Kona921

"HAL ships are full of old people".

 

People you hear that from have never set foot on a HAL ship.

 

Just call me OLD!

 

 

3 Star Mariner on HAL

Or better yet, the young man in the Lido with 2 small kids hanging on him the way little ones do - and the ship did a big bouncy. He disgustingly informed all around him that "this guy (Captain) has no clue how to handle this ship."

 

I am howling! THAT is a good one.

 

 

3 Star Mariner on HAL

No smokers Kona 921 ?? Lots of smokers on HAL ships.:eek:

 

Haha! No... I just meant that none of this brouhaha will keep me away. I love HAL...I will wear my fancy dresses, my husband will wear his tux, we will bring our nicest bottles and enjoy both the Pinnacle and Canneletto. We will enjoy our veranda even if someone is hacking up a lung next doer. We will even enjoy the casino...with its smoky haze. Cruising is still an absolute steal of a deal....and for me the most relaxing vacation I can take. And I can't wait!

 

 

3 Star Mariner on HAL

Hmmm. No smokers, no wine drinkers - who's left?:cool:[/quote

 

 

 

 

 

<raising hand> Me. :)

 

 

Me too! :). I can't wait!

 

 

3 Star Mariner on HAL

[quote name='Harry1954']It is quite disheartening to have read of the new wine policy crafted in the ivory tower in Seattle or wherever.

We too are wine drinkers (DW/me), enjoy better quality wines, and, fortunately for us, can afford them. Generally we will order the wines from our wine steward for dinner on short cruises – 12-16 days. There are enough decent wines that we just repeat after a few days and get by.

However, on longer cruises it is quite a challenge for several reasons. First and foremost, there is a very limited selection of premium wines on HAL’s wine list. This creates a problem as it interferes with our enjoyment of the cruise. Thus, we either buy wines on an excursion where we go to a winery, or we will bring back wines from port purchases – always buying high quality alternatives to the HAL wine list and paying the corkage fee as well as a generous tip to the wine steward.

Secondly, on the longer cruises, HAL runs out of the very good wines … for instance, on World Cruise 2011, they ran out of Silverado Cab 2 ½ weeks into the cruise. They also ran out of several other alternatives as well, leaving the choices for cab-style red wines close to zero. On World Cruise 2013, they repeated this process … and included their top wines .. Heitz Cellar being one I clearly remember. There were no high quality white wines either … out of stock. This was very frustrating to us. Fortunately, we had port calls in Hong Kong and Cape Town where we stocked up on alternatives.

We expect HAL to make a profit as that is what they are in business for .. but .. basic management theory puts service-to-customer ahead of profits as service is the horse that lugs the profit cart along … sadly, I am coming to the conclusion that the HAL ivory tower types are missing this.

Fortunately for us, we have Crystal as an alternative … sad to say, we will be forced to limit our bookings on HAL .. being five star doesn’t seem to matter in this type of situation. We want to book cruises where we have a high probability of enjoyment throughout the whole experience.

harry[/QUOTE]

Thank you for this post. This is where the argument should be focused in the future. I am hopeful that once these changes have been implemented that the powers that be will shift focus to providing more choice as well as increasing the stock levels so that we are not stuck with b and c choices. It's not as if we are requesting some rare vintage. These are commonly found wines that should always be in stock.


3 Star Mariner on HAL

very true - I think they need someone new to do it. Many will happily pay a corkage fee - so everyone would be a winner.

 

I guess that's too much for the bean counters at HAL to figure out.

 

We've already seen posters saying this is their last cruise for now - moving on to other lines.

 

but of course, you now best :)

 

Seriously? The problem is that too many were NOT paying the corkage. Asking the bar to provide them with wine glasses and then filling up in their cabins and bringing their filled glasses to bars and to the MDR. As usual the folks who believe that the rules don't apply to them have now spoiled it for those of us who are willing pay a corkage for the pleasure of bringing our own favorites. Also, even at $18 for corkage that is a steal compared to what most fine dining restaurants charge which is typically 20-25 and I have on more than one occasion paid 35 again for the pleasure of bringing my own.

 

 

3 Star Mariner on HAL

Does anyone have a wine list for the Pinnacle Grill? Thanks in advance :)

One thing for sure. Everyone's particular cruise experience is viewed thru their own eyes, and "judged" by their own mind and thinking. I can appreciate everyone's opinion of their cruise, and their sometimes helpful observations and tips for better travel. However, just because someone didn't like a particular ship or cruise would not deter me from someday taking that ship or cruise in order to make my own determination. Good grief, there are some folks out there who hate cruising altogether and would not sail under any circumstances. No one's personal opinion would stop me from cruising if that is what I really wanted to do.

 

Amen!

Hmm...OK. I guess I missed that. I feel like I read the six pages of folks viewing the menu and then getting up in arms over the format. It sounds like many had formed opinions about the old menu but said that if the new menu was for "sharing" then count them out....they had not yet eaten there as even Cruz Chic mentioned it may not have rolled out to all ships yet. Since it began in August then surely by now most if not all should be utilizing the new menu. I for one would love to hear about a PERSONAL experience in Canaletto where the person actually dined there.

 

Oops..I meant SIXTEEN pages.

The bolding is mine. There are people posting here that have experienced it and have reported. The reports did not appear favourable IMO.

 

Hmm...OK. I guess I missed that. I feel like I read the six pages of folks viewing the menu and then getting up in arms over the format. It sounds like many had formed opinions about the old menu but said that if the new menu was for "sharing" then count them out....they had not yet eaten there as even Cruz Chic mentioned it may not have rolled out to all ships yet. Since it began in August then surely by now most if not all should be utilizing the new menu. I for one would love to hear about a PERSONAL experience in Canaletto where the person actually dined there.

I saw this as well. I don't think it's a case of second-class treatment for the other ship. If you think about it, the way they do it probably makes the most sense if there aren't enough large tenders for both ships.

 

I would actually prefer the small tenders at HMC as often times you will have to wait until the fill up the larger boat which can take awhile.

 

 

 

3 Star Mariner on HAL

I am baffled by the angst with regard to the new menu at Canaletto. Every fine Italian restaurant I have dined in offers several courses each with individual pricing. I would never order both a pasta and then a Main or Entree unless I was sharing. Whether they suggest sharing or not. It is way too much food. I can remember dining at Carnevino in Vegas and having the server look down his nose at me because I did not want to order one of each course on the menu. I am paying the bill an I will order what I please...but no, unless it is a tasting menu it is doubtful that they will make you a smaller portion of your pasta or main course. There is no need to wring your hands with worry over wasting food. Order what you like or don't like. I don't feel the need to partake in every course in the MDR why would Canaletto be any different. Simply passing on the restaurant because of portion size is odd to me as in 17 years of cruising I have many times seen indecisive folks order multiple courses in the MDR or left half eaten plates of food in the Lido. If you don't care for the menu then don't dine there. If the restaurant is such a failure then HAL will discontinue it. Clearly that is not the case as it remains and continues to evolve and do the menus in the PG and MDR. I appreciate the opportunity to enjoy both the familiar as well as the opportunity to try something new.

 

I love the opportunity to learn about people's personal experiences on HAL and to get tips on making my absolute favorite way to travel even better but I do find it frustrating to see so much time spent lamenting over what has not yet been experienced.