HAL and I and some of you are in this together

[Pettifogger]

I have my differences with HAL, primarily about fixed dining, but that pales in comparison to my identification with them.

 

When the economic downturn arrived, some cruise lines decided to protect their image; "we're a $300 per day cruise line and we're going to stay a $300 per day cruise line. "

 

Others, like the one with which I am most familiar, HAL, reacted by reducing their prices as necessary to fill as many of their cabins as they could. I took advantage of that reaction to sail three times as much this year as I otherwise could have.

 

So the image cruise lines sailed with empty cabins and still have their image and I've had the joy of seeing places I never would have seen but for HAL's lack of of obsession with their image. I assume that it was a business decision and not an act of charity, but I benefited from their business decision to an extent I shouldn't have thought possible until it happened.

 

Since it was a business decision, I don't feel the kind of gratitude I would have if it had been an act of charity, but i do feel a sense of solidarity with them; we went through this together and I'm not going to regard those cruise lines who declined to participate the same way I do those who did.

[sail7seas]

I wish the price of our cabins dropped significantly but they are usually sold out and we are paying just about the same prices.

 

On the other hand, we certainly want HAL to survive this tough economy and still be the cruise line we love to sail.... Happy for those who have gotten great prices. :)

 

[cruz chic]

I wish the price of our cabins dropped significantly but they are usually sold out and we are paying just about the same prices.

 

On the other hand, we certainly want HAL to survive this tough economy and still be the cruise line we love to sail.... Happy for those who have gotten great prices. :)

 

Sail, come over to the dark side and try and inside room. You will surely gain a different perspective from doing that ;):D.

[Boytjie]

I wish the price of our cabins dropped significantly but they are usually sold out and we are paying just about the same prices.

 

Is it a Canadian itinerary? That's a bread and butter itinerary form them and I don't think you'll see price drops. We'd love it if RSVP would do a Canadian itinerary but its too expensive to charter it we were told.

[cruz chic]

Is it a Canadian itinerary? That's a bread and butter itinerary form them and I don't think you'll see price drops. We'd love it if RSVP would do a Canadian itinerary but its too expensive to charter it we were told.

I'd like to do a Canadian itinerary myself. It's pitiful that I've seen more of the US then I have of my homeland. It's just way too expensive! I don't want to be cold and pay through the nose too.

[Pettifogger]

I'm a natural ocean view, but recently I've been fortunate enough to try a veranda.

I'm not an expert, but I think getting a good price depends less on category than on patience. I have more patience than money so I wait for a cruise I like to be offered as a bargain.

It's not always easy to wait, but an English magistrate named Henry Fielding told me that, if everything in the marketplace seems overpriced, go home (don't feel it necessary to buy the least overpriced item.) Some other day the prices will be better, he said.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received; unfortunately, I was almost fifty before I read Fielding, but better late than never.

On the other hand, if I were a natural suite passenger, I'd just book the ones I liked as soon as they came out. I'd feel it was almost a public duty. Cruise lines need all kinds of passengers.

[Travelrd]

Pettifogger....how can you be so sure of this statement?

 

"So the image cruise lines sailed with empty cabins and still have their image..."

 

Have you seen the books of these lines? Are you privy to their profit and loss statements? I think you're making a generalization that is hard to prove.

 

I don't think HAL's image is damaged by offering discounts. A cruise is what you make it. My glass is always full on a cruise.

 

I've only cruised on HAL once and it was a fabulous experience and I'm looking forward to my next HAL cruise. I travel solo in a mini so I always pay double but I don't mind. I wish they would offer discounts for mini suites but I've never seen one. I can't travel at the last minute due to my job so I have to buy my cruises in advance of most discounts.

 

I think its great that HAL offers discounts in order to fill up the ship. I'm sure most of these discounts happen after all final payments are due and they know their actual passenger bookings.

[kryos]

Sail, come over to the dark side and try and inside room. You will surely gain a different perspective from doing that ;):D.

LOL ... I was gonna say something similar, but I was afraid I would offend.

 

The luxury suites will never come down in price because the people that buy them are the ones who can afford to pay for them. They WANT a luxury suite because it is a vital component of their cruise experience. Since there is always going to be a strong demand for them, the prices are not likely to come down on them, with the possible exception of one or two that remain unsold close to sailing time and are provided as relatively cheap upgrades to people in the higher categories of veranda staterooms.

 

But the standard inside and outside cabins ... those are purchased by the "average joes" who honestly couldn't afford, or wouldn't spend the money, on a luxury suite. It's the average joe who is most susceptible in this economy. If he loses his job, or gets a pay cut, then he most likely will cancel his cruise for this year. Hence HAL is stuck with a lot of cabins than normal these days ... and hence the prices drop.

 

People who purchase luxury suites are generally not as susceptible in this poor economy than the average joes. In many cases, they are professional people whose jobs are not in jeopardy, or they are people who have already set aside their nest eggs, and then took the necessary steps to protect them in this voltile economy.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

So the image cruise lines sailed with empty cabins and still have their image and I've had the joy of seeing places I never would have seen but for HAL's lack of of obsession with their image. I assume that it was a business decision and not an act of charity, but I benefited from their business decision to an extent I shouldn't have thought possible until it happened.

I agree with you ... but ... then I don't think it's fair for people to be complaining about the "touches" that are no longer there. If you get your cabin for half of what you got it for last year, common sense would dictate that some things are gonna have to go by the wayside. The cruise line, in this case HAL, still has to make a certain "override" on every sailing. Otherwise, how could they stay in business? So, when they are getting less for the cabins, they have less wiggle room as to what they can include as a part of that fare. That's when you see people complain about the food quality in the main dining room, less selections, no trays in the Lido, no naturalist onboard the Alaska cruises, no dance hosts, less guest lecturers ... relying instead on the onboard "port and shopping ambassador" more ... less activities staff, and thus activities ... less special events like the chocolate extravaganza onboard, etc., etc. All of those things cost money to provide ... be it in salaries for the people, beds for them, various expenses, etc.

 

Make no mistake, we are still getting a great deal for the money, but we just maybe need to be a bit understanding when we go to a lounge at night and all we are offered with our drink is one of those jars of goldfish. Maybe we need to remember that the "good nuts" cost money and maybe that's one of the areas HAL decided to save money so that they can drop the price of the cruise to a level where more people could afford to take it.

 

And if you think I'm wrong about this, just try taking a more "elaborate" HAL cruise ... one on which the prices of the cabins do not drop ... an extended or a grand voyage ... and check out the differences. Believe me, you'll see a cruise experience kicked up several notches above what your typical seven-day sailing is providing now. Why? Because that more "elaborate" voyage is commanding a far, far more elaborate fare that people are only too glad to pay.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

When the economic downturn arrived, some cruise lines decided to protect their image; "we're a $300 per day cruise line and we're going to stay a $300 per day cruise line. "

LOL ... even the luxury lines are dropping prices ... it's just that they are doing it in a round-about way. They are keeping their base fares up to previous levels, but are throwing in all sorts of bennies. Let's see, what have I seen recently: Free shore excursions provided by Regent, two-for-one fares on Oceania plus free air and a nice OBC, $2,000 OBC on Crystal ... you get the picture. Even those luxury lines are feeling the pinch, but they have a reputation to protect ... they have a loyal passenger population who would get quite annoyed if they were sitting in the solarium listening to this "beer gut joe" talking about how he picked up his cruise for a song, while they paid top dollar. So the luxury lines keep the base fares up, and just throw a lot of nice bennies the way of their passengers.

 

Bottom line, though, is that they too have reduced their cruise fares.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[brucory]

 

Since it was a business decision, I don't feel the kind of gratitude I would have if it had been an act of charity, but i do feel a sense of solidarity with them; we went through this together and I'm not going to regard those cruise lines who declined to participate the same way I do those who did.

 

God bless HAL..

 

And good for you Pettifogger for being so grateful for that sense of solidarity, despite the fixed dining issue...

 

Well done for appreciating what we have when times are tough!!!!

 

:D:D:D

[suse]

What is a dance host. Is that a guy that the cruise line hires to dance with women? Do the cruise lines have dance hostesses too?:confused:

[Pokeynose]

LOL ... I was gonna say something similar, but I was afraid I would offend.

 

The luxury suites will never come down in price because the people that buy them are the ones who can afford to pay for them. They WANT a luxury suite because it is a vital component of their cruise experience. Since there is always going to be a strong demand for them, the prices are not likely to come down on them, with the possible exception of one or two that remain unsold close to sailing time and are provided as relatively cheap upgrades to people in the higher categories of veranda staterooms.

 

But the standard inside and outside cabins ... those are purchased by the "average joes" who honestly couldn't afford, or wouldn't spend the money, on a luxury suite. It's the average joe who is most susceptible in this economy. If he loses his job, or gets a pay cut, then he most likely will cancel his cruise for this year. Hence HAL is stuck with a lot of cabins than normal these days ... and hence the prices drop.

 

People who purchase luxury suites are generally not as susceptible in this poor economy than the average joes. In many cases, they are professional people whose jobs are not in jeopardy, or they are people who have already set aside their nest eggs, and then took the necessary steps to protect them in this voltile economy.

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

I don't necessarily agree with your whole post. We are "average joes" but prefer a suite but it's not "vital". We are not rich or flushed with money. We are retired on a fixed income but we have saved and saved for this next cruise, did without many things to pay it and live modestly. We don't have many years left so we will save and do without again to have the next cruise we want. We learned that life is short when DH almost died 5 yrs. ago from Spinal Menegitis. We are just as susceptible to this poor economy as anyone, took a loss with our investments but we will survive. No new cars, big houses, etc. for us. My DH worked very hard for 48 yrs. in his job, traveling all over the world, having to leave his family for long periods to earn a living so no vacations for many years for us. We don't cruise as often, (matter of fact have only cruised once) as some but choose carefully when we cruise. You can have your opinion but please don't lump all of us in that opinion.

[wander]

I have a mantra of sorts these days - do not expect the same experience on an upcoming 35 day cruise that costs 30% less than the same cruise in 2008. Now, if I can just remember this onboard.

 

While we did not take the same cruise in 2008, we did take another 35 day cruise in 2008 that cost almost 50% more than our 2009 cruise. (It was a very popular cruise in 2008.)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sadly -- the price of our cruises have not dropped in price.

And looking at our future cruises -- the prices have gone up!!

[CowPrincess]

Sadly -- the price of our cruises have not dropped in price.

 

And looking at our future cruises -- the prices have gone up!!

 

KK, I noticed that for our next cruise -- and we travel in the "cheap seats" -- an increase in the price since we booked.

[bigwally]

Hmm. Let me bring another perspective here......I just got off a 12-day HAL Baltic cruise which was just a hair more than the Med cruise we took on X in fall 2007.

 

Does that mean this same HAL cruise would have been more expensive and/or of better quality 2 years ago? Because, honestly, if I'd paid more for the cruise experience I just had, I think I would have gone from being "mostly satisifed" to "fairly dissatisfied".

 

This cruise was good in no small part because it was, relatively speaking, quite cheap. Though, to my mind, not as good as the X experience two years ago, at what theoretically should have been the height of the market for cruise spending.

 

Moreover, if what we just had is as good as the HAL experience will be in the long term, then you can probably keep it at a price point higher than the one we just paid. Unless, of course, the product would get better (again?) with a higher price point? But are we really prepared to gamble on that being the case? I would have to say no - I would be quite gun-shy about paying more without a solid guarantee that the experience would be an improved one.

 

Flame suit is now donned in preparation for a rebuke by HAL fans.

 

Edit: I guess our Med cruise was 10-days, not 12. Which now actually makes the HAL cruise a bit cheaper on a per-day basis. Post edited accordingly.

[sail7seas]

Sail, come over to the dark side and try and inside room. You will surely gain a different perspective from doing that ;):D.

 

 

No, Lorekauf. I won't be doing that. ;)

 

While I can and have sailed without a veranda (Royal Suite on Zenith does not have a veranda :p ), I cannot abide not being able to see outside. There are some people it doesn't bother and others who are totally disoriented with no view of outside and I'm one of the latter. ;) I would have to say No, Thanks to a cruise which required me to be Inside.

 

 

All of us, (not directed to any specific person),

Let's not make judgements and assumptions about other CC'ers, We really know nothing about their 'life story'....... do we? Some folks book Suites all the time; some book them for special occassions and some never book them. It is truly only their business as to why/which category they book, isn't it?

So much others have no way of knowing and no need or reason to know.

[sail7seas]

Hmm. Let me bring another perspective here......I just got off a 12-day HAL Baltic cruise which was just a hair more than the Med cruise we took on X in fall 2007.

 

Does that mean this same HAL cruise would have been more expensive and/or of better quality 2 years ago? Because, honestly, if I'd paid more for the cruise experience I just had, I think I would have gone from being "mostly satisifed" to "fairly dissatisfied".

 

This cruise was good in no small part because it was, relatively speaking, quite cheap. Though, to my mind, not as good as the X experience two years ago, at what theoretically should have been the height of the market for cruise spending.

 

Moreover, if what we just had is as good as the HAL experience will be in the long term, then you can probably keep it at a price point higher than the one we just paid. Unless, of course, the product would get better (again?) with a higher price point? But are we really prepared to gamble on that being the case? I would have to say no - I would be quite gun-shy about paying more without a solid guarantee that the experience would be an improved one.

 

Flame suit is now donned in preparation for a rebuke by HAL fans.

 

Edit: I guess our Med cruise was 10-days, not 12. Which now actually makes the HAL cruise a bit cheaper on a per-day basis. Post edited accordingly.

 

No flames being thrown from here just a request for you to explain what you mean.

 

What things were less than satisfactory? What things did you expect or previously experience which you think were lacking this cruise?

 

Thanks in advance if you choose to enlighten us.

[kryos]

I don't necessarily agree with your whole post. We are "average joes" but prefer a suite but it's not "vital". We are not rich or flushed with money. We are retired on a fixed income but we have saved and saved for this next cruise, did without many things to pay it and live modestly.

Okay, then on that point, I stand corrected. But on my basic premise, you prove my point. You want that luxury suite because it is an important part of your cruise experience ... and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. So you will save for it and maybe even cruise less so that when you do cruise, you can cruise in the suite. Bottom line is that you will pay the prices for the suites because that makes for a great vacation experience for you and your DH. But average joe in the inside cabin simply won't sail if the price is too high. And since there are a heck of a lot more "average joe" staterooms on your typical HAL ship, that works out to potentially a lot of empty staterooms on any given sailing, and that's why HAL will drop the price on them when necessary. But ... there are only a finite number of luxury suites, and clearly HAL has no trouble filling them ... hence, the price almost never gets reduced. Simple law of supply and demand.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Pokeynose]

Okay, then on that point, I stand corrected. But on my basic premise, you prove my point. You want that luxrury suite because it is an important part of your cruise experience. So you will save for it and maybe even cruise less so that when you do cruise, you can cruise in the suite. Bottom line is that you will pay the prices for the suites. Average joe in the inside cabin simply won't if the price is too high. And since there are a heck of a lot more "average joe" staterooms on your average HAL ship, that works out to a lot of empty staterooms on a given sailing. There are only a finite number of luxury suites, and clearly HAL has no trouble filling them ... hence, the price almost never gets reduced. Simple law of supply and demand.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Thank you Rita for your response. This is probably the last time we will beable to afford a suite, next cruise if there is one we'll see what we can afford, but, never an inside room, I have to beable to see outside.:D

 

Forgot, the Caribbean cruise we have another suite because our two g-daughters will be with us and we need the bigger room. Hope I can get some time in the bathroom, they take so long with their hair and makeup. Poor DH with 3 females.

[kryos]

Sadly -- the price of our cruises have not dropped in price.

And looking at our future cruises -- the prices have gone up!!

What kind of cruises are you booking, though? I have a 33-day Hawaii/South Pacific sailing booked for next March, and the price has actually gone up (somewhat considerably) since I booked. Even my 19-day Hawaii cruise coming up in a few months has seen a price increase since I booked it.

 

Again, supply and demand at work.

 

I think you are more likely to see the prices of the shorter cruises come down ... Caribbean, Alaska, Bahamas ... that sort of thing. That's where the deals will be.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Thank you Rita for your response. This is probably the last time we will beable to afford a suite, next cruise if there is one we'll see what we can afford, but, never an inside room, I have to beable to see outside.:D

 

Forgot, the Caribbean cruise we have another suite because our two g-daughters will be with us and we need the bigger room. Hope I can get some time in the bathroom, they take so long with their hair and makeup. Poor DH with 3 females.

LOL ... shouldn't be a problem at all. You're the nice grandmom taking them on a cruise ... they should be thrilled and more than willing to work with you on bathroom access. Just set some ground rules for bathroom time and everyone should have a great time. :)

 

One thing I never understood ... why does one have to do the makeup and curling iron thing in the bathroom? Especially in a roomy suite, wouldn't the dressing area be a far more comfortable place? :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[sassy73]

Is it a Canadian itinerary? That's a bread and butter itinerary form them and I don't think you'll see price drops. We'd love it if RSVP would do a Canadian itinerary but its too expensive to charter it we were told.

 

Oh, would love to do that !! Adore Canada. I may have to just take regular HAL for that one of these years. New England/Canada in the Fall is gorgeous. (I lived in Vermont for a few years as a young child, but visited aggain 15 years ago. Spectacularr.)

[SDHALFAN]

What is a dance host. Is that a guy that the cruise line hires to dance with women? Do the cruise lines have dance hostesses too?:confused:

 

To answer your question: yes, a Dance Host is a guy that the cruise line "hires" to dance with women. I doubt that you will find any on a cruise less than 30 days in length (although there were 4 on a 28-day cruise I took earlier this year). Last year there were 6 on the Grand Asia/Australia cruise (65 days) and one of them brought his wife along with him - they taught dance classes during the cruise.

 

I don't believe that they are paid but they do get a free cruise, although listening to them moaning and groaning during the cruise earlier this year they don't have the most luxurious accomodations (inside cabins, two to a cabin, and having to pack up their "belongings" and change cabins if the one they are occupying has been set aside for a paying customer - the cruise was 28 days but was also sold as two 14-day cruises).

 

Unfortunately, there is no call for Dance Hostesses - believe me, I did enquire (albeit my enquiry was somewhat tongue in cheek):D.

 

Valerie