Looking for a Quick Education on HAL

[Lightngsvt]

Hello HAL afficionados. Looking for the nickel tour of all things HAL, specifically the Westerdam. Wife and I decided to do a last minute (late March) cruise for our anniversary, we did western Caribbean last year on Celebrity Silhouette for our 10th and loved it! IT seems that Celebrity has a more modern decor, more restaurants, etc. But HAL has a great reputation too and I stumbled onto a good itinerary that is better than what Celebrity is offering. Im not sure if the Westerdam would be the same class of ship as the Solstice class Celebrity ships?

 

How are the cabins / verandas? Overall decor? Activities? Ive seen some pics and they look very dated including CRT tube TV's in the cabins, would I be correct in assuming these are not current and the ship has been updated? How old is the Westerdam? Do you have to upgrade to a suite to get a room with a couch/love seat? Are there many differences in amenities between Veranda and suite?

[K&RCurt]

We are booked on the Westerdam on the March 22nd sailing. We took our first cruise on the Westerdam 9 1/2 years ago during it's first year and are looking forward to being on her again. (So she will be 10 years old in April) For me, the decor of the Westerdam is typical of HAL in that there is no doubt that you are on a ship. The art theme on the Westerdam is Dutch and there are many great old pieces from the dutch age of exploration, but also more modern works including a piece by Andy Warhol. The decor is not garish and "glitzy", but is classically elegant.

 

From my experience, however, it is the service of the crew that makes a HAL cruise. The service has always been efficient but friendly. I get the feeling (whether or not it is true) that the people on a HAL ship truly care about you and the experience you have on their ships.

 

As far as the cabins, we find the Veranda cabins have enough room for us and the beds are amazing. The photos you have seen are old, there are flat screen TVs in every cabin. there is a love seat, convertible to a bed in the Veranda cabins. There are two levels of Suites on the Vista ships (besides the Penthouse (now Pinnacle)suites) the "Signature" suites give you a larger cabin but none of the extra amenities of the "Neptune" suites, which have access to a private lounge, concierge service and other benefits. I can't make any comparison to Celebrity as we have not sailed with them.

 

I say give it a try and see what you think for yourself!

Edited February 11, 2014 by K&RCurt