HAL To Focus on Longer Cruise Itineraries

[lobsternight]

Good article and falls exactly into what we are doing.  We have been on many cruises, all 7 nights with the exception of one 15 night Hawaii.  I started looking into longer cruises and saw the 28 day Alaskan. In the end I decided on a 22 night Mex Hawaii in 2024.  Being new to HAL I have booked a 7 night Alaska for this April to try out the line.  I'm sure we will enjoy it and will look into longer voyages in the future, even if there are no lobster nights.

[Hlitner]

Interesting article.  Also, interesting that the Rotterdam has recently cancelled Bonaire because the authorities say the ship is too large for the pier.  We loved the Prinsendam (some called her the "Elegant Explorer") and her size could get her into many ports not available to larger vessels.  But HAL has moved to larger ships, and this may cause them a lot of problems as they try to develop more exotic itineraries.  Lines like Oceania, Azamara, Viking, the new Explora Journeys, and the usual luxury lines are in a much better position to get into small exotic ports.

 

Hank

[oakridger]

Rotterdam has berthed in Bonaire several times including with me on board in November.  Something else must be going on with Bonaire with the port authorities/scheduling.  But the point is well taken that of course smaller ships can go to more out of the way ports.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

We're shifting towards cruising once every two years after buying a couple cheap timeshares off Ebay.  We want our remaining cruises longer and exotic, so this is great news.

[ski ww]

Interesting article. We also love the longer cruises. 

[Sir PMP]

7 hours ago, knitter said:

The Prinsedam used to do longer sailings- and because she was small she got into unique ports. We were on her when she became the biggest ship to dock in a port in Iceland (forget which one, but was the captain ever excited!) and was the first cruise ship ever to go to Killybegs in Ireland.

Sandy

We were in Killybegs (great coffee) with Captain Tim Roberts.

[Sir PMP]

[albingirl]

12 hours ago, RD64 said:

Could you provide more details on the itinerary? I don’t recall the Atlantic Adventure.

 

Or really going out on a limb - HAL could bring back the festival transatlantic crossings from the 1960s where they actually promoted their Dutch heritage. Or maybe special crossings to time with the annual Tulip Festival. It seems that (other than a very vague Orange Party and the Dutch Cafe ) HAL has chosen to forget its Dutch roots.

We took a 42 day and a 49 day cruise on the Maasdam and Veendam.. Itinerary included Azores, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Morrocco, Canary Islands and so on.  Just remarkable.  Some of the areas, including Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece were weeklong trips.  Lots of time spent in those countries.  Understandably, coastal areas, but just beautiful.. Seeing Malta and other places that I never dreamed I'd visit was wonderful. These cruises ran for five years and were called the Atlantic Adventure.

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, oakridger said:

Rotterdam has berthed in Bonaire several times including with me on board in November.  Something else must be going on with Bonaire with the port authorities/scheduling.  But the point is well taken that of course smaller ships can go to more out of the way ports.

There is growing resistance, in ports around the world, to cruise ships and especially larger ships.  Every year we are seeing more ports further restrict ships (be it size or numbers) and these restrictions are being driven by public opinion.  Just in the USA we have major restrictions now being imposed in Key West, Bar Harbor, Charleston, and other places.  In Europe we have seen the trend with the ship ban in Venice and growing concerns about some other ports such as Dubrovnik, La Spezia and Santorini.

 

In the Caribbean, folks that live on islands will often say they do not want to become another St Thomas or St Maarten.  Is this what is now driving this issue in Bonaire?  While some ports, such as St Barts, will welcome small luxury ships, these same ports simply do not want larger ships who bring their "hoards" of folks who actually contribute little to the local economy.  We know a couple who has a 2nd home on Bonaire.  Like many who spend time on that island, their interest is mainly diving.  Their attitude is that they welcome divers and snorkelers but would prefer that others go elsewhere :).  Consider that a "charming" town becomes less charming when it it overrun with thousands of cruisers.

 

Hank

[Guest ldtr]

7 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Interesting article.  Also, interesting that the Rotterdam has recently cancelled Bonaire because the authorities say the ship is too large for the pier.  We loved the Prinsendam (some called her the "Elegant Explorer") and her size could get her into many ports not available to larger vessels.  But HAL has moved to larger ships, and this may cause them a lot of problems as they try to develop more exotic itineraries.  Lines like Oceania, Azamara, Viking, the new Explora Journeys, and the usual luxury lines are in a much better position to get into small exotic ports.

 

Hank

Have docked in Bonaire on ships that are larger than  Rotterdam. Has to be something sleek such as maintenance work or other ships in port.

[Guest ldtr]

8 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

There is growing resistance, in ports around the world, to cruise ships and especially larger ships.  Every year we are seeing more ports further restrict ships (be it size or numbers) and these restrictions are being driven by public opinion.  Just in the USA we have major restrictions now being imposed in Key West, Bar Harbor, Charleston, and other places.  In Europe we have seen the trend with the ship ban in Venice and growing concerns about some other ports such as Dubrovnik, La Spezia and Santorini.

 

In the Caribbean, folks that live on islands will often say they do not want to become another St Thomas or St Maarten.  Is this what is now driving this issue in Bonaire?  While some ports, such as St Barts, will welcome small luxury ships, these same ports simply do not want larger ships who bring their "hoards" of folks who actually contribute little to the local economy.  We know a couple who has a 2nd home on Bonaire.  Like many who spend time on that island, their interest is mainly diving.  Their attitude is that they welcome divers and snorkelers but would prefer that others go elsewhere :).  Consider that a "charming" town becomes less charming when it it overrun with thousands of cruisers.

 

Hank

However Bonaire is not one of the ports restricting the number of cruise ship passengers. Plenty of ships docking there that are even larger than the largest existing HAL ships, with considerably more passengers.

[Hlitner]

Just now, ldtr said:

However Bonaire is not one of the ports restricting the number of cruise ship passengers. Plenty of ships docking there that are even larger than the largest existing HAL ships, with considerably more passengers.

Correct.  But we cannot help but wonder if this is the start of new trend at that island.

[Guest ldtr]

6 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Correct.  But we cannot help but wonder if this is the start of new trend at that island.

No sign of any political discussion there.  Bonaire is far enough away that it is outside of the 7 day loops of the real mega ships and still has limited number of calls. Pretty much in the 1 ship in the 2 to 4k passenger range. 

 

 

 

[mwj]

If you want a 'short' cruise there are plenty of options available. HAL has hit a home run (so to speak) with this 'commitment' to longer cruises. This also fits well with their target market ...

All of our HAL cruises during the next two years are in the range of 12-35 days.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Sounds great to us. 

[kochleffel]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

same ports simply do not want larger ships who bring their "hoards" of folks who actually contribute little to the local economy. 

 

I especially remember the complaints from residents of Venice that cruise-ship passengers didn't spend money on shore and yet managed to make a mess. Specifically, passengers on day calls bought nothing but trinkets probably made in China, and didn't eat in restaurants, just picked up McD's and then threw the wrappers into the canals.

 

Passengers embarking from Venice would have been likely to stay on land before, after, or both, which is what I had planned, but in the end I concluded that travelers like me weren't really welcome in Venice, even if no cruise was involved. Although I would certainly eat in real restaurants, I wouldn't spend a fortune in shops. I'd rather put money into travel than into shopping. When the embarkation port was changed to Ravenna, I switched to a cruise embarking from Athens.

[kochleffel]

I haven't yet taken a cruise longer than seven or eight days, because of a job that limits when I can travel. After June of this year, that won't be a concern, but I'm still not likely to book very long cruises -- a TATL this fall, 14 days on the ship plus a week before embarkation, will be the longest so far.

 

I chose HAL for that, and the amenities offered on other lines' megaships are negatives as far as I'm concerned, but if HAL shifts entirely to cruise that are a lot longer than that, I probably won't be booking. The Junior Cat wouldn't let me.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

The longer the better. 

[REOVA]

2 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

The longer the better. 

Yes. And they usually sell segments for those that want shorter cruises. But they also need to up the onboard activity/entertainment for these itineraries so we don't feel like we are seeing  the same things each segment (like on B2B). Something like "mini" Grand Voyages (which spoils us). 

[VermeulT]

I had already started seeing this.  Very few 7 day cruises this fall and next spring vs 10 and 14 days. I'm looking forward to the choices.  I LOVED the 14 day Alaska itinerary I did in 2015 and have looked at the new version.  this 28 day is a MUST DO.  like MUST MUST MUST. 

[Dutchman48]

Thanks for sharing the article.

To me it looks more of a fine tune than a major shift. One of the things my wife and I like about Hal has been the ability to take 14-to-28-day cruises in the past. Sometimes it required us booking B-B other times HAL offered a package of different itineraries strung together as a package. 

Looking at their site for 2024 it seems they are offering longer cruise packages, but many of those packages can be broken up into smaller trips for those who cannot take the longer one. This approach is a win-win for HAL. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

48 minutes ago, REOVA said:

Yes. And they usually sell segments for those that want shorter cruises. But they also need to up the onboard activity/entertainment for these itineraries so we don't feel like we are seeing  the same things each segment (like on B2B). Something like "mini" Grand Voyages (which spoils us). 

 

Yes! If they're going for longer cruises, they need to think about both entertainment and enrichment.  Good port lectures that aren't just advertisements for HAL's "preferred" (kickback?) shops.

 

These longer cruises could lengthen the lives of the two small ships.  

[knitter]

5 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

 

[knitter]

On the recommendation from a bartender in a place we wandered into for lunch, we got a great seafood lunch from a little trailer at the harbor where the staff wore berets and French navy style shirts, which we took back into the bar and got drinks (my first shandy- I do not like beer!) to go with. Several people from the cruise wandered in and joined us. It capped off a sweet little tour from some locals who were so excited at the opportunities they hoped becoming a stop would bring them.

[knitter]

55 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Yes! If they're going for longer cruises, they need to think about both entertainment and enrichment.  Good port lectures that aren't just advertisements for HAL's "preferred" (kickback?) shops.

 

These longer cruises could lengthen the lives of the two small ships.