In Depth EXC, is it gone for good?

[Ken the cruiser]

On our last HAL cruise on the Maasdam in Oct 2019, which was a 40 day cruise that included circumnavigating Australia as well as visiting some islands around New Caledonia, we got to experience a wonderful HAL program called In-Depth EXC which usually included 4-6 educational lectures on sea days as well as some great shows in the main theater. Any talk about that program coming back? 

[oakridger]

I would love that type of program, but it seemed to be discontinued even before Covid struck.  

 

~Nancy

[kazu]

I think that progarm was only on the Maasdam as it was supposed to do the in depth excursions with the zodiacs.  It was the only ship that had them.

 

The Maasdam is now sold of course.

[rkacruiser]

My opinion:  this was a program that tried to build on the excellent lecturers and guides that HAL had used during their more exotic cruises, i.e. Antarctica and Asia.  It was an attempt to use a Statendam Class ship that needed some money making itineraries.  It was an attempt to compete with the growing interest, at that time and which continues, in exploration type cruises.  These cruises really didn't fit in HAL's business model.  So, my opinion is:  there will not be an attempt to try this form of cruising again.  There are too many cruise lines who are so much further ahead in offering such cruises.  

[oaktreerb]

The Maasdam presented a wonderful EXC in-depth 21 day program in Alaska prior to Covid.  I had hoped that such programs would continue.  HAL cruisers are interesting people who want to have a more inclusive experience, learning about culture, nature, and people of different regions.  Now, HAL seems to be back to the same old Alaska cruise that most other lines are doing.   When they started the 14 day Alaska itineraries I was motivated to repeat the cruise every year, then they offered the 21 day cruise and I could have done that every year.  HAL has invested a lot in the Alaska market.  It’s time to offer some unique experiences once again.  I hope they bring back EXC in-depth.

[Ken the cruiser]

49 minutes ago, kazu said:

I think that progarm was only on the Maasdam as it was supposed to do the in depth excursions with the zodiacs.  It was the only ship that had them.

 

The Maasdam is now sold of course.

Understand. But IMHO there was a lot to be learned from those Maasdam cruises with regards to what interests the older HAL clientele who enjoy going on 3-5+ week cruises. Funny thing about those zodiacs on our cruise with the $90K (?) diesel outboard motors with 2 hour itineraries that included going to a beach for $129-179 pp, very seldom did we ever see them in the water and when we did, there were usually only a few passengers. But when it came to the variety of nature-based lectures offered with the In-Depth program, the theater was usually packed. It is amazing how the older we get the more we become fascinated about learning about the natural wonders of the world, or maybe it’s just us. 
 

But, maybe the nude sunbathing as @OlsSaltreported on the aft deck on the cruise prior to ours may have pushed the envelop a little too far. 😂

[FlaMariner]

On our October 2021 Rotterdam TA and our December 2021 NA Bahama cruise we attended lectures in the World Showcase during the day on various historic and natural topics.

 

The lectures included a power point presentation and we enjoyed them and attended several on various topics.  Especially enjoyed learning about the history of rum while in The Bahamas and the lecture on the Atlantic Ocean while crossing the pond!

 

And yes, there were many of us in attendance. 

 

(Also, a plug for the "Origin Story"...if you are into HAL's fascinating history, this is a "must see" event.....that was over the top good for us)

[Ken the cruiser]

11 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

On our October 2021 Rotterdam TA and our December 2021 NA Bahama cruise we attended lectures in the World Showcase during the day on various historic and natural topics.

 

The lectures included a power point presentation and we enjoyed them and attended several on various topics.  Especially enjoyed learning about the history of rum while in The Bahamas and the lecture on the Atlantic Ocean while crossing the pond!

 

And yes, there were many of us in attendance. 

 

(Also, a plug for the "Origin Story"...if you are into HAL's fascinating history, this is a "must see" event.....that was over the top good for us)

That's good to hear. Just curious, were the presenters EXC excursion team members or actual special guest lecturers? When we heard on our Maasdam cruise about the "future" of the In-Depth EXC program fleetwide, where the "In-Depth" term would also disappear, the lecture presentations would be provided by the onboard EXC staff. Just curious if this was the case here?

Edited February 23, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[FlaMariner]

The cruise director's (forget today's title) did them.......They are professional speakers......you could hear them and they had their graphics/screens working perfectly.....I recall the old days when the speaker was a retired professor and you could not hear them and their graphics were something that I could have brought (poor quality, IMO). 

 

Again, great events.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

The cruise director's (forget today's title) did them.......They are professional speakers......you could hear them and they had their graphics/screens working perfectly.....I recall the old days when the speaker was a retired professor and you could not hear them and their graphics were something that I could have brought (poor quality, IMO). 

 

Again, great events.

 

I remember when we first started sailing with HAL back in 2013, the cruise director would many times be the one to give a presentation. They were always a lot of fun to go to. Glad to hear they're still providing them on sea days.

[cruisemom42]

59 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

I recall the old days when the speaker was a retired professor and you could not hear them and their graphics were something that I could have brought (poor quality, IMO). 

 

Even most retired professors have upped their game since then, don't count them out. 

 

The best lectures aboard a ship that I ever attended were given by retired professors (albeit from very distinguished schools) aboard Aegean Odyssey. Many had fascinating photos of places they had traveled to or excavated that you couldn't have seen anywhere else because the results were not yet published...

 

Hands down the best lecture I've attended on a ship was given by Sir John Julius Norwich, British historian (particularly of Mediterranean history) and writer extraordinaire. He helped to develop the original Voyages to Antiquity itineraries and when he came aboard to do a series of guest lectures it was standing room only, quiet as a pin and standing ovation afterwards.

 

I wish all ships could have such a happy combination of excellent lecturers AND lecturing on subject matter related to the cruise at hand. I understand that the politics of modern Russia is a hugely interesting topic, but not when I am on a cruise to Greece and Turkey.

 

[kazu]

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Even most retired professors have upped their game since then, don't count them out. 

 

The best lectures aboard a ship that I ever attended were given by retired professors (albeit from very distinguished schools) aboard Aegean Odyssey. Many had fascinating photos of places they had traveled to or excavated that you couldn't have seen anywhere else because the results were not yet published...

 

Hands down the best lecture I've attended on a ship was given by Sir John Julius Norwich, British historian (particularly of Mediterranean history) and writer extraordinaire. He helped to develop the original Voyages to Antiquity itineraries and when he came aboard to do a series of guest lectures it was standing room only, quiet as a pin and standing ovation afterwards.

 

I wish all ships could have such a happy combination of excellent lecturers AND lecturing on subject matter related to the cruise at hand. I understand that the politics of modern Russia is a hugely interesting topic, but not when I am on a cruise to Greece and Turkey.

 

 

I’m with you Cruisemom.  My best lecturers were either professors or locals (thinking of Hawaii for the local who was excellent).  They weren’t all retired but some were.

 

The Prinsendam had a ton of guest lecturers and all the ones I experienced were excellent.  

 

Same experience as you - standing room only - always packed and always an enthusiastic audience.

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

The cruise director's (forget today's title) did them.......They are professional speakers......you could hear them and they had their graphics/screens working perfectly.....I recall the old days when the speaker was a retired professor and you could not hear them and their graphics were something that I could have brought (poor quality, IMO). 

 

Again, great events.

 

We really enjoyed those "retired professors" who truly knew their subject (as opposed to reading a script).  Our favorite lecturer on HAL was Dr. Alan Wright, a retired astronomer who soon had standing room only crowds in the main theater (and got a long standing ovation after his last (9th ) lecture.  We also enjoyed Danny Catt (a Canadian naturalist and professor) who had wonderful lectures some of which were about his own world wide explorations ("Catt Tracks").

 

Hank

[RuthC]

Over the years HAL has had some excellent lecturers, on a variety of topics. I've attended most of the ones available to me on cruises dating back over 20 years. 

But the In Depth EXC program raised the previous lecture series to the 5th power. There were so many lectures, daily, on the Maasdam 21-day Alaska cruise it was almost hard to find time to go outside and appreciate where you were! I remember lectures that conflicted with dinner time as routine. 

I doubt that I will see the likes of that program on HAL ever again, and am saddened by the thought. I wish I had had more opportunities to cruise under that program while it lasted. 

[jlnprt]

5 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

(Also, a plug for the "Origin Story"...if you are into HAL's fascinating history, this is a "must see" event.....that was over the top good for us)

I so agree with this. Dh and I went to this on our recent cruise and, honestly, I only went because dh wanted to go. I agree that it is a "must see" ... excellent program!

[Btimmer]

Our favorite lecturers on the Maasdam and Volendam were Dr. Kam and Terry Greenberg.  Just today I was recapping our days on HAL ships and our top 3 ships for number of days travelled were the Maasdam (195), Volendam (146), and Prinsendam (45).  The EXC lectures were one of the top attractions for us.  That's no longer the case.  The same is true for us for the Step One Dance Company productions.  More variety is needed.

 

The current EXC lectures are presented by the Cruise and Travel Director.  Technologically, they are quite good but overly theatric.  As a frequent traveler, we rarely attend them as we've seen them so many times.  That being said, the 150 Year Origin story is definitely one of the best and worth seeing. 

[Woofbite]

One of the best I've seen recently was on Viking, a man named Russell Lee.  The Queen Mary 2 had Sir Richard Dearlove Former Head of MI6 and years ago Abercrombie & Kent had a half dozen incredible naturalists on an Antarctic trip from such places as the Smithsonian, Scripps, Woods Hole, Toronto University, Texas A & M and their people ate at passenger tables and accompanied groups and pointed out things on shore visits.  All far surpassed anything we've experienced on HAL and certainly better than cruise director presentations.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Fast forward to today ....

 

Does anyone know if HAL is providing lectures (along with the usual port talks) on their more exotic 15+ day "single itinerary" cruises? We're currently booked on a 21-day April 2025 Panama Canal cruise and are hoping they still do. But more importantly we are very interested in their new 28-day Alaska itinerary which includes going to Nome! That just looks like an awesome cruise, and it would be so cool if they included some quality lectures on sea days along the way.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[Mary229]

About 3 months ago HAL introduced a whole new Alaska enrichment program on all sailings to start rolling out this summer (2023).  People did post it in this forum; an intensive search may dredge it up.   I am booked on the Alaska Ultimate and am hoping for an excellent enrichment program and if not I will just enjoy the cool ❄️.

[TiogaCruiser]

11 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Fast forward to today ....

 

Does anyone know if HAL is providing lectures (along with the usual port talks) on their more exotic 15+ day "single itinerary" cruises? We're currently booked on a 21-day April 2025 Panama Canal cruise and are hoping they still do. But more importantly we are very interested in their new 28-day Alaska itinerary which includes going to Nome! That just looks like an awesome cruise, and it would be so cool if they included some quality lectures on sea days along the way.

 

 

 

 

We did a 17 day Panama Canal on volendam in April and the only thing remotely close was a well done original lecture by the Travel Director ( or whatever the CD is called now) and another lecture about where to be while going through the canal. He also provided commentary while going through the canal.

 

If you haven’t read/ heard A Path Between the Seas it is well worth it. It’s available on Audible.

[OlsSalt]

On one of the last Maasdam In Depth cruises, which  traversed from SF to Alaska to Russia Far East and on to 2 weeks circling Japan, we were on the first tender to Nome.

 

We got to the Nome dock - just seconds away from landing,   but we were sent back to the ship. The swells around the ship had started to exceed safe tender landing limits. So while were were literally a few foot steps away from Nome, we had to turn back and look at it only from a distance. Such are the ways of sea travel.

 

The gold mining equipment along the beaches, the vast empty tundra - that was Nome. But we had to miss the goal posts across the main street marking the end of the Iditarod race.

 

That extended Alaska itinerary looks fabulous. I hope you get to go.

[Ken the cruiser]

15 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

We did a 17 day Panama Canal on volendam in April and the only thing remotely close was a well done original lecture by the Travel Director ( or whatever the CD is called now) and another lecture about where to be while going through the canal. He also provided commentary while going through the canal.

 

If you haven’t read/ heard A Path Between the Seas it is well worth it. It’s available on Audible.

Traversing the Panama Canal is so cool. We’ve been through it 4 times and just booked one for Apr 2025 on the Koningsdam in an aft-facing cabin. For us an aft-facing cabin is the only way to cruise through the PC. Our first time through was in 2016 on the Veendam where they had a professional lecturer that packed the theater as well as a wonderful lady who really got into her port talks! Then twice on PCL cruises, one in Jan 2020 from Ft Lauderdale to Santiago by way of Easter Island, and the other one in May 2022 from LA to Ft Lauderdale, both of which offered professional lecturers.

 

But that’s cool. As long as they’re offering lectures from whomever works for us.

[ScottishMaid]

On the recent 25 night Zaandam cruise to Greenland and Iceland we had a lecturer, Jim Jacobs. Also there were several relevant EXC talks narrated by the Cruise Director. One I remember was about the fishing industry in New England and Eastern Canada. On the last day we had the EXC talk City at Sea followed by lots of crew entering the showroom.

There were efforts to make this cruise like the old days on the smaller ships or like a Grand Cruise. For example there was a florist onboard and really beautiful flower arrangements in the public areas, we had the Sunday Brunch with the small tastings, the classical duo were talented and attracted a large audience, there was a crew talent show and other touches I forget. The staff were high caliber and the ship well organized.

[RD64]

Glad to hear about the crew talent show - I would like to see it back on all of their ships.

[oaktreerb]

On 2/21/2022 at 2:25 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

On our last HAL cruise on the Maasdam in Oct 2019, which was a 40 day cruise that included circumnavigating Australia as well as visiting some islands around New Caledonia, we got to experience a wonderful HAL program called In-Depth EXC which usually included 4-6 educational lectures on sea days as well as some great shows in the main theater. Any talk about that program coming back? 

That EXC program is back.  We were on a 21 day  Maasdam Alaska cruise prior to Covid, just as HAL was returning to the EXC platform.  The cruise was amazing.  We had great entertainment, local experts who sailed with us and enhanced our Alaska experience with lectures and local art.  There were so many activities that it was hard to choose among them.

 

We are booked on the 2024  28 day Alaska Solstice cruise on the Westerdam and I am expecting the same in-depth EXC quality programming as our 21 day cruise.  HAL has been cruising in Alaska for a very long time and I can’t wait to see what experiences they have planned for us.

Edited September 7, 2023 by oaktreerb