Rumors of reduced daily activities on HAL?

[Modern_Viking]

I have sailed on HAL 3 times now and generally had a great time. One drawback was that there could have been a few more activities. I enjoyed the trivia, movies, evening shows (sometimes), game shows (always!) but would have liked a few more options.

 

I have now heard a rumor that the activities staff is being reduced on some HAL ships and the number of daily activities is shrinking. I would find this troubling, if true.

 

So, can anyone confirm if this is true and if it is likely to be here to stay on all the HAL ships?

 

If it is true, what activities are being cut and which ones are staying?

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Islandbuoy]

HAL would be right in reducing activity staff on most of its cruises.

 

They need a couple of people for Bingo and that's it. Seems to me that much of the existing staff has gotten pretty lazy and stopped trying to get people into activities.

[Schplinky]

We've only been on one HAL cruise but the activity level was one of the few weaknesses we saw. I have nothing to compare it to so I have no idea if our activities were "less" but you can look at the dailies in our documents (in my signature) to judge for yourself.

[canadagal]

I've only been on one Hal cruise so far, the Noordam this past January. I noticed that the CD was not very visible compared to other cruises and ships I've been on and that he rarely made announcements. Is this normal for Hal or was it just this ship and CD?

[Candy]

I've only been on one Hal cruise so far, the Noordam this past January. I noticed that the CD was not very visible compared to other cruises and ships I've been on and that he rarely made announcements. Is this normal for Hal or was it just this ship and CD?

 

On HAL ships you won't see the CD out there 'shakin' it up' as you would on other lines with a higher energy level. One of the things I really love about HAL is that there are NO announcements other than the Captain's daily message and emergency announcements.

 

Candy the ZuiderPrincess <-- just booked Zuidy #8

[ltjr]

I was on the Noordam last month and agree with the low visibility of the Cruise Director. I didn't expect him to be out there shaking it up, but thought he'd be more visible during the day just meeting and talking with passengers. I saw him a few times in the Sports Bar later in the evening with officers and some passengers, but my group referred to him as the phantom CD. You'd hear his voice one a day, but rarely see him.

 

The activities were severely lacking. I am not into pool games, wild activities, etc., but it truly seemed that there were minimal activities of interest or opportunities to get to know the staff.

[canadagal]

I was on the Noordam last month and agree with the low visibility of the Cruise Director. I didn't expect him to be out there shaking it up, but thought he'd be more visible during the day just meeting and talking with passengers. I saw him a few times in the Sports Bar later in the evening with officers and some passengers, but my group referred to him as the phantom CD. You'd hear his voice one a day, but rarely see him.

 

The activities were severely lacking. I am not into pool games, wild activities, etc., but it truly seemed that there were minimal activities of interest or opportunities to get to know the staff.

 

I agree entirely. Funny your friend dubbed the CD the phantom as we thought exactly the same thing. I did not expect nor want to hear annoying announcements all day long on the PA system but even when we were experiencing rough seas, or a medivac or a cancelled port the norm would be to at least in those circumstances come on and let the pax know what the heck was happening and what was going to happen. We waited for hours on end to find out any info in all of those scenarios and that info usually only came from the captain. People were miffed that we were not kept more informed on things that were going on. I expected to see the CD more out and about and never once saw him except when he was doing the MC job in the show lounge each night. We called him the ghost. We saw more of the shopping fellow around the ship then we saw of the CD.

[Maryandi]

I don't care about seeing or not seeing the CD or any other officer. I do want more activities planned . If we go from few (that we have now) to less (it would then be almost none !).

 

Good thing I like the people (incl. the crew) and reading.

 

M.A.

[cruisinbulldog]

Have only been on HA a couple of times, but the so called lack of activities is one reason why HA will be my next cruise.. I do not go on cruises to be intertained, I go to relax..

 

I agree that if you are looking for non-stop activities during sea days that HA may not be the best choice.. But for me I just grab a barstool and enjoy meeting and talking with the pax..:)

 

IMO when sitting out at one of the pools and they have pool games going on it gets abit load, and not as relaxing for me..

 

I guess thats why they say there is a cruise line for everybody..:rolleyes:

 

Bulldog

[kryos]

HAL would be right in reducing activity staff on most of its cruises.

 

They need a couple of people for Bingo and that's it. Seems to me that much of the existing staff has gotten pretty lazy and stopped trying to get people into activities.

I agree. On most "standard" cruises of seven to ten days, with a lot of port stops, you don't need a lot of activities going on. Most people won't participate anyway since they either want to enjoy the ports, or they may be the sort of people who love spending time on the balconies and don't generally participate in shipboard activities. So, why bother?

 

Now on longer cruises ... what HAL would term "voyages" ... you would see more activities staff people, because there are a lot of sea days to fill and those people are truly needed. Passengers on longer voyages look to enjoy the ship just as much as the ports and need a hearty amount of activities to keep things interesting.

 

But on the shorter cruises, a couple of people to run trivia on sea days, bingo, etc. ... and that should be plenty.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[sail7seas]

As pleasant as most of HAL's CD's are, I don't want to hear their voice for anything but necessary announcements.

 

We entertain ourselves and in about 50 HAL cruises have never once participated in any of the games and activities on board with the exception of "On Deck for the Cure".

 

I wonder (IF IT IS TRUE that HAL is cutting back on the number of activites) if they are doing so because of very low participation.

 

If we are representative of many HAL cruisers, perhaps they are finding there aren't enough guests showing up for trivia or whatever to substantiate having the cruise staff around to organize it.

 

Is cruise staff very busy these days? Do they do a lot aboard?

I'm not being sarcastic, I really don't know.

 

The only time we hear the CD speak is when he has announcements about 'the ship is cleared' or prior to the Captain's "Voice from the Bridge" talks.......or if we happen to have a private conversation with him unrelated to organized activities.

 

[shonuf]

On our January Zuiderdam cruise, we didn't attend a single show and the only activity we participated in was trivia a couple times. Of course, I was ill and we spent even more time in our cabin than usual. Have to admit tho, this trip was out of the ordinary.

 

The one activity I would really miss if they were to do away with it is trivia.

Give me a quiet spot and a good book and I'm a happy camper.

[iicruiser]

I've heard similar things about Noordams' Cruise Director on other websites. In fact, on other sites people were rather upset that he isolated himself so much - no mingling with passengers. I board the Noordam on March 21 so I guess I'll get a first hand look (or not!) at his mingling abilities. In my humble opinion, a cruise director needs to have a presence among the passengers. He doesn't need to be in-your-face about it but does need to be personable and visible.

[sail7seas]

Drew Murdock was CD on our January 6 Noordam cruise and he attended and was very social at our CC Meet and Greet in Crows Nest. (There were about 100 CC'ers on that cruise.) He was delightful to us everytime we passed him out and about.

 

He conducted the 'On Deck for the Cure' Walk and again, was very friendly to everyone. He gave a nice little talk in Ocean Bar where we gathered before we went to Promendade to begin our walk.

 

I felt him to be very friendly and most pleasant. As I said, we don't do games etc can't speak for those activities or the shows.

 

Drew left at the end of our cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

We weren't nuts over the CD on the Amsterdam either, but the CD has little to do with our enjoyment while cruising. A good one can make for a wonderful time, a poor one will not, necessarity make for a bad time. Our biggest disappointment on the Amsterdam was the lack of activities. They did have trivia every day, but those who attended (not many btw) were so serious it wasn't much fun. The entertainment was so so. I think HAL is really designed more for those who enjoy a relaxed subdate cruise experience. For a more energitic experience there are other lines. As tiny as the casino was, we saw many cruisers spending hours at the slots every day because there wasn't too much else to do. NMnita

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I have sailed on HAL 3 times now and generally had a great time. One drawback was that there could have been a few more activities. I enjoyed the trivia, movies, evening shows (sometimes), game shows (always!) but would have liked a few more options.

 

I have now heard a rumor that the activities staff is being reduced on some HAL ships and the number of daily activities is shrinking. I would find this troubling, if true.

 

So, can anyone confirm if this is true and if it is likely to be here to stay on all the HAL ships?

 

If it is true, what activities are being cut and which ones are staying?

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Here is a post on a similar thread from someone whom I assume works on the CD's staff on one of the HAL ships. Is this the post to which you are alluding?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=9294156&postcount=16

 

The poster indicates that Noordam and Zaandam are currently undergoing a "test phase" to see if the new arrangement for the CD's staff will work. I'm not sure if this indicates fewer activities or simply a different organization.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for the link, Karin.

 

Won't change our experience at all but understand that others look for more activities. A lounge chair at the pool with the sun shining, a good book, a cold drink and my DH and I'm happy.

 

We have never learned many of the Cruise Staff's names throughout any of our cruises as the only ones we've ever even spoken with for more than "Hi, How 'ya doin?" are various CD's and Jazzy Jeff.....Now, if they think of eliminating Jazzy, I'm screaming and hollering!!! If they start up with pool games at aft pool, we manage to get through it until they are over.

 

These are the kind of cuts I can live with.

[Lynne Myrna]

When we cruise, we cruise to relax....with a good book, good conversation with my DH, relaxing in the crows nest in one of those wonderful recliners. We did participate in bingo, that was it. So it doesn't matter to us if there are less activities. I throughly agree that Drew Murdock was wonderful, he had such a dry wit, & his sense of humor was so entertaining. He was a great cruise director.

[sail7seas]

. In my humble opinion, a cruise director needs to have a presence among the passengers. He doesn't need to be in-your-face about it but does need to be personable and visible.

 

 

Please do not think I am disrespectful of your opinion. I am Not.

 

But I don't understand why a CD needs to be a presence among passengers. What do we need from him that isn't provided by his staff organizing scheduled activities?

 

I'm sure it is my ignorance but I can't think of what I need or want that would require the CD walking around the ship all the time.

 

Thanks for (hopefully) understanding this is really a sincere question and not a criticism of any kind.