Last straw!

[bcscot]

We have just reached 4 star Mariner status, but all celebrations have been cancelled! We are cancelling our booked Zaandam Antarctic cruise and are not making any plans to sail with HAL again in the near future. Why?

For the 5th HAL cruise in a row, we have had our cruise experience spoiled by their recent habit of cutting the cabin airflow during the night. The A/C is working well when we go to bed. We then awake at about 2 or 3 AM, in a hot, stuffy cabin, feeling like we cannot breath, throats sore and noses stuffed up. Between 4 and 5 AM, we can feel the flow of cool air resume. No amount of complaint or discussion makes any difference. Many people are not sensitive to this problem, so it does not matter to them. It does to us, but presumably there are few enough of us that HAL think that our loss as customers is worth the savings from this policy.

We are convinced that this is a cost saving measure, even though HAL deny it. We discussed it recently with a friend who is an international shipping expert, who agreed that this is probably what is going on. Well we have had enough. We have just returned from an Oosterdam cruise to New Zealand, which was to be HAL's last chance. They failed. We had uncomfortable nights, poor sleep and developed sinus and chest infections. We have sailed with HAL for 11 years, but have only experienced this with them during the last 3 years. We have not experienced this on other cruise lines during that time.

If you are not sensitive to this problem, then you can happily continue to sail with HAL. They are otherwise a great cruise line and we will miss them. If you are sensitive to this, then consider carefully. I wanted to share our experiences and feelings with you before we go. I have also written another letter to Mr Cruse's office. I have now given vent to my feelings on the subject and will close the door quietly on my way out. I hope that other cruise lines will allow us to breath well at night and sleep peacefully.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Oh my -- this is terrible.

I am so sorry that you had such terrible sleeping conditions and ended up getting sick.

This is horrible to read. Both of us need a very cold room to sleep in. DH takes one medication that causes him to have "Hot Flashes". If I am not cool enough to sleep, I tend to get Bronchitis -- which is horrible. I get it quite often when our temperatures go up and down too quickly.

I hope this is not going to be the norm on all HAL ships -- otherwise -- we will be leaving HAL as well.

[cbr663]

I applaud your decision. When a service provider no longer meets your needs, it is time to find a service provider that will. Like you, I cannot sleep in a warm, stuffy bedroom. Poor sleep means a very poor cruise experience for me. I also think that it is part of the cost savings initiative.

[rjrpar]

We have just reached 4 star Mariner status, but all celebrations have been cancelled! We are cancelling our booked Zaandam Antarctic cruise and are not making any plans to sail with HAL again in the near future. Why?

For the 5th HAL cruise in a row, we have had our cruise experience spoiled by their recent habit of cutting the cabin airflow during the night. The A/C is working well when we go to bed. We then awake at about 2 or 3 AM, in a hot, stuffy cabin, feeling like we cannot breath, throats sore and noses stuffed up. Between 4 and 5 AM, we can feel the flow of cool air resume. No amount of complaint or discussion makes any difference. Many people are not sensitive to this problem, so it does not matter to them. It does to us, but presumably there are few enough of us that HAL think that our loss as customers is worth the savings from this policy.

We are convinced that this is a cost saving measure, even though HAL deny it. We discussed it recently with a friend who is an international shipping expert, who agreed that this is probably what is going on. Well we have had enough. We have just returned from an Oosterdam cruise to New Zealand, which was to be HAL's last chance. They failed. We had uncomfortable nights, poor sleep and developed sinus and chest infections. We have sailed with HAL for 11 years, but have only experienced this with them during the last 3 years. We have not experienced this on other cruise lines during that time.

If you are not sensitive to this problem, then you can happily continue to sail with HAL. They are otherwise a great cruise line and we will miss them. If you are sensitive to this, then consider carefully. I wanted to share our experiences and feelings with you before we go. I have also written another letter to Mr Cruse's office. I have now given vent to my feelings on the subject and will close the door quietly on my way out. I hope that other cruise lines will allow us to breath well at night and sleep peacefully.

 

Nice post, good luck on your future cruises.

[RJ2002]

Sorry to hear about your experiences. I have trouble sleeping in a warm and stuffy room too, but luckily have never had this trouble on an HAL cruise.

[carri cruiser]

Nice post, good luck on your future cruises.

 

We usually ask for a fan for our room, it helps to keep the room comfortable, especially if the air is not working well.

[legalslave]

Hopefully the next cruise line you sail will be a better fit and meet your needs. Wishing you happy future cruises!

 

Diane

[sail7seas]

Very sorry to hear of your discomfort and hope your next cruise on whichever line is more to your expectation.

 

If you go ahead and write to Mr. Kruse, you may wish to spell his name with a "K" as he does.

[serendipity1499]

So sorry you have to leave, but fully understand if you have problems sleeping in a warm cabin.. Hope that you will be able to find a good alternative cruise line..

 

Good luck to you..

 

Betty

[kazu]

I don't blame you one bit. We have not encountered this issue (yet) and I don't like a stuffy room either.

 

If this is the straw that broke the camel's back, then you are wise to talk with your feet and your money and by all means write and tell them why.

 

Wishing you great cruises in your future. Do come back and tell us what line you selected and how you made out.

[bcscot]

Very sorry to hear of your discomfort and hope your next cruise on whichever line is more to your expectation.

 

If you go ahead and write to Mr. Kruse, you may wish to spell his name with a "K" as he does.

 

Worry not, I did spell his name correctly in my first letter. The second letter was addressed to the person who answered the first one, on his behalf. ;)

[bcscot]

We usually ask for a fan for our room, it helps to keep the room comfortable, especially if the air is not working well.

 

The fan was essential, otherwise we couldn't have slept in the cabin. Because of our past experiences, ordering a fan from the front desk was our first priority after boarding the ship. Unfortunately they did not deliver it until the second day (saying that there was not one available!), by which time, we had had a miserable night and had started to get sick.

[cruz chic]

Noticed this on Princess too. I bet many cruise lines do this. Anything to save a buck...........

[janmcn]

I need a COLD room to sleep in and haven't had any problems (yet) on HAL ships similar to what you are describing. We've been in inside rooms, outside, verandah, and suites…no problems.

I'd hate to think of you missing probably the best cruise we've ever taken…to Antarctica. They might be forced to discontinue them soon when the size of ships that are allowed is changed….near future.

Take a fan and go!

[richard1s]

We experienced the exact opposite on our recent HAL cruise - far too cold at night and way too much airflow. Perhaps this is the directive of the Hotel Manager or has something more to do with the ship ventilation system and/or cabin. But regardless, the ship should provide for the comfort of the guest - sorry you did not have a good experience.

[BumperII]

We too would be very upset with a hot, stuffy cabin. We have kept a cold bedroom all our married life. (It makes a lot of sins forgiveable):D

[innlady1]

We, too, sleep with air circulating at night...the window open a bit even when it's in the teens farenheit here...especially this winter. I cannot sleep in a stuffy room...I hope this is not true on HAL ships.

[kjw869]

We experienced the exact opposite on our recent HAL cruise - far too cold at night and way too much airflow. Perhaps this is the directive of the Hotel Manager or has something more to do with the ship ventilation system and/or cabin. But regardless, the ship should provide for the comfort of the guest - sorry you did not have a good experience.

 

We had the same experience on the Noordam last month in 80+ weather. The room was very cold at night and we had to adjust the AC/heat control each night or we'd freeze.

 

I'm sorry you didn't have the same experience. We had a friend who just sailed on a Celebrity cruise and their room was stuffy each night.

[Wastegirl]

We've travelled on the Oosterdam to the South Pacific and around New Zealand last November and our room was very comfortable even though I am sensitive to 'stuffiness'. Maybe its not so much the air conditioning as the lack of fresh air in the rooms as air conditioning itself is known for causing respiratory issues. Are there cruise lines out there that allow you to open your doors and let the air into your rooms, especially in the middle of the night. If a cruise line allowed this it would be the best solution for the OP and I'd be interested in knowing as well, especially since others are posting stuffiness is an issue with other cruise companies as well.

[brainyblonde]

The Oosterdam appears to have ship wide issues with the AC/heating system. We were on the O for the 37 day voyage from Auckland to Vancouver last Spring. From Day One we had only circulated air, and from Day One called to have it repaired. We needed AC in the South Pacific and then heat as we crossed from Hawaii to Seattle. We had neither, despite maintenance men tearing apart the unit in the ceiling. The front office would declare it fixed, "prove" it to us with a mysterious temperature indicator. We would go back and prove we only had circulated air. During the course of this little "dance" we received a tray of six candies and an apology. Ultimately, a senior maintenance worker admitted that the O's system system had been replaced on other HAL ships due to inconsistencies. He all but admitted that we were absolutely correct, the heating element shut off after ten seconds. I am not sure we ever had cool air from the AC setting. We slept with three blankets as we neared Seattle.

 

Having said this, we rolled with it and had a good cruise. The sun from the verandah was our temperature source. Would we sail the O again? The odds seem in our favor as no one else in our cruise critic group experienced the same problem. We are "half full" travelers, but hope that our upcoming Rotterdam cruise does not have the same issues.

[brainyblonde]

Now for the rest of the story...... Upon returning home we had a message on our answering machine that a HAL robe was missing when we checked out. DH was insulted, as was I. Our former careers demanded the highest integrity or we would lose our jobs. Why would we steal a USED bathrobe after spending thousands on a cruise? My only thought was that we had not shut the door to lock as we left. However, is it possible that our integrity was compromised in case we took the AC/heating issue to Headquarters? I prefer to think that the robe just got wisked away innocently by the cleaning staff.

[bcnvcanada]

Sorry to say most cruise lines do this. This is the reason that many people come down with resp illness. Sad, but it is just another of the

of the many cost cuttings that are going on.

[RuthC]

OP, I'm sure you're right that the HVAC is adjusted during the night, to the discomfort of sleeping passengers.

I have awakened many times due to being overheated, yet during the day the cabin is most comfortable.

 

I don't blame you at all for looking elsewhere to spend your hard-earned money, and vacation time. Life's too short to be uncomfortable.

[bcscot]

Thank you for your understanding and kind replies. I am mystified as to why so many others, who say they need a cold and well ventilated cabin, have not experienced this problem. We thought that maybe it was just bad luck, so we persisted, but every cruise for five in a row! We also sailed with Cunard during this time and did not have this problem. We experienced the problem on Zaandam, Rotterdam (back to back) and Oosterdam (twice), but only in the last three years (never before). It is hard to continue to see the glass as half full when the problem persists and causes such discomfort to us, especially when we have other options available to us. I just find this to be so sad because we really like HAL otherwise, but this is a deal breaker for us.

We have had to resort to wedging our balcony door open (when we had one) but that is no good when it is hot and humid outside or there is a strong wind blowing (I didn't want to wake the neighbours with our whistling cabin!). It will be interesting to see if we experience this problem on other lines in the future. I did wonder, however, if it would be worth trying Prinsendam sometime. Would they really do this to passengers on a world voyage segment?

[iancal]

Never experienced this on HAL, or any other cruise line.

 

If we did, we would most definitely vote with our feet. It is the strongest message that you can send to a supplier.