Why Do you enjoy HAL?

[Lois R]

Hi, I have never sailed HAL before and have a chance to sail the Zuiderdam in September.
I would love to get some information about HAL and this ship.

I have been a Celebrity cruiser but I think I am having to cancel the cruise below due to some outside circumstances.
I already know what week I would be sailing.....Sept 18.

I would love some information...the good things and things you would like to see improved as well.

I have a friend who went on Zuiderdam and she said the staff and crew were outstanding. That is important to me. I sail solo and its nice to have a friendly face, bartender, waiter, whoever, to make you feel welcomed.

Thanks for any input you can give me.

[debblue]

i cruise strictly on hal ,any ship will do, i also cruise solo and have never ever had a problem after so many cruises on hal and knowing the staff and crew i feel like i am home and the staff is now my extended family, the ships are wonderful and the food is excellent better than i cook at home, no complaints there, it feels like a large family any time i come aboard a hal ship, i to am cruising in september on the statendam, just starting the countdown,i don't feel like you will be disappointed.i also feel very safe traveleing with hal. enjoy your cruise!!!

[Lois R]

Hi Deb, I am in my mid 40s...is the age range varied? as In most lines? I get along with all ages...actually you can see my picture ;)

Thanks for the help.

[doone]

I sail HAL because I have always been treated more as a guest than a passenger. I love their S style ships where I never feel crowded even though the ship is at capacity. The Philipino and Indonesian crew is the best I have ever encountered. They'll always remember your name, they are friendly without being intrusive, they are helpful and just a delight to be around.

I am sailing the new Vista style ship, the Zuiderdam, in March for the first time and while I know it will be different than the S style ships, I am confident I will get the same high quality service I have come to enjoy on the other HAL ships.

[Lois R]

hi Doone....I don't know the different style of ships....but I have a friend who went on the Zuiderdam and she told me she has a wonderful time.

The price for a solo on it is very good:) so I am trying to get more information.

Dress? I enjoy getting dressed up.....are formal nights pretty dressy?

[doone]

Hi Lois, the difference from the S style ships from the Vista style ships are the Vista's are larger than the S style ships. For me, so far, the S style ships have worked so well, now when I sail the Zuiderdam (HAL's first Vista ship) I'll be able to compare the differences.

I sail with a group but get my own cabin and have found HAL to be not bad for a single supplement, other cruise lines charge you double.

Formal nights you will see everything, tux's, suits, some gowns, but what I do is get a pair of dressy black slacks, at the end of the holiday season, go to your local department store and you can get a couple of sequened tops and your all set for the formal nights. You don't need a gown or spend a lot of money on your formal outfits.


I think you will have a wonderful time no matter which ship you sail.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

We have done Cunard, NCL, RCI, Princess. But the last few years we have only sailed on HAL.

We love the friendliness of the crew. They go out of their way to make your cruise an enjoyable one as well as a memorable one.

And we love the larger cabins.

You will find on the 7 day cruises, the people don't dress up as much. But that doesn't bother us. We have done quite a few 7 day back-to-back cruises and we love to dress up. Husband wears his tuxedo and I were a long gown.

:)

[Lois R]

keep the replies coming please:)

I have lots of formal/dressy stuff..so that is no problem;) Get them on the sale racks!

I have been on Celebrity 3 times in the last 14 months...so I am feeling a bit funny about changing lines.....though I always have a wonderful time on a cruise:D . After all, its being pampered for a week!

[superstein61]

I have posted something similiar to this before in response to a similiar question - but since you asked:

HAL is not better than other cruise lines.

IMO, each cruise line has its good points and bad points. HAL does some things well that I like - but for other things, other lines surpass HAL.

I do like HAL's smaller ships, less crowded feel and 2nd best Private Island

I like NCL for their freestyle cruising and numerous dining choices / alternatives

I like Disney for an overall experience, excellent service, entertainment, rotating dining and superb adult only dining alternative, the best kids clubs (for my daughter)and best Private Island HANDS DOWN.

Disney's service was exemplarly. They are the only line where I can actually recall the folks who served us because they did such a fabulous job. There was no difference in service between HAL and NCL.

I haven't tried RCL, Princess or Celebrity yet - but am sure I would find that each does something better and something worse than the competition.

So now, I just book my cruises based on destination (ie who has the best itinerary) and price

[Keith Rita]

Lois,

Service--service--service! The Indonesian and Filipino staff makes the cruise special. Also, the ships never seem crowed to us. Not so many chair hogs prevalent as on other lines we've cruised. We have cruised other lines as part of a group, however, when we are cruising by ourselves we search for a HAL ship first. :cool: :cool:

[doone]

Yikes, maybe I was on a lousy ship when I sailed NCL, but I found the service on HAL vs. NCL to be far superior. I was not impressed with NCL's ships, service or food, although their entertainment was better than the other lines I have sailed.

[superstein61]

I have had no problems on NCL at all. The food and service was comparable to HAL IMO.

I thought about this long and hard - and really, except for our dining stewards on Disney (both in the main dining room as well as the alternate adults only dining room) no lines service stuck out more than anyone's else.

And the funny thing is our last cruise was on HAL - but I honestly can't recall anything about our servers, room steward, etc. But I can remeber the folks from several years earlier on Disney because their service was exceptional.

I would judge the service we received on both NCL and HAL as good - but nothing to crow about

[FlorenceItaly]

Lois - I posted on the Celebrity thread, but about service.......

Before my first HAL cruise a few weeks ago, I had only cruised RCI and Carnival...I really didn't see much difference in the level of service. jmo.
However, I LOVED my HAL cruise, and think you will enjoy it too.

Marie

[doone]

Like you said, each line does something that you find to be better than another, I totally agree with that. I have found on HAL that room stewards, servers, etc., have remembered us years later. There was a server that picked my father out and remembered him from a previous cruise, 5 years ago. I thought that was pretty spectacular.

There are alot of cruise lines out there and there is one for everyone. We just need to venture out and find what we enjoy most about a cruise line.

[FlorenceItaly]

Just adding to say that I would meet you on The Z that week if I weren't cruising on the Mariner that week with the Hounds. Lois, you will love HAL.
I did..I do, and can't wait to sail them again.

Marie

[superstein61]

There are alot of cruise lines out there and there is one for everyone. We just need to venture out and find what we enjoy most about a cruise line.

True. I think some folks here have an impression I dislike HAL. I don't or obviously I wouldn't be going on another HAL cruise in a month. But I don't see enough product differentiation to make me choose one line exclusively.

I picked our upcoming Z cruise mainly due to its itinerary and good price I was able to get. But if another line offered a better itinerary and price, I would have no problme trying them out (or returning if it was a line I had been on). To each his/her own

[Kabana]

the ships, real teak decks and NO astroturf unlike Princess and RCCL

[Lois R]

hi, thanks for all of your replies. I didn't mean to start anything bad with my question.

Hi Marie:) it is hard going to another Cruiseline when you have been on one exclusively.....I am glad to read you enjoyed HAL so much. The friend I was going to Bermuda with sailed the Zuiderdam last year. She has told me more than once her cruise was a lot of fun!

Right now life has thrown me a lemon...and I am trying to make the best lemonade possible:) ;)

[FlorenceItaly]

Lois - you didn't start anything....it's kinda how this board is, but even so, it's my primary hang out and the people are great....it's why it's my favorite board.

I haven't cruised Celebrity YET (April 2005), so I don't know what you are giving up, BUT, I truly believe it is wonderful to try new things....

I also meant to mention that I had wonderful tablemates. It was a table of 8, and there was one other solo cruiser, 2 mother/daughter combos, and 1 grandmother/granddaughter. I was very happy with the way HAL matched me up. Also, there are single meet and greet activities during the week, one of which I did attend, and enjoyed very much.

Marie

[doone]

I didn't find anything bad on this thread, and Lois, you didn't start anything but a very informative thread. I found it rather a very nice discussion on who likes what about each line. Hey, that's how we all learn.

[superstein61]

hi, thanks for all of your replies. I didn't mean to start anything bad with my question.



Lois - you didn't start anything bad at all - you asked for opinions and you are getting them.

I will caution you that you could go to any cruise line's board here and ask a similiar type question - and what you will get are usually similiar positive responses. Thats just natural as most regulars on each board are usually enthusiasts of their lines (nothing worng with that) So sometimes when you see a somewhat contrary opinion (like mine) it jumps out. Again, please don't get me wrong - I would happily sail HAL again (in fact I am booked on the Z in a month) - but IMO, there is not a whole lot of differentiation between most mainline cruise lines. Thus when you ask me what I like about HAL, I can tell you a few things where I think they are better and I can tell you other areas where I think other lines are better. But its all just my opinion based on my experience. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, etc.

[Lois R]

:) let me ask about the HAL tipping please...so, they put it on your s&s card?
I don't tip for 2 people.....its just me sailing;) . So how does it work?

[FlorenceItaly]

Yes, $10 per day on the S&S account. I left mine in place. I chose to tip the wine steward and yum-yum man also(cash).

Marie

[superstein61]

:) let me ask about the HAL tipping please...so, they put it on your s&s card?
I don't tip for 2 people.....its just me sailing;) . So how does it work?

They will only charge you for you. Its $10/day per person. So you should see a total charge of $70 for your week cruise. According to HAL - that is the amount they deemed appropriate to reward their staff for excellent service

[Lois R]

thanks:)

[jhannah]

We sailed the Zuiderdam over a year ago and enjoyed the ship. She's larger than the S class for sure ... but still has HAL's signature on it. We didn't feel overwhelmed with people, even with its size. Passenger space is well laid out. We have found, in addition to the comments above, that HAL offers just a bit more class and refinement in a cruise experience.

[mari 10]

Lois,
I find myself in almost the same situation.
I am a loyal Celebrity cruiser, but have only sailed on the M Class.
I love new ships.
I'm booked on the Millie for 2/27/05, but want to take a cruise in either September or October with a friend from Ohio.
Only the Century sails the Caribbean at this time of the year. ( I know you love that ship), but don't know if I would enjoy it as much as my other Celebrity experiences. So, I have looked into HAL and Princess. I sailed HAL in 1997, on the maiden voyage of the Veendam. It was nice, but IMHO not as wonderful as Celebrity. HAL prices are fantastic. I can get a mini suite for the price of an ocean view on Century. I like the itinerary.
So do I make the leap to HAL?
When in Sept. do you plan on going?
What are your thoughts?
Take care,
Mari

[Lois R]

Jim:) that sounds like something that would appeal to me.

quote: " HAL offers just a bit more class and refinement in a cruise experience"

I still haven't booked yet but so far I like everything ya'll have said:)