Mosaic

Well, I wish not to ask, just to do it.

Also, This is for a Neptune Suite that is facing front, that has a partition to that area from a side balcony.

It can be opened and you can go out there under good weather conditions.....

So, the question is not if you should open the partition on your balcony (with friends next door), but rather is it possible to do so? Special tool, key???

Thanks.

Yes, often HAL is a bargain too often---that is the problem.  Except for NS, which often at $1,000.00 per cabin, are over priced and diluted.

The people who have complained about the OP post are complainers....

Not much benefit to the packages anyway.....often none.

CO is a downgrade for Neptune Suite guests

But, isn't that why we HAD the pinnacle grill to start with???

Club Orange is Stupid.

7 hours ago, strickerj said:

I haven't been on a cruise but I'm researching extensively in preparation for my first (Glacier Discovery Northbound aboard Noordam on 05/24/2020). I am a frequent flyer and see parallels here to that industry though. It seems all the companies are gravitating to either end of the spectrum - some airlines try to one-up each other with more and more luxurious overseas first class offerings (airlines such as Emirates, Singapore, Cathay Pacific, etc., which would be analogous to Oceana, Seaborn, and Viking in the cruise industry), but at the same time, more and more of the majors (American, Delta, United, and most of the European flag carriers) are chasing the ultra-low-cost-carriers (Spirit, Easyjet, Ryanair, etc.) with "unbundled" fares (low-priced tickets but with extra fees for absolutely everything that used to be included - baggage, snacks on-board, or even assistance from their call center). I can understand those who are used to a premium/semi-luxury experience disappointed to watch their preferred cruise line going downmarket but still being priced out of the full-luxury lines. The customer can't very easily "vote with their wallet" when they're all becoming the same. (You'd think the parent companies that own several brands would want to keep them differentiated, though it seems they're being run semi-independently.)

 

Imagine being told "if you don't like Motel 6, stay at the Ritz Carlton" because there's nothing in between. That's where the airlines have gone, and it sounds like the cruise lines are doing the same.

Yes and sad.  Middle class has been pinched out.

Yes we need this thread.  BTW, who is "we?"  This is not a private board for a chosen few, but rather a universal forum for all in the world.  People, other than regulars, need to know there are on going concerns and cutbacks so that expectations can match reality.

Love your post Mr Bob. I do feel that I wish for more when I pay a large amount of money.  Thanks again for your post...

NO.  Not when the cutbacks will still becoming for years....

It becomes new again.

I think that this thread should stay alive for years.....

13 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Which cruise line according to you ? What turns you on personally Mosaic ?  🤔 

I appreciate very much the quality of the ship and staff.  Poor food and poor or no entertainment is a major turn off.  The MDR is often just bad---crowded, mediocre service with poor food.  If I could get "Outback" quality food in the main dinning room that would be great.  BBKing is a good direction.  The club orange room for Neptune guests is just a nice diner. Why does HAL "like" the concept of not having much to do during sea days?  Simple example.  Why take away the steel drums on Caribbean cruises, lol. That is sad. Lectures on the ship were often huge hits with folks.  I am looking for a new cruise line so I do not have answers yet.  Oceania and Celebrity retreat are on my list.

There are so many cutbacks it is not necessary to name them.   Although, someone might wish that as an exact new thread.  Here is part of my take.  The people here who complain about complainers are, complainers.

One reason people complain here, is well, there is reason to complain.  Another is that it is sad for many of us who care about Holland America Line to see the cutbacks of services and quality.  So yes, we do care.

It is also difficult for a cruise ship to satisfy all, when some couples are paying $100.00 per night while others are paying $1,000.00 per night.  Yes, there should be different expectations.  HAL needs to keep the prices higher on the lower cost staterooms.  They will not do this, however.

Jeeze, Oceania is considered a luxury cruise line.  How much money am I suppose to spend to get a good steak?

I disagree with much of the above.  It is NOT the changes it is the CUTBACKS. HAL is no longer a "premium" cruise line. Never was a luxury cruise line.

I do not hate HAL, but HAL is declining in quality.  That is the reason for the negative views that were never here before.

Cutbacks in services and products are NOT FEATURES.  Poor food often, crowded MDR, waiting for a table in a line, watching movies in the main theater and so much more is not for me at all. The ships and crew are too nice for this kind of treatment.

HAL's newest ships have half the number of Neptune Suites (roughly) with twice as many people (roughly).  And only one Penthouse Suite.  To me this is more than a demographic shift, but rather another example of the degrading of the overall product.  

I am very well aquatinted with HAL.  We stay in Neptune Suites that can cost $1,000.00 per night.  The ships are very nice and so is the service.  The food is up and down, but the main dinning room is suffering. Entertainment comes and goes also.  The pax are fine. The reason I am here looking is due to the MANY recent cut backs over the past 10 years.  HAL needs to figure out what it is.

Dressing up is always nice though.

And for Neptune Suite guests who pay $ 1,000.00 per night, it has become a bad deal.

Nope, but it should be!

"Presentable" in who's eyes???