Hal vs princess, a comparison

[igraf]

In all fairness, HAL's entertainment has been significantly improved with the BB King Blues Club.

 

igraf

 

 

 

I think you might be in trouble with the entertainment :D. That is not hals strength.

[POA1]

Finally got around to reading the OPs post and am still scratching my head about

"There was only mains with no appies and only soufflé for dessert" in reference to the MDR. Apples?

 

Hank

 

The letter with the little dot at the top is a lowercase I. She's talking about appetizers, not apples.

 

While we're only four stars on HAL, we happen to be super deluxe in both written and spoken English. ;)

[cruz chic]

In all fairness, HAL's entertainment has been significantly improved with the BB King Blues Club.

 

igraf

 

Yes, I totally agree, but they do not perform on many of hal ships.

[cruz chic]

The letter with the little dot at the top is a lowercase I. She's talking about appetizers, not apples.

 

While we're only four stars on HAL, we happen to be super deluxe in both written and spoken English. ;)

 

Dude, you rock :D.

[New_horizon]

Hi - We started cruising nine years ago and our first cruise on Sapphire Princess to Asia. We were hooked and then cruised at least once every year. At this time we are Platinum on Princess and Elite on Celebrity. We are now planning on a cruise in January 16 from our home port of Sydney, Australia.

 

It will be the last time our grandson who is now a senior in High School will be eligible for the Teen Club which he has always enjoyed. Cruises at this time of year are heavily booked as it is our summer holidays and the options are limited. Does anyone have an opinion on whether we should go for another Princess journey (our last one in September 14 had food that left a lot to be desired and everyone on board was complaining) Celebrity is booked out, try HAL which has a good SP Island cruise for a good price (but I am a reformed smoker of 25 years and hate smoke) for our first cruise or go for Royal Caribbean (we did a 3 day sampler on Radiance and it was definitely not for us) which might be a different experience on a longer journey.

 

I have read all the information you have all posted and would be grateful if you could give us your opinions on the upkeep and general maintenance on the Noordam as it has some not so good reviews from regular cruisers on cruise critic. Are they just being picky or maybe are unhappy with change. Also does the Noordam have a basketball court. When I search its site it states that there are basketball or volley ball courts on most ships but nothing definite.

 

Thanks for any assistance.

 

Dianne

[Blue Mudshark]

The letter with the little dot at the top is a lowercase I. She's talking about appetizers, not apples.

 

While we're only four stars on HAL, we happen to be super deluxe in both written and spoken English. ;)

 

Is "appie" supposed to be a wordie in Engie?

[cruz chic]

Hi - We started cruising nine years ago and our first cruise on Sapphire Princess to Asia. We were hooked and then cruised at least once every year. At this time we are Platinum on Princess and Elite on Celebrity. We are now planning on a cruise in January 16 from our home port of Sydney, Australia.

 

It will be the last time our grandson who is now a senior in High School will be eligible for the Teen Club which he has always enjoyed. Cruises at this time of year are heavily booked as it is our summer holidays and the options are limited. Does anyone have an opinion on whether we should go for another Princess journey (our last one in September 14 had food that left a lot to be desired and everyone on board was complaining) Celebrity is booked out, try HAL which has a good SP Island cruise for a good price (but I am a reformed smoker of 25 years and hate smoke) for our first cruise or go for Royal Caribbean (we did a 3 day sampler on Radiance and it was definitely not for us) which might be a different experience on a longer journey.

 

I have read all the information you have all posted and would be grateful if you could give us your opinions on the upkeep and general maintenance on the Noordam as it has some not so good reviews from regular cruisers on cruise critic. Are they just being picky or maybe are unhappy with change. Also does the Noordam have a basketball court. When I search its site it states that there are basketball or volley ball courts on most ships but nothing definite.

 

Thanks for any assistance.

 

Dianne

 

I was on the Noordam in February 2013. The cabins in my area had toilet issues. It lasted for a few hours at the time. Nothing too bad. The ship seemed in pretty good shape to me. I'm afraid I can't answer your question on the basketball court.

[cruz chic]

Is "appie" supposed to be a wordie in Engie?

 

No, it's code so some people won't understand or to make it easier for people to criticize. I don't want people to have to struggle to criticize me:D. Maybe you have to be under 70 to understand ;) or have less than a thousand days on every cruise line to understand. If you google you will see its a commonly used term. Google is your friend.

Edited March 3, 2015 by cruz chic

[Hlitner]

The last time we were on the Noordam she did have a small basketball court up on the Sports Deck.

 

Hank

[Lizzie68]

No, it's code so some people won't understand or to make it easier for people to criticize. I don't want people to have to struggle to criticize me:D. Maybe you have to be under 70 to understand ;) or have less than a thousand days on every cruise line to understand.

 

I guess this is because Cruise Critic has many nationalities and the word "appie" does not translate well and the closest someone can come is "apples" - but we could start a whole 'nother thread of apples again......:D:D

[cruz chic]

I guess this is because Cruise Critic has many nationalities and the word "appie" does not translate well and the closest someone can come is "apples" - but we could start a whole 'nother thread of apples again......:D:D

 

Oh please don't start that silly thread again. I could understand if people from outside the USA or Canada were questioning it but that's not the case. It's super easy to google and find the answer rather being super critical of people. I guess it depends on what people in interested in doing. I would never trash someone for using slang. I guess others may feel differently rather than take what I write for information. Most posters have been very nice on this thread. Seems that others could be interested in another agenda.

Edited March 3, 2015 by cruz chic

[Danni3ll3]

I almost feel like it is time to send everyone to their corner to have a timeout. Hopefully, people will come back to the discussion with a kinder and more considerate disposition.

 

Running away to hide under a rock now.

[New_horizon]

The last time we were on the Noordam she did have a small basketball court up on the Sports Deck.

 

Hank

 

Thank you to both of you. Think I will take the chance - it is a much better price than the others anyway and I might want to get some credit up for another loyalty programme. We intend to be cruising for a long time.

 

Many thanks

Dianne

[POA1]

Is "appie" supposed to be a wordie in Engie?

 

Why yes. Yes it is. It's actually a department in grocery stores in the Northeast US. It's often located near the deli. (That's short for delicatessen. US is short for United States. "It's" is a contraction of the words "It" and "is.") As always, Mister Language Person is here to help.

 

Speaking of which, Dave Barry's new book, "Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster): Life Lessons and Other Ravings from Dave Barry" is available today. You should totally buy it.

[Hlitner]

Hey, live and learn :). We have lived in the Northeast for over sixty years and never heard of the word "appie." That is another reason to love CC. It expands one's vocabulary.

 

Hank

[Bostonjetset]

Thanks for the comparison! I am sailing on the Regal Princess in less than two weeks and I'm a few days away from finalizing a trip on Veendam for May [your sailing in fact!]. I appreciated seeing a side-by-side of the two lines since I am new to both.

 

P.S. If I do end up booking the Veendam for 05/09 I will bring you an apple just for kicks! HAHA ;) *kidding*

[cruz chic]

Thanks for the comparison! I am sailing on the Regal Princess in less than two weeks and I'm a few days away from finalizing a trip on Veendam for May [your sailing in fact!]. I appreciated seeing a side-by-side of the two lines since I am new to both.

 

P.S. If I do end up booking the Veendam for 05/09 I will bring you an apple just for kicks! HAHA ;) *kidding*

 

I hear the showers are bigger on the newer ships on princess but I'm not sure. That's a step in the right direction. I hope you'll join us on the Veendam. Bermuda is SO beautiful. Behave on the apple:D;).

Edited March 3, 2015 by cruz chic

[Bostonjetset]

I hear the showers are bigger on the newer ships on princess but I'm not sure. That's a step in the right direction. I hope you'll join us on the Veendam. Bermuda is SO beautiful. Behave on the apple:D;).

 

 

:D

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bermuda and that is the biggest draw for me. I know the Veendam is an old gal and does not get much love on CC but Bermuda [and docking in Hamilton no less!] will more than make up for any apprehensions I had! Living in Boston makes this trip a no-brainer!

[drgrinch]

:D

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bermuda and that is the biggest draw for me. I know the Veendam is an old gal and does not get much love on CC but Bermuda [and docking in Hamilton no less!] will more than make up for any apprehensions I had! Living in Boston makes this trip a no-brainer!

 

DW and I love the Veendam - we can't understand why anyone wouldn't. We'll be sailing on her at the end of June to Bermuda.

 

BTW, the shower in the owner's suite of the Sapphire Princess (admittedly not the newest ship) is positively microscopic. There is a rather large whirlpool tub however.

[cruz chic]

DW and I love the Veendam - we can't understand why anyone wouldn't. We'll be sailing on her at the end of June to Bermuda.

 

BTW, the shower in the owner's suite of the Sapphire Princess (admittedly not the newest ship) is positively microscopic. There is a rather large whirlpool tub however.

 

That's crazy about the shower. They have those reasonably big closets and then they give you a tiny shower. So weird. I had a suite on the sapphire but I can't recall if the shower was as tiny. I also had the whirlpool.

 

Thx for your positive comments on the Veendam. It's sure gets abuse on the boards. I know some folks have had bad experiences so I'm not diminishing that.

[cruz chic]

:D

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bermuda and that is the biggest draw for me. I know the Veendam is an old gal and does not get much love on CC but Bermuda [and docking in Hamilton no less!] will more than make up for any apprehensions I had! Living in Boston makes this trip a no-brainer!

 

It's so nice to take flying out of the equation. Jealous.

[Hlitner]

DW and I love the Veendam - we can't understand why anyone wouldn't. We'll be sailing on her at the end of June to Bermuda....................

 

.

 

We also had a very positive experience when we spent 28 days on the Veendam last year. However, we do understand why some would not like the ship. We heard from multiple passengers of malfunctioning cabin A/C which made some cabins very uncomfortable when we got to warmer areas (we went through the Panama Canal on that cruise). And another couple (with whom we had dinner) had a recurring problem with their toilet (nearly daily) which was never properly repaired during our long cruise. Unfortunately, it does seem like HAL has frequent A/C and plumbing problems on multiple ships. While these issues only impact those in the affected cabins, it can be annoying if you lose the dice game (it has happened to us on other HAL ships).

 

 

Hank

[luv2cruisenz]

What would you pick for 30 something couple for a caribbean cruise, is HAL ok for people our age and do they have Dutch food as my wife is Dutch.

Hi, if Dutch food is important you should check with HAL if they always have it on each cruise, as I think it may depend on the nationalities on board. On our Rotterdam cruise last year there was quite a mix so there was Dutch & Asian food readily available in the Lido as well as 'English", "Canadian" and "American" bacon for breakfast so they tried to accommodate everyone. The announcements were in both English and Dutch for the first few weeks.

 

My DH travels on his Dutch passport and they usually give us menus in Dutch in the MDR on the first night and always greeted us in Dutch, so they must see your nationality when you give them your room number. He got several Dutch sweet treats sent to the cabin (none for me!) which was a nice touch, and also on a Christmas cruise on the Amsterdam, so maybe it depends on the Hotel Manager. We also sometimes get the daily programmes in Dutch and we have to ask for the English ones! I'm sure the staff on board will do everything they can to help if your wife prefers Dutch food.

[cruz chic]

Hi, if Dutch food is important you should check with HAL if they always have it on each cruise, as I think it may depend on the nationalities on board. On our Rotterdam cruise last year there was quite a mix so there was Dutch & Asian food readily available in the Lido as well as 'English", "Canadian" and "American" bacon for breakfast so they tried to accommodate everyone. The announcements were in both English and Dutch for the first few weeks.

 

My DH travels on his Dutch passport and they usually give us menus in Dutch in the MDR on the first night and always greeted us in Dutch, so they must see your nationality when you give them your room number. He got several Dutch sweet treats sent to the cabin (none for me!) which was a nice touch, and also on a Christmas cruise on the Amsterdam, so maybe it depends on the Hotel Manager. We also sometimes get the daily programmes in Dutch and we have to ask for the English ones! I'm sure the staff on board will do everything they can to help if your wife prefers Dutch food.

 

I think that entirely depends on the ship and itinerary. I don't recall seeing Dutch food in the lido but it's not my favorite place to eat. I don't take European cruises, so my experience has been concentrated to North and South America. I would hate for that poster to be disappointed depending on where they want to cruise. The only Dutch item I've seen is bitterballen.

[SilvertoGold]

The Rotterdam is the best bet for Dutch food throughout the ship.

 

Sailing in Europe can mean a lot of Dutch pax: on 2 of our cruises to Rotterdam there were 65% and 75% Dutch. A lot of parties for the Dutch, too.