Just back from the NA, a few thoughts

[Infi]

Just back from the NA on Sunday. We had a wonderful time and the ship was fantastic. This was our fourth cruise on Holland, and we were pleasantly surprised to see several crew members whom we had met before on past cruises. What surprises me most of all is that they're always the ones who remember you and approach you first, not the other way around. I don't know how they do it, with all the pax they see week in and week out. Just another way that the HAL crew really pays attention to the little details and makes you feel at home.

Ports: we missed Half Moon Cay due to high winds. The captain tried his hardest, turning the ship to block the winds and warning us that if we heard the ship's horn to head back ASAP. But in the end, it proved to be too windy and we sailed away. We had our port charges refunded and were given a glass of sparkling wine at dinner that night. This makes us 1/3 in our attempts to go to HMC. At least we can say we've been once!

 

Re: decreased staffing. I had been optimistic that the changes with the food runners and less wine stewards would not be that bad, but they were pretty noticeable. The food runners system is in place and they're still working out the kinks. Our waiter from our cruise last year on Eurodam said he was helping train the food runners for the past few cruises, but confided it was going to take awhile before things started to work. I had thought the decreased beverage staff wouldn't affect us because we don't order wine, but it did. The waiters and assistants now must take drink orders and this significantly detracts from their other duties at the table. It's difficult for them to take orders, take drink orders, serve the drinks, serve the food, and keep up with little things like filling water glasses. The waitstaff barely has a moment to spare.

All in all, this new system seemed like a big work in progress and it needs a lot of help. I don't mind waiting a bit longer for my meal - I'm on vacation after all, and enjoy the leisurely pace of the dining room - I just feel badly for the poor staff. The workload is just too much. The waiters truly do the best they can, but they are stretched too thin. I would happily pay more for my cruise if HAL would go back to how staffing was before. I expressed this on my comment card, but wonder how many others even noticed the difference.

Food quality was very good, as was the entertainment onboard. The production show NYC was fantastic, as was Cantare. Both were unique and must-sees. We were slightly disappointed as they seem to have decreased the amount of cooking demonstrations onboard in the Culinary Arts Center. We only had two of them during the whole week, which was a shame because we really enjoy those.

The NA is a happy ship. Mood onboard amongst the staff was good. Everyone we encountered was always smiling and very pleasant. This was the NA's final Caribbean sailing before the transatlantic, and the staff seemed excited about Europe. I had been concerned about a possible staff changeover before the TA, but it didn't seem like many of the staff was signing off, except for some of the entertainment crew.

All in all, we enjoyed our cruise very much and would highly recommend the NA to others. I'll probably write a review later, but just wanted to get these thoughts down right now. If anyone has any questions about the NA, please ask and I'll do my best to answer them.

[George C]

thanks for the review, glad you had a great cruise

[kenevenpar]

It sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[portofrome]

Thanks for posting your thoughts.

[Cruizer Bill]

Thanks so much for your review! Your cruise sounds fun!

A couple of questions: Did the ship seem crowded anywhere? Was there a lounge chair on the deck available (did the Cabanas wipe them out)?

Thanks!

Bill

[localady]

Thanks for your review!

 

I too am concerned about the lack of staff in the dining rooms. Without serving alcoholic beverages, it was clear that the dining room staff on our last few cruises have been stretched too thin. I can only imagine the impact adding beverage service will cause.

 

So glad to hear you enjoyed the Nieuw Amsterdam, we are counting the days till we get to call her "home" for a bit in the Eastern Med!

[ginger and professor]

We were on the cruise with you and have to agree totally. The beverage situation in the main dining room will need to be rethought. CD Dan was as nice and fun as he had been on several other cruises we had with him this last year.

I agree on the entertainment being very good particularly Cantare.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We also feel sad that the waitstaff must take on extra duties. We were on the Maasdam and had the same thing. I did manage to get to talk to our waiter about this change. It started on the Maasdam last December and be fleet wide soon if not already. He explained that the wine stewards now only serve bottles of wine -- not even glasses of wine. By doing this on the Maasdam they were able to cut back 4 wine stewards.

We also noticed that since the waitstaff is covering more tables -- on the Maasdam there were 2 serving stations completely not being used on the lower level of the dining room -- Open Seating.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for your comments.

 

I'm getting depressed the more I read.

When will they reach bottom on the staffing?

How low can they go?

 

 

 

[innlady1]

Our service was very slow on the Maasdam, Fixed/Early Seating, in January. Now I know why we rarely saw a wine steward in the MDR. Perhaps if enough passengers complain, they will fix things.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for your review. It is consistent with our experience about six weeks ago. We also had a great time.

[dot73]

I was very disappointed with the service in the MDR on my last two cruises. Fixed dining service was a lot better than open seating which was very inconsistent. At the open seating cruise, I would get a glass of wine at the bar and carry it into the dining room as the wait for the wine steward was very long. I, for one, would be willing to pay a couple of hundred dollars more for a cruise and have HAL add a few more wait staff in the MDR. I miss the wonderful MDR service that HAL was known for.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. Sounds like you had a great cruise.

[Petronillus]

The NA is a happy ship. Mood onboard amongst the staff was good. Everyone we encountered was always smiling and very pleasant. This was the NA's final Caribbean sailing before the transatlantic, and the staff seemed excited about Europe. I had been concerned about a possible staff changeover before the TA, but it didn't seem like many of the staff was signing off, except for some of the entertainment crew.

 

All in all, we enjoyed our cruise very much and would highly recommend the NA to others.

 

We are boarding the NA to cruise the Mediterranean in June. It is delightful (and reassuring) to hear good things about the NA. What could be nicer than to hear that it's "a happy ship"!

 

Another CC member recently wrote a sober and thoughtful account of the many disappointments he experienced on the NA. This thread provides a welcome balance. Thanks, Infi, for starting it.

[erewhon]

Thank you for this report of your cruise.

Feel sorry for the dining room waiters having even more responsibility.

[aliaschief]

Glad you had a great cruise and thanks for the report. Sorry to hear the effects of the recent Hal policy change.

 

Hopefully, with practice and tweeking it will get better.

[vivavegas]

Sounds like you had a good time! Thanks for the candid review..:)

[esther e]

A few years ago we encountered no wine stewards on RCCL and most recently on NCL. Sadly, I think this might be the future of some ship lines, and I don't care for it. I also wish they would re-think this.

[cpjpkp]

Thank you so much for the great review. I too will be sailing in June and have open seating for dinner so since HA has a shortage of wine stewards I will plan to bring in my glass(es) of wine every night. :)

[gelo7]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for takiing the time to share your experience.

[RevNeal]

Thank you, infi, for the review. The current Nieuw Amsterdam is one of the few HAL ships I've not yet cruised aboard, but hope to at some point in the not-too-distant future

 

I'm getting depressed the more I read.

When will they reach bottom on the staffing?

How low can they go?

 

A very appropriate question. In the past when questions have been asked regarding the ships' staffing levels, the response from "higher-ups" onboard has been that the ships are sailing with a full -- or nearly a full -- complement of crew. In other words, there are no empty crew beds aboard and no room for more crew. When challenged on this with the passenger-perception that it appears the staff is stretched very thin and that there are not enough of them to do the job, the admission often comes that while the sheer number of crew members has not been reduced, how they are deployed on the ship has been adjusted (here or there) and this is what is creating the appearance of a short-handed staff.

 

(The only time this argument hasn't been used has been when the fleet has experienced expansion, with the addition of a new ship. On those occasions it has been admitted that certain vessels were sailing over-strength prior to the roll out of the new ship, then under-strength once crew has been re-deployeed to the new vessel.)

 

So, my question is: are the ships currently sailing with full complements of crew, and if-so then is it that the Vista and Signature Class ships simply lack enough crew, by design, to deal with the staffing demands of a ship and a passenger-load that size? The logistics of crew deployment through the fleet, and the methodologies involved in balancing the various kinds of staff members needed for each ship, must be a very precise discipline. But, a Cruise Line like HAL should have a really good system doing this ... otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to survive for over a century.

 

Nevertheless, over the past decade or so it has been the persistent perception that the HAL crews are being stretched more and more thinly, being required to do more things, for more passengers, with less time and fewer resources. Is our perception false? Or -- as seems more likely -- while all crew berths are filled, there simply isn't enough of them to do the work detailed?

[Richie2pies]

Regarding the slower service in the dining room, I choose to dine in the Lido. I can't stand 2 hour dinners and don't mind serving myself. The food is pretty much the same as the MDR and you can still get drinks, etc. if you wish. I just don't understand those who say "I'm on vacation and want to be served."

[esther e]

I'm not on vacation and I want to be served.;) I am not at all fond of buffets and won't step foot inside Golden Corral. Just my personal opinion. Whether I'm on a cruise ship or a restaurant in my town, I want to be served. Nor do I like salad bars and will gladly pay for a salad to be made and brought to me.

[localady]

 

Nevertheless, over the past decade or so it has been the persistent perception that the HAL crews are being stretched more and more thinly, being required to do more things, for more passengers, with less time and fewer resources. Is our perception false? Or -- as seems more likely -- while all crew berths are filled, there simply isn't enough of them to do the work detailed?

 

My gut feeling on this, having cruised 3 times in the last year, is that the MDR staff ratio is now to a point where they are stretched impossibly thin.

Even with the best wait staff it is darned near impossible to get refills on ice tea, iced water or coffee, they just are too busy servicing their other patron and tables. Now with the additional beverage responsibilities I just can't see how they are going to manage it all in a timely manner.