VermeulT

Thank you so much for all the detail. I will be taking HAL in Nov... so not exactly the same itinerary - but you HAVE given me a lot to think about. The planning is quite overwhelming as I want to do everything! I appreciate the links and reviews.

Thank you!

My argument (for whatever it's worth) has been that there is a valuable place in the modest-priced market for a line that offers a "traditional" and "classic" (but not necessarily "premium") cruise experience.....

As it stands, I can access HAL's more elegant and refined cruise style, and their more interesting itineraries. I wouldn't want that to change.

I think the point of the thread is that HAL's "more elegant and refined cruise style" isn't there anymore.... at least it's fading. And for that, I'm very sad.

Those of us who do care and do have the money to spend on higher fares for cruising aboard ships in good condition and with proper service will eventually tire of HAL and move to Cunard or Seabourn where CCL can pull more money from us for roughly the product we originally came to HAL for.

According to the HM - Cunard is facing the same issue as HAL (maybe not to the degree yet). Society at large is changing - and the cruise lines are feeling the effects.

Oh my this is an interesting thread. I just got off the Eurodam and had such an experience that my hubby and I were trying to gather our thoughts to basically post a similar message.

We fell in love with HAL because they tote themselves as being "classic" and "traditional"... they're your grandparent's cruise line (skews an older crowd)... NOT a drunken frat party... .......

This last week on the Eurodam has proven that HAL is abandoning it's brand. DH stormed out of dinner one (smart casual) night to complain about a man that entered the dining room wearing cargo shorts, a margaritaville T shirt and flip flops. {I do not want to start a discussion here about dress code}. DH and I spoke in depth with 2 of the asst dining room managers as well as the head of guest relations on board, and ultimately the Hotel Manager.

We were basically told that this is what to expect now from HAL on the 7 day Caribbean itineraries. They have no choice. Rooms for last week were as low as $399. At a little over $50 per person per day - you get people on the ship that want a cheap quick get away, the beach, and all you can eat. They don't look at or care about the cruise line they are going to be on. They want their beach and food. The clientele are dictating the mood of the cruise.

The Hotel Manager told us that a few weeks ago they had a man walk into the dining room on formal night without a jacket or tie - they offered him a jacket - he said "get out of my way" - they asked him to change, take the jacket or go to the lido and he punched out the dining room manager. The HM said to my hubby and I "how far do we go, what lengths must we take to enforce the rules?"

And it wasn't just the dress code - loud music at both pools, drunk and all-around inconsiderate people, babies crawling on the floor in front of the bathroom.......

The staff have a meeting the week before they head to the Caribbean and remind everyone what they can expect for the next few months. They take a few deep breaths and head south - counting the days until they head back to Europe.

We were assured by multiple people on the staff - from every level (HM, bartender, dining room mgr, future cruise consultant....) that this does NOT exist on longer cruises or cruises in other areas of the world (except maybe a little in Alaska with rates dropping there too).

It's sad really.

BTW - Our next cruise (booked last week) will be to Hawaii.

awesome pix!

WARNING WARNING WARNING!!

While yes - you can get good deals on cigarrettes and electronics... Look at what you are buying. Cigarrettes in the Carribbean are not usually the same as in the US. If the box says "Made under the authority of RJ Reynolds" then it's not the same quality tobacco that you get in the US - and you will be disappointed.

Also on electronics - check where the warranty is good. If it's not a US warranty and there are problems - it will be harder to get it fixed.

I have not had these issues - but have heard from plenty that have.

We have also rented a golf cart for our Aug. 22 cruise. The pictures in the Destiny posting were just gorgeous. Here is the only site I could find that had a "somewhat" road map for Grand Turk. There is also some great island info there.

 

http://www.grandturkcc.com/

Nathan said that we where to find him, that he would give us some quick information on the cart, and a map and send us out to have fun.

He sounds like a really nice guy.

I also called him to give me my CC number as I didn't want to email it. He didn't answer so I left a message that I'd call back (why make him pay for the call, right?) But a few minutes later - he must have gotten my number off caller ID and he called.... and ran the charge right then and there - giving me a verbal confirmation that it went through just fine.

I can't wait!

Ciderdam actually comes pretty close for non-Dutch speakers, Meneer Vermeul. I have heard worse pronounciations plus the "ui" (onion) is not an easy one unless you're Dutch/Belgian/South African

Mevrouw, Alstublieft.

I give you that not everyone can manage foreign phonetics. I could take Zider Dam. But again, this is the cruise director of the ship. He doesn't need to speak Dutch - he should be able to say the same of the ship - IMO.

I will only say that a cruise director should be able to properly announce the name of his ship.

Mine was not named after a fruity drink!!! Its named after a point on a compass!!

Sure - he wasn't Dutch and might have problems with phonetics but.... CIDER DAM it ain't... I would have been less irriatated if he called it South-er-dam.

How many people can share a cabana, and is there enough room and chairs for all? Thanks!

The basic fare is for 4 people. There is a charge for additional people.

Aug 1985 on NCL's Norway to the Caribbean - St. Thomas, Nassau, and their Private Island.

I was the last vacation my family was able to take as a group (Dad died following summer). It was a fantastic week. Yes - I guess you can say I was hooked.

OMG!!! I LOVE THIS REVIEW!!!

 

At first I was ready to start flaming you big time!! How dare someone start off with such blatant rudeness etc., BUT then I read a bit more and then more and OMG I am still laughing so hard!!!!

Like Joannie said - I was ready to bitch you out... and then I started laughing. I have tears!! This was great. Thanks for your review!:D

Cabana #1 is closest to the tenders, Cabana #15 if the farthest away down the beach.

http://travel.webshots.com/album/545430035SNnJOv

Thanks for sharing!

When my husband and I booked our upcoming cruise, our TA called HAL to find out about available inside cabins. HAL told her the square footage of several individual cabins, and we used that info to help make our decision. We also emailed HAL, and Ship Services promptly confirmed the size, as well as provided answers to other questions.

My TA did too. (I was mostly interested in how big the balcony was & they only give total generic room size incl balcony) Ship Services asked which room and gave him the exact dimensions.

Zuiderdam

SY6115 = room 21.6' x 13.6'. balcony 6.5' deep. 294 sqft + 87 sqft

VA6114 (I think that #) = 21.5' x 8.5'. balcony 5.5' deep. 174 sqft + 45.8 sqft.

any input on hotel offering day rates - or something to do while waiting for flight post cruise... we have 8+ hours to kill.....

THANKS!

Is the Butler service for the cabana's worth it?