Volendam and Zaandam

[kazu]

3 hours ago, KirkNC said:

.  HAL might not care but they could find themselves locked out of a lot of ports if the continue the the direction they have been heading lately.  I forget how many ports of call HAL lost when they sold the Prinsendam but it was a surprisingly large number.  I think @kazu has quoted the number before.

 I did -we dined with a ship’s officer and his wife on our last P’dam cruise which was a I think the second last sailing.  He initially said 50 ports and I asked really?  I said I thought it was 200 and he replied you are correct and it’s more.

[kazu]

6 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I trust that hal is doing the right thing for it’s survival.  I doubt very much they are considering which ports they’ve “lost” whatever that means.  I’m pretty sure it’s all about dollars and cents like it is for most business, like it or not.

 

You cruise the Caribbean and Mex Riviera.  We cruise for itinerary.  You have no idea where this ship went and what we saw. Sorry, that you don’t get the lost ports.  If you stretched out and explored you might have an idea of what we are talking about - Bantry, Cobh, at the downtown of Bayeux going through those bridges, Kiel Canal, etc.  

If HAL isn’t considering lost ports they should be.  HAL has always been about itinerary.

[OlsSalt]

4 hours ago, iancal said:

I would think it depends on whether HAL believes/forecasts that these ships can  meet the revenue and profit targets set by HAL and by Carnival Corp.  

 

This will be the decision fulcrum.  HAL is a for profit business.

 

One reason I was never bothered by HAL's typically fusty decor was I figured this  was saving money at corporate, and that would keep HAL sailing since it was  not glittery trendy.

 

Old pink tile bathrooms - no problems. Mismatched movie theater carpeting - no problems.  Old dowager reputation among the newer and larger ships - no problem. Amateur stage shows - no problems. Good food, but not great food. No problems. Traditional deck spaces with no gimmicky toys. No problems.

 

Even the occasional plumbing issues when passengers  kept stuffing things down the pipes that did not belong and less than frigid  cabin A/C when crossing the equator in the full tropics - ship happens - no problems.

 

HAL sold genuine hospitality with its wonderful crews and always great travel value. For us,  that was priceless. 

[KirkNC]

48 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

You cruise the Caribbean and Mex Riviera.  We cruise for itinerary.  You have no idea where this ship went and what we saw. Sorry, that you don’t get the lost ports.  If you stretched out and explored you might have an idea of what we are talking about - Bantry, Cobh, at the downtown of Bayeux going through those bridges, Kiel Canal, etc.  

If HAL isn’t considering lost ports they should be.  HAL has always been about itinerary.

Don’t forget downtown Bordeaux!  👍 Or going up the Amazon, larger ships can’t do that.

Edited December 8, 2021 by KirkNC

[iancal]

I suspect at this point in time HAL's focus is on financial results, not ports 'lost'.

 

It is fairly easy to understand which ships in various cruise lines were not profitable or were underperforming financially.

 

They are the ones that have been sold or scrapped early on in this covid environment.  No longer part of the fleet.

 

The execs at HAL no doubt know the plan for these two ships.  Until that time others can only guess.

Edited December 8, 2021 by iancal

[KirkNC]

2 hours ago, iancal said:

I suspect at this point in time HAL's focus is on financial results, not ports 'lost'.

 

It is fairly easy to understand which ships in various cruise lines were not profitable or were underperforming financially.

 

They are the ones that have been sold or scrapped early on in this covid environment.  No longer part of the fleet.

 

The execs at HAL no doubt know the plan for these two ships.  Until that time others can only guess.

Yet other lines have taken those ships, spent millions on refurbishment and presumably are getting an adequate return on their investment.

 

if it’s simply a maximum number game (and remember I am an ex-CPA and CFO so that’s my comfort zone), then HAL should just cruise Alaska and the Caribbean on 7 day milk runs.  Get all those blow it out cruisers on vacation drinking, eating in specialty restaurants, gambling and living large.  No need to worry about Mariner programs.  

[OlsSalt]

I had heard HAL was the envy of other cruise lines for its high passenger  and staff loyalty.  

 

In fact, other cruise lines were coming on board with the intent to "streal" some of the best crew//staff members according to one HR officer's candid and private assessment at a Mariner's event.

 

Customer goodwill is part of the bottom line too.  It is not all about revenues, it is about reducing expenses too - less need for marketing and staff training become operational cost savings in HAL's well-run operation.

[iancal]

Well run.....you mean like their internet sales operation, their IT department?

Edited December 8, 2021 by iancal

[OlsSalt]

1 minute ago, iancal said:

Well run.....you mean like their IT department?

 

Older ships have built in limitations for good wifi service or even adequate wiring to support all the devices safely. Are there similar complaints on the newer models when IT improvements could be built in, from the ground up?  

 

Decimation of revenues and personnel at headquarters, who have also been forced to work remotely, probably played a role in their current dismal website service.  But we have been experiencing website breakdowns across the internet service world, not just HAL. 

 

Hope Harvard Business School initiates an entire semester's course exploring the business  impacts of a declared "pandemic' on the US hospitality industry - since it among one of the top economic sectors in the US.

 

This  has gone well beyond the Alar-apple scare or  or the Tylenol scare. How to totally reverse course when unelected government agencies by executive fiat destroy an entire business model in one day -March 15, 2020?  Another day to live in infamy.  But after two years, there is plenty we can now know about future best practices and models for pre-emptive planning.

 

The erratic nature of the  internet Age of Information and Disinformation must now be built into all business models.  Though simply consulting a Magic 8 Ball may be more cost-effective.