Tired of RCI Cutbacks? Try Holland America...

[Captain Jake]

Every time I read about "the cut-backs" on Royal I wonder. What are people cruising for, The chocolates on the pillow, the returning guest gifts, ice cream, pizza, etc? Really people, the things that really matter are still there! Royal still has the best crew on the seas, the ships are still beautiful and ready to take you to a new adventure at each port, the food is more than adaquate and optional choices are excellent! I could go on about what Royal offers but won't. I just don't understand all the talk about cut backs. As far as sailing Hal, It is far too sedate for me, but may very well be perfect for others. The only way to know for sure is to try

 

it.

 

Best Crew at Sea?:rolleyes: I admit they do a very good job,but HAL and Celebrity do much better but then HAL and X have more crew per passenger than RCCL .Just check out HAL and X Buffet AREA for instance.You can always find a clean table

:cj

[temple1]

For me it's the demographics issue. I just can't believe that sailing with a bunch of people my age would be any fun.

 

LOL - My vote for post of the day.

[Captain Jake]

Maybe the new generation of cruisers will do it for the experience of meeting new people and seeing wonderful places. With this being their main reason, they will spend more time appreciating all that cruising has to offer beyond perks. I suspect many who don't will be in bed at HAL...night night!

 

Huh? I thought cruising was ALWAYS about seeing wonderful places and meeting new people along with great service and decent food.I know the people who sail HAL appreciate the same things.Open your mind you may learn something

:cj

[ilionite65]

Best Crew at Sea?:rolleyes: I admit they do a very good job,but HAL and Celebrity do much better but then HAL and X have more crew per passenger than RCCL .Just check out HAL and X Buffet AREA for instance.You can always find a clean table

:cj

 

Should have been clearer on that one I guess! Royal has the most pleasant crew! 17 cruises on Royal and I can honestly say I have NEVER run across an unfriendly crew person! Can't say that about Princess, very stuffy!, Carnival, surly at times and Hal, very stand-offish! Just reporting my experiences as I find them and explaining why I don't understand all the talk about cut backs!

[Captain Jake]

Should have been clearer on that one I guess! Royal has the most pleasant crew! 17 cruises on Royal and I can honestly say I have NEVER run across an unfriendly crew person! Can't say that about Princess, very stuffy!, Carnival, surly at times and Hal, very stand-offish! Just reporting my experiences as I find them and explaining why I don't understand all the talk about cut backs!

 

Last cruise the dining staff was over worked .Our waiter and assistant had at least 3 tables for eight and were always so busy it took away from the dining experience.The cabin attendant was great but he asked if we needed ice as they were only allowed to give ice on request.The little things made cruising a fantastic vacation.Now its very good on RCCL just not fantastic

:cj

[kooljamming]

Huh? I thought cruising was ALWAYS about seeing wonderful places and meeting new people along with great service and decent food.I know the people who sail HAL appreciate the same things.Open your mind you may learn something

:cj

 

I hope that was a sincere suggestion and not the usual cheap attempt at flame. We clearly have different expectations. I expect good service and be delightfully surprise if it's great. I expect a meal that is palatable but pray for one that is memorable. No, I don't cruise for the food because I know cooking for thousands I will get banquet at best. As for service, I am easy to please and don't demand much. About all, I hope to get what I pay for and at $529 for a hump balcony, coming home with a few extra pounds, making new friends, and see an old place I love dearly or new ones, pretty much meets that expectation.

 

It's all about attitude and expecation.....Bitter and Better and here I make the difference. I am still at the tender age where this old dog is capable of learning new tricks;) I am old enough to know that you get what you pay for and thanks to this kind of vacation, it's a lot! Be careful when you use the word ALWAYS, you will be USUALLY wrong, as you are now. Some people cruise for the ship, the food, the ports, to be away from home, for the blessed feeling of being on open seas. You learn that if you are one who cruise to meet people.

 

Hmmm, my mind is open but your post said nothing to enlighten me but I can be patient. Next time use the word sometimes instead of ALWAYS it may bring some validity to your idea!

[PhoenixCruiser]

Thanks for your review Patrick, it was very informative! I was wondering where you have been :)

 

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[Captain Jake]

 

It's all about attitude and expecation.....Bitter and Better and here I make the difference. I am still at the tender age where this old dog is capable of learning new tricks;) I am old enough to know that you get what you pay for and thanks to this kind of vacation, it's a lot! Be careful when you use the word ALWAYS, you will be USUALLY wrong, as you are now. Some people cruise for the ship, the food, the ports, to be away from home, for the blessed feeling of being on open seas. You learn that if you are one who cruise to meet people.

 

 

In this case my use of always was correct .And you were wrong.Don't be so bitter when one disagrees with you.When you meet as many people as I have and open your mind you will enjoy others like I do.Get the Chip off your shoulders

:cj

[debshomespun]

We have been on 2 HAL cruises. First was 7 nights on Westerdam, over Halloween 2 yrs. ago. Was a much younger crowd, avg. age was 50's.

 

Our 2nd HAL cruise was back in Jan. on Ryndam 30 nights to Hawaii and Tahiti. Avg. age was 70's.

 

We are 50 and 53. Our best cruise to date was the 30 nights to Hawaii and Tahiti. Maybe going to the South Pacific had something to do with it. The food on HAL is better than RC, IMHO. HAL had Happy Hour 2 of their bars every night. This was great. We are Diamond on RC. On of our great memories were the Any Time dining, and eating with so many different people. It was such a great experience to share cruise stories and we learned a wealth of information about cruising. On the longer voyages, the passengers tend to be very traveled. They are so full of knowledge, and love to share their past experiences. It was such a great experience.

 

Each cruise is what you make of it. I have never had a bad cruise, some are just more memorable and more fun than others.

[amybeth4]

...you will enjoy HAL as they make Celebrity look like animal house.

 

Something about that line just cracked me up.

 

 

For me it's the demographics issue. I just can't believe that sailing with a bunch of people my age would be any fun.

 

And THIS one made me spit out my soda.

 

.

[kooljamming]

In this case my use of always was correct .And you were wrong.Don't be so bitter when one disagrees with you.When you meet as many people as I have and open your mind you will enjoy others like I do.Get the Chip off your shoulders

:cj

 

Sorry, I do not cruise for great service. I know people who NEVER get off the ship

How can it be correct if there are exceptions? I don't mind disagreement but thought your were trying to insult, with the reference to opening my mind.

I am glad to see no insult was intended on your part...correct?, so we can agree to disagree :-)

I am kool, no chip on my shoulder but don't take too well for anyone trying to flame my already tan a%%!

[Captain Jake]

We have been on 2 HAL cruises. First was 7 nights on Westerdam, over Halloween 2 yrs. ago. Was a much younger crowd, avg. age was 50's.

 

Our 2nd HAL cruise was back in Jan. on Ryndam 30 nights to Hawaii and Tahiti. Avg. age was 70's.

 

We are 50 and 53. Our best cruise to date was the 30 nights to Hawaii and Tahiti. Maybe going to the South Pacific had something to do with it. The food on HAL is better than RC, IMHO. HAL had Happy Hour 2 of their bars every night. This was great. We are Diamond on RC. On of our great memories were the Any Time dining, and eating with so many different people. It was such a great experience to share cruise stories and we learned a wealth of information about cruising. On the longer voyages, the passengers tend to be very traveled. They are so full of knowledge, and love to share their past experiences. It was such a great experience.

 

Each cruise is what you make of it. I have never had a bad cruise, some are just more memorable and more fun than others.

 

Very good post .

[Captain Jake]

Sorry, I do not cruise for great service. I know people who NEVER get off the ship

How can it be correction if there are an exceptions?

 

There is a thrill when the ships pulls in to port.The sounds ,the architecture,the scenery .Before I even step foot off the ship I'm fired up and ready to go 'I consider it great service if there is aplace to dine in the windjammer and the staffiis as attentive as I would expect at a land based restuuarant here

:cj

[amybeth4]

Last cruise the dining staff was over worked .Our waiter and assistant had at least 3 tables for eight and were always so busy it took away from the dining experience.The cabin attendant was great but he asked if we needed ice as they were only allowed to give ice on request.The little things made cruising a fantastic vacation.Now its very good on RCCL just not fantastic

:cj

 

I'm with you, Jake. My Majesty wait staff in Feb was quite overworked and there was nothing "special" about them, like there used to be in the old days (whether I was on RCI, Princess, NCL or Regency).

 

Oh and Kooljamming - I met THE unfriendliest crewmember on that Majesty cruise. He was the guy in charge of the ropes when I climbed the rock wall. Never said a word, never smiled, said nothing but, "Hello. Follow the yellow path." Booooo!

 

And back to you, Jake. Cruising for me is definitely not always about meeting new people and seeing new places. It's about the activities, being on the ocean, the food (which stresses me out to no end because I don't want to gain weight next month because I'm already 10 pounds over my limit!!!) and laying in the sun while listening to the band (which had QUITE the crappy singer on the Majesty and many of us said so, but whatever...the steel drum was great!). I care the least about the ports, and it's NICE to meet new people but it's rare that I stay in contact with anyone after.

 

:)

[GMoney]

Thanks for your review Patrick, it was very informative! I was wondering where you have been :)

 

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Hey thanks - very nice of you to say and notice.

[dirtgirl]

You're all scaring me!!!:p I need to travel on other lines, and now I hear that HAL makes Celebrity look like Animal House?:eek: I do like to kick up my heels on the dance floor, I just want to do so with someone that won't keel over at any moment...:rolleyes::p

[critterchick]

In our home the biggest cutback of all. Shamefully I forced DH to switch from Smithwicks ale (dark but not heavy, smooth tasting) to Bud light beer in his kegerator:p

 

I have always thought from your posts that I would like to meet you in person. But now I think that you seem like a cruel, cruel woman....:eek::D

[critterchick]

You're all scaring me!!!:p I need to travel on other lines, and now I hear that HAL makes Celebrity look like Animal House?:eek: I do like to kick up my heels on the dance floor, I just want to do so with someone that won't keel over at any moment...:rolleyes::p

 

As if you couldn't get an officer or staffie to dance with you....

[dirtgirl]

As if you couldn't get an officer or staffie to dance with you....

 

 

:o Who, me?:p

[Cruzaholic41]

I think Holland America is a great cruise line. However, I do not think they are any better or worse than RCI. They are just different.

 

On a different note, I noticed that the ice issue came up again. Am I the only one here who never has to ask for ice? I just returned from another RCI cruise and, as always, my ice bucket was always full without having to ask for it. :confused:

[Ocean Boy]

Last cruise the dining staff was over worked .Our waiter and assistant had at least 3 tables for eight and were always so busy it took away from the dining experience.The cabin attendant was great but he asked if we needed ice as they were only allowed to give ice on request.The little things made cruising a fantastic vacation.Now its very good on RCCL just not fantastic

:cj

 

I very much agree with you. Though there have always been things about the MDR that I found a bit annoying, it was our cruise on Mariner with exactly the staffing issues that you mentioned that finally got me and my family to give up the MDR and have all of our meals in the dining room. When we started cruising I would never have used alternate dining simply because the wait staff was so awesome and I looked forward to going to dinner just to see them. Our dining experience on Mariner was completely sub par. The staff never took the time to talk to us, never learned our names, never learned our preferences for drinks so never had them ready for us, would not refill drinks (water, iced tea) unless asked for, and on one night never brought the refill even after it was asked for. But they had plently of time to hang around the table and chat on the last night when they were looking for their tips.

 

Fortunately, because we like alternate dining it is not a big issue for us. But for people who really look forward to dinner in the MDR as a big part of their cruise experience it would have been a very big let down.

[xpcdoojk]

We have done a HAL cruise for 16 days on their flagship the Rotterdam VI around Cape Horn. It was a very nice cruise. The Lido restaurant is far better than the windjammer. The MDR about the same and the Pinnacle Grill about the same as Chops but the service there was not as good the nights we ate there, and the specialty restaurants on Celebrity are far better than either HAL or RCI. The beds are better on HAL, but after RCI improved the mattress set up a couple of years ago, there are closer. On our sailing with HAL the youngest child was about 25 years of age, she was in the cabin next to us and she got hurt doing a zipline in Puerto Montt in the rain. I am sure that on 7 day cruises it trends younger, but most folks on our sailing were ancient. This coming from someone who has done transatlantics with the older demographics that implies on RCI.

 

Honestly, I prefer RCIs ships and the activities, and if you are younger than 60 and if you do not care for flowriders etc, then HAL is fine, but in my opinion Celebrity is better. If you are younger than 60 and you like to do things, RCI is still the best value for your money. If you have a young family it is truly a no-brainer. Remember if you are Diamond on RCI you get Elite status on X, and you get squat on HAL. :D That said, I own stock in both, so please choose whichever you like.;)

 

jc

[Papa T]

I'm 65 and being on a HAL cruise makes me feel like a teenager. Not only are the pax at least 10 years into medicare but the ships are not designed for active adults. The food and service are great, however, and they have some outstanding itineraries. Unfortunately on our most recent HAL cruise they failed to pay for the return air ticket (Venice-Chicago) for the couple with whom we were traveling who had booked a cruise-air combo through HAL. The couple had to pay out of pocket (walk-up one way fare of over $3,000) to get home. HAL took months to reimburse them and did so only after aggressive intervention on the part of the TA and others. Unforgivable.

 

I've never had a bad cruise and book every cruise knowing there will be differences from previous cruises. If you cruise say once a year on the same ship there will be differences - so it's hard to generalize particularly about food and staffing.

[jewopaho]

Even HAL's newer ships are only in the 85k gross tonnage range ... roughly the same as Carnival's Spirit class. While the amenities are geared to attract families and younger passengers, its reputation of catering to older cruisers remains ... and rightfully so. On our Alaska cruise out of Seattle, we were pretty much shadowed by the Oosterdam, and had the opportunity to speak with passengers upon disembarkation. Eveyone seemed to enjoy the cruise, but conceded that the atmosphere was on the sedate side, and that the staff's focus was definitely toward the seniors aboard. HAL's emphasais on food and service was a bit compromised, according to those who had cruised with them before. Their older ships (some better than 20 yeas in the water) are smaller (around 55k gross tons ... roughly 40% of an RCI mega-ship's size), hold far fewer passengers, and have virtually no additional amenities. There is no question that almost all of the cruisers on these ships are someone's grandparents ... or great-grandparents.

 

RCI tries to attract everyone ... they don't do any one thing far better than any other cruise line, but do everything well. I think that many older passengers are intimidated by the sheer size of the ships, the level of continual activity, and overall ambience. They much prefer the more personal attenton afforded them by HAL.

 

The perceived cutbacks seem to prevail throughout the industry ... or, those lines that feel they need to maintain their current levels simply raise their prices. We're in a very precarious business environment these days, and whatever decisions have been made were certainly thought out by people who know far more than we do. I'll continue to cruise, and will do so as long as I'm able. My preference is RCI over HAL, despite my advanced age.

[cruzincurt]

I agree with the post that both lines are similar, they cater to different audiences.

 

On one HAL cruise, we were sitting around the pool when it came time for the "pool activities". No one wanted to participate so they were canceled and the music was turned down so as not to wake the sleepers around the pool.:)

 

One cruise on Celebrity was enough for us. Great service and food, but very much like a sitting room in a funeral home. Very quiet and low activity.