Where have the libraries gone?

[sail7seas]

😕

2 hours ago, Himself said:

😂

 

Sound like the Nieuw Amsterdam!

 

 

 

NAD =   Nieuw Amsterdam?     😂 😕🤣

[TriumphGuy]

I was adamantly opposed to Kindles for a long time. Then, I discovered how useful they are on a trip (of any kind) and somehow lugging books around no longer made sense. Especially with the luggage fees and weight limitations of the airlines.

Plus my wife appreciates it because I can read in bed without the lights on. My Kindle Paperwhite has a soft backlight which is adjustable, works just fine and is easy on the eyes.
Our last Princess cruise, I took a stroll through the library and it was pretty pathetic, very few books. I was glad I loaded up the Kindle and didn't rely on the ship's library. 

[cruisemom42]

47 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

For longer-form reportage, the Navigator app contains a tab with selected NYT articles, which I also enjoyed and appreciate. If I find on our upcoming PC cruise on the Oosterdam that the hard-copy summaries are omitted, I'll be satisfied with the NYT as offered on the Navigator app.

 

I wasn't aware of this offering; thanks for that info.

[Hobbsey]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Kindle e-readers do not contribute to this problem. Kindles use e-ink which doesn't produce the same type of blue light that a smartphone or tablet would.

 

https://gigaom.com/2014/12/23/do-e-readers-really-harm-sleep-depends-what-you-call-an-e-reader/

 

Thanks cruisemom, it’s a Kindle Fire.  Same as a tablet.  

[Jimbo59]

Humor

There is a basic law of physics: The larger the ship, the smaller the library.

[kazu]

25 minutes ago, Jimbo59 said:

Humor

There is a basic law of physics: The larger the ship, the smaller the library.

 

And that just about sums it up.  The best library was on the recently departed Prinsendam.  840 people on the ship max and two libraries 😉 

[doublebzz]

23 hours ago, colonialinnkeeper said:

 

We did a TA on QE2 and there were very interesting lectures given by a retired US Ambassador, a noted jazz musician, a gentleman that worked on the NASA program and one other that I can't remember at the moment.  There were at least two lectures a day as well as concerts, astronomy lecture with viewing in their planetarium (I think they said it was the only one at sea).  And, their library is really wonderful.  We had more than enough books to keep us busy for the duration when not attending an event.

And that is why Cunard is still my favorite for TA's.  We have sailed QM2 twice and found you had to prioritize what events you wanted to attend because of so many varied and interesting choices.

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, doublebzz said:

And that is why Cunard is still my favorite for TA's.  We have sailed QM2 twice and found you had to prioritize what events you wanted to attend because of so many varied and interesting choices.

 

On some crossings, DH and I wouldn't see each other between breakfast and tea because we were so busy doing different things. 

 

I love browsing a library. I may not find something by a favorite author, but sometimes I'll give a book a try and find a new favorite. 

[MISTER 67]

On 1/22/2020 at 6:04 PM, Jimbo59 said:

Humor

There is a basic law of physics: The larger the ship, the smaller the library.

There is a basic law of cruise line economics, a shipboard library generates no income at all. That being said I was really impressed with the Library on the Celebrity Equinox. I'm an avid reader and read 3-4 books during a 7 day cruise and I bring my own, HAL probably abhors people like me.

[kazu]

44 minutes ago, MISTER 67 said:

There is a basic law of cruise line economics, a shipboard library generates no income at all. That being said I was really impressed with the Library on the Celebrity Equinox. I'm an avid reader and read 3-4 books during a 7 day cruise and I bring my own, HAL probably abhors people like me.

 

Yet many cruise lines still have libraries.

I can assure you that new cruisers on a HAL cruise I was on (and they were not North American) were absolutely enthralled.  They loved the space.

Don’t assume because there is a library that means people don’t spend money. Many take their book to the pool area or elsewhere and order a drink or two as they read 😉 

[Spire2000]

Happy to see the libraries being phased out and replaced with new technology. HAL needs to be sure they prepare for the next group that will be their bread and butter. The Baby Boomers won't be making up the bulk of their clientele for much longer and the smart lines will begin looking to see how to better serve Gen X-ers

[kazu]

1 minute ago, Spire2000 said:

Happy to see the libraries being phased out and replaced with new technology. HAL needs to be sure they prepare for the next group that will be their bread and butter. The Baby Boomers won't be making up the bulk of their clientele for much longer and the smart lines will begin looking to see how to better serve Gen X-ers

 

Each to their own.

The Baby Boomers are still a big segment of the population and the time line for them is pretty long and extensive.  A number of them are still quite young and have disposable income.  

My DS is an XGen and still prefers a hard book despite having all the technology in the world.  But, her time off is much more limited than mine, of course.



 

[sail7seas]

21 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Each to their own.

The Baby Boomers are still a big segment of the population and the time line for them is pretty long and extensive.  A number of them are still quite young and have disposable income.  

 

 

Where have all    the flowers gone??

It really isn't off subject to ask.  

 

Maybe all those things we are missing on the ships got deep-sixed  in  one great big violation of   nothing overboard rules?  :shrug:

[bennybear]

My daughter too who is gen X still loves a real book!  And Cunard still has stunningly beautiful two story spiral staircases in the library on Queen Victoria.  So I think this is really only about saving money.   But constant erosion of the little things undermines the experience.  And may cause frequent cruisers to look elsewhere. 

[Seasick Sailor]

I love holding a book in hand, as well as my morning newspaper.  We are traveling now and I have my E News from home and downloaded my max kindle books to read.

I loved the great books on our Viking cruise last year. Books were everywhere on the ship along with lovely areas in which to read. I understand why HAL has moved away from library space, but I miss browsing the shelves..

[ontheweb]

Maybe we can make this topic into a Peter, Paul, and Mary song.

 

Where have all the flowers gone?

 

Gone to young girls every one.

 

Where have all the libraries gone?

 

Gone to revenue producing space every one.

Edited January 26, 2020 by ontheweb

[summer slope]

I have 36 paperback books packed for my next two cruises.  Don't use the ipad or kindle.

[dockman]

Seems many don't seem to appreciate that libraries were often more than just a place to display books...they are/were often a relatively quiet oasis with nice lighting and comfy chairs where one could sit in relative peace and quiet and read a paper book or kindle or even a newspaper or magazine without blaring music or sales pitches etc.

 

I miss the libraries almost as much as proper promenade decks where you could actually walk real laps and sit in a nice teak deck chair close to the ocean in the shade and not have to try to look at the water from 15 or so decks through often dirty plexiglass/

[doublebzz]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

 

 

Gone to revenue producing space every one.

Just got off the Zuiderdam; where the library was is now one big open space.  I think its more accurate to say cost cutting rather than revenue generating was the rationale for eliminating libraries.  In either case the results are the same unless HAL intends to convert the space to cabins in their ships' next overhaul.

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, dockman said:

Seems many don't seem to appreciate that libraries were often more than just a place to display books...they are/were often a relatively quiet oasis with nice lighting and comfy chairs where one could sit in relative peace and quiet and read a paper book or kindle or even a newspaper or magazine without blaring music or sales pitches etc.

 

 

I admit I haven't been on HAL in about 3 years, but seems like I could always find a place to read (I especially like outdoor spots when weather is good) on HAL ships without too much "blaring music or sales pitches"....

 

[dockman]

Yes one can sometimes find a quiet place to read but it seems that they are getting harder to find with the cut backs on libraries, prom deck chairs etc... I have sat down many times in a lounge that started out quiet but then either was near some kind of activity with lots of talking  or a gang of folks come sit down to have long loud chats which of course is their prerogative.

 

  It also can happen in a library but it does seem that many people (perhaps a memory of a strict librarian during younger days) still hold a library as a "quiet" place. 

 

Out by the pools there always seems to be some kind of music playing and more and more of the big new ships (princess especially) now play movies all day and half the night with the sound blasting everyone whether you want it or not.   

 

Silence is an endangered state on many cruise ships.  I have often wandered around ships from lounge to lounge in search of the elusive well lite quiet place to simply read a book, finally give up and go back to my room for some peace and quiet.

[TheJurea]

It hasn’t been mentioned, but books can be very unsanitary. 
Maybe the libraries have been shrinking for sanitary reasons. 
Video screens can be easily wiped while books cannot. Shared news papers can spread an illness quickly.

Just a thought.

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, TheJurea said:

It hasn’t been mentioned, but books can be very unsanitary. 
Maybe the libraries have been shrinking for sanitary reasons. 
Video screens can be easily wiped while books cannot. Shared news papers can spread an illness quickly.

Just a thought.

 

Unless the keyboards are wiped, the videos are no less sanitary than books. And who says the screens are wiped after each use?   Same with the casino slot machines.

 

The libraries were always locked down in a Noro outbreak on HAL ships.

 

If this is an ‘excuse’ to get rid of the libraries, it’s a poor one in my opinion.

 

I’ve selected my books for my TA as I know the ship won’t have any and I will leave them when I’m done and I’m sure someone will happily take my germs to have some reading material. 😉. 
 

[JeffElizabeth]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:00 AM, RocketMan275 said:

There is absolutely no way I would embark on a cruise reliant upon the ship to provide the quantity and types of books I would want to read.  When we pack, we download several books to our kindles.  That way we're ensured to have plenty of reading material.

Exactly! I always bring a good selection of books loaded on my Kindle and the magazines I haven't caught up on. I do leave the magazines for others. And my wife leaves her paperbacks.  

[gwsster]

On 1/21/2020 at 6:41 PM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Libraries are disappearing from all mainstream cruise lines. Similar discussions happening on Princess, Celebrity, Royal and Carnival boards. Only NCL seem to be building new ships with Libraries and not removing them from older vessels during drydocks. 

We were on the Breakaway in September....Library closed and there were were no immediate plans to open it.  There was a book exchange in front of Le Bistro at 2:00 every day.  Essentially books and games left on a table....Not impressed.  I loved the quiet libraries on board the ships.