A HAL Fan...

[ekerr19]

I must say, after reading a few threads since my return home last night, I am surprised how many threads have something negative to say about HAL changes, service, food, all from people just off HAL cruises. I am really sorry to hear this - and I hope some of you will consider giving HAL another chance.

I would also like to say that we had a fabulous time on the Noordam. It was all I hoped it would be and more. While this past cruise was not identical, it was certainly a reminder of some of our earlier voyages on HAL.

Our Zuiderdam cruise in August of 2003 was my least favorite and left me feeling I should look for a different cruise product - we decided to give it another go and I'm glad we did. Our subsequent HAL cruises have both been wonderful experiences. I think we will be sticking around for a long time to come.

HAL is growing and changing, no doubt. I guess the question for many long time cruisers is, "can they still deliver?"

I think so. :)

[sail7seas]

I think so too, ekerr. :)



I am among those who comment we've seen alot of changes. But, I am also one who keeps booking HAL cruises and keep having a great time on them. It does worry me though that some of the changes are beginning to truly effect the product.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Like s7s we are still loyal fans of HAL - have several cruises booked for next year.

We are just hoping that HAL doesn't make too many drastic changes for the worse and reads some of the comments we have.

[JohnR49er]

I know I had a bunch of negatives upon my return. Minus mechanical issues still not a real bad trip. They just seemed to be cutting corners. The dining room staff were run ragged and service suffered. I guess my biggest surprise was the difference from my last HAL cruise four years ago. Maybe when you take several a year every year the changes are more subtle?:rolleyes:

[twoatsea]

"the following message is only my opinion"!

based on the prices of hal cruises, meaning they are so cheap, how can anyone complain? if i go to golden corral, i pay g.c. price & i get g.c. food - how can i have the nerve to complain because it is "meatloaf" & not "luxury" dining? (for those of you not getting the cruise at a cheap price, you may want to rethink your purchase methods).

if one sails with hal because it is nice & quiet, how can one have the nerve to complain about all of the old people or that there is not enough entertainment & the ship activities end too early in the evening? generally what is offered is for the majority onboard, not the minority - a good financial practice. the company must balance making money with not losing "too many" customers.

it appears to me that hal is doing what the corporate office dictates & carnival has decided to change the product - lower costs & therefore cut financial corners. each traveler needs to do their own cost vs. desires analysis & decide which ship/cruiseline to pay - such responsibility exists in all facets of life.

however, cutting lobster tails in half should not be a problem - simply order more halves to make as many wholes as you want. having meatloaf on the menu & you don't like meatloaf is not a problem - don't eat it, eat something else.

now all of the zui problems i have read about are informative. i don't want to sail on a ship with such poor a/c (granted only in some staterooms, but maybe mine) that i can't sleep - there are too many others out there.

the long ago golden age of cruising will not be found with hal - that cannot be available at today's discount prices. there are lines out there that provide such luxury cruising, but the cost reflects such. IMHO hal gives a great product for the price, but their product is not geared towards every taste, same with carnival, celebrity, on & on.

soooooo, "you get what you pay for" - caviar or meatloaf?

[WindyCity]

Well said, two at sea! Bravo!

I agree - it's everyone's personal choice and problems with ships will happen on EVERY ship, no matter what the line. What is important is whether they bother to try and "repair" the problem. Overall, HAL has the biggest cabins for the price and that is what has us coming back as does the smaller size ships.

I seem to remember someone had brought up the fact that the dining room crews are stretched to the limit because HAL has built bigger ships but has not had the time to train the staff, which could be the reason for the shortage of dining & cabin stewards.

Do small irritations happen? Yes, but that is not a major reason to say I will never sail HAL again. Just like life - we all have to learn to go with the flow!

Ekerr, glad you had a great cruise - wish you were coming with us. Steve prepared a wonderful "funbook" for all of us and its almost like knowing our fellow cruisers BEFORE we even get on the ship.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I will write more on this in my review of our 11/7 cruise on the Oosterdam, but I will say that I fell in love with Holland America when we cruised on Windstar (part of HAL) in 1990. Our next cruise on HAL was the Maasdam in November 2002.

In comparison, this cruise was a disappointment. I fear there is a definite downturn in the product. That's not to say that I won't have a lot of great things to say and we all had an absolutely great time, but the service on Celebrity (Millennium) last year wins over this cruise ten fold. I was saddened because I wanted this to be the beginning of an ongoing relationship. I mean I really wanted to prefer HAL.

There seemed to be a general sadness amongst the staff. They were smiling and being so sweet, but theyappeared exhausted and didn't seem happy and I could feel that.

Maybe it's something about the Caribbean? Given Laura's perception, it leads me to wonder.

[Aussie Gal]

Heather,

We returned from our wonderful Prinsendam cruise only a couple of weeks ago and I can honestly say that we did not find any cost cutting at all. The meals were the best we have had on HAL, the service was great, the front desk could not do enough for you and we had no mechanical problems whatsoever.

I know there has been a lot of negative feedback regarding HAL ships in the past few weeks and hopefully all these problems will be remedied when the ships go in for their annual inspection. Air conditioning seems to be the major problem.

We are booked on the Maasdam for July and am wondering how different that experience will be from our wonderful trip on her to the Baltic in 1999.

I know there have been cutbacks across the board on little things but hopefully the overall cruise experience will still be great.

Jennie.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Heather,

We returned from our wonderful Prinsendam cruise only a couple of weeks ago and I can honestly say that we did not find any cost cutting at all. The meals were the best we have had on HAL, the service was great, the front desk could not do enough for you and we had no mechanical problems whatsoever.

I know there has been a lot of negative feedback regarding HAL ships in the past few weeks and hopefully all these problems will be remedied when the ships go in for their annual inspection. Air conditioning seems to be the major problem.

We are booked on the Maasdam for July and am wondering how different that experience will be from our wonderful trip on her to the Baltic in 1999.

I know there have been cutbacks across the board on little things but hopefully the overall cruise experience will still be great.

Jennie.
Jennie, please know that I am not even a teeny bit fussy. And I experienced none of the problems that people have spoken of. I will say I think the food varies ship to ship. It does seem to me that a lot of the complaints have been about the Caribbean cruises ... also maybe the Alaskan.

When I write up my review, you'll see that I really have no "complaints". I agree with you about the Main Desk, btw ... they were superb. Not so the Shore Excursions, but this was an isolated incident. There were no mechanical problems, AC was fine though much too cold in the public areas, but I find that on any ship. Food is subjective and my husband loved it... especially the "comfort food" option. Some of my meals were delicious while others were inedible. The "Pinnacle" was out of this world ... a fantastic evening.

More to come on our cruise very soon.

[ekerr19]

Heather-

Welcome Back!!! I missed you - we just returned ourselves... trying to get the pics uploaded and some laundry done - I look forward to reading all about your trip!

I think you may have hit the nail on the head, so to speak. I think the Carribean product varies much more than others. One thing we found in speaking with the crew - none of them are really excited about the 7-day Carribean assignments. The Zui seems to be the least favored by the crew that were aboard the Noordam. The Westerdam and Volendam seemed to be the favored ships by many of the crew and officers we spoke to.

We docked next to the Millie in Barcelona - I must say I was impressed by what I did see. The Celebrity pax we spoke to in town seemed really taken with the ship - all had great things to say.

I still think HAL is trying to find a particular niche while retaining some of the feel and ambiance of the past - just how successful they are remains to be seen however, I am really looking forward to cruising on the Volendam as I heard so many positives about her from the crew.

[dot73]

ekerr - I am so glad you enjoyed the Noordam. I did two cruises on that ship and absolutely loved it. If I had listened to the reviews, I never would have had the pleasure of cruising it. I will be taking my fifth cruise on HAL in February. What keeps me going back to HAL is the service. Because I travel alone, I can only afford the "cheap" cabins, but my room stewards have always been amazing and I always received first-class attention. As for the "slow service" in the dining room that some people complain about, I find it totally relaxing. As a working person who is always eating on the run, I find the 2-hour dinners wonderful. Why is everyone in such a hurry? Cruising on HAL is one of the last "civilized" ways of travelling these days. If only wish I didn't have to fly to the ships.

[lknick]

One thing we found in speaking with the crew - none of them are really excited about the 7-day Carribean assignments. The Zui seems to be the least favored by the crew that were aboard the Noordam. The Westerdam and Volendam seemed to be the favored ships by many of the crew and officers we spoke to. Your observation puzzles me. Since these three ships are virtually identical [been on all 3 but only Zuiderdam in Caribbean], how could the crew prefer one over the other? Or is it the damands of the 7-day passengers they're speaking of?

[bepsf]

Your observation puzzles me. Since these three ships are virtually identical [been on all 3 but only Zuiderdam in Caribbean], how could the crew prefer one over the other? Or is it the damands of the 7-day passengers they're speaking of?
I'll bet it has everything to do with the varied itineraries of Westerdam and Volendam as opposed to Zuiderdam. How would you enjoy spending 6-8 months hitting the same port towns over and over again, turning over the ship over every single Saturday while you know that the rest of your pals are on 10-12 day European Cruises or doing South America? Its gotta get monotonous for these folks!!!

That's something I noted from our Amsterdam hosts - they were truly excited that we were ending the Alaskan season and headed to South America! They were in the library looking up upcoming port towns choosing which ones they were going to request shore days for and making plans for their day in San Francisco - just as any other traveler would.

Remember, these folks don't get days off for months at a time so any change from their monotony is welcome - and it's bound to show in their work.

[lknick]

Its gotta get monotonous for these folks!!!

Remember, these folks don't get days off for months at a time so any change from their monotony is welcome - and it's bound to show in their work.For ten years, I had basically the same job. Went to the airport, flew to the same cities, saw the same people, heard the same problems. And some thought my job was exciting because I spent a lot of time in Europe. So, that's why we call it a job and people pay you to do it.

I would like to get Ekerr's impression. My impression is the 7-day Caribbean cruiser just wants everything, thinks a cruise is the Love Boat with Vikki and Captain Stuben, and are overly demanding. I compare this to the passengers on longer cruises where people settle into a routine, expect less, and seem to treat the crew as if they too are people.

This is one of the reasons I have given up on HAL for Caribbean cruises and migrated to Crystal.

[HeatherInFlorida]

EKerr, so well said! I think your observations on right on target. When I finally feel well enough to write my review you will see that my so called "complaints" are relatively small.

What I continue to be confused about, though, is the food. The Lido was amazingly good, the Pinnacle out of this world, yet the DR food was mediocre at best (except for the MAINE lobster tails which were to die for:D )

[The_Hall_Monitor]

Regarding the difference in crew attitude between Zui, Oosterdam and Westerdam -- I expect itinerary is indeed a major factor. But not because the crew gets tired of going to the same places --

The typical 7-day cruise (especially to the Caribbean) has a lot of first time cruisers and it's been my observation that (as a group) they try to crowd everything into those 7 days. Many see the crew as their personal servants for a week, expecting "step and fetchit" service.

On longer cruises, I've always found the crew relaxed, chatty, very hospitable. In conversation, they're very willing to explain why they prefer the long itineraries. One fact that's always mentioned is "the passengers have time to get settled in."

I can only sympathize with the crew on those ships that make 3 and 4 day "quickies". Those must be the Cruises From Hell.

[dakrewser]

Your observation puzzles me. Since these three ships are virtually identical [been on all 3 but only Zuiderdam in Caribbean], how could the crew prefer one over the other? Or is it the damands of the 7-day passengers they're speaking of?
It may also have something to do with the oficers on the Zui, compared to the other ships...

-dave

[Lokalona]

It may also have something to do with the oficers on the Zui, compared to the other ships...

-dave


I think the same old ports do get boring for the service staff, and with the 12 month stint they are contracted into it must be a hard adjustment. I feel the average cruisers that are still working full time and have family still at home take the 7 day cruise. The semi retired, retired, or people that may have accumulated more vaction time take the 10 day or B2B cruises. I would agree they are more relaxed seasoned travelers. I felt the tension on the ship, Zuiderdam, between the officers and the service staff. They seemed to be reserved, almost rude at times to the service staff. On RCI I have had the pleasure to sail on three ships under the same Captian, Johnny Flavilin (sp?) the crew adore this man, he is wonderful to work for and they often move ship with him. So I do believe that also makes the difference between same type sister ships, itineries and the fact that some are happier on other ships even though to the average passenger it looks the same...I always enjoy striking up conversation with the crew/staff and ask how long they've been on the ship, with the company, do they like it etc., they are usually always happy to tell you their story, some even show us photos of the kids they haven't seen in quite a long time. I have never treated a service staff person as though they were at my beck and call, they work long hard hours every day in a routine job far away from family and friends. I cannot imagine this life. I feel though many were so unhappy on this paticular ship, and it made things so much less service oriented.

[Oceanwench]

My first HAL cruise was a year ago on the Zuiderdam.
We had an outstanding time and found everything to be first-rate: food, service, entertainment.
We experienced none of the negatives others complained about - vibrations or bad odors.

We decided we'd definitely go on a HAL ship again.

One year later we took a cruise on the Oosterdam.
We couldn't help but compare ...
As I've said before, the biggest complaint I had was with the service in the dining room.
The servers were rushed, and I felt bad for them because it seemed they never stopped. I remember on the Z, how our wait staff would stop and talk to us, joke with us, etc.
The servers on the O did not seem to have time to do that at all.
As far as service being "slow" -- yes, I enjoy a leisurely dinner and don't want to gulp down a meal.
But slow can be a negative when:
You drink water, and your water glass is empty and no one is there to refill it.
Your soup is cold or your order is wrong, but there is no one to correct these problems.
Your service was too slow, and the rest of the dining room has emptied out, and all around you there are servers clearing tables, changing tablecloths, setting new places ... and you have to rush through dessert so they can clean your table!

I wouldn't consider HAL a "bargain" cruiseline.
And even if it is on the lower scale price-wise, that does not mean service shouldn't be topnotch!
Look at Disney.
I've stayed at Grand Floridian. I've stay at Pop Century. And everything in between.
And Disney service has always been outstanding, whether I paid $300 a night or $49. [Florida resident rates]

I spent far less for a RCCL cruise and had outstanding service.

[lknick]

It may also have something to do with the oficers [sic] on the Zui, compared to the other ships...If the officers were never rotated, I would concur. However, they are quite frequently.

But the same demographics sail week after week, changing names every Saturday, but never attitude. This observation is based on three 7-day Caribbean cruises on the Zuiderdam and one on the Maasdam. The attitude was not as pronounced on the Maasdam.

[ekerr19]

Your observation puzzles me. Since these three ships are virtually identical [been on all 3 but only Zuiderdam in Caribbean], how could the crew prefer one over the other? Or is it the damands of the 7-day passengers they're speaking of?

Iknick-

The primary discussed most frequently is the weather (itinerary) and the fact that it can get so very humid in the summer. Also, as much as the pax love HMC, according to many of the crew we spoke to - it is one stop that involves much more work for them as all the food, drinks and supplies must be brought ashore then packed up and brought back...

Secondary, there seemed to be an opinion that the Zui attracts many first time cruisers who have the understanding that tipping is included. Before the auto-tip, I was told that tips on the Zui were pretty non-existent except for those given by pax who had been on several/many HAL cruises.

Now I am not going to debate whether any of this is true or not - I am merely relaying what seemed (in my opinion) to be the perception of the crew.

I am also not trying to give the Zui a bad rap. She fills a definite niche for HAL and for those of you who love her, I can appreciate that - there have been many times I feel as I am one of the few who loved the Noordam!

[Lokalona]

Iknick-

The primary discussed most frequently is the weather (itinerary) and the fact that it can get so very humid in the summer. Also, as much as the pax love HMC, according to many of the crew we spoke to - it is one stop that involves much more work for them as all the food, drinks and supplies must be brought ashore then packed up and brought back...

Secondary, there seemed to be an opinion that the Zui attracts many first time cruisers who have the understanding that tipping is included. Before the auto-tip, I was told that tips on the Zui were pretty non-existent except for those given by pax who had been on several/many HAL cruises.

HMC like every other private island on other cruise lines, Labadee, Coco Cay, etc., I don't seem to recall the names of NCL "private" area or others at the moment, have a place in that for the passenger who wishes beach time like they would get at an all inclusive resort. I like these days, but it is not what the vacation is all about to me. It is the ship, not the itinerary that is the vacation. IMO. There have been many times I've been to Puerto Rico, Ocho Rios and Nassau that staying on the ship was my choice, enjoying what it had to offer in a quieter setting. I could however not wait to get off the Zuiderdam even if it meant being asked 50 times if I wanted my hair braided in Nassau, standing in the rain shopping for spices in Tortola, or of course my favorite shopping spot in St. Thomas, The Crystal Shop. Which I did luck out this past trip to buy a discountinued LLardo that I managed to have signed by David LLardo, the only living realitive and CEO of LLardo. I got his photo signing my piece and it beat me home in perfect condition! Definately the highlight of my trip!