Would one feel like the service is Stuffy on HAL

[Typhoon1]

Stuffy is one the craziest analysis' I have heard.

[Cruiser4310]

Stuffy is one the craziest analysis' I have heard.

Perfect. I am with you. I think the staff is top-notch and second to none compared to other lines I've cruised.

[sunviking90]

Is it the classic ocean liner style of the ships and HAL's marketing that gave the perception of "stuffy"? You will find it anything but. The crew are the kindest, friendliest, warmest people and are the reason we return to HAL again and again.

[RetiredMustang]

No, I don't consider praising the service provided by the mostly Indonesian and Filipino staff of HAL to be racist. In my mind, it is simply an acknowlegement of superior service, and I find the charge of racism to be highly insulting, in any context.

 

For the OP, I do not have your experience in other cruise lines, but I have sailed on Cunard's Queen Mary II and on many HAL cruises. I found the service on Cunard to be tip-top, white-glove, and impeccable ... and pretty impersonal, which is the standard I found when I lived in London for 3 years. In contrast, the HAL service may now and then fail to reach perfection, ... but ... a smiling face, a person who remembers my name and preferences, and seems to genuinely be trying to meet my needs and caprices is someone I treasure. Such is what I have found on HAL for 15+ years/cruises and what brings me back to HAL.

 

Dave

[PathfinderEss]

No you will not feel like Hal is stuffy. I have traveled on all of the cruise lines that you have and not one has ever felt stuffy to me. The only one I can say that about is Crystal.

[NMLady]

Having cruise on Celebrity, Princess & Royal Caribbean and no experience on Holland America I am wondering about the experience, and afraid it might feel 'stuffy' compared to the other cruise lines - not sure it just seems that way. Please tell me I'm wrong and that I would enjoy the experience as much as Celebrity or Royal. Thank you!

 

Service on HAL is extremely comparable to that on Celebrity. We've had two cruises each with HAL, Celebrity, and RCI. If you liked those cruises, you'll like HAL. Be at peace about it.

[styles27]

OP are you sure you don't mean "are the passengers more stuffy on HAL than other lines?"

 

I've sailed with Carnival, Norwegian, Princess, Royal Caribbean and the old Majesty (sold to Norwegian years ago) and honestly the crew on all 10 cruises and all 5 lines was superb. I don't have one complaint about any crew member from any of those lines, they were all great.

 

The one big difference amongst the different cruiselines is the passengers.

 

I'll be sailing HAL in May, and it's not the crew I'm concerned about.

 

Our Princess Canada/New England cruise was like a trip with a senior center...we're in our mid 40's and we were by far the youngest on the ship.

 

I'm hoping our HAL cruise won't be that way. Nothing against senior citizens, I actually work in a retirement home, and I love all of my clients there.

 

 

Our main issue was that the entertainment on board was definitely geared towards the older crowd and the ship was deserted by 10-11pm each night. So once the main show ended all but a couple of venues/lounges were either closed or getting ready to close because they were empty.

[FrankNJ]

Welcome to Hal . No the service is not stuffy. The crew is great.

 

And I certainly don't think it's "racist" to say nice things and be complimentary to anyone .

Guess I'm just old enough to understand that , wish everyone did , but that would require what we used to call "common sense" , people are soooo....

much smarter than that now !

[Gamelan1971]

The Southeast Asian standard of service is a huge attraction for me and one of the main reasons that I only want to sail on HAL. I used to live in Indonesia and I studied the language. Tagalog and other languages in the Philippines share linguistic ties with Bahasa Indonesia. Therefore, I find the service and rapport with the staff to be a hugely enjoyable element to the cruising experience with HAL that would be hard to match elsewhere. The staff really know how to make you feel special!

[Hlitner]

Although we are certainly HA lovers (will soon be 4 star) we have found that service varies from ship to ship. Most recently we were on the Prinsendam for a longer cruise (about 6 weeks) and the staff and service were uniformly excellent. After a few days many of the crew called passengers by their names, we often socialized with some of the crew (officers) and eventually knew all about the families of our bar and dining room waiters. But right after that Prinsendam cruise we got on the Rotterdam and it was night and day. On the Rotterdam the crew seldom smiled, often did not even day hello, staff in the dining room seemed overworked with no time to chat, and the bar staff was not near as friendly as we had on the Prinsendam. And yes, its true that cabin stewards no longer get to each cabin as fast as the olden days. But this is simply because there have been cut-backs on all cruise lines when it comes to staff. Personally, we do not care if our bed is made at 10 am or 1 pm. We did meet one passenger who wanted their cabin made-up by 10 am and they simply expressed their preference to their steward (end of issue).

 

Hank

[Randyk47]

Having cruise on Celebrity, Princess & Royal Caribbean and no experience on Holland America I am wondering about the experience, and afraid it might feel 'stuffy' compared to the other cruise lines - not sure it just seems that way. Please tell me I'm wrong and that I would enjoy the experience as much as Celebrity or Royal. Thank you!

 

Funny thing is that a few years ago a number of HAL folks here got together and crossed over to Celebrity for a Panama Canal cruise out of Galveston. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and the service to us was very good and very friendly but some of the other HAL cruisers felt the service was "stuffy" and not nearly as friendly and relaxed as on HAL. Go figure.... :) I think you'll find the cruise experience very similar.

[fann1sh]

Two years ago I cruised with one of my best friends. She found the service on HAL Ryndam "creepy".

 

"Why?"

 

"They smile too much. What've they got to smile about? They work 24 hours a day. They've all gotta be exhausted. Those smiles are just creepy."

 

So - everyone has their own perspective.

 

I've had "stuffy" = "traditional formal European table service" a couple times in the Pinnacle, but that varies by ship. Other Pinnacle service has been very warm and personal. And IME the most formal servers loosen up if you chat with them.

 

And, there are jerks everywhere, but....I've been intrigued to find HAL pax to be unusually well travelled, well spoken, and interesting, whatever their age. Still have very fond memories of a Nederlander couple interned in Indonesia in WWII....who made it sound amusing. :eek: Anyone who avoided them as "old folks" missed out on something special.

[GeorgesGal]

"Would one feel like the service is Stuffy on HAL"

 

 

Let me put it this way: HAL, Celebrity, Azamara are my most favorite lines. Service is far from stuffy on any of these lines. Staff are all very efficient, and at the same time, willing to help in any way they can. But STUFFY? Not at all!

[Casino Player]

Having cruise on Celebrity, Princess & Royal Caribbean and no experience on Holland America I am wondering about the experience, and afraid it might feel 'stuffy' compared to the other cruise lines - not sure it just seems that way. Please tell me I'm wrong and that I would enjoy the experience as much as Celebrity or Royal. Thank you!

 

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO Perki: I have no experience on Holland America either, however, I am booked for my first Holland America cruise in a few months. Of the cruise lines you mentioned I have sailed on Celebrity and RCCL. RCCL was a disaster and we, my wife and I, won't be on that cruise line again anytime soon. We cruised on RCCL in 2004. We used to like Celebrity and last sailed last year on the new Celebrity ship the Silhouette. This was our fourth Celebrity cruise. We won't be going back anytime soon.

 

However, I have found in my cruising experience, I have only been on 16 cruises so far, that crew members generally aren't "stuffy." Other passengers are another story though. Just relax and be yourself. If they don't like your attire and sit you in the MDR then there is always the buffett. You have choices on a cruise.

[YubaSutter]

Having cruise on Celebrity, Princess & Royal Caribbean and no experience on Holland America I am wondering about the experience, and afraid it might feel 'stuffy' compared to the other cruise lines - not sure it just seems that way. Please tell me I'm wrong and that I would enjoy the experience as much as Celebrity or Royal. Thank you!

 

HAL service is not stuffy. Can't say the same for the passengers.

[DaveOKC]

I find the HAL crew to be friendly and helpful, but not overly so. They are a real treat IMO and one of the best things about HAL.

 

As someone else mentioned, early on HAL tried using Eastern Europeans in the Pinnacle, and I thought they were "stuffy" and not very good at their jobs.

 

DaveOKC

[Winters in NZ]

You will discover that the folks who are looking after you are genuinely nice people. Stuffy ? Definitely not.

[George C]

WE have sailed on Celebrity, Princess & Royal Caribbean and find there service very similar to HAL. I enjoy all 4 lines. You will enjoy Hal.

[Amuse Bouche]

The one big difference amongst the different cruiselines is the passengers.

 

I'll be sailing HAL in May, and it's not the crew I'm concerned about.

 

Our Princess Canada/New England cruise was like a trip with a senior center...we're in our mid 40's and we were by far the youngest on the ship.

 

I'm hoping our HAL cruise won't be that way. Nothing against senior citizens, I actually work in a retirement home, and I love all of my clients there.

 

 

Our main issue was that the entertainment on board was definitely geared towards the older crowd and the ship was deserted by 10-11pm each night. So once the main show ended all but a couple of venues/lounges were either closed or getting ready to close because they were empty.

 

I think this depends greatly on calendar and destination. You are going in May, which is during school months, so less families. If it's a 7 day, you have better chance of people your age, since people who aren't retired are more likely to book a 7 day.

I'm in my mid forties also. I haven't really noticed that I'm so much younger than the average. Not like I did on the one Princess I took took to Alaska back in 2001. That was a very very older crowd, but it had it's perks. When the ship went to bed, DH and I found the nightclub was all ours. They offered us free drinks after 10, and played any song we wanted! There were quite a few crew members in there and we had a blast every night!

I don't really know about the entertainment tho. DH and I only go to the crew show. We like to have good smalltalk with people, so we cruise from one bar to the next to meet people.

I don't think you are going to be disappointed. There seems to be a lot of younger people who are discovering the value of cruising.

Have a wonderful trip!

[styles27]

I think this depends greatly on calendar and destination. You are going in May, which is during school months, so less families. If it's a 7 day, you have better chance of people your age, since people who aren't retired are more likely to book a 7 day.

I'm in my mid forties also. I haven't really noticed that I'm so much younger than the average. Not like I did on the one Princess I took took to Alaska back in 2001. That was a very very older crowd, but it had it's perks. When the ship went to bed, DH and I found the nightclub was all ours. They offered us free drinks after 10, and played any song we wanted! There were quite a few crew members in there and we had a blast every night!

I don't really know about the entertainment tho. DH and I only go to the crew show. We like to have good smalltalk with people, so we cruise from one bar to the next to meet people.

I don't think you are going to be disappointed. There seems to be a lot of younger people who are discovering the value of cruising.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

Thank you for your input! That's interesting that you found the same thing was true on your Princess cruise. You're right though, cruising with an older crowd did have some positives...we experienced the same was true on our cruise. (we really got to know the crew in the lounge that did stay open)

 

Our upcoming HAL cruise in May is to Bermuda...we're going in with a positive attitude! :)

[Amuse Bouche]

Thank you for your input! That's interesting that you found the same thing was true on your Princess cruise. You're right though, cruising with an older crowd did have some positives...we experienced the same was true on our cruise. (we really got to know the crew in the lounge that did stay open)

 

Our upcoming HAL cruise in May is to Bermuda...we're going in with a positive attitude! :)

 

This is hijacking the thread, and I apologize, but I have a charming funny story to go with this.

On that 2001 cruise, it was our honeymoon. DH would sit at the casino bar while I played slots in the afternoon. We got to know the bartender, Bong, pretty well. One day, DH sat next to a very older woman. She was a well traveled widow. DH is a history buff, so they got into a very long conversation. Bong, perceptive that he was, was familiar that I like Long Island Ice Teas, and it takes me forever to finish one. After my 3rd trip to the bar to see if DH was finished with his visit with this wonderful woman, Bong poured me a 32 ounce Long Island on the house! It took two hands to carry it back to the slot machine! DH shared all these wonderful stories and facts that he had learned from the woman over dinner. It was a great afternoon!

[styles27]

Oh that's a great story! I'm surprised you could walk after drinking that! lol

 

One of my favorite things about working with senior citizens is listening to all of their stories. I've learned so much from them over the years.

 

Sorry to hi-jack:o

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Definition of stuffy (other than that dealing with colds) - dull, formal, ill-natured, straight-laced, ill-humored. Never have found a HAL crew member to be any of those terms. Have always found them to be friendly, eager to help, and happy.

[Amuse Bouche]

Oh that's a great story! I'm surprised you could walk after drinking that! lol

 

One of my favorite things about working with senior citizens is listening to all of their stories. I've learned so much from them over the years.

 

Sorry to hi-jack:o

 

Nah, you didn't hijack. I did. I think the best vacation memories are created by sharing a ship with 2000 people! That was my best one. That lady just adored my husband, and I think she probably had one of her best afternoons on that cruise with him. He loves talking to seniors who have a whole lifetime of memories to share.

[Viesczy]

I think that they idea of stuffy might come more from the decor of a HAL's boats compared to other lines maybe? You know how many of the other lines' boats are decorated in what could best be described as Richard Simmons' dream colors, HAL doesn't have that in their decor.

 

HAL's decor is a little on the stiff side. Northern Lights has the only decor that is what you see on the other lines, even that isn't as garish.

 

That's my guess.

 

Derek