HAL continuing to downgrade its product

[6juniors]

On 11/1/2022 at 4:03 AM, Crazy For Cats said:

I agree.  This summer on the Zaandam I thought the lido lacked the usual variety of choices.  Thank goodness for the Distant Lands section!

We just got off the Noordam in Brisbane and we were pleasantly surprised by the LIDO offerings,  especially at lunch some days with their “Taste of…….” Series: Middle east, Portugal, Asia, Spain, etc. 

Sadly we did find some nights that the MDR menu had little to nothing that peaked our interest.

[Nang]

On 11/16/2022 at 4:49 AM, daisy-mae said:

Another plus is the addition of pickleball.

Pickleball is new??? A passenger we met on the NA on a Panama Canal cruise back in 2018 broke his leg playing pickleball on the ship. I thought pickleball has been a thing on HAL ships since we started cruising back in 2013.

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Nang said:

Pickleball is new??? A passenger we met on the NA on a Panama Canal cruise back in 2018 broke his leg playing pickleball on the ship. I thought pickleball has been a thing on HAL ships since we started cruising back in 2013.

It has been around for a while.  Perhaps it was introduced when the Pinnacle class ships were first launched 

[esimon]

On 11/15/2022 at 7:40 PM, atexsix said:

We sailed both HAL and Princess since the restart and both have gotten skimpy with selection, I looked at menus from the restart on other cruise lines and couldn't believe the selection, and this was from day one.  Blaming the supply chain or Covid is a favorite scapegoat that they've used to death.  And like you, aside from some sporadic shortages, every grocery I shop at has had probably 99% of their normal inventory levels. 

so you would be willing to pay more for a cruise to get more choices on the menu?   

[daisy-mae]

3 hours ago, Nang said:

Pickleball is new??? A passenger we met on the NA on a Panama Canal cruise back in 2018 broke his leg playing pickleball on the ship. I thought pickleball has been a thing on HAL ships since we started cruising back in 2013.

It may not be new, but HAL seems to have taken things up a notch by introducing better equipment by way of a genuine portable pickleball net (as opposed to the makeshift net that was on the Zuiderdam in 2019) and good quality paddles. 

 

We don't seek out pickleball venues mainly for exercise but rather as a form of daytime entertainment and a way to meet other like-minded guests.

[Mary229]

8 hours ago, esimon said:

so you would be willing to pay more for a cruise to get more choices on the menu?   

Some of us have stated often we would rather they had increased prices instead of cutting but I could hear the howls if they did so.  The lines had to fill the ships and I think they had to appeal to the former passengers to do so.  I hope once this phase is passed they will up the price and resume being Holland America.   Those that don’t want to pay will have to go elsewhere.  

[Florida_gal_50]

6 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Some of us have stated often we would rather they had increased prices instead of cutting but I could hear the howls if they did so.  The lines had to fill the ships and I think they had to appeal to the former passengers to do so.  I hope once this phase is passed they will up the price and resume being Holland America.   Those that don’t want to pay will have to go elsewhere.  

I just want hal to charge everyone an actual fare.  I pay plenty for mine and take a number of the up charges.  What they should do is give you certain perks based on what you pay.  I’d be good with that.  I have no interest in subsidizing others.

[KroozNut]

On 11/12/2022 at 3:56 PM, YXU AC*SE said:

 

For those of us who have upcoming cruises booked, in the Navigator app you can see the day's MDR menus for the ship upon which you're booked-- 

 

Tonight's mains on Rotterdam? :

Penne caprese

Rustic home-made lasagne 

Spaghetti meatballs

Parmesan-crusted chicken breast

Chili prawns w/ garlic butter

Eight-ounce New York striploin

Grilled salmon w/ capers and dill

+ upsell menu.  

 

follow for a few days and draw your own conclusion.      Scott.  

 

 

 

Hmmmmm, just looked at the MDR dinner menu in my Navigator app, and did not see hide nor hair of any 'Rustic home-made lasagne'..

 

I hope it shows when we sail in March because I'd like to try it. Sounds delicious!

 

[Florida_gal_50]

17 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

Hmmmmm, just looked at the MDR dinner menu in my Navigator app, and did not see hide nor hair of any 'Rustic home-made lasagne'..

 

I hope it shows when we sail in March because I'd like to try it. Sounds delicious!

 

It's been on pretty much every night if not every night on the koningsdam.  It's an always available item though some are doubting that.

[cruisemom42]

9 hours ago, daisy-mae said:

It may not be new, but HAL seems to have taken things up a notch by introducing better equipment by way of a genuine portable pickleball net (as opposed to the makeshift net that was on the Zuiderdam in 2019) and good quality paddles. 

 

We don't seek out pickleball venues mainly for exercise but rather as a form of daytime entertainment and a way to meet other like-minded guests.

 

Well just as I started learning about this strangely named new pastime, lo and behold there is a comedy special on television tonight called "Pickled" which seems to be either a real pickleball tournament or a parody of one hosted by Stephen Colbert.

 

Guess I'll watch and learn something.

[dwc13]

9 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Well just as I started learning about this strangely named new pastime, lo and behold there is a comedy special on television tonight called "Pickled" which seems to be either a real pickleball tournament or a parody of one hosted by Stephen Colbert.

 

Guess I'll watch and learn something.

 

It's a charity event featuring celebrities playing pickleball and hosted by Colbert.

[KroozNut]

On 11/12/2022 at 5:27 PM, dwc13 said:

 

 

On a recent cruise, 3 types of pizza were served at lunch, dinner, and late meal (10:30pm), but not at breakfast and not available 24hours. To some passengers, the availability of pizza was acceptable. For others, especially those keeping later hours, not having a 24 hour option for pizza meant availability was somewhat disappointing. Die hard pizza fans can eat pizza every meal including breakfast and would likely do so on occasion if given the option, so not having pizza available 24 hours/at breakfast meant availability was unacceptable. Still others might only like sausage pizza or stuffed pizza or gluten free pizza and because none was an option, pizza was not available for them to eat. In other words, availability is not exclusively a binary outcome. It can also have a subjective component that depends upon the perspective of the person. 

 

 

 

 

Agree... well said.👍

[KroozNut]

On 11/15/2022 at 3:18 PM, Wakepatrol said:

Honorable mention to the guy that “Takes The Stairs” after his fourth dessert

 

Kinda like the guy who orders a Big Mac with extra cheese, super-sized fries, and a diet soda..

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, KroozNut said:

 

Kinda like the guy who orders a Big Mac with extra cheese, super-sized fries, and a diet soda..

I don't eat like that but what is the big deal?  If someone wants to cut calories somewhere why should that be something to ridicule?

[dwc13]

2 hours ago, KroozNut said:

 

Kinda like the guy who orders a Big Mac with extra cheese, super-sized fries, and a diet soda..

 

You can get extra cheese on a Big Mac? Damn, I've been missing out all these years, lol. 

[dwc13]

6 hours ago, Mary229 said:

The lines had to fill the ships and I think they had to appeal to the former passengers to do so. 

 

Agree with your assessment. That is exactly what CCL is trying to accomplish in the short term, along with refinancing debt obligations coming due soon. The time-tested way to increase ticket sales is to lower the price to those who have previously cruised with CCL.

 

If CCL ships don't sail at capacity, the company loses revenue from cabin fees. Perhaps more importantly, though, it misses out on potential on-ship revenue associated with every 'shortfall' passenger (specialty dining, ship marketed excursions, beverage packages, internet packages, casino revenue, spa revenue, etc.). 

 

We'll see what happens in Summer 2023.

 

 

[dwc13]

On 11/15/2022 at 7:57 PM, Roz said:

Corn Hole is very popular in the Midwest, and yes, there are national tournaments.

 

ESPN/ESPN2 televised the 2021 ACL World Championships during the pandemic. For a while, it was one of the few live 'sports' being played.

 

Even Dodgeball only made "The Ocho" (ESPN8).

[aliaschief]

If a possible majority of CC members agree, then maybe we should  start sending messaging to Hal about our unhappiness or in our case boredom with the present  product. Direct communication to Hal Hdqs. may have more action then complaining and debating here on CC.

Just a thought. Your welcomed to disagree.

Edited November 18, 2022 by aliaschief

[Mary229]

3 hours ago, aliaschief said:

If a possible majority of CC members agree, then maybe we should  start sending messaging to Hal about our unhappiness or in our case boredom with the present  product. Direct communication to Hal Hdqs. may have more action then complaining and debating here on CC.

Just a thought. Your welcomed to disagree.

There is nothing holding you back.  Do it now. I fill out every survey they send with an honest assessment.  I do write letters to companies and public figures though I haven’t to HAL since they dropped many of their Covid protocols.  
 

[uncleboo]

All Who’s lines are coming back on services. They may be small things for people notice them especially if you’ve been cruising a long time like I have and yes I’ve been on all the major cruise lines Holland American carnival celebrity Royal Caribbean MSCand Ncl 

I miss the little things like getting a bag in your room, I candy on your pillow and mints after dinner these are small most of these but they get off and for us to approve so long time we miss those little added Bonuses so maybe the cruise line needs to reevaluate pricing and see how they can get more for their book so they can keep these  going and Increase the prices . They’ve gotten rid of a lot of things in years like the midnight buffet but it will be itThey’ve gotten rid of a lot of things in years like the midnight buffet but it would be nice if we could have Faye once a week like the chocolate buffet or something with the theme to it. They’re not giving too many perks for being past passengers either and people do not like that. I am going to be loyal to a particular cruise line I expect them to be loyal to me. The food on all cruise ship these days has been mediocre. Portions have definitely become smaller, The food never comes really as hot as many passengers would like. And also the entrée selection has been downgraded some of the entrées for dinner I don’t consider it a proper dinner selection entrée. They are trying to please lots of people now it’s special diets medical conditions Vegans  etc. and I understand that. Do you want to try to please the most passengers they can. Even after the face now I see they have lots of Indian in food and a lot of Asian food.

how do you spend lots of money on marketing and commercials and all kinds of stuff so maybe the team needs to get together and hear more feedback from the passengers. There’s so much competition in the cruise line.

[cbr663]

On 11/1/2022 at 4:22 PM, oaktreerb said:

There is a refundable fare between the HIA and non-refundable.  Ask your TA or HAL agent for the Advantage Fare.  You really have three fare choices but they only promote two of them.  You have to ask.

 

Just wanted to thank you again for alerting me to the Advantage Fare.  After finalizing several cruises I called HAL and it seems that the Advantage fare for the 3 cruises I was pricing was only $100 more than the lowest priced non-refundable cruise fare currently being promoted by HAL.

[iflyrc5]

On 11/15/2022 at 4:17 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

I don't even know what that is!  How is it going to increase profits on the ships?

 

Pickelball is the faster growing sport especially for seniors.  Think tennis with a paddle/wiffil ball and a much smaller court and net.

[VibeGuy]

Imagine ping pong, but you’re standing on the table. 

[Wakepatrol]

On 12/7/2022 at 6:33 PM, uncleboo said:

All Who’s lines are coming back on services. They may be small things for people notice them especially if you’ve been cruising a long time like I have and yes I’ve been on all the major cruise lines Holland American carnival celebrity Royal Caribbean MSCand Ncl 

I miss the little things like getting a bag in your room, I candy on your pillow and mints after dinner these are small most of these but they get off and for us to approve so long time we miss those little added Bonuses so maybe the cruise line needs to reevaluate pricing and see how they can get more for their book so they can keep these  going and Increase the prices . They’ve gotten rid of a lot of things in years like the midnight buffet but it will be itThey’ve gotten rid of a lot of things in years like the midnight buffet but it would be nice if we could have Faye once a week like the chocolate buffet or something with the theme to it. They’re not giving too many perks for being past passengers either and people do not like that. I am going to be loyal to a particular cruise line I expect them to be loyal to me. The food on all cruise ship these days has been mediocre. Portions have definitely become smaller, The food never comes really as hot as many passengers would like. And also the entrée selection has been downgraded some of the entrées for dinner I don’t consider it a proper dinner selection entrée. They are trying to please lots of people now it’s special diets medical conditions Vegans  etc. and I understand that. Do you want to try to please the most passengers they can. Even after the face now I see they have lots of Indian in food and a lot of Asian food.

how do you spend lots of money on marketing and commercials and all kinds of stuff so maybe the team needs to get together and hear more feedback from the passengers. There’s so much competition in the cruise line.

All of these little things they’ve eliminated were the very things that hooked me into cruising with them. I only started cruising in 2002. I’m glad I got to experience these little things 

[robotpony]

For what it's worth ...

 

1 hour ago, Wakepatrol said:

I miss the little things like getting a bag in your room, I candy on your pillow and mints after dinner

 

On our last voyage we received a complimentary bag, candy on our bed daily, and turndown service if desired.

 

1 hour ago, Wakepatrol said:

hey’ve gotten rid of a lot of things in years like the midnight buffet

 

There was a Lido spread from 10:30 through 11:30 most sea days. Not quite midnight, but still fairly popular in November.

 

1 hour ago, Wakepatrol said:

now I see they have lots of Indian in food and a lot of Asian food.

 

Food selection in the Lido did include curries and other Asian foods, and they were excellent. Generally, the portions and food selections were good to excellent. I'm always happy for better, but our last few cruises were not wanting for quality or quantity.