Bridge Cam on Holland America?

We will be taking our first HAL cruise on 5/21 to Alaksa on the Westerdam. Our only other cruise was on Princess last year. I know on the Princess website you can view the bridge cams that are on each individual ship - this was cool because my friends and family could see what the weather was like in each of the ports we visited. Does HAL have this feature? I have searched their site, but I can't see to find anything similar.

I really love this forum - there is such great information! I wish we were leaving tomorrow!:o

Sorry, there are no internet cams on HAL ships. But many ports do have them - check the Krooze Cams web site...

While aboard the ships, you can see the "View from the Bridge" on the tv in your cabin. If someone has an inside cabin, they can see what the weather is outside when dressing in the morning.

Unfortunately, HAL does not have cams we can see from our computers at home. Sure would love it they had them.

Unfortunately, HAL does not have cams we can see from our computers at home. Sure would love it they had them.

on our celebrity cruise they have a cam in the computer lounge and we arranged to be there on a certain time and date and the following pic was taken of us and our friends

What a great photo! Looks like you guys were having a great time!:D

What a great photo! Looks like you guys were having a great time!:D

thats the idea of cruising -- comes with a "great time" guarantee

just remember what will rogers said " i never met a cruise i didnt like"

I wish they had them, too.

When we sailed the Sea Princess years ago we were in port and called our DD from the ship's atrium. They had a camera there and DD captured the picture of us waving to her.

I do wish that HAL would install web cams on their ships. The best example to follow is Costa, who has cameras in the front as well as the back and also shows you where the ship is on a map. Maybe its time for HAL to enter the 21st century. It would be a great sales enhancement tool.

I do wish that HAL would install web cams on their ships. The best example to follow is Costa, who has cameras in the front as well as the back and also shows you where the ship is on a map. Maybe its time for HAL to enter the 21st century. It would be a great sales enhancement tool.

I must be missing the obvious :) but what is the 'sales enhancement' to having web cams? Where is their revenue to be garnered?

I must be missing the obvious :) but what is the 'sales enhancement' to having web cams? Where is their revenue to be garnered?

why does money have to be the driving force for everything the cruise line does??? celebrity does it for free and i dont think it hurts their bottom line ----------------after all hal spent tons of money refurbishing and upgrading all ships of the line and i would bet that installing a lab camera on each ship would not have moved the total cost decimal point in either direction

i do agree with you sail in this regard--i doubt that anyone would sail on hal just because of a web cam --free or for a nominal cost- and then they could add a bar like tip

I feel that most of us on this thread rather cruise with HAL than any other cruise line; I for one would simply like to view HAL webcams to get a feeling of being back home on one their ships.

Webcams do not produce any revenue, per se, but neither does advertising. In fact, both cost the cruise line money. You don't pay to see a Carnival or Celebrity commercial on TV or a HAL print ad.

I imagine that one of the reasons for installing webcams is that the cruise lines that have them believe that people, like us, sitting at home, dreaming of our next (or perhaps, first) cruise, will view their ships on the webcam and be at least a little bit pre-disposed to book with that cruise line.

Once the decision is made to spend the rather large sums of money necessary to have internet access aboard ships, via satellite, adding a webcam is virtually free. That's one of the reasons that I don't understand why HAL doesn't have them. They already have the bridge cameras that show on closed circuit TV in the cabins. Digitizing that and sending it out over the web is cheap and easy. But then, HAL doesn't seem to be able to get a simple thing like the immigration form on their landlocked website to work. :)

Paul Noble

Oosterdam, Mexican Riviera, April 15, 2006 (31 days!!!)

Sail7Seas,

Hope your PI day was well .

MY Fathers side is from MA so yes New England frugality is inherent. The Dutch in me saves our Dubeljas more...

Having Cameras as the parent World Cruise (Carnival Corp. NYSE:CCL ) does is just another enhancement.

With suggestions from you they do listen.

Having even a cam with signage visible and with a 800 line showing in the cams site that will help create more calls and thusly more bookings...it also shows the current climatic conditons... etc...

:D

While aboard the ships, you can see the "View from the Bridge" on the tv in your cabin. If someone has an inside cabin, they can see what the weather is outside when dressing in the morning.

 

Unfortunately, HAL does not have cams we can see from our computers at home. Sure would love it they had them.