How strong is your loyalty to HAL???

[HeatherInFlorida]

I'm curious about CC members loyalty to HAL I'm pretty sure this holds true on other cruise line boards, too, but I've noticed an intense surge of loyalty recently on this board.

We all have our favorite cruise lines. Some of us cruise HAL exclusively and others have two, three or more and jump around liking one line for one thing, another line for something else.

Many CC'ers feel HAL is pretty much infallible. When someone writes a negative review or posts something negative in the body of a thread, there are those who seem to take it personally, are almost offended.

I thought a poll might be worthwhile to see how we feel as a whole. I just hope I come up with enough choices.

This poll is private so you can check whatever you want and no one will be the wiser. You can just take the poll or add a comment if you like. Please let's not turn it into a rant against HAL or vice versa because that's not what it's about. Most of us love HAL, we cruise HAL often, so there's no reason to turn the poll into anything more complicated than what it is.

[CruiseBumm]

I agree a few get upset when HAL is critized on these boards. But I think most CCers see it as a good thing to get both the negative as well as the positive on any line.

Yes, there are those who go out of there way to praise or attack in th extrem, but they are in a distinct minority in MHO.

[grannynurse]

We are definitely HAL cruisers, but as one person posted after one of my reviews "I shoot from the hip". IMO there is no perfect cruiseline, but in most instances HAL comes through.
GN

[BumperII]

I have never been on a perfect cruise. I have never been on a cruise that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. HAL has pretty nice ships. They are a great value for the vacation dollar.

But it is the passengers that really make the cruise for us. HAL provides the opportunity for us to have a pretty luxurious cruise vacation, but the rest is up to us. We're loyal, but we're also out to enjoy the cruise, and not too much gets in the way of that.;)

[bookworm0911]

HAL has been losing alot of what has made it a premium line and has become more mass market. Food and service has gone down in most cruisers opinions. But some just can't admit it and there loyalty to HAL and what used to be is very strange. I'm anxious to see if the results will be honest since it all is anonymus.

[ldog]

We've enjoyed our last four HAL cruises very much. They offered fantastic itineraries that really appealed to us.

We love the atmosphere on board. I love the crew. We are very comfortable on HAL cruises. We thought we had found our home.

I was and am terribly upset about the ParkWest Crows Nest fiasco on the Rotterdam. That could very well have been us. If that happens to me I'll be very vocal and probably reconsider my loyalty. I was lied to and brushed off in our response from the office to the president. That really concerns me.

That said, we will enjoy our next cruise in October no matter what and then reconsider where we go next.

[jasl]

Counting 18 cruises on HAL and a total of 254 days, I would say we have been quite loyal. However, our last two voyages were below their usual standard and we have decided to try another line. Our first two cruises on that line have been outstanding, so for a while we will not be sailing with HAL.
I believe their quality of food, dining room service and cabin maintenance have deteriorated and think the auto-tipping has taken away a lot of smiles from the crew. Don't know why, we leave the auto tip in place and reward the staff additionally, which many passengers seem to do.

[arzz]

HAL is definitely my cruise line of choice. We feel at home on their ships, enjoy their elegant ambiance, and we feel we meet the best people on board HAL ships. But sometimes they do something not quite right. If it is significant, to let it go allows the cruise line to assume that what was done is OK or even pleasing to the passengers. Being too passive will only propagate difficulties as well as unhappy cruisers.

We all sometimes make mistakes. Even HAL. To point these things out to management via the form at the end of the cruise, a letter to headquarters, or a note to the hotel manager IMHO will actually help to improve and sustain an excellent product. Being obnoxious or ignoring major issues can only make things worse.

I believe the term is "constructive criticism". The thing is, we are easy going and are usually so happy while cruising that not too much bothers us.

Let's hear it for HAL!

[sail7seas]

I cannot vote in your poll as none of the choices you list fit for me.

I am extremely loyal to HAL. I cruise them exclusively and while I have cruised other lines (a total of approximately 12-15 cruises), I have no desire now to cruise any line but HAL.

They are not perfect. They make mistakes. But don't we all.

There isn't much in life I can think of that I would describe as perfect but what HAL offers us is what we are looking for.

For us, HAL stands better than others for a number of reasons but mostly it is the people of HAL that we find very, very special. In our experience, the crews of HAL simply are better than any others with which we have sailed.

JMHO, of course. One's feelings are personal and are never wrong. One simply feels what they feel and no one else need agree.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Well ... so far there are 18 votes and 12 are playing it safe right down the middle:) Including me! But that's where I honestly fall. Obviously I have a loyalty to HAL or I wouldn't even post on this board, but I am also highly critical of certain issues and changes they are making.

We'll see how the poll goes. I'm not trying to make any waves or be critical of loyalty. On the contrary, I can understand that if you have cruised pretty exclusively with just one line for a long time, that line's ships feel like coming home. So you feel a loyalty to them and you stand up for them.

But no cruise line is infallible. So I do get confused when I see people make excuses for just about anything that happens no matter how bad. Or sometimes (and I've done this myself:( ) we even question the poster themselves if we think they don't have enough posts or we don't recognize the screen name or even sometimes because we don't like their screen name.

Even though I've been guilty of this myself, I don't think it's quite fair to the people who come on here to share information. So our loyalty shouldn't really get in the way of our understanding that things can go terribly wrong sometimes.

Every once in a while a troublemaker, a troll, comes along and just tries to make trouble. But I think that's more the exception than the rule.

[cruisinjudy]

We alternate between HAL, Princess, and Celebrity. I miss HAL when I am on other cruise lines, but I don't tend to miss other cruise lines when I am on HAL. April '08 will be our first Princess cruise for a while so we shall see how I feel then. There are things I like on Celebrity and things I like on HAL.

[kryos]

I'm pretty loyal because I feel I get a fair value for my money with HAL. The cruise line simply gives me more of what I like for the money. But that's not to say I won't wander occasionally and try a different line. But it seems, at least so far anyway, that I always wind up coming back to HAL. It's not that HAL is necessarily better than those other lines, it's just that HAL gives me more of the cruise experience I personally am looking for than those other lines can.

It's all a matter of personal preferences more so than loyalty per se. The day HAL stops giving me the best value is the day I would move on in a heartbeat. So perhaps that means I'm not very loyal? :)

Blue skies ...

--rita

[mamaofami]

So far, HAL has lived up to our expectations and we have had all good cruises. We have always found the staff to be wonderful, the service excellent, the food great, and the fellow passengers friendly. There is just enough for us to do, and we haven't had any "bad" experiences while on board. Hopefully, that will continue to be our experience. Not having cruised any other line in the recent past, I have nothing to compare my experience to. I just know I am happy for now and hope that will continue to be the case.

However, I've been thinking all evening that with no HAL ships sailing out of NY during the 09 season, I just might be tempted to try something else rather than fly to Fla. A lot will depend on the ships that leave from NY and the itineries of HAL ships that leave from FLA. I really now want more than a 7 day cruise. Maybe I'll have to start cruising to Europe. Time will tell.

I learned a long time ago that feelings just are. They're never right or wrong. They just are what you feel.

[RevNeal]

Pretty loyal ... But if they mess up I'll call them on it.

That's me ... and I've called 'em on their failures several times. Over all, HAL still does a good job; I'm loyal to them because I enjoy their product and how they deliver it, complete with the traditions of cruising which the Line has (mostly) maintained. I'm also loyal because I know what to expect with HAL.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have to agree with Sail on this that NONE of these apply to Tom and I. I am sorry Heather, but I just read the choices to Tom and we both agree that we do not like the way they are worded. So I too cannot vote.

First off those that have sailed HAL at one time or another have heard the Debarkation Talk by the CD about how to fill out the survey and that they have 9's because No One is perfect (a 10), so the first one would never apply not even to HAL. The others do not even come close to how we feel. Like I said Sail pretty much summed up how we feel.

My vacation time is very precious and anymore so is money, so when I spend money for a cruise I like to know what to expect, with HAL I know what to expect and know I will have a great cruise. Yes, I could try another cruise line and love it or I could hate it the first night and want off the ship at the first port. I am not willing to risk that at this time. Is HAL perfect? absolutely NOT but SHIP:D happens no matter where you cruise or vacation.

[HeatherInFlorida]

There's no reason to apologize if you don't see an answer you think fits you. It's my opinion that I've covered just about any choice a person could possibly have, but there's always the chance you see yourself somewhere between a couple of them.

I didn't want to turn it into so many choices that it gets silly. I think my poll pretty much covers all bases, but if you don't think so that's okay:) .

Lisa, the first definitely does apply to some people on this board. This is not a survey such as HAL takes. There's no need to dissect it simply because you don't think it fits you personally.

No biggie ... it's just a poll:D .

[jtl513]

After four HAL cruises we tried RCCL and it just didn't "feel right". We had a CC meet & greet and the others were all RCCL loyalists, so I just didn't feel like we belonged there. They were "gushing" over things that I didn't think were so nice compared to HAL. It wasn't in any way a "bad" cruise, but it was the first time I was not sad to be leaving a ship! :)

While on our Sep cruise we plan to book a Panama transit, but if we were ever to run into a fiasco like the Rotterdam "sell out" of the CN to ParkWest that would cause us to give Celebrity or Princess a try.

[eh2zed]

HeatherinFlorida, great idea to do a poll. As you can see we are quite loyal. However, I have posted criticism and my cruise comment cards pull no punches. I know the comment cards are read and I also believe that CC is monitored. Its one way we have to hopefully improve things.
We are primarily itinerary cruisers. We are not afraid to choose another line if it is a great itinerary. However, we would first try to find a HAL cruise that matches.
HAL is still good value in a transitioning industry going from an elite status to mass market. This transition can be lamented but you need to be realistic.

[serendipity1499]

Pretty loyal ... But if they mess up I'll call them on it!

That's me too...I've cruised on three different lines & still come back to HAL...We've never had a bad cruise on any cruise Line..But we've had some issues on one or two cruises..On HAL we've had mostly excellent service and feel like we are coming home again when we board a HAL ship..We've had cabin stewards who are excellent & those who are just so so..We've also encountered mostly friendly crew & then the not so friendly crew (especially some of the cooks & counter servers in the Lido)... Never had a bad Dining Room Steward though!

We've had plumbing problem's and smelled the awful smells (phew) on the lower decks on some of the older ships..And believe me we've been able to smell those smells down on Dolphin/Main Deck & have actually walked up to the upper decks & nary an odor..

We enjoy traditional seating & formal nights... But we're not adverse to trying other lines..After experiencing free style dining on the NCL Dream, we swore we would never cruise NCL again..But have learned to "never say never again"..We did cruise on the "Crown" & had a wonderful cruise with no long waits for dinner..And we still keep in touch with the CC's on that cruise..Had the best Cabin Stewardess, that we've ever had on the "Crown"..She did deserved a 10 plus..Since we've heard so much about Oceania, we will be cruising on them in November..They don't have formal nights or Traditional seating, but we've traveled enough to know that we can adjust & can enjoy experiencing different situations..

We always fill out the comment card & don't always give them a "9"...

Betty

[bepsf]

Heather, I had yet to read your first post when I voted - but I chose #3 (Pretty Loyal, but I'll call 'em on their mistakes)

I think I may have been considered a "HAL Cheerleader" for a period - and while I do enjoy their product (for the most part) if Seattle management continue to dumb down & discount their product to attract cruisers from mainstream/non-premium lines, getting rid of the traditional aspects of cruising that I enjoy, drawing down service & entertainment levels and driving away valued staff members to maintain profitability under those discounted fares - I won't have any problem taking my business elsewhere.

[localady]

We went on our last cruise, our first non-Hal cruise since 2000, on a 13 day Alaska cruise on the Celebrity Infinity. The cruise was not perfect by a long shot (3pm arrival in Victoria instead of 8:00am, and one port missed altogether), but it had things that I enjoyed as much or more than HAL (ie: Celebrity's amazing alternative dining experience). There were things that I felt were not what I'd like but overall we had a great time. Given the itinerary, we would happily cruise them again. :D

I really don't see that HAL has gone "down hill" all that much since 1999. The beds are far better, the flat screens are great, as are the improvements to room service. The balconies and rooms are still some of the biggest around. Although the nickle and diming is annoying, it was the same on Celebrity!:rolleyes:

[hammybee]

I am not loyal but I do keep coming home to HAL. Despite having been called a cheerleader and/ or a HAL employee, I sail almost all mass marketed cruise lines and they all have strengths and weaknesses.

[ookpik]

Having sailed with HAL since 1978,I guess you could call us loyal,but...
the last cruise particularly is edging us towards trying the X brand.
I am loathe to do so without much thought;I really love the crew and we
have had great service,but the food really is deteriorating(In our point of
view) and the itineraries are much the same and the Pinnacle is hit and miss
(These all sound so petty!) but after our December trip this year,think we will
give it a go!
Bon Voyage everyone

[Robin7]

they all have strengths and weaknesses.

I agree, Hammy, although we've only been on Princess (twice) and HAL (six). We're planning an RCI cruise with family for next year. After that I think we'll try Celebrity. We're looking forward to experimenting, in spite of our ongoing loyalty. All we need is more money and more vacation time. :D

But we do love those HAL beds! And the family friendly entertainment. And the larger staterooms. And many other reasons we keep coming back. We've missed ports on HAL (San Juan) and Princess (Skagway). We've had a HOT, smelly cabin (HAL). We've had a terrible room steward (Princess). But we've never had a bad cruise.:)

Robin

[Wild Thing ~T]

:rolleyes: Brian is right IMHO! HAL has a great staff, they need to appreciate them and try to retain the best (James Deering is a good example)!

I am also, an itinerary shopper, but would stick with HAL, X, and Princess in that order.

HAL needs to rethink their PNW cruises, especially since their home city is Seattle!!

X offers a far better PNW itinerary!;)

I always fill out the comment cards. James Deering showed us the stack in his office read from the week before. Comments highlighted ect... So at least I feel that it is worth my time and they are read and taken seriously!

"T"

[gizmo]

There's no reason to apologize if you don't see an answer you think fits you. It's my opinion that I've covered just about any choice a person could possibly have, but there's always the chance you see yourself somewhere between a couple of them.

I didn't want to turn it into so many choices that it gets silly. I think my poll pretty much covers all bases, but if you don't think so that's okay:) .

Lisa, the first definitely does apply to some people on this board. This is not a survey such as HAL takes. There's no need to dissect it simply because you don't think it fits you personally.

No biggie ... it's just a poll:D .

I thought your poll covered everything.

[Sage]

I agree with Bookworm in that HAL has now turned into more of a mass market line. We have been very loyal to HAL and have two more cruises booked with them, but to be completely honest, Crystal has become our first choice. Crystal is everything that HAL was and more. No matter what your accomodation on Crystal, everyone is treated as if they were in suite with concierge service.

[GmaPajama]

I had to go with "Mostly loyal ... I'll admit when they've gone wrong, but I brush it aside" here. Our one Perfect Cruise was with HAL. Although that hasn't happened again (close, very very close), the euphoria of it is there whenever we start looking for another cruise. Because HAL gave us their best, we keep coming back for more - and are confident another Perfect Cruise is just a click away.

Donna

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hi Heather - this was easy for me -- #3 Pretty Loyal. I am not afraid to say when something is wrong or has been changed on a HAL ship. Even though we have cruised mainly with HAL these last few years, if something came along that we would like to try, we would do so.

[HeatherInFlorida]

...............
I think I may have been considered a "HAL Cheerleader" for a period - and while I do enjoy their product (for the most part) if Seattle management continue to dumb down & discount their product to attract cruisers from mainstream/non-premium lines, getting rid of the traditional aspects of cruising that I enjoy, drawing down service & entertainment levels and driving away valued staff members to maintain profitability under those discounted fares - I won't have any problem taking my business elsewhere.

...........which is part of the reason I thought of this poll, Brian. Your point is excellent. It seems sometimes that some people here are SO loyal to HAL that they will overlook the negatives, dismiss them.

That's a personal view of course:) .

After my last post last night, just before going to sleep, it occurred to me that I might not have been clear enough in my OP. I'm talking more about "loyalty" to a fault. And there are definitely people who feel that level of loyalty to HAL.

A good analogy would be a cheating husband/wife. There are people who will stand by their man/woman no matter what ... doesn't mean they don't know they've done wrong, it simply means they're "loyal". Then there are the Lorena Bobbit's (sp?) of the world ;)

So that's what the poll is really about ... it's not a Survey about what HAL has done right or wrong or whether they have ever let you down.

So what #1 really means is that in your eyes HAL can virtually do no wrong even if and when they have.

[jhannah]

I'm anxious to see if the results will be honest ... Um ... how will you know?

[sail7seas]

If I am on a ship and have a fine time, that is what I am personally in the know about. I will not be reporting about a flooded toilet if it didn't happen to me or I didn't hear about it.

If I am on a ship and very much enjoy my dining stewards' service and the food I am served, that is what I am reporting about. I won't be reporting about poor service if that is not what I experience or hear about.

If I am on a ship and find the crew to be very friendly to me, that is what I am reporting about. I won't be reporting about unfriendly or unresponsive crew if I did not encounter that.

My experience is just as real as everyone else's. If mine is different than someone else's, YOU don't have any way of knowing just what I experience except for what I report. The same goes for the person who has a negative experience. YOU and I only know what that person reports. YOU cannot know what my cruise was like unless you followed me around and lived in my cabin with me.

I don't know what YOUR cruise was like except for the same conditions.

Take one's word for it or don't. That is your choice. But be careful about saying they are overlooking faults because YOU do not KNOW what faults they may or may not have encountered.

[Odd Ball]

Good poll.

I am only loyal to a point. I will call it the way I see it.

Nothing in this life is perfect but to not be able to admit something is wrong, well ,what can be said ? Some people are like this.

A not so great review tends to get bashed. This is true not only on this board but others. Some boards have more cheerleaders than this one. Many cannot and will not admit their favorite cruise lines can do anything wrong. Excuses are made left and right.

[doorcountydi]

I would have to say I'm mostly loyal, and I do brush aside a few things that aren't #10. Some have had to do with shore excursions--not that they run them or control them, but just to let them know when they have them on their list that some could be improved upon if they want to send a "secret shopper" along to observe.

I also haven't had any experiences like a closed Crow's Nest or something egregious like that.
.
I've only been cruising since 2002 and have only been on HAL 80+ days, so my experiences aren't as wide as most of you. I've been on Orient and Carnival...Carnival fits its name, and the last cruise I was on with them, the CD was brash and loud, his crew seemed disinterested and eager to finish any game or craft time ASAP, and the carpets and upholstered furniture were filthy.

Orient was OK, a smaller ship with not as many amenities, but staff was subdued and not friendly. So when you compare the HAL staff, from the guys in the kitchen all the way to the Captains, Managers and CDs, there's no comparison.

I like the upgrades to HAL ships--the hydrotherapy pools, Exploration Cafe, Culinary centers, etc. My only complaint right now would be the cost of time on the computers--yikes! And I'm not sure how I'll feel about the anytime dining idea they're pushing--hopefully I'll be on the Noordam Oct 20 and see (still first on the waiting list, with the next "cut" for deposits being Aug 1).

My that was a long answer, wasn't it? :rolleyes:

Diane

[Gsel]

I voted in the middle, but agree that none of the choices really fit. When we first started cruising with HAL we thought we had found the "perfect" fit for us, but with all the changes that are making recently (mainly the new dining arrangements) we are not as pleased. They are becoming more and more like a Carnival cruise, and why not, they are owned by Carnival! Granted, the Noordam was lovely and HAL's ships are much more refined and decorated with more "quiet beauty". If they continue the open seating dining to all the ships and do not offer the traditional seating we will start looking for another line.

[CDRMark]

Interesting poll.
I'm not voting merely because I have, as yet, no personal basis for comparison.
We have taken three cruises to date, with another booked (getting close, too!), all HAL. However as we have apparently squeezed cruising into our vacation options we are regularly looking at all lines which offer the options we want. Research on these lines includes "lurking" on their boards and trying to ascertain our "fit", as well as picking the brains of people who have cruised other lines. Our age and "likes/dislikes" limit the field, budget does too.
Our three HAL cruises were outstanding, but not perfect. What is?
We'll be loyal until we're not I guess, and we'll give HAL right of first refusal, so to speak.
And if they mess up, I'll call them on it.

I have to add one comment:
Nearly all the negative reviews I have read here that were FAIRLY written (objective and substantiatied), were well received by everyone; people here seem to appreciate every attempt to add to the general knowledge. In 2004 and 2005 when Maasdam was sailing from Norfolk and was having repeated problems with plumbing and propulsion, I remember NO "dissing" of those negative reviews. The eyebrows go up (rightly or wrongly) when a newish poster tosses a bomb into the room and disappears. Anyone remember the "They tried to poison us!" posts about two years ago? Reviews that seem out of the norm should not be taken at face value any more than anyone should believe that HAL "hung the moon".
Cheers
Mark

[torpeedo]

We are somewhere in the middle. We decided to try a few other lines in the recent years and were pretty surprised. We have enjoyed our cruises on RCI very much. Princess, not so much:mad: . We have had some great Carnival cruises and some, again, not so much.. You really have to pick and choose the ships you want and time of year you cruise to optimize your expected experience. That is true for any cruise line.
One thing that bugs me is that HAL really has NO loyalty program for us, the loyal cruisers.. Really minor little nothings, (pins medalions) which are no different than the basic of any other cruise line. Mariner savings are really not great either. RCI has a wonderful loyalty program. We will be diamond cruisers and our discounts and perks are great. I won't go into all the details but they are very good. Their concierge lounge is wonderful. Predinner cocktails in the evenings, after dinner drinks. Morning breakfasts with specialty coffee's. Really a lovely touch.
It just seems to me that HAL could do much better for their really loyal passengers. They may have more loyal passengers if they offered more loyalty rewards.
I still enjoy HAL and have two very nice future cruises booked and plan to continue cruising HAL.

[DOC & BABE]

my husband and i have only one cruise on hal to compare, so we are not loyal customers yet, however the 12 day cruise was good enough to get us to rebook hal for another 28 day cruise. price is important, but the cruise itself is more important than price. 12 days with no check out means bad vacation experience if it is bad cruise. there are other cruise lines we will not book, due to bad cruise (we had the penthouse) experience. not just one issue, but everything about the cruise told us to stay away from future bookings. we feel hal is above average which is where they are rated and their price reflects that rating.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Sail, I'm very confused by your last post.

Obviously I'm speaking only about personal experience. I'm talking about what you yourself experience and will overlook, forgive, understand, excuse, explain away. I am also talking about whether a person will entertain the idea that something went wrong for someone else on a cruise when they say that it did. There are people here who will not and they do not. I've seen it over and over again to the point that people have been run off.

When the person showed up a year or so ago and posted about his "horrific" cruise (most of us remember this), I was one of the people who flatly did not believe him. My loyalty to HAL (though not nearly as strong as Sail's) was strong enough that I would not even entertain the idea that his experience could have been so horrendous. So that is MY experience of HIS review and that is what I'm talking about.

Take one's word for it or don't. That is your choice. But be careful about saying they are overlooking faults because YOU do not KNOW what faults they may or may not have encountered.


Sail, why would I need to be "very careful" about saying someone is overlooking faults? People post here time and time again that they overlook faults and mess-ups because they're overall cruise experience is what counts. I only know what I read and I generally assume people are telling the truth.

This poll is about nothing more than how loyal everyone feels toward HAL. It's not about truth, or a bad or good experiences. It's about the loyalty people feel. It's really not a dirty word:) . Here are some definitions:

"a strong feeling of support or allegiance, a feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection. Often used in the plural: My loyalties lie with my family."

I posted the poll out of curiousity based on my personal reaction to many threads over the last six months.

I'm so glad so many are enjoying the subject.

[cruznon]

Interesting poll...I wouldn't say we're "loyal" but we prefer HAL to any cruise line we've sailed. I just feel "comfortable" on a dam ship! I ususally look at HAL before any other line.
I would not hesitate to try another line if the price and intinerary are right. Our recent Princess experience showed us how much we prefer HAL, but I could appreciate a few amenities that Princess offered. I also enjoyed Celebrity--except for the horrid beds--now THAT factor would keep me from booking a cruise with them again, but I loved the service and the warmth on the Galaxy.

[JoeysMama]

I do not post very much but I do read and have been reading a very long time. I think you call me a lurker. My family and I have been cruising a long time mostly Holland line. We normally travel with my husbands parents and family but some times mine come too. We have had bad things happen like a toilet not working, ceiling leaking water and Lido crowded but they have always been very fun cruises and I feel the that people who work on Hollland Line try to take very good care of us. Sometimes they cannot fix something right away because I am not the only one on the ship and I understand that.

This poll sounds funny to me. I know you do not know me and I do not know you but it sound snotty. The first thing is they can do no wrong. That sounds like someone stabbing the company in the back. The second one about Mostly loyal but can admit when they are wrong. I would say we can admit when they are wrong but they have always apologised to us but we are still loyal. So that one does not fit either.

We do a lot of family travel not just cruises and we have been to many hotels here in the US that the people working at the high price place are snotty and have no customer service. If something goes wrong oh well. I think that Holland at least tries, at least they have always tried with us and that is good in my books.

I think some people are just happier than others and if they are not happy they want everyone else around them to be unhappy and that is what some of the topics here have been lately. I am confused why we would be nasty to someone who had a good time and that is what I read it to be on some other sections here.

I will not go back to just reading.

[May4]

I am loyal to Holland America because they've earned my loyalty. I've cruised with them 14 times now (with 2 cruises booked - Yea!) and have had nothing to complain about. I tried Royal Caribbean but didn't care for it one bit. I'm not a Pollyanna, but things have gone quite well for us each time we've sailed.

Isn't amazing how many things go just right on a HAL cruise? I think so anyway.

[gizmo]

My loyalty is effected by things that Hal does or doesn't do, how they handle situations, and whatever the last cutback or change may be.

It does not necessarily have to effect me personally. For instance, Park West and the Crows Nest, and how Hal handled things when the Rev's cruise had to be cut short.

My loyalty is effected by not only the way I am treated but also by the way others are treated.

[Atomica]

I love HAL & each cruise I've had with them has been tremendous, but having said that, I see no reason not to broaden my horizons & try other lines (there's only one way to find out if you like something or not, and that's to give it a go!). I'm looking forward to trying Princess, Disney and RCL, each of which attracted us for a different reason.

[slotl]

My hubby and I have been on almost 40 cruises on many of the different cruise lines (see our signature).

We will NEVER again go on NCL again (we were on her 3 times in the "old" days of cruising) and we will NEVER again go on Carnival (once was enough).

Costa Cruising is high density (they fit loads of passengers on a ship), HAL has the lowest density of most ships out there cruising today. What is "density"? It is the amount of passengers vs. the size of the ship.

RCCL is wonderful if you are traveling with a variety of ages (small toddlers to great grandparents). There seems to be something for everyone on RCCL.

We have not been on Celebrity or Oceana, but have heard nothing but good things about both cruise lines. The only reason we have not been on these lines is because we have already been to all the ports they visit. Someday, we will book a cruise on them.

Our other cruise line of choice is Princess. They visit many "exotic" locations that are not available on HAL.

We also LOVE the smaller more intimate ships. We were on the Pacific Princess to the Orient (an "old Rennaisance" Rx ship) and LOVED the cruise. We even took the 9 day pre-cruise tour of Beijing, Xian, and a 3 day cruise down the Yangzee. The coffee on Princess ships is undrinkable swill. If you want decent (brewed) coffee you must pay for it at the coffee bar.

We have booked on Azamara (the new Celebrity cruise line). It is another Rx ship.

On HAL, we have stayed away from the bigger ships and sailed on the "old" Rotterdam V (3 times), the "new" Rotterdam VI (twice), Maasdam, Prinsendam (3 times), and are signed up for the 65 day Asia voyage on the Amsterdam in September, 2008.

We find the passengers on our HAL cruises to be well-traveled, well-educated, and very interesting people to meet. We usually book "exotic" cruises and stay away from the Caribbean, Med (we have cruised there 7 times), Alaska, and the Panama Canal weekly junkets.

In March we were on the Dawn Princess 11 days r/t San Francisco to the Mexican Riveria. It was our second time there and we HATED the cruise, not the cruise line. It was so "shopping" oriented, it seemed very commercial where Princess was getting paid by Diamonds International to send passengers. I know this is the norm, but the effort was blatent (sp?) and in-your-face. The passengers were not seasoned travelers and going to Mexico was a big trip for them. The tours were not worth the money. One example, we paid $79 per person for "Cooking in Acapolco". All the sauces and condiments were pre-made and they showed us how to make margaritas and guacamole, how to plate the lunch and then 19 lunches appeared from the kitchen. We received the receipes measured in grams and quantities for 10 people. It was a VERY EXPENSIVE LUNCH. Let me compare that to HAL where the chef from the Pinnacle Grill (on the Prinsendam) had "hands on" cooking lessons for $29 and we got to keep the apron and chop and cut, and cook our lunch followed by "eating" with Chef Pierre. The Cullinary series offered French cooking one day, Oriental cooking the next, diet and weight control on another day......etc.

Bottom line, we keep coming back. No cruise is a bad cruise, but some are definitely better than others. We prefer HAL.

[knitlady037]

:mad: I love sailing on HAL ships, but I love not having to worry about overweight luggage and airport hassles more. If HAl leaves New York I'll have to consider leaving them also:(

[peaches from georgia]

Good poll., Heather. I can't imagine what the problem with the choices you gave can be? You obviously put a lot of thought into it and they are very clear. I would love to know why it is that some folks can't find a choice that fits them and what they would like to have seen listed. I'll bet those of us who read this board often can put other frequent posters into each category just from what they post or do not post.

[OldCodger73]

I chose number 3.

I have limited cruise experience, three all on HAL. We took our first cruise last year and chose HAL because of the size of the Volendam, an R class ship. The cruise and ship seemed as comfortable as an old shoe and since then we've taken two more HAL cruises with three more booked, all on R and S class ships.

I can't compare what service was like five years ago or how much HAL has "gone downhill", but to me HAL fits my needs and meets my cruise expectations and we'll continue with them. We'll also point out problems when and if they occur.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree with you peaches -- I thought Heather's choices were well thought out - JMO - but there was something there for everyone. It wasn't hard for me to vote.

[HeatherInFlorida]

.......
This poll sounds funny to me. I know you do not know me and I do not know you but it sound snotty.............

Well, OUCH!!!:( It sounds "snotty"? I don't understand. I read your post twice hoping it would help me understand, but it doesn't. I see nothing snotty about the poll or the thread. There's nothing wrong with being loyal to a cruise line. So all I have asked is how loyal people feel toward HAL. No one is forced to answer and the poll is private. Thank goodness most people here are clear on the poll and the meaning. I'm sorry you have misunderstood it.

Peaches and KK, thank you. I appreciate that. Because the truth is I put a great deal of thought into the poll. I tried to cover every base because I know how frustrating it is when you come to a poll and don't see a choice you can comfortably fit yourself into.

I would be perfectly happy for anyone to post their own personal choice if they don't see one that fits. Nothing wrong with that.:)

I really do think one of the problems that arose here is that some people see the term "loyalty" as a bad thing. I certainly didn't mean it that way at all.

That said, when we question the truthfulness of others because of our own personal loyalty; that's something else. Perhaps I should have made that one of the choices:) .

[Cruz'n Couple]

We won't be voting on this poll, because nothing exactly states how we feel about HAL. We were loyal HAL cruisers starting in 1985, and were on 7 cruises--2 to Mexico, 3 in Caribbean, 1 to Alaska, and the last one to Hawaii. Previously, we had LOVED HAL, but the last cruise to Hawaii pretty well finished us with HAL. Food quality had deteriorated, the smiling/friendly faces weren't to be found, and there seemed to be nothing too much to do during the daytime on the 10 sea days! We just didn't feel that it was the same cruise line as the one we had loved on our previous 6 cruises. A letter to Seattle got no answer, so at this point we are contemplating trying another line. Somehow, I feel HAL has abandoned some of their previously loyal clientele!

[jtl513]

What surprises me most about this poll so far is that one person actually chose "can do no wrong"! 'Tweren't me!! :D

[HeatherInFlorida]

John, I suspect someone was just having fun .... or taking the liberty of voting for someone else who didn't;) .

[HeatherInFlorida]

..............I have to add one comment:
Nearly all the negative reviews I have read here that were FAIRLY written (objective and substantiatied), were well received by everyone; people here seem to appreciate every attempt to add to the general knowledge. ......................

Hi, Mark!:) Don't know how I missed your earlier post, but someone pointed it out to me so I did want to respond.

I disagree with you. Maybe you missed a few reviews along the way.

It would be accurate to say "well received by many", but certainly not "everyone", and often the comments on such a review are condescending. I noticed particularly that when someone comes on that is a "newbie", or has a low post count, their views are not generally given too much credit (to put it mildly).

I have noticed this particularly over the past six months. I'm sure it's also true on other boards, not just HAL. I only know about this one.

It's what prompted me to try to think about why this would be so. It occurred to me that perhaps it's much how we feel about family. We defend all those we love even when we know in our hearts they've messed up. So we step up and defend them, make excuses for them. And that's called "loyalty". :)

And it's the only forgiveable reason for being just a bit rude to some of our members, particularly new or more quiet ones. It's more forgiveable if it's done out of loyalty.

[serendipity1499]

Well, OUCH!!!:( It sounds "snotty"? I don't understand. I read your post twice hoping it would help me understand, but it doesn't. I see nothing snotty about the poll or the thread. There's nothing wrong with being loyal to a cruise line. So all I have asked is how loyal people feel toward HAL. No one is forced to answer and the poll is private. Thank goodness most people here are clear on the poll and the meaning. I'm sorry you have misunderstood it.

I would be perfectly happy for anyone to post their own personal choice if they don't see one that fits. Nothing wrong with that.:)

I really do think one of the problems that arose here is that some people see the term "loyalty" as a bad thing. I certainly didn't mean it that way at all.

That said, when we question the truthfulness of others because of our own personal loyalty; that's something else. Perhaps I should have made that one of the choices:) .

Heather, I too think your choices were well thought out...After having over 100 days on HAL, it's still our Cruise Line of Choice....And all of our HAL cruises have been wonderful with only a very few glitches...

But also agree with you on this point: "That said, when we question the truthfulness of others because of our own personal loyalty; that's something else."

We had an instance last year when a cruiser not only complained about his entire HAL experience, but also about all of the "elderly Passengers", Wheelchairs, and topped it off by blaming HAL for the way he was treated by a Customs Agent..I did consider his entire post to be unfair & not truthful at all, but never said that in any of my posts...The only time I picked apart his post was to question his blaming HAL for the Custom Agents attitude & called him on his dispariging comments about the passengers...\

It pains me to see a review being ripped apart paragraph by paragraph with subtle inuendos that the poster is being untruthful... Even when I have not personally experienced the same problems he has & disagree with parts of his review it would be unfair to discount his experience..

It also pains me when I go on other Crise Line threads on CC & read that they think many of the posters on the HAL thread are unkind to newer posters..

There is no shame in being a loyal HAL Cruiser, but we should still accept the fact that others may not consider HAL to be their Line of choice & not debase them for their thoughts..I want to hear both the positive & negatives of any cruise..

JMO... Betty

[lb0103]

I read the HAL as well as the other cruise line I use every night, but as you can see I don't post often.

Hal is not our first choice in cruise lines, but we have been on 3 and our fourth is in OCT.

All but one was great, the first one we took the service was terrible, the cruise was fine, but we did not get the best cabin steward or waiter.

I made the mistake of saying that on our return and I DID get flamed, it was my fault and I did something to get poor service.

I had only started checking this board after we booked that first cruise and we got a lot of helpful info, from just reading other posters.

So now I still read posts that interest me, but rarely post, except here and now.

I did not choose one of the OP options, we choose a cruise line for the itinerary first, then if our favorite line does not offer it we go to whichever one has what we are looking for.

I have never been on a bad cruise, that said we will be on the Veendam in OCT

[refman]

I cannot vote in your poll as none of the choices you list fit for me.

I am extremely loyal to HAL. I cruise them exclusively and while I have cruised other lines (a total of approximately 12-15 cruises), I have no desire now to cruise any line but HAL.

They are not perfect. They make mistakes. But don't we all.

There isn't much in life I can think of that I would describe as perfect but what HAL offers us is what we are looking for.

For us, HAL stands better than others for a number of reasons but mostly it is the people of HAL that we find very, very special. In our experience, the crews of HAL simply are better than any others with which we have sailed.

JMHO, of course. One's feelings are personal and are never wrong. One simply feels what they feel and no one else need agree.



you took the words right out of my mouth, thanks

[HeatherInFlorida]

.....................
All but one was great, the first one we took the service was terrible, the cruise was fine, but we did not get the best cabin steward or waiter.

I made the mistake of saying that on our return and I DID get flamed, it was my fault and I did something to get poor service.

................

I'm sorry that happened to you and I'm sorry you don't post more often. Hope the Veendam is wonderful for you; we'll be on her not that long after you!:)

[mamaofami]

If HAL leaves NY, as much as I love sailing on her ships, I might be forced to try something else because I do not want to fly to go to the Caribbean.
I'm not happy about doing that, but I don't see any choice if HAL leaves.

I'm hoping that this won't be a permanent decision.:mad:

[slotl]

If HAL leaves NY, as much as I love sailing on her ships, I might be forced to try something else because I do not want to fly to go to the Caribbean.
I'm not happy about doing that, but I don't see any choice if HAL leaves.

I'm hoping that this won't be a permanent decision.:mad:

The Azamara Journey does weekly cruises to Bermuda (thru October) r/t Bayonne. Azamara is the new cruise line from RCCL/Celebrity.

NCL also does cruises from NY, although you won't see me on another NCL cruise.

You may also want to drive to Boston (4 1/2 hours from NY) and do the Boston/Montreal cruise up the St. Lawrence around Nova Scotia, and Maine. GREAT CRUISE. We did this one on HAL Rotterdam a few years ago.

[spacecat]

I didnt vote because I have only gone on one cruise in my life (!) and I have nothing else to compare with HAL. However, I did want to say I thought the choices on the poll were good and they did seem very thought out and well written.

I have replied before in regards to the As You Wish Dining (or Open Dining) and the problems we incurred on our recent Alaska trip. I am beginning to feel in the minority as far as being a fan of this, but thats OK! We are new to cruising and felt at the time that As You Wish Dining fit our personalities. Since we didn't get to experience it, even though we were told we "had it", I don't know if it is something that would even work.

That said, I only replied to a question that had been raised regarding As You Wish Dining. There were other problems on the cruise that I didnt mention because it didnt apply to the actual thread. But perhaps I can mention them now? Our room was not up to my standards (toothpaste from the previous passenger in our medicine cabinet, hair all over the bathroom floor from the second we arrived, a moldy shower curtain, and the carpets hadn't been vacuumed well.) After a note to our room steward and a small tip, all the problems were resolved and in fact, stayed on top of. My only problem is that I had to point these out to begin with.

Will we cruise with Holland again? I am not sure. It depends on a lot of things. I will say though, we have a thousand wonderful memories and even though there were a few other problems (grouchy local people in Juneau and some rude passengers who questioned us on the first night as we were trying to figure out why our room key said the dining room opened at 5:15 when it obviously didn't) I realize HAL had no control over any of that. We may just read as many reviews as we can before we make further decisions regarding cruise lines. Our decision to sail with HAL had a lot to do with the reviews we read here. I think loyalty is a great thing and the loyalty many of you show certainly got us on the Noordam! And that wasn't a bad thing....

Shari:)

[mamaofami]

The Azamara Journey does weekly cruises to Bermuda (thru October) r/t Bayonne. Azamara is the new cruise line from RCCL/Celebrity.

NCL also does cruises from NY, although you won't see me on another NCL cruise.

You may also want to drive to Boston (4 1/2 hours from NY) and do the Boston/Montreal cruise up the St. Lawrence around Nova Scotia, and Maine. GREAT CRUISE. We did this one on HAL Rotterdam a few years ago.



Looks like the Eurodam will go to Quebec out of NY for two sailings in 2008. Someone mentioned that she will be too tall to sail under the bridge in Montreal.

But after that, there will be nothing from HAL out of NY. Don't really think I want to try NCL.

[peaches from georgia]

The Azamara Journey does weekly cruises to Bermuda (thru October) r/t Bayonne. Azamara is the new cruise line from RCCL/Celebrity.


I have been looking at Azamara Journey and Quest cruises and they really are booking very well. The ships and itineraries look wonderful and are something we would like to try. I wish HAL would go in this direction. Have you sailed on Azamara?

[Sage]

Peaches,

We are booked on the 3/29/08 sailing on Quest for next year. It is a much smaller ship, but they had prices that were incredible. We will be doing the 14 night Caribbean, and it stops at ports that the larger ships don't.

[peaches from georgia]

Peaches,

We are booked on the 3/29/08 sailing on Quest for next year. It is a much smaller ship, but they had prices that were incredible. We will be doing the 14 night Caribbean, and it stops at ports that the larger ships don't.
LOL, Sage. I already decided that was the one! But alas, the suites we would want are all booked and the category below that, too. I'll keep checking as time goes on. We may sail together yet!

[HeatherInFlorida]

Do you ever start driving down a road and suddenly think you made a wrong turn?;) :D

Shari, thanks for your post. And you're absolutely right that loyalty is a good thing. Not sure why some people thought it wasn't. But no matter how loyal we are to something, it's a good thing to keep our minds open to experiences that might not match ours.:)

Reading these threads can really get you anxious to hop on the next HAL cruise ASAP!!!:) I know I can't wait for November and our next cruise.

Glad you took the time to post your thoughts. You should always feel comfortable speaking your mind both positive and negative on this board.

[bookworm0911]

I agree that loyalty is a good thing, but "within reason". We are seeing that today in our government- incompetent officials in top positions who continue in their jobs out of loyalty. Loyalty gone amuck and the same situation occurs here, too.

A very few posters are extremely loyal to HAL to the extent that there never is the slightest negative posted, everything is the best, the food is always superb, no crew is ever having a bad day, the cabins are immaculate without a speck of dust, and any negative posted by someone else is denied. Over and over newbies to HAL come back with some serious disappointments, many of which are simply because their expectations have been mislead by a few posters. That is when loyalty has gone waaaay overboard and becomes exaggeration and unfair to new HAL cruisers.

(I took it this is what you mean't by your choice #1 Heather)

[AirGorilla]

(1) I consider myself to be loyal to CRUISING, without being overly loyal to just one cruise line. I never really thought about loyalty to HAL, so I picked the last choice of answers. My favorite is Crystal, but simply cannot afford to go on Crystal every cruise (or every other cruise!). So, other than Crystal, we enjoy Celebrity, HAL, Princess and (gasp!) RCCL, in no particular order. I am usually happy on all those, and have never had anything close to a "cruise from hell" in my life.
(2) Based on reading, and occasionally responding to the HAL board for quite awhile now, I CANNOT BELIEVE that the first choice has only TWO VOTES!!! Without naming names, there are people on here who will routinely explain away any valid criticism leveled at HAL, and are purely CoolAde drinking cheerleaders for HAL. Again, I won't name names!!
(3) I commend Heather on a well-designed poll!! Thank you!!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

A very few posters are extremely loyal to HAL to the extent that there never is the slightest negative posted, everything is the best, the food is always superb, no crew is ever having a bad day, the cabins are immaculate without a speck of dust, and any negative posted by someone else is denied. Over and over newbies to HAL come back with some serious disappointments, many of which are simply because their expectations have been mislead by a few posters. That is when loyalty has gone waaaay overboard and becomes exaggeration and unfair to new HAL cruisers.


But the same can go the other way for the HAL Newbie, when a poster comes back and tell every one that the food is horrible, the service was horrible every day 20 things went wrong.......How many readers posters and lurkers read that, get scared and cancel their cruise or never book their first cruise because of all the negative they read here. I cannot tell you how many emails I get from non members who read these boards or lurkers asking me a question and are a bit scared to book a cruise because of the horrible things they have read here. I try to answer them honestly. No I do not sugar coat it, I remember booking my first Verandah Suite on the Zuiderdam and being a bit shocked when I walked into the cabin and it seemed very small. The word Suite and narrow did not go together in my brain before cruising. Life is an adventure and cruising is one of those delightful adventures. If I was to nit pick and complain about everything that happened on a cruise or my day to day life I would be nothing but a bitter blonde Bi*ch. I choose not to be:D

[earl_m]

I would like to think that i am loyal to HAL. but this is because I like
the service and I am treated well. I have cruise 12 times and 5 of them were with HAL and My next one is also with Hal. so far all of my cruises
have been great. I do not let the small things bother me.

[Copper10-8]

(2) Based on reading, and occasionally responding to the HAL board for quite awhile now, I CANNOT BELIEVE that the first choice has only TWO VOTES!!! Without naming names, there are people on here who will routinely explain away any valid criticism leveled at HAL, and are purely CoolAde drinking cheerleaders for HAL. Again, I won't name names!!

Aw shucks, come on Gorilla..........let's name names so everyone will fit in a little box called "HAL fans";)

[duck tune]

DH and I are fairly new to cruising - our first cruise was on NCL in 2002. However a very good friend of his who served as a tour escort for many years highly recommended HAL so when we took our second cruise we booked the Ryndam. We have been hooked on HAL ever since and consider ourselves to be loyal. However, when we get a real last minute urge to cruise we do enjoy NCL. We always talk about what we miss about HAL when on NCL but it's our next best option.

[Cruising-along]

Having only 3 cruises under our belts and two more booked (all on HAL), we really don't have anything to compare. I keep thinking we need to try out another cruiseline just for comparison, and we will, I just don't know when. We've had no major complaints with HAL, have been very happy with them in fact, but as someone else said, nothing is perfect all the time. Anyway, I chose #3. Heather your poll choices are great, good idea to do this! :)

[NoNoNanette]

Aw shucks, come on Gorilla..........let's name names so everyone will fit in a little box called "HAL fans";)

Or, "HAL CHEERLEADERS", perhaps? ;)

Seriously, though.... (In reference to Bookworm's prior post) I'm an example of a "NEWBIE" who sailed HAL for the first time after playing around with previous lines.

I'm HOOKED. :D

The only disappointment that I've experienced is with the Holland America forum on this site. (A VERY FEW posters). As they represent only a few percent of actual HAL cruisers, this is inconsequential to me.

Overall, this cruiser found the "hype" to be the "truth". :) We're booked for December, and I'm starting to poke around for 2008.

Happy Thursday, people!

[HeatherInFlorida]

............... That is when loyalty has gone waaaay overboard and becomes exaggeration and unfair to new HAL cruisers.

(I took it this is what you mean't by your choice #1 Heather)

Yes, bookworm, that was absolutely why I created choice #1.:) But I think many who might fit that choice sincerely don't believe they do.

.............(2) Based on reading, and occasionally responding to the HAL board for quite awhile now, I CANNOT BELIEVE that the first choice has only TWO VOTES!!! Without naming names, there are people on here who will routinely explain away any valid criticism leveled at HAL, and are purely CoolAde drinking cheerleaders for HAL. Again, I won't name names!!
(3) I commend Heather on a well-designed poll!! Thank you!!

Thank you, AirGorilla ... glad you like the poll. I am really enjoying the responses. But I agree ... it is hard to believe only 2 people checked #1, isn't it?;)

And Lisa has a point as well. There are definitely times when someone goes way overboard with their criticism where it's just impossible to believe it. I'm not saying there's not a cruise out there that would be totally and completely miserable, but I'm reasonably certain it won't be on HAL:)

Those reviews, thankfully, don't come up often and the perpetrator doesn't stick around long after getting skewered by all of us!!!! I won't name names either but there are a lot of dead screen names buried somewhere.:D

[NoNoNanette]

I thought that it was a good poll, too, Heather. (Didn't vote, as I am new to this line) :)

[mamaofami]

Interesting, there have been almost 2,000 hits on this topic, but only 205 people voted.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Interesting, there have been almost 2,000 hits on this topic, but only 205 people voted.

I noticed that and thought it was interesting. So about one in 10 voted. A few people have said they couldn't find a choice that fit and didn't vote.

Some of us have hit more than once so I guess about 1500 people just love to read!!!:)

[RuthC]

I noticed that and thought it was interesting. So about one in 10 voted. A few people have said they couldn't find a choice that fit and didn't vote.

Some of us have hit more than once so I guess about 1500 people just love to read!!!:)
I wouldn't say that. I voted once, but have been in this thread at least five---and probably closer to ten---times.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I wouldn't say that. I voted once, but have been in this thread at least five---and probably closer to ten---times.

I factored that in, Ruth. Probably not enough though. If you guess that each person that votes comes back 5 times, then we'd have 1000 views.

So only 1000 love to read;) ... then figure some people come back 10 times so only 500 love to read.:D

[Roz]

I had a good first cruise experience on HAL. When I found out I could sail solo on HAL for less than 200%, that was icing on the cake. Plus the fact that it's a line that doesn't attract a lot of children. I like the more sophisticated, adult atmosphere on HAL.

Right now I'm sailing HAL and Carnival because of the single supplement, but am open to others.

Roz

[peaches from georgia]

So only 1000 love to read;) ... then figure some people come back 10 times so only 500 love to read.:D
But, look at it this way, Heather, they all love to read you! :p

[gizmo]

I agree that loyalty is a good thing, but "within reason". We are seeing that today in our government- incompetent officials in top positions who continue in their jobs out of loyalty. Loyalty gone amuck and the same situation occurs here, too.

A very few posters are extremely loyal to HAL to the extent that there never is the slightest negative posted, everything is the best, the food is always superb, no crew is ever having a bad day, the cabins are immaculate without a speck of dust, and any negative posted by someone else is denied. Over and over newbies to HAL come back with some serious disappointments, many of which are simply because their expectations have been mislead by a few posters. That is when loyalty has gone waaaay overboard and becomes exaggeration and unfair to new HAL cruisers.

(I took it this is what you mean't by your choice #1 Heather)

I think you nailed it. ;)

[JohnQ]

I have found the same type of loyalty on Carnival, Celebrity, and Princess boards. I have found the roll call for HAL to be extremely slow or nonexistent in some cases unless you get one or two people going back and forth or a group that knows each other.

We sailed on Statendam 5 years ago and were very happy with the total experience. I hope after reading all the comments that our back to back next week on the Volendam from Vanc will be as good.

We run into people on every cruise that have 15 or 20 cruises on whatever line it is and they are so proud of them, which I think is great. We are still trying to experience all the major ones at least once so we can rely on our own experience to make choices. And on the great people here on Cruisecritic!!!

[RevNeal]

I had a good first cruise experience on HAL. When I found out I could sail solo on HAL for less than 200%, that was icing on the cake. Plus the fact that it's a line that doesn't attract a lot of children. I like the more sophisticated, adult atmosphere on HAL.

Right now I'm sailing HAL and Carnival because of the single supplement, but am open to others.

Thanks, Roz ... yes, indeed, the reasonable Single Supplement is one of the critical inducements behind my choosing HAL. Well put!

[Steamboatin]

HAL is our favorite.

Now having said that we select our cruises by itinerary and price.

HAL has nice itineraries but not always the best prices.

Of our 19 cruises taken and or booked 3 have been on HAL.

5 cruises on what is now the Majestic American Line or the old Delta Steamboats Company.

6 on Carnival. Love those miltary prices as they are hard to pass up at such bargin rates.

Rest amongst Celebrity, RCL and NCL.

It will be a very long time before we cruise NCL again as it was by far our worst cruise ever. Ship management and ship crew were very bad and this was on a NCL Western Caribbean cruise.

[HeatherInFlorida]

But, look at it this way, Heather, they all love to read you! :p

Haha!! LOL ... ya' think, Peaches???? Somehow I doubt that!!!;)

As for the single supplement, I agree that is fantastic for singles travelling ... a great perk with HAL. I don't understand why all lines don't offer the same thing.

We cruised NCL a gizillion years ago and loved it, but based on everything I've read on these boards I really think we'll steer clear. It just gets overwhelming bad press here.

I agree HAL Roll Calls, as a rule, don't go well ... at least not as nearly as well as the ones like Celebrity and RCI where Meet & Mingle is offered.

[jtl513]

Interesting, there have been almost 2,000 hits on this topic, but only 205 people voted.

I noticed that and thought it was interesting. So about one in 10 voted. A few people have said they couldn't find a choice that fit and didn't vote.

Some of us have hit more than once so I guess about 1500 people just love to read!!!:)Here's some more interesting numbers: as of right now, there have been 221 votes but only 56 unique posters ... so roughly 75% of the voters make no comment! :)

[HeatherInFlorida]

... so roughly 75% of the voters make no comment! ............


:D :D ............ not that there's anything wrong with that!!!:D :D

(you have to be a Seinfeld fan to think that's funny;) )

[Cruising-along]

6 on Carnival. Love those miltary prices as they are hard to pass up at such bargin rates.


Carnival has military prices? Is this all the time or just on some cruises? Never thought Carnival would be for us, but it might be worth a look if you cruised Carnival 6 times!

[Copper10-8]

:D :D ............ not that there's anything wrong with that!!!:D :D

(you have to be a Seinfeld fan to think that's funny;) )

"No soup for you!" - the soup ****

"Hi my name is George, I'm unemployed and I live with my parents"
- George

[HeatherInFlorida]

"No soup for you!" - the soup ****

"Hi my name is George, I'm unemployed and I live with my parents"
- George


:D Love it, Copper! ........... "No soup for you!!!" is one of my other favorites!!!!:D

[hammybee]

Carnival has military prices? Is this all the time or just on some cruises? Never thought Carnival would be for us, but it might be worth a look if you cruised Carnival 6 times!

Carnival offers discounts to active, reserve, retired or vetrans on most of their sailings. It is my understanding that discounts cannot be combined. So if you are, for example, over 55, a vet and a past passenger, you will get one discount, not all three, else Carnival might end up paying you to cruise :) Some offers also supercede additional discounts.

[torpeedo]

" No soup for you!!' Big sein fans here. We named our cat SHMOOPEY!! From the same soup **** episode!

[HeatherInFlorida]

" No soup for you!!' Big sein fans here. We named our cat SHMOOPEY!! From the same soup **** episode!

LOL, Torpeedo! That's hard to say:D !!! DH still watches the Seinfeld reruns on TV! We should get along great on our Veendam cruise:) .

[Cruising-along]

Carnival offers discounts to active, reserve, retired or vetrans on most of their sailings. It is my understanding that discounts cannot be combined. So if you are, for example, over 55, a vet and a past passenger, you will get one discount, not all three, else Carnival might end up paying you to cruise :) Some offers also supercede additional discounts.

Thank you Hammybee! :D

[Vic The Parrot]

Thanks, Roz ... yes, indeed, the reasonable Single Supplement is one of the critical inducements behind my choosing HAL. Well put!


Hi Greg



I agree ... but the supplement is reasonable for certain cabin categories.
Just felt like mentioning this, because it's 150 for standard, 190 for veranda, and 200 for suites.

If HAL is going to charge me close to 2 fares for a balcony, might as well sail with Cunard. It's 175%, even for balcony cabins.

But HAL will keep getting my business ... if they play thier cards right. ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Can see that Vic isn't loyal to HAL.

Look at his signature -- 2 Cunard cruises coming up.

[agabbymama]

I already voted in this poll, so can't find a way to change my vote, but I'm changing from "loyal" to "don't really care anymore". I am booked on the Zuiderdam in August for a Cruisetour to Alaska. I made final payment June 3rd, just received my documents and find that all HAL Westmark Hotels are "Smoke Free". While this will make many avid non-smokers very happy, I am a smoker and was not happy to find that I am going to be TRAPPED on an 8 day land tour that is virutally non-smoking. I knew from past experience that I wouldn't be able to smoke on the coach, and I also knew the trains would probably be smoke free, but to find out AFTER final payment that the hotels are smoke free, just makes me want to cancel the whole darn trip. But of course the penalties invoked will keep me from doing that. It would be nice if HAL made this information available in their brochure or stated that the CRUISETOUR IS NON-SMOKING. I just wonder how long before HAL ships also go non-smoking? This is one smoker that will not cruise with HAL again.

[RevNeal]

I agree ... but the supplement is reasonable for certain cabin categories.
Just felt like mentioning this, because it's 150 for standard, 190 for veranda, and 200 for suites.

If HAL is going to charge me close to 2 fares for a balcony, might as well sail with Cunard. It's 175%, even for balcony cabins.

But HAL will keep getting my business ... if they play thier cards right. ;)

Howdy Vic. I thought's you'd quit HAL. Have you given thought to one of the last QE2 crossings? I have (given thought to one, that is ... the prices would make an extortioner proud).

Granted ... HAL's Single Supplement is reasonable in the inside and outside (no verandah) cabins. Indeed, on some itineraries/sailings they even drop that Single Supplement on the inside cabins a little further. I've paid as low as 125% Single Supplement on some sailings. But, I never count on it being that low. As for it being more expensive for an Verandah and a Suite ... well ... I never want one of those when I'm cruising by myself, so why bother? I'm a people-person, so I get "out and about."

[HeatherInFlorida]

...................
But HAL will keep getting my business ... if they play thier cards right. ;)

Whew! That's a big load off my mind!!!!:D So, Vic, I answer your email and you don't answer mine back to you????;)

............I am a smoker and was not happy to find that I am going to be TRAPPED on an 8 day land tour that is virutally non-smoking. .....................It would be nice if HAL made this information available in their brochure or stated that the CRUISETOUR IS NON-SMOKING...............

I couldn't agree with you more. I'm not a smoker, but if I were I would see this as fair reason to cancel without penalty. They definitely should have said in their booking information that the hotel was non-smoking. That is absolutely inexcusable and if you really don't want to go, I'd give it a try with them.

[HeatherInFlorida]

This poll has pretty much run its course with a few stragglers now and then. I think it's intersting that most of us chose #3 and #4 with a balance on the completely "loyal" to a fault and the "I don't care's". I think some people may know themselves better than others because I would have guessed this should have been a top heavy poll.

In the end, loyalty to anyone or anything is a good thing generally but not when carried to an extreme where we exclude any experience or feelings other than our own. Here on CC I try lately to be a little less judgemental of that which I know nothing about. And this can go in either direction.

If someone says HAL "hangs the moon" for them, I believe that they do. And if HAL has let somene down completely, I believe they did. No cruise line, even the very best ones, can be all things to all people.

It's good to keep an open mind and not pounce on someone who has an extreme experience either bad or good.

Further back in the thread Sail made an observation that I believe sums it up exactly .....

My experience is just as real as everyone else's. If mine is different than someone else's, YOU don't have any way of knowing just what I experience except for what I report. The same goes for the person who has a negative experience. YOU and I only know what that person reports. YOU cannot know what my cruise was like unless you followed me around and lived in my cabin with me. Loved all the responses ... thanks so much to all of you for taking part.

[Krazy Kruizers]

This was a wonderful poll. Thanks Heather for starting it. I have enjoyed reading all the various comments.

[CateW]

I couldn't find a choice that fit for us so I didn't vote. Our last 5 cruises were on HAL and we love the Noordam but our next 2 will be on Regent and Oceania respectively and it came down to itinerary. Very disappointed that HAL is leaving NYC since it's an easy drive to the port.

[SHayesShip]

I see LOYALTY based upon where I spend my cruising dollars. In my last 7 years of cruising it has been split almost evenly between HAL and Princess. (There have been a couple of cruises on RCI and CCL thrown in for good measure).
Even in today's market place there are still differences between HAL and PCL and my cruise choice of the moment is based on the combination of itinerary, price and ship.
To further back this up I currently have the Veendam and Golden Princess booked. These ships are totally different from each other and I have booked them for differing reasons. However, I know I will enjoy both.

[silvercruiser]

As for Seinfeld quotes, I used the George's password. "Bosco" as my password when I got my first computer. (That was before you needed 6 letters.)

[earl_m]

Thanks Heather for doing this poll, I found it very interesting.

[slotl]

I see LOYALTY based upon where I spend my cruising dollars. In my last 7 years of cruising it has been split almost evenly between HAL and Princess. (There have been a couple of cruises on RCI and CCL thrown in for good measure).
Even in today's market place there are still differences between HAL and PCL and my cruise choice of the moment is based on the combination of itinerary, price and ship.
To further back this up I currently have the Veendam and Golden Princess booked. These ships are totally different from each other and I have booked them for differing reasons. However, I know I will enjoy both.

SHayesShip,

I am with you. We have taken approximately 40 cruises and spread our money around to many cruise lines (some no longer in existence).

We seem to book mostly HAL and Princess because of location (itinerary), ship size, and price. I do think HAL has a little better food and service than Princess, but not enough to deter me from booking on Princess again.

As you can see from my signature, we are booked on Azamara (we just wanted to try them and we love the Rx ships).

Star Princess in January 2008 to the Antartica . I really don't like the megaships, but we really wanted to do Antartica and the itinerary was r/t Buenos Aires (which was perfect).

We also booked the 65 day'er on the HAL Amsterdam in Sept 2008 (itinerary).

Our last cruise (in March, 2007) was on the Dawn Princess to the Mexican Riveria (price was the ONLY consideration). In November, 2006, we were on HAL from Capetown SA to Ft. Lauderdale (23 days) on the glorious Prinsendam (itinerary). Prior to that cruise we were on the Pacific Princess (another Rx ship) to the Orient in June, 2006 (itinerary), we also booked the 9 day pre-cruise tour to Beijing, Xian, and a river cruise down the Yangzee. We had a wonderful experience on both the tour and the cruise.

The more we cruise, the more exotic the itinerary we desire.

[DeepWaterMariner]

We aren't loyal to any of the cruise lines. We cruise with them all and enjoy each of their particular approaches to cruising. The key for us is setting our expectations appropriately so we won't be expecting HAL when we are cruising on RCI, etc. We discovered long ago that cruising on only one line results in our becoming bored with the product.

[calbob]

Poll is a little influenced to begin with, as it's in the Holland section, and based on my observations, those on the Princess section, Celebrity section, Carnival section tend to "cheer" for that Cruise line more than the others...

So I think you will get more favorable replies than if the poll was part of a general area in Cruise critic..

With that said, I did not see a choice I could select...I like certain things on Holland, just as well as certain things on Celebrity etc...

The main thing is Cruising is fun, to each his own, and whatever "floats your boat" go for it....

CALBOB

[HeatherInFlorida]

Poll is a little influenced to begin with, as it's in the Holland section, and based on my observations, those on the Princess section, Celebrity section, Carnival section tend to "cheer" for that Cruise line more than the others...

................

Just to clarify, this poll was not meant to measure how popular HAL is overall ... it was meant to determine the degree of HAL cruiser's loyalty to the cruise line as it relates to this particular message board.

It's been my personal observation that we often see negative reviews here where the experience is questioned by those who are deeply loyal to HAL so will pretty much forgive or even overlook any negative aspects of someone's cruise.

So it was only with idle curiousity that I posted this poll and I found the results interesting.

[Sea King]

if Seattle management continue to dumb down & discount their product to attract cruisers from mainstream/non-premium lines, getting rid of the traditional aspects of cruising that I enjoy, drawing down service & entertainment levels and driving away valued staff members to maintain profitability under those discounted fares - I won't have any problem taking my business elsewhere.

I've always been a day late and a Euro short:) missed this thread

wonder how you really feel Brian:D

great thread Heather; just 1 question, is your book coming out in hard cover or paperback:eek: