Lights Out at Midnight

[HALcruiser2001]

10 hours ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

Carnival seems to the cruise line with the current image problem. The Internet is aglow with onboard fist fights aboard Carnival ships. (Although not all these fight scenes are aboard Carnival ships, the vas majority are.) Do a search and you will start thinking of Carnival as "The Fight Club Cruise Line". 

I only find 2 fights like what you mention.

[Laminator]

39 minutes ago, bdd123 said:

 

Sorry..... can't agree with any of this.

 

I have done 3 Neptune suites.   2001ish, 2006 and 2023.    All cruises have been high quality.    I don't even understand these types of comments.   Bands/music were far, far better this year.    I may try Celebrity but on our Feb cruise it would have been 18k vs 10k.

 

I dont believe a single post about poor food, portions, etc 

 

I rocked 3 music venues for about 4 hours a night.

 

Silent disco is a darned joke.   LMAO.

 

I the 7 days on ms NS I did not meet anyone that shared this opinion.

I have to agree with you here. I brought my son and his GF on our NS cruise in February. They are in their early 30's. I thought for sure they would be bored to death. They said it was one of the best vacations they have ever had and now want to go on our Rotterdam cruise in November. To be honest I was stunned. They loved the music walk, the food and the ship in general. Everyone I talked to on the ship, and i talk to alot of people, were having a great time. The only complaint I heard consistently was the dining time in the MDR was way to long. 

[Colorado Klutch]

7 hours ago, bdd123 said:

I only find 2 fights like what you mention.

 

Not sure how you searched, but it is a combination of fights over many years. However, as the videos continue pop up on social media, people tend to lump them all together. I just did a quick Google and found articles about six Carnival cruise ship fights:

August, 2010, Dream

September, 2016; 
February, 2018: Legend

June, 2022; Magic

July, 2022: Elation
September, 2022, Sunrise
 

[Colorado Klutch]

Considering my Alaska cruise had all early and late dining booked solid with very few available excursions five months in advance and my brother's recently booked Caribbean cruise where he snagged what appeared to be the last cabin, I'm wondering why we think HAL is having trouble attracting passengers?

[Laminator]

16 minutes ago, Colorado Klutch said:

Considering my Alaska cruise had all early and late dining booked solid with very few available excursions five months in advance and my brother's recently booked Caribbean cruise where he snagged what appeared to be the last cabin, I'm wondering why we think HAL is having trouble attracting passengers?

Exactly what I was thinking. My last cruise on the NS last month was sold out weeks in advance. My upcoming cruise in May on the KSDM has already been sold out for weeks. And it appears prices are increasing, 

[3rdGenCunarder]

20 minutes ago, Colorado Klutch said:

Considering my Alaska cruise had all early and late dining booked solid with very few available excursions five months in advance and my brother's recently booked Caribbean cruise where he snagged what appeared to be the last cabin, I'm wondering why we think HAL is having trouble attracting passengers?

 

It may not have been the last available cabin. The website doesn't show everything. I did the CO upgrade on a cruise for next summer. There was one A "vista suite" (Volendam) showing as available. When I contacted my TA about "playing the CO game," she sent me a list of more than a dozen cabins that were showing up as available on the site that agents use. 

 

I think Alaska books well because HAL has a reputation for good Alaska cruises. They have access to Glacier Bay on many of their cruises. With so many ports, an Alaska cruise is very active and excursions leave early, so fewer people are staying up late. 

[albingirl]

1 hour ago, Laminator said:

Exactly what I was thinking. My last cruise on the NS last month was sold out weeks in advance. My upcoming cruise in May on the KSDM has already been sold out for weeks. And it appears prices are increasing, 

Exactly.

[HALcruiser2001]

2 hours ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

Not sure how you searched, but it is a combination of fights over many years. However, as the videos continue pop up on social media, people tend to lump them all together. I just did a quick Google and found articles about six Carnival cruise ship fights:

August, 2010, Dream

September, 2016; 
February, 2018: Legend

June, 2022; Magic

July, 2022: Elation
September, 2022, Sunrise
 

Apparently I search poorly.  😉

[cruisemom42]

10 hours ago, bdd123 said:

 

Sorry..... can't agree with any of this.

 

I have done 3 Neptune suites.   2001ish, 2006 and 2023.    All cruises have been high quality.    I don't even understand these types of comments.   Bands/music were far, far better this year.    I may try Celebrity but on our Feb cruise it would have been 18k vs 10k.

 

I dont believe a single post about poor food, portions, etc 

 

I rocked 3 music venues for about 4 hours a night.

 

Silent disco is a darned joke.   LMAO.

 

I the 7 days on ms NS I did not meet anyone that shared this opinion.

 

I'm truly glad to hear that your experience was such a good one. However, do keep in mind that yours is one of many reports -- and opinions from others have certainly been a mixed bag.  

 

Not all HAL ships include all of the new music venues, and one of the groups much liked by HAL cruisers have gone from being a standing attraction (playing every day) to a group that travels from ship to ship (so only rare appearances).

 

Likewise not all HAL ships have the specialty restaurants available on their newer ships. You admit yourself that you did not go the the MDR even once. I will be on a HAL ship with only two specialty restaurants for 28 days. (And I'm not a fan of the buffet...)  

[HALcruiser2001]

8 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm truly glad to hear that your experience was such a good one. However, do keep in mind that yours is one of many reports -- and opinions from others have certainly been a mixed bag.  

 

Not all HAL ships include all of the new music venues, and one of the groups much liked by HAL cruisers have gone from being a standing attraction (playing every day) to a group that travels from ship to ship (so only rare appearances).

 

Likewise not all HAL ships have the specialty restaurants available on their newer ships. You admit yourself that you did not go the the MDR even once. I will be on a HAL ship with only two specialty restaurants for 28 days. (And I'm not a fan of the buffet...)  

We chose ms NS because of the variety of food and music.  Since we knew we were not getting off the ship, the ports were not even in our decision.  We ate in Lido once.  Otherwise if we wanted Lido, Burger or Pizza, my wife's Cabana Boys brought it up to the retreat.  😉

[FlaMariner]

20 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

IMO where HaL is really struggling is attracting customers to its more common 7 night trips. Those itineraries aren’t selling well. 

 

Does this look like they are struggling for passengers for 7 night cruises?

 

Prices are not cheap either. 

 

(I realize this is anecdotal but the comment made me look)

 

 

 

 

SoldOUts.pdf

Edited March 10, 2023 by FlaMariner

[Florida_gal_50]

2 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Does this look like they are struggling for passengers for 7 night cruises? And these are prices for insides. 

(I realize this is anecdotal but the comment made me look)

 

 

 

 

SoldOUts.pdf 230.09 kB · 2 downloads

Your attachment isn't working for me.  That said, it seems every shorter cruise lately is jammed to the rafters.  Perhaps the person you quoted can provide a link as they always ask of posters.

[FlaMariner]

16 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Your attachment isn't working for me. 

 

Tried but obviously failed in attempting to post a screen print of HAL Caribbean 7 night cruises for the remainder of March into April....Most were listed "sold out" with just a few available.

 

 

 

[Laminator]

16 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Tried but obviously failed in attempting to post a screen print of HAL Caribbean 7 night cruises for the remainder of March into April....Most were listed "sold out" with just a few available.

 

 

 

Here you go!

 

[FlaMariner]

Thank you!...looks like a good month for Holland America Line.....

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, FlaMariner said:

Thank you!...looks like a good month for Holland America Line.....

 

I find it a more beneficial to look at the entire picture and evaluate it accordingly. On the surface it looks good for HAL in March, but keep in mind, next to Christmas/New Years, these are some of the busiest weeks of the entire year given it's spring break across the USA.  Also, this limited snapshot shows is well past final payment after the fire sales have occured (some of the sailings are happening next week and we have no idea just how low HAL went on these). But, for the sake of arguement, let's just say that HAL is having a great March ;-). 

 

Now let's peak a bit into the future. Here is May. It's after final payment so the firesales have started. Obviously you don't see this may price reductions when ships are selling well. Just how low will HAL go to get these into the 'sold' category? My best guess is there will be even further reductions. I didn't look at all sailings, but a quick glance shows tremendous inventory still available on  most of these sailings even after final payment.

 

 

 

Now, for the purposes of providing a full picture, it's important to note that this is Alaska so I can't do a point to point comparison to the screen shot posted above. It  looks like HAL is pulling from the Carribbean and moving most 7 day sailings to Alaska. It's also relevant to note that the above was for May in Alaska which is not a popular month for this destination.

 

So, let's look at 7 day June sailings. Lots of discounting is already taking place.Just a sprinkling of 'reduced again', but I will be shocked if June doesn't produce prices very similar to May since another cursorary glance shows lots of inventory still availble. Cruise lines don't reduce prices when ships are selling out.

 

 

 

I should also note that it's not just HAL. No cruise line is selling like it was selling pre-covid no matter how many press releases announce record bookings. You have to scratch below the surface of the picture that the quarterlies are trying to paint. It's getting better but there is a long way to go and tremendous debt to take into account.

 

Good news for HAL is that it seems it's niche market (longer itineries) are selling well because we just aren't seeing this level of discounting on the really interesting trips. Again, there is no reason to discount so heavily if cruises are selling well. The inventory available speaks for itself. And none of this takes into account the number of free cruises HAL is giving away to fill their ships ;-). 

 

 

 

[Colorado Klutch]

What kind of "discounts" are those? I ask because when I booked my Alaska cruise, there were discounts being advertised, but none of them applied to a Veranda cabin which I selected myself. Maybe those discounts are only for inside cabins HAL selects for you? I admit, I don't know. 

[Laminator]

14 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I find it a more beneficial to look at the entire picture and evaluate it accordingly. On the surface it looks good for HAL in March, but keep in mind, next to Christmas/New Years, these are some of the busiest weeks of the entire year given it's spring break across the USA.  Also, this limited snapshot shows is well past final payment after the fire sales have occured (some of the sailings are happening next week and we have no idea just how low HAL went on these). But, for the sake of arguement, let's just say that HAL is having a great March ;-). 

 

Now let's peak a bit into the future. Here is May. It's after final payment so the firesales have started. Obviously you don't see this may price reductions when ships are selling well. Just how low will HAL go to get these into the 'sold' category? My best guess is there will be even further reductions. I didn't look at all sailings, but a quick glance shows tremendous inventory still available on  most of these sailings even after final payment.

 

 

 

Now, for the purposes of providing a full picture, it's important to note that this is Alaska so I can't do a point to point comparison to the screen shot posted above. It  looks like HAL is pulling from the Carribbean and moving most 7 day sailings to Alaska. It's also relevant to note that the above was for May in Alaska which is not a popular month for this destination.

 

So, let's look at 7 day June sailings. Lots of discounting is already taking place.Just a sprinkling of 'reduced again', but I will be shocked if June doesn't produce prices very similar to May since another cursorary glance shows lots of inventory still availble. Cruise lines don't reduce prices when ships are selling out.

 

 

 

I should also note that it's not just HAL. No cruise line is selling like it was selling pre-covid no matter how many press releases announce record bookings. You have to scratch below the surface of the picture that the quarterlies are trying to paint. It's getting better but there is a long way to go and tremendous debt to take into account.

 

Good news for HAL is that it seems it's niche market (longer itineries) are selling well because we just aren't seeing this level of discounting on the really interesting trips. Again, there is no reason to discount so heavily if cruises are selling well. The inventory available speaks for itself. And none of this takes into account the number of free cruises HAL is giving away to fill their ships ;-). 

 

 

 

My May 20th Koningsdam cruise has shown as sold out in HAL'S site for weeks. So whomever bought a block of rooms from HAL may be discounting them but HAL has nothing to sell.

[KroozNut]

My cabin is sold out for our sailing next week.

[OlsSalt]

Booked a recent Alaska cruise recently and compared taking the basic verandah with the ocean view have it all with a "free upgrade" to a verandah.

 

It was still  $300 more because the "have it all" was very pricey in its own right and certainly not "free" plus added things that did not interest us.

 

So while it was a "special" it was still not a discount in any real terms. Unless you wanted/needed all the add ons. 

[Florida_gal_50]

Hal’s “free” upgrades are never free.  Usually what they do is increase the price of the oceanview to match the balcony price.  They must feel people are gullible.

[OlsSalt]

The tale of five Sept 2023 Alaska cruises -

1. HAL keeps winning the derby - for both fair price and itinerary. 

 

2. Princess Itineraries are a joke with many standard repeats to make up their 14 day, even though costs less.

 

3. Seaborn competes for suite prices, but is very late in the season and has no toasty enclosed outdoor viewing space like the HAL Lido with the glass dome closed.  HAL itinerary is more interesting to us, but this one is not bad. 

 

 

   14-day    Sep 2    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Princess / Majestic Princess          $918    

 
  14-day    Sep 6    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Princess / Sapphire Princess            $828    

 14-day    Sep 9    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Princess / Grand Princess         $828     

  14-day    Sep 17    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Holland America / Noordam         $1,259     

  14-day    Sep 29    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Seabourn / Seabourn Odyssey        $4,661   (Suites only)    (Similar price to Noordam Signature Suites)

[BermudaBound2014]

23 hours ago, Colorado Klutch said:

What kind of "discounts" are those? I ask because when I booked my Alaska cruise, there were discounts being advertised, but none of them applied to a Veranda cabin which I selected myself. Maybe those discounts are only for inside cabins HAL selects for you? I admit, I don't know. 

 

The discounts are being applied to all categories that have remaing inventory. Lucky for those in the market to book, there is a plethora  of remaining inventory available on May Alaska sailings.  Veranda cabins are selling in the $600 pp range for most May sailings.

[BermudaBound2014]

23 hours ago, Laminator said:

My May 20th Koningsdam cruise has shown as sold out in HAL'S site for weeks. So whomever bought a block of rooms from HAL may be discounting them but HAL has nothing to sell.

 

This is why you can never trust the direct cruise line inventory since it's often wrong. Cruise lines will take entire categories off line (sometimes it can take weeks to reappear). I have found that it's best to check multiple suppliers to get a feel for what inventory is truly available. Kind-of like triangulating data 😉 

 

Perfect example, your May 20th Konningsdam cruises is available to book on HAL's site today. I have no idea why your sailing was listed on the HAL site as sold out for weeks because there is ample inventory left on this sailing.  Maybe the inventory left is a result of HAL's error in listing your sailing as sold out? 😉 

 

BTW, that corner NS is now showing on HAL's website. Hope you can nab it!

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[BermudaBound2014]

21 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

The tale of five Sept 2023 Alaska cruises -

1. HAL keeps winning the derby - for both fair price and itinerary. 

 

2. Princess Itineraries are a joke with many standard repeats to make up their 14 day, even though costs less.

 

3. Seaborn competes for suite prices, but is very late in the season and has no toasty enclosed outdoor viewing space like the HAL Lido with the glass dome closed.  HAL itinerary is more interesting to us, but this one is not bad. 

 

 

   14-day    Sep 2    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Princess / Majestic Princess          $918    

 
  14-day    Sep 6    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Princess / Sapphire Princess            $828    

 14-day    Sep 9    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Princess / Grand Princess         $828     

  14-day    Sep 17    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Holland America / Noordam         $1,259     

  14-day    Sep 29    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Vancouver, BC, Canada    Seabourn / Seabourn Odyssey        $4,661   (Suites only)    (Similar price to Noordam Signature Suites)

 

This is a good example of what I've been suggesting. HAL's niche is longer cruises with better itineraries when compared to the competition. You are willing to pay a bit more than Princess because the itinerary is better. The fact that HAL offers this itinerary at an attractive price point when compared to luxury lines is another niche for HAL. It's the carbon copy 7 day itineraries that HAL is really struggling to fill.