qsuzi

Seems such an easy an uncomplicated solution to the question.......

 

IF you like the fun of the Medallion Reception, enjoy seeing your fellow cruisers reach new level and be presented their Medallion, wonderful. If you are invited, go to the party and enjoy.

 

If you don't care for or about it...... easy. Send polite regrets and just don't attend.

 

Where's the problem?

 

The only problem I see is if one 'side' or the other feels it necessary to criticize those who do not share their way of thinking about the Mariners Program and events. It is a simple matter of courtesy to politely leave others to enjoy what they like and for others to not force it upon you.

 

Well said!

Sorry if you can't cruise salt wind, that's a shame and I can see any negative thoughts would sound bad to you. I did appreciate star songs witty and honest report though, at least it was well balanced and not biased.

I also appreciated StarSong's fair and balanced review and found it very helpful.

I don't think the Spring 2016 are preliminary- HAL doesn't post their schedule that way. That schedule should be final. It would appear at this time the only HAL cruises touching the Pacific side of Mexico are the Canal cruises and the Inca Adventure cruises.

Thank you for confirming that ALL January through April 2016 cruises are the final list and that none include Mexico.

I am new to HAL and would appreciate if someone will comment on if the current January through April 2016 sailings are preliminary and other sailings will be added? When are they normally added? Also is there a way AT THIS TIME to check or find out if HAL will have any sailings to Mexico in 2016? Thank you.

Actually, my complaint was that having a ship for a 4 day coastal or 3--- 7 day trips is not quite the same as having a ship on the West Coast full time. This would be like looking at Celebrity lines (2-3 cruises a year on the west coast) and thinking going to Vancouver or Panama Canal would be the same as being able to pick any week during the year and cruising, like Florida has.

 

Sometimes I ramble, but think of all the loyal cruisers of any line and move all the ships to Vancouver, would those folks cruise as much or be as loyal to their line? Love HAL,, but so costly to fly to Florida to cruise.

Thanks for clarifying dadroy. I have seen posts that say it is because of supply vs demand and it is just not as profitable as other itineraries. Some have also said because of lack of safety and or incidents/crimes against cruise passengers. It WOULD be great to have HAL and RCL offering West Coast itineraries full time. For now and for us guess this means sailing Princess in 2016 - not a bad problem to have.

Thanks to those who wrote supportive or neutral comments. Being a member of Cruise Critic for a number of years and having seen many negative responses to reviewers remarks, I initiated this thread with some trepidation.

 

I stand by my assessment of the food. Having sailed a little over 100 days all told (on four different lines), my husband and I are far from newbies. We know what to expect when it comes to MDR and buffet offerings. This cruise the selections were subpar, overly repetitive and of mediocre quality. Whether it was a fluke or part of a trend is an open question.

 

While far from an interior designer myself, I do generally enjoy the decor of the ships I've lived on for a week or so at at time. Stopping for a couple of minutes to admire and learn a bit about an interesting painting, sculpture, weaving, poster, diorama or collage, as well as the person who created it, is an enjoyable part of my cruising experience and one that I look forward to.

 

As Tapi said, all of my senses go along with me on vacations so I appreciate being surrounded by appointments that are beautiful, appealing and interesting.

 

There was much to enjoy and praise about this cruise, but in my opinion Carnival also has room for improvement.

Well said StarSong

Those are rare (Mexico). I used to like it when they had the Oosterdam but I have zero interest in the Statendam or Veendam. At least Princess has better ships doing Mexico.

The Veendam is sailing to Mexico November and December 2014 and March 2015. The March 2015 Veendam will be our first time on HAL. Princess also has 7 days sailings in 2014, 2015, and 2016 with choice of the Ruby, Crown, and Grand. We are Platinum on Princess and have sailed the Grand, Crown, and Sun class ships.

I beg to differ with you come 2016 there are no cruises out of SD for Mexico. Only cruise will be for the Coastal's, possible Hawaii/Tahiti. We will have no dedicated Hal ship on the West Coast. The Veendam is going to Tampa.

 

I thought Dadroy was looking for more current itineraries but I should have been more specific on years I guess. Last time I looked at 2016 it seemed it only showed longer than 7 day itineraries. I will check 2016 out. Thanks. Okay I see January through April 2016 cruises are posted and some are 7 days. Do you know if all sailings for January through April 2016 are listed yet? My experience with RCL for example is that they only post a few sailings that far in advance.

I'm not sure what HAL can do to keep me from going elsewhere. I prefer HAL, but one of the big reasons I am looking at Princess is they still sail out of Southern Calif.. For me to sail on HAL on a regular basis would mean flying to Florida or further.

 

I am not looking to do the Med., Alaska, Asia, or South Pacific, just a 7day to be on the ship. Business wise, HAL really could not make any profit coming to Los Angeles for anything other than a few cruises each year, thats why Royal is gone and Carnival puts their older ships here. So I will probably start using Princess since it saves me the cost of the airfare.

HAL does have cruises out of San Diego.....Mexican Riviera (7 days) and also 4-day San Diego to Vancouver "Coastals" (do not include Alaska.)

Does anyone really know if HAL reads Cruise Critic? If not, I hope those with feedback use other avenues available to give HAL their feedback.

We all know an itinerary can change for various reasons. Heads up - you may not have received notice that your Miracle itinerary has changed. On 5-22-14 we did receive notice of the first "change". It stated "operational considerations" (engine issue causing slower speeds which would not be addressed until dry dock). 2 days in PV and 1 day in Cabo instead of the opposite but 8 hours in Cabo. We did not receive a second notice but the itinerary is different online with an extra sea day at the beginning instead of at the end and 2 hours less in Cabo.

IMHO the OP post was fair and balanced. I have to agree with the OP and Tapi's statements regarding the decor. We are Platinum on Carnival and have sailed the Miracle twice and have booked future cruises on her. If RCL sailed this itinerary it would be highly likely that we would chose RCL because on balance it has more of the things that are important to us and price is not a primary factor for us.

The things we like least about the Miracle are: 1. the Lido food lack of variety and quality plus the layout of food stations. We do go to the MDR but only 1-2 times because my hubby can't sit for long periods (we do let the wait staff know fast service is needed and why). 2. The decor isn't a deal breaker but for us it does distract from our overall enjoyment. 3. Type/quality of entertainment choices.

The things we like about the Miracle are 1. some of the perks -same for RCL where we are Diamond. 2. Larger cabins generally and good beds but other furniture not as good. 3. Great pizza. 4. More casual dress and sometimes we prefer this.

Thank you for your comments Gsel, Bruce, and igraf. :) Sometimes when there is an issue early on in a cruise, it colors how some comment about the whole experience.

I was on the Veendam in August 2014. I didn't notice any of the issues you mentioned.

Thanks for your feedback.

Bruce, thanks and I did read the most recent reviews and many others from May 2014 forward. Is there any other feedback from someone who did not file a cruise review here? Also does the ship staff use one half of the Lido buffet as someone noted?

I would appreciate some recent (last 6 months if possible) overall feedback regarding the Veendam. I just read some recent (June 2014) reviews, where many reviewers commented on the obvious needs for repairs and/or worn areas (including upholstery) throughout the ship, food being cold or poor quality, etc. Since we are cruising the Veendam (normally sail larger ships) this coming March, we are considering switching our December 2015 cruise to a larger ship.

:eek:THANK YOU for the information about requesting Walk Off passes ASAP!. Do they really check the number on the Walk Off pass? How far in advance do those with the first walk off pass line up to disembark?

Thank you so much to everyone for the information. Disembarkation can be so stressful unless you stay over night or have a late flight.

We return to the Port of Los Angeles at 7am. Generally what time does disembarkation start for those using SELF ASSIST (carrying their own luggage)? It's a 4-day West coast get-away RT LA (San Diego and Ensenada). Thank you!

Crew news - The photo tour was very very helpful. appreciate you taking the time to respond. BRusso, well I hope it will become one of our favorites too!

I had commented on one of the ship's you booked with Hal (The Veendam).

Forgot to mention it has the best Promenade deck ever. Made friends just walking around the deck. We had a Lanai cabin that opened to the Promenade and it was incredible. Loved it. HAL has absolutely free lectures sponsored by Microsoft. My husband really enjoys going to them on the HAL ships.

Sue, that is one of the things we especially liked - the Promenade deck and and the type of neighborliness it produces. We have experienced all the production shows, ice skating, super large, large, and medium size ships and all they offer but just want to take a longer break and get back to "tradition" and "people relationships". We have met and continue to correspond with some special people we have met on other cruise lines but just want to have the HAL experience because it fits our personal values at this time.

Cruz Chic, thanks for confirming that information. I also found some old daily programs that were also helpful in educating me.

Thank you Oma and Ryndam. Your comments WERE helpful.

Thank you Ruth. I printed out your elevator facts. :)

Near each set of elevators or stairs, there is a "You Are Here" type diagram of the ship, showing where you are and where the important public rooms are. If you take a minute to review it whenever you travel around the ship for the first few days. It doesn't take too long to remember where you are.

 

If someone in your party has good instincts, follow them. If someone has terrible instincts, just ask them which way to go.... Then pick the opposite direction. :)

Thanks for the information POA. I really appreciate how helpful you are. Your last paragraph made me relate and SMILE :) Another thing I just read on another board is that there will not be as many activities in the evening as Princess for example. What should I expect on the Veendam and the Westerdam?