caviargal
April 2nd, 2006, 10:18 AM
Depsite my best intentions, several factors precluded live updates from the ship. Satellite ups and downs, slow speeds and a hectic beyond words schedule made it impossible for me to post.
This was my first HAL cruise in 20 years and I was a group leader for 201 passengers who were aboard for an intensive training course in real estate investment. My experiences and opinions are therefore based on a different set of parameters.
Ship:
The ZUI is a pretty ship and I liked the layout with all of its smaller areas. She does, however, look worn beyond her age. I would have guessed her to be 6-8 years old based on the condition of the walls, furniture and carpet, etc.
The A/C was totally unpredictable. Some rooms were freezing and some were too warm for comfort. I think the ship was having some electrical problems.
One night around 1:30am, we lost all power and were on auxiliary for about an hour or so. There were problems with the engines and it sounded similar as to when a car would not start and one has to continue to try until it catches. It was disconcerting and the following day we had plumbing and some other problems as a result. They were fixed but I was wary the rest of the week.
The coffee at Windstar was excellent, the internet cafe quite large, the gift shops disappointing in terms of quality of merchandise; I expected more upscale items. Cosmetic selection was really poor.
The atrium bar was unappealing and I spent no time there. We had a wine tasting in the Piano Bar and that was a highlight. Otherwise, I did not visit the other cocktail lounges at all, except for our private functions in the Crows Nest, a very pretty spot.
The gym was adequate and the staff friendly. They have raised the weekly pass for classes from $40 to $75 since my visit in late January.
Fellow Passengers:
These were a mixed lot. There were quite a few kids and teen aboard, I suppose to be spring break. The age range was mostly middle aged to seniors.
Dress codes:
Formal nights there were many tuxes and formal gowns on both evenings. I saw a good number of dark suits as well but only a handful of sport coats or less.
Men were turned away from the Pinnacle on informal night and sent back to get their sportcoats. I was quite pleased to see that standards were upheld.
Cabin:
We were assigned to SB8128, a dream suite for my tastes. Our balcony was totally private and fabulous. If the weather had been decent, I am certain we would have taken much more advantage of it but we had pretty lousy weather except for the last day in Nassau. While the suite was significantly smaller inside than the other SAs and SBs, the trade off for the balcony was worth it. The dressing area and vanity was a nice touch and provided extra space. The bathroom was quite spacious and I enjoyed the whirlpool tub.
Food:
I really dislike buffet dining period and we limited ourselves to the Lido only when no other options were available. I had one breakfast and two lunches there and both were good enough. I simply do not care for crowds and lines and buffet style dining overall.
We dined only one evening in the main dining room. We had booked Pinnacle for the first night and had dinner in the main dining room on the second. We so preferred the ambiance and service at Pinnacle that we dined there for the rest of the cruise, including our breakfasts. It was the highlight of the cruise for us.
We did have lunch in the main dining room twice but both times had poor service and lukewarm food. We tended to have lunch in port whenever possible and also utilized room service to dine on the balcony if I had free time and the weather permitted. Otherwise, a snack in the Neptune Lounge held us over.
I had much positive feedback from my 201 clients on the food and service in the main dining room.
The Culinary program was a big hit and my fiance and two of my clients attended the sessions. They raved about them! I did stop in once to take some photos but was summarily asked to leave (with a big smile of course).
Entertainment:
I cannot here as I did not attend any shows or events. Dinner in the Pinnacle was all I needed in the evenings except for 70s night in the disco, where a group of us stayed until almost 2am.
Ports:
I am jaded here. I dislike Nassau and St. Thomas and the former was full of spring breakers, which made it even less pleasant that usual. We had a day pass for Sandals which was a nice respite. In St Thomas, we took a taxi and spent a few hours on Sapphire then returned to town for lunch at Cuzzins and a very brief shopping expedition.
Tortola is much nicer and we simply explored for a few hours.
The weather was not nice when we were at Half Moon Cay so we did not bother.
Service:
The service was outstanding on the ship except for a few exceptions. Our room steward was excellent and the waitstaff in Pinnacle treated us like family. The HD, Mark Pells, was very visible in my events and diligent about ensuring our needs were being met.
The worst service was at the front desk. The girls there are apparently new and are inadequately trained. I was given incorrect information on many occasions and this caused my entire group to be inconvenienced. They were always polite but seldom correct or helpful. The Purser was also not up to the caliber of the other ship's officers. I found him to be arrogant and condescending and was happy my interactions with him were limited.
All in all, I was pleased with this cruise, especially from a group leader perspective as the management team I worked with many times a day was exemplary. I think Celebrity is still my preference for the amenities offered on their M class ships and also feel that the food service in the main dining room was better on X. But in every other area, HAL service has them beat.
Please ask if you have specific questions.
This was my first HAL cruise in 20 years and I was a group leader for 201 passengers who were aboard for an intensive training course in real estate investment. My experiences and opinions are therefore based on a different set of parameters.
Ship:
The ZUI is a pretty ship and I liked the layout with all of its smaller areas. She does, however, look worn beyond her age. I would have guessed her to be 6-8 years old based on the condition of the walls, furniture and carpet, etc.
The A/C was totally unpredictable. Some rooms were freezing and some were too warm for comfort. I think the ship was having some electrical problems.
One night around 1:30am, we lost all power and were on auxiliary for about an hour or so. There were problems with the engines and it sounded similar as to when a car would not start and one has to continue to try until it catches. It was disconcerting and the following day we had plumbing and some other problems as a result. They were fixed but I was wary the rest of the week.
The coffee at Windstar was excellent, the internet cafe quite large, the gift shops disappointing in terms of quality of merchandise; I expected more upscale items. Cosmetic selection was really poor.
The atrium bar was unappealing and I spent no time there. We had a wine tasting in the Piano Bar and that was a highlight. Otherwise, I did not visit the other cocktail lounges at all, except for our private functions in the Crows Nest, a very pretty spot.
The gym was adequate and the staff friendly. They have raised the weekly pass for classes from $40 to $75 since my visit in late January.
Fellow Passengers:
These were a mixed lot. There were quite a few kids and teen aboard, I suppose to be spring break. The age range was mostly middle aged to seniors.
Dress codes:
Formal nights there were many tuxes and formal gowns on both evenings. I saw a good number of dark suits as well but only a handful of sport coats or less.
Men were turned away from the Pinnacle on informal night and sent back to get their sportcoats. I was quite pleased to see that standards were upheld.
Cabin:
We were assigned to SB8128, a dream suite for my tastes. Our balcony was totally private and fabulous. If the weather had been decent, I am certain we would have taken much more advantage of it but we had pretty lousy weather except for the last day in Nassau. While the suite was significantly smaller inside than the other SAs and SBs, the trade off for the balcony was worth it. The dressing area and vanity was a nice touch and provided extra space. The bathroom was quite spacious and I enjoyed the whirlpool tub.
Food:
I really dislike buffet dining period and we limited ourselves to the Lido only when no other options were available. I had one breakfast and two lunches there and both were good enough. I simply do not care for crowds and lines and buffet style dining overall.
We dined only one evening in the main dining room. We had booked Pinnacle for the first night and had dinner in the main dining room on the second. We so preferred the ambiance and service at Pinnacle that we dined there for the rest of the cruise, including our breakfasts. It was the highlight of the cruise for us.
We did have lunch in the main dining room twice but both times had poor service and lukewarm food. We tended to have lunch in port whenever possible and also utilized room service to dine on the balcony if I had free time and the weather permitted. Otherwise, a snack in the Neptune Lounge held us over.
I had much positive feedback from my 201 clients on the food and service in the main dining room.
The Culinary program was a big hit and my fiance and two of my clients attended the sessions. They raved about them! I did stop in once to take some photos but was summarily asked to leave (with a big smile of course).
Entertainment:
I cannot here as I did not attend any shows or events. Dinner in the Pinnacle was all I needed in the evenings except for 70s night in the disco, where a group of us stayed until almost 2am.
Ports:
I am jaded here. I dislike Nassau and St. Thomas and the former was full of spring breakers, which made it even less pleasant that usual. We had a day pass for Sandals which was a nice respite. In St Thomas, we took a taxi and spent a few hours on Sapphire then returned to town for lunch at Cuzzins and a very brief shopping expedition.
Tortola is much nicer and we simply explored for a few hours.
The weather was not nice when we were at Half Moon Cay so we did not bother.
Service:
The service was outstanding on the ship except for a few exceptions. Our room steward was excellent and the waitstaff in Pinnacle treated us like family. The HD, Mark Pells, was very visible in my events and diligent about ensuring our needs were being met.
The worst service was at the front desk. The girls there are apparently new and are inadequately trained. I was given incorrect information on many occasions and this caused my entire group to be inconvenienced. They were always polite but seldom correct or helpful. The Purser was also not up to the caliber of the other ship's officers. I found him to be arrogant and condescending and was happy my interactions with him were limited.
All in all, I was pleased with this cruise, especially from a group leader perspective as the management team I worked with many times a day was exemplary. I think Celebrity is still my preference for the amenities offered on their M class ships and also feel that the food service in the main dining room was better on X. But in every other area, HAL service has them beat.
Please ask if you have specific questions.