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

[lissie]

20 hours ago, Destiny0315 said:

Even the rooms refurbished with the new large glass showers and the new TV's on the lower decks(non suites)still only have the one outlet. I guess the idea is you can recharge your phone while your enjoying a hot shower in style. 

There's actually 2 outlets - one is US  one is EU /220V - so bring a plug adaptor and use both 

[cgolf1]

2 hours ago, Destiny0315 said:

Actually during the last two weeks all the entertainment venues were quite filled on the Zaandam in the evenings throughout the ship with music being played in all of them. The piano bar being the smallest of them always has a packed filling which is what you want and expect at a piano bar.  

The lady that played at the piano bar had an amazing voice, so I wasn’t surprised it was packed. She was a gem. After are last Celebrity cruise, it was nice to hear great live vocals. 

[BermudaBound2014]

2 hours ago, Destiny0315 said:

Maybe because the OP was so over dramatic in his pre-eulogy of HAL that the thread has drifted away to the reality that a company doesn't survive 150 years without issues, some small, some big, and some that aren't issues at all! So I say bring back the the Yum Yum man who will now be in charge of the anchovies and can go from table to table sprinkling them on the Caesar salads.🙂

 

I didn't read the OP's post as overly dramatic. It's not like the incessant whining some people continue  regarding their employment status. Now there you will find lots of drama and hyperbole.

 

I took the original post to be a lead into a discussion about the future of HAL. Sure, it's drifted. As do many posts on CC. But overall I've found the conversation interesting and thank the OP for taking the lead. I like to hear from the cheerleaders, the haters, and everyone in between.  

Edited May 22, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[Destiny0315]

43 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

The lady that played at the piano bar had an amazing voice, so I wasn’t surprised it was packed. She was a gem. After are last Celebrity cruise, it was nice to hear great live vocals. 

Yes I saw her videos online and was disappointed when she said that she was leaving to join a HAL ship in Alaska. 

[Destiny0315]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I didn't read the OP's post as overly dramatic.

Well I didn't respond early in the thread because I was actively on a HAL R class ship, the Zaandam that according to the OP is affected by having "glaring cutbacks" which were not seen or commented on by anyone that I engaged with for two weeks onboard. In fact during last week's cruise CD Daniel Edward showed on the World Stage an exclusive behind the scenes look that had been filmed very recently right on the Zaandam of all that was going on beneath and around us on the ship. This was totally different than the generic ships tour that is usually shown. The chain locked beer and ice cream storage areas were quite filled btw. With a cabin right near the Atrium I passed by the Guest Relations desk just one floor up multiple times throughout the cruise(s) and never saw a line of more than around eight people and never heard any loud complainers letting the world know of their problems. The "cutting corners" on maintenance must have been in the middle of the night because at every port HAL workers were seen both outside and inside the ship working on keeping the little Z in good shape. The suggestion being made by the OP that HAL vendors may "have cut them off for non-payment" is drama for sure and not proven anywhere!...Now the reality is that yes the MDR anytime dining at least on this ship was dysfunctional at times with long lines and empty tables that could clearly be seen by people waiting for tables yet would never be opened because of staff shortages. Once sitting, passengers found some members of the undermanned wait staff to also be undertrained and overwhelmed. The Lido was better and the Pinnacle Grill had excellent service. Bar service was excellent and we heard no evidence of stock shortages. The entertainment was very good but in some ways not up to what HAL presented years ago on their small ships like the Maasdam or Veendam on similar cruises to the Canadian Maritimes. Chantal, the FCC onboard had a continuous stream everyday of people at her desk looking at and booking future cruises. And one last thing, though the Captain was a rare sighting for sure everyone else including the Hotel Manager, Chief Engineer, CD, etc...attended multiple events and the doors were always open to their offices when I went by. In fact every morning very early a staff meeting would be held in a circle right in the middle of the Atrium for all to see and hear. So at least on this ship HAL is cruising and not sinking!

Edited May 23, 2023 by Destiny0315

[BermudaBound2014]

3 minutes ago, Destiny0315 said:

. The suggestion being made by the OP that HAL vendors "have cut them off for non-payment" is drama for sure and not proven anywhere!...

 

. So at least on this ship HAL is cruising and not sinking!

 

I did mention above that I found it doubtful about non-payment. I like to consider myself very active in the financial news world and have not read this anywhere. If Hal wasn't paying the lettuce people, I believe that would leak. But I read it as just speculation on the OP's part. One reason for so many things missing.

 

I'm glad to hear the Zaandam isn't sinking 😉 ... but isn't that the point of the thread? A place where everyone can share their experiences? 

[Destiny0315]

5 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

but isn't that the point of the thread? A place where everyone can share their experiences? 

Yes it is, but to hear first hand my own or others experiences is different than hearing another person talking about what myself or others have said. Hearsay can spread like wildfire if it is not kept at bay! 

[cgolf1]

11 minutes ago, Destiny0315 said:

Well I didn't respond early in the thread because I was actively on a HAL R class ship, the Zaandam that according to the OP is affected by having "glaring cutbacks" which were not seen or commented on by anyone that I engaged with for two weeks onboard. In fact during last week's cruise CD Daniel Edward showed on the World Stage an exclusive behind the scenes look that had been filmed very recently right on the Zaandam of all that was going on beneath and around us on the ship. This was totally different than the generic ships tour that is usually shown. The chain locked beer and ice cream storage areas were quite filled btw. With a cabin right near the Atrium I passed by the Guest Relations desk just one floor up multiple times throughout the cruise(s) and never saw a line of more than around eight people and never heard any loud complainers letting the world know of their problems. The "cutting corners" on maintenance must have been in the middle of the night because at every port HAL workers were seen both outside and inside the ship working on keeping the little Z in good shape. The suggestion being made by the OP that HAL vendors may "have cut them off for non-payment" is drama for sure and not proven anywhere!...Now the reality is that yes the MDR anytime dining at least on this ship was dysfunctional at times with long lines and empty tables that could clearly be seen by people waiting for tables yet would never be opened because of staff shortages. Once sitting, passengers found some members of the undermanned wait staff to also be undertrained and overwhelmed. The Lido was better and the Pinnacle Grill had excellent service. Bar service was excellent and we heard no evidence of stock shortages. The entertainment was very good but in some ways not up to what HAL presented years ago on their small ships like the Maasdam or Veendam on similar cruises to the Canadian Maritimes. Chantal, the FCC onboard had a continuous stream everyday of people at her desk looking at and booking future cruises. And one last thing, though the Captain was a rare sighting for sure everyone else including the Hotel Manager, Chief Engineer, CD, etc...attended multiple events and the doors were always open to their offices when I went by. In fact every morning very early a staff meeting would be held in a circle right in the middle of the Atrium for all to see and hear. So at least on this ship HAL is cruising and not sinking!

 

I agree with all you said having sailed the Zaandam recently as well, except they ran out of Amaretto in the crows nest. Despite some of the hiccups we will be back for a second HAL cruise in the future.

[Destiny0315]

3 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

except they ran out of Amaretto in the crows nest.

Ok so I guess no Roasted Toasted Almond drinks for you!🙂

[cgolf1]

18 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I did mention above that I found it doubtful about non-payment. I like to consider myself very active in the financial news world and have not read this anywhere. If Hal wasn't paying the lettuce people, I believe that would leak. But I read it as just speculation on the OP's part. One reason for so many things missing.

 

I'm glad to hear the Zaandam isn't sinking 😉 ... but isn't that the point of the thread? A place where everyone can share their experiences? 

 

It is a beautiful ship, but I do like the Fincantieri builds from that timeframe and this ship didn't disappoint. The MDR was a challenge, as I covered here and my post cruise report on here. It was a great trip overall.

 

Every cruise has its share of challenges, and we just need to roll with them. We have seen many on other boards that would scrap a ship for slightly worn carpet, tile issues in a bathroom, marks on the paint etc, we refuse to roll that way.

 

These ships turnover a lot of people each year, there is bound to be wear and tear, these aren't super yachts.

Edited May 23, 2023 by cgolf1

[cgolf1]

4 minutes ago, Destiny0315 said:

Ok so I guess no Roasted Toasted Almond drinks for you!🙂

 

The wives joined us in our WI tradition of Brandy Old Fashioneds:)

[BermudaBound2014]

17 minutes ago, Destiny0315 said:

Yes it is, but to hear first hand my own or others experiences is different than hearing another person talking about what myself or others have said. Hearsay can spread like wildfire if it is not kept at bay! 

 

I read the post more as a summary of several recent threads rather than wild hearsay.  The OP has an excellent reputation with her reviews and has been a long time contributor to the forum (sharing both good and bad). The Reviews she was summarizing from also have excellent long standing reputations.

 

I usually give more creditability to posters who have a history of reporting both the good and bad over time. That's probably why I didn't read the OP's thread as drama and more along the line of a discussion starter. 

Edited May 23, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[Destiny0315]

1 minute ago, cgolf1 said:

We have seen many on other boards that would scrap a ship for slightly worn carpet, tile issues in a bathroom, marks on the paint etc, we refuse to roll that way.

On an early morning visit to the Crows Nest after a very crowded Orange Party the night before which included many HAL staff of all levels I saw the maintenance team working on their hands and knees to clean off the scuffs etc...that were left on the dance floor from the night before.

[cgolf1]

5 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I read the post more as a summary of several recent threads rather than wild hearsay.  The OP has an excellent reputation with her reviews and has been a long time contributor to the forum (sharing both good and bad). The Reviews she was summarizing from also have excellent long standing reputations.

 

I usually give more creditability to posters who have a history of reporting both the good and bad over time. That's probably why I didn't read the OP's thread as drama and more along the line of a discussion starter. 

 

Off topic, but thanks for your Connie review, it helped our inlaws out for their sailing, first main X sailing (had done Flora as only X), I believe right after yours. I thought I recognized your screen name.

[BermudaBound2014]

10 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

Off topic, but thanks for your Connie review, it helped our inlaws out for their sailing, first main X sailing (had done Flora as only X), I believe right after yours. I thought I recognized your screen name.

You are very welcome. I love Connie. As you know she wasn’t perfect but I had a wonderful cruise. And just to prove I have zero brand loyalty, I have 3 more live reviews coming: Carnival Celebration; NCL ENcore; and a 35 night trip on Koningsdam. 🙂

[Destiny0315]

8 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I read the post more as a summary of several recent threads rather than wild hearsay.  The OP has an excellent reputation with her reviews and has been a long time contributor to the forum (sharing both good and bad). The Reviews she was summarizing from also have excellent long standing reputations.

 

I usually give more creditability to posters who have a history of reporting both the good and bad over time. That's probably why I didn't read the OP's thread as drama and more along the line of a discussion starter. 

And with discussion comes disagreement. Many of the "facts that are coming out" as the OP said but she provides no real first hand evidence of them. Lines like "money seems to be going", "Unknown if this is", "does not seem to be", or "my guess is" lack factual content. For a forum like this it does create a good discussion but in a more formal setting it is mostly baseless chatter.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I read the post more as a summary of several recent threads rather than wild hearsay.  The OP has an excellent reputation with her reviews and has been a long time contributor to the forum (sharing both good and bad). The Reviews she was summarizing from also have excellent long standing reputations.

 

I usually give more creditability to posters who have a history of reporting both the good and bad over time. That's probably why I didn't read the OP's thread as drama and more along the line of a discussion starter. 

 

One of the problems with the review boards is that I don't know anything about the reviewer other than age and how many cruises they've taken. I rarely see a review by someone whose screen name I recognize from posting here. When I post here, people can see when I joined and how many posts I've done. And they can see my most recent posts. But none of that is available on the review boards. When people post negative reviews, I often wonder how much they knew before their cruise. Might they have had a better time if they had come to the cruise line boards or port of call boards and asked some questions? 

 

As you say, @LAFFNVEGAS has been on this board for a long time. That makes me more inclined to pay attention. 

[cgolf1]

55 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

One of the problems with the review boards is that I don't know anything about the reviewer other than age and how many cruises they've taken. I rarely see a review by someone whose screen name I recognize from posting here. When I post here, people can see when I joined and how many posts I've done. And they can see my most recent posts. But none of that is available on the review boards. When people post negative reviews, I often wonder how much they knew before their cruise. Might they have had a better time if they had come to the cruise line boards or port of call boards and asked some questions? 

 

As you say, @LAFFNVEGAS has been on this board for a long time. That makes me more inclined to pay attention. 

I also only do reviews on these forums. Two for Celebrity and one for Holland. Not sure if I did one for RCCL for CC or another board more related to Disney. I stay away from the actual review area on CC. I read the boards to learn about the lines and learn who to trust over time. It is weird in that you get to know people without ever meeting them. Starting to get an idea of some people on this board in a good way in my short HAL time. 
 

[3rdGenCunarder]

8 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

I also only do reviews on these forums. Two for Celebrity and one for Holland. Not sure if I did one for RCCL for CC or another board more related to Disney. I stay away from the actual review area on CC. I read the boards to learn about the lines and learn who to trust over time. It is weird in that you get to know people without ever meeting them. Starting to get an idea of some people on this board in a good way in my short HAL time. 
 

 

One of the fun things about a roll call is finally meeting people you've known for a while only on your computer.

[cgolf1]

5 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

One of the fun things about a roll call is finally meeting people you've known for a while only on your computer.

 

Yes but in this day and age, I look at the roll calls, but never sign my name to them because I don't want to publicly state that I will be on vacation during a certain time. It also made it difficult for me when inquiring about cruise info for the Canada/New England we booked 1 month before we left because I didn't want to say we are leaving April 30th, help lol. I am probably being overly cautious, but who knows. Some day I may lurk on the roll call and show up at the meet if I know some of the names, but only spending a short time on this board to prep I didn't recognize anyone. The X board there are some people for sure I would want to meet, especially a few that drive me crazy and some of them are on this board too.

[kazu]

2 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

 

Yes but in this day and age, I look at the roll calls, but never sign my name to them because I don't want to publicly state that I will be on vacation during a certain time.

 

When you sign into a roll call all you are giving is your CC name and first name.  No need to post your last name, etc and I actually don’t recommend it.

I don’t post I will be away on FB for the very reason you cite but to me, the roll call is different.

 

I very much enjoy participating in them - lots of good ideas and I agree with 
@3rdGenCunarder it is really nice to finally meet people you have “known” but never met 🙂 

 

 

[Destiny0315]

2 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

 

Yes but in this day and age, I look at the roll calls, but never sign my name to them because I don't want to publicly state that I will be on vacation during a certain time. It also made it difficult for me when inquiring about cruise info for the Canada/New England we booked 1 month before we left because I didn't want to say we are leaving April 30th, help lol. I am probably being overly cautious, but who knows. Some day I may lurk on the roll call and show up at the meet if I know some of the names, but only spending a short time on this board to prep I didn't recognize anyone. The X board there are some people for sure I would want to meet, especially a few that drive me crazy and some of them are on this board too.

We had over 25 CC people gathered in the Explorers Lounge for around 30-45 minutes on the Zaandam on May 6 in Boston from the CC roll call for that one week cruise. Everything from complete cruise newbies to first time HAL people to veteran 4* and 5* mariners. They represented 3 countries, nearly 10 states and 4 Canadian Provinces. Some who said they would go did not show up, some who said they probably wouldn't go to it did show up, and a couple may have even wandered in. Plenty of good conversation and an exchange of ideas on that first day led to hopefully a better cruise for all, I just regret that no one suggested or took a group photo.

[Roz]

14 hours ago, Destiny0315 said:

And with discussion comes disagreement. Many of the "facts that are coming out" as the OP said but she provides no real first hand evidence of them. Lines like "money seems to be going", "Unknown if this is", "does not seem to be", or "my guess is" lack factual content. For a forum like this it does create a good discussion but in a more formal setting it is mostly baseless chatter.

 

Cruise Critic isn't a court of law or a master's thesis committee. 🤣

[Destiny0315]

18 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

Cruise Critic isn't a court of law or a master's thesis committee. 🤣

Thank God most of us including myself would lose cases or never pass. 😉

[albingirl]

1 hour ago, Destiny0315 said:

Thank God most of us including myself would lose cases or never pass. 😉

And now I am confused by the confusion here.