EDLOS

HAL is trying to lure a new breed of customers to What ?? Rock Walls, Wave Pools, 8 different restaurants, 12 different bars, a Broadway Show, 6 different music venues, a 10 story water slide, a putting green, all of which are NOT available on HAL and their quest for new cruisers. If eliminating music venues, libraries, games, entertainment and thinking BB King, Billboard, Lincoln Center, Planet Earth Video's and a deathly slow and overpriced WIFI is going to do it, help me understand ?? What is the profile of this new breed that HAL is gunning for ??????

It really makes me sad to hear that HAL executives are only concentrating on luring new customers. For the last few years we have noticed the at first small cut backs that have now turned into larger ones. Just about all of the CD's staff has been eliminated; on our last cruise I think there was one lone assistant CD and that was it. That's one reason there are no longer many daytime activities; no one to lead them. Remember the days of horse racing, boat building, quoits, etc. It was a lot of fun to compete and a chance to meet new people if you wanted to do those things, but of course you were left alone to do your own thing is you wished. No one ever came around pushing you to join any activity. That's how is should be. Just my thoughts.

Luring new customers to what ?? Rock Walls, Wave Pools, 8 different restaurants, 12 different bars, a Broadway show , six different music venues, a 10 story water slide, a putting green, all of which are NOT available on HAL's quest for new cruisers. If eliminating venues, games lectures, entertainment, and thinking BB King, Billboard, Lincoln Center, deathly slow and overpriced WIFI is going to do it, help me understand ??? who this new breed of customer is ???

Do you remember when you embarked and stepped on board, the happy sound of a musical group playing in the Atrium ?

Do remember when there was live music by the Lido Pool at lunch

time ?

Do you remember when there was a Guitar Country Music player in the Mix after early dinner and before The "Piano" man came on ?

Do you remember as you walked through the public areas hearing a piano in the Atrium and a band in the Ocean Bar and Adagio on your stroll to both early and late dining ?

Do you remember when the music didn't start until 10:30 PM in the Crow's Nest ?

They are all gone !........and I may have missed others ????

Add your memories to my list.

I beg to differ with those whose say today's offerings are not less than the above list. I think the word that is missing in these comments/opinions is "Ambiance". My wife and I often said in discribing a great restaurant that it must have three things: Great Food, Excellent Service and a certain Ambiance.

HAL for me, had that certain Ambiance for years and I see it slowly slipping away !

The "Old" HAL seem ed to have the right balance of Serene places .i.e. Library and Promenade Deck (both being done away with) Entertaining music and Dance music starting at 5 PM til late. Lectures, games, (all now down to bare minimum) in short, something for everyone, as wanted by a diverse mature cruise population. With the K'DAM I wonder where I might find that quiet place if I do not have a veranda, for me and my Kindle. And there was absolutely nothing to do when all musicians on board were playing the background music for BBC Planet video. on the Eurodam TA in November (watched it) and the Noordam in January (no reason to see it again) Nothing to do anywhere else. My point is HAL seem to be deminishing all the reasons I am a 4 Star with them..........

Isn't this also the last remaining smoking area on Oosterdam?

Yes, but limited to the Starboard side. The Stern and the Port side of the Seaview Bar area are non-smoking.

Going out the Starboard exit of the Lido, you will smell the smoke.

We noticed a few years ago when HAL started to cut back on the extra people that helped with the activities, there were fewer and fewer of them.

One thing we used to love to do after dinner -- sit in the Ocean Bar and listen to the music and watch the dancers. On our Westerdam cruise spring 2016, The Band was never there as they had to do the music for the shows and entertainers in the show lounge. And the 2 playing for Adagio weren't in sync -- thus not enjoyable.

HAL really needs to hire a few more people and have more activities.

Do you remember when you embarked and stepped on board, the happy sound of a musical group playing in the Atrium ?

Do remember when there was live music by the Lido Pool at lunch

time ?

Do you remember when there was a Guitar Country Music player in the Mix after early dinner and before The "Piano" man came on ?

Do you remember as you walked through the public areas hearing a piano in the Atrium and a band in the Ocean Bar in early evening ?

Do you remember when the music didn't start until 10:30 PM in the Crow's Nest ?

They are all gone !........and I may have missed others ????

Add your memories to my list.

I have to ask this question, I have 19 cruises on HAL, their entertainment and daily activities were so much better in the beginning than they are now. One positive I will say is service was wonderful and the food, I thought, was excellent......

 

I love HAL but my last cruise this past March on the Eurodam left me wanting something more in the entertainment field on sea days and entertainment at night.

 

 

Three years ago we sailed in the Niew Amsterdam and while sea day activities were almost non existent compared to several years ago, I felt there it was still better than my March cruise this year. The piano bar 3 years ago was our go to spot for night time entertainment til at least midnight. This year on the Eurodam the dueling pianos were not impressive at all. I will say B B Kings was awesome but, I just feel HAL needs to step up their game in the entertainment field both day and night to stay competitive.

 

With that said, I have to ask you and myself, if nothing changes with HAL in the entertainment area, will I look for a new cruise line? I am asking myself the same question and some times I want to, then other times I still feel at home on HAL.

 

 

Thoughts?

In January aboard the Noordam, I noticed that between 7 PM and 8 PM there was not a single music venue. Most early diners are finished by 7 PM and late dining starts at 8:15 PM and of course the early theater doesn't start til 8 PM.

Next day I mentioned this to the Cruise Director who said that can't be.

The next day he approached me sheepishly to say I was right.

Adagio was playing a 45 minute set between 5 and 6 PM another 45 set between 6 and 7 PM and were given their dinner break between, of all times, between 7 and 8 PM.

He said it took all his "persuasion" to convince the Entertainment Director that the above schedule need change and it was changed.

It seems that the employment contracts with entertainers dictate when and how they perform is more important than pleasing HAL's customers. It is also my observation that the Adagio Duo's and Lincoln Center Quartet's demeanor ( I like their Classical Music very much) seems to preclude them from anything but a terse announcement and stone faced performance, rarely any interaction with audience and out of the room as soon as they finish.

Neither. The Veendam's lovely little Piano Bar was removed and replaced with The Mix quite a while back. I would not expect it to be replaced with Dueling Pianos as the ship is actively up for sale.

I believe there's a piano nook in the Mix and Do you know who's playing please

Is the piano bar alive and well on the Veendam in June or is it twin pianos ???

Just curious...what is the cost of a beverage pkg?

Depends on what you buy i.e. Grey Goose Vodka vs Schmirnoff Vodka. Beer or Wine. Go online, there is a menu with pricing..... In cabin use or at bar

It is a good idea. The op question is hard to answer given that the specific example, an auto race track, is such a bad example of "going too far."

 

I don't know... Horseback riding?

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

Horseback Riding, now there's an idea whose time has come. Picture prancing horse's on the new Promenade Deck on the K'DAM.

Education seminars on care and feeding and mucking out a horse stall by Oprah.

It will be a sell out the week of the Kentucky Derby.

A race track, climbing wall, zero-gravity chamber, ice rink, bumper cars and their ilk do not tempt me at all. But then I don't go to amusement parks, either. The size and top-heavy look of the monsters that have those bells and whistles adds to my total lack of desire to sail on them.

 

I like low-key. I like peace and quiet. All I want is a comfy bed, good food, and a place to sit and enjoy the fresh air and the sea. Some good live music is nice, add some interesting ports and I'm happy.

 

Hmm, sounds kind of like...

Hear, Hear ! Well said !!!!!!!

Help me understand please. I can purchase BBC Earth series on Amazon

for literally pennies and I am going to book a cruise to see it as opposed to "LIVE" entertainment.

Is the next step, instead of getting off the ship in Athens, Greece, am I going to stay on board and watch Rick Steeves Travelogue of Athens, Rick Steeves in Istanbul, in Crete ?

Of course in the morning, I will be in HAL's new "America's Test Kitchen" making AUTHENTIC Greek food, Turkish food, etc.

There's no need to get off the ship, in fact, the ship could be docked in New York and labeled a Mediterrean Cruise.

Is HAL out front of the industry in creating the "Virtual Cruise " ?

I can hardly wait !

Thank you - I found it - we are booked for April 13/18 - White Bay Terminal

In January, we left from Circular Quay and returned to White Bay. They shunt the smaller HAL ship to White Bay when Mega-liner are in port and can't fit under the bridge. White Bay is in an ugly location, whereas Circular Quay is in the heart of Sidney. You can board the Cook Harbor cruise boat at White Bay stop as a way to get into the heart of the city, but it is a pain.

Thank you for your help!

 

Is it possible to call and add it to my reservation or do I have to wait and do it on board?

You do it on board, obviously if you are using your own device. People complain how slow it is and why HAL can't or will not update it as it can often take 4 to 5 minutes to just connect and the clock is running the minute you log on. If they speed it up. they lose revenue. My argument is that if they speed it up more people will sign on and they might actually gain revenue..........????? and have happy people

It may be that a lot of people don't really understand the purpose of grouping population "segments" for marketing purposes. The intent isn't to describe a group in a way that will include every single person who might fall into that group. Rather, it's a way to identify broad characteristics that apply to a range of members within that group -- especially in regard to how they think and how they act in the market.

 

Just because someone is an exception doesn't mean that the grouping or the description is invalid. A marketer doesn't have to capture every single person within a group to be successful marketing to that group. It's more a matter of saying "Group X" is a better match OVERALL for our product than "Group Y", so we will tailor our messages to appeal more to Group X. Now if some of those same messages appeal to people in Group Y as well, then that's an added bonus.

I totally agree with above. It is also natural to say that "I" maybe a Boomer in age but defensively, I am an exception to the profile of that group. " Don't group me with that crowd, I never eat Quiche"

Pretty hard for parents to lay down the law when they're glued to their phones, too.

Is a "TIMEOUT" today taking away the children's I-Phone ? And if so, is this a new form of " Child Abuse " Be carefull, you might find a Social Worker at your door with a "Cease and Desist Court Order" after your children banded together with classmate's and bought a class action suit against parents for cruel and unusual punishment and WON............... Only in America

The Waterfront is on deck 8. It does not go all the way around the ship though. We're booked on a cruise on the Escape later this year, so I've been researching the ship.

 

Here's the deck plan.

 

Deck 8 is a long way up from the promenade Deck 3 on HAL ships. I think Norwegian is talking about a much lower deck on the new Leonardo Class to be down to the sea. On Hal's Promenade Deck sitting out under a blanket hearing the swish of the sea is a beautiful thing at night.

The smaller ships for those needing the "slower pace?" I don't call dancing in the Crows' Nest or Oceans Bar, or staying mentally alert through bridge a "slower pace." In fact, having been on the refurbished Oosterdam, it seemed to me that rather than providing activities in which the cruisers could participate, the ship appeared to be more a "sit down and watch someone else do something." In short, the primary activity was sitting, not exerting oneself. Replacing the Crows Nest dance floor with the "techy" place would appear to raise the question of which generation is actually the slower one.

Hear Ye ! Hear Ye !

On the Oosterdam, Eurodam, and Noordam, in the Billboard Dual Piano venue in the last 8 months, there were no singalongs, few requests asked for and little audience participation as opposed to fond memories of a packed room and SRO all around the Mix when Boston Bobby had everyone singing along, and never saw him not knowing a request.

Yes ! I am an old fogy at 81. Here's something to think about : " Most of you haven't gotten there yet " Ahh, the good old days!

Oh yes, here's another observation, fellow cruisers rushing off the ship to find a free WIFI while most of us old timers go off on an interesting shore excursions and return 4 hours later and see many of the same people still sitting in the WIFI area .........Hello !

Formal Dress every night??? .......

To clarify, there are 5 other dining venues on the new Silver Muse that offer either Country Club Casual or Informal dining. The fact that HAL is just getting around to offering more than Pinnacle, Canelletto, MDR and Lido shows how far they are behind cruise dining trends. Other cruise lines have had 8/9 dining venues for years.

If your future rests solely on a quickly aging/dyin

 

It's the Greatest Generation that have and are dying off by the thousands daily. I know at age 82, as there are not many of my peers around. My children, born in the 50's/60's will be around for quite a long time, sailing for the next 20 to 30 years.

From Silverseas : "Our future lies with the Baby Boomers (Born between 1946 and 1964). The Boomers control 68 percent of the wealth in the U.S and in 15 years will inherit $50 Trillion" "The millennials neither have the attitude or the money".

On the new Silver Muse, two, yes 2 of their restaurants will be Formal Dress EVERY night of the cruise.

That's where I was confused with Del Rio's comments and your first post. They said the design was a "departure" from "typically closed decks," but the last 3 ships they built not only have a promenade, but also a Waterfront with restaurants, bars and seating areas with couches. This area on Escape was one of the nicest outdoor promenades I've ever seen on a ship. Yes, I think HAL could learn a lot from NCL in this particular area.

 

Help me please, what deck level is this, not seeing any lifeboats and on what ship in their fleet, and is this a walking promenade that goes completely around the ship ??

I'm confused by your post. Are you saying it's a bad idea to have more open decks?

 

I am a confirmed Promenade lover, I spend more time there than any other place on the DAM ships and Norwegian is apparently heading in that direction with her new ships as HAL goes in the other direction with their new ships. You then tell me which one has the clearer Crystal Ball ?????? I am betting on Norwegian based upon the above rendering

The smart people at the top did away with the seating on the Promenade Deck on the Koningsdam and I assume on the other new ship under construction.

At the Seatrade Cruise Global Convention in Ft Lauderdale :

Quote from Top Exec. of Norwegian Cruise Lines on their new "Leonardo Class" of ships which feature MORE OPEN AREAS IN THE BOTTOM DECKS,

"The design is a departure from Norwegian's traditional approach, which typically featured closed decks except for the pool deck at the ship's top. "THE AIM IS SO PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH THE SEA." says CEO Del Rio.

So much for management being on top of trends and knowing what they are doing at HAL or at Norwegian !!!!!

That's why they get paid the big bucks ????