New HAL cabin picture/review site: what do you want it to be?

[sppunk]

Good evening.

 

By now you likely have heard the much-loved website featureing HAL cabin photos and reviews sent in from CC members is soon to be going away. This thread is not and will not be a discussion on Joanie, her site, the reason for shuttering, or anything else of that sort. I personally want to thank Joanie for her time and effort on this tremendous resource.

 

Moving on. Many realize this is a resource that is heavily used and one we should keep going. richwmn (of deck plan fame), Kazu (of awesome fame) and myself (of no fame whatsoever) have been in discussion to set up a new cabin picture site.

 

We want your input. Is there anything specific - aside from cabin pictures and corresponding notes - you would like to see REGARDING CABINS ONLY?

 

Please note this potential site will not feature cruise reviews, deck plans or other info available on HALs site. It is dedicated to specific cabin info.

 

Please post your thoughts here, but do keep in mind this is a labor of love and not all can/will be incorporated into the new site.

 

There is no timetable for this site. We just want to get the ball rolling so future cruisers aren't left in the dark. Thanks!

[Windsailer]

I think it's awesome you three are doing this. Just cabin photos and comments about the cabins would work for me and my friends. No need to include the HAL description of what's included in each type of room. Or copy the photos that are on the HAL web site.

[innlady1]

Thanks for doing this, you three! As you suggest, keeping it simple is best. Photos of the various cabins on different ships and perhaps some public space would work for cruisers.

 

I will get mine together to send you.

[RuthC]

Thank you for taking on the task to provide this valuable resource.

 

I would like to see the site with fairly short pages, so that I could jump quickly to what I am looking for. For example, each ship, then perhaps each cabin category, then even perhaps by deck.

A simple organization to get to what I am looking for, without scrolling past a lot of what I am not looking for, would be helpful.

 

Best of luck getting this project off the ground.

[sapper1]

Thank you for taking the iniative. I do have some photos that I would be happy to send along and I will be sure to take pictures on future cruises just for your site.

 

I also think the site shoul be uncluttered and easy to navigate with just the cabin pictures and perhaps pictures of common areas of the ships as well.

 

I just know your idea will be well received and will be a big hit on CC. Let us know where and when to start sending pictures.

[jtl513]

I would like to see just what Joanie's started out to be, simply a collection of photos and brief comments by the photographer. To satisfy most requests for photos, it would only need five (next year six) sections, one for each class of ship, without any cabin category prefixes (just the room numbers) in case HAL decides to do any more re-classifications! :)

 

edit: I guess for the ships with lanai cabins you would need a sub-group of the R and S classes.

Edited January 11, 2014 by jtl513

[ellieanne]

I think it would be good if it were organized by class of ship, with specifics as to which cabin the photos are with the photos.

 

For example, the cabins on all the S-Class ships are similar, as are the Vista, and the Pinnacle Class ships. If I'm looking for information on Ryndam Cabins, the corresponding cabins on the Statendam or Maasdam will be similar. Likewise cabins on the Westerdam will be similar to the Oosterdam and Nordam. So my pictures of my recent cabin on the Eurodam would be labeled Eurodam 1001 (2013), but in the section with the Pinnacle Class ships. Photos of my cabin on the Maasdam would be labeled Maasdam 714 (2010) and in the section with S-Class ships. Or something similar.

 

I think it might also be useful to have a date with the pictures, just so people know how recent they are.

 

Obviously this will be different for the lanai cabins or the special balcony categories on the Eurodam & NA (I don't remember their names, but they have Juliet balconies), but those can have a special section.

 

I hope I'm making sense.

Edited January 11, 2014 by ellieanne

[startwin]

Oh yes please, something organised by class of ship, then ship, then cabin category would be wonderful. Or would it be easier to list them and pictures in alpha order? As long as it's simple and easy to navigate, that would be great. Awesome that the three of you are taking this on. I will start sorting my photos....

Edited January 11, 2014 by startwin

[sunnygidget]

Pictures of handicap cabins with baths included.

Pictures of 3 person cabins made up in the 3 person configurations.

Pictures of 4 person cabins made up in the 4 person configurations.

The actual view from a partial view cabin window, all varieties.

Thank you for doing this, I will miss Joanie's pictures, we really count on them.

[zelker]

Thanks for volunteering to take this on.... a well used resource for sure.

 

A suggestion: if you haven't already checked them out, how about something similar to the ones on Celebrity? IMHO, they're extremely easy to search/navigate, even if you don't want to set it up in a spreadsheet format and it's straightforward in the format to fill out info about a cabin. People are asked not to post specific cabin questions on the thread as well which keeps it uncluttered.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=911018

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1911871 (this one was started this past fall and is based on the S Class ships)

 

Just a thought............

 

Cheers!

 

Barb

[richwmn]

Good evening all!

 

Pictures / comments to be included on the new cabin site can be sent to

 

pictures@halfacts.com

 

this address has been set up for this purpose only. Please forward any

comments to one of us working on the site.

 

Thanks to all

 

Rich

[alwaysfrantic]

Clickable links and easy to navigate!

[sppunk]

Pictures of handicap cabins with baths included.

Pictures of 3 person cabins made up in the 3 person configurations.

Pictures of 4 person cabins made up in the 4 person configurations.

The actual view from a partial view cabin window, all varieties.

Thank you for doing this, I will miss Joanie's pictures, we really count on them.

 

As always, the resources available are wholly dependent on members submitting their photos. :)

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts so far. Rich has posted a good starting point already, a dedicated email address for this venture. :)

[OHCruiser]

Searchable by ship and cabin number, please.

 

I know that somewhere in the ether, there are photos of many rooms, but I rarely find them easily.

[Cruzin Terri]

I have some pictures I will be glad contribute. However, it must wait until I am at my home computer.

Terri

[sail7seas]

Thanks to the three of you for doing this.

It is very generous of you to contribute the time and energy.

 

[rwams]

Thank you to all for doing this. I will send some pictures that I have soon.

Rick

[msteries]

Thank you so very much for taking on the job!

 

I do not think the HAL generated explanation of cabin types and amenities needs to be replicated, esp. since all that is available on the Hal site. Great if one could search by ship then cabin number.

 

Perhaps a short intro page on your site inviting pictures and emphasizing some particular shots as being extra helpful would be a good idea. Things like whether or not a scooter would fit in that particular cabin (or have to be parked out in the hall). Have those staying in veranda cabins by those elevators photograph any people they see looking out, thus answering privacy questions. Pictures of all the deeper, larger, or on the hump verandas. Some shots that really show what it looks like when you sit in a veranda with the steel or plexiglass railings. One nice pic on Joanie's site illustrated very clearly just how much is obscured by a lifeboat. (not as bad as I feared). I have also wondered how hard it is to walk about a cabin when all the beds and sofa bed are laid out for sleep. What's it like to sleep under a wall hanging bunk? Are there ladders? And bathroom shots: number of sinks, shower curtain or one of those horrid water cylinder things? Perhaps this one will gone you a laugh - shot of corner cabinet door open to show the hair dryer and extra glasses. My first Hal cruise I washed out two glasses over and over, and never did find the hair dryer!

 

I have pictures to send. If you get swamped please let us know.

 

In deep gassho to Joanie, and now you three, for your time and effort. I was mourning the loss of the site!

Mary

[AlohaPride]

Thank you!! I have pictures I can send and will be able to take pictures of a 4 person cabin in 4 person set up this August :)

[lindaler]

Views of obstructed views and partial views would help as well as different cabin types. But I would also like to know if certain cabins have problems like the one next to the doors on the promenade or the inside cabin next to the laundry mat. It would be good to see how connecting doors change a cabin layout. It's the details of the cabin that can make a difference.

[USN59-79]

I would like to know how they measure the size of a cabin. Does it include the closet or the bathroom? For example, we had an inside cabin on the Prinsendam last Spring. The HAL site lists 3 categories, calls them standard or large (but doesn't tell you which is which) and lists the size as about 128 sq ft. Ours (503) was so small that it had no chair or table or loveseat - you had to sit on the bed. I would guess there was 28 square feet of floor space in the cabin not counting the walk in closet and bath. We loved the ship and later in the year booked a large outside cabin which was very satisfactory. I would hope the website would show if there really is a large inside cabin on the Prinsendam and where it is.

[Dancuboz]

Thank you to all three of you for volunteering to maintain this wonderful resource. I have photos of cabins from The Volendam and Oosterdam if needed. In appreciation of your initiative, time and help to us cruisers, Danny

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Aegis1984]

If you want to add photos of various parts of the ships, just say the word. I'll be on the Zuiderdam in just under two months, hopefully with a new wide-angle lens by then, and I'll be glad to snap whatever I can to help.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Aegis1984

[t60]

Thank you for setting this up. We are first time Hal cruisers and it was difficult to find info on the cabins we were checking.

Pix of partial and fully obstructed views would have been helpful along with any comments regarding noise (and times of )from decks above the cabin and along the corridors from laundrettes, stewards service stations etc

 

Sandy in Spain

[RollieUK]

I think it would be very useful to have dates on the photos. Some of the photos on the existing site are quite old and things have changed since they were taken. It might also be useful to delete photos after a certain length of time or when a later photo of that cabin type is available.

 

As someone has already mentioned, it would also be good to know the size of the cabin and the balcony as HAL gives ranges of sizes.