New survey - watch your email

[Mary229]

HAL sent out a new survey.  It is about entertainment onboard and shore excursions.  Watch for it 

[SeaCapt]

The one I received yesterday was all about food, dining areas, specialty dining, celebrity chefs, etc.

[Colorado Klutch]

Celebrity chefs? I thought the whole celebrity chef thing was played out. Seems Las Vegas is finally learning that lesson after so many celebrity chef restaurants went bust. 

[StLouisCruisers]

We haven't seen a HAL survey yet but just now received one from Princess wanting our opinion on cruise destinations.  DH said he'd take a look at it and offer his viewpoints.  Would enjoy seeing what HAL would like our views on though.

[Crew News]

My HAL survey yesterday was about entertainment.

[SeaCapt]

3 hours ago, Colorado Klutch said:

Celebrity chefs? I thought the whole celebrity chef thing was played out. Seems Las Vegas is finally learning that lesson after so many celebrity chef restaurants went bust. 

Yeah, I think they were confirming that they are indeed played out. They listed  5 or 6, and asked if I had heard of any of them, asked if I was influenced by having them, or choosing HAL because their food was designed by them, etc.  I imagine they paid plenty to use the names, and are now hopefully deciding to spend that money elsewhere.

[Mary229]

I agree with @SeaCapt, the days of paying licensing fees may be finally behind us.   People aren’t as enamored with brand names anymore.  In my mind the independent artists or chef are far more interesting than the canned entertainment and hot menus of celebrity.  I don’t even understand how Mac and cheese became a thing. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

The mac and cheese is from Beechers, a cheese maker in Seattle, just down the street from the original Starbucks. I think Starbucks has/had something from Beechers, maybe a cheese sandwich? So Starbucks made Beechers cheese famous. I still can't believe HAL charges $10 extra for the mac and cheese in Pinnacle. Who goes to a "steakhouse" to eat mac and cheese? (especially when there's no charge for it in the Lido)

 

HAL has liked to boast about around Names for years. BB King, Billboard, Lincoln Center, Rolling Stone, ATK, Oprah, The Culinary Council chefs. It's like they felt they had to prop up their own brand by linking to other brands/names. 

 

[Colorado Klutch]

HAL could do a Rachael Ray tie-in and feature multiple versions of homemade, 15-minute Hamburger Helper. Mmmmmm...

[Mary229]

16 minutes ago, Colorado Klutch said:

HAL could do a Rachael Ray tie-in and feature multiple versions of homemade, 15-minute Hamburger Helper. Mmmmmm...

They had America’s test kitchen, though entertaining on tv it was far from fine cuisine.  It was yummy, fattening, all-American diner and BBQ food dressed up in a multi media package.  Literally putting lipstick on a pig. 
 

Don’t get me going on their music walk brands.  Loyal HAL fans would burn me at the stake 

Edited January 31, 2023 by Mary229

[REOVA]

19 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

They had America’s test kitchen...

 

 

Loved the old cooking and tasting events.  And then the cooking shows (with recipes which may appear on menu that week). At least the 2020 GWC had a local chef in SA that did cooking demos in the movie theater (smelled great). 

 

 

19 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Don’t get me going on their music walk brands.  Loyal HAL fans would burn me at the stake 

You mean there are still loyal HAL fans on here....🥴

[Mary229]

20 minutes ago, REOVA said:

Loved the old cooking and tasting events.  And then the cooking shows (with recipes which may appear on menu that week). At least the 2020 GWC had a local chef in SA that did cooking demos in the movie theater (smelled great). 

 

 

You mean there are still loyal HAL fans on here....🥴

Don’t get me wrong, I like a cooking show but I prefer the local experience or a resident chef’s presentation. 
 

Don’t get me wrong about HAL either, I find their product most suitable to my criteria but I definitely know their weaknesses.  I am content to look past some weaknesses as long as they continue to provide those things I consider primary criteria 

[syesmar]

6 hours ago, SeaCapt said:

The one I received yesterday was all about food, dining areas, specialty dining, celebrity chefs, etc.

My husband received this one today. I haven’t received one yet.

[Florida_gal_50]

Haven’t seen a survey.

 

My last cruise was supposed to be a culinary cruise.  I didn’t book it for that.  It just happened.  Chef Rudi was on there, that was about the extent of it.

[syesmar]

14 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

…Chef Rudi was on there….

One Mediterranean sailing, Sirio and Egidiana Maccioni of Le Cirque were on board. They did a special talk and some cooking shows. She made fresh ravioli in one and it was such fun. Good times!

Edited February 1, 2023 by syesmar

[Banditswife]

I got the food survey.  None of the chef names really meant anything to me.  I've read them on here, but no where else really.

[0106]

On 1/31/2023 at 3:41 PM, 3rdGenCunarder said:

still can't believe HAL charges $10 extra for the mac and cheese in Pinnacle. Who goes to a "steakhouse" to eat mac and cheese? (especially when there's no charge for it in the Lido)

The mac & cheese in Pinnacle contains lobster; I think that is why there is a $10 up charge.  However, I agree that the Mac & cheese in the Lido is good.

 

I enjoyed several cooking demonstrations on the Oosterdam transatlantic in November 2022.  Particularly entertaining was a Chopped style cook off between the captain and the head of housekeeping.  It was so popular, they ended up broadcasting it in the main theater.  

I have not received a survey.

[Mary229]

4 minutes ago, 0106 said:

The mac & cheese in Pinnacle contains lobster; I think that is why there is a $10 up charge.  However, I agree that the Mac & cheese in the Lido is good.

 

I enjoyed several cooking demonstrations on the Oosterdam transatlantic in November 2022.  Particularly entertaining was a Chopped style cook off between the captain and the head of housekeeping.  It was so popular, they ended up broadcasting it in the main theater.  

I have not received a survey.

Those are the cooking demos everyone enjoyed before they came up with those America Test Kitchen.    I am glad to see them return. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

20 minutes ago, 0106 said:

The mac & cheese in Pinnacle contains lobster; I think that is why there is a $10 up charge.  However, I agree that the Mac & cheese in the Lido is good.

 

I enjoyed several cooking demonstrations on the Oosterdam transatlantic in November 2022.  Particularly entertaining was a Chopped style cook off between the captain and the head of housekeeping.  It was so popular, they ended up broadcasting it in the main theater.  

I have not received a survey.

 

I could have sworn the mac and cheese just said "Beecher's," but lobster added to it would explain the charge.

 

That cooking demo looks like fun! I would love to see more like that. Good to know the kitchen is still back there, at least on some ships. 

[Crew News]

Four years ago on the Koningsdam, a guest chef from the Nassau Flying Fish Restaurant was onboard for cooking demos every day, a cooking class for 12 of us, and his daily specials added to the MDR menus each night.  Tim Tibbets was a wealth of information and extended all of his cooking demos to answer every question.  Tim was not a celebrity chef but a true restaurateur that made that cruise special.

 

If HAL would invite more non-celebrity chefs like Tim, it would enhance the HAL entertainment options.

[GeezerCouple]

On 1/31/2023 at 7:22 AM, Mary229 said:

HAL sent out a new survey.  It is about entertainment onboard and shore excursions.  Watch for it 

 

The formatting didn't allow for good answers.  Being forced to select among the answers ends up being misleading.

 

Yes, in another life, I managed a few projects like this for a while.

GIGO. 😠

 

GC

[3rdGenCunarder]

10 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

The formatting didn't allow for good answers.  Being forced to select among the answers ends up being misleading.

 

Yes, in another life, I managed a few projects like this for a while.

GIGO. 😠

 

GC

 

I haven't heard GIGO in a long time, but it's still true!

 

I didn't get the survey, but I know what you mean. There's one that shows up on Cunard's survey often. It's a in list of agree/disagree statements. "I don't like to dress up; I like to be comfortable." I don't see those two things as mutually exclusive. I like to dress up and I have learned how to choose comfortable formal wear. So do I agree or disagree with this statement????

 

Did the survey have places to add info the way the post-cruise survey does?

Edited February 2, 2023 by 3rdGenCunarder
typo

[GeezerCouple]

5 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I haven't heard GIGO in a long time, but it's still true!

 

I didn't get the survey, but I know what you mean. There's one that shows up on Cunard's survey often. It's a in list of agree/disagree statements. "I don't like to dress up; I like to be comfortable." I don't see those two things as mutually exclusive. I like to dress up and I have learned how to choose comfortable formal wear. So do I agree or disagree with this statement????

 

Did the survey have places to add info the way the post-cruise survey does?

 

"So do I agree or disagree with this statement????"

 

Well, the answer to that question is obviously:  "Yes!"  

🤔

 

And that's about as helpful as other ambiguous questions.

Without allowing for any type of reason, and no "other, please explain:____" choice, it can be worse than meaningless.  I realized that a few of my answers would most likely be interpreted incorrectly.

 

One main one was that they asked about types of entertainment.  Note that we are among those for whom Lincoln Center Stage (or *some* type of quality classical chamber music; there's no room for a full orchestra!) is VERY important.  THAT, for us, is what sets HAL in a special category!

 

So... a key question was something like, "How important is musical entertainment to you in selecting a cruise?"

Okay, if I answer, "not at all", that certainly doesn't capture our opinion.

But if I answer "very important", to the question as phrased just above, how likely is it that someone tabulating responses is going to assume it means blaring music at the pool, or perhaps a production musical performance?  "Classical music" just is NOT going to be top of the mind for those reading the results.... not when the question was worded that way!

 

Yes, having a "please explain:_____" or "other:_____" category will cost more for the time of someone categorizing, etc.  But *sometimes* that's the only way to get the information that is meaningful.

 

Sigh.

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Did the survey have places to add info the way the post-cruise survey does?

There were some slots for a custom answer.  It mainly was multiple choice or select 3 from a list 

[KroozNut]

On 1/31/2023 at 1:51 PM, Mary229 said:

I definitely know their weaknesses.  I am content to look past some weaknesses as long as they continue to provide those things I consider primary criteria 

 

Care to share your opinion of some of their weaknesses, or is the list too long and you'd rather not take the time?