How do You Perceive Cruise Value on HAL Ships

[mcrcruiser]

With cruise prices rising ,what makes you feel that you are getting fair value for your cabin purchases?  Or do you feel that there is some things lacking ?

[Catlover54]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

With cruise prices rising ,what makes you feel that you are getting fair value for your cabin purchases?  Or do you feel that there is some things lacking ?

 

I assess the value based on the cost/joy ratio of available alternatives.  I compare not just with other cruise lines or land vacations, but also the option of just staying at our home, which is in a beautiful area many people come to for their vacations, so it's a challenging comparison (as you can also likely appreciate given your reported residence in the lovely San Diego area).

 

I am a relative newbie to HAL, and truly enjoyed my recent trip on the Rotterdam in a big suite.  Despite the cost, (and there is obviously a limit to what I want to pay) I enjoyed it more than my latest cruise on a "luxury" line, (per dollar spent) where I paid a comparable amount of money for less space, worse service, limited activity choices, and the feeling that the emperor had no clothes.  

To compare, I did not enjoy my much, much  cheaper trip on the Zandam in 2019 in a mere balcony cabin -- not because I disliked the cabin, which was more than fine, but because the service I experienced almost everywhere else (from restaurants to guest services) at the time was annoying and/or rude --  perhaps because I was not a VIP or frequent cruiser, traveled solo, and didn't have any "connections" to help me navigate the maze of irritations (or some combination thereof). 

 

I look forwarding to more experiences on HAL (likely on  Pinnacle ships) , but will also continue to explore and explore elsewhere, and assess cost/joy ratios.  

Rising costs unfortunately reflect inflation in food and labor expenses, and I would prefer HAL and other lines continue to raise prices rather than seriously cheapen their product. One cost-cutting measure I did not care for was the absence of even a single real enrichment speaker on my recent cruise, on a cruise with 2500 pax. I suspect there are plenty of retired professors and/or scientists/naturalists who are cruising or traveling anyway and who would be more than happy to give enrichment talks here and there at minimal cost, perhaps as little as the cost of a slight discount on their cruisefare and/or free laundry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by Catlover54
Typo

[mcrcruiser]

4 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

 

I assess the value based on the cost/joy ratio of available alternatives.  I compare not just with other cruise lines or land vacations, but also the option of just staying at our home, which is in a beautiful area many people come to for their vacations, so it's a challenging comparison (as you can also likely appreciate given your reported residence in the lovely San Diego area).

 

I am a relative newbie to HAL, and truly enjoyed my recent trip on the Rotterdam in a big suite.  Despite the cost, (and there is obviously a limit to what I want to pay) I enjoyed it more than my latest cruise on a "luxury" line, (per dollar spent) where I paid a comparable amount of money for less space, worse service, limited activity choices, and the feeling that the emperor had no clothes.  

To compare, I did not enjoy my much, much  cheaper trip on the Zandam in 2019 in a mere balcony cabin -- not because I disliked the cabin, which was more than fine, but because the service I experienced almost everywhere else (from restaurants to guest services) at the time was annoying and/or rude --  perhaps because I was not a VIP or frequent cruiser, traveled solo, and didn't have any "connections" to help me navigate the maze of irritations (or some combination thereof). 

 

I look forwarding to more experiences on HAL (likely on  Pinnacle ships) , but will also continue to explore and rexplore elsewhere, and assess cost/joy ratios.  

Rising costs unfortunately reflect inflation in food and labor expenses, and I would prefer HAL and other lines continue to raise prices rather than seriously cheapen their product. One cost-cutting measure I did not care for was the absence of even a single real enrichment speaker on my recent cruise, on a cruise with 2500 pax. I suspect there are plenty of retired professors and/or scientists/naturalists who are cruising or traveling anyway and who would be more than happy to given enrichment talks here and there at minimal cost, perhaps as little as the cost of a slight discount on their cruisefare and/or free laundry.

Thank you for such a thoughtful & thought out reply This the  best I ever heard 😀

4 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jammu2]

Idk. Cruise fares on some HAL ships/cruises are ridiculously cheap. Too cheap to provide good food or good service.

 

I am on Nieuw Amsterdam in May and reading the reviews, nothing has changed for the better since last year. We shall see.

 

I told my spouse and other traveling companions not to book anything else until we have completed our cruises on HAL and Princess in the spring. 

[OlsSalt]

My DH said it best, when it comes to the value of HAL ships: they are still nice to you,  even after you have handed out tips at the end of the cruise.

[mcrcruiser]

13 hours ago, Jammu2 said:

Idk. Cruise fares on some HAL ships/cruises are ridiculously cheap. Too cheap to provide good food or good service.

 

I am on Nieuw Amsterdam in May and reading the reviews, nothing has changed for the better since last year. We shall see.

 

I told my spouse and other traveling companions not to book anything else until we have completed our cruises on HAL and Princess in the spring. 

We know that HAL is increasing fares as well as all the other  cruise lines . Their costs keep rising because inflation is still there ,especially  for food & not so much for fuel costs  . Then their land based staffs are getting  higher salaries   .This all reflects in higher cruise prices which I do not mind as long as the quality & variety of food improves along with those price increases

[cruisemom42]

22 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

This all reflects in higher cruise prices which I do not mind as long as the quality & variety of food improves along with those price increases

 

When you pay more for a gallon of gas or a dozen eggs, you're not getting better gas or an extra egg. The same factors that are causing costs to rise everywhere are impacting cruise lines too, forcing them to raise their prices -- why should you expect to receive something "more" for your money when the cruise line is having to raise prices just to make the same $ profits?

 

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by cruisemom42

[mcrcruiser]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

When you pay more for a gallon of gas or a dozen eggs, you're not getting better gas or an extra egg. The same prices that are causing costs to rise everywhere are impacting cruise lines too, forcing them to raise their prices -- why should you expect to receive something "more" for your money when the cruise line is having to raise prices just to make the same $ profits?

 

 

  The problem is not that  the cruise lines are raising prices  but while they do this  there have been severe cutbacks in both quality & selections once included . That scenario can not last & be successful  in the hospitality business

Additionally, like another poster  pointed out that Pinnacle has additional charges above & beyond their stated prices 

 

 I will say that I rather pay a basic price for the cabin like a hotel room & then pay for the food I want to eat ,rather than the cruise lines deciding what I will eat  .I can tell you that HALs Lasanga  in the MDR on Koningsdam in December was the worst pasta I ever saw .I tasted it & sent it back with a note to the chef because it wasn't even a close resemblance  .This is what I call   garbage food . Not only did they try to sell uneatable food but they over taxed their wait staff who were terribly understaffed to begin with . HAL needs to get up to speed on their food quality as well as selections  or suffer far lower sales 

 

 

 

 

[Iamthesea]

13 hours ago, Jammu2 said:

I told my spouse and other traveling companions not to book anything else until we have completed our cruises on HAL and Princess in the spring. 

DH and I have an upcoming cruise on the Nieuw Statendam.  Our first cruise since before the pandemic.  We are eyeing two more HAL cruises for the future.  One for Fall and one for next Spring.  After reading all of the negativity on these boards, we are also going to wait until the end of upcoming cruise to book any other cruises.

[mcrcruiser]

13 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

DH and I have an upcoming cruise on the Nieuw Statendam.  Our first cruise since before the pandemic.  We are eyeing two more HAL cruises for the future.  One for Fall and one for next Spring.  After reading all of the negativity on these boards, we are also going to wait until the end of upcoming cruise to book any other cruises.

smart move .Suggestion , depending on how you feel ,you may want to buy future cruise credits for $100 each . You may also find a HAL cruise that came out within 90 days where as even a one star Mariner (one past cruise ) you will get extra on board  credits from the future Sales Department on board Statendam . We did this in December while sailing on Koningsdam & booked the 14 hight Mexico.solar Eclipse Cruise on Zaandam for March 30 .2024 . We got a total  $500 new on board credit  & then my Travel Agent gave me a better net price 

Ph we used the (2 )  $100  FCC I also bought on the ship as the total deposit . Of course ,if we have any  bad negatives  like the food quality  on our 18 night Hawaii Cruise on Koningsdam  Jan 30 2024 ,I will cancel this  Mexico cruise . We think that is  fair to everyone 

Edited March 3, 2023 by mcrcruiser

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

.I can tell you that HALs Lasanga  in the MDR on Koningsdam in December was the worst pasta I ever saw .I tasted it & sent it back with a note to the chef because it wasn't even a close resemblance  .This is what I call   garbage food .

 

Ahhh, the #RusticLasagna raises its starchy head again....   🤣

 

I agree the cutbacks since COVID are a bit disturbing. But unlike you, I'd rather pay more overall and have more things continue to be included in the cruise fare. E.g., I'd rather eat in the MDR, knowing I can enjoy a good (if not always great) meal vs. having to pay for and make arrangements to go to specialty dining every night.

[mcrcruiser]

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Ahhh, the #RusticLasagna raises its starchy head again....   🤣

 

I agree the cutbacks since COVID are a bit disturbing. But unlike you, I'd rather pay more overall and have more things continue to be included in the cruise fare. E.g., I'd rather eat in the MDR, knowing I can enjoy a good (if not always great) meal vs. having to pay for and make arrangements to go to specialty dining every night.

 That is what makes this world go around ,we all have different needs & wants . We love good sea food & great steaks & lamb chops .Now you can not get that in the MDR ,at any time

[SilvertoGold]

I consider price as well as 5 star perks which do add up to some savings.  I see some ridiculously high fares, some so-so and some reasonable. Pax have many choices.

 

HAL has reduced service/nice additions in so many ways (no chocolates, no towel animals, choose one stateroom service per day, etc) the value is beginning to look debatable.

 

All in all HAL is good value and if they tone down the rush to add-on pricing (MDR, Pinnacle) and this nonsense about paying for more than one appetizer/soup/salad in the Pinnacle, plus put an end to the long string of cutbacks, then HAL can remain a good value (for us, at least). 

Edited March 3, 2023 by SilvertoGold

[badtwin]

1 hour ago, mcrcruiser said:

 That is what makes this world go around ,we all have different needs & wants . We love good sea food & great steaks & lamb chops .Now you can not get that in the MDR ,at any time

Just back one week on Nieuw Statendam in Caribbean.  I had two nights with tenderloin, one new York strip and one night prime rib in mdr. DH had lamb chops one night and some other lamb dishes too.  The tenderloin in mdr seemed the same quality as served at pinnacle lunch

 

Which is not to say we didn't notice some cutbacks, but I found mdr quite good.  I love a good ribeye too but love variety of mdr.  

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by badtwin
Forgot something

[DCThunder]

For me, the value is in the itinerary of the cruise.  I have no interest in 7 day Eastern or Western Caribbean cruises to the same old islands unless it's an extraordinarily low fare.  I'm willing to pay a premium fare (not a Viking or Silverseas premium fare, I'm not Mr. Gotbucks) to do 28 days in Alaska or an Antarctic sail-by cruise or the like. 

 

I've also learned that life is too short to get all worked up if the lasagna isn't like what some old Italian mamma made or the steak in the MDR isn't "cut with a fork" tender.  I'm eating that food on a ship going somewhere I've never been before and I'm more fortunate than 90% of the people on earth to be able to be on that ship.

 

Only the individual can determine if the cruise they took gave good "value" for hard earned money.  Take the advice on the CC boards (including mine) for what it's worth, which may or may not be valuable.

 

Happy Friday!

[Colorado Klutch]

18 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

With cruise prices rising ,what makes you feel that you are getting fair value for your cabin purchases?  Or do you feel that there is some things lacking ?

 

My Alaska cruise in May aboard Koningsdam will be my first cruise. I'm all about value and I researched until my eyes were bleeding. Here was my rationale:

- HAL ships are much smaller than megaships. I have no desire to board a megaship, so I was willing to pay a little more for a smaller, HAL ship. The even smaller ships, like with Seaborne, are a bit beyond my current budget. 

- Mrs. Klutch and I wanted a quiet/chill cruise. I have no desire to witness a hairy man contest or belly flop contest. We tend to go to bed early and get up early rather than party the night away. I can do Karaoke anywhere. Nothing wrong with those things if people like them, but I'm not interested. This also attracted me to HAL.

- Numerous reviews and videos suggested the food aboard HAL is pretty good if not mind-blowing. Pretty good is fine for me. I wanted to avoid "rough" food which I had read about on other cruise lines. I'm willing to pay a little more for better food.

- I really liked that the Lido Market aboard HAL ships had individual stations where the staff serve up individual food items. I've never been a fan of buffets where hordes of people run wild. (I experienced a similar buffet at the Boma Buffet at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and really liked it.)

 

- Everyone I know who does cruises goes aboard megaships with Carnival or similar. They enjoyed their cruises, but based on their descriptions, it wasn't something I wanted. I'm willing to pay a little more for something different. To me, that's value. 

We shall see how it work out...
 

[robotpony]

I'll offer some non-cruiser perspective. We didn't start cruising until fairly recently, so most of our vacations have been the typical resort or hotel experience.

 

Our cruises so far have been comparable to Allcor/Fairmont level resort stays ($300/night) and better than our Bovoy/Marriott stays, but at more modest prices (sometimes better than Marriott-level prices). There are several huge plusses to cruising compared to resort stays:

 

• The hotel magically appears in different ports every few days
• The hotel moves up and down and I sleep like a dream
• Views change regularly, and lots of chill spaces
• Regular entertainment, and good value for basic nightlife
• Several food choices, and even more in port
• Low stress overall, compared to booking multiple legs and navigating various transit/road systems on our own

 

It's worth noting that service at most of our favourite hotels has evolved over the pandemic and over time, and it roughly matches the changes we've seen in our few years with HA. Most of the changes aren't only penny-pinching, but also driven by how difficult the supply chain is, and how many employees need to be hired and approved for immigration. These problems are affecting hotels and restaurants too, quite significantly in some cases.

 

I expect (and will be vocal with HAL) that food quality should improve as supply chains and cost increases slow down. The food on our November/December cruise was generally good to great, but had room for improvement. Service was good, but sometimes stretched thin (compared to previous experiences). We were also guests at Fairmont Whistler in the Fall and a Disney hotel in September, and both had similar food and staffing issues, so to us it feels like HAL is navigating the same set of challenges as other similar land-based businesses. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by robotpony
(Spelling corrections)

[CNSJ]

12 minutes ago, robotpony said:

I'll offer some non-cruiser perspective. We didn't start cruising until fairly recently, so most of our vacations have been the typical resort or hotel experience.

 

Our cruises so far have been comparable to Allcor/Fairmont level resort stays ($300/night) and better than our Bovoy/Marriott stays, but at more modest prices (sometimes better than Marriott-level prices). There are several huge plusses to cruising compared to resort stays:

 

• The hotel magically appears in different ports every few days
• The hotel moves up and down and I sleep like a dream
• Views change regularly, and lots of chill spaces
• Regular entertainment, and good value for basic nightlife
• Several food choices, and even more in port
• Low stress overall, compared to booking multiple legs and navigating various transit/road systems on our own

 

It's worth noting that service at most of our favourite hotels has evolved over the pandemic and over time, and it roughly matches the changes we've seen in our few years with HA. Most of the changes aren't only penny-pinching, but also driven by how difficult the supply chain is, and how many employees need to be hired and approved for immigration. These problems are affecting hotels and restaurants too, quite significantly in some cases.

 

I expect (and will be vocal with HAL) that food quality should improve as supply chains and cost increases slow down. The food on our November/December cruise was generally good to great, but had room for improvement. Service was good, but sometimes stretched thin (compared to previous experiences). We were also guests at Fairmont Whistler in the Fall and a Disney hotel in September, and both had similar food and staffing issues, so to us it feels like HAL is navigating the same set of challenges as other similar land-based businesses. 

 

 

 

 

Very well put!

[cbr663]

19 hours ago, Jammu2 said:

....

 

I told my spouse and other traveling companions not to book anything else until we have completed our cruises on HAL and Princess in the spring. 

 

We are also taking the same approach.  We are not booking anything else until after our Alaska cruise in May.  There is a lot riding on this cruise.  We are finally at a point in our life when we are free to start checking off our cruise bucket list.  This cruise will be the deciding factor on whether we move forward with HAL or check out another line.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, Colorado Klutch said:

 

My Alaska cruise in May aboard Koningsdam will be my first cruise. I'm all about value and I researched until my eyes were bleeding. Here was my rationale:

- HAL ships are much smaller than megaships. I have no desire to board a megaship, so I was willing to pay a little more for a smaller, HAL ship. The even smaller ships, like with Seaborne, are a bit beyond my current budget. 

- Mrs. Klutch and I wanted a quiet/chill cruise. I have no desire to witness a hairy man contest or belly flop contest. We tend to go to bed early and get up early rather than party the night away. I can do Karaoke anywhere. Nothing wrong with those things if people like them, but I'm not interested. This also attracted me to HAL.

- Numerous reviews and videos suggested the food aboard HAL is pretty good if not mind-blowing. Pretty good is fine for me. I wanted to avoid "rough" food which I had read about on other cruise lines. I'm willing to pay a little more for better food.

- I really liked that the Lido Market aboard HAL ships had individual stations where the staff serve up individual food items. I've never been a fan of buffets where hordes of people run wild. (I experienced a similar buffet at the Boma Buffet at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and really liked it.)

 

- Everyone I know who does cruises goes aboard megaships with Carnival or similar. They enjoyed their cruises, but based on their descriptions, it wasn't something I wanted. I'm willing to pay a little more for something different. To me, that's value. 

We shall see how it work out...
 

 

Your list of items are reasons I like HAL. So I think you'll be happy with your choice.

 

[DesertRat46]

We had 3 good HAL cruises last year. The food on the Zaandam, Zuierdam and Noordam was OK, but not great. Service was mostly good. Getting drinks in the MDR was a hassle every time, but otherwise we were pleased.

We have another cruise book for January of next year and hope that the experience will be just as good. 

We usually sail with HAL or Celebrity, and what I'm reading on CruiseCritic suggests that, so far, HAL has not made some of the more drastic cost-cutting steps that Celebrity has taken.

Guess we'll find out in January.

[REOVA]

We are itinerary driven and the ship is "just" a vessel to get "there" so value becomes what's the best, enjoyable mode to get to port.  I can camp on the ground in open air but DW is much more particular (a step above "glamping" 🤣). We are not ultra foodies but enjoy hot, good tasting and edible meals. We do prefer small ships. HAL has met our needs for many years ,in interior to Neptune Suites, and we've tried a few lines and can enjoy any depending on ship size and itinerary for a good "value".

 

After a few decades on HAL, we've only sailed HAL post COVID because we've needed to use FCC and can see the challenges they are having with 40% decline in entertainers, crew and supply chain. We expect change. We sleep the same whether there's a towel animal, chocolates (which we save and give to crew) or yum yums after dinner. But we do notice the difference. 

 

We just recently did a 7 day on MSC in Yacht Club (which was 60% the price of a 7 day in  Neptune Suite on NS). Based on reviews and the 3500+ passengers and 18 decks, we expected the worst. I was going to do a post comparing our experience compared to HAL Neptune experiences (but not sure there is any interest here). Surprised to say we were blown away at what they offered, price point and quality of the "Ship within a ship" and food service. The entertainment was better, food better and service better than our past few HAL cruises since 2019. While it's apples to pineapples (one is a bit sweeter) for the 2 cruise lines, you wonder how they can pull off what they do at their prices. (There were some misses). I am sure others who have cruised them (or Celebrity or NCL Haven) will notice changes/ cut backs and complain, but having never sailed on MSC, we didn't/wouldn't notice changes. And we haven't sailed on NCL since 1992 so never experienced Haven but would assume we would not notice issues reported there either. 

 

What we did notice is we feel more comfortable on small HAL ships. We don't want mega ships. Outside of Yacht Club, it was a Carnival Cruise. Inside Yacht Club, with a lounge the size of Crows Nest, private bar, piano player, pool and sundeck, we were cruising on a "ship" of 150+ passengers. If we wanted to visit the rest of the 7+ entertainment areas, watch the nightly shows or visit alternative restaurants or bars, it was available there. MSC's new Explora Journeys line looks interesting but much more luxurious than we want to be. (Maybe). 

 

Value is derived by many subjective factors. We still feel HAL offers a niche that no one can touch for the price. There may be some lines breaching its stern that could pass it in the future, especially if changes are not made for the better, but we still can enjoy cruising on a small HAL ship, with the right itinerary. 

[PalmSprings]

While many things impact each individual’s perception of overall value, food quality has always been a benchmark for me.  On our November sailing on NS, our embarkation night dinner at Rudi’s was so spectacular that it colored my view of the food on the whole trip (which was very good - including the Thanksgiving options in the MDR).   For less than 50 bucks each, my husband and I both got a meal that was among the best we had ever had anywhere and the service was impeccable.  If anything, we came away more convinced that ever that HAL provides a great experience for our lifestyle (older, but still reasonably active), and are eagerly looking forward to our Panama Canal sailing on the Volendam next month.

[mcrcruiser]

Thank you all for your  very insightful  points on how you perceive value  on HAL cruises

[terrydtx]

We are at this point in our lives where we will cruise only on 3 lines, HAL, Celebrity and Oceania. Our criteria's are first an itinerary that we want to do and then who has the better deal at the class of cabin and ship we want. We love having a bigger cabin on Celebrity so we book only in Sky Suites specially on their new E Class ships so that we get a traditional open air balcony. All the amenities of booking Celebrity suites and their Retreat product can not be matched by HAL.  IMO HAL's suites do not offer anything much more than a bigger cabin. If booking standard veranda cabins HAL is our choice over Celebrity in cost and value over booking Celebrity in a non-suite. Even a HAL Vista or Signature suite is a better value than Celebrity's non suites. This why we have two upcoming cruises on HAL they won out over Celebrity and Oceania.