Hair Salon on the Amsterdam?

[jennaja]

I would normally get my hair cut and highlighted prior to sailing, but I'm running out of time!  I've never used the hair salon on HAL.  For those of you who have, what was your experience?  Would you consider the quality of the services to be comparable to a good land-based salon, or more like a Super Cut type of experience?  Do you tip the stylist during the visit, or are the gratuities included in the cost of the service?

[Mary229]

I once found myself and in a similar spot on a long cruise. I did not let them color my hair but I got a decent style-cut.  I also have done the deep conditioning treatments because the water on the ships is very drying to my hair.  If I recall there is a tip included but I usually give something anyway, but I am a tipper 

[Mary229]

PS it was surprisingly affordable also.  

[Sharon in AZ]

My mother has used the salon several times for shampoo and style.  I thought she had really good service and hair style. Not sure I would trust them with color.  I use the salon for pedicures. Gratuity is included but I tip extra. 

[Tampa Girl]

12 hours ago, Mary229 said:

PS it was surprisingly affordable also.  

 

[Tampa Girl]

DH and I used them  7 times on our recent 89-day Grand Asia.  1)  It is definitely not like a super cuts salon. 2) I found it quite expensive.  Pedicures were $75; hair cut and color was around $200; and add another $50 for conditioning treatment which I had not o.k.'d. The hair stylist was good, albeit full of himself and rather patronizing; but I was pleased with the cut and color.  DH was pleased with his hair cuts.

 

In summary, because it was a long cruise, I would have followed some of our fellow passengers' decisions to have cuts and color done in the major ports.  I did, in fact, have the last pedicure in a port city.  If it is a short cruise or ports are not feasible, what choice do you have except to subject yourself to the cruise salon.  If I sound negative, and I do, it is solely because of the stylist, whose personality needed some adjustment.  The high prices I expected, but $250 for cut, color conditioning was over the top.  In retrospect, I should have objected to paying it.

[jennaja]

2 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

DH and I used them  7 times on our recent 89-day Grand Asia.  1)  It is definitely not like a super cuts salon. 2) I found it quite expensive.  Pedicures were $75; hair cut and color was around $200; and add another $50 for conditioning treatment which I had not o.k.'d. The hair stylist was good, albeit full of himself and rather patronizing; but I was pleased with the cut and color.  DH was pleased with his hair cuts.

 

In summary, because it was a long cruise, I would have followed some of our fellow passengers' decisions to have cuts and color done in the major ports.  I did, in fact, have the last pedicure in a port city.  If it is a short cruise or ports are not feasible, what choice do you have except to subject yourself to the cruise salon.  If I sound negative, and I do, it is solely because of the stylist, whose personality needed some adjustment.  The high prices I expected, but $250 for cut, color conditioning was over the top.  In retrospect, I should have objected to paying it.

Thank you.  This info is really helpful.   Our cruise is a 14 day to Alaska, so there may not be many options in port.  I'll need to make time to get everything done before we leave.

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Tampa Girl said:

DH and I used them  7 times on our recent 89-day Grand Asia.  1)  It is definitely not like a super cuts salon. 2) I found it quite expensive.  Pedicures were $75; hair cut and color was around $200; and add another $50 for conditioning treatment which I had not o.k.'d. The hair stylist was good, albeit full of himself and rather patronizing; but I was pleased with the cut and color.  DH was pleased with his hair cuts.

 

In summary, because it was a long cruise, I would have followed some of our fellow passengers' decisions to have cuts and color done in the major ports.  I did, in fact, have the last pedicure in a port city.  If it is a short cruise or ports are not feasible, what choice do you have except to subject yourself to the cruise salon.  If I sound negative, and I do, it is solely because of the stylist, whose personality needed some adjustment.  The high prices I expected, but $250 for cut, color conditioning was over the top.  In retrospect, I should have objected to paying it.

I regularly pay $200 or more for a full appointment.  I guess it is all relative to what you are used to paying.  But I don't let anyone except my regular person color my hair - it takes too long to get it back to the right tones.

[cruzingnut]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

  But I don't let anyone except my regular person color my hair - it takes too long to get it back to the right tones.

 

I get color from my salon and bring it on the ship; that way it comes out the way it should.  Be sure to get your "formula" from your stylist at your salon so you can tell the on board person how much to use and how long it sets for.   Been doing this for years without much trouble.

 

Linda R.

[jennaja]

1 minute ago, cruzingnut said:

 

I get color from my salon and bring it on the ship; that way it comes out the way it should.  Be sure to get your "formula" from your stylist at your salon so you can tell the on board person how much to use and how long it sets for.   Been doing this for years without much trouble.

 

Linda R.

Great idea!

[IslandThyme]

Hey Tampa Girl, am I hallucinating, or didn't your DH say that one of the cuts he got on that trip was the worst haircut of his life and made him wear a hat for quite a few days? Or was that some other guy?

[Tampa Girl]

12 hours ago, IslandThyme said:

Hey Tampa Girl, am I hallucinating, or didn't your DH say that one of the cuts he got on that trip was the worst haircut of his life and made him wear a hat for quite a few days? Or was that some other guy?

 

No, that was some other guy.  (Or did you just make that up???)  

[IslandThyme]

I did just have surgery this week and am a bit out of it, but no, I'm sure that was real. And now I remember who it was. His hair did look truly terrible, which made me resolve to stay away from the salon. Yours always looked nice, though.

[Tampa Girl]

2 minutes ago, IslandThyme said:

I did just have surgery this week and am a bit out of it, but no, I'm sure that was real. And now I remember who it was. His hair did look truly terrible, which made me resolve to stay away from the salon. Yours always looked nice, though.

 

Actually, I thought you were just being funny!  Anyway, Jim doesn't have enough hair to really mess it up!

[WriterOnDeck]

I had two cuts on the Grand Asia at the Amsterdam salon last year. I know exactly who the stylist "with attitude" was, and I didn't use him the second time. My requested 1/2" off was interpreted as 1 1/2", but hair grows...

 

If you are just looking for a cut, the price was a very reasonable $35 without a wash and style. Of course they wet it to cut and generally blow it dry (my hair is fine so by the end of a cut it is getting pretty dry anyway). Then add their 15% tip and what if anything you was to add above that. On the Grand Asia the previous year, my on-board haircut was so good that I scheduled another for just before the end of the trip and cancelled my much more expensive cut back home.

 

As for color, my stylist at home has suggested to me the Clairol Root Touchup color I need, and I take that to cover the incoming gray spots around my face during the cruise. If I were you going for 2 weeks and needed to cover gray, I would just do something like that and not get highlights done on the cruise. It can blend in with whatever you have. I consider my hair light brown and use Clairol's #7 Root Touchup. If gray is not your issue, even then by just doing roots you might just get slightly darker roots that will blend into your current highlights. Obvious darker roots seems to be all the rage now anyway.