Back from HAL Med cruise on Oosterdam

[Sharon in AZ]

3 hours ago, Oldies123 said:

The ship itself wasn't bad at all, public areas were lovely and clean and in good condition if you don't count the crows nest windows which were dirty throughout the trip despite mentioning this to a number of officers wandering around throughout, and as a previous comment said, there were a number of the toilets in a couple of restrooms that were out of order for most of the trip.  Maybe the suites are all in tip top condition, we were not that fortunate to be in one, we had a balcony cabin, as did others we came into contact with who had maintenance issues.  As for the food,  I did say it was good, but lacking in imagination and choice of menu in the dining room compared with other cruises. Others felt the same.   Sorry, but we can't all be wrong.  One couple we met have done over 300 cruises, spending more than 7 months away from home throughout the year (yes very lucky) and they said they would probably not sail HAL again after this trip.  After 2 years in dry dock there should not have been issues with cracked sinks, leaking showers and faulty taps with no hot water.  These as I have said before should have been checked and rectified before the ship sailed. 

Everyone has their own experience. However, I am on the sailing @Seasick Sailor mentioned. The food has been excellent and plenty of choices.  The window problem is always an ongoing issue due to sea water. Give them a chance to fix things. There are always things that pop up after a ship has been out of service. That happened to us once and we try not to book after a dry dock, or in this case, after going back in service.  
 

Again, I will say, everyone has their own experience. Mine has been excellent. I have a view of Mt Etna, I’m on a ship, I’m in the Mediterranean.  Things are wonderful!

[richwmn]

3 hours ago, Oldies123 said:

After 2 years in dry dock there should not have been issues with cracked sinks, leaking showers and faulty taps with no hot water.

Being out of service for two years does not equal being in 'dry dock'. In addition, HAL / Carnival had major expenses just to maintain the status, there was little to no money for dry dock repairs although several ships did get a couple of weeks to fix the issues.

[Boatdrill]

On 6/5/2022 at 5:26 AM, Oldies123 said:

Just returned from HAL Med cruise on the Oosterdam.....    They cancelled our Pinnacle and Canelletto dining experiences due to lack of spaces, yes they credited us for this, but ironically then were giving over the tanoy they had lots of availability.....

What does "giving over the tanoy" mean ?

[daisy-mae]

A tannoy (brand name) is what the Brits call a loudspeaker

 

🙂

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, richwmn said:

Being out of service for two years does not equal being in 'dry dock'. In addition, HAL / Carnival had major expenses just to maintain the status, there was little to no money for dry dock repairs although several ships did get a couple of weeks to fix the issues.

The ship was in "warm layup" for about two years.  What this means is that there was a skeleton crew on the vessel to operate and maintain the systems.  This "layup" time was also an excellent opportunity to fix long standing issues that have previously been "deferred."   I understand that there are some HAL fans who will try to excuse any issue and we see this with every cruise line.  But the reality is that it was in HAL's best interests to ensure that their early sailings were a very good experience for all aboard.  We have yet to get back to HAL (not our fault they keep cancelling our cruises) but have been cruising on Seabourn from last August (6 cruises in the form of 3 back to backs) and their ships were immaculate, the ships were fully staffed, some of the food related venues were actually improved, and our experience was outstanding.  No reason why one should not expect that same on HAL (Seabourn is part of the HAL group).  We were also on the Enchanted Princess this past December and that was also a very good experience (Princess is also part of the HAL Group).    On both Seabourn and Princess, all the various venues operated with normal hours (although 1 of the 3 MDRs was closed since the ship was only about 50% of capacity).  I do not recall seeing any rest rooms out of service on Seabourn or Princess.  When something broke, it was quickly repaired (we saw this with a couple of plumbing issues).   Speaking of Seabourn, when we were on the Odyssey back in October we only had 130 passengers on the 450 passenger ship.  But every single dining venue, bar, and entertainment, operated as normal.   And this is as it should be!  Folks pay for the entire cruise experience, not part of the experience.

 

It is become very apparent that HAL is having problems staffing their ships.  So we are not surprised to hear of some venues having limitations.  In fact, HAL has been forced to cancel scheduled cruises because they cannot meet their staffing needs.  Other lines have related issues such as Carnival which has closed some onboard venues because of staffing.

 

 

[richwmn]

@Hlitner

Since your felt the need to respond to me, I will point out that I was responding to Oldies123 who said:

Oldies123 said:

After 2 years in dry dock there should not have been issues with cracked sinks, leaking showers and faulty taps with no hot water

I responded with:

Being out of service for two years does not equal being in 'dry dock'. In addition, HAL / Carnival had major expenses just to maintain the status, there was little to no money for dry dock repairs although several ships did get a couple of weeks to fix the issues.

 

And your response to that, with comments: (My comments in bold italics)

The ship was in "warm layup" for about two years.  What this means is that there was a skeleton crew on the vessel to operate and maintain the systems. 

 

Yes there was a skeleton crew aboard to operate and maintain ESSENTIAL systems.

 

This "layup" time was also an excellent opportunity to fix long standing issues that have previously been "deferred."   

 

The skeleton crew would not have included anyone with the time or expertise to fix much of what you are talking about. The purpose of the “warm layup” is to maintain the ship in the condition it is in. And while, as you said, it would have been an excellent opportunity, that would have taken money above and beyond what HAL / Carnival was already bleeding.

 

I understand that there are some HAL fans who will try to excuse any issue and we see this with every cruise line.  But the reality is that it was in HAL's best interests to ensure that their early sailings were a very good experience for all aboard. 

 

Yes, it was in HAL’s best interests to ensure the early sailings were a good experience. Did they move too quickly? Maybe. We do not and can not know what was involved in making the decisions that were made. In addition, many of the problems would not have been found until the cabins were occupied and “under stress”

 

We have yet to get back to HAL (not our fault they keep cancelling our cruises) but have been cruising on Seabourn from last August (6 cruises in the form of 3 back to backs) and their ships were immaculate, the ships were fully staffed, some of the food related venues were actually improved, and our experience was outstanding.  No reason why one should not expect that same on HAL (Seabourn is part of the HAL group).  We were also on the Enchanted Princess this past December and that was also a very good experience (Princess is also part of the HAL Group).    On both Seabourn and Princess, all the various venues operated with normal hours (although 1 of the 3 MDRs was closed since the ship was only about 50% of capacity).  I do not recall seeing any rest rooms out of service on Seabourn or Princess.  When something broke, it was quickly repaired (we saw this with a couple of plumbing issues).   Speaking of Seabourn, when we were on the Odyssey back in October we only had 130 passengers on the 450 passenger ship.  But every single dining venue, bar, and entertainment, operated as normal.   And this is as it should be!  Folks pay for the entire cruise experience, not part of the experience.

 

I can not comment on either Seabourn or Princess since I have not sailed on either one. I will note that 130 passengers on a Seabourn ship are a lot easier to deal with than 900 on a HAL ship.

 

It is become very apparent that HAL is having problems staffing their ships.  So we are not surprised to hear of some venues having limitations.  In fact, HAL has been forced to cancel scheduled cruises because they cannot meet their staffing needs.  Other lines have related issues such as Carnival which has closed some onboard venues because of staffing.

 

Staffing is a problem across many industries, not just travel and tourism. If a magic pot existed that poured out money without end, all problems could be easily solved. However, in the real world decisions have to be made based on the available cash and projected income. When the projected part isn’t met, things have to change.

[cruisemom42]

Seabourn may be owned by the same company but to me it is not really a valid comparison with what HAL does. 

 

On the other hand Princess and Celebrity would be valid comparisons, and both of them seem to avoided many of the issues that have been noted with HAL ships since re-start. It would appear to me that less is spent on HAL vs. competitors on staffing and maintenance. 

 

If it was an "industry wide" issue, then all lines would be equally impacted. But having been on Celebrity twice now since last summer, and hearing reports re: Princess, one has to assume they are making different choices -- and they are by and large dealing with any shortages in ways that don't significantly impact the passenger experience.

 

I have thought for years that HAL management appears to be on the "stingy" side. I felt a little better with the expenditure on several new ships, but now I am reminded that HAL seems to be flagging in the race against other lines with a similar niche.

 

[Hlitner]

Richwmn, I agree with just about everything in your post.   HAL has long had its share of cheerleaders that either think the line can do no wrong, of perhaps they have not cruised on any other line for a few years so have little basis of comparison.  

 

For us, HAL still offers a pretty good value as its pricing is competitive or even lower than much of its competition.  But just reading the recent posts here on CC there is obviously some big trouble at HAL.  Not only do we have issues with the maintenance onboard, but we have lots of problems with HAL's air arm where we see multiple reports that they do not even ticket some folks (who have already paid for their air).  And we recently read about cancelled cruises and cruise/tours in AK where folks were only given a few weeks notice?  I also seem to recall that HAL cancelled quite a few European cruises (about 3 months ago) for unstated reasons (we assume it was lack of staff).  

 

I could go into a rant about HAL and the things that are not to our liking.  We could talk about HAL's very restrictive dining hours, lack of late night entertainment, cut-backs in live entertainment, elimination of Broadway type production shows, numerous cut-backs in the MDR, MDR add-ons that makes HAL seem like a budget cruise line, etc, etc.  For those who have not recently been on other lines this is not the norm.  And then we could talk about add-ons in the Pinnacle which means we have add-ons to the alternative dining add-ons?  One wonders when HAL will have add-ons to the add-ons to the add-ons such as an extra charge for sauce on your meat!   Folks, this is just not normal.  When we cruise in MSC's Yacht Club there are no add-on options in the dedicated dining room.  Princess no longer has any add-ons in their MDR.  I am not sure about Celebrity, but the last time we were on that line there were no add-ons in the MDR or their best alternative restaurant (Murano) which might be thought of as their Pinnacle.

 

The HAL we USED to KNOW, was a premium cruise line with "tipping not required,"  no add-ons anywhere, decent production shows backed with a live 7 piece band, etc. etc.  Now we have photographers in our face, art auctions, clothing sales, etc.  My goodness, we would soon expect that HAL will  soon announce their hourly "Blue Light Specials."  "Attention cruisers, come to the atrium to get your special HAL Logo T-shirt for only $9.99 1/2!

 

This takes me back to what I posted more than 2 years ago.  HAL seems to be a cruise line without a rudder.  Where are they going?  Who is their target audience when all the parents of the seniors are gone?  I do not have the answers but we have no intention of booking any more HAL cruises until we find out the answers.  Meanwhile, our 42 day Westy booking to a closed country is looking like another HAL snafu.

 

Hank

[MAVIP]

On 6/6/2022 at 4:11 PM, Oldies123 said:

  And as to the late embarkation - this was no fault of ours and the least they could have done was to provide us with a meal of some sorts on arrival on board, 

Did you call room service? 

[ski ww]

Thank you for posting about your cruise. I think these are all very important issues that should be addressed. And it's important that management hear about these problems so they can be fixed, you can't fix it if you don't know it's broken. We also had a problem with HAL's FlightEase for our up coming cruise. I hope all these problems get fixed before our cruise on her in July. We're on the the 14 day out of Athens. 

[Oldies123]

4 hours ago, MAVIP said:

Did you call room service? 

We were not told that was an option until much later, but after being cooped up on 2 planes, coaches and transfers etc, we wanted a nice meal in the ambience of the ship to help us relax, not to have to sit in a cabin with a restricted meal of some sorts balanced on our knee and waiting for our luggage.  HAL knew what time we were getting on board, there were quite a few of us, it wouldn't have been too difficult to set aside some part of the Lido or dining room even with a limited meal and a drink of some sorts.  After all it was down to them we were so late.  We all got the impression they just wanted us to get on board so they could set sail and deal with any issues the following day - of which there were plenty.  Sorry, but this is not the service we have come to expect from HAL, no consideration at all for us latecomers, through no fault of our own.

[Oldies123]

18 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

What does "giving over the tanoy" mean ?

Loudspeaker, sorry, we refer to it as tannoy.

[cruisinMAP]

On 6/5/2022 at 8:30 AM, pschweig said:

My extended family of 6 is boarding this ship on July 2. I have looked every day for information from people who have completed a recent cruise and appreciate your comments. 

We are going then also.... Can't wait!

[nyold]

On 6/8/2022 at 9:08 AM, Oldies123 said:

We were not told that was an option until much later, but after being cooped up on 2 planes, coaches and transfers etc, we wanted a nice meal in the ambience of the ship to help us relax, not to have to sit in a cabin with a restricted meal of some sorts balanced on our knee and waiting for our luggage.  HAL knew what time we were getting on board, there were quite a few of us, it wouldn't have been too difficult to set aside some part of the Lido or dining room even with a limited meal and a drink of some sorts.  After all it was down to them we were so late.  We all got the impression they just wanted us to get on board so they could set sail and deal with any issues the following day - of which there were plenty.  Sorry, but this is not the service we have come to expect from HAL, no consideration at all for us latecomers, through no fault of our own.

 

I just got back from a totally different sailing (Montreal - Boston) but something similar happened here. There was a massive delay in docking at Bar Harbor, Maine, and as a result many people got back on board around 3 pm, and a lot of these were HAL's own excursions. These excursions started late because the docking was late, otherwise they would have been back around 1 pm.

 

When we got back, lido was closed, dive in was open and was absolutely slammed with volumes of request and we had to wait 10 minutes to even be seen. All bars were closed except lido bar, so same thing with getting drinks.

 

My point is, HAL knew about this time of people getting back, and it was their own "fault" that things were so late, not because passengers were spending extra time in town or what not. So the least they could do is to keep a section of lido buffet open even if it's a smaller offering, or things like cold cuts which are less perishable. It would have been highly appreciated. I think it's a case of them not thinking things through. 

[Florida_gal_50]

4 minutes ago, nyold said:

 

I just got back from a totally different sailing (Montreal - Boston) but something similar happened here. There was a massive delay in docking at Bar Harbor, Maine, and as a result many people got back on board around 3 pm, and a lot of these were HAL's own excursions. These excursions started late because the docking was late, otherwise they would have been back around 1 pm.

 

When we got back, lido was closed, dive in was open and was absolutely slammed with volumes of request and we had to wait 10 minutes to even be seen. All bars were closed except lido bar, so same thing with getting drinks.

 

My point is, HAL knew about this time of people getting back, and it was their own "fault" that things were so late, not because passengers were spending extra time in town or what not. So the least they could do is to keep a section of lido buffet open even if it's a smaller offering, or things like cold cuts which are less perishable. It would have been highly appreciated. I think it's a case of them not thinking things through. 

I’m not defending hal but they are very, very rigid in their thinking.   It’s been that way for years and years.  I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they had a stopwatch to close down the lido.  It wouldn’t kill them to at least have something open, especially in circumstances like this.

[terrydtx]

42 minutes ago, nyold said:

 

I just got back from a totally different sailing (Montreal - Boston) but something similar happened here. There was a massive delay in docking at Bar Harbor, Maine, and as a result many people got back on board around 3 pm, and a lot of these were HAL's own excursions. These excursions started late because the docking was late, otherwise they would have been back around 1 pm.

 

When we got back, lido was closed, dive in was open and was absolutely slammed with volumes of request and we had to wait 10 minutes to even be seen. All bars were closed except lido bar, so same thing with getting drinks.

 

My point is, HAL knew about this time of people getting back, and it was their own "fault" that things were so late, not because passengers were spending extra time in town or what not. So the least they could do is to keep a section of lido buffet open even if it's a smaller offering, or things like cold cuts which are less perishable. It would have been highly appreciated. I think it's a case of them not thinking things through. 

I think it inexcusable that no food venues were open other than Dive-in which is usually slow service when not slammed.  Was the option of room service available?

[Hlitner]

I have noticed for many years that HAL fans will quickly counter criticism of HAL's limited dining hours by mentioning room service.  To us, room service is a lousy alternative and has a relatively limited menu.  Consider that if we were to come back to a Princess ship around 3pm we could choose from the Lido (open nearly all day and evening), Alfredos (or Gigis on some ships) where they have a menu of pizza, pasta, salads, the International Cafe (open 24/7) where they have a selection of salads, sandwiches, and desserts,  the burger place which is on deck, another pizza place on the pool deck, and even room service.   If we were on Celebrity there also would be several options.  Even on the small ships of Seabourn, the counter at Seabourn Square is open all day where one can get a sandwich, salad, etc. 

 

We have long wondered about HAL's limited (or to quote another post "rigid") hours for their Lido.  Most other cruise lines keep their Lidos open all day....although the selections may be somewhat limited outside of the more popular hours.  We have long suggested (on post cruise comment cards) that HAL keep part of the Lido open all day.

 

Hank

[terrydtx]

18 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I have noticed for many years that HAL fans will quickly counter criticism of HAL's limited dining hours by mentioning room service.  To us, room service is a lousy alternative and has a relatively limited menu.  Consider that if we were to come back to a Princess ship around 3pm we could choose from the Lido (open nearly all day and evening), Alfredos (or Gigis on some ships) where they have a menu of pizza, pasta, salads, the International Cafe (open 24/7) where they have a selection of salads, sandwiches, and desserts,  the burger place which is on deck, another pizza place on the pool deck, and even room service.   If we were on Celebrity there also would be several options.  Even on the small ships of Seabourn, the counter at Seabourn Square is open all day where one can get a sandwich, salad, etc. 

 

We have long wondered about HAL's limited (or to quote another post "rigid") hours for their Lido.  Most other cruise lines keep their Lidos open all day....although the selections may be somewhat limited outside of the more popular hours.  We have long suggested (on post cruise comment cards) that HAL keep part of the Lido open all day.

 

Hank

I as many know am not a HAL fan and only mention room service as an alternative to the Dive in if all other venues are closed. We are big fans now of Celebrity and on our last cruise in August on port days there was one section of the buffet open with cold cuts and pre-made delicious sandwiches from 2pm to 5pm. The Sushi on 5 specialty restaurant is also open from 3pm on port days. The Mast grill with hamburgers and pizza was also open. On sea days every dining venue was open normal hours even with our ship at 40% capacity.

Edited June 11, 2022 by terrydtx

[nyold]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

I think it inexcusable that no food venues were open other than Dive-in which is usually slow service when not slammed.  Was the option of room service available?

 

To be fair, yes room service was available, but no we didn't try it because we weren't sure how fast it would have been, plus we were already on the lido deck. I mean sure we could order on the app, or go down to our room and make the call, and wait there, and then bring the food back up, but it's just.... unpleasant, right?

 

Echoing what the other commenter said, there is this sense that everything is timed and scheduled and there's no "deviation" allowed. It is efficient, sure, but ship schedules are far from guaranteed. So in trying to achieve efficiency, they're sacrificing flexibility to "go above and beyond" in situations like these. 

[nyold]

32 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We have long wondered about HAL's limited (or to quote another post "rigid") hours for their Lido.  Most other cruise lines keep their Lidos open all day....although the selections may be somewhat limited outside of the more popular hours.  We have long suggested (on post cruise comment cards) that HAL keep part of the Lido open all day.

 

Hank

 

I was wondering about these too. We rarely need food outside of the popular hours, because we'd be stuffed most of the time. When we do, it would be because of a special circumstance like a messed up timing (sometimes HAL's fault, sometimes not their fault). In this case, there's almost no dignified option available to us. I was thinking if they keep open a small section of the lido, even if it's like sandwich or pizza station, that requires minimal supervision, that would have been highly appreciated. 

[albingirl]

12 minutes ago, nyold said:

 

I was wondering about these too. We rarely need food outside of the popular hours, because we'd be stuffed most of the time. When we do, it would be because of a special circumstance like a messed up timing (sometimes HAL's fault, sometimes not their fault). In this case, there's almost no dignified option available to us. I was thinking if they keep open a small section of the lido, even if it's like sandwich or pizza station, that requires minimal supervision, that would have been highly appreciated. 

It seemed to me that, at least on the Pinnacle class ships, that the NY deli and pizza station is open all day into the evening.  If you want something other than that, say a salad or something else, you are going to be out of luck.  Lido does close early. 

[terrydtx]

22 minutes ago, nyold said:

 

I was wondering about these too. We rarely need food outside of the popular hours, because we'd be stuffed most of the time. When we do, it would be because of a special circumstance like a messed up timing (sometimes HAL's fault, sometimes not their fault). In this case, there's almost no dignified option available to us. I was thinking if they keep open a small section of the lido, even if it's like sandwich or pizza station, that requires minimal supervision, that would have been highly appreciated. 

Our last HAL cruise was on the Noordam in Alaska in 2019, we were with our 10 year old grandson who as he said had a bottomless stomach. I do no remember not having the Lido open later in the afternoon after we returned from shore excursions as I know our GS would have wanted something to eat at those times. That was 4 years ago and maybe my memory is not too good.

Edited June 11, 2022 by terrydtx

[kazu]

31 minutes ago, albingirl said:

It seemed to me that, at least on the Pinnacle class ships, that the NY deli and pizza station is open all day into the evening.  If you want something other than that, say a salad or something else, you are going to be out of luck.  Lido does close early. 

 

My memory is short but I believe that the ready made sandwiches were left out until very late - close to Lido opening time for dinner.

Pizza is available from 11 am on.  On the ships that have the NY Pizza station, it is made to order along with salads, etc.  The other ships - the pizza is there but not exciting IMO.  and of course, Dive In is open as well as room service.

 

This was all B.C. (Before Covid).

[Storylady]

2 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I’m not defending hal but they are very, very rigid in their thinking.   It’s been that way for years and years.  I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they had a stopwatch to close down the lido.  It wouldn’t kill them to at least have something open, especially in circumstances like this.

I believe the Lido closes early so that their hardworking staff can have a break in the middle of the day as they will be working from about 4 PM until 10 or 11 PM cleaning up from late evening service and resetting tables, etc. I don’t think anybody is starving on a cruise ship. If you are so desperate to have a meal and you know you are back late, have something to eat onshore.

 

I go on a cruise to enjoy the destination and the sea. If the complainers are happy with the cruise lines they are cruising, they should post on those board not on the board that they aren’t cruising. I never understood the reason why they come back to complain when they haven’t been on HAL for years. 
 

I like the crew, my accommodations, the wrap around promenade deck, the sea and destinations. I just don’t seem to see all the problems that everyone is nit picking about over and over again. 
 

For the record, we have been on the Koningsdam in November for 2 weeks. We were in the Zuiderdam in January for 2 weeks. We spent a week on the Rotterdam for 1 week. And we just departed the Zuiderdam after 3 more weeks. All of our cruises were great, we got plenty to eat and fantastic ports of call and really enjoyed being at sea again. As for the ships, they all looked great. And I am sure the Oosterdam will look also fantastic when we do sail on her. 
 

And yes, we are HAL fans for many of the reasons stated above.
 

[Heartgrove]

I have to laugh about the complaints concerning food service on HAL. Don't ever sail on Viking Ocean with their convoluted food service.