HAL--it's a different feeling!!!

[mountainmare]

As the new season of travel decisions is upon us every cruiseline forum has the "compare this with that" question.

Indeed a while ago I was asking the same questions as I struggled with the choice to leave my beloved HAL for a better itinerary and price on Celebrity for our first Med cruise. And I still believe that for a first intro to the Med cruise the Millennium, with an overnight in Rome has a great itinerary.

So following the wisdom that both cruise lines were at the upper end of mass market (otherwise known as premium) I jumped to Celebrity. Then as I was trying to find a 10-day or longer Caribbean cruise and was too late for a balcony on the Maasdam I booked the Galaxy.

While I am sure that both cruise lines are fine--and we did have a wonderful trip to the Med on the Millennium(it didn't break down) and skipped the cold snap while on the Galaxy (love the ship--can't HAL buy her and take care of her) I have finally figured out what is missing on Celebrity.

When I sail HAL I know that I am boarding a ship. I can feel the long tradition of a seagoing company. As such I can tell that the crew is proud of their ship and work as a team from the Captain on down. On Celebrity I feel like I'm at a land-based resort, the crew work in different departments--and while they are pleasant and do a nice job, you know that its just a job (both waiters that we have had made it clear that they had a time-line of two years before they left for a real career).

HAL takes care of its ships!!! There is the pride of keeping an older classic ship just that--classic, not worn out.

HAL ships have a bell that is kept shining and most of the ships have the coin .

The Millennium did not have a bell or coin--when I asked over the period of 12 days I was finally told that there was a "token" bell and coin on the bridge. The Galaxy has a bell sort of tucked under the bow--but it is so tarnished and forgotten that when I was talking to the hotel director she didn't even know they had a bell--they have no coin, even on the bridge.

Some of you reading this will know what I mean by the coin--no one at Celebrity would.

 

Can you tell--after two cruises on Celebrity I'm homesick to be on a ship at sea, they were very nice vacations--but I'm ready to book a cruise on HAL.

Maybe someone can tell where to find the coin on the Maasdam--for those of you curious, you can find the coin on the main stack in the back on the Vista ships,they are imbedded in a little plaque that gives the date of the coin ceremony--ask any crew member, they'll know.

[WindyCity]

Can you tell me the significance of the coin and the bell? It is surely something I would like to know.

[localady]

Mountainmare-

Thank you for your observations!

I understand what you are saying, on a HAL ship you are very much aware of the history and classic aspects of a cruise experience. The ships decor is totally classic despite the HAL ship you are on.

I have no doubt that I will miss that atmosphere on our Celebrity cruise, because to me, it's become an important part of my cruise experience, much like it sounds like it has for yours.:D

[hammybee]

As a HAL PAL that sails other cruise lines, including X, I think the key difference is the crew on HAL. There is a genuine sense of pride on HAL that is missing from so many other cruise lines. That this culture has been able to sustain itself over time and changes in ownership is a testament to the crew themselves as well as the management of HAL. And that it's the people making the difference is music to my ears.

[jtl513]

I thought two coins were supposed to be welded to the keel at/near the start of construction. :confused: So are the ones at the back of the stack on the Vistas something different?

[kakalina]

In the days of wooden ships, it was customary to place coins under the mast of a ship as it was being built. This practice began with the ancient Romans, who would place a coin in the mouths of the dead, enabling them to pay Charon, a mythological ferryman for the departed, to transport them across the River Styx to begin the afterlife. It was said that if a ship met with mishap at sea, the placement of coins under the mast would ensure that the fare for the trip across the River Styx would be paid for all.

 

The bells are the way they originally kept time on the ship.

 

Hope this helps.

[kakalina]

It didn't bear repeating.

[WindyCity]

Thank you, kakalina

[hammybee]

The bells are the way they originally kept time on the ship.

 

Hope this helps.

 

"How did this work? " said Hammybee at the knee of the wise kakalina.

[kakalina]

"How did this work? " said Hammybee at the knee of the wise kakalina.

 

 

OK Hammydear, just for you:

 

time onboard a ship. (Time, in those days, was kept with an hourglass. See The History of Navigation) The bell was rung every half hour of the 4 hour watch. A 24 hour day was divided into six 4 hour watches, except the dog watch (16:00 - 20:00 hours) which could be divided into two 2 hour watches to allow for the taking of the evening meal.

Middle Watch

Midnight to 4 AM (0000 - 0400)Morning Watch4 AM to 8 AM (0400 - 0800)Forenoon Watch8 AM to noon (0800 - 1200)Afternoon WatchNoon to 4 PM (1200 - 1600)First Dog Watch4 PM to 6 PM (1600 - 1800)Second Dog Watch6 PM to 8 PM (1800 - 2000)First Watch8 PM to Midnight (2000 - 0000)

The bells were struck for every half-hour of each watch, with a maximum of eight bells. For instance, during the Middle Watch you would hear the the following:

00:30

1 bell

01:00

2 bells

01:30

2 bells, pause, 1 bell

02:00

2 bells, pause, 2 bells

02:30

2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 1 bell

03:00

2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells

03:30

2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 1 bell

04:00

2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells, pause, 2 bells

At eight bells your watch was over! All other 4 hour watches followed this same procedure except the Dog Watches.

At the end of the First Dog Watch, only four bells were struck, and the Second Dog Watch bells were struck like this: 6:30 PM, one bell; 7 PM two bells; 7:30 PM, three bells; and at 8 PM, eight bells.

Since 1915, all U.S. Merchant vessels over 100 gross tons have, by law, divided the crew into three watches, working four hours on and eight hours off, and turning the dog watches into one evening watch.

 

I didn't mean to sound like a know it all

[Samme]

Thanks so much Kakalina!! What great information you've taught me!

 

March 21st will be my first Hal cruise. I can't wait to experience the true ship feeling. I know I'm one of the few, but Celebrity did not impress me. It was a good vacation, they all are fun and relaxing. Service is just so important to me. I truly hope to have a great experience on the Noordam.

 

Diane

[mountainmare]

kakalina--thanks for the info. At least now everyone won't think that I am crazy and just imagined the coin.

My father had a life long love affair with the sea. He was in the Navy in WW II and was fascinated by ships, boats, rubber rafts--anything that would float and allow you to be on the water.

I was also raised with a sense of learning that history and tradition are important--so when ever I traveled as a child, we were always learning about local legends and history--and I travel the same way today.

SO... I learned about the coin a long long time ago. I remember my Dads Navy buddy telling me that every ship still has a coin--either welded into the keel, or at the base of the main stack, unless it is a sailing ship where it is always at the base of the main mast. He said that usually only the people in the engine room will know exactly where the coin is, but sometimes during the coin ceremony (like a tree topping for a house) the coin will be placed in a more outside location. I was thrilled to take pictures of the coin on the Oosterdam.

Just so you know that I am really crazy, since I had asked the hotel director about the coin on the Galaxy, she took me over to the Captain at a meet the Captain function so that I could ask him. He told me there was no coin on the Galaxy--I don't believe him!!!! He also told me there wasn't a bell, but it was there on the bow all tarnished. I believe that every Captain of a HAL ship will know his ship well enough to be able to say where the coin is and to be sure that the bell is shined.

As for the feeling, it is the respect for tradition that you get from the shipbuilders and designers, the company, the officers, the crew and lets not forget--the passengers!!!!

[DixieCaribe]

Samme,

If its great service you're looking for, then Holland America has you covered. In my humble opinion, compared with Princess, NCL, and Celebrity, Holland America had the best staff with the best service - period. You will not be disappointed.

[cruisinjudy]

Thank you, Kakalina for that bell explanation. Now I understand the bells that ring at the San Diego Cruise terminal!!

[sail7seas]

DH and I visited the Bell on Noordam on our recent cruise and it was beautifully shined and sparkling in the sun on the bow. Captain Scott personally told us it was newly shined! And we have the photos to prove it. :D

 

And, yes.....I am very sure I have read that HAL places a coin and they have a ceremoney about it at Fincantieri during each ship's construction.

 

I so so so agree that HAL crews are very special from the crews on other lines which we have sailed. Most of the time, we had our drinks and dinner served okay but it simply was different than on HAL. I think you described it well when you said HAL crews are proud of their ship and they work and pull together that make everything go as wonderfully as possible for us during our cruises. It IS different on HAL with HAL crews. We've wandered elsewhere in the past but no more for us. We came home to HAL some time ago and it is where we intend to stay.

 

It's only HAL and HAL crews and ships for us!!!

 

 

[/b]

[Aussie Gal]

Kakalina,

 

We have a genuine ship's clock in our kitchen and it rings out the 8 bells over the four hour period all day and night. Even in the middle of the night, when I am awake, I can hear that clock from upstairs and that ringing of the bells is so comforting.

 

Jennie

[kakalina]

Jennie: That is so cool. Wherever did you find it?

 

You are all very welcome. I enjoyed researching the stuff I didn't know for certain.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Hi, MM!! Long time no see :) ... I've missed you!

 

While I so value your opinions and respect your story about the coins (which I shamefully admit I knew nothing about at all), I have to say I just don't agree about the service on Celebrity. I have absolutely fallen in love with everyone who has served us so faithfully on Celebrity's ships. In recent years we've only cruised M class so can't address the older ship's problems, but our cruises on Summit and Millennium couldn't have been more perfect and the service could never be surpassed.

 

I'm not downgrading HAL's service at all. We wouldn't cruise on HAL if we didn't love so many things about the line, but I still have to give Celebrity the edge. With 2 cruises booked within the next year, one on HAL and one on Celebrity, that could change.

 

I still believe that the best cruise friends we have ever met have been on HAL ships:) .

[Copper10-8]

Great explanation Kakalina! Here's Oosterdam's bell. They put her on stage in the Vista Lounge on New Year's Eve

[PRINSENDAM]

Just so you know that I am really crazy, since I had asked the hotel director about the coin on the Galaxy, she took me over to the Captain at a meet the Captain function so that I could ask him. He told me there was no coin on the Galaxy--I don't believe him!!!! He also told me there wasn't a bell, but it was there on the bow all tarnished. quote]

 

 

 

Every ship must carry a bell... and that is LAW! Nowadays the bell is not used for maring the passage of time but it is an important part of the navigational outfit for the ship. When at anchor in fog the bell must be rung at short intervals to indicate the vessels position... likewise a large gong is carried and that is to be run in the after part of the vessel. Nothing is more erie than being at anchor in fog with dozens of ships all round you sounding their bells and gongs.

 

Anyhow, that Captain needs to read up on his International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea!!!!!

 

Stephen

[mountainmare]

Thanks you Stephen--I have heard it on a very small sailboat in the Cheasapeake. It was nice to be able to hear where all the bigger boats were.

 

Hi Heather--I'm still overthere, with the old folks!!! I never said that service was an issue--as Sail summarized it, we have never gone hungry or thirsty on a cruise, service has always been professional and proper (even on my very first cruise as a roomie with a friend on the Fascination). I was addressing the feeling on the ship. Its one of those intangible things that make different cruise lines--well different.

Right now we are looking for a cruise for next year--and will choose HAL because we want that feeling that we find there.

 

Down the line we have been looking at a way to see the Eastern Med and Egypt, while HAL is our first choice, we may switch to a different line if the itinerary and time of year was better--but would be looking at the ship as a floating hotel,knowing up front that the feel will be different, or we may choose a land tour.

Actually we have never had a bad vacation, on land or on the sea--but I was just trying to express the unexpressable.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I think you expressed it very well:) . I completely "got" what you were saying. I just don't feel the same way. For us that "feeling" comes to us on Celebrity.

 

It could just be our experience ... the cruises we were on. It seemed to me, too, that the Officers were much more in attendance on the Celebrity ships. I loved being greeted outside Celebrity's equivalent of the Lido every morning on our way to breakfast. We don't get that on HAL.

 

But don't misunderstand me. I love HAL and you never know what the next cruise will bring. I know so many agree with you, Mountainmare, so it must just be us. Or maybe it's got something to do with what gives a particular "feeling" of coming home.

 

But like you, I've never had a bad vacation and I've certainly never had a bad cruise ... some better than others, but none bad!!!:D