Stakeout

seems like all the onboard staff is talking about many upcoming changes mainly due to HAL's NEW administration within the HAL group ( Holland, Princess, Seabourne)

putting someone in charge of HAL that has absolutely no prior cruise company managerial experience doesn't sound too good to me.. I guess it's starting

two days ago I happened to be checking on the HAL site the itinerary and # of sea days for the Jan 2016 World Cruise on the Amsterdam comparing it to the Princess World Cruise on the Pacific Princess..HAL hasn't posted the 2017 World cruise Itinerary yet.. the price was what it had been in prior years for Inside 19999 and Outside 23999.. yesterday I went back on the HAL site and I noticed a price drop-- Inside 16999 and Outside 19999.. first time I've ever seen a price drop on the World Cruise..

is this the new changes from scuttlebutt I've heard about onboard.. will HAL lower the prices on World Cruises and Grand Voyages so they can 'fill the ship'.. I know there are times the Prinsendam goes out on one of its Grand Voyages 30-50% capacity.. maybe a lightbulb went off in Seattle.. (probably not) .. HAL no longer runs the Amsterdam 78 day Grand Voyage in September now carrying it as a 50 day this coming September and not labeled a Grand Voyage anymore

the changes they are a-coming

Goodness, I must be hungry because these pics all look sooooo good! I will be in Naples is Sept, can't wait to eat pizza!!!

we'll be back in Naples for an overnite stay on the Maasdam in November..again

Too much - too blended!

 

 

Lobster belongs on its own and pizza (actually apizza) on its own -- real, traditional, New Haven style - with crisp paper-thin crust - ideally coal-fired --- and no cheese (at all!): just fresh crushed tomatoes, topped with spinach and bacon.

the way the original Napolitano Pizza was made in Coney Island Brooklyn where I grew up in the 50's... at Totonno's Pizza Neptune Ave and W 15th st.. same as in downtown Naples ( Italia that is) .. simply made but the best.. not the 'junk greasy slice-pizza' most Pizza places sell

gotta have slices of 'mutzerella' on it... Margarita Pizza

like this from Il Pomordorino in downtown Naples a couple of streets up from the Cruise Terminal

http://stakeout.smugmug.com/MaasdamCruiseEurope42DaysOct25/Naples-Italy-Nov-16/i-wwznLNN/0/L/IMG_0348_tn-L.jpg

Ahh, Geddy's. The Bar Harbor Webcam is attached to the front of their building. :)

 

I had fried clams there once as they have clams with bellies. No real New Englander would eat just the strips. :D

 

had lunch there our last couple of times in Bar Harbor.. super nice folks ..casual place..good food

hmmm.. the way this thread is going looks like 'they' are 'coming out of the woodwork'..

if you don't like something... go to another thread.. pretty simple ... same as you do for a TV show--switch the channel.. then again maybe you don't like TV or using electric sources to contaminate the environment.. it's a jungle out there! :) :) :)

just stopped for lunch in Bar Harbor at Geddy's last Friday.. had to have it..

http://stakeout.smugmug.com/MaasdamCruiseBostonMay232015/Bar-Harbor-June-5/i-PqC3cbK/0/L/20150605_123423-3-L.jpg

http://stakeout.smugmug.com/MaasdamCruiseBostonMay232015/Bar-Harbor-June-5/i-Fmx9pBH/0/L/20150605_134206_tn-L.jpg

just got off the Maasdam in Boston this past Saturday after a 14 day roundtrip to Montreal.. Noro showed up the last two days...or at least a Code Red did... none before that during our cruise even after all it went thru the previous cruises before we got on ..

I am a little biased as we've sailed her for this our 24th time with 471 actual cruise days.. it's our favorite of the HAL ships...it's an old ship--1993-- and we know it so problems do arise.. we'll be back on the Maasdam this October for her last roundtrip 50 day Transatlantic from Ft Lauderdale to Europe.. this will be our 5th year in a row for that cruise.. next year the Rotterdam takes over as the Maasdam is being repositioned to the west coast-Alaska and then to Australia.. sad to see her go away..

BTW once again we heard that the way it looks the Prinsendam will leave the fleet before the Maasdam does in the next few years--no dates yet..

never get emails from HAL for a long time now..all they do is market the no stars and those with a few days..phone calls to Mariner Society a waste of time..been hearing about the not so good major changes coming soon with HAL and their new regime.. oh well.. it was a good run

as I sit in the Halifax terminal on the back leg of our 14 day Maasdam cruise

for me over the years it's more that the internet connection is working..or super slow..or non existent than unlimited..what good is unlimited if the usual 'sorry for the inconvenience-- 'internet not working'signs are up and posted which are posted a lot more recently..

it's like going back in time when one talks about HAL' s internet-- dinosaurs!!

I've been told No., but suggest you call HAL & tell them that Princess does give it.. Maybe they will re-think their policy..Hope you will get it..:)

no need to call..both HAL & Princess are in the same group--the HAL Group...they know...HAL does NOT give that military OBC like Princess does

we're on the May 23 Maasdam 14 days out of Boston.. just booked it last week as a OV Guarantee because it was so late for this booking --first time we booked a Guarantee in over 15 years.. this past Thursday I checked My Hal Account online.. they Upgraded us to a CA Lanai midship.. an 11 Category Upgrade.. not bad but I'm not a Lanai type guy and actually would have preferred the lowest Outside cabin--HH or H-- aft on the Lower Prom deck ( all the cabins on that deck are the same except with blocked or partially blocked views) if no Upsells to a Verandah would be offered

I know the ship was not even close to being filled having been on the Maasdam 23x in the past..not too many people rush out to go to New England and Canada in cold rainy weather.. had TA call and she said the same thing about Inventory Dept.. they do get their hair up...

the silly games HAL plays in their Inventory Dept with their Computer Inventory control software is beyond belief ..it has definitely gotten worse since they formed the new HAL Group with Princess and Seabourne.. we however take it as it comes--go with the flow and still always enjoy ourselves on our favorite ship--the Maasdam.. this cruise will be our 24th on her with 271 sailing days

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lottie Linda View Post

Tipping is a form of control. HSC allows for some control, but basically it's set and it takes extraordinary circumstances to change it. I don't want to think about controlling people on my vacation. I hope the crew takes pride in their work, and I hope they get paid enough. If not, there are other things to do next time.

wow.. you sound bitter.. sounds like you don't have too much fun on a cruise with that attitude.. we AMERICANS care to take care of people who showed us great service.. the tip is voluntary and personal .. if that is not the case where you come from so be it.. if you don't like the way we do it so be it again.. no one will shake you down for an extra tip.. at least not on the 59 cruises we've done on HAL so far..

hope you are right but not on the two sites I went to.. they show the Splendor leaving Miami on 3/27 and in HMC on 3/28

Cruise Line: Carnival Ship: Splendor Departs: MIAMI, FL - Sunday, March 27, 2016 Returns: MIAMI, FL - Sunday, April 03, 2016

Itinerary Details + View More

03/27 MIAMI, FL

(Depart 04:00 PM) 03/28 HALF MOON CAY, THE BAHAMAS

(09:00 AM - 05:00 PM) 03/29 FUN DAY AT SEA 03/30 ST. THOMAS, USVI

(10:00 AM - 06:00 PM) 03/31 SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

(07:00 AM - 03:30 PM) 04/01 GRAND TURK

(11:00 AM - 05:30 PM) 04/02 FUN DAY AT SEA 04/03 MIAMI, FL

(Arrive 08:00 AM)

That's interesting, I too thought they would never put Hal ships with Carnival ships in HMC at the same time. Wonder if that is a mistake?

hoping it is a mistake also

having been to Half Moon Cay over 3 dozen times since the beginning always was told that a HAL ship and a Carnival ship would never be in port the same day... also have been told recently that a lot of changes at HAL would be taking place in the not too distant future and that high-day Mariners and regulars will not be pleased with those changes--pleaze don't ask who told me..thanx :)

happen to come across this port schedule for Half Moon Cay on March 28, 2016 checking on a Maasdam back to back Panama Canal cruise next March...

http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Bahamas/265-Half_Moon_Cay/March_2016/

this is NOT good.. looks like the changes and the way a lot of us know HAL will be disappointing with the new regime in there... oh well I guess one must try to adapt

been doing Collectors cruises for a long while..have never seen them listed as they are now so far in advance as Sold Out--which I know they aren't by any stretch..one by one they open them up..HAL is just playing games with their Inventory Control...back 5+ years ago or more it used to be listed opposite of the way they are now with preference to Collector's cruises as opposed to segments

HAL is playing games ON PURPOSE with their so-called Inventory Control in case anyone hasn't figured that out yet ever since they changed over to their new website months ago..there's a thread about it on here..

as an example just go to the Canada/New England for the Maasdam and choose the 14 day roundtrip thruout this summer..it shows the inside outside categories Sold Out ..not the case..all smoke and mirrors..all the 7 day parts are wide open..just HAL's way of not playing nicely these days as one of the many changes by the new HAL group

as far as I'm concerned it stinx and will be just another lame brained idea gone awry by the NEW powers to be in Seattle

from what we heard recently many new changes will be forthcoming -unknown what they will be-and will not be received well by high level Mariners..we shall see

we've done back to back Christmas-New Years cruises in 2009 and 2010 on the Maasdam.. the Christmas cruise went to the Western caribbean.. Cozumel.. Costa Maya etc.. both times it was cooler temps and more than normal rainfall as compared to the New Years cruise part that was to the Southern Caribbean with warmer temps and no rain.. that western part of the Caribbean is usually like that in Dec and January having done prior January Western Caribbean cruises .. Christmas cruises will also bring the kids -- had 150+ both times..

last time we were onboard the Maasdam in January heard that a lot of changes are in the works with this newly formed HAL Group including combining Mariner days on HAL and Princess--have to see it to believe it.... my guess is -- it's not to our benefit somehow.. they brought in an outsider to run HAL with Stein Kruse moving up to head the group

Maasdam will be heading out to the West Coast and beyond after May 2016 so we'll be trying to do as many cruises as we can on her.. thought maybe it would takeover the Statendam's itineraries Hawaii--Tahiti--Peru--Canal but it sure doesn't look like it.. I guess there's always hope...what a shame.. we heard the Rotterdam is supposed to replace her in New England.. we shall see..

guess they are using the Maasdam for NZ and that area in 2016 and 2017 thru early 2018 when it will most likely be sold off/ transferred-- to P&O Australia like the Statendam and Ryndam will be in Sept 2015..we also heard the Prinsendam is scheduled to go 'bye-bye' at the same time the Maasdam goes to other pastures

oh well.. it was a nice run on the Maasdam these many years.. so far we have sailed her 22 times and 426 cruise days with more to follow.. needless to say it is without a doubt our favorite ship

my take on all this FWIW..change for the sake of change will ruin HAL as we all know it..

for at least the past 5 years we have always docked on a HAL ship in Crown Bay..

you can always do a St John tour--just the ferry ride over leaves from Crown Bay-- with a ship's excursion.. no guide--'on your own' . it's one of the tours offered to St John..

when we go over to St John we usually do the island tour from the ship..although we have done Trunk Bay as well as the Honeymoon Beach( St John version)- Catamaran-snorkel tours

here's the webcam of St John Ferry dock

http://www.stjohnspice.com/spicecam

and some info on the fire at Mongoose Junction

http://www.stjohn-info.com/stjohn-usvi-news-events/fire-on-st-john-mongoose-junction

http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/firefighters-extinguish-blaze-in-mongoose-junction-1.1822172

we'll probably head on over to St John on our next cruise on the Maasdam in a couple of weeks having done Water Island the past few times while there--the other Honeymoon Beach

BTW it was last in a 2 week drydock in Dec 2013.. must be something that needs to be corrected ASAP

that new Field and Stream ( that's a joke BTW) tea was on the Zuiderdam as of Jan 23 when we were aboard.. by the time the tea brews you now have 'iced tea' :) :) another HAL cutback I guess..use the PG tips until they remove them

http://stakeout.smugmug.com/ZuiderdamJan232015/Day-at-Sea-Jan-31/i-8qXX42X/0/L/IMG_2394_tn-L.jpg

BTW.. in 58 cruises on HAL this last Zuiderdam was the worst of any of them..too big..too crowded... had to be the noisiest Dining Room we've ever been in.. sounded like a school cafeteria if not worse..probably because of all the mini-groups that were on.. never again as in NEVER... just used to the smaller ships and maybe the longer cruises these days I guess.. it'll be sad to see them go

with all this there are NO Hawaii/Tahiti cruises on HAL between Nov 2015 and April 2016.. they didn't replace the Statendam who ran those routes..

we did a fantastic cruise on the Statendam 56 days total roundtrip from Ft Lauderdale-Canal-SD-Hawaii-Tahiti-SD-Canal-FtL in Jan 2013.. I always thought the Hawaii-Tahiti itinerary was very popular on the left coast.. I guess HAL didn't think so and eliminated it...

appears the powers to be in the new HAL group have no idea what's happening in the real world.. all you have to do is look at their credentials.. from what we've been told recently a lot more changes are on the horizon--somehow I take that as being not to our benefit.. oh well it was a good run while it lasted

as far as I know my Fitbit One will only sync with wifi enabled .. I carry along my 13" Dell Laptop