New to this line - how did I do?

Good Morning

So, we have been Carnival cruisers for several years but after our last cruise decided it was time we try a new line. We have chosen HAL.

I just booked the Westerdam cabin V 8066 in January for a 7 day Eastern Carrib.

Just my dh and myself - We have been on 6 cruises but only with Carnival and are interested to know if anyone else has made the change from that line and what the biggest differences are.

I will say that cost wise this cruise only cost me $225 more than our last CCL cruise so that was a great surprise.

Looking forward to meeting new friends here and getting some feedback. Let the countdown begin

Interestingly, I had this very same cabin on the Westy a couple of years back. It's actually a great location, don't let others spook you about privacy concerns from the glass elevators - it's very limited. As for Carnival vs HAL shipboard life my Carnival experience is stale at this point. But I can tell you that night life is alive and well on HAL, perhaps not as gregarious as "C" but you will find night owls in both the northern lights disco and piano bar on most cruises. In the Caribbean in Jan you should find few kids and those will be well entertained by the cruise staff. Cabin stewards are lower key than C. There will be less pool games (no pool slides), fewer chair hogs, and fewer announcements, and more subdued interior spaces. Formal nights are not that formal in the Caribbean, business casual with a sports jacket gets you by for men. Food will be uniformly good in all venues and caters to a slightly more sophisticated palette than C, but is subjective. You will see Fresh flowers throughout the ship.

To get a more tailored response, comment on what things do you value on your past C cruises and I'm sure people will chime in with tailored comparisons for you.

John

Good Morning

So, we have been Carnival cruisers for several years but after our last cruise decided it was time we try a new line. We have chosen HAL.

I just booked the Westerdam cabin V 8066 in January for a 7 day Eastern Carrib.

 

Just my dh and myself - We have been on 6 cruises but only with Carnival and are interested to know if anyone else has made the change from that line and what the biggest differences are.

 

I will say that cost wise this cruise only cost me $225 more than our last CCL cruise so that was a great surprise.

 

Looking forward to meeting new friends here and getting some feedback. Let the countdown begin

PS after seeing you past cruise pedigree, the Legend and Miracle are the same family of ships as the Vista-class HAL ships like the Westy. While floor plans are not the same, the general configuration and size will be similar to your past Carnival ships.

Thanks !!

The differences seem to be exactly what we are ready for. Stale is a great word to describe our "C" experiences..

We chose to cruise at the time we do to avoid kids. LOVE kids, have kids but would prefer not to vacation with them if possible - however we have never had an issue with kids on a cruise they always seem to be entertained really well.

I am a sit in the sun most of the day with a good book and a beverage kind of person. My husband on the other hand will spend a good portion of his day in the Casino :) or on our balcony reading. This is why we vacation so well. The one thing I did love on our last cruise was the Serenity deck that had big oversized covered chairs that offered shade and privacy. Anything like that ?

We will likely skip formal nights - We dress for work and social events surrounding our business way too much .. I kick off the heels and put on the flip flops for vacation, so we are happy to have a quick dinner on the lido for that evening...

We are really excited to go, it's nice to breathe life back into our cruise adventures..

Thanks !!

The differences seem to be exactly what we are ready for. Stale is a great word to describe our "C" experiences..

 

We chose to cruise at the time we do to avoid kids. LOVE kids, have kids but would prefer not to vacation with them if possible - however we have never had an issue with kids on a cruise they always seem to be entertained really well.

 

I am a sit in the sun most of the day with a good book and a beverage kind of person. My husband on the other hand will spend a good portion of his day in the Casino :) or on our balcony reading. This is why we vacation so well. The one thing I did love on our last cruise was the Serenity deck that had big oversized covered chairs that offered shade and privacy. Anything like that ?

 

We will likely skip formal nights - We dress for work and social events surrounding our business way too much .. I kick off the heels and put on the flip flops for vacation, so we are happy to have a quick dinner on the lido for that evening...

 

We are really excited to go, it's nice to breathe life back into our cruise adventures..

Great;

That gives me an idea how to respond. Yes in the center pool area there are shaded loungers to use. HAL doesn't have the kid load that C does so the Serenity area is not as needed - all the outside decks are pretty serene. For future reference, several of the Vista and Signature class HAL ships have Retreat Cabanas, with more plush furniture and special attendants and menu of nibbles and services for a daily charge. The Westy does not yet have this amenity. But on deck 10 forward of the pool dome, there are some shaded areas that are quiet and less in the traffic flow than the center pool area on deck 9.

If you don't want to go out on formal nights - room service serves the full MDR menu during the MDR hours, the lido will serve most of the MDR menu. The Canelletto restaurant is usually not formal and is part of the Lido so you can use that as well. "Formal" does not necessarily last into the evening - people shed the formal/business attire after meal hours, you will still see it, but not be out of place.

I think overall you will enjoy your experience.

PS - Deck 3 has the wrap-around teak promenade, which is shaded by the lifeboats and has traditional teak loungers that are padded - great place to spend time reading and watching the water go by.

John

You might also want to check out the greenhouse thermal pool. a huge Jacuzzi type pool that you buy a pass for. they also have a sauna, steam room and best of all, ceramic heated loungers. Check out halfacts.com and you can take a look at the ship with pictures taken by real cruisers.

Welcome to the HAL board.

We have quite a sailing days on the Westerdam -- great ship.

We do have one requirement here on the HAL board that you MUST adhere to.

That is you must come back after your cruise and tell us how you liked "our" line and what you found to be different. Please??:D

Have a great cruise!

We've sailed both lines.

The quality of the staff, we felt, were both very good - no complaints there.

We found the food quality in the MDR on HAL was much better than CCL. CCL seemed to be more of home-type dishes and some strange receipes on CCL. Example - Shrimp Scampi was served in a bowl with breaded shrimp on pasta smothered in a marinera sauce.

We always book regular Verandah cabins.

The décor in the HAL cabins is much nicer than we experienced on CCL. On the Fascination we had only a hardback chair to sit on besides the bed. Room service meals were out of the question. On the Legend we had a sort of futon thingie with a coffee table. On the HAL Ryndam and Westerdam we had upholstered couches with a coffee table so we could at least eat in the cabin if we desired.

We love the Westerdam :)- here's hoping you have as grand a time as we did!!

Welcome to Holland ...

I have sailed Carnival and HAL more than a few times, both as a single guy (with guests to fill the room) and now married. I LOVE HAL, but DW actually prefers Carnival. Going with the standard thoughts about the lines, I am the drinker and the wife does not really drink, but she sure likes Carnival.

I especially love the wraparound deck for reading and relaxing, but there is no waiter service provided, so I end up having to walk back and forth to replenish the beer supply.

Sure wish they sold beer by the keg.:D

Interestingly, I had this very same cabin on the Westy a couple of years back. It's actually a great location, don't let others spook you about privacy concerns from the glass elevators - it's very limited. As for Carnival vs HAL shipboard life my Carnival experience is stale at this point. But I can tell you that night life is alive and well on HAL, perhaps not as gregarious as "C" but you will find night owls in both the northern lights disco and piano bar on most cruises. In the Caribbean in Jan you should find few kids and those will be well entertained by the cruise staff. Cabin stewards are lower key than C. There will be less pool games (no pool slides), fewer chair hogs, and fewer announcements, and more subdued interior spaces. Formal nights are not that formal in the Caribbean, business casual with a sports jacket gets you by for men. Food will be uniformly good in all venues and caters to a slightly more sophisticated palette than C, but is subjective. You will see Fresh flowers throughout the ship.

 

To get a more tailored response, comment on what things do you value on your past C cruises and I'm sure people will chime in with tailored comparisons for you.

 

John

We too, have been in this cabin on more than one occasion.

Don't listen to all the nonsense about people looking onto your balcony from the glass elevator. It is ideally located for going forward or aft, up or down.

Enjoy your cruise and welcome to the HAL forum.

Does anyone have a picture of the balcony of cabin 8066 looking from the glass elevators?