Changes on Hal

[FlorenceItaly]

No alchohol, just espresso.... and some of those wonderful cookies too!

 

My experience on the Maasdam last month was NO CHARGE.

 

Marie

[Santa Fe Jim]

The Vista class ships -- Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam -- have a Windstar Cafe where the espresso, capuccino, boutique coffees cost a modest amount. The other HAL ships -- to this date anyway -- have a Java Cafe where the espresso and capuccino are complementary -- a charge for the more exotic coffee drinks.:)

 

SFJ

[Santa Fe Jim]

This is posted (well-hidden, though) on HAL's website. However, it doesn't cover the exceptions -- wine/liquor ordered before the cruise to be delivered to your room, or via another on-board order system. Unfortunately, as it states, duty-free beverages bought in HAL's on-board "liquor store" will be safely kept for your departure.

 

 

Bringing Alcoholic Beverages Onboard

Except for wine and champagne, alcoholic beverages purchased in the vessel's shops or otherwise brought on the ship cannot be consumed on the ship. Bottles and other containers will be collected for safekeeping and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the voyage

 

SFJ

[agt]

Its stated very clearly on p.11 in the "Know before you go" booklet that comes with the documents....

Thanks! That section is pretty clearly labeled "Bringing Alcohol Onboard",

so I must have just skipped over the bottom of that page both times I read through the booklet.

[Lois R]

:) this thread is very informative..thank you!....Jean, you were mentioning the cocktail hour before each seating...with hor'dorves....that sounds lovely....hot and cold ones?

I always enjoy a drink or 2 before my dinner....now, I am guessing the food is complimentary? and the drinks are not...is that a correct assumption?

[elmorejj]

You are right Lois, free Hors D`oevres, pay for drinks. They have both hot Hors D`oevres eg. egg rolls, shrimp, meat balls, wantons, wings etc. and cold crudities with dips. They are all very nice. They will bring you a small plate of them but you can always ask for more....jean

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

We have always enjoyed a couple of drinks before dinner either in the Ocean Bar or the Crow's Nest. But HAL's new dinner times changed that for us. We had 5:45 dinner and cocktail hour was from 5:15 till 6:15 for the first group of passengers on the Maasdam this past May. By the time our drink order was taken, drinks were served, and the appetizers brought to us, it was after 5:30. We never went back to any of the bars after that.

:)

[idiebabe]

Hi Jean!

 

Thank you for the info on the cocktail hour and the tea/coffee. That's a nice touch that they have that every night. We also like to go and have a drink before dinner.

 

Thanks again for the info,

 

Eileen

[seagoingJLW]

Since when is there a charge for coffee in the Java Cafe? Amd what happened to the spigot for Espresso up on the Lido Deck?

 

Joan

[peaches from georgia]

The Vista ships do not have a Java Cafe, Joan. They have a much larger 'Windstar Cafe' where there is a modest charge for gourmet coffees, but also a wider selection of choices, iced coffees of all kinds, and pastries.

[ASM]

The Windstar charges are indeed moderate--$1.75 for a comparable $3 or $4 coffee at Starbucks, etc. and just as good. They also mark a card for you and every 6th (?) is free.

[seagoingJLW]

When you say specialty coffe in the coffee shop costs extra, are you referring to the Java Cafe? I remember espresso being available on the Lido (pour it yourself) and evenings in the Explorers' Lounge. Are these venues no longer free?

 

Joan

[ASM]

The newer Vista class ships do not have a Java Cafe. Instead they offer specialty coffes for a fee in the Windstar Cafe, along with pastries, etc. This is contracted out just like the spa. I never ordered coffee in the Explorers Lounge, nor did I notice an espresso machine in the Lido. And I think I would have as I love my coffee. I just had regular coffee there in the mornings. Cappucino is available in the dining room after dinner at no charge but isn't nearly as good as the Windstar.

[peaches from georgia]

No, Joan. On the Vista ships (Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam) there is NO Java Cafe. It is the Windstar Cafe and there is a charge for gourmet coffees.

 

The other older ships still have a Java Cafe with no charge for coffee, but I believe the Javas are going to be eliminated and Windstar Cafe's built on those ships, too, where there will be a charge.

[KAKcruiser]

I had heard that, too, that the java cafe's would be converted. Do you have any idea when that would be? It is really a shame that the things that made HAL special are being eliminated.

[elmorejj]

I have never seen an espresso machine on the lido deck. Just the regular coffee. I`m not sure I would want espresso that has been premade coming out of that type of machine, its best when made fresh......jean

[ekerr19]

jean-

 

There was one last time we sailed on the Noordam. Nothing fancy, but i like my coffee with steamed milk and the machine did a pretty good job.

[elmorejj]

ekerr, I also like hot milk in my coffee, so when we order room service in the mornings I always request hot milk, never had a problem they bring me a large jug of hot milk. Now on the lido deck, there is a huge container of hot milk next to the oatmeal, I`ve never used it for my coffee though!!....jean

[Char]

Does HAL allow you to take personal wine to the dining room and charge a corkage fee? If so, how much is the fee?

Thanks!

[Spender Nui]

:)

 

Concerning tips - if you chose to have the tips removed from your account, you will be given a form to fill out and asked why you are doing so. Then you will get a form letter from the captain explaining HAL's new tipping policy and asking you to reconsider. Your room steward and dining room wait staff will be notified of your decision. Those crew members are SUPPOSED to turn in any cash they get from passengers who chose to drop the automatic tips. That money is supposed to then be put into a pool. Notice I said, SUPPOSED. How honest will the crew be to turn in those tips? I can't answer that for you.

:)

The catch there is if you tip directly, and they don't turn in the tips, the inference is that they didn't do a good enough job to warrant a tip and is a mark against them.

[elmorejj]

Yes HAL allows you to bring your own wine to the DR. The corkage fee is $15 unless its gone up again....jean

[uncialman]

KAKcruiser stated:

 

I had heard that, too, that the java cafe's would be converted. Do you have any idea when that would be? It is really a shame that the things that made HAL special are being eliminated.

 

I respond:

 

Java Cafes will be replaced by fee-based Windstar Cafes on ALL S and R class ships, beginning apparently with the Ryndam, within the next 2 years. The Windstar Cafe will be located in the Hudson Room/Erasmus Library section and will also exist amongst a "floating classroom" that HAL is developing to offer fee-based cooking classes, arts and crafts classes and cultural studies. In other words: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

Kind of sad.

 

Uncialman

[RevNeal]

Java Cafes will be replaced by fee-based Windstar Cafes on ALL S and R class ships, beginning apparently with the Ryndam, within the next 2 years.

 

I asked the Line about this back when this was first announced on this board several months ago. The word I got back was that (as of then) it was not yet entirely determined that they're going to do it, either at all or on all of the S-R ships. Apparently, the response from Mariners who have been polled on this has not been as encouraging as they would have liked. It's not so much the fee-portion that HAL Mariners seem to be objecting to, it's the thinking as to where they're going to put it.

 

I would look for them to announce it, with great fan-fare, in a major press release at some point several months before the first ship actually goes through the conversion. Before the Statendam had the first Pinnacle Grill retrofitted to her the announcement was made a good 6 months to a year in advance. They'll do it to make some press and tout it as a major improvement. They haven't done that yet (other than in some cryptic, and somewhat inaccurate, statements by some officers aboard ship).

 

If they begin with the Ryndam, it looks like it's already too late for them to do it at her next 10 day dry-docking this fall (09/25 to 10/06/04). Unless they spring it on us by surprise ... but with a major reconstruction job, like this, I doubt they'll do that. They normally toot their own horn and try to make such changes look like improvements.