HAL's new partnerships, upgrades, branding initiative

[CowPrincess]

I like the new logo. The old one always looked (to me) that the big ship was running over the little ship.

[InTheWASide]

To me it looked like this was the first time he had heard about the meeting and certainly couldn't have seen the notes before hand. His appearance showed a lack of preparation, almost like it was casual day at the office and he happened to have a sport coat in the trunk of his car.

 

I did ask if it was JUST Orlando at the employee meeting and apparently different components were covered by different senior execs so it MAY have actually been his first time presenting some of the specifics covered in today's event... I'm not giving that info as an excuse, but just as a fact. But they did also say A LOT more things were covered in that Monday meeting than what was mentioned in this event today and they were uncertain why the rest wasn't also covered.

[InTheWASide]

Koningsdam Funnel... totally smooth and probably the easiest to "re-do"

 

 

Eurodam will be sporting the new logo first though after dry dock in December

[cbr663]

Huh? Maybe I am misunderstanding your post but the announcement this morning was for HAL not Carnival and it was Orlando Ashford (President of HAL) doing the announcements not Mr. Arnold (CEO of Carnival and plc, HAL's parent company). :confused:

 

Thanks for pointing out my mistake. I was really confused as I thought it was Mr. Arnold doing the presentation. I was having audio troubles and was trying my headphones on when Mr. Ashford was introduced, and missed the introduction. I was expecting Mr. Kruse to be there and was surprised that he wasn't. It wouldn't have occurred to me that these announcements would have been made by the President of HAL. My bad. I am sorry. Please accept my apologies.

 

Now things are becoming clearer..... :)

Edited October 29, 2015 by cbr663

[InTheWASide]

Thanks for pointing out my mistake. I was really confused as I thought it was Mr. Arnold doing the presentation. I was having audio troubles and was trying my headphones on when Mr. Ashford was introduced, and missed the introduction. I was expecting Mr. Kruse to be there and was surprised that he wasn't. It wouldn't have occurred to me that these announcements would have been made by the President of HAL. My bad. I am sorry. Please accept my apologies.

 

Now things are becoming clearer..... :)

 

My best guess is that Stein wasn't there because as he is now the head of Holland America GROUP (the entity that covers 4 cruise lines and Alaska operations for HAL/PCL) and this event was exclusive to Holland America LINE there was no reason why it should have been a higher level than the head of that brand.

[Topsham]

The "new font" as-is wouldn't justify any changes... it's minimal enough

 

Some funnels may be easier than others. Close-ups on Koningsdam's funnel show it is literally nothing more than painted on. It's a totally smooth surface. Others, yes, will be more of a challenge. My contacts at the HAL HQ have told me the plan is to add the new logos to the funnels in dry docks.

 

But think about it this way. For HAL it's a minimal change to the funnel. Think about the changes to P&O in the UK. New colors of funnels and new paint on the bows... that's a lot more involved of a project and a huge change to each ship's look but they are doing them at regularly scheduled dry docks... HAL won't have to worry about their fleet looking even a fraction as "inconsistent" while that is being done.

 

 

You are quite wrong and this change will costly. It is a waste of time and money. KODM... it is fiberglass it is not just a question of wiping paint off it.

 

 

As for P&O... that is going to cost a fortune. This graphic nonsense has to be maintained. Every time work is need to maintain the hull has to be hand painted. That is not going to be cheap and a stupid exercise. There was nothing wrong with P&O livery before.

 

 

Before of this announcement who one here have every said a word about the logo? I've never heard a sausage of it before. Nonsense. If it ain't broke. don't do it.

[RocketMan275]

Personally, I don't think Ashford did that bad a job on the presentation. I'm not at all sure exactly what, if any, his abilities as a public speaker have to do with his ability to do his job. Quite frankly, I have to wonder how much of the criticism has to do with the negative reaction to the content of this announcement?

Edited October 29, 2015 by RocketMan275

[3rdGenCunarder]

How will it save money? There are 20 funnels to deal with.... one on each side.... 40 logos that have to be removed.

 

Some are steel and welded in outline. Some are embossed on fiberglass. None of it is a simple paint job.

Funnels... probably up to a million or more. Never mind all of the other that have to do. Like the words Holland America Line on each side of the hulls. Remove lettering and put NEW font on the ships... even the KONINGSDAM is already painted. What about the names of the ships on the bows and sterns and on the topside of the superstructure? All of that would need changing... or will look odd with mismatched fonts. Better add on a few more millions!

 

(bold is mine) Depends on how good they want it to look. I remember seeing the old Pacific Princess (Love Boat) after she went to Pullmantur. Her name became just "Pacific," but if you looked at the name on the hull, you could see that the raised letters of "Princess" were still there, but painted over. Very sad.

 

Thanks for explaining about the funnels. I thought the logo was just painted on. Shows how closely I looked.

[Host Walt]

Just think. All the purloined logo towels have just become historic relics. Their price on EBay just went up!

 

Seriously, the sailboat on the logo was more than an image, it was a great representation of the history of passenger sea travel.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Personally, I don't think Ashford did that bad a job on the presentation. I'm not at all sure exactly what, if any, his abilities as a public speaker have to do with his ability to do his job. Quite frankly, I have to wonder how much of the criticism has to do with the negative reaction to the content of this announcement?

 

Three men in charge of companies (HAL, Afar, Utrip) and not one of them seemed to be enthusiastic about his own company. The guy from BBC is not head of BBC, but at least he seemed to care about his subject matter (or at least he cares about puffer fish).

 

If the attitude and approach of the leader of a company doesn't show you that he thinks his company is great, why should we think it is?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just think. All the purloined logo towels have just become historic relics. Their price on EBay just went up!

 

My mother was a "souvenir collector." :eek: When I cleaned out my parents' house, I found a large white towel with HAL's old "three wave" (three squiggle?) logo woven into it. Would any ebayers even know what that logo is?

 

Seriously, the sailboat on the logo was more than an image, it was a great representation of the history of passenger sea travel.

 

He claimed they did a lot of focus groups. Since they're trying to lure in younger cruisers, I wonder if their test groups were younger. I bet the presence of the Halve Maen got a "who cares?" shrug. (They probably thought Henry Hudson was the professor in My Fair Lady.)

 

If they wanted a new logo, they should have gone completely new. The new one is nice enough, but that ship doesn't look modern. I'd love to see the logos the focus groups didn't like.

[kazu]

One other thing I realized:

 

A complaint about rooms in recent years has been

"the tvs are so large it takes away counter space"

"The water fountain in the spa room takes away counter space"

 

Well there you go. Tv is wall mounted. Enjoy your extra counter space

 

Another thing they are copying from the Prinsendam. TV's have been mounted on the walls in the rooms I have been in ;)

[InTheWASide]

Seriously, the sailboat on the logo was more than an image, it was a great representation of the history of passenger sea travel.

 

Do you think so? I'm not being sarcastic here...

 

The Half Moon was an exploration vessel... probably not ALL that different than the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria... The ship had ZERO connection to the Holland America Line BRAND other than Hudson and the ship were Dutch and so is HAL...

 

Had it been the Rotterdam I (HAL's first ship) that would be a different story IMO

[POA1]

You just won one glass od Asti Spumante!:eek:

 

 

The logo was first suggested in 1937 by famous French poster artist Mouron Cassandre. He did a large poster for HAL showing the bow of the Nieuw Amsterdam II. It showed a small yacht sail in the foreground.

 

The Cassandre poster was then into the Nw AMSTERDAM II bow and in front the Halve Maen. The resperesented the Nw AMSTERDAM and Hendrik Hudson.... the joining of Holland and America. It first appeared in 1938. Never intended as logo on a funnel. It was used as HAL paperwork, brochures, deck plans etc. Used in many different colours... depending what the purpose of the paperwork. Some times used in green and black.

 

Also show the logo in full colour made into a set of majolica tiles. ( by self... displayed on NOORDAM - I think!)

 

Fast forward.... HAL's funnel.... buff with the green/white/green was changed in 1972 to a new logo.... three 'snails' green/blue, white and green'blue on an orange background. In 1983... two new ships were on line... Nw AMSTERDAM and NOORDAM. All white funnels with the three snails in dark blue. It was not popular so the Nw A/Halve Maen logo came out of the drawer and was put on the funnels in the fleet from that time.

 

The new logo does not really suggest anything... other than just the bow of ship... not Nw AMSTERDAM, nothing to do with Halve Mean, nothing to do with Holland or America or Manhattan (New York). In 1997 Premier Cruises tried to copy the logo.... white on dark blue funnel.. different style. Dreadful!

 

Does the new logo make any difference? No. Just lost a bit of history. Is that bit of history matter to anyone? Well, how about changing that old flag used for the USA. What... a blue patch with too many stars? Red and white stripes? That is just old nonsense from a colonial era. A new flag could designed better. It is too fussy and can't really be read... all that stars.... how many are there? Do I need to go?

All joking aside, I really appreciate your maritime history and art lessons. Thanks!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Another thing they are copying from the Prinsendam. TV's have been mounted on the walls in the rooms I have been in ;)

 

 

The only problem I see is with this is the TVs and where they placed them. In order to watch TV you must be in bed[emoji79] Other cruise lines and even the Lanai cabins that have the wall mount have a small couch opposite the TV by looking at these Suites one must sit on the bed to watch.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I like the new logo and tagline.

[InTheWASide]

He claimed they did a lot of focus groups. Since they're trying to lure in younger cruisers, I wonder if their test groups were younger. I bet the presence of the Halve Maen got a "who cares?" shrug. (They probably thought Henry Hudson was the professor in My Fair Lady.)

 

I'm certain you don't mean it that way but that's actually very insulting considering you don't know who was or wasn't in that focus group.

 

Additionally, it clearly shows that your opinion of those of "us" that like the new logo isn't too far from that...

 

We get it... you, personally, do not like the removal of the Half Moon from the logo. To insult a large group of people directly (the focus group) and through inference (those that like the new logo or don't mind it) really is a bit much for a 2 dimensional graphic of a ship that was scrapped 4 or 5 decades ago

[InTheWASide]

The only problem I see is with this is the TVs and where they placed them. In order to watch TV you must be in bed[emoji79]

 

Nope... there are chairs :)

 

Can you watch it from the sofa? Not unless there is one crazy long reaching arm/swivel on it... But you aren't forced to be in bed to watch tv

[AZNative2000]

Renderings of the renovated Signature and Neptune Suites.

I think these look fantastic!

 

Signature:

 

Neptune:

 

Chairs to watch TV.

P.S.- We don't watch a lot of TV while cruising anyway.:):)

[dakrewser]

I'll bet it has! If you see a HAL ship in port and the you see a NCL ship... I bet people have said... "I sure DON'T want to see on THAT thing!"

 

Well, my only NCL cruise was on the S. S. Norway (nee, S. S. France), a wonderful old ship which got me back to cruising after a disastrous outing on Carnival (the Carnival Exasperation, as we called it).

[Topsham]

Do you think so? I'm not being sarcastic here...

 

The Half Moon was an exploration vessel... probably not ALL that different than the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria... The ship had ZERO connection to the Holland America Line BRAND other than Hudson and the ship were Dutch and so is HAL...

 

Had it been the Rotterdam I (HAL's first ship) that would be a different story IMO

 

 

 

You don't understand the history of HAL at all. I'm not even going to bother to explain. Make up your own mind.

[DSLibrarian]

He claimed they did a lot of focus groups. Since they're trying to lure in younger cruisers, I wonder if their test groups were younger. I bet the presence of the Halve Maen got a "who cares?" shrug. (They probably thought Henry Hudson was the professor in My Fair Lady.)

 

If they wanted a new logo, they should have gone completely new. The new one is nice enough, but that ship doesn't look modern. I'd love to see the logos the focus groups didn't like.

 

I was in one of the focus groups. There were about 10 or 12 of us and all were repeat HAL cruisers and I'd guess ages ranged from 50 - 70. I don't recall being presented any examples of logos. We were asked to evaluate various concepts.

[sail7seas]

How will it save money? There are 20 funnels to deal with.... one on each side.... 40 logos that have to be removed.

 

Some are steel and welded in outline. Some are embossed on fiberglass. None of it is a simple paint job.

 

Funnels... probably up to a million or more. Never mind all of the other that have to do. Like the words Holland America Line on each side of the hulls. Remove lettering and put NEW font on the ships... even the KONINGSDAM is already painted. What about the names of the ships on the bows and sterns and on the topside of the superstructure? All of that would need changing... or will look odd with mismatched fonts. Better add on a few more millions!

 

You are quite wrong and this change will costly. It is a waste of time and money. KODM... it is fiberglass it is not just a question of wiping paint off it.

 

 

As for P&O... that is going to cost a fortune. This graphic nonsense has to be maintained. Every time work is need to maintain the hull has to be hand painted. That is not going to be cheap and a stupid exercise. There was nothing wrong with P&O livery before.

 

 

Before of this announcement who one here have every said a word about the logo? I've never heard a sausage of it before. Nonsense. If it ain't broke. don't do it.

 

 

 

I agree and I agree. :)

 

Of all the things HAL could be spending a lot of money on, it seems a really low on the list item they chose. So many areas of HAL cruise experience has been diminished, it baffles me why they would spend millions to change a stunning logo needlessly.

 

[SteelMagnolia9]

The partnership with BBC Earth sounds interesting. BBC Earth also has a partnership with an upscale tour company. It should be a good match with HAL and its many destinations around the world. Looking forward to hearing more about this.

[foodsvcmgr]

Don't get me wrong, I would prefer to see the logo and funnels remain as is.

I'm glad the change is subtle.

 

But from a marketing perspective, what really is the point of a design change so minimal that many people will not even notice it?

 

If you are going to invest in a new funnel livery, shouldn't it really get attention as being boldly new? Like P&O (prefer the old buff to the new blue, but at least it makes a statement).