Tag Archives: HAL

Cruise ship’s crew keeps it all afloat

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Thanks to the Crew Center.com

Sketched June 1, 2015

With 192 cruises scheduled out of Seattle this year, a scene similar to what I saw recently at Pier 91 repeats almost daily throughout the summer.

Cruise ship baker Allan Isuela and his crew were rushing to make hundreds of bread rolls down in the galleys and casino manager Stoyan Stefanov was taking a final walk through the slot machines on deck eight. Earlier in the morning, 1,200 passengers had disembarked from the Statendam cruise ship, and, just hours later, a new load of passengers were boarding for another two-week journey to Alaska and back.

My whirlwind sketching tour of this Holland America boat took me through piano bars, swimming pools and multiple theaters. What surprised me the most, though, was that 95 percent of the 571 crew are from other countries. Isuela, a 23-year veteran with the cruise line, lives in the Philippines and Stefanov, who has held his job for 12 years, is from Bulgaria.

Despite being away from home for months at a time, Stefanov said the job is fun and rewarding. “People are on vacation … they are always happy.”

Seattle Sketcher Gabriel Campanario: 206.464.8795 orgcampanario@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @seattlesketcher. Gabriel Campanario illustrates life in the Puget Sound region. He has been living and drawing in Seattle since 2006. He’s a Seattle Times artist, founder of Urban Sketchers nonprofit, Spaniard, husband and father.

Holland America Line’s Seattle-centric strategy

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Holland America Line has launched a campaign to promote itself as Seattle’s hometown cruise line.

It’s a smart move that dovetails with an increasing emphasis on local as well as national marketing of cruise brands.

HAL won’t be advertising itself that way in Omaha or San Antonio, said President Orlando Ashford. But the greater Seattle area, with 3.6 million residents, is a top metro market with the income to cruise and HAL’s ships conveniently departing all summer from its piers.

Ashford said HAL, which has been located in Seattle for 32 years, wants to raise its profile as a corporate citizen in an area that includes names such as Microsoft, Nordstrom, Starbucks and Amazon.com.

Save for perhaps Princess Cruises in Los Angeles, it’s hard to think of another cruise line with such a strong position as a hometown cruise line.

Miami is a bit of an open city, with Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International all having a longstanding claim.

But Norwegian made a play for New York and Miami with the introduction of its last two ships, the Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway, which were themed to those two cities.

And Carnival is making a big push to be considered the local favorite in the Texas market, where it is the official cruise line of the Dallas Cowboys, and in New Orleans where it recently struck a similar deal with the New Orleans Saints.

Who knows, maybe there’s a deal in the works to make HAL the official cruise line of the Seattle Seahawks, whose blue 12th man banner is ubiquitous in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

It might look good draped on HAL’s new downtown headquarters, which is expected to open at the end of next year.

Holland America’s Koningsdam to feature wine-blending experience

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MS Koningsdam

When the ship enters service next April, Holland America Line’s Koningsdam will feature a venue where passengers can blend their own bottle of wine to take to dinner.

The venue, called Blend by Chateau Ste. Michelle, is an expansion of the cruise line’s partnership with the winery.

The two Seattle-area companies announced the partnership at a luncheon on Monday at the Chateau Set Michelle headquarters in Woodinville, Wash.

Guests will choose to blend their wines from five vintages: two cabernet sauvignons, two merlots and a cabernet franc.

“I have to say, it is one of the most exciting, engaging activities that people can do,” said HAL President Orlando Ashford. “All of you who have a competitive streak, you’re going to love it.”

There will be a facility for wine blending on Deck 2, the first at sea, according to HAL. It will be a piano-shaped room enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass on two sides, with a table for 10 guests.

A package that includes a lecture about how to blend the wines, and a bottle to take to dinner, will cost in the $90 range, said Michael Smith, HAL’s senior vice president of guest experience and product development. Once guests have created a blend, they can have a bottle blended for them at dinner for a reduced price.

Lisa Anciaux, director of travel products at AAA Washington, said the idea plays into heightened interest in food and wine. “People are looking for that experience. It’s a perfect fit for HAL. It’s going to go gangbusters for them,” she said.

MSC Cruises also has a wine blending experience on some of its ships, but not in a purpose-built room.

Ashford said the idea is “taking something guests already enjoy and adding a personal touch.”