Things that surprised me regarding HAL and the Oosterdam :

[RVRCLC]

Staying in the laundry room prevents you from being a "machine hog."

[mindydaile]

Who sits the whole time in the laundry room?

 

Those of us who have come back to missing laundry or "dryer stealers" who take out your wet clothes and put theirs in to use up the quarter you put in the dryer!

[huskerdan25]

HAL & Princess are very similar. We love both lines and cruise them almost exclusively. I'm sure you will be well-pleased with either line. I wish you many more cruises over your lifetime and always with Smooth Sailing!! :):)

 

I suspect I will love HAL and can't wait to sail with them. I know there will be differences but that is how I will see them, as differences, not necessarily making one better or worse than the other. I plan to go on the cruise with an open mind and not ruin my cruise by constant comparison. I think the OP did a nice job at pointing out some differences they experienced so I won't get caught by surprise.

 

Sorry if my opinion on the laundry perk came off wrong. I'm sure my wife and I will adjust and you never know, we might just use that service :)

 

Thanks for the well-wishes!

[FATJACK]

You get unlimited laundry and dry cleaning with a Deluxe Veranda Suite or Penthouse booking on HAL.

[luvs2travl]

You get unlimited laundry and dry cleaning with a Deluxe Veranda Suite or Penthouse booking on HAL.

 

You sure do, but I would say that most passengers do not sail in Deluxe Verandahs or in the Penthouse suite!

[SwissMyst]

We did a 42 day trip just washing things out ourselves in the sink and it worked fine. I way over packed for that trip thinking laundry would be an issue, but picking the right fabrics helped make in-room laundry a breeze.

 

Having a balcony helps too if you hang items behind the chairs and out of public view to take advantage of the air circulation to speed drying. Be sure they are fixed so they don't blow away.

[luvs2travl]

I suspect I will love HAL and can't wait to sail with them. I know there will be differences but that is how I will see them, as differences, not necessarily making one better or worse than the other. I plan to go on the cruise with an open mind and not ruin my cruise by constant comparison. I think the OP did a nice job at pointing out some differences they experienced so I won't get caught by surprise.

 

Sorry if my opinion on the laundry perk came off wrong. I'm sure my wife and I will adjust and you never know, we might just use that service :)

 

Thanks for the well-wishes!

 

Not at all! We did not use the laundry package for a while either. It is one of those things that we just decided was another "senior" benefit that we were going to take advantage of in our retirement. ;)

 

I also agree with your assessment of cruising & comparing lines - each line is different and not in a bad way, either. We love them both which is why we cruise both. The other lines - not so much and rather than continually "bash" them, we just offer our business elsewhere.

 

You have a great attitude and again, all the best in wherever you sail. Will be glad to hear how you like HAL! :D

[Palmetto Lady]

After spending numerous hours in laundry rooms, I advised my husband that I was on vacation too! On our first HAL cruise, we did not take the laundry package, but paid by the bag. I think it was $15/bag. It was amazing how much one could fit in a bag. It was worth every penny. On our 35 day Voyage of the Vikings, we took the laundry package. What I would miss with no laundry room would be access to an iron. I like to touch up our clothes if they come out of the suitcase with a few wrinkles or after they have been worn if they are not spotted or funky.

[yukongold]

Thanks so much for posting your comments. It is good so see an objective report on what a poster finds on both the positive and the negative. To often people are reluctant to do so because of the slings and arrows that always accompany personal observations that are not totally positive.

 

Your comments will help other people new to cruising with HAL. Good job!

[Obtuse1]

I knew what I was in for by bringing up anything negative.

 

I am thankful that a few posters understood why I chose to post this. I did do a lot of reading. There were a lot of things I expected. Because of CC and the great info posted here by many great and helpful posters .

 

I knew not to expect trays on the Lido deck. I knew if I ran across Hunky Dory he’d likely remember my name for the rest of the cruise. I knew that despite being listed as a ‘Public Room’ on HAL’s website that the Neptune Lounge is not a ‘public room’ at all. I knew there would be no clock in the room, but there would be a hair dryer. I even knew all the light switches by the door and bed would be a bit confusing for the first few days. I knew what I was in for with the Master Chef’s dinner and how that might be a great night to check out the Pinnacle Grill for $20 more per person ( Their Steak Diane , roasted mushrooms , and chocolate soufflé were sooo good ) . I knew breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill was not an option with the VA balcony we had. And on and on , there is a wealth of information here. We loved 2 non HAL , excursions that we learned about here on CC, and on and on.

 

There were just some things that I didn’t think to ask about and some I thought would be same as other lines.

 

Regarding ‘ Self Laundry’ I had no intentions of doing laundry on my vacation. But I did expect I could quickly iron a wrinkled shirt after unpacking (as I have done on other lines). On discovering I could not iron my own shirts I simply paid to have a couple to be pressed. But finding out a few hours before dinner on the first formal night of a cruise is none the less one of those little ‘surprises’.

 

If the port charges were to be reduced and the account credited, would the OP protest the refund?

 

Bless your heart. ‘Protest’ , no. But I likely would have still listed it as a ‘surprise’ yes.

 

Just a note about this minor increase, we had left port, and were informed on day 2 , so yes , it was a surprise to find I owed more than we had agreed upon. YES I understand they are within their rights, and it was an increase in tax levied by the National Park Service ( I tried to be transparent and list exactly what the charge was for ). It was still disappointing to find out so late, maybe I expected too much from HAL and should be glad they informed me at all in advance of our final bill arriving on the last day ? Please understand we read the note, were a bit perturbed, but then got dressed and had the most wonderful filet mignon with lobster tales, then baked Alaska for dessert, before relaxing on the balcony of our room, then going to a top notch show.

 

I considered NOT listing this item because I knew it would get the ‘This is not HAL’s fault’ and ‘ You should know better’ comments. However; if I had read of this happening in somebody’s post titled ‘ Things I didn’t expect’, maybe I would have not batted an eye when I got a note after departure saying ‘ Remember how we agreed upon a price ? well…’

 

Yes I am making too big a deal over this, but the principle of it bothers me. Thank you for those who pointed out this was NOT HAL, that they were simply the messenger and that they ‘told’ me in advance taxes and or levies might change. It will not be listed under ‘ Things that surprised me…’ again even if I get a note in the mail a month after a cruise with a bill for a few dollars more ;)

 

How much we missed more open spaces (spanning 2 – 3 decks ) on some other ships. This was likely more noticeable because of the Alaskan itinerary with cool temps and rain that kept us inside more than usual as well.

 

The "O" is one of our favorite HAL ships. The Crow's Nest offers a fantastic bow view and it is v-e-r-y large. Did you venture up there at all?

 

We loved the Crow's Nest, isn’t it wonderful ! We appreciated that amazing view from the bow, it is so nice ! The "O" is wonderful , what I did mean to convey is just that we were surprised we missed areas on the ship that had places that spanned a few decks in height, for example where the front office is, or the Vista Lounge. We just felt the ceilings were encroaching on us more than some other ships that at least seemed to us to have more places that spanned a few decks tall. This is NOT a complaint it was just a surprise that we seemed to notice this so much. Maybe it just means we wait too long between cruises :)

 

I just want to thank the people that make CC such a great place for information. So many of you just ‘get it’ and want a place to get objective, first hand knowledge and reports , tips, and experiences. I can’t imagine just showing up to board any ship without the knowledge and tips I have gotten from you all.

 

( P.S. Wow this is WAY too long …. Whoops. Why am I not surprised at that ? )

[0bnxshs]

I knew what I was in for by bringing up anything negative.

 

I am thankful that a few posters understood why I chose to post this. I did do a lot of reading. There were a lot of things I expected. Because of CC and the great info posted here by many great and helpful posters .

 

I knew not to expect trays on the Lido deck. I knew if I ran across Hunky Dory he’d likely remember my name for the rest of the cruise. I knew that despite being listed as a ‘Public Room’ on HAL’s website that the Neptune Lounge is not a ‘public room’ at all. I knew there would be no clock in the room, but there would be a hair dryer. I even knew all the light switches by the door and bed would be a bit confusing for the first few days. I knew what I was in for with the Master Chef’s dinner and how that might be a great night to check out the Pinnacle Grill for $20 more per person ( Their Steak Diane , roasted mushrooms , and chocolate soufflé were sooo good ) . I knew breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill was not an option with the VA balcony we had. And on and on , there is a wealth of information here. We loved 2 non HAL , excursions that we learned about here on CC, and on and on.

 

There were just some things that I didn’t think to ask about and some I thought would be same as other lines.

 

Regarding ‘ Self Laundry’ I had no intentions of doing laundry on my vacation. But I did expect I could quickly iron a wrinkled shirt after unpacking (as I have done on other lines). On discovering I could not iron my own shirts I simply paid to have a couple to be pressed. But finding out a few hours before dinner on the first formal night of a cruise is none the less one of those little ‘surprises’.

 

 

 

Bless your heart. ‘Protest’ , no. But I likely would have still listed it as a ‘surprise’ yes.

 

Just a note about this minor increase, we had left port, and were informed on day 2 , so yes , it was a surprise to find I owed more than we had agreed upon. YES I understand they are within their rights, and it was an increase in tax levied by the National Park Service ( I tried to be transparent and list exactly what the charge was for ). It was still disappointing to find out so late, maybe I expected too much from HAL and should be glad they informed me at all in advance of our final bill arriving on the last day ? Please understand we read the note, were a bit perturbed, but then got dressed and had the most wonderful filet mignon with lobster tales, then baked Alaska for dessert, before relaxing on the balcony of our room, then going to a top notch show.

 

I considered NOT listing this item because I knew it would get the ‘This is not HAL’s fault’ and ‘ You should know better’ comments. However; if I had read of this happening in somebody’s post titled ‘ Things I didn’t expect’, maybe I would have not batted an eye when I got a note after departure saying ‘ Remember how we agreed upon a price ? well…’

 

Yes I am making too big a deal over this, but the principle of it bothers me. Thank you for those who pointed out this was NOT HAL, that they were simply the messenger and that they ‘told’ me in advance taxes and or levies might change. It will not be listed under ‘ Things that surprised me…’ again even if I get a note in the mail a month after a cruise with a bill for a few dollars more ;)

 

 

 

We loved the Crow's Nest, isn’t it wonderful ! We appreciated that amazing view from the bow, it is so nice ! The "O" is wonderful , what I did mean to convey is just that we were surprised we missed areas on the ship that had places that spanned a few decks in height, for example where the front office is, or the Vista Lounge. We just felt the ceilings were encroaching on us more than some other ships that at least seemed to us to have more places that spanned a few decks tall. This is NOT a complaint it was just a surprise that we seemed to notice this so much. Maybe it just means we wait too long between cruises :)

 

I just want to thank the people that make CC such a great place for information. So many of you just ‘get it’ and want a place to get objective, first hand knowledge and reports , tips, and experiences. I can’t imagine just showing up to board any ship without the knowledge and tips I have gotten from you all.

 

( P.S. Wow this is WAY too long …. Whoops. Why am I not surprised at that ? )

 

I see you learned about "... bless your heart ..." in your readings too! LOL :p

 

I found your OP and this followup to be on point and enlightening. No matter how much you think you know, or should know, or others think you should know, if there's not something out there that surprises you, good and bad, once in a while, then it's likely you're not doing anything at all. Glad you enjoyed your cruise and wishing you following seas on all your future cruises....