Coming back after 7 years.

[boscobeans]

Because of itineraries and ports of departure we stopped cruising on Holland America and went mainly with Celebrity. Over the past 7 years the changes in many aspects of Celebrity, mostly due to what I think is a reduction in dining room and housekeeping staff, and their lack of close to home departures, we booked a 10-DAY PANAMA CANAL SUNFARER on the Zuiderdam.

 

Although we have never had a bad cruise experience in the 23+ cruises on Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, and since we now know we must go back to the annoyance of flights to Florida for all our future cruises, we have decided to once again sail with HAL.

 

We have sailed with HAL before and loved every minute, given that, we also understand that things never stay the same and are interested in what changes we should expect coming back to Holland America.

 

bosco

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome back to HAL.

Just like all the other cruise lines, HAL has changed over the years as well.

You will see cut backs in the dining room staff and all around the ship.

The Lido is now the Market Place -- there is a thread about that. Burger place is now called the Dive-In and there is now the New York Pizza. The shows are shorter in length. No more Librarians or a Tech person to help with the computers.

The Zuiderdam does have the BBKing group. Many people like them but it is way too loud for us.

Others will chime in about the changes.

[IRL_Joanie]

You'll also find the Smoking Policy has changed.

 

There is no longer any smoking allowed in the staterooms and verandahs. The Casinos are all non smoking 1 night a week, and only if you are actively playing.

 

The smoking areas on the outside of the ship are extremely limited, so ask someone (crew preferably) if it is of importance to you (avoidance or needing the area.) Copper10-8 is one of the few on this board who can tell you 100% where it is allowed on every HAL ship.

 

Joanie

[CJcruzer]

having sailed both Celebrity and HAL within the last 5 years, I find similar cutbacks i. the 2 lines.

 

Let's face it cruising has definitely changed in the last 10 years. Prices remain affordable and there are so many marketing gimmicks, giving away drinks, gratuities, internet, OBC - whatever it may be - it is only logical all the cruiselines have had to make sacrifices and cutbacks to compensate for keeping prices low and granting amenities.

 

That is not to say we have not enjoyed our cruises - we are more destination driven in our choice than what ship, what line (although I favor HAL).

[keelykat]

We have been sailing on Oceania for the past 5 years but decided to return to HAL because of their 2 week cruise out of Tampa on the Oosterdam and were pleased with every aspect of the trip. Ship, service and food were all above our expectations. Needless to say we will be booking again on HAL. Hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did.

 

Fran

[boscobeans]

Looks like nothing MAJOR has changed and we will be as happy as we have always been with the staff, HAL in our opinion has always been above that of Celebrity by a few notches, the ships which like us may have an additional wrinkle or two and although I no longer smoke it doesn't bother me in the least whether or not anyone else does.

 

We are looking forward to be looking backwards from our aft facing cabin as we do the partial Canal crossing.

 

Thanks for your responses and will check back for more.

 

bosco

[CJcruzer]

Looks like nothing MAJOR has changed and we will be as happy as we have always been with the staff, HAL in our opinion has always been above that of Celebrity by a few notches, the ships which like us may have an additional wrinkle or two and although I no longer smoke it doesn't bother me in the least whether or not anyone else does.

 

We are looking forward to be looking backwards from our aft facing cabin as we do the partial Canal crossing.

 

Thanks for your responses and will check back for more.

 

bosco

 

I 100% agree that HAL is a cut above Celebrity, even if just for the "back at home" feeling, warmth. and ambiance. Also the gracious service from the Filipino and Indonesian staff cannot be beat.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[kazu]

Looks like nothing MAJOR has changed and we will be as happy as we have always been with the staff, HAL in our opinion has always been above that of Celebrity by a few notches, the ships which like us may have an additional wrinkle or two and although I no longer smoke it doesn't bother me in the least whether or not anyone else does.

 

We are looking forward to be looking backwards from our aft facing cabin as we do the partial Canal crossing.

 

Thanks for your responses and will check back for more.

 

bosco

 

Umm - the new wine policy is a major change I think. You can only bring on one bottle of wine for consumption in your cabin. Anything above that is subject to an $18 corkage fee. Any wine, soda or water you are bringing on must be carried on.

 

I don't think the other changes (higher HSC, higher specialty dining costs) are a big deal since costs always go up.

 

Welcome back and enjoy your cruise :)

[boscobeans]

Umm - the new wine policy is a major change I think. You can only bring on one bottle of wine for consumption in your cabin. Anything above that is subject to an $18 corkage fee. Any wine, soda or water you are bringing on must be carried on.

 

I don't think the other changes (higher HSC, higher specialty dining costs) are a big deal since costs always go up.

 

Welcome back and enjoy your cruise :)

 

Nothing so far is a problem, what made us decide to change was the gall Celebrity had just recently when they attempted to have all passengers vacate their staterooms by 7AM, in order to give their reduced housekeeping staff more time to get the rooms ready for the new passengers. And your bags would have to be out in the halls by 10PM the night before.

 

Eliminating the assistant room steward should not be at the inconvenience of the passenger

 

Needless to say it went over like a lead balloon and after a ton of negative posts and emails from CruiseCritic and probably a lot more from non members they rescinded the new 7AM and 10PM times.

 

There is NO DOUBT that they KNEW this would be just another passenger inconvenience in order to increase their bottom line

 

People are thanking Celebrity for listening?? I don't think they deserve thanks for the fact is anyone who has ever cruised would know 7AM is just NOT the most relaxing way to end a vacation, and they should have never attempted to foist this on their guests in the first place..

 

OMO

 

bosco

[rafinmd]

I'm not sure if it's more or less than 10 years, but HAL now has "Stateroom Direct". Rooms are ready virtually as soon as you board (~11:30) and can be occupied until you leave.

 

The Muster Drill format has also changed. It is still outdoors under the life boats (except for the Koningsdam) but is now in 3 stages. The first stage is virtually a call to attention. At the second stage your return to your room, and at the final stage you report to the muster location. On many ships your key cards are scanned instead of calling a roll.

 

There is still a Priest and Daily Mass on all sailings. Protestant Chaplains are virtually discontinued. The Priests are supposed to conduce weekly Interdenominational services; not sure yet how many do.

 

One thing that is little changed is the internet. It is still sold in packages by the minute.

 

Roy

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 AM is just cruel!!!!

 

Bosco, I feel your pain about NYC departures. There isn't much that we like departing from our area, so we travel to our cruises. For FL, we take the train. It's expensive to have a sleeper, but we think of it as a land cruise before our sea cruise.

 

HAL had a few calls to NYC last fall, but not this year. :(

[boscobeans]

7 AM is just cruel!!!!

 

Bosco, I feel your pain about NYC departures. There isn't much that we like departing from our area, so we travel to our cruises. For FL, we take the train. It's expensive to have a sleeper, but we think of it as a land cruise before our sea cruise.

 

HAL had a few calls to NYC last fall, but not this year. :(

 

We took a sleeper down for our fist Florida departure and had a great time going down, but... On our way back the train broke down and we sat there for about 4 hours or more, blocking 2 road crossings until a new engine could be brought up. This caused the train to make the rest of the trip back out of sync with the other trains on the line so we had to lose even more time.

 

Then once we got going with the new engine the train was stopped by the police and searched. Apparently a young girl was attempting to run away and was eventually found on the train. So the entire comedy of errors has soured us to the train, although it was an adventure and we often laugh about it now.

 

One thing we do use now when flying is Luggage Forward. Even though it is a little on the pricey side we are saved the inconvenience of dragging our checked bag through the airports and such. It is delivered for our door to either the cruise ship or a hotel we stay at.

 

Not having anything but our carry-ons and maybe a roll-on, for us at least, makes the entire airport experience more tolerable.

 

bosco

[3rdGenCunarder]

We took a sleeper down for our fist Florida departure and had a great time going down, but... On our way back the train broke down and we sat there for about 4 hours or more, blocking 2 road crossings until a new engine could be brought up. This caused the train to make the rest of the trip back out of sync with the other trains on the line so we had to lose even more time.

 

Then once we got going with the new engine the train was stopped by the police and searched. Apparently a young girl was attempting to run away and was eventually found on the train. So the entire comedy of errors has soured us to the train, although it was an adventure and we often laugh about it now.

 

One thing we do use now when flying is Luggage Forward. Even though it is a little on the pricey side we are saved the inconvenience of dragging our checked bag through the airports and such. It is delivered for our door to either the cruise ship or a hotel we stay at.

 

Not having anything but our carry-ons and maybe a roll-on, for us at least, makes the entire airport experience more tolerable.

 

bosco

 

We used Luggage Forward for our Quebec City departure. We took the dreaded Adirondak train to Montreal, and wanted to lighten the travel load. We stayed a day or two in Montreal, then took Via to Quebec City. That's the second time we tried the Adirondak and it was hell. Not Amtrak's fault. Canadian border control held us there for 3 hours. And I guess there's some rule about shutting down commerce, because the cafe car was closed the whole time we were stopped--from 5 to 8 PM.

[luvcruisn']

One thing that's really strange I find, is that when I take the train from Vancouver down to Oregon, the food concession won't sell any fruit until we get into the US. I know they have rules about bringing fruit into the US, but since we're already on the train, and have passed through US customs in Vancouver, to board the train, not selling fruit the whole way just seems silly.

[ellieanne]

I find many things have changed for the better, but that is not an opinion shared by most of the posters on the board.

 

I love being able to stay in my cabin until the color group is called for disembarkation. It's so much more comfortable that everyone trying to find a place in a public room -- and too often being stared at/shamed for sitting in a chair when there were older passengers looking for a seat.

 

I love the fact that formal nights are now less formal and it means I don't have to pack formal wear. And I really, really love the fact that the chair covers have gone by the wayside.

 

The new Dive-In buzzer system is great, though I do miss the sweet potato fries the old Terrace Grill had.

 

On the whole the cruise is easier and more relaxing, with fewer announcements and more quiet. I like the new Lido MarketPlace set up, though I have to say the lines can be a bit confusing with people starting and stopping in what looks to me to be the middle of the line.

 

As for the things that I do not like, the biggest one is that new perks for different Mariner levels leave some people thinking they are better than the rest of us, and I have a lot of problem with people just jumping in line for tenders or thinking because they are 4* Mariners they can cut in lines to get off the ship at ports or in other areas, even ahead of other 4* Mariners. I have actually had someone tell me in the ice cream line in the Lido that they were 4* Mariners and had priority in the line. Uhh, no. That's not one of the perks, sorry. But that's my personal complaint.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise and find coming home to be a nice experience.

[PatsyAnne]

 

 

 

As for the things that I do not like, the biggest one is that new perks for different Mariner levels leave some people thinking they are better than the rest of us, and I have a lot of problem with people just jumping in line for tenders or thinking because they are 4* Mariners they can cut in lines to get off the ship at ports or in other areas, even ahead of other 4* Mariners. I have actually had someone tell me in the ice cream line in the Lido that they were 4* Mariners and had priority in the line. Uhh, no. That's not one of the perks, sorry. But that's my personal complaint.

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise and find coming home to be a nice experience.

 

 

 

 

Oh noooooo! I was so looking forward to cutting into the ice cream line!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[TiogaCruiser]

...

There is still a Priest and Daily Mass on all sailings. Protestant Chaplains are virtually discontinued. The Priests are supposed to conduce weekly Interdenominational services; not sure yet how many do.

 

 

Roy

 

I didn't realize HAL had Protestant ministers in the past. Maybe it was before we started sailing, or just not on our ship.

 

On one long sailing they had the LDS leader take on the interdenominational meeting (per On Location). I didn't go as I have far more in common with my RC sisters and brothers.

[ellieanne]

Oh noooooo! I was so looking forward to cutting into the ice cream line!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

You might find someone nicer than me, but according to the program descriptions on the HAL website, that is not one of lines where 4* Mariners have priority.

[Florida_gal_50]

I find many things have changed for the better, but that is not an opinion shared by most of the posters on the board.

 

I love being able to stay in my cabin until the color group is called for disembarkation. It's so much more comfortable that everyone trying to find a place in a public room -- and too often being stared at/shamed for sitting in a chair when there were older passengers looking for a seat.

 

I love the fact that formal nights are now less formal and it means I don't have to pack formal wear. And I really, really love the fact that the chair covers have gone by the wayside.

 

The new Dive-In buzzer system is great, though I do miss the sweet potato fries the old Terrace Grill had.

 

On the whole the cruise is easier and more relaxing, with fewer announcements and more quiet. I like the new Lido MarketPlace set up, though I have to say the lines can be a bit confusing with people starting and stopping in what looks to me to be the middle of the line.

 

As for the things that I do not like, the biggest one is that new perks for different Mariner levels leave some people thinking they are better than the rest of us, and I have a lot of problem with people just jumping in line for tenders or thinking because they are 4* Mariners they can cut in lines to get off the ship at ports or in other areas, even ahead of other 4* Mariners. I have actually had someone tell me in the ice cream line in the Lido that they were 4* Mariners and had priority in the line. Uhh, no. That's not one of the perks, sorry. But that's my personal complaint.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise and find coming home to be a nice experience.

Being a 4 or 5 star mariner doesn't improve the manners of people. I would think most 4 or 5 star mariners would believe that this is not acceptable behaviour.

[kazu]

Nothing so far is a problem, what made us decide to change was the gall Celebrity had just recently when they attempted to have all passengers vacate their staterooms by 7AM, in order to give their reduced housekeeping staff more time to get the rooms ready for the new passengers. And your bags would have to be out in the halls by 10PM the night before.

 

Eliminating the assistant room steward should not be at the inconvenience of the passenger

 

Needless to say it went over like a lead balloon and after a ton of negative posts and emails from CruiseCritic and probably a lot more from non members they rescinded the new 7AM and 10PM times.

 

There is NO DOUBT that they KNEW this would be just another passenger inconvenience in order to increase their bottom line

 

People are thanking Celebrity for listening?? I don't think they deserve thanks for the fact is anyone who has ever cruised would know 7AM is just NOT the most relaxing way to end a vacation, and they should have never attempted to foist this on their guests in the first place..

 

OMO

 

bosco

 

We had to be out on O for 8 too. I really appreciate HAL letting you stay in your cabin until you are ready to go.

 

And really appreciate being able to get into your cabin when you arrive (most times).

[boscobeans]

We had to be out on O for 8 too. I really appreciate HAL letting you stay in your cabin until you are ready to go.

 

And really appreciate being able to get into your cabin when you arrive (most times).

 

Most folks suffered through the 8AM requirement in silence, but when Celebrity tried to establish a SEVEN ( 7 ) AM vacate time it was just a very bad move, showing they really do not care about their passengers only the bottom line.

 

bosco

[lvz2cruz]

Looks like nothing MAJOR has changed and we will be as happy as we have always been with the staff, HAL in our opinion has always been above that of Celebrity by a few notches, the ships which like us may have an additional wrinkle or two and although I no longer smoke it doesn't bother me in the least whether or not anyone else does.

 

We are looking forward to be looking backwards from our aft facing cabin as we do the partial Canal crossing.

 

Thanks for your responses and will check back for more.

 

bosco

 

 

We had an aft on Zuiderdam for the Panama Canal--I think 8143 and it was wonderful!!!! We went on the forward open deck to go into the canal and in the hot afternoon exit we started in the Crows Nest and raced to our cabin to see the final exit.

We are Elite on Celebrity and wish we really liked them to get the perks but after two tries in the last year we are happily sailing HAL getting our laughable 3 star mariner perks.

We really enjoyed the two documentary movies shown in the theater on sea days on the PC cruise about the construction and history of the canal. It sounded schoolish and boring, but was very worthwhile and added to the cruise.

Enjoy your cruise. I'm jealous to not get to do it again soon.

[boscobeans]

My sincere thanks to all for the great information answering my initial question..

 

We had an aft on Zuiderdam for the Panama Canal--I think 8143 and it was wonderful!!!! We went on the forward open deck to go into the canal and in the hot afternoon exit we started in the Crows Nest and raced to our cabin to see the final exit.

We are Elite on Celebrity and wish we really liked them to get the perks but after two tries in the last year we are happily sailing HAL getting our laughable 3 star mariner perks.

We really enjoyed the two documentary movies shown in the theater on sea days on the PC cruise about the construction and history of the canal. It sounded schoolish and boring, but was very worthwhile and added to the cruise.

Enjoy your cruise. I'm jealous to not get to do it again soon.

 

 

We are Elite on Celebrity as well as Diamond on Royal independent of each other's points not due to reciprocity. After more than 7 full months on the RCCL brand we will miss a few of the Celebrity perks, (Royal? meh..), but we both agree that a few hours of internet, a few bags of laundry and a bottle of plonk will be well worth sacrificing for what seems to be a better cruise experience. We would be on a HAL ship right now if it wasn't for a prior booking to the Caribbean. Bring on the mushy peas...

 

Although almost nothing is perfect we have NEVER had a cruise that we didn't totally enjoy for the most part, and any glitches are now just memories of past adventures.. LOL

 

Once again THANKS TO ALL, for all the great info.

 

bosco