Gamelan1971

21 hours ago, Roz said:

In the past I had no problem asking to share a table with others, but lately (post-Covid) I've found more people reluctant to do that.  When I approach them I get "the look", or they make up some vague, bogus excuse such as we're waiting for friends, or that seat is already taken. 

DH likes to eat alone for meals, but otherwise, we like sitting with other people during trivia, events, excursions, etc. and the majority of time when we invite others, or are so bold as to ask to sit with others, we get these excuses.  Its not worth getting upset over anymore, but I feel like people in general are only interested in socializing in their established bubbles.  But I do think we need to continue to try to make connections with others, even if 80% of the time it doesn't pan out.  The other 20% might make it highly worthwhile.

We always select fixed dining for our HAL cruises and have been more than satisfied with the service from the dining room stewards.  The only cruise that was off in this regard was an Alaska cruise on the Oosterdam in 2019 (pre covid).  The service all around was mediocre and my mother commented several times that it seemed like the "B" team was working that cruise.  We also didn't like the ship in comparison to other HAL ships.  So we've avoided the Oosterdam ever since.

I was on a cruise on the Nieuw Statendam this past Autumn, and for the first time, I noticed a large group of people who were occupying a big table in the Lido for card games and other various activities- it was a group of 10-15 elderly Vietnamese people, with a few people who stayed at the table at all times.  I only noticed this on one sea day, so I have no idea if they were there the other days.  But I felt as though there was plenty of space on the ship to enjoy and eat, so it didn't bother me.  I found the concept that they had planned a big family/friends trip together and that they were enjoying themselves heartening.  I hope they had a good time.

Hoping for 2021 but realistically probably 2022.  In the meantime, I've been looking at some other travel options.  We want to do a land trip to Ireland and a trip to Bhutan.  I love cruising but I think I want to do these two trips once travel normalizes again and then consider cruises.  Cruising will probably take awhile to go back to any semblance of what it was before Covid.  Cruising could look a lot different once things settle down, especially if HAL disappears or changes in a radical way.  I'm pretty sure we'll still want to cruise, but we have enjoyed years of cruising on HAL.  We had considered going more upmarket after our last two cruises (in part because the quality difference was significant; both were on HAL but one was substantially better than the other), but now I think we'll want our "return" cruise to definitely be on HAL. 

I am in the target age group for the survey (late 40's, started cruising HAL 12 years ago in mid 30's).  I voted for "move a step above princess and celebrity," mostly because I want HAL to have a distinct niche in the marketplace.  I think it needs that in order to survive and thrive as a cruise line.  I love the line for what it is now, but HAL must continue to evolve to maintain market share.

I really do like the simple and classic aspects of the line.  Last year, we took two cruises- one was an Alaska cruise on the Oosterdam and the other was the Holiday cruise through the Panama Canal on the Amsterdam.  Little did we know at the time that this would be the the Amsterdam's penultimate cruise with HAL.  The cruise on the Oosterdam was not so great- busy, crowded, and the ship was just too big.  The public spaces just weren't as nice as the Amsterdam.  But our cruise on the Amsterdam was magic- we had verandah cabins on both cruises, but it just seemed like our experience was magical on the Amsterdam.  It was like coming home.  We enjoyed many lazy nights and afternoons in the library.  We loved happy hour and trivia in the Crow's nest.  Pre-dinner cocktails in the Ocean bar.  Walking the promenade after dinner in the dining room or the Pinnacle Grill.  Using the treadmill up in the gym and the pools/hottubs.  Having breakfast on our verandah  And simply walking around and enjoying all of the public spaces on the ship.   The Panama Canal transit was really special- so much more than I ever expected.  Great itinerary.

I"m going to miss the size of the smaller ships.  With that said, we've been on both the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Eurodam.  Loved both of those.  There is something about the Oosterdam I just don't like, and I think its the size.  Bring back the libraries to all ships (with the exploarations cafe adjacent) and keep the Crow's nest as a bar/observation deck.  The library was well used on our Panama Canal cruise.  I noticed several families playing board games every night.  I often read up there. 

You can probably tell that we are not big entertainment people so the evening shows are not a big priority for us.  But I do realize that the shows are important for many people so HAL should focus a bit more on this area.

My hope for the cruise line is that the new ships won't all be huge (keeping them at the Eurodam size would be perfect).  Keep a few in the R class and make more in that size.  Keep the experience classic and the itineraries unique.  I'm also willing to pay a premium to keep the quality high and some non-revenue amenities (such as libraries and old fashioned promenade decks ) part of the cruising experience.

From our Panama Canal cruise on the Amersterdam- December 2019-January 2020:

Eko- dining room
Asep- dining room manager
Geraldine- wine steward
Yohat- dining room server
Yasa- room steward
Adam- room steward
Tina- Pinnacle Grill Hostess

Katerina- Pinnacle Grill Server
Abigail- Customer service

Neil- Shore excursions

This was one of the best cruises that we have taken and the crew members listed above played a big part in that experience.  Given what happened with the shortening of the Amsterdam's Grand World Voyage due to Covid-19, the situation for the crew members remaining on the Amsterdam has weighed heavily on my mind.  I know that many of them are still on the Amsterdam, which is now slowly making its way from Durban, South Africa to Batam, Indonesia.  I understand that the Indonesian crew will be able to debark the Amsterdam and go home once they get to Batam.  But I worry about the health of many of these crew members; while Indonesia's overall Covid-19 cases are quite low, many cases are simply going undiagnosed and the health system there is greatly overburdened by the crisis.  I wish good health in the days ahead to all Holland America Line crew.

It would be nice if the Canadian economy became more diversified and was less dependent on natural resources. If this were the case, then there would be fewer large currency fluctuations such as the one we have seen recently. The dollar would probably fluctuate within a smaller band, rather than such a large one.

As someone who currently lives in Canada but can live/work in both countries, I'm thinking very hard about whether it is worth it to stay in Canada and to earn CAD. I do think this situation could go on for quite sometime and it is certainly giving me some pause. This kind of currency fluctuation is very unsettling but I don't think Canada's economy will balance out with more services, manufacturing, etc. to compensate for the dependence on natural resources. I'm not sure if the political will to diversify in Canada is there. Yes, it is true, the recent issue is in large part due to the oil price drop, but to have that be such a huge driver of a country's currency is an unsettling prospect for me. Long term diversification of the Canadian economy to other types of manufacturing and services will bring better stability to the Canadian dollar.

We are about to embark on a Holland America cruise out of Southeast Asia. For Canadians and Aussies looking for less expensive destinations, I'd strongly recommend visiting the Southeast Asia region. Their currencies have taken a hit as well in the past few months, and the value proposition here is much better than in the US and other popular travel destinations. Unless we make a move back to the US to earn USD again, our trips there will be limited to visits with my family until the CAD strengthens. Here's hoping for a more diversified Canadian economy in years to come.

This is for a different country, but for Burma, our travel agent insisted than an evisa would be sufficient but I was the one who confirmed that the evisa was not valid for ships arriving at port and that the evisa was only valid upon arrival at international airports in Burma.

There are tons of choices and lots of nice hotels serving brunch throughout Singapore. You will have better options on weekend days though; not sure of your departure day of the week. One idea- breakfast at the Tiffin Room inside the Raffles Hotel.

For Semarang, the big thing to do is to take an excursion to Borobudor. If you can, and you haven't been there before, I highly recommend it.

I agree with comments from the previous poster. Bali and Lombok are not much of an issue- you can get away with wearing shorts and sleeveless tops in those places. But in Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, and elsewhere in the archipelago, it is highly recommended to dress more conservatively- with pants or long skirts, and shirts with short to mid length sleeves. Sleeveless and singlets would not be appropriate in most places outside of Bali. I know that Komodo is really hot- that could be problem especially if going to the village on the island.

The fact that everyone goes to the same main dining room for dinner is a real plus to sailing on HAL. I like and and have made great friends in all types of cabins, from interiors up to suites. On one cruise, we sailed in a verandah with friends who were in an interior. It was a great option for us and it would have been horrible if we had not been able to dine together due to the difference in cabins. I hope HAL keeps the dining democratic!

I've been on cruises stopping in Sihanoukville twice. The first time, we left the ship in Singapore, flew to Angkor and spent a couple of days there touring the temples, and then to Phnom Penh where we had a short tour and lunch and then back to the ship by coach to Sihanoukville. It was a pricey ship's excursion but well worth it since I was travelling with my mother and I wanted a safe and high quality experience. I had been to Angkor previously and knew what to expect and found it was quite worthwhile- our guides were excellent and our trip was five star. I highly recommend making the effort to see Angkor, whether through the ship or on your own.

The next time we stopped in Sihanoukville was on a cruise three years later. We took a local tour through the ship (since I'd been to Angkor several times before) - we visited with a local family and went to a nearby city (I think it was Kampot) and also visited an old temple. I appreciated the chance to see rural, less touristed Cambodia on that trip. Our dining mates on that second trip opted to get off the ship, travel to Angkor, and then flew to meet the ship in Ho Chi Minh City.

In and of itself, Sihanoukville is nothing special but the stop affords the possibility to make a side trip to Angkor, explore the Cambodian countryside, a day at a nearby beach, or look around Sihanoukville. Not bad choices!

I'd say it is really better for diving and it will start to get cold there so wetsuits are a must.

I think it really depends on what your expectations are. I was very much looking forward to this excursion. While I would recommend it to others, I found it to be lacking in the "wow" factor compared to almost all of the snorkeling that I've done in Southeast Asia. Our guide was feeding the sharks and other animals- I know that some people really like this; it gave anyone who wanted to a chance to pet sharks and get close to other animals. As a longtime diver and snorkeler, I don't like the use of baiting in these circumstances. In any case, I'd still recommend the tour, and I hope to get back someday to do some diving. But I can't say that I was blown away; if you are an experienced diver or snorkeler you might not be overly impressed.

We took a ship's tour last January and it was CROWDED! I recommend getting a small, private tour, preferably one that will go there when there aren't a lot of other boats around. My husband and I were terrified that someone was going to get hurt- jumped on, hit by someone carelessly tossing an anchor (no joke, we saw a close call from another nearby boat), etc.

I just took a look at the share prices paid when I purchased stock through dividend reinvestment and the purchase prices for the dividend reinvestments have ranged from $32.06 to $43.71 per share... So the stock has had its ups and downs for sure throughout the last six years.

Generally, I'm not really sure what the future looks like for the company. I just invest in a variety of stuff I'm interested in and since I enjoy cruising with HAL and there was a benefit to be had that would cost me little money with a possible upside, I figured I'd give it a go; with stocks, I always try to use dividend reinvestment where possible, unless it is absolutely something I know I want to get out of. Generally, I like companies that pay good dividends and with those, 90% of the time I reinvest the dividends. The fact that CCL is a good dividend payer was a significant extra plus that made purchase of the stock a no-brainer. In contrast, I hold very few mutual funds outside of indexed funds within my pension plans and with those I do own, I almost never reinvest the dividends. So in this case it seemed like a win win overall to purchase stock and reinvest the dividends and that has worked well thus far. I also plan to hold the stock for the next several decades so I'm in for the long haul.

As for tax, unless you hold the stock in a tax deferred account such as an IRA or an RRSP (Canada), you will need to recognize the dividends as income on an annual basis whether you take the cash or reinvest. So there really isn't that much difference tax wise. You pay either way, unless the stock is held in a tax deferred account as discussed above.

I was just looking at my purchase history- bought the first 55 shares at $19.27 per share in January 2009 and then the next block of 45 shares at $25.87 later that year. GREAT investment all around- have received OBC four times, will be taking another cruise in January and will get another OBC, and have continued to purchase beyond the first 100 shares through dividend reinvestment. I was lucky to be able to purchase at such low prices. Its a great program that CCL offers its investors.

Although not a native of the city, I currently live in St. John's, Newfoundland and find these comments and tips to be quite accurate. I work right on Water Street and it is fun to see the cruise ships come in during the summer and fall. The Irish Loop is a great drive but not realistic for most cruise ship itineraries. It will simply take too long and there would be no margin for error if you had car issues or wanted to stop off and even visit one place. So basically, it would be like one long car drive.

Having driven the loop several times, I also want to warn travellers that the food selections are for the most part sub-par. There is some interesting food to be had in Newfoundland, but you won't find it in a quick trip around the loop. The restaurants that are on the loop where you could get service in time to get back to the ship would be mediocre.

For a one day cruise ship stop in St. John's, I can highly recommend all of the places people have already mentioned, with some additional suggestions and comments- The Rooms is well worth it and a good place to have lunch as the restaurant is excellent and has some local fare; the Basilica next door is nice and often overlooked by visitors. Water and Duckworth Streets have some excellent restaurants; one of Canada's top restaurants- Raymond's is in downtown St. John's. Make a reservation at least a couple of weeks in advance. Moo Moo's is a great place to go for Ice Cream. Enjoy your visit and all the best!!

I also got the survey but could not open the link..Hope it is fixed tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I resurrected the thread because HAL is a line many of us on this board enjoy cruising and after having discussions with many people on my last cruise about cost cutting measures and the noticeable slide in standards, I did some searching yesterday and came across this thread. While more than two years old, I think resurrecting it again allows us to reflect on what many have been discussing already as well as a chance to comment on where things stand now.

On the last cruise I took, I met more than one person (about five people) who had originally purchased an interior cabin- I'd say 3/5 of these were upgraded to Ocean View. What was also striking was that this group of people, without exception, did not purchase shore excursions (or purchased only the transfers into town), did not purchase drinks from the bar, and did not purchase treatments from the spa. And in one case, made grudging comments about the hotel service charge.

One of our dining companions noticed the same trend, and he commented on how the inside cabins are often sold at cost. And noticing that this group of passengers were not buying anything on board, I realized that HAL was probably taking a bath on them. So it begs the question, if the company is filling the ships with increasing numbers of these passengers, how can the company make enough money to continue to provide a consistent standard of service?

I'm not attempting to begrudge anyone their desire to vacation on a strict budget- I understand that. But what I found ironic in one case of the group of five that I referred to was that the passenger expressed disappointment that organic jams and jellies were not available on the ship. Made me wonder, how people expect to have their cake and eat it too (cheap cruise with expensive amenities)? I guess if I had paid cost for a cabin and not purchased anything on the ship, I wouldn't expect organic jams/jellies.

So it would seem that many people want a high level of quality but not everyone is willing to pay for it. It would seem to me that at some point HAL needs to decide how they are going to distinguish themselves in the marketplace, in order to ensure healthy profits and margins with which to provide a good standard of excellence.

Greetings- I went on a cruise this past winter with Holland America from Singapore to Hong Kong. We generally had a great cruise, but I did notice some aspects of the quality experience I remembered from previously cruising were slipping. The principal one of these being staff- for the first time, I noticed disinterested staff, particularly in the Main Dining Room.

But what disturbed me most was noting the number of passengers who had purchased inside cabins (but may have been upgraded), but then purchased almost nothing on the ship. And then expected to have a premium experience. When the ships don't make any money off of these passengers, how does the experience stay excellent and top notch?

Last year on the Volendam on our Australia New Zealand cruise, there were lots of kids in the pool. Apparently, our cruise took place during some school holidays in Australia and we had more children than average. And I have to say, the lack of parental supervision at the pool was truly a problem on this trip. After observing an accident (one child jumped on top of another and not a parent was in site), I complained to management and requested that "adult only times" be designated for one of the pools. My mother really wanted to swim but with so many kids in the pool, running around the edge, she was afraid she might get hurt.

Furthermore, I saw on more than one occasion parents bringing diapered children into the lido and aft pools, despite clear signage indicating this was not allowed. In one extreme case, one lady brought her infant son (clearly under 1 year age) into the jacuzzi with a diaper on. Everyone sitting near us was shocked, as the baby was turning red by the minute (not to mention the diaper in the pool issue).

We never got the adult only times, even though others complained and also asked for them. Crew were afraid to upset the parents and children on their holiday (nevermind anyone else's holiday or safety). We could have been made sick from those diapers in the pool and someone may have been hurt due to lack of discipline at the pool area by both children and their parents.

This was the only significant downside to the trip- the problems in the pool with the undisciplined kids and diapers.

HAL- are you listening? We need to have adult only times at the pool.