HAL ROOKIE just returned from the Veendam- WONDERFUL

[RIvacationgirl]

After all of the information I acquired from this board I wanted to give pay it forward to someone else who may be new to HAL. Our cruise history had only been with NCL.

We just came home yesterday from the Veendam in Boston.

We left on July 4th. As far as embarkation procedures, we were a little confused as to where to go at the terminal. We did not know there were two ships sailing that day, and the outside terminal staff were a little confused directing people. But, we ended up where we need to go, and had to wait an hour before we were let in-we went early as we did not know what to expect with the holiday traffic. Even as we were directed into the terminal, the terminal staff were still a little confused as to where and what to do.

Once we met up with an HAL staffer at the desk, the quality of service instantly picked up. As a first timer on HAL, I would have liked a little more direction as to how the card system works. We were used to using our keycard for everything on NCL. On HAL, we found that when we bought the $50 card for soda and beverage purposes, you get a separate card for these. In addition, we went to use them in the dining room, and we could not- number one we had to activate the cards at the beverage director's office, and number two you can only use them in the bars and not in the dining areas. It would have been helpful to know this prior to boarding.

Our oceanview cabin was ready almost immediately, and this being our first experience without a balcony we did not know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised to find the room quite spacious for the two of us and more than enough storage and closet space fro the two of us. Our cabin steward Aryata was attentive and efficient. It was a little warm for us even with the thermostat all the way down, so we basically had the curtains closed for the majority of the sun hours, and I did peek into an inside room and the layout was exactly the same, including the bathroom.

We found the food to be quite delicious in the Main Dining room. We had bought a night in each of the two specialty dining rooms. The Caneletto was very good, but was quite warm with the sun coming in- so if we ever were to go again we would go after sundown. The Pinnacle Grille was outstanding- wonderful for a very special celebration. This was an exceptional dinner. However, we both decided that if one was watching their budget, we found the food in the Main Dining Room to be pleasurable to dine for the entire cruise, and we would not feel we would be missing the specialty restaurants. To note, the lobster tail was delicious and truly a New England type we are used to compared to NCL's lobster tail which was very tiny. The Indonesian afternoon tea was also something to experience, staff in their cultural garb serving specialties from their homeland.

The service was outstanding in every way. Entertainment was very good. Favorites to note was the cooking presentations, the Bob Mackie show, Bard Upton comedian, and we enjoyed the Neptunes Trio EVERY night. My DH loved them so much we bought their CD!

My biggest worry prior to Boarding was the dress code on HAL vs. the freestyle cruising we were used to on NCL. I found that I overpacked in preparation for this worry. For myself, a dressy top with nice pants, modest sundress, and for formal night a nice dress was fine. I wore open toed sandals on my feet- no problem. My DH wore a nice polo with dockers, and on formal night a suit, or a jacket with dress slacks and dress shirt and tie. Some people were turned away if they did not have a jacket. There was a wide range of dress for formal nights- up to tuxedos and gowns. It was nice to see everyone including children dressed for the evening.

Now that I mentioned children, there was IMO a very small amount on the ship, and we never saw any children who were misbehaving. Parents watched their children on this cruise, compared to some of the children I have seen on prior cruises. The overall population of the passengers IMO was a majority of age 40yrs and older, and very respectful of each others cruise experience. No loud mouths, rudeness or drinking incidents that we could see. We have four grown kids and one grandchild, and love kids, but we are at the stage where whining, screaming or parents who don't watch their kids are not really our cup of tea anymore.

A favorite spot for us was the Crow's Nest Lounge for trivia and overall viewing as we entered Bermuda.

In conclusion, we found the service to be outstanding the ship cultured and refined and a cruise that restful and fun. We would book again with Holland America in a heartbeat!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review,

Glad you enjoyed your Bermuda cruise.

[cruz chic]

Odd about the beverage card. While I've never tried to use one in the MDR I have used it in a specialty restaurant. I don't know why you couldn't use it in the MDR.

 

Thx for the review.

[0bnxshs]

Happy to read you enjoyed your cruise on HAL. Thanks for the thoughtful review! :)

 

I do wonder if something has changed with the soda card as we've always been able to use it in the MDR. Same with the standard beverage cards. While they do need to be activated on first use, we've never had any problem with any bar or bar steward doing so.

Edited July 12, 2015 by 0bnxshs

[Susie51]

Thank you for your review. I'm glad you liked HAL. In my experience people dress up more on HAL cruises then the other six cruise lines I have sailed on.

[summer slope]

Thank you for your review. I'm pleased you enjoyed your first HAL cruise and it will be the first of more to come.

[Cruising-along]

Happy to read you enjoyed your cruise on HAL. Thanks for the thoughtful review! :)

 

I do wonder if something has changed with the soda card as we've always been able to use it in the MDR. Same with the standard beverage cards. While they do need to be activated on first use, we've never had any problem with any bar or bar steward doing so.

 

I'm wondering too. As recently as 3 months ago on the Statendam we were able to use our beverage card(s) in the MDR and with no problem activating them there.

 

Thank you OP for your review, we're looking forward to our Veendam cruise next spring. :)

[HokiePoq]

Thanks so much, OP, for your great report. I love hearing good things about the Veendam as we will be spending a lot of time on her soon.

We, too, sail NCL as well as HAL and like both experiences.

[RIvacationgirl]

I am not sure if the soda card policy changed, but this is what they told us on this ship. We just had to "force" ourselves to use it all up in the various bars! LOL:p

After this first cruise on HAL we decided when we sail HAL again, that we would not purchase these cards again, and just put all drinks on our keycard for convenience sake.

[sapper1]

Glad you had a good cruise.

 

That's very strange about the beverage card. We have used them for years and any steward is able to activate them. We have also used them everywhere on the ship. Our last cruise was on June 6th on the Veendam and this applied then as well.

 

I have always said one needs a good sense of humour to cruise on Hal. Don't get me wrong--I love it, but there are always strange wrinkles popping up. Talk to three different people and you get three different answers.

 

I have to agree that the Veendam is a great ship and we enjoyed our cruise on her as well.

[erewhon]

Thank you for taking time to review your Veendam cruise.

[Keith1010]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise and thanks for your review.

 

Keith

[lisakoivu]

I am so relieved to read your review. We are also multi-ncl cruisers, going on our first HAL cruise in a month. What can I say, the NCL itineraries are just getting old.

 

So I'm struggling - jacket, no jacket for DH. You're saying jacket? Better send him to the drycleaner, lol.

[Mr. Boston]

Thanks for your review. I'm glad that your first experience with HAL was a good one and hope that there are many more. On our first sailing on the Veendam there had been many negative reviews so we didn't have high expectations for our Canada/New England cruise. We were very pleasantly surprised with one of our best HAL trips to date.

[RIvacationgirl]

I am so relieved to read your review. We are also multi-ncl cruisers, going on our first HAL cruise in a month. What can I say, the NCL itineraries are just getting old.

 

So I'm struggling - jacket, no jacket for DH. You're saying jacket? Better send him to the drycleaner, lol.

 

Yes, we were used to NCL freestyle! On the first formal night, my DH had a suit, with dress shirt and tie. He saw many people without tie, and we heard the Maitre'D tell someone men needed a collared shirt and jacket. So. second formal night he wore no tie, and he was fine. Basically, a nice dress or slacks with dressy top was fine for the women. HAL does ask to respect the appropriate dress code for the total night, in other words try not to go and change after dinner. We prefer the freestyle, but we did not have any problem with the dress code on HAL and would definitely sail them again in a heartbeat!

[Alcarondas]

I'll be setting off on Veendam in [checks countdown clock... *gasp!*] just over 3 days. Glad to hear that she seems be be in fine form.

 

Interesting to hear that the Neptunes are still playing. Other ships have done away with them and replaced them with a generic "Band".

[0bnxshs]

I am not sure if the soda card policy changed, but this is what they told us on this ship. We just had to "force" ourselves to use it all up in the various bars! LOL:p

After this first cruise on HAL we decided when we sail HAL again, that we would not purchase these cards again, and just put all drinks on our keycard for convenience sake.

 

Some like these cards, some don't. When we used to get them at a discount (10% or 20%, I don't now recall what it was) they were more enticing than they are today. We will often buy them pre-cruise, especially on longer cruises, so we can spread some of the cost of the cruise out. Also, when pre-ordered, they come with your name printed on them and lastly, they keep your portfolio clear of all those stops at those various bars. :D

 

It's possible that something has changed. Since some of the staff reductions that seem to have impacted MDR staff quite notably, waiters have been tasked with retrieving bar orders which has impacted timely service from them. Maybe they are restricting the cards' use there now.

 

Again, glad you enjoyed your HAL cruise. Our very most favorite cruise was on Veendam so she is a favorite of ours. You summed up the formal night dress code quite nicely too, although we have been known to run and change to more comfortable, casual clothing after dinner. :eek:

[vinodoc]

just got off Eurodam on 7/7, and no problem using soda card anywhere.

[bonvoyagebites]

Thanks for your review. We also were new to HAL on our recent trip that we reviewed. We had our teenagers with us, but they are well behaved... but we observed the same thing about the demographic of the ship. It was much more.... ummmm.... refined... than let's say... maybe.. Carnival. Now, this isn't to say that I don't also like Carnival, as I enjoy being on the sea regardless and can adapt to whatever environment I am in. But it was much quieter and laid back. Lots of fun was had by all. We also will be back when we find a cruise that matches time and itinerary for what we seek.

[RIvacationgirl]

Thanks for your review. We also were new to HAL on our recent trip that we reviewed. We had our teenagers with us, but they are well behaved... but we observed the same thing about the demographic of the ship. It was much more.... ummmm.... refined... than let's say... maybe.. Carnival. Now, this isn't to say that I don't also like Carnival, as I enjoy being on the sea regardless and can adapt to whatever environment I am in. But it was much quieter and laid back. Lots of fun was had by all. We also will be back when we find a cruise that matches time and itinerary for what we seek.

 

I see you have been on the Carnival Victory. We are going on her in 2 weeks. It will be our first experience with Carnival, it was our only choice under the time constraint that fit for us and our friends. It is a 4 nighter. We will be getting a certificate for a free future cruise on Carnival from some timeshare presentation we will be attending, and so this will be a "small taste" of Carnival to see if we like it. We have been hesitant to try Carnival in the past- but I have to say all of our friends who have tried it said they liked it. So we are going into it with a positive attitude. We are not really "party poopers", but we are not "party animals" either!

I am curious as to your experience on the Victory- did you enjoy???

[prettyblue2]

Thank you for a most insightful and informative review of your cruise. We will be on the Westerdam on HAL in November and it will will our first cruise on HAL.

[bonvoyagebites]

I see you have been on the Carnival Victory. We are going on her in 2 weeks. It will be our first experience with Carnival, it was our only choice under the time constraint that fit for us and our friends. It is a 4 nighter. We will be getting a certificate for a free future cruise on Carnival from some timeshare presentation we will be attending, and so this will be a "small taste" of Carnival to see if we like it. We have been hesitant to try Carnival in the past- but I have to say all of our friends who have tried it said they liked it. So we are going into it with a positive attitude. We are not really "party poopers", but we are not "party animals" either!

I am curious as to your experience on the Victory- did you enjoy???

 

So, our Victory cruise was our first, and in many ways has been our favorite of our cruises so far. Part of that was the great itinerary, and part of it was that it was our "first time" and they say you always remember that. If you can just find the things you want to and follow your own wishes, you will have a great time I am sure. Our Carnival experience is that the Main pool area is very busy and sometimes noisy, like the pool at any resort would be... but at the same time, the sailaway parties are (in my opinion) more fun than the two other lines I have been on. To put that in perspective... I would NEVER go to a nightclub and dance. I would rather sit back and listen to blues or jazz or similar and keep to myself while sipping a drink. But, the atmosphere is contagious and I found myself standing at a distance and enjoying people watching. (I am more of an introvert, but can easily adapt if needed) There is almost always someplace to escape the commotion if needed, so I am certain you can find your "happy place". The piano bar was our favorite place on the ship.

 

Unless something has changed, the decor is dated and pretty gaudy (thanks Joe Farcus)... You may feel yourself transported to 1980's vegas in your mind.

 

Please let me know what you think when you return. It would be an interesting perspective for someone to go on Carnival AFTER not starting there. Many people get their first taste of cruising from Carnival. I would definitely go back. I haven't developed a loyalty to any particular line, but would rather just see the sea. If the itinerary, price, and timeframe match... I'll be there. :)

[RIvacationgirl]

Thank you BONVOYAGEBITES. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the Victory and we are going in very open-minded. I will definitely let you know how we make out.:D