Would you pay $100 to attend the inaugural ceremony for Eurodam?

[gizmo]

Next on HAL.....they will be selling seats to sit at the Captains table on each cruise. Various prices depending on the seating arrangement.

 

LOL :D Love it !!

 

I would never pay to attend. It sounds like nickle and diming to me, but different strokes for different folks.

[gillianrose]

I don't think there will be much mingling going on - the VIP's are generally kept at arms length from the rest of us.

 

I wouldn't have been going because I find HAL's $100/pp surcharge insulting - particularly considering what we're paying for the cruise itself...

 

What he said. Every word of it, especially about the mingling with royalty, which is unlikely to take place. (My guess is that the queen's glass will contain something better than that which will be served to the $100 per person "guests.")

 

insisted[/i] and paid for us, so I'm going.

 

Cool. And you're paying exactly what I would have paid. :)

 

 

 

It's a glorified "B.Y.O.B." event, in my opinion. In this case, the difference is "BUY your own booze rather than BRING your own booze," but it's essentially the same.

[iancal]

Nor would I pay $100 to see the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new hotel resort.....nothwithstanding who else was going! It's all the same to me-one floats and the other does not.

[RevNeal]

Nor would I pay $100 to see the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new hotel resort.....nothwithstanding who else was going! It's all the same to me-one floats and the other does not.

 

I guess that's just a difference in the way in which I, and some others, view the HAL vessels: when I look at them I don't see floating resort hotels, I see SHIPS with character and personality and beauty. I suppose it's just a different perspective.

[sail7seas]

I have my fingers crossed tonight we will be so lucky that we will be at the Dedication in Rotterdam. We can't imagine sailing the Prelude and Inaugural Cruises and NOT attending. But, that's just us!

 

IMO, Hypotheticals are always interesting. We think we know what we would do in a given circumstance but if are not actually faced with it, none of us really know for sure.

 

[Mary Ellen]

Sail - it now makes sense why you were recently interested in having a scale available on board. I did just see a travel scale in a Magellan's catalog (item #KT191). I don't know how accurate it is, or how consistent. Actually, if any of the scales already on board are consistent, it would tell you what you need to know - a sudden change in your weight.

 

Hope you got good news at the doctor's office today.

[kryos]

Next on HAL.....they will be selling seats to sit at the Captains table on each cruise. Various prices depending on the seating arrangement.

LOL ...

 

Frankly, I'm surprised they haven't been doing that already.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

What he said. Every word of it, especially about the mingling with royalty, which is unlikely to take place. (My guess is that the queen's glass will contain something better than that which will be served to the $100 per person "guests.")

LOL ... trust me, the Queen's glass will not only have something better in it, but she'll probably have a little Eurodam floating around on top as well!

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Copper10-8]

Yep, paid for it and will be very happy to be there! Looking very much forward to it! For us, this is probably a once in a lifetime experience to be at and have a chance to see someone in person I grew up with, albeit only in the media, and was taught to respect by my parents. The Dutch royal family is still pretty popular in Holland.

 

BTW, Eurodam can hold 2,044 passengers and more if all berths were to be occupied. With invited local and international VIP's, cruise line employees (Manbehindthecurtain stated earlier that all HAL officers not assigned to/on oher HAL ships are invited to attend), members of the press, etc., there's going to be a pretty good crowd out there on Wilhelminakade on 01 JUL. If you never been there before, rest assured that there is not unlimited access either inside the cruise terminal or outside on the kade itself. According to the CC news item, the capacity limit for this event at the kade is 2,500 people which it will reach (just hope it doesn't rain!). Of those seats, 500 have been reserved for passengers on the 02 JUL (one day after the event) inaugural cruise.

Some of you might not like the idea of being charged $100 a head to be there (hey, I would have preferred a freebie also!), but it is a recognized way to control access to an event like that! I have no doubt that Stein Kruse sleeps very well at night up there in Seattle! This will be a cruise to remember, not only because of this event but because of the sailaway from Rotterdam the next day. Both sides of the Maas river will be lined with thousands of people, fireboats will be spraying water, lots of big and small watercraft will provide an impromptu escort on the way to the Noordzee and, with any luck, we'll have a flyover by Dutch Air Force F-16s

 

[Aunty KK]

It is so sad that HAL's biggest advocate won't be able to make the Eurodam festivities. Here's to a full recovery and many more wonderful cruises.

[wvdleek]

We have just been advised that member of the Association De Lijn (previous employees) will not be invited to the christening ceremony on 1 July.

 

Instead we will be invited to visit the ship on 30 June.

[Aunty KK]

For all who will be celebrating the launching of the Eurodam, please share lots of pictures (hint hint RevNeal) and commentary. Anxious to hear every detail!

[Silverwing]

We live in England and booked the Prelude cruise when it was first announced. Although the Eurodam blog says that everyone booked on this cruise is eligible to attend the Dedication Ceremony, our TA has been told by HAL that it is only available for American guests!! I have contacted Seattle directly, but am still waiting for a reply. You would think that they would be only too pleased to take another $200 from us!

[jhannah]

That doesn't seem right. Why would they not welcome all prelude cruisers willing to pay the fee? :confused:

[Silverwing]

Hooray! It is now 28th April and after emails and phone calls to and from Seattle and my TA here in England contacting HAL in London yet again, they have finally agreed that we can attend the Dedication Ceremony.

 

Earlier today I was told that the cost would be £76 each so $150 each. I protested that it wasn't fair to charge us $50 more than our American friends! Eventually they offered to let us book it for £57 (about $113) each - we have agreed to that. My TA did tell me that the package which included transfers, accommodation in Rotterdam and the Ceremony had sold out a long time ago. She was worried about where we were going to stay. Thankfully I booked hotels in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, back when I booked the cruise and the flights.

[jhannah]

Good for you! I'm so glad they did this.

[Copper10-8]

Good for you Silverwing - See you there!;)

[sail7seas]

Good going, Silverwing. Hope you have a great time.

 

[Host Walt]

Here's an article that may be of interest:

 

Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to Name Holland America Line's New ms Eurodam

[nemaf]

I wouldnt pay a penny to see a billionairess smash a bottle of champagne, even on the bow of a cruiseliner. On the contrary, my presence as an inaugural cruiser deserves free servings of champagne as is usual at all invited receptions. A Holland America party is usually a non-event anyway - going by my previous experiences while cruising on the line. An undefinable air of guilt tends to hover over the occasion. It is best to stay away if one wishes to avoid what I expect to be a stilted joyless overpriced experience.

[jhannah]

An undefinable air of guilt tends to hover over the occasion.

What???? :confused:

[ptcandy]

I have mixed feelings. I suppose it would depend on what's offered. I think it's safe to say an audience with the Pope is a once in a lifetime event for anyone reading this but not for Mother Theresa. New ships roll out several times a year. Do other cruise lines charge for their inauguration ceremony? On the other hand, Candi once paid $10 (probably cost $25 with today's weak dollar) to have her picture taken with an iguana on her head so who's to say what has better value. I suppose if I were on that cruise, I would fork over the c note. What the hell, you're on vacation.

[Copper10-8]

I have mixed feelings. I suppose it would depend on what's offered. I think it's safe to say an audience with the Pope is a once in a lifetime event for anyone reading this but not for Mother Theresa. New ships roll out several times a year. Do other cruise lines charge for their inauguration ceremony? On the other hand, Candi once paid $10 (probably cost $25 with today's weak dollar) to have her picture taken with an iguana on her head so who's to say what has better value. I suppose if I were on that cruise, I would fork over the c note. What the hell, you're on vacation.

 

Heck, a picture with Queen Beatrix with an iguana draped over her shoulders, that's a once in a life time experience!;)

[sail7seas]

Until you've been present at a ships's Dedication and Naming, don't knock it. :) IMO, as someone who loves the ships and especially HAL ships, it is a once in a lifetime experience. It's fantastic fun and exciting and memorable. We are disappointed we cannot spend our $100 and see it.

 

For those who will be prsent, Enjoy it to the max. Noordam's was Wonderful and I'm sure Eurodam's will be as well. Make great memories!

 

[gwilli]

We're booked only on the Prelude Cruise. We did not get tickets for the dedication ceremony - we had made other plans before it became available to us. As Copper10-8 said, there will be lots going on in Rotterdam on the day that we leave. There will be things going on as we cruise down the Elbe River going to Hamburg. There is also special on-board events while we have a day at sea. Therefore, we don't feel that we've been left out of any of the festivities. We know the dedication ceremony will be wonderful. Hope those attending have a great time - and tell us about it!

 

Happy cruising.......