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3rdGenCunarder
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1 hour ago, rucrazy said:

 

That is by no means what I  intended... if that is how you read the question I do apologize.

Joseph

 

No worries -- I don't think you intended it as anything more than a way of gathering some very general type of 'straw poll' from us posters.  It's only others who are insisting on using the results as some sort of highly verified Gallup poll....

 

18 minutes ago, leerathje said:

 

Unfortunately, it may not have been what you intended, but I did not participate BECAUSE of the question.  Sorry.

 

and nor did I, for similar reasons. But I don't imagine this will stop HIV from trumpeting the results as rock solid.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, taxmantoo said:

 

I've never seen a copy but I would wager that they advertise in "Oprah Magazine" 😉 Just saying ... And I'd wager even more that this will increase with the new "North American Sales Manager" person being appointed.

 

 Duh...I don't know why I didn't think of that -- except that I don't read it either.  I forgot they are partnered with HAL.  A quick search shows lots of ads in "O" Magazine.

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My mailbox is littered with brochures from Oceania and Regent nearly on a daily basis.  I receive more Princess mailings than I do HAL.  Every once in awhile, I receive a Carnival and Cunard mailing.  Once, I responded to an offer from Hapag-Lloyd for some information and I even get stuff from them, but not with the frequency of the intrusive mail that comes from Regent and Oceania.

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7 hours ago, rucrazy said:

 

That is by no means what I  intended... if that is how you read the question I do apologize.

Joseph

 

 

It's not your fault.

 

The 245 respondents had something to say, and you gave them an opportunity to say it. We thank you.

 

You asked an appropriate question based on your experience. We had an opportunity to share our experiences. Don't listen to the sour grapes. You can't please everyone.

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On 11/7/2019 at 5:48 PM, TAD2005 said:

Your comment assumes that Ashford has been running HAL in the past.   He has, but it is more like ruining, not running !!

Agreed. Maybe they are giving him enough rope to hang himself, but HAL will suffer even more I think.

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On 11/9/2019 at 5:21 PM, AncientWanderer said:

 

I think they could increase revenue with their older guests if they focused more on specialty dining and the wine that would be ordered to accompany same.  Neither PG nor Canaletto are really at potential.  Those spaces could be generating better income.  They are literally giving away many PG meals with bookings, and the decrease in meat quality shows it.  But what do I know?  I don't own any ships.

I gave up on Canaletto years ago. Unfortunately, the PG has gone down hill big time, at least on my August Amsterdam cruise. I left money on the table because I just didn't want to endure the very poor service, and marginal food. Even the new mushroom soup, which has been fantastic on the other ships, tasted more like Campbell's. They raised the lunches by 50% but kept the menu the same. It was usually quiet in there for lunch anyway, but now it will be more so.

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On 11/10/2019 at 8:13 PM, Nang said:

Not a fairy tale for us on the Maasdam 21 day Alaska cruise May/June 2019. 

 

No BB Kings was a real downer but known before we booked.

 

I could walk up to the the Ocean Bar 10 minutes into 4:00pm happy hour and get a seat every day - never been able to do this on any of our other 7 cruises. However the Crows Nest was busy at the same time but it seems happy hour types were way down in number.

 

Piano player was lucky to have 6 people every night and by 10:00pm it was regularly a 0-2 person crowd.

 

Yes the late show had a reasonable number but it seemed they all headed straight to their rooms when it finished.

 

The Crows Nest had a DJ (the Cruise Director) from about 10:30pm or a bit later in the Crows Nest. His audience was maybe 4-6 people at the bar and most nights nobody on the dance floor with the exception being a group of 4-6 teenagers who made a brief appearance every 2nd or 3rd night. However I should note that the Orange Party was well attended early in the night.

 

I did not find a bar open once in 21 days beyond midnight (and I did look).

 

I am not suggesting this is the norm for HAL but it was quiet enough for us to decide to steer clear of HALs smaller ships in the future (unless its a bucket list itinerary not available on larger ships). I do understand that HAL are now marketing the Massdam as an exploration type experience and highlight the zodiacs that can be used to explore "remote locales" however as far as I could tell they did not once get wet on our cruise and we were in Alaska?????

I was on the 21 day cruise out of SF to AK in June. I enjoyed it very much with the exception of some of the ports, like the one in BC. Astoria was disappointing as well.

 

I don't stay in bars late anymore so that's not an issue for me. I did enjoy the evening talks more than I expected to. When I asked about my 5 star cooking class I was basically flipped off. Beyond that the food was good to very good, and the service was excellent. I dislike the fact they serve farm-raised salmon when sailing Alaska, but they do it on all ships.

 

They did not have permits to use the zodiacs in AK last year supposedly they will this year. I like the itinerary better this year, though the short port stay in Juneau is absurd. Adding Haines and dropping Kodiak are good moves. Unfortunately Vancouver-based round-trip cruises tend to be high, so that might keep me away.

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17 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

My mailbox is littered with brochures from Oceania and Regent nearly on a daily basis.  I receive more Princess mailings than I do HAL.  Every once in awhile, I receive a Carnival and Cunard mailing.  Once, I responded to an offer from Hapag-Lloyd for some information and I even get stuff from them, but not with the frequency of the intrusive mail that comes from Regent and Oceania.

On a bi-weekly basis, I toss out dozens of unsolicited pricey mailings from 'O and "A"    such  an awful waste,

 

 

 

image.png.a218e9f1aafb8fdf99bdb551d79c6a76.png

 

 

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30 minutes ago, sail7seas said:

On a bi-weekly basis, I toss out dozens of unsolicited pricey mailings from 'O and "A"    such  an awful waste,

Yes, but think of all the jobs it creates for printers and postal workers! 😀

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I know for a fact, because I succeeded, that all one has to do is contact Oceania and they will stop sending unwanted brochures. It was a phone call that did it for me, but there is also a place on the website. No need to fill up the recycling bin with those heavy brochures. 

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21 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

My mailbox is littered with brochures from Oceania and Regent nearly on a daily basis.  I receive more Princess mailings than I do HAL.  Every once in awhile, I receive a Carnival and Cunard mailing.  Once, I responded to an offer from Hapag-Lloyd for some information and I even get stuff from them, but not with the frequency of the intrusive mail that comes from Regent and Oceania.

Drop it back in the mail box with, " return to sender" on it. That might help.

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In Post 64 on this thread, I had said that...

 

Your suggestions will only fix the small problems, but it's the big problem that will kill HAL...Until HAL can address its strategic problem, everything else is just bandage.”

 

Make no mistake, HAL is dying. Proof lies in management's lack of vision and faith in the product.

 

Whilst everyone else is ordering new ships, big and small. HAL has only a new Pinnacle ship on order. As the old ships are retired, HAL is shrinking. By 2028, HAL will only have 5 ships (2 Vista, 3 Pinnacle).

 

That will surely limit your choice of itinerary. In any case, no budget cruise line can survive with just 5 old ships.

 

HAL management is hoping that at some point, they will 'discover' a sustainable customer base. As they say, “Hope is not a plan”.

 

In the meantime, management is trying to justify their pay by periodical twerks. Messing with the Crow's Nest, experimenting Club Orange, hoping that the Lincoln Center Stage will add class to the peeling facade. Adding a few zodiac boats will magically change the ship.

 

Hoping that mid-level management changes will delay the inevitable.

 

 

 

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V ery, very sad, IMO    The thought  of HAL shrinking out of existanse is horrid.  HAL has been a very important part of my and my late dh's.   They cnnot take our cruise memories but I like to think thre are many people out there who want to make some f or themselves.    I 'd sure like some more.......... 🙂

 

 

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On 11/13/2019 at 7:30 AM, HappyInVan said:

 

..................... By 2028, HAL will only have 5 ships (2 Vista, 3 Pinnacle)..................

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does your crystal ball tell you what happened to the two "Signatures," Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam in 2028? :classic_cool: 

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On 11/13/2019 at 10:30 AM, HappyInVan said:

In Post 64 on this thread, I had said that...

 

Your suggestions will only fix the small problems, but it's the big problem that will kill HAL...Until HAL can address its strategic problem, everything else is just bandage.”

 

Make no mistake, HAL is dying. Proof lies in management's lack of vision and faith in the product.

 

Whilst everyone else is ordering new ships, big and small. HAL has only a new Pinnacle ship on order. As the old ships are retired, HAL is shrinking. By 2028, HAL will only have 5 ships (2 Vista, 3 Pinnacle).

 

That will surely limit your choice of itinerary. In any case, no budget cruise line can survive with just 5 old ships.

 

HAL management is hoping that at some point, they will 'discover' a sustainable customer base. As they say, “Hope is not a plan”.

 

In the meantime, management is trying to justify their pay by periodical twerks. Messing with the Crow's Nest, experimenting Club Orange, hoping that the Lincoln Center Stage will add class to the peeling facade. Adding a few zodiac boats will magically change the ship.

 

Hoping that mid-level management changes will delay the inevitable.

 

 

 

 

 

I do believe that you have hot the nail on the head.

 

But don't you mean 2 Signature class ships and 3 Pinnacle ships will be left?

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4 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

 

 

I do believe that you have hot the nail on the head.

 

But don't you mean 2 Signature class ships and 3 Pinnacle ships will be left?

 

 

Thanks.

 

You are absolutely correct. 2 Signature and 3 Pinnacle ships. My mistake.

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May I offer a contrarian opinion if the size of the HAL fleet shrinks?

 

Assuming that there are 3 Pinnacle Class ships and 2 Signature Class ships in service in 2028, maybe that might not be a terrible thing in the interest of restoring the on-board experience to what those of us who have sailed on HAL since the '70's recall and still desire when we embark a HAL vessel.  

 

Today's Oceania Cruises, whose self described description is a "premium cruise line", seems to be recognized by many who sail on their ships as being a "premium" experience, have a fleet of 6 ships.

 

Perhaps a reduction in the size of the HAL fleet will allow for corporate headquarters to gain better control of what each of their ships' cruise experience offers to the guest.

 

My opinion:  the HAL fleet has become too large to ensure the standards that are expected to be met on X-Dam are met on the Y-Dam.  My opinion is based on my HAL cruise experience.  

 

 

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2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

My opinion:  the HAL fleet has become too large to ensure the standards that are expected to be met on X-Dam are met on the Y-Dam.  My opinion is based on my HAL cruise experience.  

 

I don't think it necessarily a fleet size issue, but a fleet composition issue - where the onboard customer experience (which I perceive to be different than standards) and amenity (and ergo brand perception) varies wildly from the now-departed Prinsendam to S to R to Vista to Signature to Pinnacle class ships. Nor really is there a coherent value chain within HAL where a customer should migrate?  My last five cruises have been on Pinnacle class ships. I have sailed on the Rotterdam six or seven times -- clearly a favourite -- I would be very hard pressed, as much as I have loved the Rotterdam to sail on her again -- simply based upon the broader choice of amenities available to me on Koningsdam or Nieuw Statendam.  And I expect the inverse is fully true as well -- an Amsterdam world cruiser would likely not be Music-walking until the wee hours. 

 

Scott.  

Edited by YXU AC*SE
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18 minutes ago, YXU AC*SE said:

 

I don't think it necessarily a fleet size issue, but a fleet composition issue - where the onboard customer experience (which I perceive to be different than standards) and amenity (and ergo brand perception) varies wildly from the now-departed Prinsendam to S to R to Vista to Signature to Pinnacle class ships. Nor really is there a coherent value chain within HAL where a customer should migrate?  My last five cruises have been on Pinnacle class ships. I have sailed on the Rotterdam six or seven times -- clearly a favourite -- I would be very hard pressed, as much as I have loved the Rotterdam to sail on her again -- simply based upon the broader choice of amenities available to me on Koningsdam or Nieuw Statendam.  And I expect the inverse is fully true as well -- an Amsterdam world cruiser would likely not be Music-walking until the wee hours. 

 

Scott.  

 

The broader choice of amenities on the newer ships surely is more of an attraction for those seeking a cruise vacation.  The Hydrothermal Pool in the Greenhouse Spa of the older ships is a "joke" as compared to what is available on the more recently built ships just as an example.

 

The ship management on the ship on which I sail is what I think influences the cruise I experience.  If the ship's Master, the Hotel Director, the Food and Beverage Manager, the Chief Housekeeper, the Executive Chef and the specialty restaurant Chefs and their staff under his/her supervision, and the MDR Manager perform to what, I think, HAL standards are: my cruise will meet my expectations and will probably exceed them.

 

I have enough HAL experience to believe the ship's management is significant to my cruise experience.  I had a 21 day Noordam cruise that was as disappointing of a HAL cruise as it might be.  And, I was not the only 5 Star Mariner with whom I spoke felt the same way.  A previous Noordam cruise was as good as it could have been.  It's not the ship.  It's the ship's management.  It's Corporate Office's responsibility to hire and make clear to those whom are hired for the management positions on the ship what cruise experience a guest should experience.

 

For my Noordam cruise that was so disappointing, I think the disappointment starts at the top.  The Master only appeared, seemingly grudgingly, at required events and rapidly disappeared after them.  The HD?  When did I ever see him other than the Mariner Society program?  If I am not seeing those "in charge", then the crew are not either.  There is a non-verbal message there to the rest of the ship's compliment, I think, that impacted my experience on that Noordam cruise.

 

Tighter management of the guest experience on HAL cruises from those in their Seattle offices will provide a better cruise experience in my opinion.

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