New HAL President

[iancal]

Those with unrealistic expectations will never be satisfied.  No matter who is in the chair.

Edited July 13, 2020 by iancal

[drowelf]

2 hours ago, iancal said:

Simple.  Move over to those remaining post covid cruise lines that feature smaller ships.  Nothing stopping folks from booking Prinsendam on Phoenix Reisen or from looking at Azamara, Oceania, Regent, etc. offerings.

Except that most of those lines have higher price points than HAL does/did, which may put those out of reach for some. We happily paid the higher prices on the Prinsendam for the itineraries, but when looking at O cruises, since we don't drink, the all inclusive pricing to include the alcohol is not a good value proposition for us. 

 

I don't think any of us, including the various executives at the lines have any real idea what the cruising world in 2021 and beyond is going to look like. Its going to take more than implementing new safety protocols. The largest impediment that I see in the near term, is the various countries opening up their ports to ships at all. The days of 4, 5 or more ships stopping in an Alaska port for the day may be gone. 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

1 hour ago, drowelf said:

Except that most of those lines have higher price points than HAL does/did, which may put those out of reach for some. We happily paid the higher prices on the Prinsendam for the itineraries, but when looking at O cruises, since we don't drink, the all inclusive pricing to include the alcohol is not a good value proposition for us. 

 

Except for one thing - alcohol is NOT all-inclusive on Oceania - you have a choice of 3 options under the O-Life program - Shore Excursions, Onboard credit or beer/wine package.  The choice is yours and the # of excursions or amount of onboard credit vary by voyage length.  Their prices CAN be competitive with HAL if you forfeit the O-Life Choice amenities and bundled air offers.

[drowelf]

Just now, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

Except for one thing - alcohol is NOT all-inclusive on Oceania - you have a choice of 3 options under the O-Life program - Shore Excursions, Onboard credit or beer/wine package.  The choice is yours and the # of excursions or amount of onboard credit vary by voyage length.  Their prices CAN be competitive with HAL if you forfeit the O-Life Choice amenities and bundled air offers.

Thanks, I thought it was, or maybe I did not pay enough attention to the booking. We shop by Itinerary, then price and we've been happy with HAL for years on the matter, only looked at the various brochures and sometimes you miss those little details. 

 

Thanks again for the correction. 

[81Zoomie]

With HAL and Princess nearly identical in service level, maybe the new leader can reinstall some differentiation.  At present, they compete with each other, and IMHO, both are not quite on par with Celebrity.  As someone alluded to, the HAL cruise director staff has been cut to the bone , there are very limited daytime activities, and the evening show is a light and video presentation.  The bars are deserted after dinner, and you can’t even get an ice cream cone after 8pm.  The upside for HAL is a great aft pool and decks, Tamarind (where available), and fewer chair hogs.  When we want total relaxation HAL is the choice for us.  I hope HAL can be reinvigorated.

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

18 hours ago, iancal said:

Those with unrealistic expectations will never be satisfied.  No matter who is in the chair.

I agree with you ....

[Himself]

13 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

With HAL and Princess nearly identical in service level, maybe the new leader can reinstall some differentiation.  At present, they compete with each other, and IMHO, both are not quite on par with Celebrity.  As someone alluded to, the HAL cruise director staff has been cut to the bone , there are very limited daytime activities, and the evening show is a light and video presentation.  The bars are deserted after dinner, and you can’t even get an ice cream cone after 8pm.  The upside for HAL is a great aft pool and decks, Tamarind (where available), and fewer chair hogs.  When we want total relaxation HAL is the choice for us.  I hope HAL can be reinvigorated.

 

I, too, hope HAL can be reinvigorated.  

[Himself]

19 hours ago, iancal said:

Those with unrealistic expectations will never be satisfied.  No matter who is in the chair.

Whether it is correct or incorrect, there was a lot of frustration with Orlando.  It is important  that we not put too many expectations on the new president of HAL.  Hopefully, he will catch the HAL spirit and do a good job with the line. I think Orlando never caught the HAL Spirit. 

[KirkNC]

18 hours ago, drowelf said:

Thanks, I thought it was, or maybe I did not pay enough attention to the booking. We shop by Itinerary, then price and we've been happy with HAL for years on the matter, only looked at the various brochures and sometimes you miss those little details. 

 

Thanks again for the correction. 

O’s pricing is a bit confusing.  We always get the cruise only, no Olife, no air .  It’s more expensive then HAL but you are on a ship with 700 guests, 400 crew, much better food and ship maintenance.  Nothing in life worth having is free.

Edited July 14, 2020 by KirkNC

[iancal]

I think  some people loose sight of the fact that HAL is a 'for profit' organization.  It is not a community association that simply has to balance the books at the end of each year.

 

HAL's management team is expected to meet their financial & operational  targets and return profit to Carnival Corp each and every quarter.

Edited July 14, 2020 by iancal

[JanDay]

WE love the EXC in-depth programs that have been offered on Maasdam. Great for those of us who love presentations on culture, biology, geology, naturalists, nature photography. Hoping these specialist programs will be continued and possibly expanded with the new big boss.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

On 7/13/2020 at 1:26 PM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

Except for one thing - alcohol is NOT all-inclusive on Oceania - you have a choice of 3 options under the O-Life program - Shore Excursions, Onboard credit or beer/wine package.  The choice is yours and the # of excursions or amount of onboard credit vary by voyage length.  Their prices CAN be competitive with HAL if you forfeit the O-Life Choice amenities and bundled air offers.

 

Interesting.  I'm looking up Iceland right now, in place of our Rotterdam cruise.  Oceania has an intriguing one from NY to Iceland, stopping 3 times in Greenland.  With 4 ships leaving the fleet, Oceania seems like the best step-up to fill in the gaps.

[cruisemom42]

39 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

Interesting.  I'm looking up Iceland right now, in place of our Rotterdam cruise.  Oceania has an intriguing one from NY to Iceland, stopping 3 times in Greenland.  With 4 ships leaving the fleet, Oceania seems like the best step-up to fill in the gaps.

 

I had a deposit on an Oceania cruise (Sirena) from London to Boston (I think) with stops in Iceland and Greenland, I think it was August 2021. Nice itinerary, but I found a deal on a Hurtigruten expedition ship that does more of what I wanted in Greenland, so that's what I'll likely go with.

 

BTW, I find the Oceania board on this forum tough going. Every time I read it for a few days I am nearly discouraged from booking with them!

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

    CRUISEMOM42                                    I find the Oceania board on this forum tough going. Every time I read it for a few days I am nearly discouraged from booking with them!      WHY ?????

[Stateroom_Sailor]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I had a deposit on an Oceania cruise (Sirena) from London to Boston (I think) with stops in Iceland and Greenland, I think it was August 2021. Nice itinerary, but I found a deal on a Hurtigruten expedition ship that does more of what I wanted in Greenland, so that's what I'll likely go with.

 

BTW, I find the Oceania board on this forum tough going. Every time I read it for a few days I am nearly discouraged from booking with them!

 

 

I've seen it too.  There's got to be a reason why they're priced below their competitors.  For the right itinerary and price, I would still give them a shot.  Hurtigruten certainly expands the options heading north!

 

 

[kazu]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

IBTW, I find the Oceania board on this forum tough going. Every time I read it for a few days I am nearly discouraged from booking with them!

 

 

4 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

    CRUISEMOM42                                    I find the Oceania board on this forum tough going. Every time I read it for a few days I am nearly discouraged from booking with them!      WHY ?????

 

Ditto.

If you think there are cheerleaders on the HAL board, my experience was that the O board had more and certain dominant posters who object to any criticism.

 

Complain (with good reason) supporting the problems and you will be shot down unless you are one of the “in” crowd.  

 

From what I have seen, they can come here to bad talk HAL but do the same thing on their board and you are dead meat.

 

At least that was my experience when I was on a fair bit.  I don’t go there anymore as we will not be sailing Oceania in the foreseeable future after our last cruise.

 

[KirkNC]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I had a deposit on an Oceania cruise (Sirena) from London to Boston (I think) with stops in Iceland and Greenland, I think it was August 2021. Nice itinerary, but I found a deal on a Hurtigruten expedition ship that does more of what I wanted in Greenland, so that's what I'll likely go with.

 

BTW, I find the Oceania board on this forum tough going. Every time I read it for a few days I am nearly discouraged from booking with them!

 

When are you going on the Greenland cruise?  We are booked with them for July 24th, Greenland 🇬🇱 Cruise from Reykjavik.

 

We had made the decision to start concentrating our business on Oceania prior to the virus and still plan to go that way.  Small ships with lots of staff.  More expensive then HAL but that’s ok.

[cruisemom42]

6 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

    CRUISEMOM42                                    I find the Oceania board on this forum tough going. Every time I read it for a few days I am nearly discouraged from booking with them!      WHY ?????

 

Not appropriate to get into particulars. I just don't feel like a "fit" for the line based on a lot of the posters there. 

 

I realize that they only represent a small segment of the Oceania cruisers, but on the other hand, there are enough to make me wonder if that is a particular "type" attracted to that particular line...

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, KirkNC said:

When are you going on the Greenland cruise?  We are booked with them for July 24th, Greenland 🇬🇱 Cruise from Reykjavik.

 

We had made the decision to start concentrating our business on Oceania prior to the virus and still plan to go that way.  Small ships with lots of staff.  More expensive then HAL but that’s ok.

 

You're doing the really intense Greenland itinerary. I looked at it but decided on a slightly different one. My cruise is more around southern Greenland and the NE Canada coast and fits my interest better (Viking history).

 

I caught a good deal on the Fram, which actually ends up being cheaper than O, and probably more my style...

 

[gatour]

On 7/9/2020 at 7:48 PM, rkacruiser said:

Having Boston Consulting Group experience is surely a positive for me.  

 

 

Experience as an executive within the Carnival family of operating companies has to be a positive, I think.  I am very encouraged by this gentleman's appointment as President of HAL.

BCG experience is a negative for me.  Their consultants make recommendations without any real world experience in the industry they are consulting on.

 

It looks like this guy has actual experience in the cruising industry, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Sea42]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

BTW, I find the Oceania board on this forum tough going. Every time I read it for a few days I am nearly discouraged from booking with them!

I think I know what you mean. There are a few posters that can be very difficult and confrontational. But most are very helpful. I was relived to find that the people on our cruise were very personable and not at all like I had been, somewhat, dreading.

[KirkNC]

2 hours ago, Sea42 said:

I think I know what you mean. There are a few posters that can be very difficult and confrontational. But most are very helpful. I was relived to find that the people on our cruise were very personable and not at all like I had been, somewhat, dreading.

Anyone I don’t want to hear from I just use the Ignore function, works great.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

6 hours ago, kazu said:

 

 

Ditto.

If you think there are cheerleaders on the HAL board, my experience was that the O board had more and certain dominant posters who object to any criticism.

 

Complain (with good reason) supporting the problems and you will be shot down unless you are one of the “in” crowd.  

 

From what I have seen, they can come here to bad talk HAL but do the same thing on their board and you are dead meat.

 

At least that was my experience when I was on a fair bit.  I don’t go there anymore as we will not be sailing Oceania in the foreseeable future after our last cruise.

 

 

I am relieved that this is not the situation here on HAL.  The Celebrity forum can be vicious, perhaps O is even more over the top.  In our early days of fun ship cruising, you don't dare give an objective comparison between Carnival and Royal Caribbean, without hurting the cheerleader's feelings on both sides.

 

I've read quite a few posts claiming that O isn't worth the money, or that Viking Ocean and Azamara are superior.  Maybe it is time to get out the popcorn, and actually see what's going on in their forum! 

 

 

[kazu]

44 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

I am relieved that this is not the situation here on HAL.  The Celebrity forum can be vicious, perhaps O is even more over the top.  In our early days of fun ship cruising, you don't dare give an objective comparison between Carnival and Royal Caribbean, without hurting the cheerleader's feelings on both sides.

 

I've read quite a few posts claiming that O isn't worth the money, or that Viking Ocean and Azamara are superior.  Maybe it is time to get out the popcorn, and actually see what's going on in their forum! 

 

 

 

This is just a personal opinion but I think once FDR became CEO of all of NCL and gave us  his baby, Oceania, it headed downwards.

He was on the boards when he was in charge of Oceania and no question from what I saw it was wonderful

He was gone when we went and our experience was probably one of the worst cruises we ever had.  If we could have flown off from Nassau we would have.  I have never ever been happy to get off a ship as much as I was that one.

 

the food is not the be all to end all they make it all to be at all.  We left one specialty restaurant disgusted.  Ate at another one with our friends and his chicken was raw.  It took nearly 45 minutes for someone to notice he hadn’t eaten despite efforts to flag a waiter down, so don’t necessarily buy into everything they sell although Jacques was incredible.

 

We were on a Noro infested ship and I have been through that twice with HAL but HAL did things right with Noro (I remember Captain Gundersen threatening to put people off on the last port before we started the transatlantic if people didn’t listen). Noro isn’t fun but if it’s dealt with right it doesn’t spoil a cruise.

HAL handled it well and we sailed Noro free.  With Oceania, they kept everything open but the laundry.  They had glasses, condiments out at Waves.  Easily reached buns for people to touch.  Pools open, library open - you get the picture.  The thing spread like a wildfire and our overnight in Bermuda was doomed as we were refused port deemed a sick ship (sound familiar?) 

I saw a crew member absently swipe the same area at the Terrace Grill over and over.  Tables at the Terrace Grill were rarely cleaned and you had to ask.  (Not kidding)

The final straw came when we decided the only safe place was the MDR.  So we went there for breakfast. I took a sip of my coffee and then I saw the crack.  A huge crack in the coffee cup.  I called the waiter over and expected him to dump it.  He put in the container to be cleaned.  If that had been my cup, it would have been in the garbage.

I was doing a live thread at the time.  It started out great but I was assaulted big time by the O fans when I started to say why?  And WTH?  

I am not a germaphobe or someone paranoid but the flagrant things I saw scared the devil out of me and I knew why the ship couldn’t beat the virus.  Imagine if they had covid 19?

 

and lastly, the Captain never updated us unlike HAL does.  I knew we had Noro from the Internet.  It was never announced until much later.  And the only reason I knew the numbers was from the internet.  And my neighbours were sick with Noro and were allowed on their balcony next to ours.  There was no warning.  No nothing.  I only found out when they were released and told me.
 

Nope, won’t be back on O ever.  Especially how their head office treated us when I sent a carefully worded letter.  HAL would have least done something.  O simply told me where to go and looked forward to welcoming me on board again.  DH and I laughed out loud.

 

We probably had a one off cruise (even though the Noro carried for 3-4 more cruises)

I can deal with Noro but not indifferent crew.  We found the crew cold, uncaring and it honestly felt like they were “just going through the motions”

 

Sorry for the long post but with the fleet shrinking, I know people may have to look for options.  DH is probably the most easy going guy I know.  He personally wrote a letter to the HD and he will never set foot on O again.
 

 

[Copper10-8]

2 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

This is just a personal opinion but I think once FDR became CEO of all of NCL and gave us  his baby, Oceania, it headed downwards........................................

 

"FDR" = Franklin Delano Roosevelt? 😎