Land & Sea - LIVE from Spain as we sail & compare HAL to Oceania

[Krazy Kruizers]

I doubt we will hear back from O from our survey.

 

they will be getting a letter as well and whether they choose to reply or not is their own decision.

 

I have been told on the O board that my cruise was a "one off". It doesn't sound like that is the case between your experience and RuthC's.

 

I liked a lot of things about the ship - but the food is not the be all to end all nor is the service - at least, not on our cruise.

 

As to the fish dish in Red Ginger, I had the same problem. Others in the dining room with different servers raved about it, so I wonder if it could have been sitting under heat lamps when it wasn't picked up on time by our server.

 

It will take a LOT to convince DH to try O again. If he had done the live thread, the tone would have been much harsher I suspect.;)

 

Interesting enough - I had the same problem with eggs. It took me too long to realize that if I ordered them sunny side up, they were cooked enough to qualify for over easy. It was the only alternative. I am fussy on my eggs ;)

 

We were disappointed with some things on our recent Eurodam cruise.

I always set up the main computer for DH to do his survey . He usually finishes it in about 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, I went to check on him and asked what was taking so long. He was really "expressing" himself and was only on page 1!!

I have only seen him upset over a cruise at least 3 other times in over 140 cruises. He claims that the cruise we take this spring will be our last one.

Did he or I ever hear from HAL? Nope!!

And I doubt if HAL reads very many of those surveys. It would take countless hours to read all of them.

 

 

 

 

[cruz chic]

We were disappointed with some things on our recent Eurodam cruise.

I always set up the main computer for DH to do his survey . He usually finishes it in about 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, I went to check on him and asked what was taking so long. He was really "expressing" himself and was only on page 1!!

I have only seen him upset over a cruise at least 3 other times in over 140 cruises. He claims that the cruise we take this spring will be our last one.

Did he or I ever hear from HAL? Nope!!

And I doubt if HAL reads very many of those surveys. It would take countless hours to read all of them.

 

 

 

 

 

I wasn't happy with that cruise for many reasons I haven't expressed here. I was shocked to get an email back about issues I brought up and there were many. I also sent an email to them hoping they would correct the issues. What I got back was a commercial for Hal. I've since heard from others about their less than stellar cruise on the eurodam. It was really disappointing because the one in 2013 was so good, probably my best cruise. I really don't think they care.

[wander]

Just after Thanksgiving I completed a survey about a 55 day cruise on the Volendam. I gave many high marks, but did comment on two disappointments. To my surprise three days later I received an e-mail thanking me for completing the survey and asking for more information on my two disappointments. The e-mail specifically identified my two area of disappointment. They also thanked me for completing the survey along with some standard stuff. I must say it took me by surprise! I quickly responded, and I would not expect any further communications about the issues.

 

I was very pleasantly surprised by many things on the cruise, which overall I would rate as great to excellent! I was quite concerned after some of the things I have read on Cruise Critic lately and was expecting numerous disappointments. Instead I experienced many pleasant surprises!!! I will not be writing a full review, but I do plan address some of the areas I had been concerned about before the cruise.

[sammygoose]

Kazu,

 

Thank you for the wonderful review and your time and expense to do it. I learned a lot about the ports you visited and the challenges you encountered. I appreciate your balanced review and the pictures to support your views.

 

While I have been intrigued by O, I do not think they are in a value to price point that appeals to me at this time.

 

Cheers , SammyGoose

Edited December 7, 2015 by sammygoose
spelling

[CowPrincess]

Kazu thanks for all the time and effort you put into this thread! I am still intrigued by O, maybe a bit less intrigued now, but still intrigued. Your comments have been very helpful.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

It is a shame that most all companies are no longer taking customer service comments seriously. I just spent nearly 1/2 on the phone going in circles with Comcast-first with the computer voice and then with a real person. Never did get a clear answer. Hopefully if everyone who is dissatisfied contacts their cruise line when problems occur the head office(s) will get the picture. Several comments may not get their attention but many might. We can always hope!

[sail7seas]

What catches any company's attention is decrease in profits.

Slower bookings, lower rates, less profit.

[kazu]

What catches any company's attention is decrease in profits.

Slower bookings, lower rates, less profit.

 

You are right, but we'll send our letter off just the same. If they don't know, they can't fix it ;)

 

One very important lesson I learned from doing this live thread. Wear a suit of armour if you are going to be silly enough to talk about your impressions (or Noro handling) LOL.

[frankc98376]

You are right, but we'll send our letter off just the same. If they don't know, they can't fix it ;)

 

One very important lesson I learned from doing this live thread. Wear a suit of armour if you are going to be silly enough to talk about your impressions (or Noro handling) LOL.

 

Weren't you on the Zuiderdam with us in 2014 with the code red that didn't want to end?

[kazu]

Weren't you on the Zuiderdam with us in 2014 with the code red that didn't want to end?

 

Not us Frank. We were on the N Amsterdam with code red and Prinsendam with code red.

 

Our only cruise on the Zuiderdam was way back and very, very nice ;)

[frankc98376]

We were in code red for many days on Zuiderdam. Staff handled it very well and passengers were given daily updates on the situation- usually be the CD. I remember a couple of announcements from Captain Turner imploring those that were not well to go to stay in their cabins and notify Medical Center.

 

I felt horrible for the poor crew- they were scrubbing and cleaning around the clock. On "turnaround" days continuing passengers were offered a complimentary city tour while the ship was being deep cleaned and as I recall an OBC to cover lunch ashore that day.

[kazu]

We were in code red for many days on Zuiderdam. Staff handled it very well and passengers were given daily updates on the situation- usually be the CD. I remember a couple of announcements from Captain Turner imploring those that were not well to go to stay in their cabins and notify Medical Center.

 

I felt horrible for the poor crew- they were scrubbing and cleaning around the clock. On "turnaround" days continuing passengers were offered a complimentary city tour while the ship was being deep cleaned and as I recall an OBC to cover lunch ashore that day.

 

Much better than how the B2B passengers fared on the Riviera without a question from reports I am reading.

 

I agree - the crew is pushed to the max. Noro is not fun for anyone, crew, passengers, etc.

 

I hope that three times is the charm for us. Three times is enough.

[Emperor Norton]

On no, took one on Crystal. Their dinner arrangements were not for us. I can live with fixed dinning first sitting however there is no option. If you miss it its room service or nothing. I like the rest of there product , waiting to see what the new ship is about.

 

 

 

It's a real shame that Silk Road, the Sushi Bar at Silk Road, Prego, Tastes and the Vintage room don't offer dinner service. I guess the Bistro also doesn't have food available at night either?:rolleyes:

[frantic36]

It's a real shame that Silk Road, the Sushi Bar at Silk Road, Prego, Tastes and the Vintage room don't offer dinner service. I guess the Bistro also doesn't have food available at night either?:rolleyes:

 

Hi Emperor, fancy seeing you here.:)

 

To get dinner service at Silk Road and Prego it is hard to get into them for an extra booking if the ship is sailing full or almost full. Plus there is the $30 per person surcharge if it is more then your allocated booking allowance. Tastes also has only a small amount of tables so can be hard to get into. Bistro doesn't have a "meal" as such. It is fine if you are happy with cheeses, fruits, desserts, cold meats and bread. So you wouldn't go hungry but you can't get an "evening meal".

 

The Vintage room is only for special dinners booked well in advance and with a big surcharge.

 

Julie

 

Kazu, your story has been a fascinating read and very useful, especially with the photos. We will be in Barcelona next year for a few days after a cruise and I have made note of places you mentioned. I am keen to next time we get to Spain we make time to visit Madrid.

Edited December 8, 2015 by frantic36

[Krazy Kruizers]

The first time we encountered the Noro virus was in the fall of 2002 going from Seattle to Ft Lauderdale on the Amsterdam.

Back then they had no idea what was making so many people sick as HAL was not familiar with the illness. We picked up the illness in LA. As the cruise continued, the illness got worse. Officials from the CDC came on board when we were in Curacao.

Since they had no idea what was making so many people sick, we were all given a mammoth packet of questions asking what, where, etc. we had eaten since LA. Fortunately I had kept our menus. DH trotted off to the gym and handed me his packet to fill out along with mine. :mad:

We got off the ship Oct 22 and the illness got worse on the next cruise in spite of a deep cleaning. Another cruise -- things were worse. Finally HAL cancelled a couple of cruises including one over Thanksgiving and the ship got a deep, deep cleaning.

Just an addition -- when we got on the ship in Seattle there was a longshoreman's strike and they agreed to only take on and put on luggage. The ship had just completed an Alaskan cruise and needed supplies for a 21 day cruise. It didn't happen -- no supplies but on in any US port and they knew at that time not to send the trucks down to Mexico -- they would never see the food. The ship ran out of wine and alcohol. Menus were getting inventive by the end of the cruise. We were given a list of what wines were left. Back then you could buy alcohol for your cabin from the boutique -- even they sold out of nearly everything.

Quite an interesting cruise.

[Emperor Norton]

Hi Emperor, fancy seeing you here.:)

 

To get dinner service at Silk Road and Prego it is hard to get into them for an extra booking if the ship is sailing full or almost full. Plus there is the $30 per person surcharge if it is more then your allocated booking allowance. Tastes also has only a small amount of tables so can be hard to get into. Bistro doesn't have a "meal" as such. It is fine if you are happy with cheeses, fruits, desserts, cold meats and bread. So you wouldn't go hungry but you can't get an "evening meal".

 

The Vintage room is only for special dinners booked well in advance and with a big surcharge.

 

Julie

 

Kazu, your story has been a fascinating read and very useful, especially with the photos. We will be in Barcelona next year for a few days after a cruise and I have made note of places you mentioned. I am keen to next time we get to Spain we make time to visit Madrid.

 

You're right of course, I was just trying to point out that the MDR wasn't the only option. I also left out that "Room service" if one was in was it a PH or above can come from any restaurant?

[sail7seas]

You are right, but we'll send our letter off just the same. If they don't know, they can't fix it ;)

 

One very important lesson I learned from doing this live thread. Wear a suit of armour if you are going to be silly enough to talk about your impressions (or Noro handling) LOL.

 

 

By all means, certainly inform home office of your comments. I certainly would in the same circumstance.

 

 

The first time we encountered the Noro virus was in the fall of 2002 going from Seattle to Ft Lauderdale on the Amsterdam.

Back then they had no idea what was making so many people sick as HAL was not familiar with the illness. We picked up the illness in LA. As the cruise continued, the illness got worse. Officials from the CDC came on board when we were in Curacao.

Since they had no idea what was making so many people sick, we were all given a mammoth packet of questions asking what, where, etc. we had eaten since LA. Fortunately I had kept our menus. DH trotted off to the gym and handed me his packet to fill out along with mine. :mad:

We got off the ship Oct 22 and the illness got worse on the next cruise in spite of a deep cleaning. Another cruise -- things were worse. Finally HAL cancelled a couple of cruises including one over Thanksgiving and the ship got a deep, deep cleaning.

Just an addition -- when we got on the ship in Seattle there was a longshoreman's strike and they agreed to only take on and put on luggage. The ship had just completed an Alaskan cruise and needed supplies for a 21 day cruise. It didn't happen -- no supplies but on in any US port and they knew at that time not to send the trucks down to Mexico -- they would never see the food. The ship ran out of wine and alcohol. Menus were getting inventive by the end of the cruise. We were given a list of what wines were left. Back then you could buy alcohol for your cabin from the boutique -- even they sold out of nearly everything.

Quite an interesting cruise.

 

 

OMG, I so so so remember all that with Amsterdam.

She was tied up in Fort Lauderdale and scrubbed for what would have been one whole cruise and I think maybe two.

 

DH and I boarded the first cruise they sailed again after the illness for a b-to-b. We were a little uneasy boarding what had been a ship with so much illness it required to be taken out of service. We were on for Christmas/New Years and the day we disembarked, she left for World Cruise.

 

We remained healthy but were fastidious and what we touched and incessant hand washing.

 

Edited December 8, 2015 by sail7seas

[frantic36]

You're right of course, I was just trying to point out that the MDR wasn't the only option. I also left out that "Room service" if one was in was it a PH or above can come from any restaurant?

 

Your right there. That was one of the perks I envied friends who stayed in a PH got to enjoy.

[kazu]

Hi Emperor, fancy seeing you here.:)

 

To get dinner service at Silk Road and Prego it is hard to get into them for an extra booking if the ship is sailing full or almost full. Plus there is the $30 per person surcharge if it is more then your allocated booking allowance. Tastes also has only a small amount of tables so can be hard to get into. Bistro doesn't have a "meal" as such. It is fine if you are happy with cheeses, fruits, desserts, cold meats and bread. So you wouldn't go hungry but you can't get an "evening meal".

 

The Vintage room is only for special dinners booked well in advance and with a big surcharge.

 

Julie

 

Kazu, your story has been a fascinating read and very useful, especially with the photos. We will be in Barcelona next year for a few days after a cruise and I have made note of places you mentioned. I am keen to next time we get to Spain we make time to visit Madrid.

 

Julie - is this your first time in Barcelona? If it is, then do go to the Sagrada Familia - buy your tickets on line to skip the lines - they can be VERY long.

 

Barcelona is a beautiful city with so much to see. We chose to go to Montserrat as this is one place we had not travelled to. But Barcelona proper offers a lot. enjoy it and if I can help in any way, happy to.

 

We have spent weeks and many days in this city and adore it. :) It was one of the attractions of the cruise.

[WeLoveCruising]

We've sailed on Code Red before, which is never fun.

 

I also had the experience of having my husband quarantined, on Christmas Eve. My poor husband has ulcerative colitis, and was having a flare a few days after we boarded for a 14 night cruise. He went to the infimrary, and although the doctor was almost certain it was his colitis flaring up, because he had GI symptoms it meant quarantine for a few days. HAL did a good job keeping us comfortable, the doctor made visits to our stateroom, and we had a special team (in gowns and mask) deliver whatever we wanted from the MDR during meal hours. I think we were also given some OBC. And on Chrimstas Eve, a few of the carolers came to our door (also in masks), which was a nice gesture.

[frantic36]

Julie - is this your first time in Barcelona? If it is, then do go to the Sagrada Familia - buy your tickets on line to skip the lines - they can be VERY long.

 

Barcelona is a beautiful city with so much to see. We chose to go to Montserrat as this is one place we had not travelled to. But Barcelona proper offers a lot. enjoy it and if I can help in any way, happy to.

 

We have spent weeks and many days in this city and adore it. :) It was one of the attractions of the cruise.

 

Hi Kazu,

 

We have been to Barcelona in 2012 for 2.5 days and it wasn't long enough. So this time we are giving ourselves 5 days.:) We are looking forward to lots of tapas and cava.

 

My husband and I spent 5 hours in La Sagrada with the audio headphones and still could have spent more time there. We took the lift to the top but climbed the steps down pausing to take photos along the out the little windows.

 

Your description and photos of Montserrat have made it a must visit when we are there next July. We are staying at a hotel near The Ramblas and El Born to make it easy to walk to some areas.

 

Julie

[kazu]

Hi Kazu,

 

 

 

We have been to Barcelona in 2012 for 2.5 days and it wasn't long enough. So this time we are giving ourselves 5 days.:) We are looking forward to lots of tapas and cava.

 

 

 

My husband and I spent 5 hours in La Sagrada with the audio headphones and still could have spent more time there. We took the lift to the top but climbed the steps down pausing to take photos along the out the little windows.

 

 

 

Your description and photos of Montserrat have made it a must visit when we are there next July. We are staying at a hotel near The Ramblas and El Born to make it easy to walk to some areas.

 

 

 

Julie

 

 

If it has ben 3 - 4 years since you have been to Sagrada it would be worth a visit back as there have been a lot of changes inside.

 

Good location for your hotel.

 

Montserrat was really nice. We were quite impressed and enjoyed our time there.

[ON cruiser]

Finally able to log in after some biz travel and work demands and have read up to the end of this thread...I really appreciate, Jacqui, your excellent comparative analysis, especially regarding the (at best) mediocre service and the (lack of) value for money discussion.

 

Other posters have said it well: while some of us have had gripes over things on HAL, based on your experience (I understand that some others may disagree, yet I value what I perceive as your reasonable and objective opinion), I do not see an O cruise in my and my wife's future unless the combination of itinerary and pricing makes it irresistible.

 

May your future cruises be well sanitized (no noro!) and thoroughly enjoyable for you and your hubby. I am also glad you finally got home after some difficult flights. It is today 11C in Toronto, by the way, and we still do not have any snow, nor is any expected anytime soon.

 

Best wishes,

[kazu]

Finally able to log in after some biz travel and work demands and have read up to the end of this thread...I really appreciate, Jacqui, your excellent comparative analysis, especially regarding the (at best) mediocre service and the (lack of) value for money discussion.

 

Other posters have said it well: while some of us have had gripes over things on HAL, based on your experience (I understand that some others may disagree, yet I value what I perceive as your reasonable and objective opinion), I do not see an O cruise in my and my wife's future unless the combination of itinerary and pricing makes it irresistible.

 

May your future cruises be well sanitized (no noro!) and thoroughly enjoyable for you and your hubby. I am also glad you finally got home after some difficult flights. It is today 11C in Toronto, by the way, and we still do not have any snow, nor is any expected anytime soon.

 

Best wishes,

 

Thank you for the kind words.

 

In all fairness I do not know if this cruise was an anomaly or not. It doesn't sound so from the reports on the Dec. 2nd cruise. But the regulars insist it is.

 

Reports on CC reviews mirror ours and I have not done mine yet.

 

I would recommend watching the O boards and the reviews to determine.

 

I loved the ship and the rooms and the layout, but after that it was all dressing and no substance (I am quoting DH).

 

Have a wonderful Holiday and whatever cruise line you sail on, I wish you smooth seas and following wind.

[kazu]

For those interested, I have posted a review on the Cruise Critic review site http://click.email.cruisecritic.com/?qs=314fdcb1789cf0beb4681290e12d6893767e3c096c5d0e7643303403fe0895a68944f42797417bfbc6bba8a332c12fb0

 

As well, an update - Noro followed the ship onto the Dec. 2nd sailing and while no statement has been made by management (big surprise) with the reports of the removal of the salt and pepper, sugar and passengers not being allowed to get their own coffee, I would guess it is on the Dec. 12th sailing as well.