New HAL Audible Partnership

[Mary229]

You spoke, they listened and now they want to sell you something 

 

 

Discover captivating stories and curated playlists in our monthly Book Club with Audible! Follow us on social media and dive into a world of literature on board and off, connect with fellow book lovers and enjoy our monthly must‑reads. Join in the Conversation: Engage with fellow mariners and literary enthusiasts in our monthly book club discussions on social media! Dive in each month as we reveal our AudioBook of the Month. Follow us to share your thoughts and insights on each featured read. Curated Destination-Focused Playlists: Carefully selected collections tailored to reflect our global itineraries. In-Stateroom Content Onboard: Enjoy access to exclusive content in the comfort of your stateroom, allowing you to unwind anytime during your cruise.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER We're offering all our guests an exclusive 2‑month extended free trial of Audible Premium Plus, so you can continue your literary adventures long after your cruise ends.* Try Audible Free New members only. Auto-renews after 2 month trial. Cancel anytime.

[taxmantoo]

I'll pass 🥱

[Sea42]

I already have a subscription. I love audio books and never drive without one or a podcast. I'll have to see if I can access this.

I like the idea of destination inspired content.

[secondtime]

So HAL wants to charge us for access to some of their global itinerary information?  It should be free on their website to entice us to book cruises.  I wonder how reliable access to this new program will be as the HAL website and Navigator app are often close to useless. 

[Sea42]

1 minute ago, secondtime said:

So HAL wants to charge us for access to some of their global itinerary information?  It should be free on their website to entice us to book cruises.  I wonder how reliable access to this new program will be as the HAL website and Navigator app are often close to useless. 

I don't think that's what's being offered. I don't think the content is being produced or written by HAL. It appears to be like other book clubs. Just recommendations of works published by others based on particular itineraries. 

 

[Sea42]

Following the link in the email the recommendations are grouped by region.

Alaska - Braving It, Wild Journeys, A Shape in the Dark

Seems a mix of fiction and nonfiction.

First monthly book club selection is a James Patterson  - no thanks!

 

 

[gknep]

I still enjoy actually reading books. I cannot get the hang of listening to them on a regular basis. 

 

[Sea42]

5 minutes ago, gknep said:

I still enjoy actually reading books. I cannot get the hang of listening to them on a regular basis. 

 

Living in a rural area I spend a lot of time in my car. Audio books and podcasts make the drive much more enjoyable.  Definitely not the same as reading though. More like someone telling you a story.

[bajae]

2 hours ago, Sea42 said:

Living in a rural area I spend a lot of time in my car. Audio books and podcasts make the drive much more enjoyable.  Definitely not the same as reading though. More like someone telling you a story.

Same, I enjoy both methods but listening allows me to “read” a book when I’m busy doing other things; driving, cleaning, gardening, etc. 

[sunviking90]

5 hours ago, gknep said:

I still enjoy actually reading books. I cannot get the hang of listening to them on a regular basis. 

 

Same. I have tried audio books when my library only had that option of a particular book I wanted, but I find the reader’s voice a distraction, for fiction anyway. So much of the enjoyment of a good book to me is how you picture and hear things in your own mind while reading.

I know many enjoy audio books though by choice or necessity, so they’re a great option to have.

[oakridger]

39 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

 So much of the enjoyment of a good book to me is how you picture and hear things in your own mind while reading.

I know many enjoy audio books though by choice or necessity, so they’re a great option to have.

 

Most of my friends love audio books and podcasts, but I don't.  I've been an avid reader since I learned how to read but cannot bear to be read to!  I don't know why, but my good friends and family know to never try to read me an article or anything.  If I can see the speaker like in a TED talk that's fine for some reason.

🤷‍♀️

Why is HAL even getting involved in something like this?  Fix the entertainment, IT and food offerings before spending resources on this.   Bottom line, no HAL Audible for me!

 

~Nancy

 

 

[Taters]

I'm love the HAL libraries onboard and am so pleased they brought them back.  That is my go-to for a good book while onboard.

[Will_Dieterich]

Interesting advertisement tie-in.  Not that good of an idea if you are already an amazon prime customer you can get 3 months of the same audible tier for free.

[VMax1700]

6 hours ago, oakridger said:

Why is HAL even getting involved in something like this?  Fix the entertainment, IT and food offerings before spending resources on this.

Agree so much, but is it costing HAL money or is it an income stream?  Do they receive a commission on renewals?   

To me, this is a bit like the Oprah connection.  Good idea for someone, but not for HAL.

[Shalandara]

So, some of this is probably the idea of keeping people interested in HAL even when not on the boat. By promoting book clubs that meet outside of the actual cruise they are fostering a community spirit that is not involved with "commercial" social media or similar (such as our forums or FaceBook, etc.)  So in that sense people on these forums are *not* the target demographic although if they pull us in as well that is fine.  Also forums/places where they can slightly control the feed as well as see exactly who is interacting in order for them to get a better sense of demographics.  (Its all about metadata at times).

Seeing as how many people cannot detach themselves from their electronic devices giving them a hook to continue to do so on board is another point of consideration.  And remember that they are seeking to expand the demographics on board -- so things that you might not think is nice or attractive might be to someone who they want to court and keep as a customer.

Also add in the weight and bag limits when flying -- those paper books add up.  And if trying to fly without checking any luggage (it can be done depending upon itineray, cruise length, personal clothing preferences) those books get left behind at home.

[kansas2018]

My personal gut reaction to this offering:

What were they smoking when they came up with this idea....

[Mary229]

22 minutes ago, kansas2018 said:

My personal gut reaction to this offering:

What were they smoking when they came up with this idea....

I am assuming it cost them nothing but yields potential profit sharing by lending their mailing list. 

[Kay S]

1 hour ago, kansas2018 said:

My personal gut reaction to this offering:

What were they smoking when they came up with this idea....

I hope they were doing it in the designated area. 🙂  I have never been able to get into the Audible thing, but a friend of mine tells me it's very popular.

[Sea42]

2 hours ago, Kay S said:

I hope they were doing it in the designated area. 🙂  I have never been able to get into the Audible thing, but a friend of mine tells me it's very popular.

Yes, about 20 million users per month.

[Sherry H]

As my husband has lost most of his vision, audible books are a HUGE blessing!

[Sherry H]

I should also mention that the local library allows you to check out audible books at no charge.

Game changer! 

[Mary229]

4 minutes ago, Sherry H said:

I should also mention that the local library allows you to check out audible books at no charge.

Game changer! 

This is what I do. 

[cruisemom42]

When I had to commute to work almost an hour each way, I listened to audiobooks sometimes as a way to keep my stress levels down in rush-hour traffic with crazy-stupid drivers. I tend to gravitate troward those where the author reads her or his own work as I feel they know best where to place the emphasis or how to shade any given reading....

 

Now that I've retired, I am much less interested in them, though. Maybe on a long car trip....

[happercamper]

My husband and I will download an audible book before each cruise.  We try to find one that has something to do with the places we will see.  Example - Thunderstruck by Erik Larson for Nova Scotia and To Wake the Sleeping Giant by Jeff Shaara for Pearl Harbor.  We listen to the book together during our down time most afternoons and find we enjoy discussing the book at dinner.  Everyone has their own way of cruising and there is no One Size Fits All.  If this is not you thing then by all means don't try it.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

On 4/5/2024 at 10:13 PM, Sea42 said:

Yes, about 20 million users per month.

If that number is correct, then it's a good idea