After Reading Numerous Posts over the last Several Weeks, These are my thoughts

[bennybear]

18 minutes ago, Ottawa traveller said:

I've finally decided to add my two cents to this issue.  I was on the Westerdam in March-April on a 28 day B2B around Japan.  There was a daily blog being posted about the cruise on this page which was mostly complaints and I read it every day and wondered if I was on the same cruise. I will concede his points about shortages of alcohol and issues with charges that needed to be corrected. I don't drink alcohol so I did not have that experience.  I know that we did reprovision in Keelung, Taiwan and Busan, Korea where they also picked up a part to repair one of the azipods.   This was a port intensive cruise - 20 ports with 11 in a row in the middle of it.  I checked the maritime traffic  maps from time to time and we were the only large international ship in those waters. I do know that a couple of smaller ones from Oceania and Seabourn (I think) were there. We visited ports that larger ships could not possibly have stopped at due to the small size of the local towns.  This is where HAL excels.  I found myself so busy touring during the day that I had very little energy for late evening entertainment. The ship had come out of a recent drydock. I was so impressed with the linen and draperies in the cabin that I asked if they were new. Apparently some were and the rest just professionally cleaned. The carpets were cleaned during the cruise. Everything in the cabin  (a VA) was in excellent shape.  The cabin stewards were excellent. I thought they were maybe the friendliest and most helpful in all my sailing days. I would say the same about my Dining Room stewards.  I went to the Front Office a few times with questions and they were quickly and politely dealt with.  I have rebooked on the Westerdam for next fall and the Oosterdam for January because I really want to go where they are sailing.

Nice to read other comments.  

[trivia addict]

11 minutes ago, CNSJ said:

Agree with you Trivia Addict, but its not just cruises.... Hotels, Airlines, etc.  ALL have had slips in service. Part of its labor issues, part of its cost.  We have hyper inflation and the industry (travel) has been gut punched.  I have more patience than most I am afraid.....

And also agree with you on all of the points that you make.

[Roz]

16 hours ago, grannyshell said:

We're considering a Med. cruise in 2024 on Oosterdam. I've been reading reviews and quite frankly, I'm horrified. Food/beverages unavailable, toilets backing up, leaks, mold, broken thermostats that can't be fixed for the entire cruise, badly soiled soft goods, missed ports, chaos during embarking/disembarking. Review after review. I think we'll look elsewhere. 

 

This was not my recent experience on the Oosterdam.  I disembarked on April 10 from a 31-day cruise.  The ship was out of blueberries (temporarily) and raisin bran.  Nothing to be horrified over.  Missed ports?  We didn't miss any ports and if a ship misses a port, it's usually due to weather conditions or something going on at the port beyond the cruise line's control.  I met and talked with numerous other passengers in the course of 31 days, I never heard any accounts of toilets backing up, leaks, mold, broken thermostats, or badly soiled soft goods.  

[Mary229]

4 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

This was not my recent experience on the Oosterdam.  I disembarked on April 10 from a 31-day cruise.  The ship was out of blueberries (temporarily) and raisin bran.  Nothing to be horrified over.  Missed ports?  We didn't miss any ports and if a ship misses a port, it's usually due to weather conditions or something going on at the port beyond the cruise line's control.  I met and talked with numerous other passengers in the course of 31 days, I never heard any accounts of toilets backing up, leaks, mold, broken thermostats, or badly soiled soft goods.  

I trust your report thoroughly as you always balance the good with the bad. I am glad to hear all went well.     On our last sailing there were quite a few discontented passengers but we just didn’t see the same issues they were discussing.   🤷‍♀️

[DCThunder]

1 hour ago, southamptoncruisers said:

Thanks for the link. 

I just read a couple of those "reviews" of Oosterdam, and all I can say is that some very self-absorbed people are writing those reviews. 

 

Giving the food 1 star because the prime rib came with horseradish when it was requested to not have it strikes me a very "first world" problem.  That's not to make an excuse for the servers, they should have complied with a reasonable request.  And maybe that passenger had a bad day for many other reasons.  But to go on a message board to piss and moan about something like that seems exceedingly trivial to me.

 

And the casino isn't a HAL operation, so if a dealer can't calculate payouts correctly, it's NOT HAL's fault or to HAL's benefit.  Talk to the Casino Host.  They're the ones responsible for their dealers.  Ace Rothstein will make sure that this doesn't continue.

[Roz]

1 minute ago, DCThunder said:

Ace Rothstein will make sure that this doesn't continue.

 

🤣🤣🤣

[Roz]

3 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I trust your report thoroughly as you always balance the good with the bad. I am glad to hear all went well.     On our last sailing there were quite a few discontented passengers but we just didn’t see the same issues they were discussing.   🤷‍♀️

 

When I wrote my review I stated that I was glad I didn't read any of the recent Oosterdam reviews on CC.  I'm one of those people who doesn't require that their every need to be attended to by someone else.  

[FreesiaE]

I always take overly glowing or overly negative reviews with a grain of salt. I saw a 1 star review for the Zaandam b/c they didn't have Microsoft Office classes.  Um, ok. 

[Lido deck main]

I have never had a perfect cruise. But I still love it.  It is all about gratitude and thankfulness.  I am grateful I get to travel, I am thankful to all the people who help to make my cruise a good one.  Did you read the world cruise blogs, some with pure joy and thankfulness, participation in ships activities, others bloggers more miserable and entitled and complaining.  Who cares how long it takes to embark, meet and talk with your fellow cruises while waiting in line, who cares if they run out of a certain food, my goodness you are on holiday, lots of different foods available.  Some people even start their blog, with this is probably the last HAL cruise I will take, and then just go on and on about how bad it is.  

[PACD_JG]

I haven't read any of those cruise critic reviews in the link, but I do stalk this board.  HAL isn't inexpensive - so maybe the naysayers are not happy with their perceived "value" of their cruise.  Instead, it's always the old...I like this, so anybody who doesn't like this too, must be stupid argument.  Leadership 101: don't judge others using your own value system - everybody's priorities are different.

 

And as a noob to cruising, I'm always curious to those that defend HAL with statements along the lines of...I don't need pampering, I'm just happy to be on a ship, I'm okay with limited activities, I just want to get from point A to point B, etc...  Again, HAL isn't inexpensive, so why not just go on a cheaper cruiseline if you don't have many demands?

[Mary229]

25 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

I haven't read any of those cruise critic reviews in the link, but I do stalk this board.  HAL isn't inexpensive - so maybe the naysayers are not happy with their perceived "value" of their cruise.  Instead, it's always the old...I like this, so anybody who doesn't like this too, must be stupid argument.  Leadership 101: don't judge others using your own value system - everybody's priorities are different.

 

And as a noob to cruising, I'm always curious to those that defend HAL with statements along the lines of...I don't need pampering, I'm just happy to be on a ship, I'm okay with limited activities, I just want to get from point A to point B, etc...  Again, HAL isn't inexpensive, so why not just go on a cheaper cruiseline if you don't have many demands?

I disagree.  I traveled a lot for a living, HAL is not expensive.   I cannot even buy a decent room for the evening at less than $150 anymore and even McDonalds is about $20 for 2 for lunch.  Transportation, oh my, airfares are crazy high.    So no, I don’t consider HAL expensive.   

[DCThunder]

15 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

And as a noob to cruising, I'm always curious to those that defend HAL with statements along the lines of...I don't need pampering, I'm just happy to be on a ship, I'm okay with limited activities, I just want to get from point A to point B, etc...  Again, HAL isn't inexpensive, so why not just go on a cheaper cruiseline if you don't have many demands?

You pose a very thought-provoking question of motives for cruising with HAL or any cruise line.

 

My base-line expectations (not demands) are simple:  A safe and decently maintained ship, an interesting and varied itinerary, and well-prepared food.  Shows and on-board activities and the like are a bonus, but not a necessity.  In my limited times cruising with HAL, they meet and exceed all of these expectations.  Perhaps the key is having reasonable expectations and recognizing HAL for what it is RIGHT NOW, namely a mid/upper market cruise line still recovering from a lengthy shut down, competing in a very competitive market, and trying to recover financially from the losses of the shutdown.  It's not Silverseas or Viking or Oceana, so don't expect that level cruise.

 

I also recognize that things are "different" on HAL (and across the industry) than they were before March 2020, but nothing stays the same.  Anyone who's lived in America for the past decade knows that.

 

I loved having HAL agree to bring two astronomers from Chile back to their home in Canada for free in exchange for some lectures on astronomy and the night sky.  I loved having the captain of Oosterdam agree to dim the lights on the aft deck so we could stargaze the southern sky (saw Crux, aka The Southern Cross for the first time!) while the astronomers pointed out stars, constellations, and galaxies.  The aft deck was packed with people staring up at the sky.  I loved the fact that the Executive Chef stocked up on fresh fish in Ecuador and featured it in the MDRs and had several special nights in the Lido of South American themed meals.  I loved that the captain and officers circulated through the ship and were accessible for questions.

 

I guess I cruise (and choose HAL) for the experiences and the unexpected things that I see.  A pod of 25 short-fin pilot whales coming by the ship as we sailed south towards the Falklands.  Waking up to the beauty of the Pio XI glacier outside the ship.  Meeting some interesting people who I'd never have met except for being on this cruise.  Visiting an open air fish market in Manta, Ecuador or a museum of pre-Columbian pottery depicting various sexual attributes and positions in Lima, Peru.

 

Would I have had these experiences or had my expectations met on Celebrity or NCL or MSC?  Perhaps. And maybe someday I'll decide that I want to give them a try.  But for now, I plan to stick to HAL (and Princess who also meets my expectations).  If that makes me a HAL "cheerleader: or "fan-boy", so be it.

 

Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I find this a very interesting question to contemplate.

[HappyInVan]

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

What do you mean by this comment? RCL reported to the SEC that they sailed at 102% occupancy last quarter and still lost money. As a whole, CCL is no where near break even financially based on their quarterly releases. Not trying to be confrontational, just trying to understand what you mean.

 

Breakeven as in Before Taxes and Interest payments.

 

Current prices look like they're back to pre-covid levels. Unfortunately, inflation has raised costs significantly. You know how small their margins were before covid. How much higher do the prices have to be in order to generate the margin of their glory days?

 

So, HAL and the industry need to raise prices in order to pay for supplies in 2024, not just 2023. And, HAL is now selling cruises for 2025.

 

Here's something to think about. There was a heavy contingent of cruise newbies on my ship. What happened to the regulars? Would the regulars have paid a higher prices than the newbies?

 

I wish HAL all the very best. But, I'm reluctance to pay significant amounts in deposits before final payment. Thank goodness for the $1 deposits. I have 3 such bookings (value $25k).

[Mary229]

2 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

Current prices look like they're back to pre-covid levels. Unfortunately, inflation has raised costs significantly. You know how small their margins were before covid. How much higher do the prices have to be in order to generate the margin of their glory days?

The last few weeks I have actually noticed a mark up in prices, I have also witnessed dynamic pricing which is an interesting development.   

[kurtmi03]

We hadn't cruised since pre-covid and decided to book a 10 day cruise over Christmas 2022. We booked in November and paid in full. I then went on CC and thought we had made a huge mistake reading all of the terrible posts. Since we were only a month away it was too late to cancel. We went on the Volendam and had a great time. The service was outstanding, food was good, and there was enough entertainment to keep us occupied. The only difference we noticed were food portions were a little smaller. We both agreed this was a good thing because I always clean my plate and eat too much and my wife was happy because there would be less waste overall. We came home and booked a 20 day Eurodam cruise which we just returned from 2 weeks ago. This cruise was also excellent. On neither cruise did we order anything that they were out of. Food and service were outstanding on both. The entertainment on both was good, but better on the Eurodam due to BB King's lounge. We have 2 more cruises booked on HAL and are looking forward to them. As far as HAL being expensive, I don't see it. I travel quite a bit for work and hotel room rates are outrageous with less service and amenities, and food prices in restaurants are also outrageous with an understaffed and inefficient workforce. For room, food, and service I believe HAL is a great value.   

[rodndonna]

6 minutes ago, kurtmi03 said:

As far as HAL being expensive, I don't see it. I travel quite a bit for work and hotel room rates are outrageous with less service and amenities, and food prices in restaurants are also outrageous with an understaffed and inefficient workforce. For room, food, and service I believe HAL is a great value.   

 

This has come up a couple of times, and I agree - I don't see evidence that HAL is expensive for what it offers, and in particular against other cruiselines.

 

Since Covid we have been on 5 cruises (mostly HAL) and have 7 more booked (out to March 2025), again mostly on HAL(3) with splatters in Celebrity(2), NCL(1) and Princess(1) - I'm one of those excel spreadsheet people who evaluates them all ad nauseam  (retired engineer - too much time on my hands in winter perhaps) and HAL is a great value.

[POA1]

Imagine how we feel! 

 

We're sailing with in December. My theory is that @LAFFNVEGAS Lisa's being haunted by some bad Juju. (I could be wrong.) Regardless, I hope we can have dueling "Live Froms."

 

We're powering up the Bubble of Awesome and our crack research team of 7 is calibrating the machinery and cranking Flatt & Scruggs', "Dueling Banjos" in preparation for the throw down.

 

Of course, she could be right and we could be circling the drain. (Unlikely because the Bubble of Awesome is quite large, and absent industrial grade surfactants, is pretty sturdy.)

[POA1]

22 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Imagine how we feel! 

 

Apologies. The "We're on the same sailing with @LAFFNVEGAS

" didn't parse properly because I'm posting from my phone.

 

I was aiming for a joke. If it didn't land, them's the breaks.

 

In any case, we're looking forward to meeting someone we've "known" on CruiseCritic for years. (Unless there really is bad juju. In that case, I hope it's to port and on a different deck.)

[Roz]

If you board a ship looking for things to go wrong or be wrong,  you'll find them. 

 

I agree with @LAFFNVEGAS that the Rotterdam was a huge disappointment.  My sister and I had high hopes for it and were excited to sail a new ship.  It was a letdown.  My sister owned and managed a restaurant for over 20 years so she knows what are reasonable service expectations. The Rotterdam didn't measure up. 

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, PACD_JG said:

I haven't read any of those cruise critic reviews in the link, but I do stalk this board.  HAL isn't inexpensive - so maybe the naysayers are not happy with their perceived "value" of their cruise.  Instead, it's always the old...I like this, so anybody who doesn't like this too, must be stupid argument.  Leadership 101: don't judge others using your own value system - everybody's priorities are different.

 

And as a noob to cruising, I'm always curious to those that defend HAL with statements along the lines of...I don't need pampering, I'm just happy to be on a ship, I'm okay with limited activities, I just want to get from point A to point B, etc...  Again, HAL isn't inexpensive, so why not just go on a cheaper cruiseline if you don't have many demands?

 

HAL is a "cheaper" cruise line. Which offers remarkable value and destination choices for the price. It is not just days on board; it is where those days take you. I see no other option that compares to the HAL value as a destination cruise line. Which ones have you found?

[lissie]

3 hours ago, PACD_JG said:

 

And as a noob to cruising, I'm always curious to those that defend HAL with statements along the lines of...I don't need pampering, I'm just happy to be on a ship, I'm okay with limited activities, I just want to get from point A to point B, etc...  Again, HAL isn't inexpensive, so why not just go on a cheaper cruiseline if you don't have many demands?

Which cruise line would that be? We choose on itinerary - find me a cheaper cruise that covers the Maritimes/ Greenland/Iceland and I'm all ears - I did look! 

[aliaschief]

Here’s another comment from moi. With enclosing on almost 500 days on Hal we were getting bored with the product. How many times must you watch  the repetitive Lincoln Center snakes chasing, or dance shows? Old menus? We missed the utilization of the Main Show Room and not happy with  the overpacked Music Walk and BB King shows.

Our recent Eurodam cruise utilized the Main Showroom and offered new acts so maybe the new Alaska season is off to a good start. The talent on Music Walk was exceptional. 
The Casino was hopping as well as the lounges.

It was a cruise down memory lane as we have grown to love Hal cruises. Refreshing.

For us frequent cruisers I believe they just ran the same same to long.

It appears they have new package for the new Alaska season.

Will wait for reviews to see if there is anything that backs up our Eurodam experience.

When Mark Pells is HD we can pretty much expect a great cruise experience and we did.

[OlsSalt]

Good topic - when does one get "cruised out" - we are at 650 days plus and we have no more compelling bucket list cruises. Our choices now are very different - and closer to home.  

 

If HAL does Pole to Pole as promised, we will probably do that. It is actually the air trips to get to remote destinations that has become our biggest "cruise" turn off; not cruising itself.  Send me on a private magic carpet,  and I will  still get on another cruise ship anywhere.

 

We cruise now for the comfortable on-board routine, and return to some favorite places and restaurants discovered on prior cruises. Getting fed and not having any household chores or even feeling the urgency to see and do everything in every port are the new charms of cruising for us ..after 650 days plus.  

 

We cruise now for the mere ritual of cruising - being at sea, coming into and out of ports, the sound of waves, the ships horns, the clang and bang, the sound of shore birds as we approach land, curling up with plenty of good books to read uninterrupted.

 

We cruise to also dress up for dinner in the main dining room, and occasionally dress formally to enjoy this lost ritual of times past. We cruise to share the positive vibes of other passengers, also content to have more days at sea. We cruise now for the comfort of  familiar; not for the always new and exotic. Could be our ages too, that have mellowed us into this cruising contentment.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, aliaschief said:

Here’s another comment from moi. With enclosing on almost 500 days on Hal we were getting bored with the product. How many times must you watch  the repetitive Lincoln Center snakes chasing, or dance shows? Old menus? We missed the utilization of the Main Show Room and not happy with  the overpacked Music Walk and BB King shows.

Our recent Eurodam cruise utilized the Main Showroom and offered new acts so maybe the new Alaska season is off to a good start. The talent on Music Walk was exceptional. 
The Casino was hopping as well as the lounges.

It was a cruise down memory lane as we have grown to love Hal cruises. Refreshing.

For us frequent cruisers I believe they just ran the same same to long.

It appears they have new package for the new Alaska season.

Will wait for reviews to see if there is anything that backs up our Eurodam experience.

When Mark Pells is HD we can pretty much expect a great cruise experience and we did.

 

I am going to join in on you with this one if you don’t mind, Bruce.

 

I think the biggest thing I am seeing on HAL ships is the inconsistency.

 

I did two different HAL cruises - one in November on the Oosterdam and one in Dec- January on the Koningsdam

 

The Oosterdam cruise had an engaged crew and captain with good activities and talks during our sea days.  The captain’s cook off challenge (hilarious) was so packed they showed it on the World Stage for those that couldn’t get seating for the show.  And believe me it was funny.  The staff at the Sea View Bar were phenomenal.  Before you could even lift a hand they were there and back to see what else they could do.  I had an injured foot and after the first day - as soon as I sat down they came with ice for my foot and a coffee.  Even some of the food was different.  The standard shrimp cocktail had a different sauce at the bottom. It was delish!

 

On the Koningsdam the Sea View Bar was so sparsely staffed it was ludicrous.  My one dinner & lunch in the MDR was one and done and I was so glad I had Club Orange.  The ship was understaffed (790 IIRC) for an overbooked ship (2900 IIRC including 500-600 children).  I posted the #’s on my live thread.  It was Christmas, New Years and post New Years season so children are expected but what shone through was the lack of staff and the incapacity of the HAL club to do much for the numbers on board.  My cabin stewards were wonderful but aside from them and Club Orange although staff were nice it was obvious that they were not the same as on a “happy” ship.  There were just not enough.  Nothing exciting except the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.  Nothing on sea days.  Zip - contrary to the Oosterdam.  Same ol’ same ol’ for entertainment (I’m not that big on entertainment but there was nothing to entice me).  It was ok as I didn’t want to be home but it wasn’t stellar.  I think Club Orange was my daily highlight 🙂 

 

On the Oosterdam there were normally 4-5 servicing the Sea View Bar.  On the Koningsdam - usually 2.  Others were working but not servicing.  A stark difference.

 

The contrast between the two sailings was astounding for me.  It seemed strange that there were plenty of staff on the Oosterdam but not the Koningsdam.  Part of HAL’s inconsistency or deliberate?

I sail again in October on another Pinnacle Class ship - Rotterdam - time will tell.  And believe me, on a Transatlantic, lack of staff shows big time 🤞 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

It makes a difference in the quality of service when the ship isn’t bursting at the seams.