X Cruiser wants to try HAL but questions on SBP and more

[chisoxfan]

My wife and I are late 50's who go for one to two cruises per year. Have cruised X, Princess, and NCL but have always wanted to try HAL. I like the idea of a laid back cruise and am old enough to remember when HAL was a real high end line (not that it isn't now).

 

Celebrity has embraced us with their bonus drink package however (along with the Solstice Class Ships). We have a Jan cruise booked on Reflection with this included. When we board we upgrade to a premium drink package for 200 (aprox) a week which allows unlimited wines and drinks to 13 bucks, and all coffees, sodas, and waters. It is great.

 

I was interested to see HAL offer their Signature package as a throw in on some similar cruises. Despite some differing opinion on a recent thread I understand it is 7 buck drink minimum up to 15 drinks a day. Can this be upgraded? I can't see being restricted to house wines and 7 drinks and paying in full for anything over that. Also are water and fancy coffees included- it did not seem so from description I read.

 

Final question - we book X concierge cabins primarily because of availabilty of full (hot) room service breakfasts. Are these available in HAL balconies? They list many balcony classes but they do not seem to have any different perks.

 

Many thanks in advance for any feedback.

[CruiserBruce]

There is an excellent thread by POA1, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1999316&highlight=drink+prices

 

that will answer all your questions on drink packages. No, you can't upgrade.

 

A little reading on the board would reveal HAL has one of the best room service menus and programs. Yes, you can get hot breakfast served in your room.

[Mary Ellen]

To expand on what Bruce said, probably the reason HAL doesn't mention which categories of balcony cabins can get the full (hot) breakfast from room service, is because all cabins can order that. With the nightly turn down service, your cabin steward will leave a hang tag menu so you can pre-order your breakfast delivery. Everyone from the least expensive cabin and up can order from the very nice room service menu. Same with ordering room service from the MDR menu (during the hours it is open). HAL doesn't limit the availability to 'special' :rolleyes: cabins.

[Christine Frances]

To expand on what Bruce said, probably the reason HAL doesn't mention which categories of balcony cabins can get the full (hot) breakfast from room service, is because all cabins can order that. With the nightly turn down service, your cabin steward will leave a hang tag menu so you can pre-order your breakfast delivery. Everyone from the least expensive cabin and up can order from the very nice room service menu. Same with ordering room service from the MDR menu (during the hours it is open). HAL doesn't limit the availability to 'special' :rolleyes: cabins.

 

 

Exactly the same as on Celebrity but the Concierge cabins and above have an "expanded" breakfast menu which is really nice.

 

 

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[Mary Ellen]

HAL's standard menu is "really nice". ;) No need to "expand" it. :rolleyes:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Break menu for ALL cabin categories:

Preferred Time Frame

6 AM - 6:30 AM; 6:30 - 7 AM; 7 AM - 7:30 AM; 7:30 AM - 8 AM; 8 AM - 8:30 AM; 8:30 AM - 9 AM; 9 AM - 9:30 AM; 9:30 AM - 10 AM

 

Juices

Grapefruit; Orange:; Cranberry; V-8; Prune, Tomato

 

Fresh Fruit & Yogurt

Half Grapefruit; Sliced Bananas; Sliced Oranges; Mixed Fruit; Seasonal Melons; Stewed Prunes; Plain Yogurt; Fruit Yogurt; Greek Yogurt

 

Bakery

English Muffin(1); White Toast(2); Wheat Toast(2); Rye Toast(2); Danish(1); Croissant(2); Blueberry Muffin(1); Bran Muffin(1); Bagel (1)

 

Cereals

Corn Flakes; Special K; Cheerios; Raisin Bran; Granola; Fruit Loops; Frosted Flakes; Rice Krispies; Shredded Wheat

With: Milk; 2% Milk; Skim Milk; Soy Milk

 

Two Eggs

Scrambled; Sunnyside Up; Over Easy; Poached; Hard Boiled

Omelettes

Cheese; Ham & Cheese; Vegetable & Cheese

Egg Substitute

Scrambled; Cheese Omelette; Vegetable & Cheese Omelette

Egg White

Scrambles; Cheese Omelette; Vegetable & Cheese Omelette

Sides

Ham Slices(2); Sausage Links(2); Bacon Strips(2); Veggie Links(2); Turkey Links(2); Turkey Bacon(2)

 

Condiments

Assorted Jams; Half & Half; Honey; Butter; Margarine; Cream Cheese; Peanut Butter; Ketchup; Tabasco; Nutella; Orange Marmalade

 

Beverages

Regular Coffee; Decaf Coffee; Tea; Decaf Tea; Hot Chocolate; Milk; 2% Milk; Skim Milk; Soy Milk

 

If you can wait until the main dining room opens -- usually 7:30 on port days and 8 on sea days, you can write in anything you want like waffles, pancakes, eggs benedict, etc.

[chisoxfan]

Thanks everyone for the replies and the link on the drink package.

 

Surprised that an upgrade option is not offered. I know many cocktails on X that my wife enjoys in molecular bar are 10-12. I also like the flexibility in wines. I applaud HAL for the effort-just seems restrictive to me. Noted that they did not offer package (free) drinks on the private island which X does allow.

 

It was a bit maddening on X at the bar as many did not have the upgrade package. It seemed as if every other guest questioned the bar keep about whether this drink or that drink was covered under the basic package.

 

I did see reference to BB King Lounge in the link. Now that looks interesting and had not heard of it before.

[eandj]

Surprised that an upgrade option is not offered. I know many cocktails on X that my wife enjoys in molecular bar are 10-12. I also like the flexibility in wines. I applaud HAL for the effort-just seems restrictive to me. Noted that they did not offer package (free) drinks on the private island which X does allow.

 

.

 

Agree that as a frequent X cruiser, HAL is big time lacking in the beverage subject. Wine is over priced compared to any cruiseline competitor and very limited compared to X. Drink/wine choices are limited if buying a package. The only thing good I can think of HAL's beverage service is that if one drinks hard liquor, their pricing and availibility of bottle service for the room is very fair. Agree that HAL isn't doing enough in that category. It's discussed here often.

We have chosen HAL a few times only because of the itinerary. The ships, amenities, service etc is not why we choose this line. Altho not entirely disappointing, the fit isn't as comfortable for us as X or Princess. Glad we have many choices for many reasons.

Edited August 10, 2014 by eandj

[Murray's Pop]

Thanks everyone for the replies and the link on the drink package.

 

Surprised that an upgrade option is not offered. I know many cocktails on X that my wife enjoys in molecular bar are 10-12. I also like the flexibility in wines. I applaud HAL for the effort-just seems restrictive to me. Noted that they did not offer package (free) drinks on the private island which X does allow.

 

It was a bit maddening on X at the bar as many did not have the upgrade package. It seemed as if every other guest questioned the bar keep about whether this drink or that drink was covered under the basic package.

 

I did see reference to BB King Lounge in the link. Now that looks interesting and had not heard of it before.

 

The X premium package far surpasses anything HAL has to offer.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Murray's Pop

[chisoxfan]

Have to admit we were bowled over with the X offer. For 200 upgraded to

ultimate package. I know this will sound as if we a huge drinkers but at the end of our last week long cruise on Reflection we had something like 120 drinks listed. Of course some were water (large bottles) and specialty coffees but the wines and cocktails we enjoyed were almost always 10-13 dollars and I am sure the 'bar' tab would have been around 1000. It basically cost us 200. Despite the savings the real charm for us was that it added a 'carefree' element to the vacation. It was one of those rare deals that we felt X would not continue and when we saw it offered after trying it again we jumped on it.

[Christine Frances]

HAL's standard menu is "really nice". ;) No need to "expand" it. :rolleyes:

 

lol Just wish Celebrity had HAL's itineraries:)

 

http://lfsimon.home.comcast.net/~lfsimon/Celebrity%20Breakfast%20Menus%202012.pdf

[I_r_a]

Hi chi,

 

HAL's SBP wine list is awful.

 

However the spirits, cocktails, specialty coffees, soft drinks and water are almost all under $7.00.

 

Here is a pretty good list of what's available:

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/holland-america-drink-prices/

 

Ira

[iancal]

You need to be careful when selecting a HAL cruise. Some of their ships are quite 'tired'. A few have long histories of serious intermittent plumbing and A/C issues in some parts of the ship.

 

Read the reviews carefully.

Edited August 10, 2014 by iancal

[Fouremco]

Final question - we book X concierge cabins primarily because of availabilty of full (hot) room service breakfasts.

No need to book Concierge cabins to get a hot breakfast. If this is truly your primary reason to book Concierge, you might want to reconsider. :)

[fm6175]

From what I have read I think that HAL has much more reasonable in room booze prices . I enjoy a liter of Crown Royal in my cabin ( and maybe a Jonny Black ) and the prices are reasonable in my opinion . I've heard Celeb charges double compared to HAL . Does anyone know if this is true ? Thank you , Frank .

 

 

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[Tarpeian Rock]

My wife and I are late 50's who go for one to two cruises per year. Have cruised X, Princess, and NCL but have always wanted to try HAL. I like the idea of a laid back cruise and am old enough to remember when HAL was a real high end line (not that it isn't now).

 

Celebrity has embraced us with their bonus drink package however (along with the Solstice Class Ships). We have a Jan cruise booked on Reflection with this included. When we board we upgrade to a premium drink package for 200 (aprox) a week which allows unlimited wines and drinks to 13 bucks, and all coffees, sodas, and waters. It is great.

 

I was interested to see HAL offer their Signature package as a throw in on some similar cruises. Despite some differing opinion on a recent thread I understand it is 7 buck drink minimum up to 15 drinks a day. Can this be upgraded? I can't see being restricted to house wines and 7 drinks and paying in full for anything over that. Also are water and fancy coffees included- it did not seem so from description I read.

 

Final question - we book X concierge cabins primarily because of availabilty of full (hot) room service breakfasts. Are these available in HAL balconies? They list many balcony classes but they do not seem to have any different perks.

 

Many thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

 

Not sure what your definition of "real high end" is, but for a lot of reasons discussed at length on these boards, the feeling seems to be that HAL has pretty much become mass market, albeit with some nice distinctive touches such as room service. Since you are familiar with X, you might want to research threads comparing HAL to X.

[VioletHorse]

From what I have read I think that HAL has much more reasonable in room booze prices . I enjoy a liter of Crown Royal in my cabin ( and maybe a Jonny Black ) and the prices are reasonable in my opinion . I've heard Celeb charges double compared to HAL . Does anyone know if this is true ? Thank you , Frank .

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Celebrity's in room liquor prices are very expensive - $80 per liter for lower end to $100 per liter for higher quality stuff. IMO it's Celebrity's way of encouraging you to purchase one of their beverage packages if it has not already been included in your cruise price as a "perk".

[diligaf51]

To expand on what Bruce said, probably the reason HAL doesn't mention which categories of balcony cabins can get the full (hot) breakfast from room service, is because all cabins can order that. With the nightly turn down service, your cabin steward will leave a hang tag menu so you can pre-order your breakfast delivery. Everyone from the least expensive cabin and up can order from the very nice room service menu. Same with ordering room service from the MDR menu (during the hours it is open). HAL doesn't limit the availability to 'special' :rolleyes: cabins.

 

FYI...Celebrity has hot breakfasts in all cabins too. The concierge cabins have some additional items such as smoothies. Same with MDR.

[sppunk]

You need to be careful when selecting a HAL cruise. Some of their ships are quite 'tired'. A few have long histories of serious intermittent plumbing and A/C issues in some parts of the ship.

 

Read the reviews carefully.

 

And anyone wanting to sail X needs to read as several of their ships have propulsion issues and can't make their planned itineraries.

 

That jib can cut many ways.

[cruiser4801]

Speaking as a loyal HAL customer for many years, I would not leave Celebrity to go with HAL. HAL has been steadily declining in service each year. That's why many of us are now disenchanted with HAL. The only positive with HAL is the quality of the food. Everything else (entertainment, service, onboard activities) has gone downhill. My guess people are moving from HAL to Celebrity and not vice-versa.

[diligaf51]

To expand on what Bruce said, probably the reason HAL doesn't mention which categories of balcony cabins can get the full (hot) breakfast from room service, is because all cabins can order that. With the nightly turn down service, your cabin steward will leave a hang tag menu so you can pre-order your breakfast delivery. Everyone from the least expensive cabin and up can order from the very nice room service menu. Same with ordering room service from the MDR menu (during the hours it is open). HAL doesn't limit the availability to 'special' :rolleyes: cabins.

 

FYI...Celebrity has hot breakfasts in all cabins too. The concierge cabins have some additional items such as smoothies. Same with MDR.

[JimAOk1945]

Does anyone know whether pancakes and syrup are available for room service breakfast?

[Murray's Pop]

Speaking as a loyal HAL customer for many years, I would not leave Celebrity to go with HAL. HAL has been steadily declining in service each year. That's why many of us are now disenchanted with HAL. The only positive with HAL is the quality of the food. Everything else (entertainment, service, onboard activities) has gone downhill. My guess people are moving from HAL to Celebrity and not vice-versa.

 

We tried Celebrity last year. While there were a few items where we felt X was superior (premium beverage package, wine list to name 2) we came back to HAL. Celebrity is ok, and based on itinerary we might try them again, but HAL is still our 1st choice.

[AlexandNessa]

Thanks everyone for the replies and the link on the drink package.

 

Surprised that an upgrade option is not offered. I know many cocktails on X that my wife enjoys in molecular bar are 10-12. I also like the flexibility in wines. I applaud HAL for the effort-just seems restrictive to me. Noted that they did not offer package (free) drinks on the private island which X does allow.

 

It was a bit maddening on X at the bar as many did not have the upgrade package. It seemed as if every other guest questioned the bar keep about whether this drink or that drink was covered under the basic package.

 

I did see reference to BB King Lounge in the link. Now that looks interesting and had not heard of it before.

 

I think you'll be very disappointed in HAL's SBP after having had Celebrity's program. You're right .. HAL's program is as restrictive as it sounds, and our experience was not a good one. We had several accounting errors that bordered on fraud. It took a LOT of time and effort to get it straightened out. Should we sail HAL again, we will not be doing their SBP as it stands now.

[InTheWASide]

Thanks everyone for the replies and the link on the drink package.

 

Surprised that an upgrade option is not offered. I know many cocktails on X that my wife enjoys in molecular bar are 10-12. I also like the flexibility in wines. I applaud HAL for the effort-just seems restrictive to me. Noted that they did not offer package (free) drinks on the private island which X does allow.

 

It was a bit maddening on X at the bar as many did not have the upgrade package. It seemed as if every other guest questioned the bar keep about whether this drink or that drink was covered under the basic package.

 

I did see reference to BB King Lounge in the link. Now that looks interesting and had not heard of it before.

 

The HAL cocktail prices are overall much lower. On HAL $7 will get you MOST mixed drinks and cocktails... if you want a liquor with a mixer it depends on what you like on whether or not it will be covered or not, but A LOT will be.

 

X is way higher in price on the drinks. But on my recent Solstice cruise we had the premium package and my bar bill at the end of 8 days was under $3 :)

 

Unless you enjoy VERY top shelf items you won't end up feeling too restricted I wouldn't think.

 

Unfortunately though, there is nothing on par with the Molecular Bar on HAL ships. We LOVED that place on Solstice!!

Edited August 13, 2014 by InTheWASide