Many companies now offer unlimited paid vacation and are finding it is costing them less. We have flexible scheduling and pick our own hours. We used to do the fixed schedule with shirt and tie and embrace the new ways.

 

Consequently on a cruise we eat whenever we want and leave the tuxes at home. We eat at PG every night so enjoy wearing a shirt and tie with a sport coat. I like knowing that nice jeans and a dress shirt is also fine.

 

I really believe that we will continue to see lower fares but will also see more dining options with additional charge or a la carte. Likewise with activities. I think that at some point they will start offering different fare levels- basic fare for cabin and basic meals to all inclusive fare that includes all dining venues.

 

If HAL can find the sweet spot to grab the 40 and up market and keep it they will be fine. I'm sure that all of the changes are being monitored closely. Some stuff will end up in the past, some brought back. Some new stuff will appear.

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AncientWanderer

AncientWanderer

Posted
Posted

Kind of amusing side note...

I was researching cruises on the Princess website. They have a lot of ships now and I'm unfamiliar with most of them, so I was looking at the area that tells about the fleet. There is an option to click on for more information on each ship. Voila! They tell who the godmother of each ship was. They are amazingly random! So many offbeat picks. Some so grand, like the Duchess of Cambridge, and some so....well, they're all there. Oprah is just one of a long, confusing, mostly forgotten list.

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cruisemom42 Great Review Rare

cruisemom42

Posted
Posted

Up until about 5 years ago I would've guessed that I was HAL's target demographic going forward: mid-50's, already likes cruising and some aspects of the traditional cruise experience but prefers a more modern, streamlined version of that experience, still working but beginning to look toward retirement and will likely have the means and the health to travel more for the next 20 years or so.

 

However, recent changes/choices made by HAL -- as well as the availability of new choices in the market -- have changed my mind. I don't think HAL is looking to me as a target market. I totted up a quick list of the things that are important to me and it seems I'd better start trying out lines like Viking, Azamara, Oceania in order to get those things. :confused:

 

(Also, the identity of the ship's godmother doesn't matter to me in the least, nor does the captain, cruise director, or any other personnel onboard or in Seattle except insofar as they contribute to making my cruise pleasant and care-free.)

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OlsSalt

OlsSalt

Posted
Posted

I'll say it again. HAL will have a never ending supply of 70 plus year olds (aka their current "mature demographics"). Every single year, new ones come of age. Catering to what 40 year old want from a cruise ship may not be what this endless supply of 70 plus year olds will continue to want.

 

Continue to be the "mature age" option, HAL. The numbers are in your favor. Catering to 40 year olds today will be the New Coke. Capture the 40 year olds later when they are also 70 years old.

 

(Disclaimer - this is not a literal age suggestion - just a cultural age preference suggestion. There are plenty of 40 year olds who already like the more "mature" nature of the HAL experience.)

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1ANGELCAT

1ANGELCAT

Posted
Posted
Please enlighten me as to exactly what cruising/sailing traditional value Oprah represents? :confused:

 

 

 

I said value tradition, I was referring to your comment that “the old demographic doesn’t care” I may not agree with the choice ( I think a member of the Dutch royal family would have been better )but I still want to know who it is.

 

 

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iancal

iancal

Posted
Posted

I would be good with that. They could name Popeye's Olive Oil for all I care. Or probably how 99.999 of cruisers feel about it.

 

At the end of the day who really cares?

 

And does anyone think that the selection of a godmother would put anyone off taking a HAL cruise or a cruise on that specific ship. Well, perhaps only the most anal of individuals.

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bUU

bUU

Posted
Posted
Who is HAL's new target demographic and what interests them?
Ask bUU.
If you really are sincere in (finally!) coming to understand the answer to the question, all you have to do is figure out who is happy and pleased with how things are changing, and eliminate from consideration those that are unhappy and angry with how things are changing.

 

1+1=2.

 

I would think that they are reaching for the 40 to 45 and up crowd. We are in this group. This will be the next retiring group.

 

We wear jeans to work in the winter, shorts in the summer. Many companies now offer unlimited paid vacation and are finding it is costing them less. We have flexible scheduling and pick our own hours. We used to do the fixed schedule with shirt and tie and embrace the new ways.

 

Consequently on a cruise we eat whenever we want and leave the tuxes at home. We eat at PG every night so enjoy wearing a shirt and tie with a sport coat. I like knowing that nice jeans and a dress shirt is also fine.

 

I really believe that we will continue to see lower fares but will also see more dining options with additional charge or a la carte. Likewise with activities. I think that at some point they will start offering different fare levels- basic fare for cabin and basic meals to all inclusive fare that includes all dining venues.

 

If HAL can find the sweet spot to grab the 40 and up market and keep it they will be fine. I'm sure that all of the changes are being monitored closely. Some stuff will end up in the past, some brought back. Some new stuff will appear.

navybankerteacher, sail7seas, and all the rest of that cadre: Do yourself a favor and listen to Frank.
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OlsSalt

OlsSalt

Posted
Posted

Heaven help any mass market industry that tries to find the sweet-spot in the 40-something crowd today. I'd wait until the 40-somethings got older and wiser and saw value in the current, traditional iteration of HAL.

 

Do yourself a favor and listen to me. But since none of us are privy to the unconsolidated returns setting out each individual CCL family member's actual numbers, all of us are blowing smoke right now.

 

And good time to re-read "The Outliers" to get off this squirrel wheel frenzy asserting shareholder dividends and quarterly financial reports are the only valid CEO decision making tools. They are not. Who are the quiet CEOs that continue to bring solid value to their industry - and what are their common denominators besides never feeling they have to get on those squirrel wheels in the first place. .

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