Big Announcement coming soon (Week of 10/26?)

[RocketMan275]

My guess is that most of the changes will be in food and entertainment. Perhaps a total overhaul of on board food service- possible re-branding of some food venues. Would not be surprised to see fixed dining times gone.

I'm guessing entertainment will be more like what has been announced for Koningsdam. Move variety in venues

Possibly more "enhancements" for suites may be included.

Most of these changes can be made while sailing similar to Dive-In concept. If HAL is looking to create a new image waiting sometimes up to 2 years for a major dry dock would seem counter productive.

 

Food, entertainment, and marketing. Whatever is planned, it should be obvious that HAL is going to try to shed the, rightly or wrongly, perceived image as a cruise line for the elderly. It could be something like a new marketing campaign with a new marketing image. Kind of like the "It's not your father's Buick". That would be consistent with the Formal nights to Gala nights change already made.

[Topsham]

New slogan....

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEST DAM SHIPS

[TheEmerson]

New slogan....

 

 

Na, it is not buzz word compliant.

 

 

 

BEST DAM SHIPS

 

Best Dam Ships in the Cloud

Best Social Ships in the Cloud

Best Connected Ships in the Social Cloud

[3rdGenCunarder]

My guess is that most of the changes will be in food and entertainment. Perhaps a total overhaul of on board food service- possible re-branding of some food venues. Would not be surprised to see fixed dining times gone.

I'm guessing entertainment will be more like what has been announced for Koningsdam. Move variety in venues

Possibly more "enhancements" for suites may be included.

Most of these changes can be made while sailing similar to Dive-In concept. If HAL is looking to create a new image waiting sometimes up to 2 years for a major dry dock would seem counter productive.

 

I don't know what other enhancements they can do for the suites. On some lines, the suite lounge serves drinks, but the Neptune Lounges aren't big enough for that. On some lines, the suites get a separate dining room. There's no room to add one without extensive work, and I can't imagine HAL making Pinnacle the suite dining room. They would lose revenue and make MANY people unhappy about the change from an available-to-all space to a suites-only space.

[POA1]

I don't know what other enhancements they can do for the suites. On some lines, the suite lounge serves drinks, but the Neptune Lounges aren't big enough for that. On some lines, the suites get a separate dining room. There's no room to add one without extensive work, and I can't imagine HAL making Pinnacle the suite dining room. They would lose revenue and make MANY people unhappy about the change from an available-to-all space to a suites-only space.

Celebrity carved space out of their MDR to make Luminae. It's a very pretty room, but it's definitely an awkward hack out of the dining room.

 

Regardless, I don't think that it qualifies as somewhere that cruise lines haven't gone before.

[Aquahound]

Food, entertainment, and marketing. Whatever is planned, it should be obvious that HAL is going to try to shed the, rightly or wrongly, perceived image as a cruise line for the elderly. It could be something like a new marketing campaign with a new marketing image. Kind of like the "It's not your father's Buick". That would be consistent with the Formal nights to Gala nights change already made.

 

When I sail HAL, I feel like I am on 2007 and older Celebrity...back when Millennium Class was their newest ships. The ships were nice, but lacked technology and great entertainment. It was just a nice ship with great service. So as such, the demographic was much like you see today on HAL. As the saying goes....old people sail Celebrity. Their parents sail HAL. ;)

 

So I guess with Koningsdam, I'm hoping HAL rebrands itself like Celebrity did with Solstice Class. Celebrity's Modern Luxury campaign has attracted a lot more middle agers and they really stepped up their entertainment and on board venues. I cruised Regal Princess recently and I think they failed miserably with that ship class, so I'm hoping for something comparable to Celebrity in Koningsdam.

 

On some lines, the suite lounge serves drinks, but the Neptune Lounges aren't big enough for that.

 

Sure they are. The Neptune Lounge on Oosterdam was no smaller than the Concierge Lounge on most RCI ships, yet RCI serves free booze every evening.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Aquahound

[3rdGenCunarder]

(some text deleted to save space)

 

Sure they are. The Neptune Lounge on Oosterdam was no smaller than the Concierge Lounge on most RCI ships, yet RCI serves free booze every evening.

 

I was in the Neptune Lounge on Zuiderdam when they did a welcome reception for suite passengers, and we could barely move through the room. I suppose if it was more of a flow situation it could work, but if lots of people show up at one time, it would be crowded.

[WeLoveCruising]

Thank you.

 

I'm pretty easy going and have a warped sense of humor but I get so tired of reading all the bashing for those of us with mobility issues. As you mentioned I am for the most part trapped in my house. Without the use of a scooter I would never be able to get out and do things in the last few years of my life. Thankfully I personally have never been attacked for it and only been treated with respect, but I often wonder how different it would be if I were not in my 40s and if I we're overweight.

 

I dont like the alleged humor, either. Unless someone lives in someone else's shoes, they have no idea what is wrong with them. My son was in his early 20's and used a scooter on our last vacation, because he was fighting an aggressive cancer and extremely weak from chemotherapy. It was at Disney, not a cruise, but we overheard comments that he was faking an injury just to have front of the line access.

 

That was our last vacation, my son passed away a year after that trip. I wish some people would show more empathy and/or class.

Edited October 27, 2015 by WeLoveCruising

[frankc98376]

Celebrity carved space out of their MDR to make Luminae. It's a very pretty room, but it's definitely an awkward hack out of the dining room.

 

Regardless, I don't think that it qualifies as somewhere that cruise lines haven't gone before.

 

Maybe they could take the space in the Lido opposite Canaletto for a suite dining "area" :D

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

... I wish some people would show more empathy and/or class.

 

Agreed

 

Tom

[Cruzaholic41]

Some of you on this thread should really consider a break from the internet because you are way too thin skinned to be posting on boards of varying opinions. I read all the scooter comments and I got a good chuckle out of them, especially since I am very aware that I am not far from having to drive one myself. Since when did a little bit of humor about age equate to a lack of empathy or class? My goodness, some of you need to lighten up. :rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

Not Koningsdam, but maybe the second Pinnacle class ship.[/size]

 

 

Hmmm, maybe. You cold have a good point.

 

 

 

 

 

That makes sense. Oooh, partnering with Birdland for jazz! Unlikely, but I'd love it.

 

Elizabeth Arden to take over the spa and salon?

 

Some hot NY chef to take over the Pinnacle? (DONiT FLAME ME, people! I'm just guessing here)

 

I'd love it to be basing a ship in NYC, but that's hardly "where no cruiseline has gone before." Unless they do NYC with an overnight so people can have a pre-cruise night in the city without the intermediate stay in a hotel.

 

 

 

Noordam was christened in NYC and spent the winter doing NYC/Caribbean round trip 10 and 11 day cruises. They apparently were not financially successful as they repositioned the ship to sail from FLL after 1 1/2 winter seasons.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

 

Noordam was christened in NYC and spent the winter doing NYC/Caribbean round trip 10 and 11 day cruises. They apparently were not financially successful as they repositioned the ship to sail from FLL after 1 1/2 winter seasons.

 

 

Princess had a ship out of NYC all year around 2007. That was supposed to be a "permanent" berth (Brooklyn). That happened for one winter, and then sometime in the following season, Princess moved the ship elsewhere and is almost never in NYC. But RC had Explorer of hte Seas, then Quantum, now Anthem year round out of Port Liberty and that's successful. I wonder why it works for one line and not another.

[sppunk]

Onboard spending is usually higher on RCCL, so the extra sea days allow profit despite the fuel burn.

[InTheWASide]

Those itineraries always confused me.

 

YES it was additional time on the ship. Who doesn't want that?

But it's a caribbean cruise (hot weather - smaller thinner clothing to pack) and yet the first couple and last couple days that made it longer than the FLL 7 day cruises were mostly taking place in regions that were in the dead of winter and/or snowy. Not to mention hotels in NYC cost an arm and a leg more often than not.

 

I don't want to have to pack for 10 below and 90 above in the same suitcases... it makes no sense. My guess is that many others felt the same way.

 

Also, when Noordam came out it had competition at that time from Norwegian Gem, which NCL had marketed as "New York's 'It' Girl". Heavy promotions, some funky modern styling in various areas... Meanwhile HAL, which never had to go totally nuts to promote a ship... (they never do) just more or less started calling out of NYC one day and that was all the more that ever happened short of the naming ceremony.

 

I would always take an 11 day over a 7 day cruise... but when it involves an expensive hotel stay if I want to travel across the country smartly, more luggage because I have to pack for two climates because the NE gets COLD in the winter (at least Seattle is pretty temperate in the winter usually)... if it's going to cost a lot more money and not purely in cruise pricing, it's not as smart of a choice.

 

Others must have felt the same way

Edited October 27, 2015 by InTheWASide

[Beejay4016]

Perceived? Its got a stigma attached that its the Retirement Village. Whether rightly or wrongly.

 

In Australia, I find that HAL cruises ask for a large deposit. They have some nice itineraries. But the repeated comments of it being a lot of scooters on board and not so friendly deposit requirements leads me to look at other cruise lines.

 

Hey, don't be put off. We did 14 days Singapore to Hong Kong a couple of years ago on the Volendam, and the age mix was fantastic. :) We're only in our 50s and certainly did not feel as if we were visiting a retirement village. It was a wonderful spread of ages and nationalities, and all with a bit of class. Then last year we did a Norwegian fjord cruise on the Ryndam out of Dover, and, again, a great mix of ages etc. Next year we're doing the Noordam around New Zealand, and again expect a great demographic. Perhaps that perception of it being a line for more mature people is more relative to specific geographical locations so that cruises out of the US may have an older contingent simply because workers in the US get less generous holidays than we (or most of the rest of the world) get and so it is the older folks who can enjoy a 14+ day cruise.

 

Cheers .. Beejay

Edited October 28, 2015 by Beejay4016