Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted September 16 #226 Share Posted September 16 (edited) 53 minutes ago, EtaC said: Well, scanning is a little tough for me but in general the music ended between 1130 and midnight. I'm looking at one where the last RS set started at 11 and the Billboard at 1045. Wow, that's different. In my experience, Billboard and RSRR have never played at the same time!! They play alternate 45 minute sets. So, if one started at 9:30 (play until 10:15) and the other would start at 10:15 and play until 10:45. How did that sound with both rooms playing simultaneously? I certainly hope things are 'packed until midnight' on my upcoming Oosterdam cruise. I'll post photos because on every single HAL ship I've sailed by midnight all the bands are packed up and maybe one or two people are left wandering to their rooms. Heck, most of the time by 11:30 things are pretty sparce. . I suspect most HAL folks like to go to bed before midnight. I would prefer entertainment to run later, but in all reality that's a first world problem and I'm just grateful being able to cruise and adjust my schedule accordingly. But, those looking for a late night partying past midnight as a fun part of their cruise vacation, you should maybe give HAL a pass or adjust expectations. I'm taking my hubby on his first HAL cruise and I'm already preparing him for the lack of entertainment and activities when compared to other main stream lines. Edited to add: I just went and looked at one of the dailies I posted in my live thread. This particular evenings entertainment was completely finished by 11:15 (45 minute sets starting at 10:30). The entertainment on the world stage was a movie. There was a classical matinee at 4:00. I can pretty much guarantee that on this night by 11:30 the ship was ghostlike. On Pinnacle class ships BBKings and RS/BB can play simultaneously because they are separated by doors (although the music does bleed if you have good ears). Maybe that's the case on the Oosterdam now that they got rid of BBKings musicians? So maybe they can play at the same time? Edited September 16 by BermudaBound2014 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdw1972 Posted September 16 #227 Share Posted September 16 4 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said: On Pinnacle class ships BBKings and RS/BB can play simultaneously because they are separated by doors (although the music does bleed if you have good ears). Maybe that's the case on the Oosterdam now that they got rid of BBKings musicians? So maybe they can play at the same time? On all the non-pinnacle ships Rolling Stone Lounge is a completely separate area from Billboard. Remember the old Queens Lounge? That's now Rolling Stone Lounge on those ships.Billboard is further forward, not connected to RS at all. Sue/WDW1972 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadarocks Posted September 16 #228 Share Posted September 16 (edited) I find it kind of sad that Holland America literally "put all of their chips" on this Music Walk concept. If you love to dance and/or sit and listen to different kinds of music in the evenings, then HAL is now definitely a good choice. No one can argue that. It's not enough for us in terms of evening entertainment.... and it doesn't even begin to address the issue of daytime onboard activities. Edited September 16 by canadarocks 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EtaC Posted September 17 #229 Share Posted September 17 I wouldn't say that HAL got rid of BB Kings on the Vista class ships. They faced a choice. With only two viable spaces for Music Walk venues they went with Rolling Stone and Billboard vice BB King's and Billboard. As far as I can tell the Pinnacles with three spaces still have all three venues And yes, the loss of Lincoln Center Stage hurts but isn't a fatal blow (Again my opinion. Your milage may vary). There was also a jazz trio that played in the Ocean bar most of the evening (to about 1030) and recorded ballroom music from 6 to 7. I've attached two schedules from my recent cruise. One is from a port day in Rhodes. The other is from a sea day. I leave it as an exercise for the student to determine if there is enough activity for their satisfaction. Sea day.pdf Rhodes schecule.pdf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mb777 Posted September 19 #230 Share Posted September 19 On 9/16/2024 at 11:05 AM, BermudaBound2014 said: On other main stream lines we close the bar at 2:00-3:00 a.m. and then hit up one of the 24 hour food venues for some bar chow. Other than a sea day the following day I'm curious how you can get to bed about 0330, then get up a just a few hours later to get off the ship for an excursion whether self, or with a ship tour? I cannot fathom keeping this schedule after paying this much money to sail to different countries, cities, etc. Exception might be a TA with days on end at sea. For us a "ghost ship" at night is wonderful and we know this ahead of time with HAL, Oceania, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted September 19 #231 Share Posted September 19 2 hours ago, mb777 said: Other than a sea day the following day I'm curious how you can get to bed about 0330, then get up a just a few hours later to get off the ship for an excursion whether self, or with a ship tour? I cannot fathom keeping this schedule after paying this much money to sail to different countries, cities, etc. Exception might be a TA with days on end at sea. For us a "ghost ship" at night is wonderful and we know this ahead of time with HAL, Oceania, etc. Am curious why anyone who was already asleep, would care whether others are awake (and enjoying themselves) late at night. Some of my fondest HAL memories are of the late nights (well past midnight) sitting in the Crow's Nest with a few other night owl passengers and some crew (including the Captain) on the Prinsendam. More recently, we would generally close down the bar at BB Kings or Rolling Stone (depending on the ship) sometime after midnight. If one wanted to stay up until 2am on a HAL ship, they would not be able to find an open bar (or any venue). On our longer HAL cruises, it is very common for the ship to become a "ghost ship" by 10:30. But there are always a few of us "night owls" who socialize until well past midnight. If I get to bed by 1 or 2, it is not a problem to be up and out by 9. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mb777 Posted September 21 #232 Share Posted September 21 On 9/18/2024 at 11:12 PM, Hlitner said: Am curious why anyone who was already asleep, would care whether others are awake (and enjoying themselves) late at night. Some of my fondest HAL memories are of the late nights (well past midnight) sitting in the Crow's Nest with a few other night owl passengers and some crew (including the Captain) on the Prinsendam. More recently, we would generally close down the bar at BB Kings or Rolling Stone (depending on the ship) sometime after midnight. If one wanted to stay up until 2am on a HAL ship, they would not be able to find an open bar (or any venue). On our longer HAL cruises, it is very common for the ship to become a "ghost ship" by 10:30. But there are always a few of us "night owls" who socialize until well past midnight. If I get to bed by 1 or 2, it is not a problem to be up and out by 9. Thanks for the different perspective, we are usually up between 0530-0600 so that’s probably the difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted Tuesday at 09:34 AM #233 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:34 AM At our Mariner lunch yesterday it was announced that early numbers had been released and HaL had moved up from its lower 3 performance tier pre pandemic to now 2nd best financial performer in the Carnival family 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halguy Posted Tuesday at 01:09 PM Author #234 Share Posted Tuesday at 01:09 PM On 9/8/2024 at 9:06 AM, Halguy said: I don’t believe HAL is a “ budget “ cruise line, it certainly doesn’t market itself as such. When speaking with fellow cruisers they look at HAL as attracting an older, more well traveled crowd. All our friends believe the food and especially the staff on HAL superior to Carnival, Princess, RC, MSC, Costa, and Celebrity. Prices are comparable to those other cruise lines and in most cases slightly higher. Your idea of booking a “budget “ cruise line like HAL with “low expectations “ is quite frankly absurd. Why bother going away? Would people eat in “budget “ restaurants with “low expectations” ? I completely agree with you, HAL is not a budget cruise line. HAL has declined in recent years along with most other mass market cruise lines, however, their food and service remain at the top of their competition. Perhaps there are some people who say such things (budget, low expectations), because it’s an opportunity for them to let everyone know that they sail on these premium, more boutique cruise ships, which are nicer, however, at a cost. I really enjoy a fine steakhouse, however, I will nevertheless go to Outback and eat there having very low expectations regarding my food. That sounds just as ridiculous as sailing HAL and not having expectations of an enjoyable experience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldtr1 Posted Tuesday at 01:19 PM #235 Share Posted Tuesday at 01:19 PM 3 hours ago, Mary229 said: At our Mariner lunch yesterday it was announced that early numbers had been released and HaL had moved up from its lower 3 performance tier pre pandemic to now 2nd best financial performer in the Carnival family Will be interesting when the next analyst meeting takes place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.madruga Posted Tuesday at 02:21 PM #236 Share Posted Tuesday at 02:21 PM On 9/2/2024 at 11:30 AM, BermudaBound2014 said: Because Josh Weinstein actually said as much at the last quarterly release. CCL is investing heavily in their most profitable brands and HAL didn’t make the cut. CCL even put out a nifty pie chart to show where the company plans to expand. Their focus is Carnival (big time), P&O, and Aida. As much as I love the long itineraries HAL offers, I am skeptical on the future of Holland America under the CCl umbrella. Maybe HAL should go out on their own.....sort of like Azamara did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser man 60 Posted Tuesday at 02:29 PM #237 Share Posted Tuesday at 02:29 PM 2 minutes ago, a.madruga said: Maybe HAL should go out on their own.....sort of like Azamara did Need a huge amount of capital to even stand still. If they’re not investing in new ships they will gradually fall behind competitors. For example our usual cruise line MSC has been launching new ships every year , huge ones like world America and world Asia are due in service in next 2 years, in addition they have ordered 4 more of their all suite/luxury ships called Explora . The way MSC are expanding they will soon become the largest cruise ship operator as well as world’s largest cargo boats operator. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.madruga Posted Tuesday at 02:35 PM #238 Share Posted Tuesday at 02:35 PM 5 minutes ago, cruiser man 60 said: Need a huge amount of capital to even stand still. If they’re not investing in new ships they will gradually fall behind competitors. For example our usual cruise line MSC has been launching new ships every year , huge ones like world America and world Asia are due in service in next 2 years, in addition they have ordered 4 more of their all suite/luxury ships called Explora . The way MSC are expanding they will soon become the largest cruise ship operator as well as world’s largest cargo boats operator. our neighbor loves MSC....might have to try them soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare *Miss G* Posted Tuesday at 02:42 PM #239 Share Posted Tuesday at 02:42 PM 1 hour ago, Halguy said: I completely agree with you, You are agreeing to your own post. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted Tuesday at 02:57 PM #240 Share Posted Tuesday at 02:57 PM 28 minutes ago, a.madruga said: our neighbor loves MSC....might have to try them soon We really enjoy MSC, but only book their Yacht Club on relatively short cruises in the Caribbean. In Europe, they function somewhat like a ferry with embarkation/debarkation at nearly every port. With folks coming and going, it does impact the cruise experience for folks who enjoy socialization. As to the Yacht Club, it is a ship within a ship concept, and it is done well. Yacht Club folks are in a protected enclave (you only enter through electronic doors) where everyone has butlers, an expansive lounge (with snack buffet 18 hours a day), a dedicated pool deck, pool, lido, and restaurant. The service is over the top (better then on many small ship luxury lines) and the cost for a regular balcony suite is under $400 per person day. With that YC fare, you get just about everything (except tips) including unlimited drinks, unlimited Internet, etc. It makes the Neptune Suite amenities look very sad, Hank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldtr1 Posted Tuesday at 03:06 PM #241 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:06 PM 38 minutes ago, a.madruga said: Maybe HAL should go out on their own.....sort of like Azamara did Getting purchased by a hedge fund is not quite the same as just going out on their own. The hedge fund got a bargain price on a very small line that RCL wanted to offload. If HAL has hit revenue targets very unlikely CCL would want to offload. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted Tuesday at 03:17 PM #242 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:17 PM (edited) 5 hours ago, Mary229 said: At our Mariner lunch yesterday it was announced that early numbers had been released and HaL had moved up from its lower 3 performance tier pre pandemic to now 2nd best financial performer in the Carnival family Interesting, thanks for sharing. If HAL has moved to the 2nd best financial performer in the entire carnival family (surpassing Aida and P&O)) then I wonder how CCL will pivot from the current capacity growth strategy which is to invest in the highest returning brands (Carnival, P&O, and Aida). Josh Weinstein at the 2nd quarter conference call... "our capacity growth has been concentrated in our highest returning brands, Carnival Cruise Line, AIDA, and P&O Cruises UK." https://seekingalpha.com/article/4613682-carnival-corporation-and-plc-ccl-q2-2023-earnings-call-transcript Maybe HAL will get a new build sooner rather than later :). I'm still going to need to see confirmation in one of the quarterly releases, but I know that HAL is doing something right by me considering I tend to vote with my wallet and I'm sailing 57 days on HAL in the first quarter of 2025. 50 minutes ago, a.madruga said: our neighbor loves MSC....might have to try them soon MSC is a very viable player. They are independently owned by the Aponte' family who happens to also own MSC Shipping which is the largest container shipping line in the world. While the other three brands (NCL, CCL, and RCL) went into tremendous debt during Covid, MSC shipping experienced financial growth, allowing mom and dad to bail out much of MSC cruise debt. I believe MSC is scheduled to surpass NCLH in terms of market share (or maybe they already have?). I've sailed on MSC (both in and out of the yacht club) and wouldn't hesitate to sail them again knowing their strengths/weaknesses. IMO MSC one of the very best values in the cruise industry and they continue to improve in customer service. Edited Tuesday at 03:28 PM by BermudaBound2014 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted Tuesday at 03:24 PM #243 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:24 PM 16 minutes ago, ldtr1 said: Getting purchased by a hedge fund is not quite the same as just going out on their own. The hedge fund got a bargain price on a very small line that RCL wanted to offload. If HAL has hit revenue targets very unlikely CCL would want to offload. HAL is #2 in revenue for CCL. 😄😄😄😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser man 60 Posted Tuesday at 03:39 PM #244 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:39 PM 40 minutes ago, Hlitner said: We really enjoy MSC, but only book their Yacht Club on relatively short cruises in the Caribbean. In Europe, they function somewhat like a ferry with embarkation/debarkation at nearly every port. With folks coming and going, it does impact the cruise experience for folks who enjoy socialization. As to the Yacht Club, it is a ship within a ship concept, and it is done well. Yacht Club folks are in a protected enclave (you only enter through electronic doors) where everyone has butlers, an expansive lounge (with snack buffet 18 hours a day), a dedicated pool deck, pool, lido, and restaurant. The service is over the top (better then on many small ship luxury lines) and the cost for a regular balcony suite is under $400 per person day. With that YC fare, you get just about everything (except tips) including unlimited drinks, unlimited Internet, etc. It makes the Neptune Suite amenities look very sad, Hank We’ve done 2 yacht club cruises this year with them and the food, service etc is outstanding. We like the multiple embarkation ports so we can choose where to board & spend a few days there before. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted Tuesday at 03:43 PM #245 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:43 PM Another thing that was said was that HAL will hang on to the Volendam and Zaandam as long as possible 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldtr1 Posted Tuesday at 03:45 PM #246 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:45 PM 22 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said: Interesting, thanks for sharing. If HAL has moved to the 2nd best financial performer in the entire carnival family (surpassing Aida and P&O)) then I wonder how CCL will pivot from the current capacity growth strategy which is to invest in the highest returning brands (Carnival, P&O, and Aida). Josh Weinstein at the 2nd quarter conference call... "our capacity growth has been concentrated in our highest returning brands, Carnival Cruise Line, AIDA, and P&O Cruises UK." https://seekingalpha.com/article/4613682-carnival-corporation-and-plc-ccl-q2-2023-earnings-call-transcript Maybe HAL will get a new build sooner rather than later :). I'm still going to need to see confirmation in one of the quarterly releases, but I know that HAL is doing something right by me considering I tend to vote with my wallet and I'm sailing 57 days on HAL in the first quarter of 2025. MSC is a very viable player. They are independently owned by the Aponte' family who happens to also own MSC Shipping which is the largest container shipping line in the world. While the other three brands (NCL, CCL, and RCL) went into tremendous debt during Covid, MSC shipping experienced financial growth, allowing mom and dad to bail out much of MSC cruise debt. I believe MSC is scheduled to surpass NCLH in terms of market share (or maybe they already have?). I've sailed on MSC (both in and out of the yacht club) and wouldn't hesitate to sail them again knowing their strengths/weaknesses. IMO MSC one of the very best values in the cruise industry and they continue to improve in customer service. I would suspect that the measure for HAL is ROCI. The same measure that CCL had focused on last quarter. Might move them up the priority list, but still based upon age of fleet capacity still would expect new orders to be placed in 2026. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldtr1 Posted Tuesday at 03:48 PM #247 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:48 PM 1 minute ago, Mary229 said: Another thing that was said was that HAL will hang on to the Volendam and Zaandam as long as possible That fits with what is happinimg with other CCL lines. Expect 30 is the new 24. Where as CCL lines used to get rid of ships at 24, expect them to keep them to 30 for the next several years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted Tuesday at 03:48 PM #248 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:48 PM (edited) 5 minutes ago, Mary229 said: Another thing that was said was that HAL will hang on to the Volendam and Zaandam as long as possible Thanks for sharing. I do not doubt you one bit in terms of what has been said, but my experience is that sometimes what is announced onboard fails to pan out in reality. I remember once, on a NCL ship, the captain saying that the NCL Jade would never leave Hawaii. They pulled her just a few month later. I'd like to think that was just that the captain was not informed (right hand/left hand), but do wonder..... Edited Tuesday at 03:49 PM by BermudaBound2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldtr1 Posted Tuesday at 03:55 PM #249 Share Posted Tuesday at 03:55 PM 27 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said: HAL is #2 in revenue for CCL. 😄😄😄😄 Not in revenue, not enough fleet capacity compared to other lines. Most likely in return on capital invested that CCL seems to be focusing on these days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted Tuesday at 04:05 PM #250 Share Posted Tuesday at 04:05 PM (edited) 55 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said: HAL is #2 in revenue for CCL. 😄😄😄😄 There is absolutely no way that HAL is #2 in revenue for CCL. This is how rumors are started :-D. Please think about it. Based on size alone HAL is a distant competitor. Edited Tuesday at 04:20 PM by BermudaBound2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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