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HAL gets Oprah - here is what Princess is getting


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From the LA Times - Princess launches new "celebrity" speakers programs, while we get one-note new age branding queen Oprah:

http://www.latimes.com/travel/cruises/la-tr-cruises-princess-new-speakers-series-20180415-story.html

 

(Excuse me while I remind myself I still sail HAL to travel and learn about new places; not to be entertained by those unrelated to the travel experience. How did Debbie Reynolds become a HAL ship "godmother" anyway? )

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Oprah is an international superstar (whether you like it or not). Lainie Kazan was recently arrested for shoplifting at a grocery store.

 

Oprah's name alone was real star power in her last movie - except it totally bombed. She is only a legend in her own mind. Oprah is now running on fumes of past glories and very shrewd marketing cons.

 

Point is, why has travel now turned into competing "celebrity" showcases.

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Oprah is an international superstar (whether you like it or not). Lainie Kazan was recently arrested for shoplifting at a grocery store.

 

 

Aside from telling the rest of us how to live, what is the basis for her INTERNTIONal stardom?

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It's really an apples to oranges comparison.

 

Oprah's name does still mean something to lots and lots of people, arguably more-so than the America's Test Kitchen or B.B. King affiliations. She is still very much a powerful media mogul. People were seriously considering her as a Presidential candidate just a couple of months ago based on one speech. Linda Gray could give the same speech and be met with crickets.

 

The speaker series on Princess is with decidedly much lower-level celebrities who would appeal to a very niche audience that might remember them. I actually would love to hear a Lainie Kazan talk on a cruise, but to compare her or any of the other celebs mentioned in that article to an A-lister like Oprah is a bit of a stretch, to put it politely.

 

And HAL hasn't turned everything into the Oprah Show at Sea. It's an advertising affiliation meant to entice her fans.

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It's really an apples to oranges comparison.

 

Oprah's name does still mean something to lots and lots of people, arguably more-so than the America's Test Kitchen or B.B. King affiliations. She is still very much a powerful media mogul. People were seriously considering her as a Presidential candidate just a couple of months ago based on one speech. Linda Gray could give the same speech and be met with crickets.

 

The speaker series on Princess is with decidedly much lower-level celebrities who would appeal to a very niche audience that might remember them. I actually would love to hear a Lainie Kazan talk on a cruise, but to compare her or any of the other celebs mentioned in that article to an A-lister like Oprah is a bit of a stretch, to put it politely.

 

And HAL hasn't turned everything into the Oprah Show at Sea. It's an advertising affiliation meant to entice her fans.

 

(bold is mine) Thank you! Except for the few O-themed cruises, it's easy to avoid the O stuff on the rest of the cruises. You'd think HAL was painting big Os on the sides of the ships, the way some people go on about it.

 

I bet Lainie Kazan would be very entertaining. None of the Princess celebrities strike me as headliners. But give Princess credit for offering something different for entertainment.

 

Cunard has had guest speakers as long as I can remember. Not all are celebrities. Yes, there are actors and authors, some pretty big names. But also scientists, economists, historians. Usually a nice balance to the slate.

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From the LA Times - Princess launches new "celebrity" speakers programs, while we get one-note new age branding queen Oprah:

http://www.latimes.com/travel/cruises/la-tr-cruises-princess-new-speakers-series-20180415-story.html

 

(Excuse me while I remind myself I still sail HAL to travel and learn about new places; not to be entertained by those unrelated to the travel experience. How did Debbie Reynolds become a HAL ship "godmother" anyway? )

Brings a whole new meaning to C (Sea) List Celebrities.
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I hve no plan to spend any of my money on cruises that rave a bout t heir on b oard celebrity They are promoting. I would d resent them an their entourage parading round the ship letting us know how specail they are. Why not fill the cabins with c ruise stsaff that used to provide great fun.

 

Where is . Kirk Lanterman?

 

 

In stead of giving these full of hemselves celebrities cab ins go sleep in. Why not

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Actually, I heard Linda Gray speak on the Ruby Princess last Fall and she was interesting. Of course, she would appeal to my age group who watched Dallas when ever it was on. The room was packed and of course, she signed her book after her talk.

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Being an international star does not mean she is known in every country known to man.

 

So let's revise for the pedants: Oprah is much better known in contemporary culture than anyone listed in the news article, including in countries that are not the United States.

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It’s all about advertising and increasing customers and profits. I wouldn’t take a cruise based on a celebrity being on board, but a lot of people do. If it increases business, they will continue to promote and expand it. If it doesn’t increase profits, it will quietly fade away. In today’s world of Twitter, Instagram and celebrity focus, there are a lot more people that will be interested than most people realize.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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We all cruise for our own personal reasons, likes, and preferences. Personally, a particular entertainment personality, celebrity affiliation, or celebrity endorsement holds no value to me. I'll go so far as to express that I do not understand why any cruise line is wasting money on these things when they could otherwise be spending that money on more widely appealing entertainment. IMHO cruise lines are experimenting with ways of saving money by providing cheaper forms of so-called entertainment, and they think by attaching a celebrity's name to it, it makes it attractive to passengers. I do not personally fall into the demographic that values that.

 

This trend cheapens the cruising experience IMHO.

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It's really an apples to oranges comparison.

 

Oprah's name does still mean something to lots and lots of people, arguably more-so than the America's Test Kitchen or B.B. King affiliations. She is still very much a powerful media mogul. People were seriously considering her as a Presidential candidate just a couple of months ago based on one speech. Linda Gray could give the same speech and be met with crickets.

 

The speaker series on Princess is with decidedly much lower-level celebrities who would appeal to a very niche audience that might remember them. I actually would love to hear a Lainie Kazan talk on a cruise, but to compare her or any of the other celebs mentioned in that article to an A-lister like Oprah is a bit of a stretch, to put it politely.

 

And HAL hasn't turned everything into the Oprah Show at Sea. It's an advertising affiliation meant to entice her fans.

 

This.Some here(repeatedly) like to make it sound like everything Oprah is In. Your. Face.

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Maybe because some of us m ight think O's style is in our face. and perhaps some of us don't like her style?

 

SOME of us do not find putting celebrities on a HAL ship makes us eager to run to sail with them . We are not all star struck and the Hollywood crowd is no enticement for some of us.

Edited by sail7seas
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Have been on three different Hal dam ships with 'O' shops and the general opinion is they are too expensive, lack of sales force and people really do not see that this is a betterment for the cruise line, And I am one of those.

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