lborne
December 30th, 2009, 10:47 PM
Dec 20-27, 2009
This was our first cruise with HAL. We decided to try HAL based on the itinerary, price and good reviews. The crowd was younger than I expect most HAL cruises due to the holidays. I heard we had 350 kids (1-18) on board. Overall we had a great cruise because we met some really great people, but the service and food on board were disappointing and frustrating. Nothing major went wrong, just lots of little annoyances that added up – mainly with lines and waits. Our past 6 cruises have either been with Disney or Regent. With Regent at least, we’ve been spoiled with cruises having 300-400 guests. But of course, we realize that comes at a steep price and we can’t afford to sail with them every year. However, I’d even rate Disney 2 stars higher than HAL in service and food.
I’ve graded each category and hopefully explained why I gave that particular grade. Please feel free to request more details.
CHECK IN - C
We arrived at the port around 1:30. The check in line was long, but it did move quicker than we anticipated. There was a mixup with the credit card and the two rooms, but it was sorted out quickly. As we first stepped onto the ship, I don’t recall any fanfare or anyone there to help us get to the Lido for lunch. I admit I was not paying much attention, but I distinctly can recall being welcomed by name on board Disney and with Regent, you are handed champagne, they offer to take your carry ons and you are personally led to lunch. Once we stepped onto the elevator, a staff member came on as well and told us we could only go to deck 9 as the rooms were not ready. They were ready around 2:00. Lunch at the Lido was chaos. We eventually got some plates of food but could not find an open table. Many tables were void of people but just had not yet been cleared and there was no busboy in sight.
CABIN - A
As we were traveling with our two boys (ages 6 and 11), we got two outside cabins next to each other. We wanted rooms with a connecting door, but only balcony rooms were available and the plan was to have the two boys together in one room and we did not want them having a balcony – no matter how good the locks. One room was 4101 and is listed as a partial sea view. The actual view was of a hydraulic winch and the life boats. The other room was 4099 and is listed as fully obstructed, yet actually had a better view of the ocean, although you had to look through the windows of the life boat hanging outside.
The cabins are nice and I had no complaints. The bathroom has a small tub and was not too cramped. There was plenty of space for our clothes and the A/C, hot water, phone, TV, etc. worked perfectly. Our main door would not shut by itself and someone was around to fix it the next day without us having to ask as it was noticed by the cabin stewards.
CABIN STEWARDS – A-
The cabin stewards were fantastic. Several times we requested wine glasses and they were brought immediately. They split the bed into two twins for the boys (requested during booking but not done). They removed the mini bar contents from both rooms, etc. Towel animals in both rooms every night. Only reason I did not give them an A+ is that once we stayed in our room a little later than usual and they kept asking when we would be gone even though I’d already given them a time. No big deal, but I did feel like we needed to hurry and vacate the room. These poor guys are very overworked. I would seem them with their cart far down the hallway and could not believe they had to take care of so many rooms.
DINING SERVICE / FOOD – C-
We picked the open seating / anytime option for dinner. It was announced that the best time to go was before 7:15 to avoid having to wait for a table. One night at 6:30 we still had a 45 minute wait. The last night, we had been invited to dinner by some friends we had made. Reservations were for 7:45 and we even had a table assignment. We went down to level 3 only to find a huge crowd waiting for the doors to open. It was hot, stuffy and very crowded and we waited at least 10 minutes before the crowd started moving and we were seated. It was very disorganized.
Service at the main dining room was good to poor depending on where you were seated and who was serving you. By bad service, I am talking about long waits before anyone came to our table or between courses, not rude staff or gross mistakes. It was obvious that the wait staff were overworked. I often found my main course arriving before I had ever seen the wine attendant. A few times I also had dessert before the coffee arrived. However, it was annoying that if I was out by the pool or in the casino, I was asked every couple of minutes if I’d like anything from the bar. At some times the pool waiter said things like “Why don’t you have a beer?”, or when I did finally order a beer he asked “Would you like two or three?” And they were not joking. It was very annoying and I hated having to wave them off while trying to read a book. I heard people complain that they had too many staff working around the pool and not enough in the dining room.
The Lido was self service and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The dinner is the same menu as the main restaurant, except self service. My biggest complaint was the layout and the lack of trays. The lack of trays meant you had to make several trips to your table. Others complained about the lack of trays and we were told they got rid of them because it held up the lines too much. However, occasionally you’d see someone with a tray. I don’t know how they got them because I had no luck when I requested one. The layout of the Lido with drinks on one end and the different stations sounds good in theory, but really just created sort of a traffic jam in areas. It also meant you walked a good deal back and forth. I also found a large number of people cutting in front of me in the lines, especially for ice cream. I don’t think we had more than our share of rude people, I think it was the layout of the lines that made it unclear where to go. Another annoyance with the Lido was the small glasses used for drinks. This meant constantly going back for more. My final gripe about the Lido is the silly display case they hide the desserts behind. It is very difficult to get a dessert out and often the staff had to assist people. Not that the desserts were worth taking in the first place.
We got room service for breakfast 4 mornings and dinner 3 evenings for the boys. Not once did they get it 100% right. At least one item, if not several were missing each time. If the missing items were requested, it would always arrive 30 or more minutes later.
Our one night at the Pinnacle was nice, but started off badly. We assumed at this meal we would get exceptional service. However, when the maitre de brought us to our table, it was right near the kitchen door, so we asked if we could be seated at any of the other 2 person tables around us – there were at least 3 open. He acted very put out by this, thought for a long moment, and eventually put us at another table but made sure we knew how difficult we had made his life. Luckily, the two waiters were excellent and the steaks prepared perfectly.
Food is very subjective, so don’t take too much from my review in this area. I’ve read so many good reviews about the food, and yet I found it just plain. Breakfast was always good. Service seemed to be best at breakfast. Lunch was the usual. Dinner was hit or miss, but mostly miss. I had a few good soups and the salads were always good. The appetizers also were nice. But the main entrees, excepting the surf and turf, were plain. The desserts were blah. None made us say WOW. Food at the pool grill and on Half Moon Cay was good.
At the risk of making everyone reading this roll their eyes and dismiss my report out of hand, I must admit that THE BEST cruise dining experience ever was at the adult only Palo on the Disney Cruise. I know, I know – Disney??? Yes. Over and above Regent’s premier dining experience. The last two Disney cruises we booked the Palo dinner at a reasonable $10 per person additional charge and it was well worth every cent – both times. Let me explain. Servers had 2 to 3 tables. They were friendly and knowledgeable. When we could not decide between 3 entrees, they brought all 3 or half orders of each. All were excellent and presented as a work of art. When we raved about the soufflé, they brought more. If we were not sure about dessert, they brought mini of each. And items arrived in proper time and order. 2 stars above Pinnacle.
ENTERTAINMENT – B-
The night’s entertainment was the standard cruise line shows. Nothing was terrible but nothing stood out either. I LOVED the live music on board at a time when I hear many cruise lines are getting rid of live bands. There was a small band playing oldies in the various bars, a more upbeat band that played on deck and also in some of the clubs, and a string quartet which we very much enjoyed. We did not care for the cruise director’s personality, but he did a good job because we enjoyed the entertainment. For the size of the ship it did seam that there could have been more organized activities during the sea days. But we were just as happy relaxing.
PUBLIC ROOMS – B
On this ship you are never more than a couple feet from a bar. They are everywhere. However, there is only one place to get cappuccino or espresso – go figure. The casino and shops are fine, no complaints there. The library was up on the observation deck and you could check out a book and relax with an amazing bow view. Unfortunately, it shared the same space with a bar (what else?). Once, around mid afternoon, the bartender was working everyone up with chants, such as “one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, four.” It is great fun if you are at the bar, but annoying if you are trying to read a book.
PORTS
Overall, other than Half Moon Cay, all ports were docked and did not require a tender. That is a big plus in my book. Tendering is always a hassle and takes longer. HAL gets an A for this itinerary in that regard.
Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos – D
Not much to do here. The landscape is barren and desert like with nothing tropical about it. It is pretty ugly to be honest. We took a dune buggy ride which we really did for the boys and they did enjoy it. The port is like Costa Maya – cruise company made and designed to keep your money with the cruise line. Some ports have these little tents right at the dock where the locals come to sell their crafts and keeps the tourists from venturing further. But this concept is a step farther. They make permanent shops and also make a man-made beach area for those wanting the sand and water. Although with this island, that really is the only option.
San Juan, Puerto Rico – A
I’m biased because we’ve been to Puerto Rico before and love it. We love Puerto Rico for the food (the road side stands are great) and the shopping is pretty good too. The night life is fun, and I commend HAL for keeping the ship in port until 11:30 pm. The El Yunque rainforest is spectacular.
At this port we walked over to the Sheraton to rent a car. A very nice lady, her friend and daughter from Holland were also in line when we were told there were no more cars. So we all took a taxi to El Yunque and hiked to the main waterfall and enjoyed some food and our new friends along the way.
Tortola, BVI – B
Tortola is a beautiful island. We rented a jeep and rode around as much of the island as possible stopping whenever we wished to take photos, shop or eat. People were friendly and we always felt safe. We were not at this port for very long and I wished the ship could have stayed until 7 or 8 at night which would have given us more time to explore. Unfortunately, we had to be back around 3.
Half Moon Cay – B
I read many reviews that raved about Half Moon Cay. It was pretty good, but not great. First, the beach was super crowded. At least there were plenty of chairs and I did not feel like we had to walk miles to find an empty one. However, they are stacked 3 or 4 deep, so the beach is packed. The BBQ area is very nicely landscaped, but the food is just average BBQ fare. Non alcoholic drinks were from a machine and twice when I went to get something, they were empty and I had to wait several minutes for someone to refill them. When they did, it was only with lemonade, although other options were originally available.
The kids playground area was nice. My boys liked the water slide and fountain. The snorkeling was as good as can be expected from a place that gets so many tourists. HAL scores a bonus point in not having overbearing lifeguards making you wear vests and such just to snorkel.
We did not take any excursions. We pretty much stayed right there on the beach. It was relaxing, very clean, the sand was nice and the water gentle. There is no shade, so renting a clam shell is almost required. At $15 a day, it is not overpriced.
KID FRIENDLY CRUISE – B-
Having two young boys we were happy that there was the CLUB HAL - a dedicated area on board just for kids and tweens. By itself, Club HAL would rate a B and not an A only because I have compared it to Disney. The overall kid friendliness gets a B- because of the lack of water slides and other areas that kids would enjoy. But my boys are perfectly happy without the water slides and really appreciate interaction with the counselors.
Positive
The counselors were great and came up with an amazing variety of things for the kids to do. There were video games, but they were limited in use and so the counselors actually interacted with the kids instead of just babysitting them.
Negative
They never took the kids for lunch or dinner. My boys would have loved having a pizza party with all the other kids one night rather than being dragged to the main dining room and spending hours for their dinner.
Note: One of the activities on board for the kids was a scavenger hunt. While great for the kids, I’m sure some of the adults did not like 40 or so kids running and screaming all over the ship unsupervised.
In conclusion, I’d say the main problems I had with HAL resided in the poor service in the dining rooms and the average food quality. The whole dining experience was less than average and is one of my favorite parts about a cruise. If we cruise with anyone other than Disney or Regent, it won’t be HAL.
This was our first cruise with HAL. We decided to try HAL based on the itinerary, price and good reviews. The crowd was younger than I expect most HAL cruises due to the holidays. I heard we had 350 kids (1-18) on board. Overall we had a great cruise because we met some really great people, but the service and food on board were disappointing and frustrating. Nothing major went wrong, just lots of little annoyances that added up – mainly with lines and waits. Our past 6 cruises have either been with Disney or Regent. With Regent at least, we’ve been spoiled with cruises having 300-400 guests. But of course, we realize that comes at a steep price and we can’t afford to sail with them every year. However, I’d even rate Disney 2 stars higher than HAL in service and food.
I’ve graded each category and hopefully explained why I gave that particular grade. Please feel free to request more details.
CHECK IN - C
We arrived at the port around 1:30. The check in line was long, but it did move quicker than we anticipated. There was a mixup with the credit card and the two rooms, but it was sorted out quickly. As we first stepped onto the ship, I don’t recall any fanfare or anyone there to help us get to the Lido for lunch. I admit I was not paying much attention, but I distinctly can recall being welcomed by name on board Disney and with Regent, you are handed champagne, they offer to take your carry ons and you are personally led to lunch. Once we stepped onto the elevator, a staff member came on as well and told us we could only go to deck 9 as the rooms were not ready. They were ready around 2:00. Lunch at the Lido was chaos. We eventually got some plates of food but could not find an open table. Many tables were void of people but just had not yet been cleared and there was no busboy in sight.
CABIN - A
As we were traveling with our two boys (ages 6 and 11), we got two outside cabins next to each other. We wanted rooms with a connecting door, but only balcony rooms were available and the plan was to have the two boys together in one room and we did not want them having a balcony – no matter how good the locks. One room was 4101 and is listed as a partial sea view. The actual view was of a hydraulic winch and the life boats. The other room was 4099 and is listed as fully obstructed, yet actually had a better view of the ocean, although you had to look through the windows of the life boat hanging outside.
The cabins are nice and I had no complaints. The bathroom has a small tub and was not too cramped. There was plenty of space for our clothes and the A/C, hot water, phone, TV, etc. worked perfectly. Our main door would not shut by itself and someone was around to fix it the next day without us having to ask as it was noticed by the cabin stewards.
CABIN STEWARDS – A-
The cabin stewards were fantastic. Several times we requested wine glasses and they were brought immediately. They split the bed into two twins for the boys (requested during booking but not done). They removed the mini bar contents from both rooms, etc. Towel animals in both rooms every night. Only reason I did not give them an A+ is that once we stayed in our room a little later than usual and they kept asking when we would be gone even though I’d already given them a time. No big deal, but I did feel like we needed to hurry and vacate the room. These poor guys are very overworked. I would seem them with their cart far down the hallway and could not believe they had to take care of so many rooms.
DINING SERVICE / FOOD – C-
We picked the open seating / anytime option for dinner. It was announced that the best time to go was before 7:15 to avoid having to wait for a table. One night at 6:30 we still had a 45 minute wait. The last night, we had been invited to dinner by some friends we had made. Reservations were for 7:45 and we even had a table assignment. We went down to level 3 only to find a huge crowd waiting for the doors to open. It was hot, stuffy and very crowded and we waited at least 10 minutes before the crowd started moving and we were seated. It was very disorganized.
Service at the main dining room was good to poor depending on where you were seated and who was serving you. By bad service, I am talking about long waits before anyone came to our table or between courses, not rude staff or gross mistakes. It was obvious that the wait staff were overworked. I often found my main course arriving before I had ever seen the wine attendant. A few times I also had dessert before the coffee arrived. However, it was annoying that if I was out by the pool or in the casino, I was asked every couple of minutes if I’d like anything from the bar. At some times the pool waiter said things like “Why don’t you have a beer?”, or when I did finally order a beer he asked “Would you like two or three?” And they were not joking. It was very annoying and I hated having to wave them off while trying to read a book. I heard people complain that they had too many staff working around the pool and not enough in the dining room.
The Lido was self service and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The dinner is the same menu as the main restaurant, except self service. My biggest complaint was the layout and the lack of trays. The lack of trays meant you had to make several trips to your table. Others complained about the lack of trays and we were told they got rid of them because it held up the lines too much. However, occasionally you’d see someone with a tray. I don’t know how they got them because I had no luck when I requested one. The layout of the Lido with drinks on one end and the different stations sounds good in theory, but really just created sort of a traffic jam in areas. It also meant you walked a good deal back and forth. I also found a large number of people cutting in front of me in the lines, especially for ice cream. I don’t think we had more than our share of rude people, I think it was the layout of the lines that made it unclear where to go. Another annoyance with the Lido was the small glasses used for drinks. This meant constantly going back for more. My final gripe about the Lido is the silly display case they hide the desserts behind. It is very difficult to get a dessert out and often the staff had to assist people. Not that the desserts were worth taking in the first place.
We got room service for breakfast 4 mornings and dinner 3 evenings for the boys. Not once did they get it 100% right. At least one item, if not several were missing each time. If the missing items were requested, it would always arrive 30 or more minutes later.
Our one night at the Pinnacle was nice, but started off badly. We assumed at this meal we would get exceptional service. However, when the maitre de brought us to our table, it was right near the kitchen door, so we asked if we could be seated at any of the other 2 person tables around us – there were at least 3 open. He acted very put out by this, thought for a long moment, and eventually put us at another table but made sure we knew how difficult we had made his life. Luckily, the two waiters were excellent and the steaks prepared perfectly.
Food is very subjective, so don’t take too much from my review in this area. I’ve read so many good reviews about the food, and yet I found it just plain. Breakfast was always good. Service seemed to be best at breakfast. Lunch was the usual. Dinner was hit or miss, but mostly miss. I had a few good soups and the salads were always good. The appetizers also were nice. But the main entrees, excepting the surf and turf, were plain. The desserts were blah. None made us say WOW. Food at the pool grill and on Half Moon Cay was good.
At the risk of making everyone reading this roll their eyes and dismiss my report out of hand, I must admit that THE BEST cruise dining experience ever was at the adult only Palo on the Disney Cruise. I know, I know – Disney??? Yes. Over and above Regent’s premier dining experience. The last two Disney cruises we booked the Palo dinner at a reasonable $10 per person additional charge and it was well worth every cent – both times. Let me explain. Servers had 2 to 3 tables. They were friendly and knowledgeable. When we could not decide between 3 entrees, they brought all 3 or half orders of each. All were excellent and presented as a work of art. When we raved about the soufflé, they brought more. If we were not sure about dessert, they brought mini of each. And items arrived in proper time and order. 2 stars above Pinnacle.
ENTERTAINMENT – B-
The night’s entertainment was the standard cruise line shows. Nothing was terrible but nothing stood out either. I LOVED the live music on board at a time when I hear many cruise lines are getting rid of live bands. There was a small band playing oldies in the various bars, a more upbeat band that played on deck and also in some of the clubs, and a string quartet which we very much enjoyed. We did not care for the cruise director’s personality, but he did a good job because we enjoyed the entertainment. For the size of the ship it did seam that there could have been more organized activities during the sea days. But we were just as happy relaxing.
PUBLIC ROOMS – B
On this ship you are never more than a couple feet from a bar. They are everywhere. However, there is only one place to get cappuccino or espresso – go figure. The casino and shops are fine, no complaints there. The library was up on the observation deck and you could check out a book and relax with an amazing bow view. Unfortunately, it shared the same space with a bar (what else?). Once, around mid afternoon, the bartender was working everyone up with chants, such as “one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, four.” It is great fun if you are at the bar, but annoying if you are trying to read a book.
PORTS
Overall, other than Half Moon Cay, all ports were docked and did not require a tender. That is a big plus in my book. Tendering is always a hassle and takes longer. HAL gets an A for this itinerary in that regard.
Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos – D
Not much to do here. The landscape is barren and desert like with nothing tropical about it. It is pretty ugly to be honest. We took a dune buggy ride which we really did for the boys and they did enjoy it. The port is like Costa Maya – cruise company made and designed to keep your money with the cruise line. Some ports have these little tents right at the dock where the locals come to sell their crafts and keeps the tourists from venturing further. But this concept is a step farther. They make permanent shops and also make a man-made beach area for those wanting the sand and water. Although with this island, that really is the only option.
San Juan, Puerto Rico – A
I’m biased because we’ve been to Puerto Rico before and love it. We love Puerto Rico for the food (the road side stands are great) and the shopping is pretty good too. The night life is fun, and I commend HAL for keeping the ship in port until 11:30 pm. The El Yunque rainforest is spectacular.
At this port we walked over to the Sheraton to rent a car. A very nice lady, her friend and daughter from Holland were also in line when we were told there were no more cars. So we all took a taxi to El Yunque and hiked to the main waterfall and enjoyed some food and our new friends along the way.
Tortola, BVI – B
Tortola is a beautiful island. We rented a jeep and rode around as much of the island as possible stopping whenever we wished to take photos, shop or eat. People were friendly and we always felt safe. We were not at this port for very long and I wished the ship could have stayed until 7 or 8 at night which would have given us more time to explore. Unfortunately, we had to be back around 3.
Half Moon Cay – B
I read many reviews that raved about Half Moon Cay. It was pretty good, but not great. First, the beach was super crowded. At least there were plenty of chairs and I did not feel like we had to walk miles to find an empty one. However, they are stacked 3 or 4 deep, so the beach is packed. The BBQ area is very nicely landscaped, but the food is just average BBQ fare. Non alcoholic drinks were from a machine and twice when I went to get something, they were empty and I had to wait several minutes for someone to refill them. When they did, it was only with lemonade, although other options were originally available.
The kids playground area was nice. My boys liked the water slide and fountain. The snorkeling was as good as can be expected from a place that gets so many tourists. HAL scores a bonus point in not having overbearing lifeguards making you wear vests and such just to snorkel.
We did not take any excursions. We pretty much stayed right there on the beach. It was relaxing, very clean, the sand was nice and the water gentle. There is no shade, so renting a clam shell is almost required. At $15 a day, it is not overpriced.
KID FRIENDLY CRUISE – B-
Having two young boys we were happy that there was the CLUB HAL - a dedicated area on board just for kids and tweens. By itself, Club HAL would rate a B and not an A only because I have compared it to Disney. The overall kid friendliness gets a B- because of the lack of water slides and other areas that kids would enjoy. But my boys are perfectly happy without the water slides and really appreciate interaction with the counselors.
Positive
The counselors were great and came up with an amazing variety of things for the kids to do. There were video games, but they were limited in use and so the counselors actually interacted with the kids instead of just babysitting them.
Negative
They never took the kids for lunch or dinner. My boys would have loved having a pizza party with all the other kids one night rather than being dragged to the main dining room and spending hours for their dinner.
Note: One of the activities on board for the kids was a scavenger hunt. While great for the kids, I’m sure some of the adults did not like 40 or so kids running and screaming all over the ship unsupervised.
In conclusion, I’d say the main problems I had with HAL resided in the poor service in the dining rooms and the average food quality. The whole dining experience was less than average and is one of my favorite parts about a cruise. If we cruise with anyone other than Disney or Regent, it won’t be HAL.