IYHO What is so great about HAL?

[reefexplorer]

I am just curious as to what you believe sets HAL above the other cruise lines? I have sailed CC and RCL and they are so similar that you could change names and feel you are on either ship.(although we thoroughly enjoyed both) I am getting anxious to try HAL and want to know what to expect. Thanks

 

ZUERIDERDAM 8/14/04

CONQUEST 5/16/04

IMAGINATION 5/26/03

MAJESTY 1/8/03

SPIRIT 10/19/02

 

Until we cruise

 

[General Max]

This is our first cruise and we picked HAL based solely on the recommendations of people we know who have previously sailed on HAL. Also a lot of research on the internet helped.

 

General Max

 

08/27/2004 Ryndam Alaska

 

8/27/04 Ryndam Southbound from Seward

 

 

 

[wwinfl91]

We have been on more Hal cruises than the total of the other cruise lines we have tried, Princess, RCCL, Costa and Celebrity. But to some extent I will agree that there is a similarity between all the cruise lines in good food, good service and a great vacation lifestyle.

 

HAL was the first cruise line we tried based on reading as much as we could both on the Internet and in books and magazines. There were very few negative comments about HAL and they had a number of ships leaving from Florida where we live.

 

We enjoy both the Indonesian and the Filopino crew members who seem to be really happy to serve you and make sure you have a good time on the cruise. We also feel like the Dutch officer staff on HAL seem to take safety seriously and since on a ship safety is definitely important that is an important area of concern.

 

HAL ships generally finish high in their cleanliness inspections and the ships themselves are kept in excellent shape both in the interior and exterior.

 

We have always had consistently good food on all our HAL cruises which is not to say that we have suffered on the other cruise lines we have sailed on. But HAL seems to do a better job in all the areas, dining room, Lido and snacks.

 

One advantage or disadvantage depending on how you look at it is the average age on a typical HAL cruise, especially on longer ones (10 or more days). If you are looking for a lot of late night parties and skimpy swimsuits you probably need to check out another cruise line.

 

Anyway we are going to continue to try other cruise lines and to go on ones we have already been on including HAL.

 

Have a GREAT next cruise.

 

HAL Noordam 3/97 West Carib

Hal Westerdam 12/97 East Carib

HAL Veendam 11/98 East Carib

Hal Zaandam 12/00 South Carib

HAL Veendam 10/01 Panama Canal

RCCL Enchantment 09/02 W.Carib

Costa Atlantica 12/02 E.Carib

HAL Noordam 03/03 S.Carib

Golden Princess 07/03 Med

Celebrity Zenith 12/03 W.Carib

HAL Maasdam 05/04 Canada

Next cruise

Island Princess 11/04 Hawaii

[jhannah]

I agree. HAL was not our first cruise experience. But when we first boarded the Rotterdam there was just something different. The ship spoke of classic elegance. The crew was remarkable, the furnishings and fresh flowers beautiful. I guess just the overall ambiance is what was really striking to us compared with our previous experience. We have sailed elsewhere, but returned to HAL. And we'll return again in September. I'm sure we will continue to take advantage of other lines when good deals come up on the itineraries we want. But HAL will always be high on our priority list because of how they have served us.

 

'Vegas Jim

[F5Loar]

Since we started cruising or since we became full time cruisers for our vacations after 22 cruise on most all the lines including Cunard,

we can say none of them out shine the other to be so good as to say we would only do that line. Our goal was to never sail the same ship twice. Why? Because some of the excitement in cruising is when you first drive up to that ship you have never been on. And when you set foot in the atruim that first day you feel you are on a new adventure in cruising. Even sister ships are different in decor. Disney is the only ship we have sailed more than once but not by our choice, they only have 2 ships.

The other lines have so many to choose from why would you sail the same ship twice? Even those back to back don't make sense to me. I'd rather get off and go to another ship the next week vs. staying in the same room, eating the exact same menu the next week. My top choices have been RCL Mariner, Princes Grand, Cunard Crown Jewel,Carnival Legend and HAL Zuiderdam.

These ships were so nice I would consider a 2nd ride on them if they fit into our plans at the time.

 

Till we sail on the Zuiderdam

 

Til we sail on the Mariner of The Seas RCL

until we sail on the Disney Wonder

til we sail the ms Maasdam

[TurnSmiles]

This is a good question. I have sailed only 2 lines HAL and RCL and am about to head off on HAL again. I like some things about HAL and some about RCL. Now if I can find a ship/line that has the best of both I'll be in heaven.

 

HAL Noordam - Aug 2000

RCCL Voyager of the Seas - June 2003

 

 

 

Until we Cast Off on the Prinsedam

 

[localady]

In a word, HAL's staff!!!

 

If HAL loses their wonderful staff, they will in a world of hurt, as not alot will then set them apart!

 

Happy Cruising!

 

7/04 Ryndam Alaska B2B

12/04 Rotterdam Panama Canal

7/05 Prinsendam Baltic

 

RCCL x2(1999), Volendam (2000), Millinneum (2000), Veendam (2001), Disney (2001), Statendam (2003), Amsterdam (2003)

 

[ekerr19]

I have to agree with locallady... it is the staff & crew for us. We also like the upscale decor and ambiance.

 

I also the the ships are pretty. They are not the huge, floating monstrosities we see in some ports.

 

Noordam 1984

Veendam 1999

Amsterdam 2000

Noordam 2001

Statendam 2001

Noordam 2002

Zuiderdam 2003

Maasdam 2004.

Noordam 2004

[WindyCity]

The cabin sizes for a reasonable price are what hooked us on HAL. Hubby is sometimes claustrophobic so HAL's cabins are the biggest and best buy for the money.

 

Westerdam Eastern Caribbean 12/12/04

 

[iluvcruzin]

I don't know if HAL is above all the other cruiselines but will find out what's special about them this fall. I'm into the "try them all" mindset.

 

Maureen

 

MS Maasdam 10/30/2004

Princess Sun 2/27/2005

Mariner of the Seas 10/16/2005

 

[RevNeal]

I love the ships ... their layouts, their decor, the style they reflect. I love the fact that they actually look like SHIPS, and not floating hotels. Please don't misunderstand me ... other lines have SHIPS too (Orient's Marco Polo is a FANTASTIC Liner), and there is NOTHING wrong with a floating resort hotel. However, I really enjoy the style, layout, decor, and "feel" of HAL's ships.

 

I also love the traditions of the HAL line, along with the bright smiles and sincere service of the staff. New cruise lines do a good/excellent/fantastic job, and that's great. The Orient Line, for instance, did an excellent job in the service department and in nautical traditions. So does Cunard ... can't get much more traditional than the Cunard/White Star Line. But HAL has been doing it for 135 years and I'm a traditional-kind-of-guy.

 

I also like their itineraries and the broad range of ships which they now have. The S and R ships are my favorites, but I LOVED the old N ships (and look forward to trying them again someday on the Thomson Line).

 

Eventually I will try CC and other lines ... my parents tell me they're all good at various things, and all make for a wonderful vacation. But, like my parents, HAL has felt like "home" to me.

 

Greg+

Maasdam: Western Caribbean Cruise Pictures

Volendam: Wayfarer Cruise Pictures and Video

Statendam: Hawaii Cruise Pictures and Video

Volendam: Alaska Inside Passage Cruise Pictures

 

 

Until Departure on the MS Zaandam, Panama Canal

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[kruise54aol.com]

for me it's the crew who now are my extended family i know whatever ship I travel on someone is there who i know and its like being home to me, my second home though it may only be for a 2 week cruise or 2- 1 week cruises but its like my summer home on waterand i have always felt comfortable and safe with the line its hal for me

[superstein61]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by reefexplorer:

I am just curious as to what you believe sets HAL above the other cruise lines? I have sailed CC and RCL and they are so similar that you could change names and feel you are on either ship.(although we thoroughly enjoyed both) I am getting anxious to try HAL and want to know what to expect. Thanks

 

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

OK, I will make a statement sure to generate controversy. HAL is not better than other cruise lines.

 

IMO, each cruise line has its good points and bad points. HAL does some things well that I like - but for other things, other lines surpass HAL.

 

I do like HAL's smaller ships, lack of heavy drinkers and 2nd best Private Island

 

I like NCL for their freestyle cruising and numerous dining choices / alternatives

 

I like Disney for an overall experience, entertainment, kids clubs (for my daughter)and best Private Island HANDS DOWN.

 

I haven't tried RCL, Princess or Celebrity yet - but am sure I would find that each does something better and something worse than the competition.

 

So now, I just book my cruises based on destination (ie who has the best itenary) and price

[JohnQ]

We have been on Statendam, Rccl Rhapsody, Carnival Pride and Hal was the best of the three, although we were not disappointed by any of them Haven't tried Celebrity or Princess yet, but like Revneal, I like ship like ships!! I like the smaller size, more open decks, less balconies. I think I am going against the trend. If we ever have balcony, may change our mind, but for now, would spend difference on more cruises. Dining room service in June 2002 on Statedam was best ever, and we really felt special by the end of the week.

[ryansmemom]

When I saw this thread this morning it really caught my interest. I was in a hurry to get out of the house, so I had the time to think about it for a while. My husband is also busy transfering all of our cruise albums from regular paper books to CD, so we have stuff all over the place.

 

We took our first cruise back in 1995 on the Sovereign of the Seas. Our second cruise, later that year was on the Westerdam. We have been on 13 cruises so far. Five on RCI and Eight on HAL. Between the years 1995 and 1999 we pretty much alternated between RCI and HAL and then decided that we really liked HAL better.

 

RCI ships were bigger, liviler, louder with a multi-national very friendly crew. Service was outstanding. We had a wonderful time. We had dinner with one of the captain's, met him on a subsequent sailing and enjoyed his company very much. We did not participate in the cruise activities, I am mildly disabled, we prefer to relax and read or just watch the sea. We do not drink alcohlic beverages because of medications we are on. (OK we cheat once in a while, but not very often.) So alcohol policies do not really matter to us. However, RCI bar servers were very aggressive.

We found several draw backs to RCI. Their cabins are very small, including their suites. We do spend a lot of time in our cabin. I am disabled, my stamina is low and I suffer from chronic pain. That was a problem. We also found, just about 1999, after pre booking for the Millenium, that RCI was heavily marketing toward a South American clientele. On our last RCI cruise, they were making all announcements in English and Spanish and they seated us at a table were half of the people only spoke Spanish. We later found out that during their Millenium cruise, which we spent on the Ryndam, they switched from speaking in English to Spanish in their Millenium Celebration Show on all of their ships. They aslo gave a 50% discount to South American customers for the Millenium cruises.

 

Now to HAL. We enjoy the smaller ships, S class and R class. The smaller number of passengers and the feeling of more space that goes along with that. The elegant ambience and decor of the jewel tones, antiques and artifacts that the ships are decorated with. The quiet, elegant, gentle, friendly staff who make you feel so welcome. They are never "in your face" friendly or overbearing. We enjoy the quiet elegance of the ship, no loud drunks staggering around or "in your face". We like the large cabins and the amenities that go with a suite on HAL especially the Neptune lounge and Concierge service. Because of my disability, I find that invaluable. We are really not interested in a butler, we like the concierge. We really like the way the HAL ships feel. That is why we keep coming back.

 

We have looked at other lines. We haven't seen anything that seems that attractive. Mostly, it's the cabin size that we find lacking in the other lines. They all seem to have smaller cabins. Then there is the Neptune lounge and Concierge. I don't really know that much about the crew, but I do know that HAL's crew are wonderful. I don't want to sail on a larger ship, not even a larger HAL ship, so I don't want a larger ship that belongs to another company.

 

I guess in summary, we like HAL, we feel comfortable and like we come home everytime we come on board. We are not adventurous, risk takers. We feel that HAL is the best cruise line for us.

 

Linda

 

Thanks for listening

[reefexplorer]

I really appreciate all your views I can hardly wait to try this ship. This will be our 30th anniversary and our 3rd cruise with just mdh and I.

 

Linda

 

ZUERIDERDAM 8/14/04

CONQUEST 5/16/04

IMAGINATION 5/26/03

MAJESTY 1/8/03

SPIRIT 10/19/02

 

Until we cruise

 

[hotspur]

The Maasdam was no more "ship-like" than the Norwegian Dream or the former Renaissance R5. The crew was neither better nor worse. The food was comparable, with some "hits" and not-infrequent "misses."

 

The overall experience was comparable in every way, except Norwegian and the late Renaissance had wisely ceased all requirements for formal dress. And, by the way, well fewer than 20% of Maasdam male passengers joined me in wearing a tuxedo. Men were in the dining room and public places without ties, and no one cared. One wonders what all the fuss is about by the dress police here.

 

HAL offers a nice cruising experience, comparable in every way with the other non-premium cruise lines. No more, no less. Someone above said he/she shops for cruises by price. A wise modus operandi, I'd say. There's little or no differentiation, looking at the experience as a whole.

[torybruno]

hmmmmmmmm......hhhmmmmmmmm..

 

fresh popcorn at the movie theater, freshwater pool. Unfortunately our list of what we didn't like about HAL is a little longer!

 

ToryBruno

 

Holland America Zaandam 2/04

Grand Princess 9/03

Carnival Inspiration 2/03

Celebrity Horizon 12/02

Golden Princess 11/01

Carnival Holiday 11/94

RCCL Song of America 9/86

[FranYAlice]

I took my first two HAL cruises in May (b2b/Alaska). And, although I'm still a Celebrity fan - I'd have to say that the thing that impressed me most about HAL was the friendliness of the crew -- from front desk to housekeeping to wait staff.

 

IMHO!

 

FranYAlice

 

Disney Magic

Disney Wonder (opening team)

Celebrity Galaxy (2000)

Celebrity Zenith (2001)

Celebrity Millenium (2002)

Celebrity Zenith (Oct 2003)

HAL Statendam (May 2004)

 

Dawn Princess (Fall, 2004)

 

 

 

 

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[jbhcw]

Very informative thread. We are seriously considering an 11 day cruise out of Norfolk next year on the Maasdam. We have been venturing out from Carnival and RCl and think HAL would be a good next step. We are not big partiers, though do enjoy being around a diverse group of people. Think if we can get a good price will book and enjoy the HAL experience. Only having to drive a few hours to get to the ship is another incentive for us.

 

Jane

 

Cruise #14 - Glory 11-27-04

[Spender Nui]

Not as much as there used to be.

[Triguy]

Great thread.

 

[tonyrobin]

We'll be on the Zuiderdam this July and really looking forward to comparing it to RCL, CCL, and NCL.

 

until the Legend and the Southern Caribbean

 

[Orcrone]

jbhcw,

 

I've only cruised with RCI and Carnival previously. Later this year we'll be on the Maasdam out of Norfolk (10 day eastern). I'll post a review when I get back and compare to Carnival (RCI was 14 years ago, don't know if I remember enough to make a valid comparision).

 

Marc

 

1/1990 - RCCL Song of America

4/13/2003 - Carnival Inspiration

10/30/2004 - Maasdam

 

Till sailing on the Maasdam

[Jacqueline]

We also book for itinerary and price - this brought us to HAL. They have some more unusual itineraries for people who want to do more than the Carribean 14 times. I like it once in a a while but I also like the stimuation of world travel.

My guess is that I will agree that they do some things a more to my liking and others less. Its always fun to go on another line as long as you dont feel like you need to be a cruise critic constantly comparing !

I also am happy for the larger standard cabin sizes although this timne we are doing an SS due to the three category upgrade prmotion we were able to use.

 

Jacqueline

Constellation 3/20/04

HAL Westerdam 7/30/04

Tahitian Princess August 2003

Grand Princess Western Caribbean 2003

Brilliance of the Seas Baltic 2002

Ocean Princess- Alaska 2001

Celebrity Zenith- Bermuda 2001

Grand Princess Med 2000