HAL might have lost me... Would love opinions

[clickchick]

My husband and I went on the recent (Oct 1) one night Pacific Coastal cruise from Seattle to Vancouver. Our previous experiences cruising have been on Princess and while we have always been happy with Princess, we thought this 1 night adventure would be a good way of auditioning Holland America.

 

I have to say, we were disappointed in a few things and I thought I would see if this was unique to a 1 night sail, the Zaandam, or if this is just typical HAL? We chatted with five other couples on this same sailing and everyone had a very similar experience to ours, so we aren't exactly picky or the lone complainers.

 

Overall, customer service was rather cold. Our room steward would quietly knock and immediately come in the room. At one point, he told me we had to be out of our room, but we still had two hours before we were set to debark. I explained that our group had not yet been called and he muttered something about having to go check with someone and then never returned. Our wait staff at dinner was also rather robotic. No warm greeting, no friendly banter, no recommendations. He curtly put the menus in our hands and exited. Bar service was very slow. We waited 20-30 minutes for our drinks to arrive in the Crow's Nest.

 

The food in the dining room was OK, but the presentation left a lot to be desired. I know on our Princess sailings, even if it's not the most wonderful thing you've ever tasted, at least the visual presentation is really nice. However, my desert ("The Big Blitz") was a naked piece of pie with a broken crust sitting on a plate that had been very scantily drizzled with caramel sauce. A tablemate ordered the Baked Alaska and it looked like a saucer full of melting whipped cream.

 

Our room was fine, but in chatting with two other groups, one found abandoned clothing from previous tenants in their closets and the other had a dirty towel on the bathroom floor.

 

So, is this a typical HAL experience or was this all due to the short sailing? I can see where the crew would be more apt to mail it in on a 1 night sail, but I would suspect HAL corporate would want everyone to go a little above and beyond in order to gain business from those trying out the line for the first time. At this point, I'd need a lot of reassurance to ever consider sailing with them again, unfortunately. :(

[LindaM]

My husband and I went on the recent (Oct 1) one night Pacific Coastal cruise from Seattle to Vancouver. Our previous experiences cruising have been on Princess and while we have always been happy with Princess, we thought this 1 night adventure would be a good way of auditioning Holland America.

 

I have to say, we were disappointed in a few things and I thought I would see if this was unique to a 1 night sail, the Zaandam, or if this is just typical HAL? We chatted with five other couples on this same sailing and everyone had a very similar experience to ours, so we aren't exactly picky or the lone complainers.

 

Overall, customer service was rather cold. Our room steward would quietly knock and immediately come in the room. At one point, he told me we had to be out of our room, but we still had two hours before we were set to debark. I explained that our group had not yet been called and he muttered something about having to go check with someone and then never returned. Our wait staff at dinner was also rather robotic. No warm greeting, no friendly banter, no recommendations. He curtly put the menus in our hands and exited. Bar service was very slow. We waited 20-30 minutes for our drinks to arrive in the Crow's Nest.

 

The food in the dining room was OK, but the presentation left a lot to be desired. I know on our Princess sailings, even if it's not the most wonderful thing you've ever tasted, at least the visual presentation is really nice. However, my desert ("The Big Blitz") was a naked piece of pie with a broken crust sitting on a plate that had been very scantily drizzled with caramel sauce. A tablemate ordered the Baked Alaska and it looked like a saucer full of melting whipped cream.

 

Our room was fine, but in chatting with two other groups, one found abandoned clothing from previous tenants in their closets and the other had a dirty towel on the bathroom floor.

 

So, is this a typical HAL experience or was this all due to the short sailing? I can see where the crew would be more apt to mail it in on a 1 night sail, but I would suspect HAL corporate would want everyone to go a little above and beyond in order to gain business from those trying out the line for the first time. At this point, I'd need a lot of reassurance to ever consider sailing with them again, unfortunately. :(

 

 

I think you would be making a huge mistake to judge HAL based on this experience. IMHO, if I were cruise staff, I would use this as a pseudo vacation and 1 day rest!! They are only seeing this group of passengers one time. I am not at all surprised they appeared to put out minimal effort. I wouldn't expect any more---they are only human. Why would you think you would get the same service on a 1 night cruise?? They don't need to impress the passengers. Maybe my thinking is off, but I wouldn't expect any different. HAL doesn't need to impress people on a 1 night cruise to get passengers. I doubt if corporate cares at all. It's only one night.

 

Sorry you had a less than satisfactory experience, but a one night cruise isn't typical. I'll bet the price was pretty reasonable, too.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wasn't this 1 night cruise experience posted before? This sounds so familiar.

[Nasmas]

Not at all typical. I don't know what the problem was but I doubt HAL would be be happy to hear this even if it was only one night. That is really no excuse. But, after many HAL cruises, I can tell you that this is not the way things are usually done.

[jotabecu]

OP indicates this was on Oct 1 so it is fairly recent.

[bobalink]

Regardless if this was a one night or a one month cruise, first impressions are everlasting.

 

Staterooms and bathrooms must be spotless for arriving passengers.

 

I just returned from a 3-day coastal cruise on Princess and it was wonderful. I wondered if the level of service, entertainment, dining, etc. would be compromised because it was a short cruise. Absolutely no difference in quality whatsoever.

 

I think the OP should write to Guest Relations at HAL and tell them of their experience. HAL would want to know about this.

[fridayeyes]

Goodness - that doesn't sound like HAL at all. I've never cruised on Zaandam, or for a single night, but my experience has been vastly different.

 

Once in the Crow's Nest I waited half an hour for a drink - they were completely swamped at happy hour - and once in the MDR, a requested beverage (after dinner coffee, and just the regular stuff, not a cap or espresso) never arrived at all.

 

I'm sorry you had an anomalous experience, but I think that's what it was - anomalous. Many people think HAL and Princess are broadly similar, different in individual areas, but roughly equivalent.

 

I hope you give HAL a 2nd try. :)

[serendipity1499]

I think you would be making a huge mistake to judge HAL based on this experience. IMHO, if I were cruise staff, I would use this as a pseudo vacation and 1 day rest!! They are only seeing this group of passengers one time. I am not at all surprised they appeared to put out minimal effort. I wouldn't expect any more---they are only human. Why would you think you would get the same service on a 1 night cruise?? They don't need to impress the passengers. Maybe my thinking is off, but I wouldn't expect any different. HAL doesn't need to impress people on a 1 night cruise to get passengers. I doubt if corporate cares at all. It's only one night.

 

Sorry you had a less than satisfactory experience, but a one night cruise isn't typical. I'll bet the price was pretty reasonable, too.

 

I'm sorry but disagree with you completely...Why shouldn't a Passenger expect the same service for a one night cruise as those of us who are on longer cruises...She is paying just the same as we are, & so what if the price was reasonable!!:(

These are the exactly the Passengers that the HAL Crew, should be trying to impress..They are future cruisers...There is s no excuse for shoddy treatment & is not typical of HAL at all...Staterooms should be clean, & service should be given with a smile! As another Poster suggested, the OP should write to Guest Services...In as nice a way as she did here, she should outline her concerns..

I'm ashamed to have to hear this about the Company we mainly cruise on...

Cheers.....:)Betty

[annierie]

Actually, part of it does sound like HAL.

 

The waiters and stewards are very different than some other cruise lines.

 

If they are new, which they may be, since the ship is repositioning and crew turns over quite a bit after Alaska is done (same in the end of the Caribbean season), they haven't developed the more relaxed demeanor nor the language skills that they will acquire later in their contracts.

 

Many newer employees are shy, their culture is different than the Eastern Europeans or Caribbean native cultures that are found on lines like Princess.

 

Their shyness and hesitancy to engage until they are comfortable with the language means they sometimes seem standoffish. They aren't your typical, "Hi, I'm your buddy here to serve you" that we found on lines like RCI and Princess.

 

It takes them a little while to become the smiling sweet happy people that we found on our HAL cruises.

 

Aren't these one night repos very inexpensive compared to the usual HAL rates? If this were a World Cruise or an Exotic Adventure where I was paying big bucks, I would expect seasoned, extremely capable HAL veterans. But, you have to start somewhere, and I'd cut them some slack while they are learning.

[bobalink]

Delete

[NYteacher]

I have been on a one night cruise to nowhere on the Norwegian Gem. I've been on the Gem for a 14 night B2B. It was a vastly different experience on those two cruises. When we were on the 14 night cruise we mentioned to one of the casino workers that we were on the one nighter back in New York. The worker kind of rolled her eyes and said "I remember that one, it was crazy." I think passengers behave very differently on the one night cruises and the crew kind of reflects back the craziness.

 

This, of course, does not have anything to do with dirty items in the staterooms.

[aliaschief]

I never judge a book on it's first few pages and that would also apply for a one night cruise. Maybe a huge crew turnover, reduced staff etc. Sorry the one day cruise did not meet your expecations.

 

It's like going to a great restaurant and returning home asking "why is this venue so highly rated." Give it another try and Wow it was fantastic!

[kazu]

Ok, I'm going to say it. I don't consider one night or three nights a real cruise. It takes time to know the people and to build a rapport.

 

I admire the op because I would never take the time to pack, etc for a one day cruise.

 

No matter what, it does take time to get to know your waiter, your steward (when you slip in and out of your cabin) and that's pretty hard to do in one day IMO.)

 

I wouldn't judge HAL by a one day 'cruise' frankly.

[OVgirl]

I also think this is very embarassing for HAL. There is no way to defend or explain that kind of service by the staff. Hopefully, it's not the norm, even for 1 night cruises.

I wonder if the crew give less service because they might be expecting less tipping? Just a thought.

[clickchick]

Thanks for all of the replies. If the post sounds familiar, I wrote a review of the trip for this site and I suppose it might have been posted. Otherwise, perhaps someone who took the same cruise or had a similar experience posted. Not sure.

 

With the crew, I hadn't given consideration to the fact that the crew members might be newer and not settled in quite yet. The Zaandam was leaving for Hawaii the same day we docked for a 14 day cruise, so I would anticipate that they all had some experience but hard to say.There appeared to be more than a few intoxicated passengers on this cruise. People were trying to pack a lot into 14 hours so I can see how that would be taxing on ship personnel.

 

However, while this was a very inexpensive trip and I suppose in the end I did get what I paid for, I honestly think that HAL is really missing an opportunity here to grow their business with these shorter trips. Of the five couples I talked with, three were brand new to cruising and left with serious doubts not only about HAL but about ever taking another cruise. One couple was very experienced (20 + cruises under their belts - primarily Princess and NCL) and said that this trip definitely left a bad impression. Another couple had been on one other cruise (NCL) and said that they probably would not be returning for another HAL cruise. So, right there, HAL failed to impress 12 new potential future customers (ourselves included).

 

Regarding my personal expectations, by profession, I am in sales. The first impression I make on my clients is critical and I suppose I have the same standard for other businesses. If I shop at a store and experience poor customer service and a messy environment, I might give them a second shot because it won't cost me anything. However, aside from these short runs, cruising is expensive for most of us and risking another bad experience on a $3000 + vacation is a little unfathomable right now.

 

I will definitely write to Customer Care and give them my perspective. I haven't completely ruled out another HAL experience, but might try a 3 day trip before committing to anything longer.

 

Thanks,

Anne

[sail7seas]

I agree crew should always put forth their best but there is little they can do to form the crew raport so many of us enjoy so much on HAL. They can do little more than serve what has been ordered and be polite and efficient as possible. You can't begin to see their charm and hospitality when you whiz on and off the ship in less than 24 hours. You get more of a 'hotel' experience of anonymity than a cruise experience of getting to know your stewards and those whose work makes our cruises so special.

 

I would have low expectations getting any real feel for any ship in under 24 hours.

 

Before anyone gets all crazy that HAL needs to be chastised, let's remember this is one couple out of hundreds. Perhaps they are not a fair representation and had the misfortune of meeting/dealing with the few crew who could have done a better job.

They weren't on the ship long enough to learn if they were an exception. IMO

[clickchick]

I admire the op because I would never take the time to pack, etc for a one day cruise.

 

Honestly, after what we went through with delayed embarkation (4 PM) and being chased off at 9:30 the next morning, I wouldn't do another 1 night. Many people didn't pack anything for the trip other than a toothbrush and extra undies. However, we spent the remainder of the weekend in Vancouver so I had to pack something! :)

[sail7seas]

Honestly, after what we went through with delayed embarkation (4 PM) and being chased off at 9:30 the next morning, I wouldn't do another 1 night. Many people didn't pack anything for the trip other than a toothbrush and extra undies. However, we spent the remainder of the weekend in Vancouver so I had to pack something! :)

 

 

I'm curious about 'chased off at 9:30'. What time did you want to leave? Of course, you realize, the embarking guests cannot board the ship until all who are leaving have done so. Didn't you expect to have to leave by 9:30? :confused:

 

Stewards need to clean the cabins and prepare for new arrivals. Embarkation for HAL ships usually begins about 11:15. The crew needs a minimum amount of time to strip down your bed, clean your bathroom, vacuum etc

 

I don't think that is a reasonable complaint. :shrug:

[SwissMyst]

I think you need to take a one-day Princess Cruise in order to adequately compare it to a one-day HAL cruise before you make any decisions about HAL. If Princess can deliver everything you have come to like about it in a one-day trip too, then you have your answer.

[fridayeyes]

I haven't completely ruled out another HAL experience, but might try a 3 day trip before committing to anything longer.

 

Thanks,

Anne

 

I *love* the 3-5 day coastals and do them 2x/year. They are reasonably priced, and you can add days in Vancouver, Victoria or a variety of US ports (usually San Diego).

 

If you decide to give HAL another try, the coastal cruises are an excellent choice. My favorite itineraries are the ones that include Victoriam and I like the 4 or 5-day versions if I can get them :)

 

Cheers,

 

Friday

[AirGorilla]

I hope you voted with your wallet, and didn't tip.

 

AG

[Cruising-along]

Honestly, after what we went through with delayed embarkation (4 PM) and being chased off at 9:30 the next morning, I wouldn't do another 1 night. Many people didn't pack anything for the trip other than a toothbrush and extra undies. However, we spent the remainder of the weekend in Vancouver so I had to pack something! :)

 

We've done 1 one-night (never again) and a couple 4-nights (much better). The longer coastals can be wonderful fillers between longer cruises.

 

On our one-night there was delayed embarkation because of computer problems in Vancouver. We weren't onboard til after 3pm. And we disembarked way before 9:30am (have never been able to stay onboard that late, that's just understood). All in all it just was not worth the trouble.

 

Even on our 4-night there were a few (emphasis on few) problems with service, such as our stewards in their haste forgot to leave any soap or troiletries, and we had to ask for robes. But the service in the DR was up to par with longer cruises, and I would do more 4-day cruises in a heartbeat. Anything less though, isn't worth it.

[Randyk47]

So, is this a typical HAL experience or was this all due to the short sailing? I can see where the crew would be more apt to mail it in on a 1 night sail, but I would suspect HAL corporate would want everyone to go a little above and beyond in order to gain business from those trying out the line for the first time. At this point, I'd need a lot of reassurance to ever consider sailing with them again, unfortunately. :(

 

I'd have to side with the others who have said this was not a typical HAL experience. That's not to excuse your observations of poor service or the other issues mentioned. HAL ought to be, and I'd assume they are, very sensitive to the impact of these short cruises and the lasting impressions and impact they have on future customers. I'd like to think that they took the feedback they got for this cruise very seriously. In all fairness though a one day cruise is not indicative of any cruise line.

[VioletHorse]

I'd have to side with the others who have said this was not a typical HAL experience. That's not to excuse your observations of poor service or the other issues mentioned. HAL ought to be, and I'd assume they are, very sensitive to the impact of these short cruises and the lasting impressions and impact they have on future customers. I'd like to think that they took the feedback they got for this cruise very seriously. In all fairness though a one day cruise is not indicative of any cruise line.

 

We did a 3 day Bahamas cruise on the Eurodam in 2008. We had cruised HAL 4 times previously, and this cruise was a little off the usual HAL experience, including no tote bags, no Mariner tiles and NO cruise survey. Everything was just not quite up to HAL standards, and we are not picky or hard to please.

 

When I asked about it at the Front Desk, a very nice rep explained that these mini-cruises are indeed atypical, and almost always occur when the ship is in repositioning mode. There generally is a large turnover in staff either just before or just after that cruise. In addition there is normally a huge amount of reprovisioning that takes place, and a lot of personnel resources are allocated for restocking shelves after all those pallets that had been loaded on the ship when in port are unpacked.

 

It made sense, and we still had a great little cruise, just a bit different. But we didn't have a survey for the usual feedback.

[bepsf]

Ok, I'm going to say it. I don't consider one night or three nights a real cruise. It takes time to know the people and to build a rapport.

 

I wouldn't judge HAL by a one day 'cruise' frankly.

 

I wouldn't judge ANY cruiseline by any one-night cruise.

The staff aren't expecting big tips and don't have time to get to know passengers to make things personal & special. Oftentimes folks who wouldn't ordinarily be able to afford a cruise book these since it's a cheap night out and it becomes a "Booze Cruise" where may pax aren't the best behaved...

...and turnover days are exhausting enought for the staff & crew - two in a row is just too much for many of them.

If I were in their shoes, I likely wouldn't have gone to any effort to make it special either - You were gone in a day anyway...