Considering HAL - have questions

[sailorgirl]

We are satified Celebrity, Cunard and Princess cruisers who would like to try HAL but we don't know much about it other than it seems to be a high end mainstream line. We don't like a lot of formal days, we like to dine alone for two, we like a good gym, and we appreciate very good food and service. Also we like a promenade deck. I was looking at a Ryndam cruise late next Fall. Can anyone help me decide if this line and ship would please us?

Thanks.

[dakrewser]

If you like Princess & Celebrity, then you'll like HAL.

[sailorgirl]

Thanks, Dakrewser, I'm sure we will like HAL. But, specifically, can tables for two be had? Is there a very dressy atmosphere in the evenings? Is there a well equipped gym? These are i9mportant things to us.

[iceman93]

Every time I've wanted a table for 2, I've gotten one. There seem to be plenty.

Evening dress ranges from business casual to tux & gown, depending on the night. You won't see men in suits every night, but you won't see men in cut-offs ANY night.

The gym is well-equipped by hotel standards, but not by true land-based gym standards. You'll find an assortment of treadmills, elliptical machines, and bikes along with the obligatory free weights and Nautilus machines. They do offer aerobics classes and the like as well.

[mrblack]

We've done celebrity as well as HAL and liked both. I think the food is slightly better on Celebrity but the food is still great on HAL too. One nice thing about HAL is the gym. On Celebrity we often found it quite crowded, that's never been the case on HAL. With respect to tables for two I don't remember seeing many but then I wasn't looking. We had wanted to sit with our friends and on both HAL cruises this was messed up but the maitre'd quickly fixed up things by the second evening to accomodate us on both counts. :)

[RuthC]

You won't find too many formal evenings on HAL. In a 7-night cruise you can expect 2 formal, 1 informal, and 4 casual evenings. The casual tends to a resort casual vs daytime casual. The dress code is for the entire evening---not just dinner.

[Krazy Kruizers]

If you are looking at the Ryndam for this fall, then you are looking at a 14 day cruise. Usually there are 3 formal nights, 3 informal nights and the rest are casual on this itinerary.

We always get a table for 2.

Have sailed on the Ryndam several times - love the ship.

[caviargal]

Thanks, Dakrewser, I'm sure we will like HAL. But, specifically, can tables for two be had? Is there a very dressy atmosphere in the evenings? Is there a well equipped gym? These are i9mportant things to us.

We asked for and were given a table for 2 on a recent ZUI cruise. We were booked in SB so that may have given us an edge.

I am also a gym rat and the gym on this ship was decent. Not up to M class standards on X (only one elliptical) but better than some. Cybex equipement sufficient for a workout and two free weight stations.

Classes, however, were not plentiful.

There were two formal nights and the dress code in Pinnacle was enforced on the informal nights (guys sent back to get jackets). Since we enjoy dressing for dinner, this was a plus in our book.

Passengers were as well dressed in the evenings as on my X cruises.