REOVA

1 hour ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

Not sure of your point here. I know HAL ships don't do this, but many dance clubs do. And I think it's the future on cruise ships. I've heard some cruise ships already have silent dance clubs. 

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=3356

Actually HAL did this on our cruise last year. That's what I thought you we talking about. 

1 hour ago, mikebsxm said:

I agree.  Most of the musicians, especially in Billboard Onboard, are so young that they were not born until the late 90's.  They know nothing about 70's music, except the playlists that Billboard expects of them.   Neil Diamond has so many wonderful hits, but all you hear is Sweet Caroline (ba ba bah) played in every set.  Back when HAL had true "Piano Bars", the artist was wide open to requests and knew most of the songs requested.  But those older piano bars, with a single piano and one well seasoned artist, are long gone, because they couldn't seat enough thirsty drinkers around the piano to justify the real estate on the ship that the piano bar was occupying.

"So good. So good" 

The Zaandam still had piano bar with solo pianist this summer. Are the piano bars gone on non Pinnacle Ships? 

Masks vary depending on itinerary. Passengers and crew on Grand Voyages have to wear them for first 3-5:days and after testing if rise in positive cases. On our last Carribean no requirement, however the Captain made an announcement midway through to seek medical attention of feeling ill and masks were seen more on crew (hint hint). 

The bar, if TV on, usually has Futbol but may be able to request channel change. You can watch on a special channel in cabin. On Pinnacle ships they will show games on Lido pool monitor. But they don't carry TV network licenses so depending on game and network, will depend what's on ship. For the Superbowl, they usually broadcast in World Stage (on older ships) with appetizers. But since they don't have all of the licenses, you won't get the Superbowl commercials, which sometimes are the best part. They will rerun the same ESPN promos over and over. 

1 hour ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

This is why many modern dance clubs are "silent". People dance while wearing headphones. 

Ah, so you've attended HAL'S silent disco parties where the music is piped into headphones that everyone wears. But the room is silent. 🤣

10 minutes ago, esimon said:

laundry available?    not for the whole trip but a 1 day stuff the bag??

You can do a cruise package or by the bag. 

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

You might consider that CCL stock is trading at less than 20% of its price from before COVID.  The company also has debt obligations of around $30 Billion which is more than 3 times the debt they carried pre-covid.  Their debt-equity ratio is currently over 4.5 when historically it was under 0.5!  Many investors consider a debt-equity ratio of 2 or more to be a very bad situation.  

 

The markets reacted favorably to announced price increases, but whether the various cruise lines can maintain sales at significantly higher prices is a big question.

 

Hank

The cruise stock market will react lower shortly when the fanfare dies down. All it takes these days is for someone to make a statement and "investors" bounce (either way). The reactions now are not always based on P/E, profit, or other old benchmarks. Even if you lose millions, but less than what people thought, your stock will go up. And hedging plays into pricing as well. We will see 1 year from now if there is any difference in price. Just hope HALs "long" itinerary marketing is not blown by management cut backs and mishandling (again). 

48 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

Ships of the same class (i.e., 'sister ships') generally do have the same design and layout, including cabins.

Generally but cannot assume for cabins as there are slight differences in each interior build. The Koningsdam Neptune suites are different layout than sister ships (even though HAL shows sample plan the same).

 Also if you booked 7099 on KDam and wanted 7099 on NS, or 7112 on NS and booked 7112 on RDam, you'd be in different locations (and either in an interior or suite). 

2 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

The Capt and Henk said this was the first time either of them had seen two HAL ships side by side in the same locks.....Has anyone else seen this before?

No but it must have been eerie to see an R Class ship out of your cabin while on the GWC. 🤔

6 minutes ago, bdd123 said:

Is there a bar or service in world stage?

Yes there are servers that come around. However on Rotterdam, HAL forgot to put drink holders at the seats. 

1 hour ago, Charlene1985 said:

My husband and I are below the target age for HAL but we will probably never sail another cruise line (we have been on AMA for river cruises in Europe). I am 37, he’s 51.  
 

Currently on Rotterdam and we both said last night how we will be hard pressed to find a more beautiful ship. We like the traditional feel of HAL, we like the more mature demographic, and we like walking the Promenade deck.  We are still vacationers because we work.  We both travel for work and sometimes in the same month I can find myself in Europe, South America, and Asia.  Other than Australia and the South Pacific, there aren’t many places I haven’t been to.  Because of my job. But because I travel so much for work and am on the go 15-18 days a month, I find myself wanting a more relaxing experience I couldn’t get on Royal or (gasp) Carnival.  
 

We like the music walk and band on Rotterdam (this is our first cruise post COVID and our first time on a Pinnacle class ship).  Personally, if I never see live theater again, I could not care less.  I want good food, a nice gym (love the jogging track on Rotterdam), and a clean cabin and ship.  So far, we have had nightly turn down service, which we asked for.  I want a pool that isn’t playing loud music or filled with people having chicken fights. I love the Crow’s Nest, and I love eating in the MDR.  
 

We are fortunate that price increases can be tolerated to keep service the same as other expenses rise for the cruise lines. I’m not at the stage in my life where I can cruise for more than 14 days at a time (10-11 is ideal once you consider a day to leave and a day to relax getting home).  We get 35 days of vacation annually.  I don’t want to spend 30 of them on a cruise ship as we also ski and sometimes just have a week or two at home and not travel anywhere. So for now, we’ll be annual cruisers avoiding school holidays.  If HAL can keep offering a relaxing (for me that equates to quiet) ship, with 10-11 nights of sailing, a good crew, above average food, and crossword puzzles, I will gladly give them some of my hard earned money each year. 
 

 

You are the market HAL is marketing to with Pinnacle class ships and the direction they wanted to go a decade ago. And its what's ruining HAL (KIDDING 😁)

We've sailed many lines (mostly HAL) and nothing ruins a conversation than hearing people complain about "what used to be".  (It's just below discussions of what ailment we now have 🤪).  But it's human nature, when having experiences, to compare one day or time to another. (My DW wishes to be back 40 years ago). Sometimes we forget that the opportunities that give us experience is more important than minor difference we may have each time. We won't control a company, but we can control how we react and handle an experience. With cruises there will be differences in ships, crew, procedure, experience, just within HAL or between passengers on the same ship. 

We've watched people complain about music at the pool (too much noise) and others complain about pool being too quiet with no music. We've seen guests berate crew for not doing things the way it was done before, and guests provide friendly tips and reminders about how they would like things done. We have friends that left HAL for greener pastures, some came back, some didnt. Our first World Cruise we heard lots of complaints. Our second, we noticed differences....but we were able to have another experience that so many can't (or won't). 

I do hope you continue to enjoy cruising with HAL and they evolve to give everyone the experiences HAL has provided for years. We continue to look forward to its evolution and returning to longer itineraries (for those of us that want that) and hope the service and food dips recover from the problems every cruise line is having currently. 

But we cruise with open eyes and try to act like it's our first time (which is never easy to accomplish). 

2 minutes ago, julia said:

Another good website is cruisedeckplans dot com.  Very informative and has tons of actual cabin pics.  

But be careful about some websites as I found the deck plans (and photos) not always accurate. Like using a Koningsdam deck plan or photo for Rotterdam. I guess they think sister ships have the same cabin plans. 

11 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

 

Hopefully what you are experiencing on ZUIDERDAM now will be the new model.

Much better than the news story implied.

Keep in mind what is happening on Zuiderdam may not be indicative of fleet wide since its a GWC (and spoils many of us for later cruises 😄). But I do remember having the duo or trio playing up in the MDR as well. Don't think that will happen again. 

3 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

Any Panama Rolls:

 

I see them listed on the menu (soon to be Milford Sound Rolls 😁) as was the chilled tropical soup. 😋

If you can find a better flight, I would book it. you may find cheaper but also look for better connections and layovers that are not too tight. We always book our own flight (even when HAL cut cruise short in Perth in 2020). There should be plenty of airlines (or partners) that fly Sydney to US. Just give yourself plenty of hours after ship arrives to get to airport- there is international airport separate from donestic (or stay overnight). 

As for insurance I would check with Steve at Tripinsurancestore (he has dedicated posts at top of Forum pages). He can advise on flight insurance based on needs. But also check with the airline or your credit card company. 

52 minutes ago, glorialagos said:

This is exactly what I was looking for!!!  Thank you so much.  Is there an actual deck plan with the letters assigned to the cabin?  My friend and I just chose our cabin due to what we thought would work best for us.  I'm glad to know that it seems to be deemed fairly "desirable" by HAL!!  

Have you looked at the HAL website for the specific ship? They have all deck plans listed with cabin numbers and codes. 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/cruise-ships.html

Unfortunately confidence and stock price has nothing to do with how a corporation is doing anymore. 🙄 

They can raise prices, and some people may pay it, but the if the food and service experience is not better, the "demand for its services" won't be strong. 

1 minute ago, Bostonjetset said:

 whilst updating decor from the dark and heavy feeling of their older ships. 

That's were some opinions differ. The last Prinsendam was a very small ship with beautiful teak interior that some would say was dark and heavy feeling. But we would much rather sail like the old ocean liners to great destinations than feel like we are just at home in a bar or hotel. Rotterdam does have some interesting art which does appear bright and updated, but doesn't feel like a cruise ship. HAL will never appeal to everyone, but they do have the opportunity (with various ships) to appeal to different desires. We just hope they don't lose their traditional cruising after celebrating 150 years, and move too mainstream. 

3 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I'm waiting for Lincoln Center - they start in five minutes.  20 people in the theatre.     9:30

show.    
 

Down the hall in Rolling Stone Lounge Comedian Steven Scott is playing to a standing room only house.    
 

People are voting......

 

maybe 7:30 show was better attended.  Probably. 

But after they see Scott's 2 routines, they will be back. 😉

Interesting that they didn't have him on World Stage. On Rotterdam in November his show was in World Stage and less than half full so maybe that's why he's not in the lounge now. Yet another comedian did 2 shows each on 2 nights in lounge which was packed. 

Must be quantum superposition in the works..."Schrödinger's entertainment"

On 1/6/2023 at 10:30 AM, tennisbeforewine said:

Just two weeks before the cruise, however, the Upgrade Fairy struck, and we received a further upgrade to a Neptune Suite.  It’s large and incredibly comfortable and we feel really lucky to have it.  I did remind John, however, that unlike our first world cruise, this really WAS a once in a lifetime opportunity and not to get too comfortable.  

 

Our first GWC we were also upgraded to Neptune so congrats. Since most folks were 4 and 5 *, having the suite was a nice addition for tenders, etc. We decided on other GWC we didn't need the space (cost analysis) but on a recent cruise we did Neptune and was surprised of the cut backs. Was not sure if it was just because it wasn't a Grand cruise or not. Does the lounge have the same food everyday now (they used to mix it up each day). 

Also we enjoy your comparison of Amsterdam and Zuiderdam so look forward to hearing more. Incidentally we've read Zuiderdam doesn't have the storage capacity of Amsterdam and we remember the ship running out of things so be interesting to hear the supply side of the ship. 

Thanks for taking us along. 

5 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I agree.  My best cruises with HAL had strong enrichment programs and itinerary-topical entertainment with both local entertainers and regional indie movies.  I am certain these activities are less expensive as many lecturers will offer their services for accommodation.  However it requires in house personnel to plan such programs.  The easy route HAL chose in the past few years are these branded canned performances, hence we have Lincoln Center, BB king, Rolling Stone, Oprah and America’s test kitchen.  I say quit paying the licensing fees and hire a staff dedicated to developing enrichment programs that match the itinerary.  I don’t need a resort on sail, I want an epic journey. 

They used to have those personnel but got rid of them (or combined the title and kept the duties at Corp). And Oprah probably was disappointed as Godmother of a ship with no library. 😁

1 minute ago, LocoLoco1 said:

My music tastes won’t be changing much. With that said, because a cruiseline parent company like CCL that offers Uber luxe 5-star experiences, amusement parks and on down to bare bones sailings, they will probably have something for me. Insofar as Mick Jagger is nearing 80 and I’m not far behind, I suspect the Millennials will eventually force music entertainment changes not to my liking. When that happens I’ll be happily in bed by 8 with my iTunes earbuds. 

Does ITunes make hearing aid buds yet? 🤔 

Just be aware that you may be able to go through security and then check in (it's pretty quick in Port Everglades), you may still have to wait in the area to board the ship until its cleared and you actually can walk the plank up to the ship. 

Supposedly everything (wiring, system) had been done prior to Summer, they just had problems getting TVs supplied, and then problems getting installed. So if installing 8 TVs a day, hopefully they have the contractor crew to get all decks done in time for everyone's next cruise. (Barring Murphy interference)🤞

6 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

Many posters here have stated that the World Stage is underused on the ships. i think this is attempt to use the stage better. When HAL listens to your concerns and attempts to make change, people still complain. If.the Boston Pops or Chicago Symphony, for example, are on my HAL cruise I will be happy to see them perform.

Yes people complain but this is also not really making a change they want. HAL is taking a "daily" activity and moving it to a "random" activity to fill a void of not using the World Stage for what used to be variety of shows. Yes,  It does add more space and room for those that were crowded in the old Explorer's Lounge (or BB King on Pinnacle), but is it really a change that covers the initial complaint they have about World Stage? 🤔