New to HAL. Can you tell me about the overall atmosphere?

[redhydra]

Me too i am considering a hal cruise but on eurodam from barcelona, however, in my case il cruise solo, i cruised solo before on cunard and enjoyed it very much, i am a foodies , i also cruised on celebrity, royal carribean and ncl, thought i am not the biggest fan of ncl.

 

a detail i like with cunard is that they dont put their music too loud in their lounge and bars such as the golden lyon and commodore club

 

I am a 32 year old, i havent decided on eurodam or queen victoria for more or less the same itinerary

Edited September 14, 2015 by redhydra

[Jay Sam]

On Oosterdam a few years back they had a great cook out on deck. Burgers, dogs, chicken etc. Very nice.

 

Nice large cabins and bath tubs. Nicely sized balconies too.

 

The staff was amazingly friendly and provided excellent customer service.

 

The fresh cut flowers in the public areas were a nice touch too.

[crusinpsychRN]

I'm looking for an upgrade from what Carnival's been doing lately. Just off Paradise, one of the old, smaller ships. Food was terrible on Lido, menu in MDR was fried shrimp, a pasta dish, a chicken dish and some other thing I didn't care for. Lots of trivia which I enjoy. Shows are down to light shows or movie backdrops, not the Vegas style shows of yore!

[crusinpsychRN]

If you are looking for frantic screaming children......you will be disappointed but being a psych nurse....no screaming children is what you may be looking for but adults.....no guarantee. ......LOL!

 

As an ARNP I see people all day, write meds for them and order tests. I get hollered at plenty all day by people I'm trying to help. I really need to get away!

 

I'm going to put up a sign: Be nice. Mental illness is not an excuse for bad behavior.

[pezhead]

I did HAL in Alaska last summer, and I'm in the midst of planning a Baltic cruise next summer. I'm also a 30 something who cruises Carnival at least once usually twice a year.

 

It's 2 different vacations by far. For a weekend away when I'm craving rum and conch fritters it's Carnival. Being in NY the flight to FL for a 3 or 4 day cruise is a breeze.

 

Now with doing an Alaska cruise HAL was amazing. I loved the things you don't necessarily want on a quick weekend of steam blowing. I hit every Culinary demonstration except the one when I was up doing the Polar Plunge among the glaciers. And I've made every one of the recipes demonstrated. I liked that none of the excursions I booked on both land and sea were crowded tour bus beach hops. There's a lecture about the next port I was there. It was so nice to spend a sea day sitting in a little nook with my kindle and hardly a PA announcement.

 

The cabin was awesome in terms of size. Dive in Burgers topped Guy's in terms of taste and quality. And as for Pinnacle I did the Le Cirque night--a dinner at the real one costs more than one of those drinking weekend Carnival cruises after all.

 

When the idea of Europe came up, I didn't even think to look at the Carnival sailings. I want an immersion aspect of not having port talks be about jewelry shopping.

 

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk

Edited September 15, 2015 by pezhead

[sandsunsurf]

I just returned from a HAL Alaska cruise & land excursion. I would say all of the reviews here are accurate. I would summarize my strongest thoughts as follows: Excellent and friendly customer service. Boring bar venues; the best bar was... None. There isn't a modern mixology or trendy type bar at all. I was never "drawn" to any bar, I would just get an occasional drink from whatever place was close. Food and dining service was very good but none of the dining was "grand." I'd like a high ceiling and grand chandelier. The Italian place was like a cubicle in the Lido area :-/. Other guests were very friendly and fun to be around, but I felt like a youngster, and I'm 43. The Jamaican Me Crazy show was baaaaaad. The Dancing With the Stars was surprisingly good! Everybody has different tastes, so HAL might be for you, but I will try something else next (actually already booked a Princess cruise to compare). I did enjoy the cruise overall, so these aren't criticisms, just my perspective.

[susiesan]

Just came off Veendam 2 days ago. I am a young 61 and I felt like a teenager compared to most of the pax. If you don't mind sailing with 90% old retired people you will enjoy.

 

The MS in the ship names stands for Mostly Seniors.

[crusinpsychRN]

Here's a link to some copies of On Location. The Ryndam is a smaller ship than the Westerdam but most of the flavor should be the same.

 

https://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com/programs/ryndam/

 

I believe the Carnival Pride is shares hull design with the HAL Vista ships. The outfitting is quite different but you will probably feel reasonably at home.

 

Roy

 

Thanks for the copies. Didn't realize early dinner was so early. Too close to sailing to get changed so I'll be in line to talk to the Maitre d'.

 

Do you pay for extra wine on embarkation?