HAL Ambience

[mllewis48]

Good point that I forgot. We were on the Christmas/New Years cruise and the flowers were beautiful. Plus the fresh flowers in the MDR, Stateroom and on our morning Room Service tray.

 

 

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[Caribbean Chris]

HAL tends to have some lovely fresh flower arrangements thruout the ship - that is an elegant touch IMO.

 

Forgot that one! I recall orchids on tables at the buffet. Lovely way to start the day.

[CruisinNJ]

Assisted Living is meant to imply "old" - and I think that these ships appeal more to the older and in bed after dinner cruise type than someone looking for something to do after 10:30 pm.

 

In terms if overall look, if you like bright red then Nieuw Amsterdam is the ship for you. Perhaps as you age you lose your ability to see color, but the main dinning room was nauseating with its red on red color scheme - more a bad Asian restaurant in look then something deserving the name Manhattan Dinning Room.

 

The style of the various rooms was more boring / bland than interesting - sort of what you get when you have no design / style. Nothing to compare to the elegance and style of say Queen Mary 2 - that is a classic ship design - not the NA.

[Princess40d]

what is the yumyum man?

Edited January 24, 2015 by Princess40d

[jhannah]

what is the yumyum man?

 

He is a uniformed steward who stands at the dining room exit, dispensing after-dinner mints, candied ginger, and dates. A very nice HAL tradition that sets them apart, IMO. If you remember "Johnny," from the old Phillip Morris TV commercials, this is what the Yum-Yum man looks like.

[RMLincoln]

When I compare ambiance on Princess to HAL I also think about the difference in staterooms. For those of us who do not stay in suites it's always a plus for me to be able to have a couch or even a loveseat in my room. On Princess usually there is not a couch until you get up to the suites level. We didn't even have a couch in a balcony room on Star Princess. Ocean Priness is an exception but Princess didn't built that ship.

 

As for decor in public space I find them both comparable for visual and comfort although they are a bit different. I like the brighter woods and marble on Princess but I love the teak and padded deck chairs on HAL, plus their open bright library.

 

DH says he doesn't think he could tell the differece between HAL, Princess or Celebrity. Except maybe for the pizza :)

Edited January 24, 2015 by RMLincoln

[pmjnh]

How many working people can take a month or more off work to take some of HAL's longer cruises - e.g. the world cruise is 115 days! So of course the majority of passengers are retired on these cruises and thus older. Not sure why the 'assisted living' comment although there is quite a lot of walkers, carts, and canes on these longer cruises but that is just a function of age. May we all age gracefully and without the need for assistive devices.

 

That makes perfect sense. Not having cruised on HAL, I am looking forward to what is described as a maybe more "subdued" crowd. I might imagine that the summer months might lure some younger travelers , especially teachers, who have summers off (like me)..although I am 2 years away from retirement!:D

[Hlitner]

HAL tends to have some lovely fresh flower arrangements thruout the ship - that is an elegant touch IMO.

 

Have to share this very true tale. When on the Prinsendam (which is our favorite HAL vessel) we were offered a tour of the below-deck crew/storage areas of the ship. Our guide (who was a ship's officer) walked us through the crew deck and we stopped in the florist shop. The entire shop is refrigerated and we noticed that the florist had no problem with the temperature. But then the florist mentioned that the ship's morgue was on the other side of the bulkhead and only had room for 3 bodies. He explained that if the morgue became full, they would use his florist room for the overflow! That did get a few laughs until the officer explained that its true!

 

Hank

[I Luv Crusin]

My dh and I are in our 50's, 56 and 57. We really like the HAL. I was most impressed on our first cruise when we met a staff member at the Lido line for lunch our first afternoon on the ship and he remembered our names for the rest of the week! We generally eat early and call it a night around 10:30pm.

 

We like the design of the ship, the service and there are enough activities to keep us busy. We have always enjoyed the cooking classes!

[mllewis48]

Years past the Yum Yum man used to call passengers to dinner by walking around the decks outside the MDR playing a tune on a device that I cannot think of, senior moment sorry. Sounded like chimes, it was kind of special.

 

 

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[Caribbean Chris]

Years past the Yum Yum man used to call passengers to dinner by walking around the decks outside the MDR playing a tune on a device that I cannot think of, senior moment sorry. Sounded like chimes, it was kind of special.

 

I remember that, too, and it was quite charming. (Hand-held Xylophone?)

 

The YumYum Phillip Morris uniform always reminds me of some grand Asian hotel, The Peninsula I think, where a steward dressed like that would find guests to deliver messages in the lobby. Or maybe I saw it in a movie.

[Hflors]

quiet and understated elegance - JMO

 

You took the words out of my mouth!

[Homosassa]

We sail both HAL and Princess. Both are equal to each other in many ways.

 

The one thing that sets Princess apart from Hal that is very important to us, is the ability to have traditional dining no matter when one is booked.

 

When HAL went to the "As You Wish Dining" concept of either open or traditional, it turned into "Not As You Wish" when no matter how far out one booked (in our case in one cruise, 1 1/2 years), traditional early dining was not available. We have been forced into the disorganized, slow service of open dining for our last 4 HAL cruises.

 

Princess handles the open and traditional dining differently. Usually, there are 3 dining rooms on both ship. One will be strictly traditional seatings. One will be open. The third will be traditional early seating (the seating most in demand) and then switched to open seating starting at 7 or 7:30 PM (peak time for open seating).

 

As a result, one can book at the last minute, ask for traditional early or late seating or open seating and always get your choice.

 

I should add, as a result of the "Not As You Wish" Dining, HAL no longer has the chimes played to notify passengers that the dining room is open for their seating.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Homosassa

[Floridiana]

More of what's different:

Around 50% of the crew is recruited from Indonesia and probably feels like HAL is a second home. The bar crew is from the Philippines.

A florist on board.

A member of the clergy on board who does daily (?) services.

The library + coffee bar is a light filled gracious meeting area. There is a librarian. The art work on the Statendam is museum quality.

Our balcony stateroom looked old fashioned at first glance, but it had a leather couch long enough to stretch out and 2 hooks on the wall for bags and hats. Both turned out to be very handy features.

I love the candied ginger at the dining room entrance/exit.

HAL offers many long and interesting itineraries which attract a loyal 55+ clientele.

Compared to the luxury lines which offer similar long and interesting itineraries, HAL's prices are more affordable.

[HealthyTouch101]

8 PM dining does not seem civilized to me ;) I have only sailed HAL and started with the old Westerdam when I was in mid to late 30's. It fit us perfectly. I am an early diner; a lifetime habit. And it is as elegant at 6 PM as it is at 8 PM. Everyone can be happy.

 

I didn't enjoy the urban / subway style art on the Nieuw Amsterdam, either. We found it to be too "pop" for our tastes. I prefer the art on other ships--especially the old objects. I always make sure to tour the ship once just stopping and studying the art. The library often offers an art tour on an MP3 player. I think I downloaded to one for the NA onto my iPod before we left.

 

I don't want to see masses of people at any one time. So I appreciate not having an interior shopping mall with balconies and a zipline running through the center of the ship. I have only seen photos but it isn't our idea of a cruise. I can always find a quiet nook to read or sit or nap somewhere in public space. I once spent a rainy sea day in a window of the Crow's Nest reading a book from the library while my OH rested in the room after catching a cold. It was dreamy.

 

My friends who have been on other cruise ships said not all had a Crow's Nest. I would miss that.

[qsuzi]

Thank you again to all who have commented. We mostly sail RCI and Princess but are eager to try HAL. I don't judge any cruise line by one cruise/ship, but hopefully after sailing on the Veendam and Westerdam we will want to add HAL to our future cruises. Also it will be interesting to see, any difference between the Alaska cruises, e.g., HAL stops in Sitka, and just generally overall.

Edited January 25, 2015 by qsuzi

[AV8rix]

Years past the Yum Yum man used to call passengers to dinner by walking around the decks outside the MDR playing a tune on a device that I cannot think of, senior moment sorry. Sounded like chimes, it was kind of special.

 

That is still done on ms Amsterdam (or at least it was done as late as the spring of '14). I was on late traditional seating and many of us would sit in the Explorer's Lounge listening to the excellent classical music. Each evening shortly before 8 pm the Yum Yum man would appear with his little xylophone to summon us to the MDR.

 

Now, I don't know if he also did this for the early seating and I also don't know if he went beyond the Explorer's Lounge. Whatever, IMO it's one of the charming HAL customs and I looked forward to it each evening. I'll be on ms Amsterdam this May and will report back.

[sun~]

I have been on the Zandaam, Masdam, Eurodam(2) and Nieuw Amsterdam (4). I find the ships dark and depressing. Dark ugly colours in the staterooms.

 

The Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam have been charter cruises, so are at full capacity, which according to many posts on this board not true for many of the other HAL ships. At capacity, the ships are very crowded and there are long line ups for awful food in the lido. The leather furniture in the crow's nest is quite ratty looking now.

 

The public rooms can be small, dark and cramped. The piano bar is awful. Horrible seating and sight lines. The crow's nest is chopped up and as used as sort of multi purpose room with the coffee bar, internet room and the actual crow's nest. If you are looking for a grand atrium, it isn't there, it looks like a dentist's waiting room. The showroom is typical to others on other cruise lines.

 

Princess certainly has prettier ships. Much brighter with light coloured marble and larger open spaces like the atrium.

 

I have been on only one RCI ship, and it was gorgeous.

 

And nonsense about the crew - all cruise lines I have been on have a core group from the Philipines and Indonesia. Most ships now have lots of crew from the eastern European countries, including HAL, even in the bar staff. There were even more women stewards on HAL on my cruise last week on the NA.

 

If you want upscale, don't bother with the mainstream cruises lines like HAL. Upgrade to something like Seabourn.

[mllewis48]

Well I must have to say after 35 cruises with HAL on 13 of their ships I find your comments interesting? Also would be willing to wager you are in the minority.

 

 

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[qsuzi]

I have been on the Zandaam, Masdam, Eurodam(2) and Nieuw Amsterdam (4). I find the ships dark and depressing. Dark ugly colours in the staterooms.

 

The Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam have been charter cruises, so are at full capacity, which according to many posts on this board not true for many of the other HAL ships. At capacity, the ships are very crowded and there are long line ups for awful food in the lido. The leather furniture in the crow's nest is quite ratty looking now.

 

The public rooms can be small, dark and cramped. The piano bar is awful. Horrible seating and sight lines. The crow's nest is chopped up and as used as sort of multi purpose room with the coffee bar, internet room and the actual crow's nest. If you are looking for a grand atrium, it isn't there, it looks like a dentist's waiting room. The showroom is typical to others on other cruise lines.

 

Princess certainly has prettier ships. Much brighter with light coloured marble and larger open spaces like the atrium.

 

I have been on only one RCI ship, and it was gorgeous.

 

And nonsense about the crew - all cruise lines I have been on have a core group from the Philipines and Indonesia. Most ships now have lots of crew from the eastern European countries, including HAL, even in the bar staff. There were even more women stewards on HAL on my cruise last week on the NA.

 

If you want upscale, don't bother with the mainstream cruises lines like HAL. Upgrade to something like Seabourn.

We are on the Crown Princess now (after an absence of 4 years) and are so impressed by everything . We sail HAL for the first time in March and Westerdam in April. I will post a comparison after the Westerdam cruise.

Edited January 27, 2015 by qsuzi

[Alcarondas]

I haven't read every post in this thread, so someone may have covered this already; if so I apologize for the repetition.

 

One important thing to remember is that Holland-America has been around for over 140 years, and much of the onboard "culture" reflects the fact that the company's roots reach all the way back to the days when ships had masts and sails in addition to their coal-fired steam engines. Many HAL quirks and oddities are modern echoes of ancient traditions.

 

Although the fleet consists exclusively of modern cruise ships, many design elements deliberately recall the era of ocean liners - liberal use of dark wood, brass trim. etc. HAL's ships look and feel like ships, both inside and out. People who prefer (or are accustomed to) ultra-modern designs that seem more like land-based resorts will probably be disconcerted, if not disappointed.

 

I find that the things that HAL is least good at are all the newfangled concepts like open dining, multiple restaurants, entertainment variety, and so on. Seriously. Anytime dining has only been a thing for what, the last 15 years or so? And HAL only got around to it within the last 6 or 7? That's about 5% of the Line's lifespan. This is truly a quantum shift for them. I would imagine that many of their veteran hotel and dining staffers were trained in the "old ways" (which, again, persisted on HAL into 21st century), and so change comes slowly when it comes at all.

 

Speaking personally, it's that old-time ocean liner culture that keeps bringing me back, even though it gets more and more diluted every year. I sail HAL because I want to focus on the sea voyage, not be endlessly distracted from it with (to my mind) absurdities like rock climbing, flow riding, pub hopping, ice skating, atrium-gazing, and whatever else is on offer these days. I can do all those things on land if I want to. It's the things that can't be done on land, and were traditionally the province of the grand liners of yore, that I believe HAL (along with Cunard, another hoary ancient) is best at.

[AV8rix]

I haven't read every post in this thread, so someone may have covered this already; if so I apologize for the repetition.

 

One important thing to remember is that Holland-America has been around for over 140 years, and much of the onboard "culture" reflects the fact that the company's roots reach all the way back to the days when ships had masts and sails in addition to their coal-fired steam engines. Many HAL quirks and oddities are modern echoes of ancient traditions.

 

Although the fleet consists exclusively of modern cruise ships, many design elements deliberately recall the era of ocean liners - liberal use of dark wood, brass trim. etc. HAL's ships look and feel like ships, both inside and out. People who prefer (or are accustomed to) ultra-modern designs that seem more like land-based resorts will probably be disconcerted, if not disappointed.

 

I find that the things that HAL is least good at are all the newfangled concepts like open dining, multiple restaurants, entertainment variety, and so on. Seriously. Anytime dining has only been a thing for what, the last 15 years or so? And HAL only got around to it within the last 6 or 7? That's about 5% of the Line's lifespan. This is truly a quantum shift for them. I would imagine that many of their veteran hotel and dining staffers were trained in the "old ways" (which, again, persisted on HAL into 21st century), and so change comes slowly when it comes at all.

 

Speaking personally, it's that old-time ocean liner culture that keeps bringing me back, even though it gets more and more diluted every year. I sail HAL because I want to focus on the sea voyage, not be endlessly distracted from it with (to my mind) absurdities like rock climbing, flow riding, pub hopping, ice skating, atrium-gazing, and whatever else is on offer these days. I can do all those things on land if I want to. It's the things that can't be done on land, and were traditionally the province of the grand liners of yore, that I believe HAL (along with Cunard, another hoary ancient) is best at.

 

Exactly!!! And the priceless artifacts that the line has managed to collect in their 140+ years of sailing all over the world are without equal ANYWHERE -- except perhaps museums!! At least on the S-class and R-class ships. Those artifacts alone make the voyage worthwhile. On sea days, I sometimes spend literally HOURS examining and photographing those things. Particularly the handmade antique models of old sailing vessels and their sextants, compasses, astrolabes, etc (I'm a sailor ;)).

[IRL_Joanie]

I haven't read every post in this thread, so someone may have covered this already; if so I apologize for the repetition.

 

One important thing to remember is that Holland-America has been around for over 140 years, and much of the onboard "culture" reflects the fact that the company's roots reach all the way back to the days when ships had masts and sails in addition to their coal-fired steam engines. Many HAL quirks and oddities are modern echoes of ancient traditions.

 

Although the fleet consists exclusively of modern cruise ships, many design elements deliberately recall the era of ocean liners - liberal use of dark wood, brass trim. etc. HAL's ships look and feel like ships, both inside and out. People who prefer (or are accustomed to) ultra-modern designs that seem more like land-based resorts will probably be disconcerted, if not disappointed.

 

I find that the things that HAL is least good at are all the newfangled concepts like open dining, multiple restaurants, entertainment variety, and so on. Seriously. Anytime dining has only been a thing for what, the last 15 years or so? And HAL only got around to it within the last 6 or 7? That's about 5% of the Line's lifespan. This is truly a quantum shift for them. I would imagine that many of their veteran hotel and dining staffers were trained in the "old ways" (which, again, persisted on HAL into 21st century), and so change comes slowly when it comes at all.

 

Speaking personally, it's that old-time ocean liner culture that keeps bringing me back, even though it gets more and more diluted every year. I sail HAL because I want to focus on the sea voyage, not be endlessly distracted from it with (to my mind) absurdities like rock climbing, flow riding, pub hopping, ice skating, atrium-gazing, and whatever else is on offer these days. I can do all those things on land if I want to. It's the things that can't be done on land, and were traditionally the province of the grand liners of yore, that I believe HAL (along with Cunard, another hoary ancient) is best at.

 

 

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!

 

I could not say it half as well:)

 

Joanie

[ANSalberg]

I find that now- after almost 1000 days on HAL -the loveliest feeling is the feeling of coming home and seeing old friends [ The crew] and then starting out on the adventures of a lifetime; cruises to Europe and Asia and Australia/NZ/HA/. We've done a World cruise -India and Egypt, the red sea/Suez canal....ALL delightful LESSONS and wonderful memories. The ambiance of any ship, and cruise -is how YOU feel and ESPECIALLY coming BACK!

Anne

[UPNYGuy]

I may be in the minority here, but I personally think that Veendam has the nicest decor in the fleet. It is cheerful, fun, and bright. At the same time it isn't garish. Veendam was built at the time the line was transitioning over to the R class, so the ocean bar area is laid out more like the Volendam and Zaandam (which I like). I find the darkest, most depressing decor in the Statendam. The ship was dimly lit, dark, and very tired. And this coming from a person with an appreciation of antiques and artifacts.

 

 

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