Infi

8 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Nooooo! Please, please no more spa or shopping infomercials!!!! 

 

I would love to see the cooking demos return. Even better, the hands-on classes. I would happily pay to go to some of those again.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like them either and would never attend them. That being said, I know HAL needs to make money and as much as I like enrichment activities, I know there needs to be a balance between the two. Enrichment has sorely been lacking since COVID, but even the infomercials are down, making for a pretty paltry set of offering in the daily program and a lot of empty venues. 

I miss the cooking classes too. Wish I had signed up for more of them in the past. Classic "you don't know what you've got till it's gone..."

21 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

I believe the "space" in the atrium needs to are kept relatively open and free, so it can be utilized as an emergency large crowd gathering area?

Interesting, I have never heard this theory. I thought HAL ripping out the bars on deck 1 of some of the atriums was a tacit resignation that revenue generation just wasn't going to happen there, so may as well make more usable lounge space. Never considered it could be a nod to safety.

I could see how crowd gathering space would be much more needed on the Pinnacle class, especially since there's no mustering area outdoors.

22 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

This is a good list. Unfortunately, utilization would require HAL to do something (enrichment?  entertainment?) in some of these spaces and they don't seem inclined to do that.

 

Is the cooking set-up from the days of the Queen's Lounge still on the revolving stage in BB King, or has that been removed to give BBK a larger stage?

 

Thanks, and agreed. To be clear, I don't expect the lounges to be hopping with activity or planned events 24/7. I just think back to the days of America's Test Kitchen and other enrichment programs, where the Queen's Lounge, Wajang theater etc. wouldn't sit empty all day long and would have a few activities sprinkled throughout the day. I'm not even saying it all needs to be enrichment, either - they could also be used to host revenue generating activities, like spa or shopping talks. 

Good question about the cooking set-up on the Vistas; I have no idea. HAL spent a mint to retrofit those spaces so I would hope so. I do know that the demo kitchen is still there on the R class ships. We were told on Zaandam over the holidays that there was a plan to bring back Port to Table (cooking demos) in the new year. We shall see.

Spaces that are, IMHO, not well utilized/laid out or poorly utilized during certain times of the day:

• Ground floors of the atriums (wide open space with nothing but crew offices on R class, sad remainders of a failed bar on some of the Vistas)
• Explorers/LCS after Lincoln Center is through for the evening
• Ocean Bar, especially when no music is offered (Vistas and higher)
• Merabellas/shopping arcades on the Vistas - understand HAL has to make money, but the space is cavernous and lacks logical flow
• Gallery bar (RIP), Billboard Onboard, and BB King (former Queen's Lounge) during the daytime (Vistas/Signatures)
• Sports decks

What cruises usually have this offering? From the above descriptions, it seems like it's the longer cruises, but wondering if there's any threshold (i.e. 14 days or more).

We always do early fixed dining, and attend the evening show. Even if that night's particular act doesn't sound the most exciting, it is something to do for the evening. After the show is over, I enjoy going to the piano bar (on the R class ships) and stay for a few sets and perhaps will go to the Ocean Bar once the piano bar wraps up. If we're on the Vista/Signatures, I like to hop between the dueling pianos and BB King or the Crow's Nest if I'm feeling very ambitious. Depending on the evening, I may either go to bed after that or will go up to the Lido to see what's available for late night snack (10:30-11:30pm).

As a young HAL fan, I may not be a party animal, but I'm also not one of the ones rolling up the sidewalks at 8pm. I like to be out and about, enjoying the live music and entertainment and people watching. I do enjoy the variety of live music onboard these days, but the shows in the main theater are sadly very lacking and the deep cost cuts there are quite painful to see. 

19 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

If you do the math the Zuiderdam would bring in the most booking dollars because of the selection of state rooms it has compared to the Zaandam. Based on 1500 guests. 

I thought the WC rarely sailed at capacity, so would the ship size really matter? With the notable exceptions of 2020 and this year, obviously. 

21 hours ago, RBB said:

   Actually, Zuiderdam is scheduled to go up the Amazon to Manaus on the 2024 World Cruise.  I guess we will see how that goes, but obviously the Amazon is not considered by HAL to be a barrier to assigning such an itinerary to Zuiderdam.

Interesting, perhaps it isn't. I'm more remembering a few years back (2019) when the Volendam had issues with the Amazon river depth, and it was said at the time the R class was the largest that could do the Amazon. We shall see!

Is Zaandam confirmed for WC 2025? If the Poles option materializes, they'll have to use an R class because there's an Amazon component. However, there are conspicuous holes in the Zuiderdam's calendar and it can do all 3 other itinerary options. Hmm...

Sounds like it's RIP Gallery bar on the Signature class ships then. Too bad, it was a nice space and decent attempt to rehab the failed Northern Lights idea. It's also a shame because HAL clearly put some decent money into making it into the Gallery bar recently - loss for them.

We used this on our last cruise on Zaandam and it was a lifesaver: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07V32PJ59?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details 

Not only were there extra outlets, we could also charge USB-A and C devices like phones, Kindles, and portable chargers. It had a slight extension cord as well so everything wasn't bunched up on the desk. 

2 hours ago, lissie said:

Is there an outlet near the bed?  My partner uses a CPAP and I'm sure he's not the only one. 

No outlets by the bed; they're on the desk, so a slight distance away. For CPAP users, I believe HAL can supply power strips/extension cords for this purpose if asked; I'd recommend reaching out directly to HAL's accessibility department. 

Here's the Port Everglades schedule with pier numbers; it's usually updated ~7 days in advance: https://pevvesseltraffic.broward.org/webx/

As others have noted, Princess is usually at Terminal 2 and HAL is usually at 26, so they are on complete opposite ends of the port. Would highly recommend a taxi or Uber. If the ships are at 2 and 4, that's the only case where it would be easily walkable. Good luck with your cruises!

Interestingly enough, RWS (HAL's entertainment vendor) still prominently features LCS on their website: https://experiencerws.com/case-study/lincoln-center-stage/

Then again, the HAL/Oprah partnership is also prominently featured as a case study for RWS so perhaps this page now functions as a retrospective of former successful HAL partnerships 🙃

Maybe I am overly optimistic, but I think LCS will be replaced with a similar act in due time. Prior to LCS, the Adagio quartet and then the Adagio duo performed in the same space to similar crowds. While LCS likely doesn't pull in the same bar money that BB King or the piano bars do, it still fills a niche for pre-dinner entertainment, plus additional musicians for sundry needs around the ship (BBC Earth, piano hour, etc.) Without any music, the venue (LCS or Explorers) will be quite conspicuously empty - not a good look.

2 hours ago, VermeulT said:

it's their port... ok so maybe not NO charge.

2 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

Definitely seems high.  These islands are long term leases from the Bahamian govt and pay head taxes to the govt for each visit.  Yes, not much, prob $10-15 per person.  I would expect 125-150 in port fees for a 7 day cruise, not over 200. 

HAL bought HMC in the mid 1990s; they (more accurately, Carnival Corp) own the island outright. HAL ships still do pay port taxes, however. 

On 1/6/2023 at 9:17 AM, FlaMariner said:

 

Our strategy also.....

 

And there is a hammock (no surcharge!) in the shade down the beach (used it in November) if you are early (but do not tell anyone).

Shhh...!

Verify was not used on our Dec 20 sailing; there was no separate line in FLL for it. I felt let down because there was no point in using the service, and because I had instructed our group to download the app and go through all the rigmarole for no reason at all. 

I also wonder if HAL is doing a natural "cleaning house" of their partnerships. On our holiday cruise on Zaandam, I was told the partnerships with Microsoft and Oprah had expired during the pandemic and were not renewed; America's Test Kitchen expired in January 2020 as well. I also heard from one of the entertainment staff that the Port to Table (cooking shows that aren't ATK) is coming back, but the BB King contract expires early 2023 as well - not sure if those are true or just rumors. If BB King contract is expiring, that will be another big loss for HAL as that venue must be a huge moneymaker.

Perhaps HAL is being strategic and taking a note from Disney's playbook: many of their 7 day itineraries feature a "double dip" (2 stops) at Castaway Cay, as they know how popular the island is for their passengers. If this isn't a calculated move and more out of necessity due to port schedules, it will be interesting to see how the cruise sells and if HAL offers the route again.

With Lincoln Center now departing, I do wonder what will fill the void - that lounge is always packed in the evenings and that music style is clearly enjoyed by many. The Volendam/Zaandam still have the classical duo in Explorers that is not branded as Lincoln Center. Perhaps RWS (HAL's entertainment company that provides Step One Dance Company/Billboard et al) has something new in the works? For HAL's sake, I sure hope so.

I always head past the villas and pirate ship. In addition to providing shade, it helps to avoid the hordes of people who tend to set up their beach gear on the stretch right after getting off the tender. 

Dined at PG last night on Zaandam for our final meal and had the filet. The only choice available was the 8oz. I always used to order the larger filet in the past, but found the 8oz cut to be tender and sufficient. Yes, it is a cutback, but far less offensive than many others these days.

Meant to add - our departure on December 20 was supposed to be at 3pm but never materialized due to fuel and last minute loading. Don't know what is up with HAL and their early departures these days but it seems like they're a good idea in theory but not happening in practice. 

Just disembarked this morning, so the arrival photos and marine tracking are especially fun to see as I was out on deck 3 when we sailed past the webcam. Great cruise, and missing her already!