Hello, it's been awhile....and a few questions

[WeLoveCruising]

Hi,

My husband and I used to be very frequent HAL cruisers, we have hunderds of nights so I'm very familiar with things....that is up until almost two years ago.

 

We've been trying all different types of vacations, and although they're been great, I have a real craving for a HAL cruise! Ship and itinerary doesnt really matter, although we'll probably do the Caribbean or Panama Canal in January. We wouldnt do the Eurodam or Neiuw Amsterdam...we definitely prefer the S class, although a Vista isnt out of the question, our favorite being the Noordam.

 

So my question is what, if any, have the major changes been in the past two years? I know about Canaletto, Mix, and the.... ahem..."enhancements" on the S class ships. Has anything with the entertainment changed? Have the extra cabins made the S classses crowded in any way? (I'm not even sure all the ships have them - I only know of the Veendam changes which happened shortly before our HAL hiatus)

 

I saw a new drink menu that looks good - is that on all the ships or just the Martini bar on the ships that have Mix?

 

I've studied the HAL website for info, but know that you all will have the inside scoop :)

 

Thanks,

Joanne

[RetiredMustang]

Joanne,

 

I'll try -- we've sailed several times in the last couple of years, and remember earlier ones, so perhaps we have something to compare.

 

In fact, I can't really add anything about the "S" class, since DW and realized that we had not been on one for (Good Lord, really?!) more than 5 years, which is one of the reasons we booked Ryndam in Feb.

 

Some things besides Canaletto and Mix that occur to me:

 

1. Noordam is the only Vista with the library on the lower public decks; all the others have taken over the starboard side of the Crow's Nest and the Oak Room area for the library, computers and coffee area. We agree, Noordam is our favorite Vista-class ship.

 

2. Lifeboat drill no longer requires you to wear the life vests. Easier to get to/from of course, but I'm not sure everyone would know what to do in a real emergency.

 

3. Not sure if it happened before the last time you were on HAL, but the daily program has changed. They now list similar activities together, but there is no one daily chronological list of everything happening on board. And, there is no tear-off section with opening hours, etc., that you can tear off and jam in a pocket. (as an aside, I saw on our last cruise a belly flop contest on the schedule; we did not attend :D)

 

4. There is now a Master Chef Dinner on, usually, the last night. This combines the farewell, "Galang, Galang", the Baked Alaska, and a good deal of showmanship. Some like it, many don't. We're in the take it or leave it (but probably would reserve Canaletto or Pinnacle instead) group.

 

5. You can now sign up for specialized small-group instruction with a chef in the culinary arts area.

 

6. Most of the TVs are now flat-screen instead of the old cathode-ray ones. And, they've added DVD players.

 

7. Subjective impression only -- there seem to be fewer fresh flowers about.

 

8. At least last Feb/March, they had 2-for-1 specials on drinks in the bars pre-dinner starting about the third day out.

 

9. I've seen it on the website and discussed on CC, but have not encountered it personally, but the Pinnacle is doing special Le Cirque restaurant nights.

 

10. On 10-day cruises (and presumably longer ones), one of the usual formal nights is now "formal optional" which means wear formal if you want ... or not.

 

No doubt there are many more changes I've forgotten -- there always seems something different every time we board a HAL ship. Hopefully others will chime in with what they've seen as well.

 

Hope this helps as a start at least,

Dave

[aliaschief]

RetiredMustang, A lot of time and thought went into your answer. Great job.

 

How long has Holland America been doing that "optional formal night" on cruises ten days or more? Or was that a specific ship. I read the boards and reviews pretty thoroughly and that is the first time I have heard about it.

 

Goes to show things change; even if you haven't cruised in almost a year. That will change in four days!:)

 

Thanks for the post.

[jtl513]

OP: only the Veendam has the extra stern cabins in the S-class.

 

Dave: our Daily Programs from the Nieuw A in Sep/Oct have a tear-off Today at a Glance section (the chronological list). We had no MCD there - and our MDR waiter was very happy about that! We're going to be on the Ryndam in a couple of weeks ... is there anything you'd like us to check out for you?

 

Dave & aliaschief: we had the "formal optional" night on our Noordam 10-day last Dec, but not on our 12-day on the Nieuw A. On the N most people treated it as formal.

[schoolinmy3]

We are going to be on the Noordam in May followed by the Veendam in June. This will be our first time on a ship smaller than the "Vistas". Even though I have only been cruising since 2008 when we took our 20th anniversary cruise on the Westerdam, one change I noticed was that the front desk has DVD movies available for viewing in your room without charge. My kids took advantage of this on the Eurodam and they were staying in an inside category J so I thought perhaps this is a new feature - free dvd rentals irregardless of room category. Is this a change or have the DVD rentals always been available for free? Just curious.

diane

[RetiredMustang]

The "formal optional" nights we experienced were on Noordam as well, earlier this year when we did a 20-day Collectors' Cruise. One night in particular there were far fewer in formal attire than at the other -- but I suspect it was because it was held the day of St. Lucia port visit, and the pickup of shore excursion people off the Pitons was a bit late. I think we might have had one such night on another cruise, but my memory could be playing tricks on me.

 

John,

 

- looks like they've changed the daily program in the last few months, and have brought back the tear-off section. We missed it last time, and ended up bring the whole program with us most of the time, especially on at-sea days.

- about the MCD; we don't much care for it and would not miss it if it went away, but others seem to like it.

- Also, nothing in particular, or everything in general about the Ryndam would be of interest. We've not been on her ever, and as I wrote it has been a long time since we were on any "S" class, so it will all be pretty much new.

 

aliaschief -- good sailing! Enjoy your cruise!

 

Dave

[WeLoveCruising]

Thank you, Retired Mustang - exactly what I was looking for.

 

The lifeboat drill sounds much better, I was always the one to trip or stumble with my jacket on.

 

I do know about the MCD, and try to skip it as well, but am too much of a sentimental softie with Gulang Gulang, which makes me cry.

[sail7seas]

Hi,

My husband and I used to be very frequent HAL cruisers, we have hunderds of nights so I'm very familiar with things....that is up until almost two years ago.

 

We've been trying all different types of vacations, and although they're been great, I have a real craving for a HAL cruise! Ship and itinerary doesnt really matter, although we'll probably do the Caribbean or Panama Canal in January. We wouldnt do the Eurodam or Neiuw Amsterdam...we definitely prefer the S class, although a Vista isnt out of the question, our favorite being the Noordam.

 

So my question is what, if any, have the major changes been in the past two years? I know about Canaletto, Mix, and the.... ahem..."enhancements" on the S class ships. Has anything with the entertainment changed? Have the extra cabins made the S classses crowded in any way? (I'm not even sure all the ships have them - I only know of the Veendam changes which happened shortly before our HAL hiatus)

 

I saw a new drink menu that looks good - is that on all the ships or just the Martini bar on the ships that have Mix?

 

I've studied the HAL website for info, but know that you all will have the inside scoop :)

 

Thanks,

Joanne

 

Hi Joanne,

 

We have seen the Martini Menu on Maasdam and Eurodam and think it is on all the ships. Maasdam goes to dry dock in April and will get MIX, Showroom at sea (I love her showroom just the way it is), Lanai Cabins but happily her aft pool will be left intact.

 

There is less Cruise Staff now than previously but they have added a Party Planner and Event Manager who fulfill some of those functions.

 

Lots of menu changes since you last sailed. You probably have found them here with a quick search. However, they do keep changing so what was posted 3-4 months ago may not now be current.

 

Did you do Silent Disembarkation? It is terrific in that we can remain in our cabins until it is our time to disembark. There are rumblings changes may be coming to that in the near future.

 

Have you heard of Mariners Embarkation Lunch in MDR. For those who wish to avoid Lido when they board, lunch is offered in MDR between something like 12 - 1:00 P.M. (please verify the time as wswe don't go to it and I'm not positive about the time.)

 

There is now Le Cirque dining offered at least once each cruise. It is held in Pinnacle, uses recipes from the famous New York (and Las Vegas) retaurant and sounds like a great evening. We are trying it on our Maasdam cruise this month.