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HAL continuing to downgrade its product

DaveOKC

By DaveOKC,
in Holland America Line

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PACD_JG

PACD_JG

Posted
Posted

I'll share a story from my wife and two daughters, who went to adult coloring on the Nieuw Statendam three times over a 7-day Thanksgiving cruise.  Obviously debatable that this should be a scheduled activity three times if even at all, but HAL uses Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, which cost about $2-3 per pencil.  If they wanted to cut cost, they could switch to Crayola Colored Pencils that only cost 33 cents per pencil.  Artistic types will tell you that Prismacolor's quality is beyond comparison to Crayola's.

 

Having said this...when a business lowers their price point, it's expected that they'll attract more customers with less disposable income.  Several folks complained about the pencil quality (Prismacolor is softer...best for blending and layering colors).

 

Two takeaways:  the complainers didn't even know what they were missing out on (like a person who grew up on Budweiser who hates craft beer), and there is a very large market for people who will pay more in order not to mingle with those most likely to complain...and I wish HAL would stick to that model.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if this summer HAL switches to Crayola...

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cruisemom42 Great Review Rare

cruisemom42

Posted
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13 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I think if some people think that because they’ve seen something on the ship they’ve sailed on, the entire fleet functions that way.  It doesn’t.  A 24 day cruise is not going to equal a 7 day cruise.   Even some 7 day are completely different than others.

 

I agree completely with your point. I actually see it as one of HAL's weak points though. It seems there has always been a real lack of consistency across HAL's fleet (and across itineraries) relative to other lines I've sailed. 

 

The HAL afficionado will be aware of many of these idiosyncrasies and choose their cruise and vessel accordingly. But casual cruisers -- and those who try HAL for the first time -- are likely to get turned off the entire line because they picked a cheap fare and/or a short cruise on an older ship.  They wanted to give HAL a try, but instead of coming back excited about the line, they are disappointed and cross it off their list. 

 

Seems to me this is exactly what HAL does NOT want to happen right now. They'd like to entice potential new cruisers in and make them loyalists.  But when you offer less entertainment on older ships and lesser quality food on shorter trips, you're not exactly putting your best foot forward...

 

 

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Guest ldtr

Guest ldtr

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, PACD_JG said:

I'll share a story from my wife and two daughters, who went to adult coloring on the Nieuw Statendam three times over a 7-day Thanksgiving cruise.  Obviously debatable that this should be a scheduled activity three times if even at all, but HAL uses Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, which cost about $2-3 per pencil.  If they wanted to cut cost, they could switch to Crayola Colored Pencils that only cost 33 cents per pencil.  Artistic types will tell you that Prismacolor's quality is beyond comparison to Crayola's.

 

Having said this...when a business lowers their price point, it's expected that they'll attract more customers with less disposable income.  Several folks complained about the pencil quality (Prismacolor is softer...best for blending and layering colors).

 

Two takeaways:  the complainers didn't even know what they were missing out on (like a person who grew up on Budweiser who hates craft beer), and there is a very large market for people who will pay more in order not to mingle with those most likely to complain...and I wish HAL would stick to that model.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if this summer HAL switches to Crayola...

of course you might get even more complaints from those willing to pay for and feed their sense of entitlement.

 

I have found that the level of complaints usually depends upon the individual, not the level they are willing to spend.

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Florida_gal_50

Florida_gal_50

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For those that think that colouring is an awesome activity they should take a look at the daily activity “sheets” for Princess and celebrity.  There are loads and loads of activities.  For those that say go there that’s fine.  The issue is if hal doesn’t attract new customers they will die.  No ifs, ands or buts.

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albingirl Great Review Rare

albingirl

Posted
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3 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

For those that think that colouring is an awesome activity they should take a look at the daily activity “sheets” for Princess and celebrity.  There are loads and loads of activities.  For those that say go there that’s fine.  The issue is if hal doesn’t attract new customers they will die.  No ifs, ands or buts.

If I miss one thing, it's the cooking shows that HAL had.  Not Test Kitchen, but the ones before that.  With a host or hostess and a chef.  Lots of entertainment there, and samples distributed at the end of the shows.  I amassed alot of recipe cards and really loved the demonstrations.  What a shame it was when it was dropped.

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Mary229 "Live from...." Rare

Mary229

Posted
Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, albingirl said:

If I miss one thing, it's the cooking shows that HAL had.  Not Test Kitchen, but the ones before that.  With a host or hostess and a chef.  Lots of entertainment there, and samples distributed at the end of the shows.  I amassed alot of recipe cards and really loved the demonstrations.  What a shame it was when it was dropped.

We had those with  the cruise director morning meets.  They were truly entertaining, cooking demos, meeting an officer and just general chatter.  Now everything is programmed, branded and canned for distribution …….

 

and sadly our fellow passengers rave about those impersonal presentations 

Edited by Mary229
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Himself

Himself

Posted
Posted
On 10/31/2022 at 10:33 AM, DaveOKC said:

Just off a 16 day cruise on the Eurodam and our third cruise this year on HAL.  I noticed a number of reduced services and extra charges over cruises from 1-2 years ago.  I know that things are tough for the cruiselines, but I hope that they are careful not to overdue this as it will eventually double back on them with fewer customers.  

The list of things I noticed is too long to list here and some of the items are minor, but together they are significant IMO.  I sure hope things begin to improve soon.

The one thing that has improved IMO is the staff.  Overall service is much better than over recent previous cruises.

 

 

 

When I think back 30 years ago I can see a big difference today and it was better then than now

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Florida_gal_50

Florida_gal_50

Posted
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24 minutes ago, albingirl said:

If I miss one thing, it's the cooking shows that HAL had.  Not Test Kitchen, but the ones before that.  With a host or hostess and a chef.  Lots of entertainment there, and samples distributed at the end of the shows.  I amassed alot of recipe cards and really loved the demonstrations.  What a shame it was when it was dropped.

My cruise on the koningsdam was to be a culinary cruise.  I booked it long before that.  The only thing I saw was a dinner with Rudi in the sel de mer otherwise nothing.  As much as I love sel de mer these special dinners aren’t appealing to me.  I would have loved to see some cooking shows or presentations or cook offs as the previous poster mentioned.

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kevingastreich

kevingastreich

Posted
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37 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

For those that think that colouring is an awesome activity they should take a look at the daily activity “sheets” for Princess and celebrity.  There are loads and loads of activities.  For those that say go there that’s fine.  The issue is if hal doesn’t attract new customers they will die.  No ifs, ands or buts.

I took my one and only cruise with RCI back in April and I could not believe the difference in entertainment!  On the RCI ship, everywhere you turned there were entertainment staff doing a wonderful job of keeping the fun going.  Granted, it is a different product appealing to a different demo but the contrast was startling.  It wasn't too many years ago that HAL was at least in that ball-park.  Now, HAL is extremely lacking in the day to day fun which can make sea days longer for some.

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esimon

esimon

Posted
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what I  don't understand is how you make several hundred people happy at one time  - across cultural and generational and socio economic backgrounds - I'm sure I will need find a perfect cruise and things will change over and over again-  we roll with the changes and decide whether to cruise or not and which line to cruise on.  To do what most people seem to want would cost the average cruiser more money up front -  I don't like shrimp so if you want 2 appitizers you can pay for them -  and I'll pay for the things I like.   HAL is far from perfect but I believe they are trying to stay in business and keep us happy - if you aren't - let HAL know and move on

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Florida_gal_50

Florida_gal_50

Posted
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5 minutes ago, RD64 said:

I am confused - adult colouring? Has this truly become an activity?

Yup.  They had it on the front cover of the daily “thing” they were so proud of it.  I’m pretty sure they had it a couple times each week on the koningsdam.  I can’t imagine doing it.  It just seems so odd.   That said,  I’m freezing my tail off 10 months of the year being in Canada so I want to spend as much time outside as I can when I’m in the warmth of a cruise. 

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
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40 minutes ago, RD64 said:

I am confused - adult colouring? Has this truly become an activity?

 

It is.  It’s been shown to relieve stress and even help mental capacity apparently.  I don’t do it - but I know those that do.

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Guest ldtr

Guest ldtr

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, RD64 said:

I am confused - adult colouring? Has this truly become an activity?

quite common in nursing homes. not sure about cruise ships.

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Guest ldtr

Guest ldtr

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Posted
Just now, KroozNut said:

 

Some would say that nursing homes and HAL cruise ships are synonymous, but I tend to disagree..🙂

HALs average age has actually been getting younger over the past 5 years or so. Princess actually runs older these days.

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