rlsmith

Best of luck to you. We sailed on the Westerdam and had very disappointing service during and after the cruise. I wrote to the Pres, of Holland and they finally responded to me. Just wanted to be heard and an apology for being so ignored. They gave us a $500 Per Person credit for my wife and I, to be used in 1 year. Honestly I really didn't want it. Holland was so bad we did't even think of using it. My Aunt and Uncle when on Holland last year, and also had very very bad service. They also said never again for Holland. I really hope it goes well for you. But Holland is not a cruise line I'll be on again

That's pretty funny. The IT team must have reset the time on the Database, or something like that.

I have to agree with Hank about the food. Its the cruise experience we go for and when you get real gourmet food that is an added bonus. Living in New England we have great seafood anytime, you get it right at the Grocery store. For instance lobster right now, to us, is expensive - $6.99 a pound. So something like that on the cruise is not a huge deal for us. (just wanted to make everyone envious as I look at the cold snowy misery outside)

The one caveat to that is, if you are paying extra for the "specialty" dining on a cruise I expect them to deliver better quality food & service. We have done that on several cruises and it's a mixed bag.

NCL we ate at the Italian specialty restaurant. This was just about the worst meal/food I've ever had in my life. It wasn't Italian but it sure was salty. The French restaurant was OK.

Disney Dream - Palo's, we had read good things and they were all spot on. Went to the Brunch and had one of the best meals ever. The staff was fantastic and food was stunning. They have a buffet-stations for some of the items, but you can also order other items from the kitchen. They had several different egg choices (Benedict, Florentine, etc) I asked for the Florentine with a little smoked salmon under the spinach. They brought out the best most perfect eggs with perfect bechamel sauce and just as I ordered. It was so good I had to get a 2nd. In general all the Disney Dream restaurants and food was well above cruise average. Best cruise food I've had on any line.

HAL - Pinnicle Grill (Westerdam) This past fall was an OK meal, but the WORST service we've ever gotten on a cruise ship. 2nd Gala night so it was only 1/3 - 1/2 full. 2.5 Hours most of it waiting for anyone to come by and refill our water. I had to get up and "hunt around" the other tables to get salt . Ours was empty and so was most of the others. Mind you this is after 10 minutes of waiting for someone to come by and have them get it for us. It was like being in a McDonalds. Very sad, and no one came over to say "please I can get that for you". Food was OK but all I remember is the horrid service. Head waiter never came by in 2.5 hours to ask "how are things".

In general I thought the Westerdam food was OK. I can't think of anything "memorable" for the meals either in the MDR, or the Buffet's. I liked the buffet's breakfast better, because I was able to get my eggs hot and cooked right there.

The MDR service our first 2 try's was regrettable. First night-dinner again a 2.5 hour event. We got tired of waiting for our Waiter to come back so we could order desert. Decided to go up to the Buffet and get some but it was 9:30 and it was closed. So I went to the Courtesy desk and complained. The Restaurant MGR called our room and apologized, said "please try again we'll do better". Next morning get up go to MDR and again super slow service. But they did top themselves. Gave us cold food, and the Hash brown was so overcooked and cold it was like Styrofoam, it was inedible. Again complained to the Restaurant MGR, his solution was to seat us on the other side of the MDR. I guess the Wait staff actually work on that side, we didn't have any more service problems after that. Sadly instead of "fixing the problem" he just moved someone else to the troubled area.

For me I use Yelp and find the good (mostly ethnic) restaurants when I go places. Best meal from our last cruise, the Capital Grill in Fort Lauderdale FL the night before we left. Hank if you are leaving from there give it a try. Expensive but it should be one of the best meals of your cruise.

Richard

It really surprises me when we read such negative comments about the Westerdam. I don't doubt that this happened to you, but I have to wonder why. Our cruise of 20 days on the Westerdam was stellar. Food in the MDR was very good, as was the service. Though, we had a table for two and were always done with dinner in about an hour. The Pinnacle Grill was great, both for breakfast and dinner - and we had lunch there twice as well. Only one negative for us in the PG. One morning the milk in the jug on the table was sour, the PG manager went and got a fresh one - that was sour too. So was a third. Finally got good milk when the server went up to the Lido to fetch it.

Lizzie

In general the cruise was nice, 7 day eastern Caribbean. We went with our adult sons (30 & 28) and it was their first time on a cruise. So that was our group of 4. The service fell flat a couple of times, but the PG was disaster. I wish I could have complained to the PG mgr, in 2.5 hours the only person to come by was our waiter (infrequently) and the wine steward. That was what I found most disturbing. Especially since it was such a "low volume" night, as I mentioned most of the tables were empty.

One of the comments on my survey to HAL was having the tips included in the bill. Seems like some of the wait staff isn't very motivated with that design.

We have only been on 6 cruises, so we aren't "experienced" cruisers. But the prior year DW and I had gone on the Disney Dream. Went with HAL because we liked the destinations and heard good things about the line. In comparison Disney=10 HAL=5 (scale of 10). My understanding is both are a bit more upscale & you pay a little more for the better service. But we found that HAL just didn't consistently deliver. Worse was the Customer Service was just about non-existent. Don't want to bash HAL they were OK, but we thought the PG was not worth the up-pay.

Richard

They are outside the MDR every day after lunch as I recall.

 

You can always ask your server the night before and he can get you a copy of the next day's menu. On one recent cruise, our dinner server gave us each a copy of the next day's menu the evening before as we were leaving dinner. He included his and his assistant's name on the menu - nice touch I thought. Earned him a nice additional tip at the end of the cruise!

We were on the Westerdam in Oct, and they menu was posted that day for the MDR at the entrance, late each morning. Also for lunch and dinner at the PG.

But the we did the Pinnacle Grill on the 2nd to last night (Gala night).

Worst mistake of the cruise.

Arrived at 7 PM and again 2.5 hours for a meal.

DW had to ask multiple times for a water refill before getting one. The waiter had to admit "you really shouldn't have to ask so many times".

Things like that all night.

Place was 1/2 to 1/3 full so it wasn't busy at all.

Food there was "good" but no lobster and limited seafood selections.

So food 3 out of 5, service 0 out of 5.

Not worth paying extra for.

Ebay,

 

Thanks for your comments and observations, they were very timely. We leave on the Westie in 11 days for the same itinerary, also in a SZ guarantee. We're still waiting for the cabin assignment. Hopefully, it'll be lower than deck 8 (SS?) or at least beneath a relatively quiet part of lido.

 

When did you get your cabin assignment?

 

This is our first HAL cruise and we're already hoping that the reductions in food, service and entertainment you mentioned don't cause us to regret our decision to try HAL.

 

1884,

 

If that late staff party on deck was keeping to me up, I would've been P.O.d also, but then again, I just might have gone up/out and JOINED in the party (for at least as long as I could have bared listening to the "thump-thump" music)!

Av8tor

Just wanted to give you a little warning before you go. We also had issues with the food on our Westerdam cruise back in Oct.

On the first night in the Vista the meal took 2.5 hours (slow service) and we never got desert, we got tired of waiting. Told the Restaurant Manager who apologized and said "please try us again". So the next morning at see the wife and I went for breakfast. Big mistake as it was just as slow and our food arrived cold. Had to make a big stink with the Restaurant mgr to get seated on the other side of the Vista where the wait staff did a good job.

But the we did the Pinnacle Grill on the 2nd to last night (Gala night). Worst mistake of the cruise.

Again 2.5 hours for a meal. My wife had to ask multiple times for a water refill before getting one. The waiter had to admit "you really shouldn't have to ask so many times".

Salt was empty, couldn't find anyone to "get us another salt and pepper". So after 10 minutes of waiting for any staff, we got up and grabbed some off the other tables (felt like a McDonalds' McMove- classless). BTW several of the other tables salt/pepper were empty.

Things like that all night.

Most embarrassing, 2.5 hours and the Head Waiter never came by our table to ask how things were?

Place was 1/2 to 1/3 full and we were a table of 4. Food there was "good" but not the upscale way HAL portray's it.

So food 3 out of 5, service 0 out of 5.

Save some money don't pay extra and avoid it.

I think Ebay did the smart thing, only Pizza and Burgers.

Ran into the same problem as the original poster. We cruised Oct. 17 - 23 on the Westerdam. Was shocked the lead time for 2 digital photos and 1 print was 8 - 10 weeks. I called and left a message with Black Label/Ocean-images on the 18th of Dec. saying "don't be late we want to have these for the holidays" Never got a call back from the message on the Answering machine.

On Jan 4th finally got a live person, said the photos were in the Mail. Got them on Jan 5th, 11 weeks after the cruise. The entire group claimed they were "on schedule" because they "Shipped" the photo's on Dec 31. They had until Jan. 2nd for the full "10 weeks". Like they were really going to ship it on Jan 1 (new year) or Sat. Jan 2. The shipped at last possible minute, most likely because I left the message 2 weeks earlier. They ignore the fact your copy of the paperwork says "8 - 10 week DELIVERY".

I did get a call back and apology from them. Again they gave me excuses about the holiday's and expedited orders. I know the only reason I got a call was because I e-mailed all of the Black Label, Ocean Images customer service e-mail addresses AND copied the office of the Pres, HAL as well as the Pres of HAL himself. That got their attention and they finally called me back. I'm still pretty riled about their poor service so I hope everyone reads this thread is is warned.