Tips and Tricks for new sailors on HAL

Leaving in 2 weeks on our first HAL cruise. 18 day cruise to Hawaii. Have done 6/8 on Princess and 3/4 on Carnival. Just wondering what I might need to know that is different so I can pack properly and know what to expect.

All tips and tricks are appreciated.

Thanks

Leaving in 2 weeks on our first HAL cruise. 18 day cruise to Hawaii. Have done 6/8 on Princess and 3/4 on Carnival. Just wondering what I might need to know that is different so I can pack properly and know what to expect.

 

 

 

All tips and tricks are appreciated.

 

 

 

Thanks

You will be allowed to stay in your cabin on the final day until your debarkation time. No need to wait in a lounge.

Room service breakfast is available on the final day.

Feel free to edit the hang tag room service breakfast menu. No guarantees, but most requests are honored.

You will probably have the special HAWAII team on board teaching lei making, ukulele, hula dancing etc. If you want to take the lei making class- get there 45 minutes early...otherwise you may be disappointed.

The transit will be cooler than you think, take a jacket if you want to spend time outside in the evening. The transit will be windy - don't plan on being able to use your veranda deck much at sea...

If you are in San Diego the day before - don't miss the views from the "Top of the Hyatt ". Opens at 3pm. Manchester Grand Hyatt.

https://manchester.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/TopoftheHyatt.html

Cabins are usually ready when you board so go drop off your carryons and head to the MDR for a leisurely lunch or go explore the ship. Have a great cruise!

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Compared to Princess your disembarkation will be chaos. While HAL lets you stay in your cabin, something goes wrong, always does. Don't get hot under the collar as you compare the HAL experience to the smooth procedure on Princess. :)

Compared to Princess your disembarkation will be chaos. While HAL lets you stay in your cabin, something goes wrong, always does. Don't get hot under the collar as you compare the HAL experience to the smooth procedure on Princess. :)

Disembarkation simply has too many variables to be able to make any general statement. We disembarked recently form Nieuw Amsterdam in FLL and it was quick and easy. Number of passengers, day of week, number of ships in, weather, arrival time all can impact on how any disembark goes no matter ship, terminal, or line. Ours was perfect, next weeks could be disaster.

What is great for us, being able to order room service for disembark morning and being able to stay in cabin disembark morning. That GREATLY adds to comfort for us of disembarkation. We get up early that day and appreciate having coffee and continental arrive. e also do get out and go to a waiting area more in line with departure area but the no pressure to rush to do so is again GREATLY appreciated. No one was rushing us at all just wonderful! I believe this is the only line left that doesn't cattle herd you out of cabin areas. Yet another reason we are happy to start sailing HAL now, the LAST service cruise line just about.

Oh a quick note, first time NO CUSTOM forms. We were told FLL no longer using them. I presume customs regs remain normal limitations just doing away with collecting and storing 50,000 forms a week that no one read. Government works slowly. Now if they would just stop making quarter size dollar coins no one will use and then paying millions to store them.

George in NY

Disembarkation simply has too many variables to be able to make any general statement. We disembarked recently form Nieuw Amsterdam in FLL and it was quick and easy. Number of passengers, day of week, number of ships in, weather, arrival time all can impact on how any disembark goes no matter ship, terminal, or line. Ours was perfect, next weeks could be disaster.

 

What is great for us, being able to order room service for disembark morning and being able to stay in cabin disembark morning. That GREATLY adds to comfort for us of disembarkation. We get up early that day and appreciate having coffee and continental arrive. e also do get out and go to a waiting area more in line with departure area but the no pressure to rush to do so is again GREATLY appreciated. No one was rushing us at all just wonderful! I believe this is the only line left that doesn't cattle herd you out of cabin areas. Yet another reason we are happy to start sailing HAL now, the LAST service cruise line just about.

 

Oh a quick note, first time NO CUSTOM forms. We were told FLL no longer using them. I presume customs regs remain normal limitations just doing away with collecting and storing 50,000 forms a week that no one read. Government works slowly. Now if they would just stop making quarter size dollar coins no one will use and then paying millions to store them.

 

George in NY

My last day on my most recent Princess cruise.

Get out! of your room by 8 am

No room service

I go to the Lido and the omelette station is closed due to "debarkation day"

I am Platinum on Princess so I get to go to the special lounge to wait until my 9:30 debarkation time. We are told to come back at 9:30 and are refused entry because we are "too early".

I go back to the Lido but since I am not in a lounge you don't know what the status of the debarkation is since they only announce this in the crowded lounges. Princess is very proud of their "silent disembarkation"

I go back to the Plat/Elite lounge at my time of 9:30.....the lounge is now empty...everyone gone....I leave the ship, figuring it must be my time since no one is around to make announcements anymore.

On HAL your cruise services continue on the last day and you can relax in your cabin till it is time to leave. HAL does announce colors over the PA system...while Princess is very proud of their "silent disembarkation". I would prefer to stay in my cabin and listen to the announcements rather than be forced to a crowded lounge - with no food - unless you are plat/elite - and then if plat/elite - don't come early.

If you are a person who doesn't do room service, don't want omelettes and get an early flight so you are off in the first group - then none of the above issues will matter or even be noticed on Princess.

Other than the last day, I love Princess...but they always leave me with a bad taste after a wonderful cruise.....I get the sense from Princess that my cruise is over at 8 Am - buh-bye!

From my experience, last day chaos on any ship is more of function of the cruise terminal - porters, immigration, customs, taxis...if they have those in quantity- the disembark is quick.....otherwise, you can wait. These items are largely beyond the ships control.

Since I (most) always get a late flight, when on HAL, I ask for the last group - get room service (full hot breakfast with eggs to order ) at 8am....linger in my room till 9:30 or 10:00 then wander off into a mostly empty terminal...

The HAL rooms are still available at 11:30 for new guests because there are enough early debarkers to keep the room stewards busy until I leave.....so leaving late doesn't slow down the turnaround...they can't easily turn around the last few rooms in less than 1 hour...

This has been my exp from about 10 princess cruises and 20 or so HAL cruise, but as always YMMV...

Compared to Princess your disembarkation will be chaos. While HAL lets you stay in your cabin, something goes wrong, always does. Don't get hot under the collar as you compare the HAL experience to the smooth procedure on Princess. :)

Within the past year we have taken 2 cruises on HAL and both times the disembarkation went smoothly. On the one two months ago we were able to get off 30 minutes earlier than our scheduled time! I think it all depends on the port your are going into.

I really appreciate how HAL lets you into your cabin as soon as you board (generally 11:30 AM) and how you can stay in your cabin until your "color" is called on disembarkation day.

Another note on dress code - HAL fairly recently changed away from "formal" nights to "gala" nights and relaxed the dress code (see the HAL website for the new rules) and now men do not even need a jacket and tie (although most still wear them).

Thanks for all the tips.

We usually drive to ports living in California. We are almost always one of the last groups to leave. Staying in the room and having room service should work great for us.

Had a different disembarkation on the Oosterdam four or five years ago.

The flyer from the evening before said we could stay in our cabin until our colors were called.

The cabin stewards, however, were persistent in their requests for us to get out earlier. They finally brought their supervisor.

i understand why they do this, however they should follow their own guidance and not be so annoying about it. i regretted that I had already filled out and turned in the survey card.

last HAL cruise, also on Oosterdam, last December we just left earlier on our own so as to not have to go through that again.

Compared to Princess your disembarkation will be chaos. While HAL lets you stay in your cabin, something goes wrong, always does. Don't get hot under the collar as you compare the HAL experience to the smooth procedure on Princess. :)

sailed 5 times with HAL - never had a disembarkation problem -