mcrcruiser Posted December 14, 2023 Author #51 Share Posted December 14, 2023 1 minute ago, Vic The Parrot said: There is an easy solution to this ... Get rid of BBKings. 😡 That is a great idea & move it with comedians into the World Stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic The Parrot Posted December 14, 2023 #52 Share Posted December 14, 2023 31 minutes ago, Boatdrill said: For another "wow", the new Icon of the Seas will debut In January. A friend refers to it as the Eyesore of the Seas. My reaction wasn't "wow" ... More like "Ugh" 😵 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickb Posted December 14, 2023 #53 Share Posted December 14, 2023 It may have something to do with HAL’s attempts to attract younger passengers due to the ageing demographic of their loyal clientele. IMO HAL is the only Carnival Brand that still does not seem to have a clear future before it. Princess has a niche, as do Cunard who espouse tradition and P& O who are transitioning into a large ship, fewer frills operation attracting a ‘new to cruising’ younger clientele but alienating many of their traditional past passengers. The Carnival European and Australian operations have a clear niche market. HAL cannot seem to make up its mind what it is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seacruise9 Posted December 14, 2023 #54 Share Posted December 14, 2023 Hi, I have cruised aboard both Cunard (Queen Elizabeth in Aug. 2023) and Holland America (Rotterdam in Nov. 2023) ships during the past few months. In my opinion, Holland America seems to be an informal version of Cunard. Holland America still acknowledges its tradition and long history (celebrating its 150th anniversary this year) but has an informal dress code and contemporary features such as the Music Walk. Other than the Queen Mary 2, the Cunard ships are built on the same basic platforms of the newer Holland America ships. In terms of food and service, Holland America is similar to Celebrity. However, Celebrity has better entertainment and a more modern style (especially on the E Class ships). I think Holland America continues to be a good value and offer a variety of interesting itineraries. Chuck 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Hag Posted December 14, 2023 #55 Share Posted December 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Petronillus said: We're booked on Westerdam's Asia cruise this coming February, 28 days r/t Hong Kong. I'm so glad to hear good things about her. I don't know what deck you're on, but we had a cabin on Observation deck. It was just a short walk down the hall to get an early morning coffee and sit in a big, comfy chair looking out the front of the ship while we drank said coffee. No lines. No crowds. Just good coffee and peace. That was just one of the things we liked about the ship. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Haljo1935 Posted December 14, 2023 #56 Share Posted December 14, 2023 52 minutes ago, Mickb said: ...IMO HAL is the only Carnival Brand that still does not seem to have a clear future before it. Princess has a niche... What do you consider as Princess' niche? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted December 14, 2023 Author #57 Share Posted December 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Vic The Parrot said: There is an easy solution to this ... Get rid of BBKings. 😡 HAL coud make this a dace area with a band ,That would be a nice touch . Then comedias ,the dancers can all usr the world stage ie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petronillus Posted December 14, 2023 #58 Share Posted December 14, 2023 35 minutes ago, Sea Hag said: I don't know what deck you're on, but Deck 4. First time at the stern, in one of the aft-facing cabins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petronillus Posted December 14, 2023 #59 Share Posted December 14, 2023 4 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said: HAL coud make this a dace area with a band ,That would be a nice touch . Then comedias ,the dancers can all usr the world stage ie I'm still grieving the loss of Lincoln Center Stage. HAL invested a ton of money into fine-tuning the acoustics of that space to suit the area as a classical chamber music venue. Maybe the LCS following was too small, but we were a fiercely loyal band. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Hag Posted December 14, 2023 #60 Share Posted December 14, 2023 3 minutes ago, Petronillus said: Deck 4. First time at the stern, in one of the aft-facing cabins. That looks like a great place to be for a long cruise. 😃 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sunviking90 Posted December 14, 2023 #61 Share Posted December 14, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Petronillus said: I'm confused. You mention a string of compliments, and yet you lead with "We just finished being stuck on the Volendam for 18 days" (emphasis added). Is that like "Beat me up some more"? It was a reference to @Roz saying she didn’t want to be “stuck” on the Volendam or Zaandam. I could have used quotes for clarity I guess. I am happy to be “stuck” on either ship anytime. edited: I read through and see this has already been clarified. Edited December 14, 2023 by sunviking90 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boze9999 Posted December 15, 2023 #62 Share Posted December 15, 2023 (edited) According to a recent thread @mcrcruiser with "Ask the Captain" he indicated HAL has no new ships in the making. The one that would have been a new Pinnacle ship was turned over to Cunard and is now debuting as the Queen Anne sailing in mid 2024. According to the Captain's report the shipyard doesn't have any new slots for new builds until approximately 2028.........so it will be a long while before we have any new HAL ships, unless circumstances change in building options and/or economic factors. https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/marketing-assets/ships/queen-anne/QA_Fact_Sheet.pdf Edited December 15, 2023 by boze9999 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ontheweb Posted December 15, 2023 #63 Share Posted December 15, 2023 4 hours ago, Boatdrill said: For another "wow", the new Icon of the Seas will debut In January. A friend refers to it as the Eyesore of the Seas. I refer to all their newer ships as the Monstrosities of the Seas. We were actually on the Enchantment of the Seas in 2004, and we had a hurricane keep us from returning to Fort Lauderdale for 2 extra days. On the last night the crew put on a show, and one of the assistant cruise directors renamed the ship the Entrapment of the Seas. 🤣 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackduck59 Posted December 15, 2023 #64 Share Posted December 15, 2023 @sunviking90 I caught the cheeky wordplay right away. We certainly enjoyed Zaandam and we didn't feel "stuck" on her at all. Frankly we have never felt "stuck" on any cruise ship. It would be nice if they could find a way to have "Dutch Cafe" and Tamarind on all ships in the fleet. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackduck59 Posted December 15, 2023 #65 Share Posted December 15, 2023 (edited) I can't remember if it was Norwegian Bliss or Norwegian Joy, but the first time I saw that class alongside at Ogden Point here in Victoria I thought it looked like a prison block sitting on a barge. And so many of the new builds are just plain ugly, I really hate the new trend of the dreadnought style bow. Edited December 15, 2023 by Blackduck59 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare HappyInVan Posted December 15, 2023 #66 Share Posted December 15, 2023 10 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said: Frankly we have never felt "stuck" on any cruise ship. It would be nice if they could find a way to have "Dutch Cafe" and Tamarind on all ships in the fleet. Back on topic. A new ship design with a Food Hall concept would be popular today. The MDR was a quasi-religious occasion on the Good Ship Titanic. Back then, anyone of consequence would attend the dining room social. To see and be seen! Today, we're more relaxed. HAL's pax of tomorrow may still be seniors. But, they're different from the seniors of yesteryear. Times change. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakridger Posted December 15, 2023 #67 Share Posted December 15, 2023 3 hours ago, mcrcruiser said: HAL coud make this a dace area with a band ,That would be a nice touch BB King's is a dance area with a band! ~Nancy 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Nickelpenny Posted December 15, 2023 #68 Share Posted December 15, 2023 1 hour ago, boze9999 said: According to a recent thread @mcrcruiser with "Ask the Captain" he indicated HAL has no new ships in the making. The one that would have been a new Pinnacle ship was turned over to Cunard and is now debuting as the Queen Anne sailing in mid 2024. According to the Captain's report the shipyard doesn't have any new slots for new builds until approximately 2028.........so it will be a long while before we have any new HAL ships, unless circumstances change in building options and/or economic factors. https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/marketing-assets/ships/queen-anne/QA_Fact_Sheet.pdf It was asked at the "Ask the Captain" on my last cruise. Captain stated the same thing - no new slots for new builds. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted December 15, 2023 #69 Share Posted December 15, 2023 1 hour ago, Nickelpenny said: It was asked at the "Ask the Captain" on my last cruise. Captain stated the same thing - no new slots for new builds. I wouldn't believe everything you receive at those presentations, especially as some answers must follow Corporate. From 2026 the cruise ship order books are starting to look fairly thin. I'll suggest slots are available at some, if not all of the 4 major European yards in 2026, and you also have some other worldwide shipyards capable of building pax vessels. Since a number of ships are fitting out and being delivered in 2025, they may even have some slots available that year to start cutting steel, building blocks and then block assembly in a building dock. I'll suggest the primary reason Carnival has not ordered new tonnage is a lack of capital funding, while they endeavour to pay down the COVID incurred debts. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandiego1 Posted December 15, 2023 #70 Share Posted December 15, 2023 6 hours ago, mcrcruiser said: HAL coud make this a dace area with a band ,That would be a nice touch . Then comedias ,the dancers can all usr the world stage ie BBKings and Rollins Stone Rock room are bands and the lounges do have dance floors. We dance there almost every night while we are on the ship that have those lounges. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising Is Bliss Posted December 15, 2023 #71 Share Posted December 15, 2023 14 hours ago, sunviking90 said: We just finished being stuck on the Volendam for 18 days and after quite a few cruises on larger Princess ships post pandemic as well as the Zuiderdam, we LOVED the friendly small ship feel of the Volendam. The recent refurbishment left the ship feeling fresh, while keeping anll the classic things we love like the huge library and she’s now our favorite. We had only 1200 passengers and it was great! We all have different tastes and that’s fine. I’m trying out my first Pinnacle class in January on Koningsdam. I know I’ll miss the wide promenade, but aside from that I may love it. Who knows? This! The friendly small ship vibe. I've sailed on Volendam's sister ships Zaandam and Amsterdam, and would be thrilled to exclusively do Zaandam and Volendam forever. The R-class ships still have the original spacious lower deck Explorations Cafe with the library, and a Crows Nest that doesn't have shore excursions jammed in taking up half the space. On Signature-class Eurodam they stuck two giant monitors at the front of the Crow's Nest, blocking front windows, just to show ads for shore excursions. I don't cruise for a port every day. I want sea days, lattes and good books on my kindle, to recover from active port days. I want to relax and enjoy myself onboard, and the R-class ships have way more usable public space for doing that. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted December 15, 2023 Author #72 Share Posted December 15, 2023 12 hours ago, oakridger said: BB King's is a dance area with a band! ~Nancy We should have been clearer .Danving more like ball room style musiv.That music is for the younger set .imo dancing by yourself is not dancing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted December 15, 2023 Author #73 Share Posted December 15, 2023 9 hours ago, sandiego1 said: BBKings and Rollins Stone Rock room are bands and the lounges do have dance floors. We dance there almost every night while we are on the ship that have those lounges. dancing to that loud music io is not dancing . HAL should set aside one venue for people who like check yp check type dancing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted December 15, 2023 #74 Share Posted December 15, 2023 1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said: ............ check yp check type dancing Got to admit. It took me longer than normal to decode this one. I pictured checkbooks spewed out on the floor instead of a sombrero; with folks whirling around them in a cruise ship rendition of the Mexican Hat Dance. PS: Please don't take offense, I think it's super sweet you still dance cheek to cheek with your wife. Blessings for many more years to you both. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamOp Posted December 15, 2023 #75 Share Posted December 15, 2023 27 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said: Got to admit. It took me longer than normal to decode this one. I pictured checkbooks spewed out on the floor instead of a sombrero; with folks whirling around them in a cruise ship rendition of the Mexican Hat Dance. PS: Please don't take offense, I think it's super sweet you still dance cheek to cheek with your wife. Blessings for many more years to you both. You should consider a career with the government as a crypeopraher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts