What is HAL doing?

[Giorgi-one]

I was on the Zuiderdam last summer and am currently booked for next summer. The more I read on these boards, the worse it seems to get. I experienced the mediocre food and poor service in the dining room and the loss of air conditioning on several occasions. At that time, it seemed like these problems were confined to the Zuiderdam. Now it seems like there is a HAL virus spreading to all the ships with mediocre food, poor service and mechanical problems. I do not see how HAL advertises itself as a premium cruise line. I am also booked on Celebrity in January 2005, so I frequently check the Celebrity board. Except for azipod problems, complaints are far and few between on the Celebrity board.

[Orcrone]

Giorgi-one. Just because one advertises itself as something, does not mean that that is what it is. From feedback I read here, and from speaking to mariners on my cruise last week, I do believe that it was once a luxury line. However, they seem to be lowering prices to expand their business, and cutting back on service to maintain their profits with the lower fares. Seems to me that advertising themselves as a luxury line is just marketing, living off their past reputation.

I haven't decided yet, but I'm investigating the possibility of switching to Princess cruise lines in March.

[jhannah]

Sad but true. When we sailed the Rotterdam several years ago, I was smitten with Holland America Line. Subsequent cruises, while perfectly acceptable and enjoyable, have not been the same. The reduction in staffing is, IMO, the most noticeable change. Don't misinterpret what I say. I'm not down on HAL and we have two HAL cruises booked for next year. However, I have also sailed Princess ships in the past couple of years and, frankly, there's no substantial difference between them that I can see.

[tomc]

Maybe I'm lucky, or maybe the others are unlucky. (Or maybe I just don't notice stuff.) But I had none of those problems on the Rotterdam Oct 20-30. Also, you are hearing from a very small number of people who may, or may not, represent the experiences of 17,000 weekly pax on HAL's 13 ships.

[Giorgi-one]

Ocrone - I do not have an allegiance to one cruise line. I like to try different lines and different ships. We enjoyed Princess cruise but right now it looks like Celebrity is the class of the "mass market" cruise lines. We were on Summit two years ago and are booked on Millenium in January. The only thing better on HAL was the entertainment and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

[xpcdoojk]

I primarily post in the RCI forum, but it is really funny reading these threads because the exact same conversations are occurring in the other forums. RCI, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, etc. In other words everybody seems to report that all of the cruiselines are lowering the quality of food the amount of service, etc. I really think that in most cases it is a case of having more cruise experience. Everyone remembers their first cruise in the fog of the perfect vacation. It wasn't, but we forget the taste of the food, or the size of the lobster tail, or the time between the ordering the wine and the pouring of the wine. These details of that first perfect cruise are gone, but when we experience something less than perfect on a current cruise that experience seems at odds with our memories and we assume that the cruiseline we are on is going to heck in a handbasket. Especially when you get into an internet forum where everyone posts all of their problems. If you post that the food is wonderful, people will say that you are a mouthpiece for the cruiseline. If you say that your service was perfect someone will inevitably say well you obviously don't know what good service was. In other words it is easy to prove that negative experience is common because lots of people come to these forums and vent their frustrations. Some of these people want to attack either the members of the forum or the cruiseline for their own distorted reasons. Some experience bad things that colored their entire experience, and hence they globalize the experience into the cruiseline is going to heck. I am very skeptical of these global claims that the cruising experience is declining. I do think some ships and even certain sailings have better food or service. I think two people in the same dining room can have totally opposite experiences, which one do you think we are going to hear from here? I truly think being jaded accounts for most of the perceived declines in quality, service, and experience. JMHO and YMMV.:eek:


jc

[joyceb]

I wouldn't avoid any cruise line - just know that they are different. That said - I currently have given up on Princess after a cruise last Christmas on the Grand. Numerous things there turned me off. Anytime dining - always had to wait with a beeper for a table (the assigned times were all full), rarely got to sit with other people, different waiters each time - most of which were average or below. Felt like a sardine on deck -so many chairs there was no where left to walk - had to cross across people to get around. Staff thought they were so fabulous they chewed out another employee to the point of tears right in front of me (I didn't know I was invisible). A heated swearing brawl broke out between passengers over dining room chairs that could be heard through the entire atrium for a ridiculous amount of time and security never showed up. A female purser eventually came to take one passenger away to calm them down. Got yelled at because children where in the adults only whirlpool - I don't have any children..... I got home stressed from this vacation. Went on HAL and found it delightfully relaxing and much more traditional. Times are changing for all lines to make ends meet. I would say without going into the really expensive market Celebrity and HAL are the classiest and most traditional left. Additionally within a line some ships are bare bones and others are top of the line. Do lots of research so your expectations are set appropriately.

[elmorejj]

Marc, don`t hold your hopes too high re Princess. We cruised the Ocean Princess over the Xmas holidays a couple or three years ago and you can`t imagine how many times during our trip that we wished we were on HAL. From mediocre food, poor service, undrinkable coffee, ice cream for a fee, lattes for a fee etc etc, never again. I`ll take HAL until it gets to be too bad, which for us it hasn`t even started yet...jean :cool:

[boards]

Giorgi-one. Just because one advertises itself as something, does not mean that that is what it is. From feedback I read here, and from speaking to mariners on my cruise last week, I do believe that it was once a luxury line. However, they seem to be lowering prices to expand their business, and cutting back on service to maintain their profits with the lower fares. Seems to me that advertising themselves as a luxury line is just marketing, living off their past reputation.

I haven't decided yet, but I'm investigating the possibility of switching to Princess cruise lines in March.
If I remember correctly from your past comments, you have only just cruised on Hal for the first time (I apologize if I'm wrong), so how can you make such claims based on one cruise. We also have only been on Hal once and we can assure you it is one of best cruises we have been on. We have been on 4 Carnival, 2 NCL cruises. Not all were great, they all had something we didn't particularly like, but we can say the Zaandam was. We are very much looking forward to our Nov. 2005 on the Veendam and hope you are very wrong in your comments and observations.

[Giorgi-one]

xpckjook:

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but my observations are not based on my first cruise. We usually cruise twice a year, so my experiences are very fresh in my mind. Of course food quality is subjective. You sort of indicated that only people on these boards are complaining and that everyone else has no complaints. IMHO, people on these boards are the most experienced cruisers and many seem to cruise three or more times a year. If enough people on these boards are complaining, there is definitely something wrong. Especially when the complaints come from long time HAL cruisers.

[tomc]

I just hope there haven't been any cutbacks in Heaven. As the pax load increases, I would assume there haven't been any new angels created since the first batch, so the service aspect might not be the same as it was when, say, the Third Century arrivals went to glory. I just hoped The Other Place hasn't bought it.

[mountainmare]

I primarily post in the RCI forum, but it is really funny reading these threads because the exact same conversations are occurring in the other forums. RCI, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, etc. In other words everybody seems to report that all of the cruiselines are lowering the quality of food the amount of service, etc. I really think that in most cases it is a case of having more cruise experience. Everyone remembers their first cruise in the fog of the perfect vacation. It wasn't, but we forget the taste of the food, or the size of the lobster tail, or the time between the ordering the wine and the pouring of the wine. These details of that first perfect cruise are gone, but when we experience something less than perfect on a current cruise that experience seems at odds with our memories and we assume that the cruiseline we are on is going to heck in a handbasket. Especially when you get into an internet forum where everyone posts all of their problems. If you post that the food is wonderful, people will say that you are a mouthpiece for the cruiseline. If you say that your service was perfect someone will inevitably say well you obviously don't know what good service was. In other words it is easy to prove that negative experience is common because lots of people come to these forums and vent their frustrations. Some of these people want to attack either the members of the forum or the cruiseline for their own distorted reasons. Some experience bad things that colored their entire experience, and hence they globalize the experience into the cruiseline is going to heck. I am very skeptical of these global claims that the cruising experience is declining. I do think some ships and even certain sailings have better food or service. I think two people in the same dining room can have totally opposite experiences, which one do you think we are going to hear from here? I truly think being jaded accounts for most of the perceived declines in quality, service, and experience. JMHO and YMMV.:eek:


jc
I couldn't agree more. My first cruise was a four day Carnival getaway. I was hooked!! after several cruises on different lines a talked DH into sailing the Destiny out of San Juan. This had been my "dream cruise" ever since my first experience. By this time I had outgrown Carnival. Did we have a good time? Of course!! Had our expectations changed? More than I was aware!!

REMEMBER we are all here because we are blessed with good health and the means to enjoy a cruise. Be thankful !! (and bring back Dutch night)

[xpcdoojk]

xpckjook:

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but my observations are not based on my first cruise. We usually cruise twice a year, so my experiences are very fresh in my mind. Of course food quality is subjective. You sort of indicated that only people on these boards are complaining and that everyone else has no complaints. IMHO, people on these boards are the most experienced cruisers and many seem to cruise three or more times a year. If enough people on these boards are complaining, there is definitely something wrong. Especially when the complaints come from long time HAL cruisers.
Of course, if you cruise twice a year you are actually helping my jaded arguement! :D ;)

I haven't cruised HAL yet, and I am expecting to have a great time, despite my fellow CC posters that tease me I will be hanging out with the old folks home cruiseships. (joke!) I am just telling you that I read the exact same complaints of worsening food and service in all the forums here at CC, not just HAL. These are often coming from very experienced cruisers in the other lines. Change is the only thing in this world that we can count on. Those companies that do not change will not survive in this highly competitive world. I think that many people do not handle change well, and for every improvement that is ignored the one declined is reported a 100 times. JMHO and YMMV.

jc

[1cruiselvr]

I have to admit I do not handle change well, especially when it's in the wrong direction and involves quality. Happy Sailing!

[xpcdoojk]

Proving another point in my arguement for every positive change that is not mentioned the negative change is mentioned 100 times. :D

Do you like the new pillows and better sheets and pillow cases? Do you like the idea of improved flat screen tvs? Do you tell everyone when you ate a wonderful meal. It is human nature, unfortunately, to focus on the negative. ;)

jc

[cruisinjudy]

Our September Westerdam cruise was just great! Sure the dining room is a little different, but we got our food and it was good. Sure they are offering meat loaf once during the cruise, but there are many other choices on that night. I think the flat screen TVs will be great as that was my one complaint, that the desk/dressing table was too crowded!

[Aussie Gal]

JC,

I agree with you in that we do remember our first cruise with fondness even though it was back in the 60's and didn't have all the frills we have now including ensuites etc.

We did have a great cruise on the Prinsendam last month. The food was superb, (I do not remember seeing meatloaf at all!!) the beds were comfortable and the staff and crew couldn't have been better. What more could we have asked for. Admittedly we found the airconditiong to be too cold in the lounges but that did not spoil our holiday and was not a worry, we just had to dress accordingly and wear long sleeves. Other than that we couldn't fault our time aboard that lovely ship. We also loved the Noordam the year before. ;)


We love our cruises and trips and just feel fortunate that we are lucky enough to be able to do these twice a year, living so far away from the rest of the world. :o :o

Jennie

[1cruiselvr]

I guess we are the exception to the rule, as we just got off the Diamond Princess and we have said nothing but great things about the ship, staff and the experience. In fact, my DH was talking with the hotel mgr onboard and he was shocked by the compliments DH was giving as he previously only heard complaints and was very glad to hear nice things said about the ship and service. So I guess you are right, people are quick to complain and forgetful to compliment. Happy Sailing!

[DNCButler]

I just have to put some comments in here. We sailed on Caribb. Princess on October 16th and said that I would NEVER go back on Princess again after that week. Our group kept saying how we couldn't wait to get back to Celebrity again and couldn't wait for that week to be over. The beds and pillows are the worst we've ever had vs. Holland's new upgrades to pillow top mattresses and upgraded pillows etc. I'm sailing on the Westerdam at the end of the month and then the Oosterdam in March and I can't wait. I always said a cruise is what you make of it and truly believed it until the Caribbean Princess. I never ever thought that I'd be discussing a bad cruise because I never thought such a thing could exist. I've sailed most of the major cruise lines and have been a regular on Royal Caribbean and my beloved Celebrity and that is the experience that I'm hoping for on Holland. I read what has been posted here and just hope for the best. As long as I'm not constantly told no you can't do that or no we can't do that for you for a week, then I should be fine. As long as I can sleep on the bed without needing a massage the next day, then I'm sure I'll be happy. And as long as I can be healthy enough to continue to sail, then I'm a content person altogether.

[CruisinMatt]

I cancelled my HAL cruise after reading these boards :o

[localady]

I just hope there haven't been any cutbacks in Heaven. As the pax load increases, I would assume there haven't been any new angels created since the first batch, so the service aspect might not be the same as it was when, say, the Third Century arrivals went to glory. I just hoped The Other Place hasn't bought it.
All I can say is I pray there is Volcano cake in Heaven!!!
( Okay maybe Volcano cake is a little too warm for heaven:eek: , how about a killer creme brulee or bread pudding instead???;) )

[localady]

I cancelled my HAL cruise after reading these boards :o
That is truly unfortunate Matt, I think sometimes the problems seem overwhelming here on the boards, but they are nothing to cancel a cruise over!:eek:

(Well except if it was an NCL Pride of Aloha!)

[tankerjo2]

Wow and we have a cruise coming up next month on the Ryndam. Now as for myself I can find fault with just about anything while my wife is a real trooper and a heck of a good sport so very little bothers her especially when she is cruising in a balcony cabin for about what we were paying for an inside cabin in the early 90's.

I wonder which of the two of us should write a review when we return?

[W8tn2sail]

I plan to continue cruising with Holland America, my favorite cruise line, and stop reading these boards

[sail7seas]

Wow and we have a cruise coming up next month on the Ryndam. Now as for myself I can find fault with just about anything while my wife is a real trooper and a heck of a good sport so very little bothers her especially when she is cruising in a balcony cabin for about what we were paying for an inside cabin in the early 90's.

I wonder which of the two of us should write a review when we return?



I hope you will both write a review. I think it would be very interesting to hear from your point of view and from hers.

Hope you have a great cruise.

[sail7seas]

I plan to continue cruising with Holland America, my favorite cruise line, and stop reading these boards


I fully intend to continue cruising HAL AND to continue reading the Boards. I like to read what everyone has to say but in the end, I make up my own mind. To date, HAL is still the best of all the cruise lines we have tried.

Have they changed through the years? Yes, of course.

Are they still providing me/us with what we most want from a ship/cruise.? Yes.


JMHO.... :)

[tomc]

I'm staying with HAL. Times change, people change, tv and radio change, cars change, cruise lines change. I think it's funny to see people posting via internet from onboard the ship complaining about changes.

I also think these boards are a scream. People go stomping off left and right because this happened and that happened, or this changed and that changed. I read reviews and they all contradict each other. Check the meatloaf threads; you'd think the waiters are forcing the stuff down our throats, or that there's nothing else on the menu. I think someone quit sailing HAL because of it. Ya gotta laugh.

We complain about cutbacks, while trying to get $95/day rates. I'm paying the same now as I did in the mid- to late-80's. Of course there's going to be cutbacks. They can print daily menus, they can print the NY Times, they can print the daily schedule ... but they can't print money. If we wanted to pay rates adjusted for inflation, we'd have everything as it used to be.

My somewhat humble opinion, as always.

[Vic The Parrot]

Cmon guys, is it REALLY THAT BAD??


I'm going on the Oosterdam in Feb to Mexico, and it'll be my 1st time on HAL since '98. I can't believe that everything went down the toilet in my absence, and it makes me wonder if the diminished services are being blown out of proportion.

On my Bermuda cruise last month, there were even pax who were complaining about the weather of all things! Like many of you, I follow these boards religiously, and it's good to hear what everyone has to say. So far, I witnessed a few people come back and they have nothing but rave reviews about thier experience.

Then there's the handful who go looking for stains in the carpets, and rust spots on the railing. The type of passenger that EVERYONE hopes not to run into!

I know we all pay good money to enjoy ourselves, but it just goes to show you that nothing is perfect. From a 10-15 min wait in the restaurant between courses, to the ship losing a propeller blade. These are things that we can't control.

It's a vacation, take time to relax.

[Aussie Gal]

"From a 10-15 min wait in the restaurant between courses, to the ship losing a propeller blade. These are things that we can't control."

When we dine out here at home, we would be horrified if a meal was presented to us within 5-10 minutes of the course beforehand.

We always like our courses to be staggered and come out about 15-20 minutes apart as it gives us time to digest the course beforehand and to enjoy the wine and of course the conversation. I cannot understand why people are complaining about having their meals in a leisurely fashion.

If you ever dine out in any good restaurant in Paris, you always have a wait between courses.

Jennie

[tomc]

Check my thread, "LIVE From the Rotterdam" and note the following:

Since Carnival bought HAL,

(a) The number of sunny days has been reduced by one per 7/day cruise and by two per 10/day cruise.

(b) Average wave height has increased by two feet; whereas HAL always prided itself on having the smoothest seas in the cruise industry, it now ranks somewhere around P&O or even lower.

(c) Baked Alaska no longer includes the Aleutians. Did you notice the slight decrease in the cake?

(d) We all knew that a charge for using the tenders was inevitable, but a "check out, check in" charge for going thru the security card reader was more than anyone expected.

(e) I guess what will finally drive loyal HAL pax away is the increasing "shared partners" program: you work with your cabin steward in cleaning the room, you work with the waiter in serving the meal and cleaning up the dishes, you help in the main laundry, etc.

[Vic The Parrot]

[QUOTE it now ranks somewhere around P&O or even lower.

[/QUOTE]



...... and what do you have against P&O?




:-D

[tomc]

I'm sitting here, watching "NewsNight with Aaron Brown," having a mug of tea, chatting with my brother on IM and thinking about my cruise that's right around the corner (well, 7.5 months) and I toss the first non-mega line I can think of on the board. I was going to use White Star Line, but I think they merged with Cunard.

[Vic The Parrot]

Jennie,

I couldn't agree with you more.

I always enjoy my dinners with that wait between courses.
Good to continue conversations with tablemates, and enjoy the company.

It's the only way to dine.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Jennie,

I couldn't agree with you more.

I always enjoy my dinners with that wait between courses.
Good to continue conversations with tablemates, and enjoy the company.

It's the only way to dine.
Jennie and Vic I too agree, We have always been very fortuate to have good table mates. So the time between the couses being served has never really been a problem. We have enjoyed talking to our tables mates and for some reason we are always the last ones out of the Dining Room:confused: We also like to make a big effort to get to know our Dining Room Stewards, Yes I did notice in May they had more tables to attend to but because we made it a point to acknowledge them as people they also treat us well.

[tomc]

I don't quite agree with this statement, but I can understand it in general: "A meal is a social event at which food is served."

[johnnycruise]

I cancelled my HAL cruise after reading these boards :oThat's really too bad. HAL definitely has its attributes ... as well as some shortcomings. You may read a blistering review from someone who previously had 6-7 excellent voyages on HAL but lets one or two little things on his (her) most recent cruise ruin it. Unfortunately, it is human nature to remember those unimaginable, annoying things and forget many of the routine things which make cruise vacations popular. Whenever you read a negative post, do yourself a favor and review the poster's other threads. Only if you agree with 75+% of what he (or she) writes should you even consider letting it affect your vacation plans ... it still could be your loss!

I for one have never seen a continuous plethora of negativity regarding HAL Caribbean cruises. If you want that, read about NCL's Hawaii cruises!:eek:

[louiskam]

According to this month's different travel magazines survey (I forgot the names), HAL's overall ranking drops below Princess & RCCL while Celebrity moves to the third. That I think reflects honestly our first HAL saling experince with Westerdam to Europe this June. Hope HAL management (or Carnival Inc.?) takes serious note of the feedback.

[xpcdoojk]

I cancelled my HAL cruise after reading these boards :o
That is the silliest thing I have read today, and in these forums there are a lot of silly things stated. fyi!:D

jc

[xpcdoojk]

I fully intend to continue cruising HAL AND to continue reading the Boards. I like to read what everyone has to say but in the end, I make up my own mind. To date, HAL is still the best of all the cruise lines we have tried.

Have they changed through the years? Yes, of course.

Are they still providing me/us with what we most want from a ship/cruise.? Yes.


JMHO.... :)
S7S

I have not sailed with HAL yet, but I agree with you. Reading these boards is informative. There is more good information in these boards than any other resource. Most of the people I have communicated with here are friends, and the thought of not visiting these forums is not a pleasant one. I do think that you have to filter a lot of what you read, and as in the rest of your life, don't let those sharing their negative energy affect your attitude. JMHO

jc

[SHayesShip]

Just what I needed this morning before I go to a challenging day at work -- a good laugh!!
Thanks,

Steve Hayes



Check my thread, "LIVE From the Rotterdam" and note the following:

Since Carnival bought HAL,

(a) The number of sunny days has been reduced by one per 7/day cruise and by two per 10/day cruise.

(b) Average wave height has increased by two feet; whereas HAL always prided itself on having the smoothest seas in the cruise industry, it now ranks somewhere around P&O or even lower.

(c) Baked Alaska no longer includes the Aleutians. Did you notice the slight decrease in the cake?

(d) We all knew that a charge for using the tenders was inevitable, but a "check out, check in" charge for going thru the security card reader was more than anyone expected.

(e) I guess what will finally drive loyal HAL pax away is the increasing "shared partners" program: you work with your cabin steward in cleaning the room, you work with the waiter in serving the meal and cleaning up the dishes, you help in the main laundry, etc.

[lknick]

"People are like tea bags -- you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are."

[bepsf]

Check my thread, "LIVE From the Rotterdam" and note the following:

Since Carnival bought HAL,

(a) The number of sunny days has been reduced by one per 7/day cruise and by two per 10/day cruise.

(b) Average wave height has increased by two feet; whereas HAL always prided itself on having the smoothest seas in the cruise industry, it now ranks somewhere around P&O or even lower.

(c) Baked Alaska no longer includes the Aleutians. Did you notice the slight decrease in the cake?

(d) We all knew that a charge for using the tenders was inevitable, but a "check out, check in" charge for going thru the security card reader was more than anyone expected.

(e) I guess what will finally drive loyal HAL pax away is the increasing "shared partners" program: you work with your cabin steward in cleaning the room, you work with the waiter in serving the meal and cleaning up the dishes, you help in the main laundry, etc.
Tom - you are too funny!!!

Folks tend to forget that if it wasn't for Carnival - there would have been no new Statendam or Ryndam or Maasdam or Veendam or...

[doone]

Take everything you read here with a grain of salt. A couple of years ago I was booked on the Volendam for the first time. I read nothing but complaints on service, food, ship was lousy, I was going to cancel my cruise I was so discouraged, but I didn't. I went and when I boarded the beautiful Volendam and experienced the wonderful service from these wonderful crew members, ate the wonderful food onboard. As you can see, my worries were totally unfounded. I am booked on the Volendam again for this coming March.

Go with an open mind, your on a cruise with a wonderful cruise line, sure beats the time at work.

[1cruiselvr]

Glad to hear it because I was upset when I read KK's review of the Statendam and we are sailing on that lovely ship in December for 15-days to Hawaii. I just love HAL and it broke my heart to think the quality was slipping away. Happy Sailing!

[doone]

1cruiselvr, I felt the same way, heart sick, til I boarded, then I knew my worries were all unfounded. I am sure you will find the Statendam the same way. Enjoy your cruise.

[Aussie Gal]

The same thing happened when we booked the Noordam for September last year. I only discovered C.C. the year before and as we usually book 16 months or more in advance I coudn't believe what I was reading about the ship we had booked. It read as though it should have been put in moth balls years ago.

It was all unfounded. I got the biggest shock of my life when we boarded expecting to be on a ship that was in disrepair. We had the best cruise, the ship was in excellent condition and we had great food and service.

We have learnt a lot from these boards over the past two years, and one must weigh up different people's opinions. We all have different expectations from a holiday and what may worry some, may not have any effect on others.

We do not go on a cruise to nitpick and find fault. If we are not happy we will go to the person responsible and tell them and usually it is remedied.

We have been fortunate over the past few years to have had some wonderful cruises with fantastic itineraries on great ships.

Jennie.

[localady]

I like Doone and others fretted over quality issues that we'd read here before Our Ryndam cruise. It was fantastic! :)

This time I am reading with a bit more of a deaf ear and hoping to make lemonade out of any lemons on the cruise! (Hey lemonade will be fabulous in the Panama Canal!:D )

[tomc]

My first cruise on the Veendam, in '98, I heard that the food was so bad that cats were covering it up. Stuff was great, as always. Ok, the onboard movie was "Titanic," but I could cope with that as it was not iceberg season.

[KenM]

In two weeks we are going on the Volendam.
After three hurricanes, trees on the house and other issues, I laugh when I read some of the complaints.
I will be glad to go on the cruise, relax, have a great time and realize how lucky I am that I can take a cruise after what we all in Orlando have been through during the past three months..
Holland America is a great line and SO is Celebrity.............

[bonnyweed]

I too have really enjoyed reading this board because I am sailing on the Ryndam on 11/27/04. For me, there are several things that will not ruin my vacation: the overall decor of the ship, a delay between meal courses, a less than groveling waiter, the inappropriate dress of a fellow passenger.... What matters to me is that I have a reasonably comfortable bed,that I am on a ship, that the ship will actually move across the water and that I don't have to do anything if I don't want to.
I accept that the food on a cruise ship is mass-produced. No matter how they promote the food, you can't get past the fact that it is, for all practical purposes, cafeteria dining. Given that, I think the mainstream cuise lines are doing a really incredible job with food service.
As I write, I am in my used Airstream trailer on an Indian reservation in the Sonoran Desert. I have just polished off my nighly frozen entree (was pretty good). My washer is outdoors, my dryer is a rope tied to a mesquite tree, I get dresed in a mobile-mini storage container. I work for the Indian Health Service and I am just counting the seconds until I get the he-- out of here and onto that cruise ship. Call me
"trailer trash and proud of it!"

[BillandKateC]

Been There, Done That, Can not wait to go again !

We were on the Zuiderdam in Oct.....Was the best cruise we have done yet.

Great service, fantastic food, super ports and just a great cruise

We travel a lot and we can be picky but will keep going back to HAL
We do not like Carnival, Royal Caribbean is OK, Princess is better, but its still HAL for us. Alaska in 2005 if all gos well and it will be on HAL again

[doone]

KenM, the Volendam is a GREAT ship. I have to say she's one of my favorite in HAL's fleet. I sail her again in March and cannot wait. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do. Enjoy your cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We are also looking forward to our back-to-back cruises on the Volendam in March.

[1cruiselvr]

Thanks for your good wishes. I can't wait to go since it's my first time to the Hawaiian islands. Should be a blast!!! Too bad HAL doesn't offer free internet to it's pax like Princess does (after 5 sailings), or I would post from the ship and let everyone know how great the Statendam is......Happy Sailing!

[peaches from georgia]

We are also looking forward to our back-to-back cruises on the Volendam in March.

Just wondering what weeks in March you will be on the Volendam, KK?

[tomc]

Too bad HAL doesn't offer free internet to it's pax like Princess does (after 5 sailings) Or, at least, a big chunk of minutes. I'm sure, with the rates they charge, they are making lotsa dough on the concession. I think DSI's rates are $24.00/hour onboard with the best package and the lines have to be getting a good cut of that. So HAL gives a discount after 5 cruises, then at cost after 10 cruises (ooops; then we'd know how much they make) and free after 20 cruises. When you've spent $40k and up, what's free internet to the company?

[1cruiselvr]

I have to admit free internet is a very attractive perk and one that draws us to Princess from time to time. We were booked on the Island Princess to Hawaii for that reason but were able to switch to Statendam when they offered a shipboard credit promo that will help offset our internet expense onboard. I think HAL should consider something similar or run the risk of losing pax to other CLs as internet access becomes more important in today's world. Happy Sailing!

[FlorenceItaly]

Just mho...cruised HAL in June and August, just got in from sailing with Celebrity(Horizon)...the service on Celebrity was outstanding...a noteable difference than HAL. I was very satisfied with the food on HAL, but Celebrity's was even better. In all fairness, Celebrity's lunch buffet is not it's high point, but there are so many other high points, it didn't matter.

If you have not sailed Celebrity, I highly recommend it....It is now my #1 cruiseline of choice.

Marie

[Opinions]

I am amazed that anyone would pick a cruise based on the internet service that was provided...Though I spend many hours on the internet at home it never is a consideration when I pick a cruise line or ship...Is this really a major attraction for many?

[Tinknock50]

Just mho...cruised HAL in June and August, just got in from sailing with Celebrity(Horizon)...the service on Celebrity was outstanding...a noteable difference than HAL. I was very satisfied with the food on HAL, but Celebrity's was even better. In all fairness, Celebrity's lunch buffet is not it's high point, but there are so many other high points, it didn't matter.

If you have not sailed Celebrity, I highly recommend it....It is now my #1 cruiseline of choice.

Marie
Hi Marie,
Happy to hear you had a great cruise!
There was a time that Celebrity was hit and miss, but they have shaped up to be a good cruiseline.
They usually have some concert quality String Quartets on Celebrity and I consider that one of their strong points. Lately HAL hasn't been consistant in that regard. But on my cruise on the Veendam, they were outstanding.

[cruising susan]

I have to agree with you about Princess. We were on the Grand about a year ago, and as I read your posting I thought "Things haven't changed." There were crowds everywhere, especially up on the decks, and everyone seemed to think that they were entitled to two lounge chairs each. Maybe it was just a week with an abundance of ignorant people. I saw several confrontations concerning lounge chairs near the pool, and I think what turned me off to Princess was that they (Princess) made no attempt to correct these situations. My husband and I have been on about eight cruises and this was our worst experience. We now go on either Celebrity or Hal. We've never had any complaints about either. HAL in four weeks, and Celebrity in April.

[FlorenceItaly]

another positive I forgot to mention was the lack of announcements and "promoting" over the loud speaker....it was great! It greatly enhanced the relaxation factor. The captain came on at noon and gave his report, but that was about it. It was wonderful. The service and crew were just top notch, always very happily accomodating...terrific!

Back to my laundry.........

Marie

[Tinknock50]

another positive I forgot to mention was the lack of announcements and "promoting" over the loud speaker....it was great! It greatly enhanced the relaxation factor. The captain came on at noon and gave his report, but that was about it. It was wonderful. The service and crew were just top notch, always very happily accomodating...terrific!

Back to my laundry.........

Marie
Yes, I like the no announcement thing on Celebrity too. The only announcements I want to hear is a whale sighting or other wildlife when I am in Alaska. HAL did announce these, which was great. Now if they could just get rid of the Bingo announcements. You could hear an audible groan from people expecting an important announcement only to hear "snowball jackpot"...or whatever they call it.

[1cruiselvr]

Many pax use the internet to keep in touch with work or home and the cost can add up fast. I'm not referring to surfing the net while on vacation. I know some that MUST keep in touch with the office while on vacation...so YES internet access is important for these reasons.
As for the Princess problems described by a previous poster, we just got off the Diamond Princess last week and didn't experience any of these problems. There were plenty of chairs around the various pools. We had a fantastic time and would go again in a heartbeat and we consider ourselves picky when it comes to what we like in a cruiseline and a vacation. With that said, I do know that each ship within a CL is run differently therefore can present a totally different pax experience. Happy Sailing!

[dakrewser]

I am amazed that anyone would pick a cruise based on the internet service that was provided...Though I spend many hours on the internet at home it never is a consideration when I pick a cruise line or ship...Is this really a major attraction for many?
For those of us who require the connection for our livelihood, it is.

[tomc]

Unfortunately, I cruise alone now. I like to share the day's experiences and find that talking with the other pax just doesn't cut it. So I share with my onshore family members and friends via e-mail. I get a big kick out of that. I've also shared my cruise here on the CC HAL board in the "Live From the ..." to mostly friendly replies (the one previous to this turned very nasty) and that's a lot of fun for me and you folks. Maybe it's because I'm a communicator and maybe it's because going solo, for me, means missing the closeness of chat with friends.

[CruisinMatt]

That is the silliest thing I have read today, and in these forums there are a lot of silly things stated. fyi!:D

jc

I'm glad I made you laugh, but it's true. :D