los cruceros

ster barge. Not up to curent HA standards.

Agreed...the ports were great, but food NOT up to HAL stanards in previous cruise aboard the Maasdam...food was mediocore to sown right inedible..i.e..raw kidney bean salad, rotten or frozen green bananas-

I was quite shocked by the loss of quality food service.

ster barge. Not up to curent HA standards.

Agreed...the ports were great, but food NOT up to HAL stanards in previous cruise aboard the Maasdam...food was mediocore to sown right inedible..i.e..raw kidney bean salad, rotten or frozen green bananas-

I was quite shocked by the loss of quality food service.

My ost reciennt sailing on the Maasdam Jan 14-March 1, I found the food was not up to HAL´s standards. I sailed the Maasadam on this same utinerayin 2014...great food.

I am a 5 star Marier, i.e. over 500 days cruising with HAl...the food until this last cruise had been quite good...but now grossy over cooked or undercooked food, unripe fruit or grosssly overripe...timy..1 tsp portions are not the norm for HAL. I thought it might be sabatoge by a disgruntled employee.

So, who knows what to expect..

I did sent a letter to the Office of the President of HAl, thinking maybe they were unaware of the great drop in quality in the food.

Ok, now I am confused...was the cabin steward a he or a she?

First day had a male and a female cabin steward...the male hit on me..they female was polite and did her job.

I think I can tell male from female...tho these days in San Franciso..it could be a challenge!

Sorry, but I do think you are quite mistaken in this.

 

1. Room stewards do not have time to also work the Lido or any other Dining venue, EVER!

 

2. You say you saw the Room Steward Moonlighting in the Lido at Breakfast... That is when the Room Steward would be hard at work cleaning rooms.

 

3. You might have a bit of difficulty in "telling" the working crew apart. I know I do at times. Good example for me is that I cannot tell where an Oriental is from....Korea, Japan, China.....I just cannot tell..... Same goes for Indonesian vs Philippino...........

 

You say it has been your experience on every HAL cruise you've been on. Can you expand that comment with how many, what ships and when?

 

I am not questioning your original complaints regarding food, drinks, toilet or Air Conditioning as those are all valid problems you may or may not have experience. It is not my place to question those. But the Room Steward Moonlighting as a Lido Steward is.

 

Joanie

Working as a photo journalist for 10 years, I had to ask people what their ancestry was to make and accurated report.

Plus being raised and educated in the San Francisoco Bay area, I encounter and had good friends that were Korean, Japanese, Chineses, Indonesian...

And as previous state a female room steward, in my experience, is unusual...so easily remembered!

Sorry, if it this the case why was having conversations with the steward later?

 

OP: "Yes, when I asked my cabin steward how come SHE was working the Lido...HER response was to get training for an advancement in position"

When I saw her working in the Lido, asked ifshe had changed jobs...her response was getting on the job training.

It was a MALE steward who hit on me.

I think it sad that they feel the need to augment their tips in this manner to send more money home to their families!

I am sorry you have been attacked for your views. Some I imagine was meant as constructive criticism on how to write an effective letter, but some is what comes up after a critical post on most of the CC boards from loyalists.

It discourages critical posts of any kind which can be informative for the rest of us.

The cruises that I have taken on HAL in th past were wonderful experiences as to ports entertainment, food service and postive interaction with the staff and crew, No cruise has been perfect just like like life..stuff happens.

So when I encounter so many things that were below HAl´s standards, I thought..ummm, maybe a bean counter has cut budget so severely that this was a protest by the chefs and kitchen staff.

If it were a few things no complaint, but when 42 ITEMS WERE NOT UP TO halS STANDARDS from past expeirnces on HAl, SOMETHING IS WRONG!

The previous complaint, submitted by my deceased husband, concerned our roon that was over a service fiire door that was slid open and stut with noise and vibration in the cabin, from 6 am until 2 am. We could not sleep.

Reported it to the Front office, they send security and orb a desk clerk to listen, they were agahast at the noise level...we did not want an upgrade, we only wish a quiet cabin. We had an ocean view cabin and when I complained to the Hotel Manager(wiith no witnesses) His response was ´that´s what happens when you rent a cheap cabin!

We were compensated $250 dollars in ship board credit ...After21 days of little or no sleep both of our health was affected. I was so exhausted in the 4 hours of nightly silence, had difficulty sleeping.

And I am getting bored with being called a liar and being put down for sharing my personal experience and opinion.

Sort of changing the subject, but sorta not. What is the pecking order for a service professional on the cruise? In other words, is it possible to be a cabin steward and "putting" in for a job/promotiom in the MDR and as part of the training they assign them to the breakfast meal which is much less stressful than a dinner position? Just wondering.....

 

dave

Yes, when I asked my cabin steward how come she was working the Lido...her response was to get training for an advancement in position

I agree with your comments that would be applicable in most cases. However, an earlier post from a CC member indicated that the OP had sent a list of complaints to Holland America a few years ago that resulted in a four category upgrade. Another post from the 0P indicated that she would never sail on Holland America again. I just feel that Holland America might decide that that was a good decision on her part that both parties could live with.

Once again my deceased husband wrote that letter...NO UPGRADE WAS OFFERED. i DID NOT WRITE THIS LETTER LOOKING FOR ANY COMPENSATION. i THOUGHT MAYBE THE CORPORATE OFFICE WAS UNAWARE OF WHAt was happening on the ship.

OP has a litany of First World problems.

When one is paying First World prices, one expectsfirst world service and food!

Any credibility OP may have had (with me) up to that point was lost when she commented, "9. Coffee was burnt and/or left over from the night before---undrinkable…HAL has always served good coffee." (Bolding added.) As anyone who has cruised HAL within the last 20 years can confirm, the one thing HAL ships cannot be legitimately accused of is having "good coffee" in the Lido.

 

Nice try, OP, but no cigar!!!

I agree on coffee for the first 476 days that I have cruised on HAL, BUT TTHIS TIME IT WAS BURNT OR LEFT OVER....not up to HAL´s standards....which is what disappointed me on all items..

All of the points, including.... and especially the 'steward's conduct' should have been know and to the Hotel Manager on that first day. If food was not up to par... again, tell the hotel manager in writing. The Hotel Manager is THE representative of the company. If you want results.... then go to President. Too late to do anything then.

 

 

7. At breakfast the next morning in the Lido…once again hit on by cabin steward who was working the Lido.

8. I reported him to front office when I recalled that HAL is being sued by a woman who was raped in her cabin.

 

 

No explanation from the GRM or Hotel Manager? Did they immediately have that steward removed from your cabin for the rest of the cruise? I recalled that HAL is being sued by a woman who was raped in her cabin Hmmm....

easy way to make some money? What did the husband about this? I don't think any husband would allow that go pass.

 

If you stay in a Hilton and you have issues, do you wait for weeks to write to the President of Hilton or do you go straight to the Manager in the ground?

Actually came down with conjuntivitis after using hot tub(my fault too use it) which developed into a viral infection of the cornea and could not focus eye and exhausting to try to type one eyed. I am better, but still under opthomolgist care.

But the question is, was HAL notified of her allergies beforehand? The list of complaints do not say "after informing" the Dining Room Manager or HAL of the allergies, they did not accommodate her. The list of complaints lead the reader to believe that she had not told HAL of the potential issues and just expected them to know and have accommodation set up. I realize that is frustrating and potentially dangerous for people with allergies, but the individual has to bear a good bit of the responsibility to alerting HAL to the issues.

 

I'm not doubting there were issues, and I totally believe a steward was inappropriately friendly, but if HAL did not know about the passenger's allergies, they could not have made changes for the passenger. And while the original poster may have informed the proper people/departments, there was no indication of that in the list of complaints.

The allergies had never been a problem before on HAL, as they offered a wide variety of fresh ripe fruit. And when I mentioned it to Breakfast chef on duty the floor..he said ask girl at counter for somethng. I took his suggestion...Askked for some pineapple. She huffed and whinedd But, I have to go downstaiirs to get it¨ But she did. but did not wish to inconvience her again..

Hit on by the room steward, could this perhaps be wishful thinking.:D Maybe this was added to add fuel to the fire poster hoped it would start at headquarters. If we have a problem on a cruise we make sure to make note of it and see that it is reported if it is warranted. After that we continue to make lemonade out of the lemons.

Along with man who sued Hal and won..for walking into the automatic door by the Lido pool, therewas a news artivle about a woman suing HAL for being raped in her cabin by a cabin strward.....

I would have ignored it...but thought to cut this in the bud after the 2nd hit...

We also were on this same cruise. I also posted about some of the problems we encountered. There where a lot of problems with the plumbing. Some of her complaints about the food are true, I've also complained about the coffee in the Lido. Non of the problems voiced by her & others during the cruise took away from what was a excellent experience. Over all we loved & enjoyed the cruise.

Allan

As I stated in the beginning...Ports were great as was entertainment and the majority of the staff... I enjoyed that part of the cruise. BUT the food was very dissapointing, compared to previous HAL cruises.

I think the above quote may have hit the nail squarely on the head. Apparently the OP had a disappointing sailing on Zuiderdam on 4/20/12 also. An email to corporate netted a nice upgrade on a future sailing.

 

Perhaps OP should try a different line since HAL is clearly a disappointment. It is fortunate that there are so many options available.

My deceased husband wrote that letter to Stein Kruse...no upgrade...

Some people on a cruise are only happy if there are things that make them unhappy. With all the things that weren't right on this cruise, this guest must have been deliriously happy.

 

Seriously though, the complaint about the goldfish, the complaint about the room steward/Lido steward hitting on her and the complaint about the size of portions on an all included cruise lost me. I'm guessing it will have the same effect on HAL.

 

Perhaps their reply will be "Maybe Holland America isn't for you. "

After 476 days of sailing on HAL, I thought it was a great cruise line until this last cruise---as I said HAL was not up to its usual high standards that I enjoyed on previous cruises..

I'm guessing the crew lined up to wave goodbye to you

on debarkation.

Time for you to find a new cruise line that's perfect.

READ

This cruise was not up to the standards that HAl had offered and that I enjoyed on my previous 476 days of cruising HAL Not looking for perfection!

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, did you enjoy the show?"

 

Seriously though, with respect to the small portions served in the Lido, you certainly are at liberty to take two or three portions of cottage cheese, mueslix, etc. If you have an allergy, select something else! We loved having our salads made for us, selecting what we wanted, and carrying on with our meal.

 

My confusion is with the fact that your cabin steward showed up in the Lido and were "hit on" again. Unless he was relieved of his duties as a cabin steward, he wouldn't have time to work the Lido; they hit the floor running maintaining cabins for the full hours of their shifts. :confused:

 

You had to use the tub as a toilet? I would have been sitting at the front office (camping out, if necessary) to get it fixed on day 1 before I ever considered using the tub. Hmmm.

 

Please let us know what kind of response you receive from HAL.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

Necissity called. Could not hold it long enough to get to front desk...and MANY cabins had the same problem...the plumbers worked on it for 5 days until the problem was solved.

To sum up,

 

You found the behaviour of one of your Cabin Stewards inappropriate.

Could you please give more detail, as inappropriate for one person/culture is friendly for another...

 

You had an issue with your toilet. ( a common complaint onboard the older HAL vessels) 5 days of not working toilet is indeed a very serious issue and one I would not tolerate.

 

The food was not up to your liking.

Food is always subjective, but portion control when the food is all inclusive and when you are free to take as many portions as you want, is actually a GOOD thing. US "supersized" portions are frankly ridiculous.

The stewards on my previous 476 days of cruising on HAL were very nice.

The food was not up to the standard that I have come to expect from previous HAL cruises...and rotten fruit is never acceptable.

Angela,

 

A word of advise. Keep it brief. Complaint letters like yours are NOT treated seriously.

 

Why? You've buried some real issues in a sea of minor complaints. The real issues get lost and people think you're cranky, hard to please, with a distorted sense of reality. That might not be fair but a "laundry list" of complaints is going to be perceived that way.

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

The Front Office suggested that I be specific....so I was.

Just saying the food was disappointing...give no specifics

Angela,

 

A word of advise. Keep it brief. Complaint letters like yours are NOT treated seriously.

 

Why? You've buried some real issues in a sea of minor complaints. The real issues get lost and people think you're cranky, hard to please, with a distorted sense of reality. That might not be fair but a "laundry list" of complaints is going to be perceived that way.

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise.

No ,Noro

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise.

 

I hesitate to go here as I know how these discussions can degenerate but you have three complaints. First is the toilet which sounds disgusting and is 100% legit. Second is the behavior of your steward, sorry but to me the concept of a steward "hitting" on a passenger is bizarre, not saying it can't happen but are you sure you did not misinterpret his actions? Different cultures and all at work there. Third you appear to have an amazing focus on the most minuet details about food. Far more then any other reviews I have ever read. With that level of focus, I doubt any food service outside of your home would be found acceptable.

 

Hopefully your next cruise will be better.

Honey, I live in Mexico and eat on the street---taco stands,, fruit and fruit drink stands...with no problem...

All the folks, long time cruisers, at our dinner table, 7 of us,,,,wwere all disappointed with the poor quality of the food compared to HAL´s regular service that we all had become accustomed to enjoying...

With all due respect, two comments:

 

Some of these things have been discussed here regularly- the lack of a Mariners Luncheon upon boarding. The ending of Code Orange. Things do change.

 

You pay incredibly detailed attention to every little food issue...might you be over thinking this a bit?

 

I can understand some disappointment in what you experienced. That would be appropriate, I get it. But now measuring every serving and deciding if it is the "proper" serving size for a cruise line? How is the cruise line supposed to know you are allergic to melon, and make sure they have several additional selections for you?

 

JMHO. I am sure I will get flamed.

I was comparing the fruit selection with the HAL cruise that I took in May 2015

and the other 450 days of cruising on HAL

I do not know anyone who considers 1 tsp of cottage cheese an adequate +servinng size´ not even for a baby.

This is one complaint that I have never heard before. What do you characterize as "unwanted advances" or "inappropriately friendly?" Verbal, physical, implication of some sort? It is quite disappointing that such advances were made.

Inappropriate behavior; cornering me by the night stand between bed a wall, touching and seductive whispers the he can satsify all my needs...blunt enough!