Comparing HAL prices today to HAL 1940 prices

[OlsSalt]

Friend showed me his Veendam passenger list from 1939 which included an add for a RT 1940 - 46 day cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam from New York, via Havana and the Panama Canal around South America and back to NYC.

 

Prices starting at $640 dollars or $14 dollars day (third class?).

 

In 2016 dollars this is the equivalent of nearly $11,000 or $240 a day.

 

Today HAL does similar South American cruises but I could not find the exact RT equivalent - but you can find them for about $3500 (ocean view) for 26 day cruises or $134 dollars a day.

 

In 1939, the Veendam had three classes: cabin, tourist and 3rd class. And the passenger list showed there was a hostess, orchestra and a librarian on board.

 

"Alien" passengers disembarking in the US needed to demonstrate they would be able to leave the US within 60 days, or else they would have to pay a "head tax" unless they also had a transit visa. Citizens of Canada, New Foundland, Cuba and Mexico were exempt from this requirement. No appeals once this fee was assessed.

 

Passengers were warned not to open the port holes themselves, but ask the cabin steward.

 

Now HAL have inside, ocean view, verandah and Neptune pricing categories......and A/C.

 

Additional HAL ship names included: the Pennland and the Westernland, Otherwise HAL and the Red Star Line was sailing under a lot of familiar names in 1939: Zaandam, Noordam, Statendam, Volendam, Rotterdam. Nieuw Amsterdam

Edited September 10, 2016 by OlsSalt

[St Pete Cruiser]

Thanks for sharing this. Now if the AC doesn't cool the room to 75 going through the Panama Canal, you will read about it on every review. The Prinsendam 67 day RT around South America starts at $14,000.from Ft Lauderdale. You can do segments on the Zaandam and Veendam for less.

[Copper10-8]

.......................

 

Additional HAL ship names included: the Pennland and the Westernland, Otherwise HAL and the Red Star Line was sailing under a lot of familiar names in 1939: Zaandam, Noordam, Statendam, Volendam, Rotterdam. Nieuw Amsterdam

 

Interesting read, thanks!

 

 

Pennland was a passenger liner with an extensive (seven holds) cargo capacity. She was delivered in 1922 as 'Pittsburgh' for the White Star Line. After service with the Red Star Line, she became Holland America Line property in 1939, was renamed Pennland and served as a troopship during World War II. On 25 April 1941, while on her way to Greece to evacuate Australian troops, she was attacked by the German Luftwaffe with resulting heavy damage (one bomb exploded inside her engine room) and loss of four crew. She was beyond salvaging and subsequently sunk by the Royal Navy's HMS Griffin.

 

 

Westernland was the older sister to 'Pittsburgh' (Pennland). She was delivered in 1918 as 'Regina' for the Dominion Line and put on the Liverpool to Boston route repatriating troops as well as immigrants at the conclusion of World War I. She then operated for the White Star and Red Star lines and, like Pittsburgh, taken over by HAL in 1939. She also became a full-time troopship during WWII. After plans for both a Royal Navy destroyer depot ship and a whaler fell through (she served out WWII as a repair ship in London), she was sold for scrap in 1947 and broken up at Blyth, Northumberland, England.

[kazu]

Friend showed me his Veendam passenger list from 1939 which included an add for a RT 1940 - 46 day cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam from New York, via Havana and the Panama Canal around South America and back to NYC.

 

Prices starting at $640 dollars or $14 dollars day (third class?).

 

In 2016 dollars this is the equivalent of nearly $11,000 or $240 a day.

 

Today HAL does similar South American cruises but I could not find the exact RT equivalent - but you can find them for about $3500 (ocean view) for 26 day cruises or $134 dollars a day.

 

In 1939, the Veendam had three classes: cabin, tourist and 3rd class. And the passenger list showed there was a hostess, orchestra and a librarian on board.

 

"Alien" passengers disembarking in the US needed to demonstrate they would be able to leave the US within 60 days, or else they would have to pay a "head tax" unless they also had a transit visa. Citizens of Canada, New Foundland, Cuba and Mexico were exempt from this requirement. No appeals once this fee was assessed.

 

Passengers were warned not to open the port holes themselves, but ask the cabin steward.

 

Now HAL have inside, ocean view, verandah and Neptune pricing categories......and A/C.

 

Additional HAL ship names included: the Pennland and the Westernland, Otherwise HAL and the Red Star Line was sailing under a lot of familiar names in 1939: Zaandam, Noordam, Statendam, Volendam, Rotterdam. Nieuw Amsterdam

 

 

Some things have changed and a lot of things have not.

 

You have to prove you are returning home now no matter where you are going.

 

I am guessing your pricing was for HAL's transatlantics. Hal offers a lot more and I can assure you that many sailings are more than $240 per day per peron.

 

Always interesting to look back though but you have to put things in context.

 

Caribbean cruises on most ships are cheaper than the more exotic ports and back then HAL didn't have a Prinsendam which commands high prices (as you know).

 

I think we can all remember being able to bring wine on board without corkage, order specialty coffees, specialty dining at tip only cost or free of charge, not to mention the tricky to figure out "no tipping required", etc. All these things add to the cost for cruising so it's not just the cost of the cabin IMO :)

 

Just the same, cruising in Europe is still a nice way to travel and happy to be on the Rotterdam :)

Edited September 10, 2016 by kazu

[kazu]

Interesting read, thanks!

 

 

Pennland was a passenger liner with an extensive (seven holds) cargo capacity. She was delivered in 1922 as 'Pittsburgh' for the White Star Line. After service with the Red Star Line, she became Holland America Line property in 1939, was renamed Pennland and served as a troopship during World War II. On 25 April 1941, while on her way to Greece to evacuate Australian troops, she was attacked by the German Luftwaffe with resulting heavy damage (one bomb exploded inside her engine room) and loss of four crew. She was beyond salvaging and subsequently sunk by the Royal Navy's HMS Griffin.

 

 

Westernland was the older sister to 'Pittsburgh' (Pennland). She was delivered in 1918 as 'Regina' for the Dominion Line and put on the Liverpool to Boston route repatriating troops as well as immigrants at the conclusion of World War I. She then operated for the White Star and Red Star lines and, like Pittsburgh, taken over by HAL in 1939. She also became a full-time troopship during WWII. After plans for both a Royal Navy destroyer depot ship and a whaler fell through (she served out WWII as a repair ship in London), she was sold for scrap in 1947 and broken up at Blyth, Northumberland, England.

 

Thanks Copper for sharing the history and the great pics :)

[OlsSalt]

Some things have changed and a lot of things have not.

 

You have to prove you are returning home now no matter where you are going.

 

I am guessing your pricing was for HAL's transatlantics. Hal offers a lot more and I can assure you that many sailings are more than $240 per day per peron.

 

Always interesting to look back though but you have to put things in context......

 

Here is the verbatim advertisement as close as I can get it:

 

Announcing

The Second Cruise

 

Around South America

 

46 days - 14,100 miles - 16 ports - 9 countries

of the famous Holland America Line flagship

 

"NIEUW AMSTERDAM"

 

From New York February 8, 1940.

Rates from US$640 --up.

 

Itinerary:

New York

Havana

Cristobol

Balboa

Callao

Valparaiso

Puerto Montt

Cape Pillar

Punta Arenas

Mar del Plata (Buenos Aires)

Montevideo

Santos

Rio de Janeiro

Bahia

Trinidad

St Thomas

New York

 

The Purser will register the names and addresses of passengers who are interested to receive further information.

 

NB: online calculator says US$640 in 1940 is the equivalent of US$11,000 today.

Edited September 11, 2016 by OlsSalt

[Copper10-8]

Thanks Copper for sharing the history and the great pics :)

 

Notice, no balconies on those two beauts ;)

[OlsSalt]

Notice, no balconies on those two beauts ;)

 

Thanks for those wonderful photos.

 

I wonder what the public rooms and cabins were like - from "cabin class" down to third. It does look like there are screened decks along the sides - would that have been an enclosed promenade deck with the various "classes" kept separated to their own decks?

[OlsSalt]

.....

 

Today HAL does similar South American cruises but I could not find the exact RT equivalent - but you can find them for about $3500 (ocean view) for 26 day cruises or $134 dollars a day.

........

 

kazu,

 

Here is what I was using for daily comparison to the $240 a day 1940 cruise -- a 2016 South American cruise. As I explained, I could not find a direct equivalent. Nor could I do a good comparison with a 1940 third class cabin for $640. I used a 2016 ocean view from the HAL website for the SA offerings - though they were for shorter days which is why I did a daily rate comparison. It was just meant to be fun comparison; not a literal comparison.

[easyboy]

Pennland was a passenger liner with an extensive (seven holds) cargo capacity. She was delivered in 1922 as 'Pittsburgh' for the White Star Line. After service with the Red Star Line, she became Holland America Line property in 1939, was renamed Pennland and served as a troopship during World War II. On 25 April 1941, while on her way to Greece to evacuate Australian troops, she was attacked by the German Luftwaffe with resulting heavy damage (one bomb exploded inside her engine room) and loss of four crew. She was beyond salvaging and subsequently sunk by the Royal Navy's HMS Griffin.

 

Westernland was the older sister to 'Pittsburgh' (Pennland). She was delivered in 1918 as 'Regina' for the Dominion Line and put on the Liverpool to Boston route repatriating troops as well as immigrants at the conclusion of World War I. She then operated for the White Star and Red Star lines and, like Pittsburgh, taken over by HAL in 1939. She also became a full-time troopship during WWII. After plans for both a Royal Navy destroyer depot ship and a whaler fell through (she served out WWII as a repair ship in London), she was sold for scrap in 1947 and broken up at Blyth, Northumberland, England.

Thanks for the bit of history.

[Host Walt]

Notice, no balconies on those two beauts ;)

 

I may be mistaken but I think the first HAL ship with balconies was the 1992 Statendam.(This ship is now the Pacific Eden with P&O Australia.)

[OlsSalt]

My friend who shared the 1939 Veendam passenger list was only 5 years old when his family left Germany on that HAL passage. They saw what was coming and after centuries living in Germany, they knew it was time to join relatives who had already emigrated to Canada and the US.

 

That 1939 passenger list included many Jewish names. He shared these additional memories about his time on the 1939 Veendam and leaving Germany behind:

 

I still remember mom in her bed on the ship as seasick as can be. I also remember walking the decks with dad. My family was upper middle class in Germany and dad spent money on a good cabin and all the clothing that was allowed. You could not take out cash! He left a pile of money behind and several properties.

 

Immigration to the US was limited to about 100,000 Jews. One ship, the St. Louis, was sent away from Havana, where the Jews had hoped to wait for US Visas. The US would not take them and they shipped back to Europe where about 300 wound up in England, surviving and about 600 wound up on the mainland of Europe. Under 300 of the 600 were murdered in the camps.