knitlady037 Posted September 13, 2013 #1 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Hi everyone, I have just booked my first HAL cruise in a while. I have been sailing exclusively on NCL and have loved it but hubby wanted to try HAL again. Booked a back to back on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Nov. 2014 in an aft balcony. Have things changed much on HAL? Just coming back to the boards again also. Hopefully I will have the same great experience again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catl331 Posted September 13, 2013 #2 Share Posted September 13, 2013 The first thing you should know is that after Jan 31 you are allowed to carry on just one bottle of wine each, at embarkation only! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaofami Posted September 13, 2013 #3 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Hi Knitlady, I'm not sure that all that much has changed since 2011 when you last cruised. The stewards in the MDR have more tables to serve, ditto the room stewards have more rooms to clean, formal nights have turned less formal with more men in suits than tuxes. When you sail, you will be limited in how many bottles of wine you can bring onto the ship, and none can be brought on in the different ports for consumption during the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted September 13, 2013 #4 Share Posted September 13, 2013 HAL crews are still outstanding; the ships are spotless and beautiful; the menus are varying with them sometimes being better (to my taste :)) and HAL still provides a wonderful cruise....... Welcome back. Nice to hear from you again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitlady037 Posted September 13, 2013 Author #5 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Thanks for the welcome back Sail! And thank you all for your responses. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigianne Posted September 13, 2013 #6 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Knitlady - last cruised with you on the Noordam - welcome back to HAL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevenseasnomad Posted September 13, 2013 #7 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Welcome back to HA! May I ask why you've decided to try HA again? Were you displeased with aspects of NCL? Sometimes, happy HA campers are forced into booking with other lines. I'm booked on Celebrity Reflection in April because HA isn't sailing on a 7-day (my spring break) from Ft. Lauderdale that week. HA was my first choice; unfortunately they couldn't deliver to fit my schedule. But I'll be back with them in July 2014. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitlady037 Posted September 13, 2013 Author #8 Share Posted September 13, 2013 It really wasn't my decision. My hubby wanted to use up our future cruise credit and take a few days to see his brother in Florida. So I figured- why not! I love NCL. So much so that I became one of their online chatters. We help other cruisers with their questions and navigating the NCL web site. Nothing better than chatting about my favorite past time- cruising- and getting paid for it!:D as you can see I have 4 more NCL booked. To GiGi, I remember you well! Nice to hear from you again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisetrail Posted September 14, 2013 #9 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Hi everyone, I have just booked my first HAL cruise in a while. I have been sailing exclusively on NCL and have loved it but hubby wanted to try HAL again. Booked a back to back on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Nov. 2014 in an aft balcony. Have things changed much on HAL? Just coming back to the boards again also. Hopefully I will have the same great experience again. Yes, things have changed much. HAL now operates two newer Signature class ships. They are more comfortable and offer more dining options. I don't know what will happen until Nov. 2014, but at this time the NA is a few light years above NCL product. If someone asks me to compare (what I readily do for other cruise lines) - in this case I would refuse - no sense. Different planets. Hopefully things won't change in 2014. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TiogaCruiser Posted September 14, 2013 #10 Share Posted September 14, 2013 It really wasn't my decision. My hubby wanted to use up our future cruise credit and take a few days to see his brother in Florida. So I figured- why not! I love NCL. So much so that I became one of their online chatters. We help other cruisers with their questions and navigating the NCL web site. Nothing better than chatting about my favorite past time- cruising- and getting paid for it!:D as you can see I have 4 more NCL booked.! Now THAT sounds like a very cool job. Wouldn't it be neat if HA had that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted September 14, 2013 #11 Share Posted September 14, 2013 The HSC has increased slightly since you were last on HAL: $12/p/d for Suites, $11.50/p/d for all others. Larger blocks of internet time are now available, and on our last cruise (May) the first-day bonus minutes were not given on the 100 min block. I don't know how many ships that has spread to yet. MTN/Seamobile has quietly been upgrading the equipment, so on many ships the speed is greatly improved. If the NA hasn't been improved yet it likely will be by Nov '14. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlohaPride Posted September 14, 2013 #12 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Now THAT sounds like a very cool job. Wouldn't it be neat if HA had that? Does sound like a super cool job! I wish I could find something like that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMOMOM Posted September 14, 2013 #13 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Now THAT sounds like a very cool job. Wouldn't it be neat if HA had that? Just HOW does one GET that kind of job? Just curious .... thanx! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitlady037 Posted September 14, 2013 Author #14 Share Posted September 14, 2013 There was a posting last year on the NCL Facebook page about the openings. I applied, did an interview and was hired. I work from where ever I have an Internet connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMOMOM Posted September 14, 2013 #15 Share Posted September 14, 2013 There was a posting last year on the NCL Facebook page about the openings. I applied, did an interview and was hired. I work from where ever I have an Internet connection. Wow, that's great! I would love to do something along that line with cruising or any kind of travel for that matter. Do the other lines have 'chatters'? Good for you!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitlady037 Posted September 14, 2013 Author #16 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Wow, that's great! I would love to do something along that line with cruising or any kind of travel for that matter. Do the other lines have 'chatters'? Good for you!:) I think Disney does. This work well for me. Hope you can get into it also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMOMOM Posted September 14, 2013 #17 Share Posted September 14, 2013 I think Disney does. This work well for me. Hope you can get into it also Sounds like it does and would for me too ... thanx for the info! I'm going to start looking around and I'll let you know! In the meantime .... 'Happy Chattering'! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ2002 Posted September 14, 2013 #18 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Hi everyone, I have just booked my first HAL cruise in a while. I have been sailing exclusively on NCL and have loved it but hubby wanted to try HAL again. Booked a back to back on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Nov. 2014 in an aft balcony. Have things changed much on HAL? Just coming back to the boards again also. Hopefully I will have the same great experience again. I think you will enjoy returning to HAL. We've had a couple of NCL cruises recently - chosen primarily for timing and itinerary. We thought the MDR food on NCL was a step down from HAL, though we did enjoy the variety and quality in the NCL specialty fee restaurants. Our last NCL cruise was in a suite, and we enjoyed all the suite perks very much. We'll be giving "freestyle" a break, and are returning to HAL next year also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LVSue Posted September 14, 2013 #19 Share Posted September 14, 2013 There's also a new specialty restaurant, which we like very much--the Tamarind. It's only on the NA and the Eurodam, and is not as pricy as the Pinnacle Grill.there's quite an eclectic menu, seems Asian/Japanese/Indonesian. Here's the menu http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Eurodam-Menu-3.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innlady1 Posted September 14, 2013 #20 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Hi everyone, I have just booked my first HAL cruise in a while. I have been sailing exclusively on NCL and have loved it but hubby wanted to try HAL again. Booked a back to back on the Nieuw Amsterdam for Nov. 2014 in an aft balcony. Have things changed much on HAL? Just coming back to the boards again also. Hopefully I will have the same great experience again. Hi Knitlady! Welcome back to HAL! I remember when you were on the boards here...sailing the Noordam a few weeks after we did in 07, 08, and 10! The only thing of significance that has changed is the wine policy...but that won't affect you this upcoming cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innlady1 Posted September 14, 2013 #21 Share Posted September 14, 2013 There was a posting last year on the NCL Facebook page about the openings. I applied, did an interview and was hired. I work from where ever I have an Internet connection. That is so cool! I, too, wish HAL had that. We sold our inn and I've been very antsy to do something else in travel. BTW, sorry, I thought you were sailing 11/13...now I see you're sailing on HAL in 11/14...so unfortunately, the new wine policy will affect you. Tell us about the wine policy on NCL.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted September 15, 2013 #22 Share Posted September 15, 2013 The only thing of significance that has changed is the wine policy...but that won't affect you this upcoming cruise. It will. She's sailing Nov 2014. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innlady1 Posted September 15, 2013 #23 Share Posted September 15, 2013 It will. She's sailing Nov 2014. Indeed it will! I corrected the error of my ways in the post before yours. :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted September 15, 2013 #24 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Indeed it will! I corrected the error of my ways in the post before yours. :o Sorry ... missed that. :o:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitlady037 Posted September 15, 2013 Author #25 Share Posted September 15, 2013 That is so cool! I, too, wish HAL had that. We sold our inn and I've been very antsy to do something else in travel. BTW, sorry, I thought you were sailing 11/13...now I see you're sailing on HAL in 11/14...so unfortunately, the new wine policy will affect you. Tell us about the wine policy on NCL.... On NCL you can bring as much wine on board as you want. But each bottle is subject to a $15 corkage paid before you board. If you do not drink all the bottles, you can get a refund for the unused bottles. There is also a drink package available. $49.95 per day for mixed drinks, wine beer and soda. For some that works out well. $44.95 a day without the mixed drinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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