Convince me to go back to HAL

[Cruise Arizona]

I have cruised HAL twice:

 

Once on the Stattendam in 1980 for a 10 day Caribbean Christmas cruise.

(This cruise is still one of my favorites, but gee I was 13 at the time.)

 

Second time, Rotterdam 1993, Honeymoon Cruise to Alaska. Still a favorite. Lovely service, food, and old ship ambiance.

 

 

So this year I've been looking for a November cruise. I have cruised Celebrity for the last 5 cruises, and enjoyed the simple but elegant ambiance, excellent service, and friendly fellow passengers. We have taken our munchkins along on the last 4 cruises. They've enjoyed both the kids program whether there were 47, 198, or 6 kids, and the more grown up activities like fine dining, theme parties, and enrichment lectures.

 

 

So I have been looking for a November/Thanksgiving cruise and Hal offers a two week Panama canal cruise for around $5300 for the 4 of us, or the ultra affordable 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise out of San Diego for around $2500 for the four of us.

 

So I need a little convincing to switch brands again. We love traditional cruising with formal dinner and dressing up. We love meeting fellow passengers who have common interest. We loving cruising period.

 

How do you think we'd find HAL after all these years.

[jer_l]

Although Celebrity is still our favorite line, we will be taking our third HAL cruise this next summer based on itinerary. I think you will find the two lines more similar than different. You will find the beds better on HAL, although the new beds on X are pretty nice. If you enjoy walking, the promenade decks on the HAL ships are great because you can walk all the way around the deck. I think the production shows on X are better, but HAL had some good guest entertainers. If you enjoy art & history the art tour on the HAL ships is great. You can download the MP3 file for your ipod and take a tour of all the art on the ship. (Which is far superior to what I've seen on X.) The service is comparable on the two lines. I would give both of them high marks there.

[HALFans]

I have cruised HAL twice:

 

Once on the Stattendam in 1980 for a 10 day Caribbean Christmas cruise.

(This cruise is still one of my favorites, but gee I was 13 at the time.)

 

Second time, Rotterdam 1993, Honeymoon Cruise to Alaska. Still a favorite. Lovely service, food, and old ship ambiance.

 

 

So this year I've been looking for a November cruise. I have cruised Celebrity for the last 5 cruises, and enjoyed the simple but elegant ambiance, excellent service, and friendly fellow passengers. We have taken our munchkins along on the last 4 cruises. They've enjoyed both the kids program whether there were 47, 198, or 6 kids, and the more grown up activities like fine dining, theme parties, and enrichment lectures.

 

 

So I have been looking for a November/Thanksgiving cruise and Hal offers a two week Panama canal cruise for around $5300 for the 4 of us, or the ultra affordable 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise out of San Diego for around $2500 for the four of us.

 

So I need a little convincing to switch brands again. We love traditional cruising with formal dinner and dressing up. We love meeting fellow passengers who have common interest. We loving cruising period.

 

How do you think we'd find HAL after all these years.

 

How funny!

 

We're going to try Celebrity this fall because our Holland America experience earlier this month just didn't cut it.

 

Check our signature for the review if you're interested.

 

I hear things are better on the newer Vista/Signature class ships - though I'd check reviews before making reservations. ;)

[Sir PMP]

So I need a little convincing to switch brands again. We love traditional cruising with formal dinner and dressing up. We love meeting fellow passengers who have common interest. We loving cruising period.

 

I would stay with Celebrity, on HAL, kids won't have fun, much older crowd.

[brucory]

 

I would stay with Celebrity, on HAL, kids won't have fun, much older crowd.

 

Everyone knows that HAL seems to attract a more dignified, conservative crowd. Personally we don't want the waterslides and the ice skating rinks. Respect is nice though, regardless of how OLD you all are...

 

:D:D:D

[azkcruizers]

I can't help to convince you, we went on our first HAL cruise, Eurodam in February and were very disappointed.

 

Karen

[Cruzman]

Haven't sailed Celebrity, but of my 30 plus cruises, HAL has provided the best cruise experience for us.

[Jade13]

I can't help to convince you, we went on our first HAL cruise, Eurodam in February and were very disappointed.

 

Karen

 

Karen, can you tell us why you were disappointed? We were on the 3 night HAL out of NYC last year and everything was first class.

 

Btw, to the other comment about the older crowd it is so different in the Med/Europe where we did not see a difference from the age group on the Celebrity Century out of Miami in 2008.

 

We actually thought overall the group in Europe (many Europeans) were in better shape, in the gym each day so did see a difference based on the itinerary/location of the ship.

[Sage]

With the children, you may find Celebrity more appealing. I have found that if the children are miserable, everyone is miserable.

[niborHS]

I have been on both Celebrity and HAL. Never cruised on HAL with our kids, but did on Celebrity. 2 years ago we took the HAL mexican riviera cruise. I think you will be much more likely to have a younger crowd on that with more children. The week we went there weren't many kids, but it was not a school break, but the crowd was definitely younger than our recent 10 day on the Noordam. In many respects, the lines are very similar, being more refined, having the experience of fixed dining, formal nights, etc. I didn't find that either had great night-life, but there was enough to keep us busy after main seating dinner. That was one plus about HAL too. Their late seating dinner was 8 pm, not 8:30 like on Celebrity. This year I was on X for 4 nights and HAL for 10. I liked the food better on X, but can't really complain about the food on HAL either. I find that is really a matter of taste though and what you like. We had good service in the dining room on X, but there were some things that were annoying. I think that the dining room service on HAL on both cruises we have taken to be fantastic. Timing is perfect, which makes it a much more enjoyable meal. Never rushed, but you are never waiting for courses either. Both have great specialty restaurants in case you want a dinner out without the kids. I am sure you will have a great time with whatever you choose.

[cardbucfan]

I can't comment on Celebrity, have only sailed HAL and RCCL and strongly prefer HAL even with kids. Our kids are 12 and 14 and they have had a great time on our 2 HAL cruises and are eagerly awaiting our Alaskan cruise this summer. They have had fun with the other kids on board and we tend to do a lot of stuff as a family so they don't miss the "big ship" amenities. Like everybody always says-look at the itinerary and choose based on that. I would think though that there will be more kids on the 1 week trip than the longer one.

[usha]

Hi, Suzanne!

DH & I were just on Westerdam last month for two weeks, and really loved our cruise, for the most part. Even the AYW dining, which we were leary about at first, worked out great for us.

IMO, HAL is very similar to Celebrity in level of service (okay, X service is a little more polished, but HAL service is very warm & friendly).

I'd say that the "dressiness" between the two lines is very similar, with most people following dress codes, or at least making an effort.:)

The food on Westerdam blew us away, not that we've ever had complaints about X's food.:o

The cabins on HAL are a little bigger, they have those great little tubs:), the beds are Heavenly, and I'd say the balconies are, on average, a little deeper than X's.

HAL seems to have way too many announcements, tho, and their smoking policy is way too liberal:(, IMO.

(The smoking issue is why we're going back to Celebrity for our next cruise)

We've never brought kids on HAL, so can't say first-hand if your kids would love or hate it, sorry.

Have fun deciding!:D

[matondo]

We were last on a HAL ship in December and the cruise was as wonderful as ever. However, if you are least bit hesitant I would NOT book a two week cruise. No cruise line is perfect for everyone and HAL may not be perfect for you but it sure is for us.

[azkcruizers]

Jade

 

Hello.......I was very disappointed in the cruise and HAL definately didn't live up to my expectations.

 

To start off with we boarded somewhere around noonish and I had enough carryons with 3 kids and all of our cameras, bathing suits (just in case), etc. After they swiped my card I was surprised that the girl was giving me my kids lifevests. I asked her if the rooms were ready, and she told me no, not until 1:30 or so. I didn't have a problem with that but I didn't care to cart these life jackets around the ship for an hour and a half. I asked her if I could get them from my cabin steward or at the muster drill instead and she told me no. I wasn't very happy.

 

Although I've heard the talk of the step with the caution tape leave it to me to trip on it! I was ok though........can't figure out why they haven't fixed it yet.......caution tape is getting very faded. Did you notice in the lido the silver thingies raised up on the floor here and there. Not sure of the purpose but it would have been nice if they were flush to the floor. A woman walking ahead of me took a hard fall......she said she was ok and sat for a bit. I later saw her with her arm wrapped up. I was worried that my mother may trip on it. She has had both knees replaced and actually brought a wheelchair with her but didn't use it in the lido.

 

I did enjoy our balcony........VD cabin.....balcony was bigger......room stewards were fine, but the robe hanging on the wall when we came in was obviously dirty........put it away, I knew I wouldn't wear it anyways.

 

Other than my cabin stewards and some crew in the lido, one dining room waiter and Marlin the wine steward, the crew was not very friendly at all. The woman I dealt with at the front desk about OBC problem was not very helpful at all. My husband and I had to go to the front desk three days in a row trying to solve the problem and I was asked not to come back again........no I wasn't creating a scene:)

 

We had open seating for dinner........I was amazed at the poor service we received here. I don't want to list everything that happened but just a few examples are being brought wrong dinners several times, telling the waiter this isn't what I ordered and being told yes you did and walking away. My husband had a chimichanga instead of pasta. No bread, no butter, no sour cream, no offer of drinks, my father's dinner wasn't served with ours on formal night........they ran out of lobster and had to go to another kitchen to get it, meat not being cooked as requested.......etc. One night someone came out of the kitchen and said there was a problem in the kitchen, but service never got better.

 

My kids played quite a bit up on the basketball court and there was a bench with a bunch of garbage thrown behind it........checked later in the week and it never got picked up. The bins for towels on the seaview pool were often overflowing onto the floor. Just messy areas.

 

The seas were rough that week, which is no fault of HAL, but we kept hearing that they didn't put the stabilizers out until later in the week. I wondered why.......my daughter was very sick.

 

On the last morning we were told we had to be out of our staterooms at 8:30 even though we were in the last group to disembark. So we went and waited for our turn on the deck where we were to disembark. Who would have thought you would have to do a mad search for a bathroom. They weren't being used by other passengers they were just plain locked. The only explanation I can come up with was they were cleaned and locked for the new cruisers coming on board.

 

These are just some of the things I encountered. I was glad to get away with my family, but you can count this as a won't go with HAL again for me. Way too many problems.

 

So that sums it up.....I haven't said much about it since I came back because I encountered others on the same sailing that didn't have any of the same feelings as me and couldn't believe it.........well all I can say is it's true.

 

Hopefully it was just a fluke thing and not what HAL is turning into. I find it hard to believe that the service everyone else encounters is top notch after this. I'm leaving HAL very confused.

 

Karen

[leoandhugh]

my feeling is that if you need convincing to go back to HAL, you would be better staying with what you have and what you like. After a few years, as all the cruise lines try to establish their niche, things like quality and service suffer, even if only slightly. So why set yourself up for disappointment?:)

[hammybee]

I would be disinclined to sail any cruise line over the Thanksgiving holiday- Just too many new cruisers with too many unrealistic expectations overwhelming the crew.

 

If I just had to be on a ship over the holiday, I would opt for a longer and more costly cruise, if I could afford the time and expense.

 

On the other hand, the more affordable Mexico cruise is apt to have more families because it's more affordable.

[geoherb]

We were on a Celebrity ship right before Christmas (the Century) and just got off the Westerdam today. Both cruises were good. We had better service in the dining room on the HAL ship. Our cabin steward was better on Celebrity. The front desk folks were great on HAL--eager to help and very friendly. I got mixed answers from the Celebrity guest relations desk.

 

Overall, I'd book either cruise line again (along with Princess). The differences usually tend to be ones of luck of the draw with waiters, cabin stewards, etc.

[Cruise Arizona]

Its a difficult decision. Celebrity has abandoned Mexican Riviera itenerary.

 

San Diego is a great embarkation, debarkation port because it is a 7 hour drive or a 1 1/2 hour $100 rt trip flight from the Tucson area.

 

Thanksgiving is a good week for us because the kids get the full week off of school.

 

In terms of a kids program, I'm actually confident that we could sail a line that has no kids program and as a family we'd find plenty to do. The kids liked the grown up "Battle of the Sexes" trivia, as they often knew answers to questions that the older folks, including me, did not know.

 

I guess my feeling about Celebrity has been for the first 4 cruises that I have done with them was that nothing could have been better. Our last cruise had enough minor problems that I would be willing to try another cruise line again given the right price and itenerary. It was really minor things and not the overall picture that was a bit disappointing about the last cruise. If you need details you can look up my review Dec 2008 Summit.

 

 

I am aware that the croud on HAL is generally a bit more sedate than other lines, but HAL has for years also had a reputation for excellent service. Service is probably our number one reason for cruising. It is just so nice to be taken care of for a week, rather than running around from activity to activity.

 

We'd love to do the Panama Canal. DS will be in 8th grade, and our school is very flexible about missing a week and making up the work. Next year he'll be in high school and I don't think that missing a week would be very beneficial. So this may be our last year to do the Canal with the kids since all of those cruises tend to be during the school year and two weeks long.

[bks1357]

I have just finished my 4th cruise on HAL. It was 6 years since we last cruised with them and we were disappointed, much has changed. Plan on nothing provided beyond the the meals and cabin. The cruise line is out to simply separate you from your hard earned cash. Material facts were often represented in an effort to make a fast buck.

Cabin stewards and wait staff in the dinnig room were and exception;however, that was the only exceptional experience we encountered. Otherwise, employees we defensive and at time uncooperative. The meal we had at the Pinnacle Grill, which is an additional charge, was disapointing at best. No one bothered to inquire if we we had what we ordered, if it was it good (it was poorly prepared and overcooked). The menu has been dumbed down over the years and portions were rediculously small ( veal medallions 2 served each the size of a silver dollar with 2 pieces of asparagus constituted and entee) do not go to dinner hungry.

Adult beverages were high priced and short shots were the norm.

This is not a cruise liner for kids as there are limited areas for them to play, older cruisers we not particularly kid friendly.

[lazey1]

The Panama Canal is fascinating and the cruise is beautiful. This sounds like a wonderful opportunity that your children may never have again. I have never sailed on Celebrity so I can not compare the two lines. I did HAL's Panama Canal cruise from Acapulco to FLL New Years 2000 (the Millennium cruise) and there were quite a few children onboard. Having sailed on 6 HAL cruises I must admit that the service is not as great now as it was in 1989 but I would still consider it excellent. Have never seen a HAL employee that wasn't extremely courteous, friendly and helpful. The menu's are not as extensive as they used to be. The food is still very good to excellent just not quite as many choices at each meal. Enjoy your cruise no matter what your decision. Jane

[maxsmamma]

I do think you can fall in love with a cruise line. HAL is my 3rd and by far my favorite. You may have issues if you love celebrity and are looking for the same things on HAL. If you go in with very different expectations, maybe it would work. I loved our Mexican Rivera Oosterdam Cruise out of San Diego. It was amazing!

[Rebecca33]

We are just off a HAL Cruise that we took with our 5 year old. It was our second HAL cruise... We continue to enjoy everything about HAL. Of course there can be minor issues, but that is the same on all lines. We always have had our issues dealt with in a timely manner and we do not feel that the "older" people are not kid friendly.... Our son loves the kids program on HAL.

 

We just booked another cruise for this year while on the last one.

 

Good luck with your decision.

 

Wendy:)

[HALFans]

I have just finished my 4th cruise on HAL. It was 6 years since we last cruised with them and we were disappointed, much has changed. Plan on nothing provided beyond the the meals and cabin. The cruise line is out to simply separate you from your hard earned cash. Material facts were often represented in an effort to make a fast buck.

Cabin stewards and wait staff in the dinnig room were and exception;however, that was the only exceptional experience we encountered. Otherwise, employees we defensive and at time uncooperative. The meal we had at the Pinnacle Grill, which is an additional charge, was disapointing at best. No one bothered to inquire if we we had what we ordered, if it was it good (it was poorly prepared and overcooked). The menu has been dumbed down over the years and portions were rediculously small ( veal medallions 2 served each the size of a silver dollar with 2 pieces of asparagus constituted and entee) do not go to dinner hungry.

Adult beverages were high priced and short shots were the norm.

This is not a cruise liner for kids as there are limited areas for them to play, older cruisers we not particularly kid friendly.

 

What ship/itinerary were you on?

 

While we were disappointed with our Ryndam cruise earlier this month, we didn't experience any of the same difficulties you seemed to.

 

re: Pinnacle Grill dining, waiters in fine restaurants should not inquire about the food ("seen and not heard" type of deal - I was a waiter for several years, 2 of them in a 'fine dining' establishment). It's expected to be perfect and it is up to the diner to make eye contact to summon the waitstaff if it is less than spot on. Sorry you had a bad experience.

 

Adult beverages - I generally had bar scotch & soda with a twist, $4.25 I think and a generous shot pour. Quite reasonably priced I thought, and there were always a couple of 2 for 1 Happy Hours each day which made them an even better bargain. What did the bar manager say about the short shots?

[Cruise Arizona]

There are nice people and grumpy people on all cruise lines (and Cruise Line Boards.) So the whole "older people who don't like kids" thing doesn't worry me much at all. My kids tend to fit in so well in all environments on a cruise ship that I doubt they would bother anyone. And if they did mis-behave it would be dealt with quickly.

 

For example on our last cruise my son had habit of not softly closing the door to the room, which caused it to slam on its own. Our neighbor very nicely mentioned that it was noticible, and he was so careful the rest of the cruise. I have to admit myself that I too was guilty of letting that door slam, and felt so bad when it happened due to my inattention. I know he felt bad too and really made concientious effort to close it softly.

 

We have many friends and family who love HAL.My husband's older cousin and her husband, whom we get along with splendidly, almost always cruise HAL 4 or 5 times a year. They highly recommend HAL to us. Her daily blogs that she e-mail's me from her cruises sound wonderful.

 

There are some things that I remember from our Alaska cruise (Our last one on HAL) that were very different from Celebrity, but that I also really liked. I love the "sing-a-long" piano bar, the Rosario Strings, the Filipino band, Dutch Night with the funny hats, and the crew talent show. I also enjoyed the promonade deck and probably more than anything the friendly service. They also had nice prizes for participating in things like the passenger talent show. We were very young on that cruise, 25 and 29, but we enjoyed many of our fellow "mature" passengers. Would HAL still have many of these things that made it so nice?

 

I just can't imagine that Celebrity and HAL would be all that different?

 

Maybe someone who has done both recently could point out some of the little differences that might appeal to one group and not another?

[ANSalberg]

I'm always a little sad when someone doesn't like my favorite means of traveling -After all I began cruising with the kids in 1978 [we all loved it] and then later as a quick get-away-now in retirement - a WONDERFUL learning experience. But I learned a LONG time ago- cruising isn't for everybody; it just isn't. This remark from a relative, who "finally" took a cruise recently. "It just isn't any fun for me- I wanted to play golf!" There is NOTHING you can say to that kind of person to change [ in this case "her" ] their mind-Nor should you try. I filed the remark in my memory because it brought me such a GREAT laugh.;)

Anne