Why is the number of CC Posts so low on HAL?

[kelmac]

The average number of posts on HAL roll call boards is 5,541 per ship; this includes all sailings for that ship. On the Celebrity board* the average number of posts is 42,103 per ship. Almost an 8:1 ratio.

Is it purely the "Connections" portion that gets Celebrity the big numbers, or do you think there are other factors?

Demographics??

 

Why do so many more cruises post on Celebrity roll calls compared to Holland America?? We now cruise both lines equally, but roll calls on Celebrity are much more active.

 

Should HAL start some sort of "Connections" type program?

 

*note: I didn't include numbers for the Horizon (now gone), Xpedition(very small ship) and the Journey(new ship).

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Hi Kel:

 

Having observed the same phenomenon myself, I hereby put forward my highly unscientific explanations:

 

1) We're all just a bunch of old fogeys over here who don't use computers on a regular basis.;)

 

2) HAL has so many repeat cruisers who make onboard friends so naturally and easily,that they don't need to join a Cruise Critic roll call in order to ensure a good cruise.

 

3) Conversely, HAL cruisers are quiet and reclusive, and don't want to socialize with anyone.

 

4). I don't know:), and I'm going to enjoy my cruise anyway, even if our HAL roll call currently only has three active participants.

 

Karin

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Sorry for the stuttering.

 

Duplicate post.

 

Karin

[jtl513]

The average number of posts on HAL roll call boards is 5,541 per ship; this includes all sailings for that ship. On the Celebrity board* the average number of posts is 42,103 per ship. Almost an 8:1 ratio.

Is it purely the "Connections" portion that gets Celebrity the big numbers, or do you think there are other factors?

Demographics??

 

Why do so many more cruises post on Celebrity roll calls compared to Holland America?? We now cruise both lines equally, but roll calls on Celebrity are much more active.

 

Hmmm ... my WAG is demographics. The "older generation" may do emailing with their kids/grandkids but aren't into the internet and bulletin boards as much as younger passengers on other lines.

 

I'm often amazed at how many people I run into that are my age (66) that have a computer but know so little about what they can do with it! :)

[gizmo]

Hi Kelmac,

 

No idea why but I can comment about the "Connections" and "Meet and Greets" provided by X and RCL.

 

HAL attempted to do this and listed it in the daily paper. CC put a stop to it. RCL had some kind of deal with CC from day 1. CC is also copy righted. Hal cannot use their name.

[Randyk47]

I too think it is because Celebrity heavily promotes and supports CC, not to mention their "exclusive use" arrangement. We've participated in 3 roll calls, 2 for HAL cruises and 1 for Celebrity. The Celebrity roll call had literally thousands of posts and almost 100 people attended the "Connections" party. There were 46 folks off the roll call at the sail away. Back to the HAL roll calls.....don't think either of them got, or will get since one is still active, to 100 posts. The one HAL sail away so far???? The 6 to 8 of us had a great time. :D Go figure.......

[10s nut]

I couldn't agree more with what has been said. I haven't been on HAL for a number of years and have been floored by the lack of communication on the roll calls. The X, NCL, and Princess boards are very active. Have always enjoyed talking beforehand and meeting on the cruise.

 

I am cruising in Jan. and Feb. (one with hubby, another with a girlfriend) on HAL and am concerned that maybe I have made a big mistake.

[Seago2]

NCL will do a Meet and Mingle or Meet and Greet or whatever it was (I just coordinated one a few months ago- completely slipped my mind) but it is not "officially" CC and isn't helped along by CC in any way. Just FYI.

 

I have been wondering the same thing, too! It has been very much on my mind since I started over here after we booked a month ago.

 

My theory is that HAL people are more mature (okay, I didn't say it was a groundbreaking theory) and are less prone to high post counts that mean nothing... such as... Carnival Saints and Sinners threads that consist of two words or something like "No foo foo drink 4 u! :) :eek: :eek: :eek: "

 

Seriously... Cunard post totals are very low too. Think about it. I would rather read and post a quality message than read "Thanks for your review! Can't wait for more! :) " 500 times.

 

Everyone should now go over to CCL for 20 minutes and then come back and post their thoughts!

 

Thanks for having me, by the way. I like it over here. Oh- and our roll call is coming along very well!

[RevNeal]

I really have no idea -- except that, for the most part, most of us just prefer posting on the main HAL board rather than on the smaller cruise-specific threads. However, I've met people on Damships who didn't even know there was a general HAL board ... they thought all CC was was the Roll Call threads. :)

 

I don't know.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that, until recently, most of us didn't arrange cruises with each other ... if we met aboard ship it was a surprise or an accident. Over the last few years, however, roll calls and group cruises have begun.

 

A similar question could be asked as to why HAL has now only had 2 Cruise Critic Group Cruises. :)

[kryos]

Hmmm ... my WAG is demographics. The "older generation" may do emailing with their kids/grandkids but aren't into the internet and bulletin boards as much as younger passengers on other lines.

 

I'm often amazed at how many people I run into that are my age (66) that have a computer but know so little about what they can do with it! :)

That's exactly what it is. HAL's customer base (at least for now) runs older, and many of those older folks couldn't be bothered joining internet bulletin boards. Of course, as HAL continues to market to the younger, family market, this could change. But for now, it's a fact of life that HAL's average customer is not gonna be spending a lot of time on the internet, and hence HAL roll calls will be relatively small when compared with lines like Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity, and the like ... with an overall younger age passenger base.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Old As Dirt Mom]

........

 

Thanks for having me, by the way. I like it over here. Oh- and our roll call is coming along very well!

 

Hello Carlalena (O Mother of Five Sons, You Have My Utmost Respect):)

 

I like having you over here, too, and I also like hanging out here on the HAL board and on the HAL roll call board. What we lack in quantity, we make up for in quality!;)

 

I think Rev Neal, Randy, Gizmo, JTL513, and Rita have offered good theories for the low posting counts on HAL. Here's an extension of their thinking, but I haven't done the research to back this up: I would venture that the Vista ships (Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, and Noordam) have more posters on their roll calls than do the S and R class HAL ships, simply because they cater to a younger clientele. Just a thought.

 

Karin

[Joanandjoe]

I think the official link between X and CC increases board participation. Plus, what the OP is reporting on are average posts, and may not apply to a paticular sailing.

 

It's strange, though, what's happened on my last cruise and the upcoming one. The roll call for my Bermuda cruise on X was very inactive. We finally had about 35 people signed up for the CC party, but only 8 (including us)showed up. Undaunted, X rescheduled the party. The same 8 showed up, plus two more people who were there for about 5 minutes.

 

One of the more active participants on the HAL board, AAAAmerican, has arranged for an unofficial CC party for our Noordam 11/25 cruise. 51 people have signed up, plus a group of 40 more who may or may not show up. If nobody other than the two of us, plus the 8 in AAA's group, show up for the party, we'll still have more people than at the official party on X. I expect to have at least 40 people at the party.

[10s nut]

I guesss what I am saying is this...people sign up on the website and then they don't come back. What is that all about??? I would think that if you sign up, you would want to check in with other cruisers who also are sailing with you. That is my frustration. I simply do not understand this.:confused:

[Seago2]

Hello Carlalena (O Mother of Five Sons, You Have My Utmost Respect):)

 

 

Thanks, Karin! Sometimes it feels like I have only one and tonight it feels like I have about ten. DH has three that are here quite a bit, so what can I say? Time to pack yet?

 

Just wondering- God only knows which posting it was- how you know I have five sons. Hopefully not from my Elation review, wherein I described running into one who was throwing ice cream cones off the stern at 1am??? Funny at the time but not a CC "favorite anecdote" to be sure.

 

Here's a nice shot from that trip- just wondering, do you think my cabin on the Noordam will be different at all? http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2639074590035544271GqKamg

[Old As Dirt Mom]

......Just wondering- God only knows which posting it was- how you know I have five sons. Hopefully not from my Elation review, wherein I described running into one who was throwing ice cream cones off the stern at 1am??? Funny at the time but not a CC "favorite anecdote" to be sure......

 

Here's a nice shot from that trip- just wondering, do you think my cabin on the Noordam will be different at all? http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2639074590035544271GqKamg

 

Hahahaha, no I didn't learn about your delightful progeny via your Elation review:) I read this post of yours a few days ago.

 

 

Terrific shot, Carlalena, and no, if you're going to be travelling with all five of 'em, your cabins are probably going to look similar, as in FULL.:D We only travelled with two daughters, 17 and 7 at time of travel, and our room steward became our best friend. Talk about kind and patient! He gave my youngest daughter a hug and a "high five" everytime he saw her, and we had the greatest collection of towel animals you can imagine!

 

Have fun on Noordam; I hear she's a beautiful ship! (At least until your boys get through with her LOL:D)

 

Karin

[Seago2]

No, it will just be the two of us thank GOD.

 

I have never had so much fun in my life as I did on that Elation trip, however. Quad cabin with me and 4 boys- 7, 11, 13 and 15. SO FUN. Never laughed so hard in my life.

[kelmac]

Just to round out the numbers:

(Note: some ships are new and don't have as many posters; some ships carry 3,600 passengers, so that is a factor; some ships are very small...,)

 

This is the average number of posts per ship for each company on Cruise Critic Roll call boards:

 

#1 Celebrity = 42,103

#2 Royal Caribbean = 34,238

#3 Princess = 19,623

#4 NCL = 16,255

#5 Holland America = 5,541

 

(sorry, I guess I should have included Carnival)

You would expect Royal Caribbean to be the highest because of the size of their ships, and the fact that they have "Meet and Mingle".

 

What do you make of the demographics for Celebrity?

 

Kel:)

[newmexicoNita]

I too have noticed the same thing. Normally we use roll call to plan a get together and plan excursions. On our upcoming Amsterdam cruise we only have about 35 people who have even posted and many are the same ones over and over. When we do NCL or Celebrity it is always very different.

 

Several things come to mind: HAL ships are smaller so they naturally don't have as many passengers:

 

those cruising HAL are older, either don't have internet or wouldn't think of using is for the reasons we do

 

and another posibility is the type of cruiser on HAL: they may not be quite as into the social, let's get together thing as on some other lines.

 

I had planned to get a group together the first night and also wanted to see if we couldn't get a few more people for a couple of tours we are doing, but I am getting a little discouraged at the response. We sail in less than 3 weeks.

 

NMnita

[kelmac]

Okay, I feel guilty about not including Carnival.:rolleyes: Their numbers are 14,570, which puts them between HAL and NCL. Strange, but it makes a bit of sense, as their larger ships have many posters, and their smaller ships, which you would equate with "new" cruisers, have very low numbers.

 

I'm still intrigued about Celebrity's high numbers. I love Holland America, but Celebirty cruisers seem to be very excited about their cruises.

 

Kel:)

[Randyk47]

I kind of went through the same thought process about the ship size, age, and socialability. Trouble is that our Celebrity cruise was on a ship about the same size as a Vista class and the group of people who showed up at the sail away and Connections party could have very well been on a HAL cruise and fit my rough idea of HAL demographics. I'd hate to think it's socialability as we all get along pretty well here. Really is just very strange........ :confused:

[RuthC]

Do your averages go back to the dawn of time---at least as of the time that roll-calls by cruiseline/ship dawned?

If so, and it doesn't explain all of it, but HAL wasn't added to the specific roll-call boards until quite a while after some of the others started.

IIRC, RCI had a significant head start over HAL which would up it's average.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Well, y'all just come on down and join our roll call!!:) I and two others have valiantly kept up the communication on the roll call for our cruise. We'll enjoy meeting each other, even if the numbers are small.

 

Ruth, that's an interesting point about HAL being added later to the roll call boards. P & O was just recently added to the roll call forum; Kel, do you know what the numbers are over there? (You see, I'm letting you do all the research!)

 

I would LOVE to join you, Nita, in some of your excursions! We just need to pick the same cruises:) I share your same concern regarding the roll call responses. However, on our previous HAL cruise, our roll call numbers were small, but we had a great time with the few people we met, and it didn't detract from our cruise experience.

 

Karin

[Joanandjoe]

Do your averages go back to the dawn of time---at least as of the time that roll-calls by cruiseline/ship dawned?

 

If so, and it doesn't explain all of it, but HAL wasn't added to the specific roll-call boards until quite a while after some of the others started.

IIRC, RCI had a significant head start over HAL which would up it's average.

 

Exactly. RCI, X, and Princess had ship by ship boards long before HAL and NCL. Also, the Noordam is relatively new, and the board even newer. When I started the roll call for the 11/25/06 Noordam cruise, a bit more than a year ago, it was on a general HAL roll call board, not ship by ship.I think the average size of the HAL ships is much smaller than for all of the lines other than X, and somewhat smaller than for X. That also accounts for some of the difference.

 

I've sailed on Windstar and Regent, whose combined capacity (600 PAX Windstar for 3 ships, about 2,350 Regent for 4 ships, including Paul Gauguin) is less than the largest single ships on RCI, NCL, or Princess. Compared to those two lines, HAL boards and roll calls are very active indeed!

[dakrewser]

Just to round out the numbers:

(Note: some ships are new and don't have as many posters; some ships carry 3,600 passengers, so that is a factor; some ships are very small...,)

 

This is the average number of posts per ship for each company on Cruise Critic Roll call boards:

 

#1 Celebrity = 42,103

#2 Royal Caribbean = 34,238

#3 Princess = 19,623

#4 NCL = 16,255

#5 Holland America = 5,541

 

(sorry, I guess I should have included Carnival)

You would expect Royal Caribbean to be the highest because of the size of their ships, and the fact that they have "Meet and Mingle".

 

What do you make of the demographics for Celebrity?

 

Kel:)

 

As I suspected, this hows that HAL cruisers need only say something once. Those X people just keep repeating themselves! :rolleyes:

[dakrewser]

BTW, I don't think the number of posts per ship is an adequate comparison. Take the 800 cruisers on a Prinsendam 16-day cruise and compare that with 2000 per 7-day Millie cruise and there's a big disparity. That's a potential 6000 people on the Millie for the 800 on the Pdam. So the Millie should have 7 times as many posts for their to be eqivalence...