Old HAL vs New HAL....or just HAL evolving

[Charlene1985]

My husband and I are below the target age for HAL but we will probably never sail another cruise line (we have been on AMA for river cruises in Europe). I am 37, he’s 51.  
 

Currently on Rotterdam and we both said last night how we will be hard pressed to find a more beautiful ship. We like the traditional feel of HAL, we like the more mature demographic, and we like walking the Promenade deck.  We are still vacationers because we work.  We both travel for work and sometimes in the same month I can find myself in Europe, South America, and Asia.  Other than Australia and the South Pacific, there aren’t many places I haven’t been to.  Because of my job. But because I travel so much for work and am on the go 15-18 days a month, I find myself wanting a more relaxing experience I couldn’t get on Royal or (gasp) Carnival.  
 

We like the music walk and band on Rotterdam (this is our first cruise post COVID and our first time on a Pinnacle class ship).  Personally, if I never see live theater again, I could not care less.  I want good food, a nice gym (love the jogging track on Rotterdam), and a clean cabin and ship.  So far, we have had nightly turn down service, which we asked for.  I want a pool that isn’t playing loud music or filled with people having chicken fights. I love the Crow’s Nest, and I love eating in the MDR.  
 

We are fortunate that price increases can be tolerated to keep service the same as other expenses rise for the cruise lines. I’m not at the stage in my life where I can cruise for more than 14 days at a time (10-11 is ideal once you consider a day to leave and a day to relax getting home).  We get 35 days of vacation annually.  I don’t want to spend 30 of them on a cruise ship as we also ski and sometimes just have a week or two at home and not travel anywhere. So for now, we’ll be annual cruisers avoiding school holidays.  If HAL can keep offering a relaxing (for me that equates to quiet) ship, with 10-11 nights of sailing, a good crew, above average food, and crossword puzzles, I will gladly give them some of my hard earned money each year. 
 

 

[FlorenceItaly]

1 hour ago, Dutchman48 said:

Same for us on both Eurodam and Rotterdam.  At start of the cruise our room steward asked if we preferred 1 or 2 services.

Ours did not ask if we preferred 1 or 2 services.  He indicated only 1 but I knew better due to Cruise Critic.

[Seacruise]

So I have an interesting perspective of the "Old" vs the "New" Holland America.

 

This years marks 40 years since my very first HAL cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam III on her 2nd voyage when she had the fire.

This ship was all the rage at the time with many new features and large at 33,000 tons.

I was 25 years old at the time and didn't really fit the demographics of HAL at the time. Still 4 of us went on this cruise and enjoyed very much.

Now here are some of the things that HAL required at the time.
There was the No Tipping Policy and by this I mean No Tipping. We had it handed back to us and was taken as a insult.
Jackets were required by Men at Dinner every night and Ladies in dresses. No Shorts in the dining room at breakfast and lunch. I watched as Captain Hess escorted several Men out if they were in shorts. They would argue  and he would say don't want to follow the rules then I will have you removed from the ship at next port.
Lifeboat drill was just that. They even lowered the lifeboats to show you what it is like and how to get in them. Lifeboat drill was done every 7 days on 14 day cruises.
There was skeet shooting off the stern port-side.

Now here is the one that will shock you. Nieuw Amsterdam had liquor cabinets in the staterooms complete with crystal glasses.

You could go to the Duty Free store on board buy a bottle of Rum (about $5.00) and take it back to your cabin and ask your Room Steward for the coke which was provided for free.
Draft Beer (Heineken) was .65 cents a glass and Rum and coke was $1.25 a drink.

If you want to talk entertainment this was not to be missed. They had well known people from Broadway doing music and other acts.

I have a HAL Tie which I bought on that cruise. When I wear it today on Formal nights there isn't an Officer that goes by that doesn't comment on it or ask where I got it.

Did you know that sewing kits were also provided in your rooms at the time.

I have to say I have read the thoughts of those that have sailed Zuiderdam and I have to say I was on here a few months after she was launched and agree she was a disaster. The one thing that was very noticeable was the uneven decks  going down the halls. There was the glass compass crown floor in the casino that was broken for a second time because of the ship flexing. The Dolphin tale seats at the rear bar that snapped off within the first few months.
The aft pool that was one deck down from the lido restaurant. This was changed for the current Noordam and later the other 3 ships were sent to dry-dock and a new section was set in place. I sailed the Oosterdam a few months after she had her new section in place and what a difference it made.
I sailed on the Westerdam II that was bought from Homeric line. That was such a departure from what HAL was at the time. No crows nest bar.

Oh and there were no "key" cards of today. It was a long plastic key with holes in it. It was a pain to carry around. There was no way who was onboard the ship and who was not when you sailed from a port. You would find out at dinner who didn't make the ship. If you wanted to make a call home you had to contact the Radio Officer who would place your call.

I have sailed Sitmar, Princess, Celebrity, NCL and Royal Caribbean since that first cruise. 
Each cruise line has differences and the way I look at it is don't compare them against each other. Compare them for what they offer in Itinerary. HAL does a far better job in this department in Europe than most of the others. HAL is also number 1 in Alaska. I have sailed the others and it shows for the most part. HAL bought West Tours many moons ago along with Westmark Hotels, Grayline of Alaska, Evergreen Coach in Washington to name a few. The others have been trying to catch up for years.
Funny thing is my best cruise was on NCL Norwegian Wind from Hawaii and my worst was on Norwegian Sky.

 

Yes things have changed and still changing. No idea where HAL is headed but I see no long range plans for HAL at this point.
The one positive is I have been to Alaska 14 times and in 2024 that 28 Day Alaska cruise is something different.

That is just a few of the things from the "Old" Holland America.

I have the 39 day cruise from Auckland back to Vancouver this spring to celebrate 40 years cruising and will have a better idea of the changes when I come back.

 

 

 

 

 

[CNSJ]

7 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Not true. You can request two services per day, and they will honor your request.

Had service twice a day on last three cruises in 2022, but we put our service please sign when we needed it (after swimming mid day  showers etc.).  Cabin was spotless.

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, Seacruise said:

So I have an interesting perspective of the "Old" vs the "New" Holland America.

 

This years marks 40 years since my very first HAL cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam III on her 2nd voyage when she had the fire.

This ship was all the rage at the time with many new features and large at 33,000 tons.

I was 25 years old at the time and didn't really fit the demographics of HAL at the time. Still 4 of us went on this cruise and enjoyed very much.

Now here are some of the things that HAL required at the time.
There was the No Tipping Policy and by this I mean No Tipping. We had it handed back to us and was taken as a insult.
Jackets were required by Men at Dinner every night and Ladies in dresses. No Shorts in the dining room at breakfast and lunch. I watched as Captain Hess escorted several Men out if they were in shorts. They would argue  and he would say don't want to follow the rules then I will have you removed from the ship at next port.
Lifeboat drill was just that. They even lowered the lifeboats to show you what it is like and how to get in them. Lifeboat drill was done every 7 days on 14 day cruises.
There was skeet shooting off the stern port-side.

Now here is the one that will shock you. Nieuw Amsterdam had liquor cabinets in the staterooms complete with crystal glasses.

You could go to the Duty Free store on board buy a bottle of Rum (about $5.00) and take it back to your cabin and ask your Room Steward for the coke which was provided for free.
Draft Beer (Heineken) was .65 cents a glass and Rum and coke was $1.25 a drink.

If you want to talk entertainment this was not to be missed. They had well known people from Broadway doing music and other acts.

I have a HAL Tie which I bought on that cruise. When I wear it today on Formal nights there isn't an Officer that goes by that doesn't comment on it or ask where I got it.

Did you know that sewing kits were also provided in your rooms at the time.

I have to say I have read the thoughts of those that have sailed Zuiderdam and I have to say I was on here a few months after she was launched and agree she was a disaster. The one thing that was very noticeable was the uneven decks  going down the halls. There was the glass compass crown floor in the casino that was broken for a second time because of the ship flexing. The Dolphin tale seats at the rear bar that snapped off within the first few months.
The aft pool that was one deck down from the lido restaurant. This was changed for the current Noordam and later the other 3 ships were sent to dry-dock and a new section was set in place. I sailed the Oosterdam a few months after she had her new section in place and what a difference it made.
I sailed on the Westerdam II that was bought from Homeric line. That was such a departure from what HAL was at the time. No crows nest bar.

Oh and there were no "key" cards of today. It was a long plastic key with holes in it. It was a pain to carry around. There was no way who was onboard the ship and who was not when you sailed from a port. You would find out at dinner who didn't make the ship. If you wanted to make a call home you had to contact the Radio Officer who would place your call.

I have sailed Sitmar, Princess, Celebrity, NCL and Royal Caribbean since that first cruise. 
Each cruise line has differences and the way I look at it is don't compare them against each other. Compare them for what they offer in Itinerary. HAL does a far better job in this department in Europe than most of the others. HAL is also number 1 in Alaska. I have sailed the others and it shows for the most part. HAL bought West Tours many moons ago along with Westmark Hotels, Grayline of Alaska, Evergreen Coach in Washington to name a few. The others have been trying to catch up for years.
Funny thing is my best cruise was on NCL Norwegian Wind from Hawaii and my worst was on Norwegian Sky.

 

Yes things have changed and still changing. No idea where HAL is headed but I see no long range plans for HAL at this point.
The one positive is I have been to Alaska 14 times and in 2024 that 28 Day Alaska cruise is something different.

That is just a few of the things from the "Old" Holland America.

I have the 39 day cruise from Auckland back to Vancouver this spring to celebrate 40 years cruising and will have a better idea of the changes when I come back.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the interesting look back at hal.  While I have cruised hal for around 35 years or so the only thing I remembered was the card with holes. 

[CNSJ]

3 hours ago, Mickb said:

We sailed on QM2 in PG in the last year. IMO it was better than ever. We were encouraged to order off menu and the food was amazing. The price point was similar to a Neptune Suite on HAL.  Although we have enjoyed cruises in the past with HAL, the current direction and offering  does not suit. Club orange doesn’t cut it for us and compared to Grills offering on Cunard, it is way behind.

I must stress that this only my opinion and I’m sure others won’t agree.

Am looking at Cunard.  Just hate the idea of having to put on a Jacket and tie for dinner (less formal nights).  I am on vacation.....

[REOVA]

1 hour ago, Charlene1985 said:

My husband and I are below the target age for HAL but we will probably never sail another cruise line (we have been on AMA for river cruises in Europe). I am 37, he’s 51.  
 

Currently on Rotterdam and we both said last night how we will be hard pressed to find a more beautiful ship. We like the traditional feel of HAL, we like the more mature demographic, and we like walking the Promenade deck.  We are still vacationers because we work.  We both travel for work and sometimes in the same month I can find myself in Europe, South America, and Asia.  Other than Australia and the South Pacific, there aren’t many places I haven’t been to.  Because of my job. But because I travel so much for work and am on the go 15-18 days a month, I find myself wanting a more relaxing experience I couldn’t get on Royal or (gasp) Carnival.  
 

We like the music walk and band on Rotterdam (this is our first cruise post COVID and our first time on a Pinnacle class ship).  Personally, if I never see live theater again, I could not care less.  I want good food, a nice gym (love the jogging track on Rotterdam), and a clean cabin and ship.  So far, we have had nightly turn down service, which we asked for.  I want a pool that isn’t playing loud music or filled with people having chicken fights. I love the Crow’s Nest, and I love eating in the MDR.  
 

We are fortunate that price increases can be tolerated to keep service the same as other expenses rise for the cruise lines. I’m not at the stage in my life where I can cruise for more than 14 days at a time (10-11 is ideal once you consider a day to leave and a day to relax getting home).  We get 35 days of vacation annually.  I don’t want to spend 30 of them on a cruise ship as we also ski and sometimes just have a week or two at home and not travel anywhere. So for now, we’ll be annual cruisers avoiding school holidays.  If HAL can keep offering a relaxing (for me that equates to quiet) ship, with 10-11 nights of sailing, a good crew, above average food, and crossword puzzles, I will gladly give them some of my hard earned money each year. 
 

 

You are the market HAL is marketing to with Pinnacle class ships and the direction they wanted to go a decade ago. And its what's ruining HAL (KIDDING 😁)

 

We've sailed many lines (mostly HAL) and nothing ruins a conversation than hearing people complain about "what used to be".  (It's just below discussions of what ailment we now have 🤪).  But it's human nature, when having experiences, to compare one day or time to another. (My DW wishes to be back 40 years ago). Sometimes we forget that the opportunities that give us experience is more important than minor difference we may have each time. We won't control a company, but we can control how we react and handle an experience. With cruises there will be differences in ships, crew, procedure, experience, just within HAL or between passengers on the same ship. 

 

We've watched people complain about music at the pool (too much noise) and others complain about pool being too quiet with no music. We've seen guests berate crew for not doing things the way it was done before, and guests provide friendly tips and reminders about how they would like things done. We have friends that left HAL for greener pastures, some came back, some didnt. Our first World Cruise we heard lots of complaints. Our second, we noticed differences....but we were able to have another experience that so many can't (or won't). 

 

I do hope you continue to enjoy cruising with HAL and they evolve to give everyone the experiences HAL has provided for years. We continue to look forward to its evolution and returning to longer itineraries (for those of us that want that) and hope the service and food dips recover from the problems every cruise line is having currently. 

 

But we cruise with open eyes and try to act like it's our first time (which is never easy to accomplish). 

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

We also like Cunard in addition to HAL and Celebrity.

Celebrity is getting crushed on CC this week about the latest round of cuts.

Cunard seems to be garnering few complaints, can any recent cruisers report and compare?

 

I sailed with Cunard twice last year. Princess Grill on QE had wonderful food and service. We didn't order off menu, but we did have a lot of the special things that have to be ordered the night before.

 

Britannia (MDR) on QM2 was not as good. The food was okay, but they didn't have the "always available" items. I think they actually did and the waiter either didn't know or lied. The service at our table was poor. It took 20 minutes between being seated and having our orders taken. The assistant waiter was obviously new because he made mistakes. I felt that QM2 had poor service in MDR and buffet because they're understaffed and have a lot of new and poorly trained staff. I think service in PG was better because Cunard has always put the best staff in the higher dining rooms. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, CNSJ said:

Am looking at Cunard.  Just hate the idea of having to put on a Jacket and tie for dinner (less formal nights).  I am on vacation.....

 

Get used to the idea of it, please. Cunard is a dressier experience. It's part of what makes the ambiance so special. 

[Charlene1985]

1 hour ago, REOVA said:

You are the market HAL is marketing to with Pinnacle class ships and the direction they wanted to go a decade ago. And its what's ruining HAL (KIDDING 😁)

 

We've sailed many lines (mostly HAL) and nothing ruins a conversation than hearing people complain about "what used to be".  (It's just below discussions of what ailment we now have 🤪).  But it's human nature, when having experiences, to compare one day or time to another. (My DW wishes to be back 40 years ago). Sometimes we forget that the opportunities that give us experience is more important than minor difference we may have each time. We won't control a company, but we can control how we react and handle an experience. With cruises there will be differences in ships, crew, procedure, experience, just within HAL or between passengers on the same ship. 

 

We've watched people complain about music at the pool (too much noise) and others complain about pool being too quiet with no music. We've seen guests berate crew for not doing things the way it was done before, and guests provide friendly tips and reminders about how they would like things done. We have friends that left HAL for greener pastures, some came back, some didnt. Our first World Cruise we heard lots of complaints. Our second, we noticed differences....but we were able to have another experience that so many can't (or won't). 

 

I do hope you continue to enjoy cruising with HAL and they evolve to give everyone the experiences HAL has provided for years. We continue to look forward to its evolution and returning to longer itineraries (for those of us that want that) and hope the service and food dips recover from the problems every cruise line is having currently. 

 

But we cruise with open eyes and try to act like it's our first time (which is never easy to accomplish). 

 

 

At least we still dress up for dinner.  Dress and heels for me, pants and button down collared shirt for him. Suit and tie for gala night and long gown for me.  
 

I try to make up for my disgusting sweat drenched appearance after using the gym everyday.  😂 

 

In all seriousness, I know everyone has different priorities.  But right now, I think HAL is perfect.  We sailed Veendam and I loved her (except the shower curtain and tub combo). But we just said tonight at dinner that next January we will probably try out the Sea of Cortez sailing on K-Dam.  I showed my husband a Eurodam sailing, and he said “But it’s not a Pinnacle class ship”.  
 

Other than the smoking allowed in the casino on Rotterdam, this is by far the best ship I have ever been on for what I like to do and have going on around me.  I love the decor, the areas, our cabin, the dining room, the running track, etc. 

 

HAL knocked it out of the park for us.  

[oaktreerb]

3 hours ago, CNSJ said:

Am looking at Cunard.  Just hate the idea of having to put on a Jacket and tie for dinner (less formal nights).  I am on vacation.....

Times are changing.  

[cruzysuzy]

I would really like to take the plunge and move from Princess to Holland America.  Most of what I've read is right down my alley.  But one thing is giving me pause.  On another forum a poster stated that HAL has eliminated a number of their enrichment programs from what they used to be.

 

Enrichment programs are a real source of enjoyment to me. I don't do 'deck toys' and am a moderate drinker.  Yes, music is nice but I need to keep my brain going.  What is everyone's current experience on this issue?

Edited January 10, 2023 by cruzysuzy

[Mary229]

8 minutes ago, cruzysuzy said:

I would really like to take the plunge and move from Princess to Holland America.  Most of what I've read is right down my alley.  But one thing is giving me pause.  On another forum a poster stated that HAL has eliminated a number of their enrichment programs from what they used to be.

 

Enrichment programs are a real source of enjoyment to me. I don't do 'deck toys' and am a moderate drinker.  Yes, music is nice but I need to keep my brain going.  What is everyone's current experience on this issue?

HAL used to have very good enrichment just a few short years ago.  When they do their grand voyages with a full enrichment program it is absolutely delightful.  My cruises since the pandemic have been ok but none of them were to the standard I hoped for.   Now that HAL is indicating that is is going to focus on longer voyages and is revamping their entertainment package my hope is that they will be upping their enrichment programs including lectures, topical movies, local cuisines and local performers.   Stay tuned and I will be sure to report. 

[REOVA]

50 minutes ago, cruzysuzy said:

I would really like to take the plunge and move from Princess to Holland America.  Most of what I've read is right down my alley.  But one thing is giving me pause.  On another forum a poster stated that HAL has eliminated a number of their enrichment programs from what they used to be.

 

Enrichment programs are a real source of enjoyment to me. I don't do 'deck toys' and am a moderate drinker.  Yes, music is nice but I need to keep my brain going.  What is everyone's current experience on this issue?

It will depend on what itinerary you book. Carribean cruises have no enrichment unless you count the CD talking about Jimmy Buffet, Ernest Hemingway or Bob Marley influences ( which was ok to kill an hour but "enrichment"?). You will need to book a Grand cruise, Voyage of the Vikings (17 or 35 day) or maybe a South Pacific cruise to have speakers/ambassadors on local topics. We are all hoping the "new" longer itineraries go back to what HAL used to have. 

[lissie]

On 1/9/2023 at 12:20 PM, CNSJ said:

Am looking at Cunard.  Just hate the idea of having to put on a Jacket and tie for dinner (less formal nights).  I am on vacation.....

You only need a jacket and tie on formal nights on Cunard now.  On informal nights the code is a "collared shirt" - which on a recent cruise I saw interpreted as a polo shirt - though most wore business style shirts, often short sleeved as it was a warm weather cruise. 

[lissie]

On 1/9/2023 at 8:48 AM, foodsvcmgr said:

We also like Cunard in addition to HAL and Celebrity.

Celebrity is getting crushed on CC this week about the latest round of cuts.

Cunard seems to be garnering few complaints, can any recent cruisers report and compare?

We've only cruised Queen Elizabeth 1 cruise pre-Covid, 2 cruises last year. Except for the obvious changes: masks, vaccinations, testing, quarantine areas, lower passenger numbers I didn't see a huge difference. The food and drinks were the same, though they did run out of some of  the more obscure bar items on our repositioning to Australia.  

 

The entertainment wasn't as good -but that was mainly Covid putting guest entertainers into quarantine. And our last cruise we had a really, really bad entertainment director - previously we'd had really good ones and I didn't realise how good he was until this woman took over 😞 I blame her mostly for the lack of ballroom dancing in the queen room - they kept on putting acts which didn't play danceable music (ie classical guitar, folk, soft rock) in the Queens Room (the dance room). Even some of the acts made comments which suggested they weren't sure why they were there!  

 

The enrichment lecturers are usually very good (with the odd dud), oddly they did really good commentary and lecturers before we went through the Panama Canal. But no lecturers, no commentary for the Suez Canal - very, very odd.  Again I suspect the ED was the problem 

[lissie]

On 1/9/2023 at 9:20 AM, robotpony said:

 

We wanted to try the Voyage of the Vikings the moment we heard about it, if that's any proof in the pudding.

That's why we are booked on the cruise on Zaandam which is similar - but doesn't go  all the way to continental Europe.  Heard about Voyage of the Vikings on our last Cunard cruise and started looking at options. The price point is attractive  compared to the only other options which were Viking, Ponant or  Regent - and attractive compared to a land based holiday as it includes both Greenland and Iceland. 

[MaisonRose]

On 1/8/2023 at 9:29 AM, MISTER 67 said:

Exactly and except for the service HAL has downgraded many facets on their ships and even the service has been cut back with only once a day cabin service. For now we are taking our business elsewhere.

Very interesting. My last TA was Nov. ‘19 and I’m sailing eastbound on the Rotterdam on April 6 (NYC-Rotterdam). I’m confident that the things I love about HAL will be essentially there: but I’m picky so I’ll be back to report. Already I’m informed that the CookingShows are gone (America’s Test Kitchen was a mistake, IMHO because the show became impersonal and lost its camaraderie. When HAL had ship personnel doing the program with Food Trivia in the afternoons, it had quite a following.) Being a grumpy old lady, I don’t cotton to things that turn slick, branded and impersonal.

It looks like cruise lines subcontract out events.

 

Theres good stuff, too, of course. I do enjoy the new tech additions to cruise ships but the truth is that although wi fi connectivity is irresistible, it was nice to really « be away » on a cruise ship. Remember when we got off in a port to hang out at a « hot spot » to get news from home?

 

I called a friend for her birthday last night and she answered on a Régent ship in Mexico! We were both shocked.

Cheers,

Susan

 

 

SUSAN

[MaisonRose]

On 1/8/2023 at 7:46 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I sailed with Cunard twice last year. Princess Grill on QE had wonderful food and service. We didn't order off menu, but we did have a lot of the special things that have to be ordered the night before.

 

Britannia (MDR) on QM2 was not as good. The food was okay, but they didn't have the "always available" items. I think they actually did and the waiter either didn't know or lied. The service at our table was poor. It took 20 minutes between being seated and having our orders taken. The assistant waiter was obviously new because he made mistakes. I felt that QM2 had poor service in MDR and buffet because they're understaffed and have a lot of new and poorly trained staff. I think service in PG was better because Cunard has always put the best staff in the higher dining rooms. 

 

Totally agree: the Brittania DR was like dining in the 1950s (Dec, 2022). Being on QM2 in Brittania class was definately second (third) class treat treatment.

But I LOVED two things: afternoon tea and the kettle and tea service items in the cabin. Oh was I a happy cruiser, that’s for sure.

[3rdGenCunarder]

15 hours ago, MaisonRose said:

 

Totally agree: the Brittania DR was like dining in the 1950s (Dec, 2022). Being on QM2 in Brittania class was definately second (third) class treat treatment.

But I LOVED two things: afternoon tea and the kettle and tea service items in the cabin. Oh was I a happy cruiser, that’s for sure.

 

It isn't normally that bad. They're understaffed compared to what I've seen before. I think we're going to see the effects of understaffing in many businesses, not just cruises, for a while yet. 

[Tampa Girl]

On 1/7/2023 at 8:28 PM, iflyrc5 said:

 

 

We have Android 12 on our Samsung phones, and the Navigator installed.  However, our cruises is still "191+days" away, so there isn't much info to retrieve at this time.  Consequently, I have yet to determine how useful this app will be for us.

[dogo88]

20 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

We have Android 12 on our Samsung phones, and the Navigator installed.  However, our cruises is still "191+days" away, so there isn't much info to retrieve at this time.  Consequently, I have yet to determine how useful this app will be for us.

On our Oct cruise nothing was updated/relevant until embarkation day on the Navigator app. I uninstalled and reinstalled it numerous times. Printed hard copies of the boarding passes. Then on embarkation day, like magic it was all there. Very frustrating app to use. 

[iflyrc5]

50 minutes ago, dogo88 said:

On our Oct cruise nothing was updated/relevant until embarkation day on the Navigator app. I uninstalled and reinstalled it numerous times. Printed hard copies of the boarding passes. Then on embarkation day, like magic it was all there. Very frustrating app to use. 

For our Nov 2022 cruise on the NA activities did not show up on the Navigator app until we boarded.  For our Rotterdam cruise starting on Jan 14 activities started to show up around Jan 1 so maybe things are changing or it could be the difference in the ships.

[3rdGenCunarder]

My cruise is Jan 15. Yesterday, Navigator was starting to load content. I sure hope it loads more, because the only evening entertainment was BBK at 10:30 PM. I do, however, know what the on-board shop specials will be for each day. It's all about getting you to part with your $$$.

 

Still don't know which nights are gala, but I could get it to show me my bar code. Not relying on that, I have hard copy. 

[CNSJ]

21 hours ago, lissie said:

You only need a jacket and tie on formal nights on Cunard now.  On informal nights the code is a "collared shirt" - which on a recent cruise I saw interpreted as a polo shirt - though most wore business style shirts, often short sleeved as it was a warm weather cruise. 

This could be a game changer for me.  So.....If I read the Cunard forum will I read about the dress code being changed and how horrible it is?