HAL continuing to downgrade its product

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

If the insides are $299 then the balconies are $569 

Are you talking Alaska or something else now?  I pulled up the only 2 ships in April of hal and prices are $979 and $1329 usd for balconies.  This is on a large online cruise seller.  When you do the conversion to cdn the more expensive one is about $1800.  Not peanuts for Canadians.

[Captain Ricky]

5 hours ago, Wakepatrol said:

I never understood why HAL leaves Ft Lauderdale in April goes to Alaska and gets $299 for a 7 day cruise. What they can’t get $299 in Lauderdale and save all that fuel? I thought once that Covid protocols were  changed the ships would be packed because I kept reading. “I Won’t Cruise With The Covid Protocols In Place” now they’ve disappeared and the ships still aren’t full. I went on the Caribbean Princess this summer out of Lauderdale and the ship was full almost every trip?

It might be that HAL owns a lot of the ground infrastructure in Alaska, hotels, restaurants, Westours, rail cars on the Alaska Railroad, White Pass and Yukon Route.  They hope to make their money on the tours companies they own and the ground packages they offer when they own the infrastructure.

[oldbluff]

My glass-is-half-full (or more) philosophy is not HAL-specific. It’s who I am; a combination of growing up in my family with some inherent DNA mixed in.

 

I make cynical observations and can piss and moan with the best, but generally find the humor and good bits of most situations quite adequate to leave me with a smile. Or at least a non-frown to greet the new day and all that awaits.

[Wakepatrol]

4 hours ago, Captain Ricky said:

It might be that HAL owns a lot of the ground infrastructure in Alaska, hotels, restaurants, Westours, rail cars on the Alaska Railroad, White Pass and Yukon Route.  They hope to make their money on the tours companies they own and the ground packages they offer when they own the infrastructure.

That’s an excellent point. Thank you

[FlaMariner]

12 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I don't know why people always quote inside rooms.  Limited appeal for some.  How much are the balconies?  There is always a lul in cruises early December and early January. 

 

12 hours ago, Wakepatrol said:

If the insides are $299 then the balconies are $569 

 

Correct.  $569 for balcony.....I included that.  That's $81 a day!  Awesome rate.  Get a balcony....super low...That's the K'dam out of SD 12/10

[Florida_gal_50]

17 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

 

Correct.  $569 for balcony.....I included that.  That's $81 a day!  Awesome rate.  Get a balcony....super low...That's the K'dam out of SD 12/10

Again, pricing is always very low in December before Christmas.  Unless you are retired I would suspect it would be hard to do this.   There are also port fees on top of that and gratuities.  Good to include all mandatory charges.

[gilboman]

13 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Are you talking Alaska or something else now?  I pulled up the only 2 ships in April of hal and prices are $979 and $1329 usd for balconies.  This is on a large online cruise seller.  When you do the conversion to cdn the more expensive one is about $1800.  Not peanuts for Canadians.

I'm booked for Alaska balcony 7 day for $1200 cad with 300 USD obc in May on Konigsdam 

 

It's so cheap..and .. meanwhile princess is offering 10 day Alaska for 1500 cad for balcony 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by gilboman

[FlaMariner]

14 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Good to include all mandatory charges.

 

My apologies....just tossing out cruise fares to show that they are low now.....whether sailing from Florida or California.

 

Agree on the timing of "low" season......

 

Here is another crazy non HAL example.....

 

I was looking at a MSC cruise for 8 nights from Rotterdam in February (shocked they would cruise from Northern Europe in the dead of winter).....and the fare was $189 for inside, $429 balcony....(yes, plus taxes & gratuities)........hope they can pay the Europe fuel bill for that one this winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mcrcruiser]

Recently speaking to some HAL operations people they intend to bring back some things that people here say are missing ;as staff is available on board ship ,😄.so we must have patience

[KroozNut]

34 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

Recently speaking to some HAL operations people they intend to bring back some things that people here say are missing ;as staff is available on board ship ,😄.so we must have patience

Did they say what?

[LocoLoco1]

Heated swimming pools woulda been nice on our 15/day a while back. BOTH pools. How stoopid… Everybody really P/O’d.  

[LocoLoco1]

20 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Many ships are quite full.  I think the issue with this thread is that HAL ships are not full which seems to make sense in a thread that talks about downgrading their product.

Hank

Hank, Always appreciate your sensible posts. Perhaps I have an apt analogy: Lets say you routinely invite over a Houseful of guests for huge backyard BBQ’s and everybody LUVS you. Then you find yourself flat $$broke$$, yet you keep inviting them all back for peanuts & Bingo. Yes, some will show up… But I’m guessing some won’t. 

[mcrcruiser]

3 hours ago, KroozNut said:

Did they say what?

No  just that  things will be added

[cruisemom42]

54 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

No  just that  things will be added

 

I feel like that is one of those things that is easy for the staff to say -- costs them nothing and they know people want to hear it.

 

I also think it's a bit like the Peanuts cartoon with Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the football.  "No, Charlie Brown, never mind my track record -- I promise that THIS TIME I won't yank the ball away at the last minute!"

 

[Guest ldtr]

5 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Recently speaking to some HAL operations people they intend to bring back some things that people here say are missing ;as staff is available on board ship ,😄.so we must have patience

On the several cruises I have been on over the past 12 months the services are largely being brought back to pre-covid levels, though I am sure if someone really wants to focus on it they can find some things that are still not fully back yet.  Staffing is returning to normal, passenger loads are increasing, services are returning to normal on the cruise lines I have sailed on (including HAL).  For that matter on HAL they have brought back singers into their production shows, going back to something that represents the older production shows, instead of the dance only shows.

 

Cruise occupancy in general is getting close to 100%, still lower than the 105% that CCL owned lines used to average pre-Covid, but getting into the profitable range.  The longer more unique cruises, that do charge a per day premium seem to be booking up well in advance.

 

The trend is good, still may be negatively impacted by the economy, but the direction is certainly in the right direction.

[mcrcruiser]

21 minutes ago, ldtr said:

On the several cruises I have been on over the past 12 months the services are largely being brought back to pre-covid levels, though I am sure if someone really wants to focus on it they can find some things that are still not fully back yet.  Staffing is returning to normal, passenger loads are increasing, services are returning to normal on the cruise lines I have sailed on (including HAL).  For that matter on HAL they have brought back singers into their production shows, going back to something that represents the older production shows, instead of the dance only shows.

 

Cruise occupancy in general is getting close to 100%, still lower than the 105% that CCL owned lines used to average pre-Covid, but getting into the profitable range.  The longer more unique cruises, that do charge a per day premium seem to be booking up well in advance.

 

The trend is good, still may be negatively impacted by the economy, but the direction is certainly in the right direction.

It will be nice to see different shows on Koningsdam  this Dec  10th cruise as well as the B2B Dec 17th cruise we are taking  to  the Mexican  Riviera 😃

[Ray4Fun]

This is what a NY er would say is just plain BS. But not I, no. HAL did a great job where it counts

[SweetsugarNL]

What is a yumyum man?

[BelleEpoque]

On 11/7/2022 at 4:51 PM, Mary229 said:

I just wish there was consistency.   One cruise everything is just perfect and the next there are failures.  I am pretty indifferent but my two travel companions are a bit less tolerant and i want them to be happy with the experience so I continue to have travel companions. I may just have to ditch the companions 😉

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I sometimes prefer cruising solo. It’s one of the most relaxing solo vacations anyone can have. 

[StLouisCruisers]

50 minutes ago, SweetsugarNL said:

What is a yumyum man?

 

The crew member dressed in a special uniform who stood outside the dining room with a display of mints and ginger which he would serve to anyone in a napkin who stopped at his table.  Also at the beginning of the seatings (first and main) he would walk through the hallways near the dining room sounding notes on a small xylophone to call the masses to the dining room (from the nearby bars!).   Something you wouldn't see on most cruise lines I bet.  We were on the Prinsendam a lot and they always had a yum yum man.

[BetsyS.]

A Yum Yum man used to walk around the lounges  at the start of dinner and his chimes would remind people that dinner was starting. He wore a red uniform and

red hat. After dinner in the MDR, he would offer after dinner butter mints 

and ginger to people as they were leaving the dining room. A very nice tradition. 

I hope HAL will bring it back.

[RD64]

The Yum Yum Man is a classic (and truly a low cost) tradition that needs to be brought back. There was one famous Yum Yum man circa 2004 / 2005 but I do not recall at the moment. I am thinking “Buddy” but surely there is someone out there with a better memory than me.

[Wakepatrol]

23 minutes ago, RD64 said:

The Yum Yum Man is a classic (and truly a low cost) tradition that needs to be brought back. There was one famous Yum Yum man circa 2004 / 2005 but I do not recall at the moment. I am thinking “Buddy” but surely there is someone out there with a better memory than me.

There was Antonio

[RD64]

Thank you but not Antonio. He was on the Zuiderdam in March and August of 2004. I will have to find that picture. This guy was legendary, and it bothers me that I can’t remember his name.

Edited November 12, 2022 by RD64

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, ldtr said:

On the several cruises I have been on over the past 12 months the services are largely being brought back to pre-covid levels, though I am sure if someone really wants to focus on it they can find some things that are still not fully back yet.  Staffing is returning to normal, passenger loads are increasing, services are returning to normal on the cruise lines I have sailed on (including HAL).  For that matter on HAL they have brought back singers into their production shows, going back to something that represents the older production shows, instead of the dance only shows.

 

And the food?  How does one read the offering of "rustic lasagna" as a dinner entree three times in a short cruise as being back to pre-Covid levels?