Roz
December 29th, 2004, 11:30 AM
Hi guys. I'm working on a full review of my recent cruise, but in the meantime, I thought I'd post this mini-review.
This was my fourth cruise (third on HAL), and by far my best overall cruise experience. I chose this itinerary and ship (Eastern Caribbean on the Zaandam) based mainly on the low single supplement – 135%. The check-in and embarkation process at Pt. Canaveral was slow, but the lines kept moving. There were 40 children on this cruise, out of a total of 1,440 passengers.
Food and service were superior, with only a few minor misses. My favorite meal was dinner in the dining room on the last night. I chose hot crab and artichoke dip, conch chowder, Greek salad, osso bucco over risotto, and key lime pie for dessert. Yum! One day I tried lunch in the Pinnacle Grill for $10. It was OK, but the food and service was as good, or better, in the regular dining room. I had gingered carrot soup as an appetizer in the Pinnacle, and it tasted like cold Gerber’s strained carrots to me!
Two lobster tails were featured as an entrée on the second formal night. Our waiters offered on more than one occasion to bring us additional appetizers and entrees. Dutch Night is gone, much to my dismay, but Nasi Goreng was on the menu one night. My dining companions were totally enjoyable, and made dinner really something to look forward to. I was at a table for 6, but only 5 of us showed up. We had the 8:00 seating which worked out perfectly for me. Not too early and not too late.
The Zaandam is beautiful, and a cut above the Statendam and Maasdam that I cruised on previously. My inside aft cabin on the Dolphin Deck was clean and quiet, and my room steward Agus was attentive and friendly. The new mattresses and sheets are absolutely heavenly.
This was my first visit to Half Moon Cay. While not a sun and sand person, I thought it was the most beautiful beach I’ve ever visited. I did ship sponsored shore excursions on St. Thomas, Tortola, and Half Moon Cay. I’m a single woman and feel more secure on a group tour rather than going off on my own in an unfamiliar place. Plus shore excursions are a great way to meet other people.
There were 7 ships in port the day were in St. Thomas. I found the city to be hot, crowded, and filled with tacky, overpriced goods. It took me almost an hour to get from downtown Charlotte Amalie to the pier at Crown Bay. Tortola still has a lot of its local island flavor, with cows, chickens, goats, and pigs roaming freely. I would hate to see become overcommercialized like the U.S.V.I.
Captain Olav van der Waard is young, handsome, and personable. If I could meet an attractive, well-spoken, sophisticated man like him, I would definitely consider changing my marital status.
I met Jean from this Board, who was doing back-to-back cruises with her husband Joe. Both of them are lovely people. I also met Sharon and Marion from the HAL Roll Call Board, and they're lots of fun.
In summary, based on my experience, the tales of HAL’s demise and the decline in service and food quality are unfounded and greatly exaggerated. Or maybe I just have lower standards than the people who constantly complain and gripe. One morning , a cranky old f**t was bemoaning the fact that when he used to "cruise with mother" on the old Rotterdam, they were served lamb chops for breakfast. Get over it! Those days are gone.
Please feel free to post any questions, and I’ll try to answer them.
Roz
This was my fourth cruise (third on HAL), and by far my best overall cruise experience. I chose this itinerary and ship (Eastern Caribbean on the Zaandam) based mainly on the low single supplement – 135%. The check-in and embarkation process at Pt. Canaveral was slow, but the lines kept moving. There were 40 children on this cruise, out of a total of 1,440 passengers.
Food and service were superior, with only a few minor misses. My favorite meal was dinner in the dining room on the last night. I chose hot crab and artichoke dip, conch chowder, Greek salad, osso bucco over risotto, and key lime pie for dessert. Yum! One day I tried lunch in the Pinnacle Grill for $10. It was OK, but the food and service was as good, or better, in the regular dining room. I had gingered carrot soup as an appetizer in the Pinnacle, and it tasted like cold Gerber’s strained carrots to me!
Two lobster tails were featured as an entrée on the second formal night. Our waiters offered on more than one occasion to bring us additional appetizers and entrees. Dutch Night is gone, much to my dismay, but Nasi Goreng was on the menu one night. My dining companions were totally enjoyable, and made dinner really something to look forward to. I was at a table for 6, but only 5 of us showed up. We had the 8:00 seating which worked out perfectly for me. Not too early and not too late.
The Zaandam is beautiful, and a cut above the Statendam and Maasdam that I cruised on previously. My inside aft cabin on the Dolphin Deck was clean and quiet, and my room steward Agus was attentive and friendly. The new mattresses and sheets are absolutely heavenly.
This was my first visit to Half Moon Cay. While not a sun and sand person, I thought it was the most beautiful beach I’ve ever visited. I did ship sponsored shore excursions on St. Thomas, Tortola, and Half Moon Cay. I’m a single woman and feel more secure on a group tour rather than going off on my own in an unfamiliar place. Plus shore excursions are a great way to meet other people.
There were 7 ships in port the day were in St. Thomas. I found the city to be hot, crowded, and filled with tacky, overpriced goods. It took me almost an hour to get from downtown Charlotte Amalie to the pier at Crown Bay. Tortola still has a lot of its local island flavor, with cows, chickens, goats, and pigs roaming freely. I would hate to see become overcommercialized like the U.S.V.I.
Captain Olav van der Waard is young, handsome, and personable. If I could meet an attractive, well-spoken, sophisticated man like him, I would definitely consider changing my marital status.
I met Jean from this Board, who was doing back-to-back cruises with her husband Joe. Both of them are lovely people. I also met Sharon and Marion from the HAL Roll Call Board, and they're lots of fun.
In summary, based on my experience, the tales of HAL’s demise and the decline in service and food quality are unfounded and greatly exaggerated. Or maybe I just have lower standards than the people who constantly complain and gripe. One morning , a cranky old f**t was bemoaning the fact that when he used to "cruise with mother" on the old Rotterdam, they were served lamb chops for breakfast. Get over it! Those days are gone.
Please feel free to post any questions, and I’ll try to answer them.
Roz