BarbarianPaul Posted May 13, 2020 #126 Share Posted May 13, 2020 We’re four star mariners, and over the last few years have just grown so bored with the lack of any meaningful activity on board the HA ships. At night, Music Walk just wasn’t our thing, and sadly the remaining entertainment was really subpar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polar1 Posted May 13, 2020 #127 Share Posted May 13, 2020 O No! Does this mean the the $75. President's Cut Tomahawk Steak (that no one ever ordered) will now be off the menu? 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Hill Cruisers Posted May 13, 2020 #128 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Well, for what it's worth, he was very personable & friendly to us when we had a private chat onboard the 2018 GWC. Too bad he's getting all these negative comments. You gotta break some eggs to make an omelette. 😉 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllinoisGirl1978 Posted May 13, 2020 #129 Share Posted May 13, 2020 In a few short months the s**t hit the fan. He had to get the Westerdam to dock and bring those passengers home safe and sound. He also had the Covid19 illness/ death on the Zaandam/Rotterdam. I don't blame him ( if he was at the end of his contract) On another note this was a planned departure, because wasn't his wife and younger son aboard the Amsterdam on the 2020 World Cruise? An announcement while visiting with his family and the crew would have been a better way to announce his HAL departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lido - Lanai Posted May 13, 2020 #130 Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, IllinoisGirl1978 said: An announcement while visiting with his family and the crew He never got the chance to board the Amsterdam's 2020 World Cruise. He was planning to join his wife and son for a week, then the virus struck and that was the end of those plans. I don't think his departure was planned... not by him anyway! Edited May 13, 2020 by Lido - Lanai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MISTER 67 Posted May 13, 2020 #131 Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) 21 hours ago, Cruiser Bruiser said: I have done two MSC cruises in the past year, and I have two more booked. I know that in North America MSC gets a bad rap because it is so Italian, but I love MSC in part because they have a new production show every night of a 7-night cruise. They also have a full, engaged cruise staff that hosts activities throughout the day. That cruise staff is lead by a traditional cruise director. MSC is also much more affordable than HAL, so HAL has no excuse in not offering production shows and live musical entertainment around the ship throughout the day. True, MSC has great entertainment not only in the main showroom but also in all the lounges and the Atrium. The reason is that MSC has tons of money because they are second largest shipping company in the World. I also like them because they don't gouge, their prices for photos, drinks and souvenirs onboard are the lowest in the industry. I'm not sure about shore excursions as in the last 15 years we have only sailed in the Caribbean and there is nothing we haven't seen in the islands over the past 38 years. Edited May 13, 2020 by MISTER 67 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TiogaCruiser Posted May 13, 2020 #132 Share Posted May 13, 2020 1 hour ago, polar1 said: O No! Does this mean the the $75. President's Cut Tomahawk Steak (that no one ever ordered) will now be off the menu? Not necessarily- I understand you can now get a second helping for $10. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFD1 Posted May 13, 2020 #133 Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) 9 minutes ago, MISTER 67 said: True, MSC has great entertainment not only in the main showroom but also in all the lounges and the Atrium. The reason is that MSC has tons of money because they are second largest shipping company in the World. I also like them because they don't gouge, their prices for photos, drinks and souvenirs onboard are the lowest in the industry. I'm not sure about shore excursions as in the last 15 years we have only sailed in the Caribbean and there is nothing we haven't seen in the islands over the past 38 years. We've not sailed them yet because of the size of the ships, but we're now thinking about it. Your comments are interesting. Thanks. Edited May 13, 2020 by DFD1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir PMP Posted May 13, 2020 #134 Share Posted May 13, 2020 15 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said: Not necessarily- I understand you can now get a second helping for $10. and a third for $5:00... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted May 13, 2020 #135 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I forgot all about the $10 2nd entrée surcharge. That was a wonderful idea. 😏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobpatj Posted May 13, 2020 #136 Share Posted May 13, 2020 We had a lot of unique experiences on Westerdam, but we did have Production Shows with a full cast of Singers & Dancers. Is that the only ship that still had them in 2020 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MISTER 67 Posted May 13, 2020 #137 Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, DFD1 said: We've not sailed them yet because of the size of the ships, but we're now thinking about it. Your comments are interesting. Thanks. Let me add that they do have big ships, we sailed on the Divina 4 times with 4000 passengers but that ship is very well designed and didnt seem that big, she is also beautiful. We sailed on the Seaside last year, 1000 more pax but MSC was going after the younger crowd with that ship, too much glass and mirrors plus they had a 5 story atrium with a DJ most of the day playing ear shattering Electronic Dance Music. We will never sail again on the Seaside. Once cruising opens up again the Armonia will be sailing out of Tampa year round and is only 65,000 tons. All that being said HAL is still our favorite line, love the Vista and Signature ships, they are the perfect size besides being very classy with service that can't be beat along with the full wrap around promenade deck. Edited May 13, 2020 by MISTER 67 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare The-Inside-Cabin Posted May 13, 2020 Author #138 Share Posted May 13, 2020 O No! Does this mean the the $75. President's Cut Tomahawk Steak (that no one ever ordered) will now be off the menu? Hey! We have ordered that steak! (Wink) For the whole table. We enjoy the spectacle! Here is Presty slicing it up!Sent from my iPhone using Forums 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himself Posted May 13, 2020 #139 Share Posted May 13, 2020 3 hours ago, polar1 said: O No! Does this mean the the $75. President's Cut Tomahawk Steak (that no one ever ordered) will now be off the menu? My hope is that there is still a menu! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Copper10-8 Posted May 13, 2020 #140 Share Posted May 13, 2020 2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said: Not necessarily- I understand you can now get a second helping for $10. Now you've done it.............. 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Copper10-8 Posted May 13, 2020 #141 Share Posted May 13, 2020 58 minutes ago, bobpatj said: We had a lot of unique experiences on Westerdam, but we did have Production Shows with a full cast of Singers & Dancers. Is that the only ship that still had them in 2020 ? Amsterdam still had a full production cast this year until her pax "were thrown off" in Freemantle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare rafinmd Posted May 13, 2020 #142 Share Posted May 13, 2020 13 minutes ago, Himself said: My hope is that there is still a menu! Wouldn't be surprised if it is plain paper and destroyed after use for a while. Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Himself Posted May 13, 2020 #143 Share Posted May 13, 2020 2 minutes ago, rafinmd said: Wouldn't be surprised if it is plain paper and destroyed after use for a while. Roy That would be sad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotzej Posted May 13, 2020 #144 Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) Please return the Grand World Voyage back to the "Grand" World Voyage once again. Edited May 13, 2020 by hotzej Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmoo here Posted May 13, 2020 #145 Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, rafinmd said: Wouldn't be surprised if it is plain paper and destroyed after use for a while. Roy In my experience, the actual menu itself is just a replaceable paper insert inside a folder. In fact, the dessert menu handed to us was just the paper insert Edited May 13, 2020 by Shmoo here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted May 13, 2020 #146 Share Posted May 13, 2020 1 hour ago, rafinmd said: Wouldn't be surprised if it is plain paper and destroyed after use for a while. Roy Maybe the menu is on an Ipad that is then disinfected after each use? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiser Bruiser Posted May 13, 2020 #147 Share Posted May 13, 2020 3 hours ago, DFD1 said: We've not sailed them yet because of the size of the ships, but we're now thinking about it. Your comments are interesting. Thanks. They do have small ships. Armonia, which was sailing to Cuba and now will be sailing out of Tampa, is only 58,600 GT, so a bit smaller than HAL's R-class. If you think you might sail with MSC, do a lot of research in advance as the line is quirky. Example: your key card is located in your cabin, and you collect it from your cabin when the announcement says cabins are ready. You then have to link a method of payment to the key card using an onboard kiosk after you have already boarded the ship. That process is so totally unlike anything the North American lines do and is an example of what frustrates folks who have long cruising histories on familiar lines. But, for entertainment, cheap drinks, and old-school traditional-style cruising with a first and second seating in the MDR, MSC is really lovely and an outstanding value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted May 13, 2020 #148 Share Posted May 13, 2020 3 minutes ago, Cruiser Bruiser said: If you think you might sail with MSC, do a lot of research in advance as the line is quirky. 3 minutes ago, Cruiser Bruiser said: for entertainment, cheap drinks, and old-school traditional-style cruising with a first and second seating in the MDR, MSC is really lovely and an outstanding value. My MSC Meraviglia cruise in January supports your thoughts. The entertainment that I witnessed on Meraviglia was more enjoyable for me than what I saw on my preceding Volendam cruise or during my following Eurodam cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet76 Posted May 13, 2020 #149 Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) With both CEO departing CCL, is bankruptcy on the horizon? From what we heard on latest Q10 filing, CCL holds 4.6 billion in customer deposits which I believe CCL used our money to pay bills. Even with bond offering and such, CCL don't have enough liquid to cover current liability. We are losing faith each day. It seems like more and more are filing CC disputes as well. Edited May 13, 2020 by Janet76 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFD1 Posted May 13, 2020 #150 Share Posted May 13, 2020 When it is safe, if Armonia is still sailing from a Florida port, we'll likely give it a try. We've sailed a dozen different Cruise lines over the years, many of them now gone, so sailing a new one is no problem. Might be fun. The overriding feeling we've had about HAL over the past couple of years is simply that it's dull and the feeling of elegance has slipped away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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