New To HAL..........

[cruzeluver]

Any feedback you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have previously sailed on Carnival, RCCL and NCL. I am ready to step it up to the next level and think HAL may be the way to go.

 

I am considering both the Westerdam and the Zuiderdam.

 

What should I expect as compared to what I experienced on the lower-priced lines? Thanks!!

[airlink diva]

Any feedback you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have previously sailed on Carnival, RCCL and NCL. I am ready to step it up to the next level and think HAL may be the way to go.

 

I am considering both the Westerdam and the Zuiderdam.

 

What should I expect as compared to what I experienced on the lower-priced lines? Thanks!!

I can only speak for myself concerning HAL. I mainly like the HAL ships because it's a different atmosphere than Carnival. You have partying, but not the wild types that I encounterd on Carnival. I loved the level of service from the staff on the HAL ships. Everyone was most helpful and was glad to assist. I love Half Moon Cay. This is one of the best port stops ever. HAL also have upgraded it's bedding and it's like sleeping on a cloud :D !

I only sailed on the Vista class ships and frankly find them the right size. I never few crowded nor had problems getting on and off the boat. On RCCL, you have some with over 3,000 people and can tell! You have some on who prefer the smaller HAL ships to the Vista class. I consider HAL to be a great line to travel with and I'm counting down to my next trip on the Westerdam on 11/13/05. Look for my review!!

[zackiedawg]

I just lost my HAL virginity last week when I got off the Zuiderdam. I previously sailed predominantly the same lines you have. I had some worries going into it that the crowd might be a notch too old for me, or the atmosphere either stuffy or too dull.

 

What I found was:

 

1. The decor is much nicer. The overall design of the ships is much more elegant, better fittings, nice artowrk and sculptures, and a generally higher-class feeling. It doesn't feel as glitzy or neon as your typical older Carnival ships, and a little less plastic and modernity as the RCCL Voyager-class.

 

2. The crowd is a little older, and a little quieter. However, I found this to be a positive thing. The Vista-class ships, especially on the 7 day routes, do not attract the most traditional HAL passengers as do the smaller, more intimate ships with longer itineraries. This means that the crowd onboard is not so young and loud as to equal what is sometimes found on NCL or Carnival, and a notch older than found on a typical RCCL, but still a good age for late night activity and social interaction. Being a late-nighter myself, I had no problem finding a crowd to hang with until 2-3AM on almost any night, and at least 2 or 3 areas of the ship still open and with something going on. It doesn't have the nightclub, beat-pounding, trance-like atmosphere of the 20-something party crowd on Carnival...and is probably a touch quieter overall than RCCL, but not dead.

 

Service - should be better on HAL than most other lines. They're all good...but less passengers to crew tends to mean more attention, and the HAL legend is to have very high levels of service and friendliness. I found this to be true...staff was always very accomodating and extremely friendly (not just smiling, but actually talkative. Many E. European workers on Carnival and RCCL serve well and with a smile, but often don't really socially interact with the passengers...they can be shy and a little quiet. The Indonesians and phillipinos on HAL rarely have this problem!)

 

Everything else should be approximately the same, or up to personal preferences. Cabin size, food, excursions, drinks, etc are all similar with all cruise lines. Some prefer the food of one over the others, but you don't often get BAD food on a cruise ship, so I don't worry too much about that.

 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my Zuiderdam cruise, and would not hesitate to travel on HAL again. I may be a little hesitant again if I were traveling on one of the smaller ships on a long itinerary, as this can be a very different atmosphere...but on the 7-14 day cruises, and especially the Vista class, you should be comfortable and familiar, with some nice improvements.

[LoveLifeAtSea]

It has been many, many years since I sailed Carnival, RCCL or NCL, primarily because once I discovered HAL, the other lines never could match what I love so much about HAL.

 

The elegance of the ships, along with the best crew I have ever encountered, tops my reasons for sailing with HAL so often. This crew provides the best service I ever encountered on any cruiseline. There is a lot of discussion and complaints about the lack of service the last year or two, but I think the reason for that is not as much that the crew has changed how they serve the passengers, but I think it has more to do with the fact that there is less crew to serve the passengers, therefore, they are spread too thin. During the better days, these people were already tired, but never showed it! Can you imagine how they feel now, with more to serve? And, I still question how much impact the changing of the the tipping practices affected the service. All in all, during all of my cruises, including the last two years, I personally had NO complaints regarding the service. But then again, I go out of my way to show appreciation and kindness to these people. Maybe that does goes a long way.

 

Also, I found that compared to the above mentioned lines, that you get so much more for your dollar. When I was still new to HAL, I would always do comparables, primarily because my husband and I enjoyed booking suites and mini-suites. Now, I don't shop around like I used to because I don't really like what I'm reading about the other 3 lines mentioned here. There are a few other lines that I would consider cruising with if the total package was attractive.

[mrsred]

I have only sailed Carnival prior to our HAL experience, and as previously stated the main differences I noted were the pax (they seemed to be much more laid back, fun without the "party hardy" attitude, but very friendly), the atmosphere in general was more elegant..especially noted in the dinning room and lounges, and the staff was far more genuine IMO.

 

The overall appeal for us on HAL was the attention to detail like fine china for room service, the way our cabin steward always kept our champagne or wine iced, the fresh fruit in our cabin, and how personable our dinning room staff was.

 

We sailed on the Zuiderdam which is a large ship, but the design was done in such a way that there are many places to sit quietly and watch the world go by. We never felt crowded, unlike on Carnival where there always seemed to be people everywhere with a million activities being announced over the PA.

 

We would never sail Carnival agian, but would consider Crystal, or Celebrity if HAL did not have an itinerary that we were interested in.

 

We're spoiled now :)

 

~e

[jhannah]

I can basically second what's been said already. I find HAL to offer a good value. The ships are elegant without being stuffy. And the crews are top notch. I am confident you will have a memorable experience on a Holland America ship.

[cruisegirl]

We did a HAL Caribbean cruise several years and haven't repeated HAL since although we've continued to cruise. Now we're scheduled for another HAL cruise this November and I can't wait. The earlier cruise was by far my favorite in terms of the service. It was fantastic. I've been concerned that I would be disappointed in HAL now that they're owned by Carnival. But enough folks have said very positive things about them and that's been reassuring.

 

I'd definitely suggest you give HAL a try.

[Charliesmom]

We haven't been on RCCL, but we have been on the Norwegian Line (never again after the first time) and on Carnival twice, once two months after we had been on HAL.

 

The level of service on HAL is much higher. On Carnival in the Lido you can't get a hot piece of toast. Everything is on the warming trays. There were some aspects of the Carnival cruise that were very good. I have food allergies and they handled them flawlessly.

 

You will not get the "team" announcements in the dining room. Dining is a more sedate experience. You will have much less noise around the pool. You can go to shows and not have your ears blasted off. Everything on Carnival was too loud.

 

Carnival's shows are usually really good (even if they are too loud). I think the level is higher than HAL, but I don't go on a ship for the shows. I go for a hassle-free experience and HAL is much more hassle-free than Carnival.

 

We don't gamble, but my brother and sister-in-law do. They won a lot of money on Carnival on the slot machines. I don't know if they have a better pay-out, but she won the price of her ticket and then some.

 

I thought the gym on the Westerdam was very nice. The gym on the Carnival Miracle was very nice, too. They had more machines, but they have a younger crowd who tend to use them more.

 

The trivia games on Carnival were geared more to popular culture than those on HAL, although HAL had its share.

 

A cruise is such a subjective experience. I would say to try HAL - you might like it more. If you don't, you probably still will have a great vacation.

 

Roberta

 

 

The Lido food on HAL is MUCH nicer.