Anyone Visited Onboard Shops Since New Vendor Took Over? Impressions?

[Roz]

Last HAL cruise was back in February on the Oosterdam. Onboard shops were god awful. I would have bought something if there was something to buy. Heard that a new vendor now has the contract. Is this true, and if so, what has changed?

 

Roz

[joekerstef]

Shop on the Maasdam is awful. The HAL-branded stuff is terrible--couple different shirts in navy, white, and orange, some over-priced hats and some magnets and shotglasses with "Holland America, Savor the Journey" on them. The jewelry shop didn't look much different except there's now a lot of perfume. and the other shop had a lot of generic beach attire and a bewildering wall of colorful handbags of various sizes with dogs on them.

[Ottawa traveller]

Same impression for the Veendam. She will be gong to Cuba sometime in June but the shop was already stocked with Cuba merchandise in mid May. It was just generic t-shirts and hats etc. I walked through the shops once in the two weeks I was onboard and bought nothing and was not interested in going back.

[DaveOKC]

On the Rotterdam in late March. I assume it was the new vendor as the merchandise was different (I thought more reasonably priced for the quality) but there did seem to be less offered. Maybe it will take a bit of time for them to ramp up??

[iancal]

We have seldom seen anything in any ship store that has been worth our while to buy and drag home. Quite the opposite. In general we have found the product more expensive and the selection limited compared to what we can purchase at home. We are not the least bit interested in branded merchandise. Why on earth would I pay good money for a garment that had a HAL, Princess, Celebrity, whatever logo on it. We are not that vain.

[OlsSalt]

Recent Zaandam: Score: (minus) 0 - for both interest and customers.

 

Not sure what function this space is supposed to provide passengers today. In the past I bought some fun $10 cruise accessories and DH got some great $10 silk ties. But that is hardly enough profit margin to justify the space and staffing.

[summer slope]

Totally agree about the Zaandam shops. I always buy a tshirt or coverup...not this time. Limited items and high priced.

[OlsSalt]

Totally agree about the Zaandam shops. I always buy a tshirt or coverup...not this time. Limited items and high priced.

 

I bought a Zaandam-Alaska tee-shirt in the other HAL logo sports wear shop, and the color ran in the first laundry - cheap quality, garish logo and it was over $20 even with my discount. Something is just not hitting its stride in any of these shops. Either over priced, inappropriate for the demographics and location or poor quality. We have gotten some very nice, highly serviceable and well-designed items in the past, but no longer.

 

2009 was the last year we really liked what they were selling - who was running the shops then and what went wrong after that?

[Fouremco]

We've bought a few items over the year, but spend very little time in the stores, perhaps just a quick walk through on a sea day. Most of what we have bought has been at the poolside sale when you can pick up some items at a good reduction.

[Roz]

Thanks for all your replies. I was hoping things had improved, but apparently not. Kind of crazy that HAL is taking huge chunks of the Crow's Nest to turn into "profit centers", yet the onboard shops can't be making much in relation to the space they take up.

 

Iancal, the logo wear I bought in the past wasn't because I was vain or trying to put on airs. I thought of it as a souvenir I could wear. Whenever I wear HAL clothing in public, at least one person will come up to me and want to "talk cruise". It's a great icebreaker and conversation starter.

 

Roz

[kazu]

Just off the Prinsendam.

 

The store area is quite small but they had personalized Prinsendam shirts as opposed to the standard HAL logo.

 

the sweatshirts on sale from the Grand cruise were good quality. We did buy one in case it was needed in rainy/cooler weather.

 

Selection is limited because of the size of the ship, but it seemed to be better quality than the others we have been on.

 

Jewellery store had some interesting bling. No Marabella thank heavens.

 

They did have some $10 sales located between the shops and the library. Only once on the Lido. I grabbed one of the $10 watches. I use them in ports so, if someone wants to rip it off my wrist it's all theirs ;)

 

that was the extent of our purchases.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Shops had nothing compared to years past. (Veendam - May) What I bought = ZERO. In the past I always found some nice things at a good price.

 

All they did was pitch Rolex watches in one store and high priced diamond jewelry in another. And they had a Cuba shop (on a Bermuda cruise - go figure). This one "sales pitch" being given in one of the bars one morning was trying to convince 2 dozen 80+ year olds to buy Rolexes for their grandchildren as an heirloom. I laughed. The young people today rarely use watches, they have their smart phone. I don't think they made any sales......I think the seniors were bored out of their mind and just sat thru the speech to have something to do. Not much to do on that ship.

 

And a liquor store (dumb, you can't drink it onboard and who is going to buy liquor and cart it around travelling home!)

 

Not much in the way of HAL merchandise or anything reasonably priced. Didn't see many takers, the shops had the tumbleweeds blowing through and the sales help looked like they wanted to take a nap/go pass out somewhere. Don't think Seattle made any money on my cruise......at least not from me.

 

This is all "JMO" of course. Someone else on my cruise could have thought the shops were a lovely addition to the ship and found them fascinating. I didn't. Neither did my DH.

[Fouremco]

And a liquor store (dumb, you can't drink it onboard and who is going to buy liquor and cart it around travelling home!)

Based on liquor sales at duty free shops at airports and other locations, including aboard cruise ships, I'd say a really high percentage of travellers. Liquor is cheap in some US states, so it might not be worthwhile for residents there, but there are many of us who pay considerably more. Besides, we can often find things that aren't available at home, so that has a certain attraction too.

[Roz]

Before 9/11 when we could take liquids on planes with us, quite a few people bought liquor and brought it home with them.

 

Roz

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Before 9/11 when we could take liquids on planes with us, quite a few people bought liquor and brought it home with them.

 

Roz

 

Yes but those days are gone unfortunately . Maybe for non US citizens it might be worthwhile like another poster said. But for us, the liquor us just as inexpensive at home as on the ship. Not worth lugging it home, however you could get it there. You can't carry it on for sure domestically ....to the best of my knowledge.

[Tampa Girl]

Just so that I am clear in my own mind - all the foregoing reports are of the new merchandisers, or are some ships still using the former ones?

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Just so that I am clear in my own mind - all the foregoing reports are of the new merchandisers, or are some ships still using the former ones?

 

Good Lord I hope so, but somehow I doubt it. It's "Progress" for HAL I guess.....not for (it seems) the rest of us.

[DaveOKC]

Every time I hear of people bringing home liquor after a cruise I think of the guy who was checking in to a hotel near the pier as I was checking out. He had two boxes of liquor/wine and the top one fell over somehow and broke about 4-5 bottles all over the front lobby. What a mess - a river of booze!

[Loreto]

I bought a very tasteful HAL logo Cuba t shirt on the Veendam in March. I generally don't by t -shirts, but wanted one of Cuba that didn't have a picture of Fidel or Che on it. Mine has a decal of historic Havana buildings and has survived a number of washings, though I never put it in the drier. It was $16, which I thought was fair. The main jewelry shop was a disappointment...what were they thinking?

Karen

[retafcruiser]

All they did was pitch Rolex watches in one store and high priced diamond jewelry in another.

I have never seen Rolex watches sold on HAL ships, and I have sailed many times. I really don't think they are licensed dealers, but if they are it is quite a step up from what I saw sold.

[highscar]

Circle Hawaii cruise store was loaded with Alaska stuff????????????,,really.

[joekerstef]

I was also disappointed that there was zero "Dam Ships" merchandise. I realize that predates my experience with HAL and maybe people were tired of it, but I'd totally get another dam ships shirt or two. Also I just wanted a nice magnet of the ship (Maasdam) like I have for Veendam, but they only have a generic one that looks more like the larger ships. I did make my concerns known in the post-cruise survey. I bought one stupid t-shirt from the shops, that's it.

[mommasaurus]

We will be going on the Maasdam this summer. We will have a $100 onboard credit. I was hoping that I might be able to get some earrings, ring or a bracelet or something for my daughter's birthday. She will be turning 15. Do you think that they have anything reasonable in the shops?

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

We will be going on the Maasdam this summer. We will have a $100 onboard credit. I was hoping that I might be able to get some earrings, ring or a bracelet or something for my daughter's birthday. She will be turning 15. Do you think that they have anything reasonable in the shops?

 

I don't think so, unfortunately.

You might be able to get her something on shore .

Everything I saw was pretty high priced.

[joekerstef]

We will be going on the Maasdam this summer. We will have a $100 onboard credit. I was hoping that I might be able to get some earrings, ring or a bracelet or something for my daughter's birthday. She will be turning 15. Do you think that they have anything reasonable in the shops?

I'm sorry, I honestly don't know. I never pay attention to the jewelry so no idea how well it's priced. My mother (who used to work with jewelry) wasn't too impressed with the jewelry; her main complaint was the stones were small. But she thinks you might be able to find something, especially if you wait until towards the end of your cruise when they're really trying to make a sale. She thinks the Swarovski crystal line might be your best bet.