HAL-Never Again

[InTheWASide]

I like to read bad reviews and I have posted one of my own (well, half bad). That's the great part about CC and what gives me an "edge" in planning where I'm going to drop my next 2 or 3 grand.

 

But COME ON.

 

I agree that if I had been sitting next to the OP I would have been sneaking up to the Lido for dinner (done it!). DH and I would have our antennae up: if you see her coming, SCRAMBLE!

 

We were at a table for six once and a couple kept getting three and four apps, always three entrees (they were on a supposedly low sodium diet, early 40's, although they had no problem eating pizza and practically guzzling salt in the Lido) which they complained about because they were "tasteless," soups- after intense quizzing of the waiter about sodium content, and four desserts, eaten across the table. Not pretty. I mean, can't you wait until you get home to do that? Is that what "I paid for this cruise" is all about?

 

The champagne and chocolate thing is HILARIOUS. HAL should have known and gone to Plan B: small stones from the spa and an assortment of fine ice chips???

 

Who cares- is this just me???- if they wake you up at 7:30 to deliver your liquor and cigarettes? What- was the baby up all night? Big presentation in front of the boss that day?

 

I hate to admit it, but one of the first things I do, even before booking, is suss out when and where food is available, 24 hours a day. I just like to. Do not tell me that you are wandering around, hungry, rattling the doors, face like this: :( , at any time on a cruise ship. What else do you have to do during the first sea day but figure out when food is available?

 

If the OP was so positive and excited before she left then I have to surmise that her DH complained the entire time and that's why she has this attitude. These are the most minor complaints. The lobster tail incident must have been FUN for her tablemates.

 

OP: "I demand that you get me more than one lobster tail or I am going to make a scene here! Do you understand me? Do we have an understanding????"

 

Rest of the table: "Is there any way we can all crawl under the table while waiting another half hour for dessert?"

 

OP: Marches out of dining room after getting three lobster tails.

 

Rest of table, whispering to waiter: "I'm so sorry about them! The food has been great and the service has been excellent! I'm really sorry!"

 

 

This totally made my night!!

[Seago2]

This totally made my night!!

 

Brad! Go to bed! I've been awake for an hour already! Did you have a fun night? Please tell me you were out partying :) .

 

I've got another hour until my liquor and cigarettes get delivered to my door- in 6 inches of snow.

[InTheWASide]

Brad! Go to bed! I've been awake for an hour already! Did you have a fun night? Please tell me you were out partying :) .

 

I've got another hour until my liquor and cigarettes get delivered to my door- in 6 inches of snow.

 

LOL 6 inches of snow here too, and the tv was out.

 

Spiked cider and video games tonight actually.

 

Good night though :)

[Pete Jackson]

 

<snip, snip>

 

WARNING: if you order tea at any time and they bring it to you in a teapot, the handle is as hot as the rest of the pot...please use your napkin or risk scalding your neighbor when you drop the pot.

 

<snip,snip>

 

Sonja and Jeff

 

Such a minor detail that I never thought to post about it, but, yes, the metal teapot handles are hot on every HAL ship we have been on. I feel sorry for the poor server when he/she picks it up with the bare hands to pour it (and, no, I don't ask them to do this, it's just part of the service for them to do that when they bring the tea; when I pour it myself, I just use the napkin). Please, HAL, it doesn't have to be that way; it is easy to get metal teapots that have a little insulating piece where the handle is bolted on, so the heat doesn't come out to the handle!

[esther e]

We've only been on one ship that we counted the days till we could disembark and that was this past Sept. on RCCL. For various reasons, we found that cruise was the only one that fit our needs, time frame, etc. I have to say the ship was lovely, beautiful. However, 3500 pax is not my idea of a cruise!!!! We knew it before we made reservations but had heard how well-oiled the line was and well run, etc. Wrong. That was 3000 too many pax! Would we ever go back on RCCL? No. And now that HAL has the option of anytime dining, we're in heaven! Different strokes.....

[MrPete]

I

How does the OP know that her cabin steward went through her drawers? Was something missing (highly doubtful) or was something left loose on the dresser/bed/floor put away for her?

 

 

Oh it was THOSE drawers. I thought they were looking for missing hidden escargot holder. :eek:

[Vic The Parrot]

Spiked cider and video games tonight actually.

 

 

 

Hope the cider was Strongbow .... :D ;)

[MrPete]

I like to read bad reviews and I have posted one of my own (well, half bad). That's the great part about CC and what gives me an "edge" in planning where I'm going to drop my next 2 or 3 grand.

 

But COME ON.

 

Carla....

 

You trying to up your post count? ;)

 

I too like to read the good and the bad, and learn something with each post, but when the opinions start flying without supporting facts, almost all one sided, I makes a long read a complete waste of time.

 

...pinkies up, scrunch your face, sip your tea...

[thomasale]

I don't often read every post of a thread...the only exception is the negative ones...its' like a train wreck...too bad for the OP but this thread has made my day! I love em!

[Lurker1]

On any given day, there must be over 17,000 pax on a HAL ship (13 ships, more than 1,000 pax on most of them, some around 1,800). Not all pax are going to be happy.

I also don't like the OP's tone, but it's a free country.

Personally it would take a lot to get DW and I to a point where we would dislike the entire cruise. On our last cruise on the Maasdam we found the room service for breakfast a bit uneven, but we thought the cruise was wonderful.

[happy cruzer]

Ok, your thread title is No more HAL and I think you main point was that the service was bad. However, based on some of your details I can't tell the service was bad at all. I mean nothing is ever perfect. Your first point which is normally the biggest problem was about a breakfast that did not arrive. Bad service is when that happens a couple of times. Or the wrong food arrives a couple of times or repetitive problems. And you try telling someone about it and it still happens.

 

A one time occurance is really not that unusual. As others pointed out there are some simple explanations.

 

Did you ever address any of your problems with anyone who could do something about them?

 

My take is that you had alot of little things annoy you. And apparently you had built up high expectations of perfect service which made things worse.

 

It's how one handles the problems that tells the most about us.

 

Any idea what you will try next? I sure hope you find a good match.

[Sealog]

RE: "The Surf and Turf was a horror...the tiniest portion of filet...and lobster...I asked my waiter to get me 3 lobster tails...he said he would see if he could...I told him he had a choice...he could get it for me or we would have a scene...guess what?...he found three for me..."

 

I think anyone who would threaten a server probably deserves to be scorned by other members of the ship's crew and staff. My wife and I have made 14 HAL cruises, all different, some better than others. I am quite pleased that this couple will not be sharing our table on future cruises,

[MrPete]

I also can only imagine what was in the butter afterwards.

[Northshorecruisers]

The diningroom incident is just amazing. Why would you ever be that rude to a crew member? I don't care who you are or who you think you are - uncalled for. IMHO HAL is a very classy cruise line and the people I've met on board have been very classy people. The OP is correct in saying that HAL is not a good fit for her. Glad I don't have to worry about meeting up with her on any of my cruises.

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

After reading the review again I see the OP did not ake advantage of the $100/pp future cruise deposit program.

 

Bon Voyage and Good Health!

Bob:)

[Seago2]

Ahoy!

 

After reading the review again I see the OP did not ake advantage of the $100/pp future cruise deposit program.

 

Bon Voyage and Good Health!

Bob:)

 

Good point! So there is a happy ending after all!

[Seago2]

BTW, OP:

 

MSC Lirica serves hardened miniature prawns on lobster night. Clocks show three different times depending on what time it is.

 

Especially watch out for the 2/28 sailing, aka "The Chocolate and Champagne Voyage."

 

Please.

[willowoodf]

I once observed a kid doing that. He wasn't making a big pile of them on the deck, however, he was tossing them overboard. Security detained him, but the problem was the boy's father, who was angry at the ship's chief of security and the Captain for "arresting my little boy." Figures.

 

On our last cruise we had a conversation with the Captain about unruly passengers (not particularly children, just any passenger) and Captain Mercer lamented that it was impossible to keel haul anyone because the paint that they use makes it impossible for anything to stick to the hull!

 

Mary

[Seago2]

I ALWAYS phone my breakfast order in the night before- never use the cards unless I am getting room service the night before and can give it to the guy personally.

[cruisebunnies]

NOORDAM, LEAVING OUT OF NYC, NOV 21 UNTIL DEC 1 (this morning)

 

Sorry, everyone....this was my 14th cruise, the 1st and last on HAL...the service was so unbelievably bad, it was painful...in the scheme of things, granted, this is not the end of the world...but i expected something more of a cruise company that prides itself on its service.

 

We ordered breakfast delivered from room service and we are still waiting for it.

 

The internet manager, after I told him that there was a glitch with the pc system onboard, asked me what I wanted him to do about it.

 

After those two, we received champagne (we don't drink) and chocolates (my husband is a diabetic) from the management.

 

I ordered a second glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and was told it was not available.

 

The people we traveled with were unable to get chocolate ice cream for dessert...funny how the other cruise lines never had a problem getting it.

 

My room attendant went through my drawers.

 

The location of the television was on the side of the bed so I had to look over my husband when we were lying down (and this was in a mini suite) The other alternative was that his feet were by my head so we could both enjoy the same movie at the same time.

 

The clocks were moved ahead one hour before we reached the first island. After we reached the first island, we found out their clocks were now an hour behind us and several people were left on the pier waiting for an hour for their tour.

 

The shows were horrible except for Justin Miller who was glorious.

 

The lunch at the Lido Deck every day was basically rotisserie chicken of some sort...just named differently. There were other choices but not main course choices that really did it for me. The food wasn't fantastic....the sugar frees were outstanding, just as an fyi.

 

Food was virtually impossible to get as a snack between 9:30 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. which is when i would have liked a fruit or cheese. Room service, when they did deliver, took about an hour and the portions were horrifically small. The Surf and Turf was a horror...the tiniest portion of filet...and lobster...I asked my waiter to get me 3 lobster tails...he said he would see if he could...I told him he had a choice...he could get it for me or we would have a scene...guess what?...he found three for me...

 

People were seated with people who didn't speak the same language...how fun!

 

WARNING: if you order tea at any time and they bring it to you in a teapot, the handle is as hot as the rest of the pot...please use your napkin or risk scalding your neighbor when you drop the pot.

 

Pinnacle Grill was fabulous...but then again, I paid for it, right?

 

I understand that since HAL has been taken over by Carnival, the waitstaff is having major issues with the management and their pay went from little to less than little. For this I am truly sorry.

 

I opted to take my tips off but was told I could not do so until the end of the cruise. There was no reason for that....I also feel if you tip people for work they haven't yet done, there is no reason to work for it and boy did it show in the service. I spoke to a multitude of people on board who were very disappointed with the cruise.

 

Oh and as a point of information, there were 140 kids on board and they ran out of chocolate milk for them 3/4 of the way through....

 

The elevators were fabulous...empty and lightning fast and always available...

 

Room steward woke up people at 7:30 a.m. the morning before the day we left to deliver the liquor and cigarettes people had purchased on board.

 

These are strictly the opinions of my husband and me.

 

Sonja and Jeff

so glad to read your post.we are just back from the veendam western caribbean(nov18-25.)

our cruise like yours was not what i expected from HAL.our last cruise two years ago on the zuiderdam was great but this cruise was not good.we missed two port and excusions and were given a 25% discount on a future cruise which we will not be using.HAl as a company has fallen short two many times to be forgiven and those who make excuses for poor service etc. get what they deserve.

my others cruises over the past 15 year were memorable ,this one i will try to forget.

in closing i have to say the one saving grace on this trip were the staff,room steward,dining room all waiters,bartenders all fantastic but where did they get the casino staff from and who trained them in customer service?

[loveallcruises]

so sorry you had such a bad cruise. We just came off the Noordam on the 21st and had a wonderful time. I do agree that everyday there was barbecue chicken with different seasonings but there were also a lot of other stations.

 

I was on the Noordam last November and had a great cruise. i would go back on it again.

 

 

Again I am very sorry that your cruise did not meet your expectations.

 

We had Made, Doti, as our wait staff and Alex as our wine steward. Could not say enough about them.

 

Again I do hope you find a cruise line that meets your expectations and you have a great time. Everyone deserves a great time and good service and I just feel bad that you did not have the same experieneces as I did.

[starysacz]

We cruised on the Noordam twice and are booked again in March. We found the service to be excellent and crew members very helpful. We enjoyed the Lido for breakfast and lunch and always have found a large variety of choices. We did dine at the Lido on a couple of evenings and were very impressed with the service and food selection. We have never been disappointed with room service which we have used for the past thirty cruises on HAL.

[all4gizmo]

WOW. they must have changed the entire crew in one day. We were on the 11/10 to 11/21 cruise and had no issues. In fact our servers went out of their way for us. One night in the vista our server brought me the wrong dinner. I told him not to worry about it and ate what he brought. No big deal I'm on vacation and I'm not gonna let that stress me out. A couple of minutes later he brought out the dinner I had ordered and offered apologies for the error. My hubby did damage on the second plate of food. No harm no foul.. Personally I didn't find the portions small. As far as being seated with people that didn't speak English, there was always "As you Wish Dining" My hubby and I had a table for two every night. We sat at either the same table or a table close by every nite and had the same wine steward as well. The Lido is what it is.. If you go there mid afternoon, you have pizza, sandwiches, taco's, pasta and hamburgers. If you get there earlier for lunch there are more options, I always missed the more options because I was at some sort of activity or by the pool. But it's not like they shut down operations there is always something to eat somewhere on the ship. Even the exlorations cafe had food up until 10pm if you wanted a little snack with your coffee. My room service came early, my food was hot, the order was correct and my server pleasant. the internet was slow, but we are at sea there was no cable or T1 line to connect us to the internet. Our liquor came at 8am. Honestly, I'm glad it came early. I was able to finish packing early so I could enjoy my last day on a beautiful ship.

 

It's different strokes for differnet folks, I thought the shows were good.

 

I also find that in life you get more with a little bit of sugar then alot of lemon. Would you have appreciated being threatened for a piece of fish?? I try to treat others as I would like to be treated, I guess that comes from working in customer service for 19 years or 12 years of Catholic school:D . As far as the tipping goes, there are alot of behind the scenes people that work hard to make your experience pleasant. Like clean public bathrooms. They were always spotless. It was your choice to take the tips away from the people that did nothing to hurt you or your vacation. That just goes back to another post on how much extra to tip and when.

 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience

[njsonja]

i'm thrilled to learn that so many of you had excellent service...unfortunately this was not my experience....i have been on rci, princess, norwegian and celebrity before this one...

 

and as for looking for an excuse not to tip? hardly...i tip well for good service and i do not tip for lousy service...

 

in the meantime, i'm currently looking for a cruise in the spring...

 

be well, stay safe....

[The Tsar]

People are always trying to look for an excuse not to tip. We had ciggeraette smokers next to us and they smelled up the whole hallway and it was awful.They are going to ban ciggeretss inside the ship soon.

 

When/where did you hear of the Cigarette Ban? Does the ban include private balconies? As an ex-smoker, I am reluctant to curtail someone else's need for a smoke, but a Cigar smoker recently ruined several days/nights use of our veranda - Had to hide in our cabin, not what we paid for.:mad: