Hal-la land not so grand any more.

[Tatka]

What is VOV? Is this a cruise out of Boston with Iceland and Northern Europe?

[Old As Dirt Mom]

What is VOV? Is this a cruise out of Boston with Iceland and Northern Europe?

 

Yes, that's right. They throw in Greenland, too, for the same price:D HAL does the Voyage of the Vikings every summer round trip from Boston, although you can do just the Boston to Rotterdam portion, or the Rotterdam to Boston leg.

[Tatka]

Thank you very much.

We found pretty nice prices for insides. If only we had a time... Someday...

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thank you very much.

We found pretty nice prices for insides. If only we had a time... Someday...

 

I know, me too:). You're welcome. The VOV is on our bucket list. It's a marvelous itinerary. So many voyages, so little time (and there's that money thing, too:D).

[RedneckBob]

Never works when anyone puts words into other people's mouths. Or even gruel. Though the benefit would be at least this would not be cruise where one would worry about gaining weight. As Monty Python would say ........

 

Interesting point about VOV - we signed last year to grab our spot on the 2017 VOV because of its reputation for selling out quickly. Yet now just 3 months before sailing there are still plenty of unsold classes of cabins according to the HAL website. Only the lanai one way and the Vista suites the other way are declared sold out. All cabins remain available for the full 38 day segment.

 

Is this global economic canary in the mine shaft we should be paying attention to? Or did this formerly popular HAL cruise finally get priced out the current market place.

 

Too pricey. $260-$280 per person per day for inside cabin! In 2009 paid $100/day for inside.

[geoherb]

I think the food and service was improved on our latest HAL cruise (Zuiderdam in February). The entertainment and activity cutbacks are not great--but I'm still looking at HAL as one of the cruise lines in the mix for our next cruise.

[avian777]

People don't dispute what you say, when they offer their own differing experiences or mitigating explanations.

When one maligns an entire ship based upon their own unfortunate set of circumstances, it is reasonable to expect others to come to that ship's defense if their experiences had been otherwise. That does not make them cheerleaders, just those who feel obligated to balance the sweeping claims...

 

Spot on, OlsSalt!!!

Smooth Sailing (y)(y)(y)

[iancal]

What always surprises me is people who were on the same ship, same cruise or even a cruise ten months ago, who imply because everything was good for them that another poster who reports concerns or issues must be misrepresenting the facts.

 

Cruise ships have many levels and hundreds of cabins. Is is so inconceivable that our cabin may be perfect and yet another cabin on a different level or in a different position may be a complete disaster...flooded, water issues, mold issue, A/C...whatever? No different to a hotel.

[dogo88]

What always surprises me is people who were on the same ship, same cruise or even a cruise ten months ago, who imply because everything was good for them that another poster who reports concerns or issues must be misrepresenting the facts.

 

Cruise ships have many levels and hundreds of cabins. Is is so inconceivable that our cabin may be perfect and yet another cabin on a different level or in a different position may be a complete disaster...flooded, water issues, mold issue, A/C...whatever? No different to a hotel.

 

Exactly.

[Hlitner]

Sending the "older" HAL ships to Bermuda seems like a clear advantage to me, since they are smaller and are allowed to dock much closer. That would be an incentive for to choose them while HAL still operates these older, smaller ships on this route like the Veendam.

 

Closer to what? The Celebrity ships simply go to Kings Wharf where there is little difference on the size of the ship. Docking position is based on a number of factors including other ships that might be in port, weather, etc.

 

Hank

[Old As Dirt Mom]

What always surprises me, although it shouldn't, is when Fr Bob, the thread originator, complains yet again about HAL ( or Celebrity, or Princess), as he has for years, but then still continues to come back for more. Why, if he dislikes cruising so much, does he do that?

[OlsSalt]

What always surprises me is people who were on the same ship, same cruise or even a cruise ten months ago, who imply because everything was good for them that another poster who reports concerns or issues must be misrepresenting the facts.

 

Cruise ships have many levels and hundreds of cabins. Is is so inconceivable that our cabin may be perfect and yet another cabin on a different level or in a different position may be a complete disaster...flooded, water issues, mold issue, A/C...whatever? No different to a hotel.

 

What exactly are "mold issues" and how does one diagnosis them? Discoloration in bathroom tiles or active cultures growing in the stateroom carpets? Contamination in the ventilation system confirmed by petri dish analysis? Again, a broad-based term that needs a little more precision when used as a passenger complaint.

[taxmantoo]

What exactly are "mold issues" and how does one diagnosis them? Discoloration in bathroom tiles or active cultures growing in the stateroom carpets? Contamination in the ventilation system confirmed by petri dish analysis? Again, a broad-based term that needs a little more precision when used as a passenger complaint.

Usually, when people see mold, it is an issue ;) If they do not see it, it isn't.

[iancal]

Sorry, just not the case. DW was on Norwegian Star. Got to her cabin. An hour later she was coughing, hacking, sneezing. She happens to be allergic to mould. And she can smell it. Her cabin was changed immediately. She later found out that there had been water leaks and flooding in that section of the ship.

This happens to be a major problem. Especially on older ships where there have been water leaks between the walls. The mold does not get dealt with. Carpets can be lifted and replaced, exterior walls etc. cleaned.

 

The other issue with mould and spores is the filter in the air vent in your cabin. If the cruise line cheaps out on mtce and doubles or triples the recommended replacement time of these filters they become black and filled with spores and mould. You cannot see that black filter because it is behind the metal vent yet all air to the cabin is flowing through that mess. Big issue for some people, most especially those with respiratory ailments. This is one reason why we tend to avoid older ships with a reported flooding issues or those that we feel are not up to scratch from a mtce perspective.

Edited May 4, 2017 by iancal

[OlsSalt]

Sorry, just not the case. DW was on Norwegian Star. Got to her cabin. An hour later she was coughing, hacking, sneezing. She happens to be allergic to mould. And she can smell it. Her cabin was changed immediately. She later found out that there had been water leaks and flooding in that section of the ship.

 

This happens to be a major problem. Especially on older ships where there have been water leaks between the walls. The mold does not get dealt with. Carpets can be lifted and replaced, exterior walls etc. cleaned. The other issue with mould and spores is the filter in the air vent in your cabin. If the cruise line cheaps out on mtce and doubles or triples the recommended replacement time of these filters they become black and filled with spores and mould. Big issue for some people, most especially those with respiratory ailments. This is one reason why we tend to avoid older ships with a reported flooding issues or those that we feel are not up to scratch from a mtce perspective.

 

Does a ship "cheap out" on maintenance or simply not charge passengers enough to check and clean over a thousand cabin A/C filters every week.

 

Water leaks and flooding at sea .....oh my. How does a mold allergic passenger ever truly protect themselves when choosing ship travel. We have certainly had cabins that have had issues with "carpet smells", but to take the leap this is a "mold allergy" vector, I would not go that far just by being able to "smell" something.

 

Though often one's predisposition to any negative "smells" can trigger a mental/emotional response, out side of a corroborated physical allergy. And let's not forget the unwritten taboo about wearing perfume on cruise ships in response to other passengers complaints about "perfume allergies". Onboard life is getting to be an unsafe space.

[iancal]

Why on earth would you imply that I think that the HVAC room filters should be changed every week?

 

I have no idea what the schedule should be. But for certain, if there is poor AC in a cabin and the mtce team discovers a very old, very dirty, black filter in the vent that is blocking the air than that is a clue that the mtce sched is substandard.

[OlsSalt]

Why on earth would you imply that I think that the HVAC room filters should be changed every week?

 

I have no idea what the schedule should be. But for certain, if there is poor AC in a cabin and the mtce team discovers a very old, very dirty, black filter in the vent that is blocking the air than that is a clue that the mtce sched is substandard.

 

Hard to know what was meant when a lay passenger claims HAL is "cheapng out" on maintenance.

[iancal]

I did not say that HAL specifically was cheaping out. My comment was directed to any and all cruise lines that have been cutting back on regular mtce. But...if the shoe fits

[OlsSalt]

I did not say that HAL specifically was cheaping out. My comment was directed to any and all cruise lines that have been cutting back on regular mtce. But...if the shoe fits

 

I always look forward to chengkp's posts, who gives us far better background on these technical matters than those offered by lay person speculations. Including mine - I assume HAL has no interest in going cheap on ship's maintenance issues. But I have no inside knowledge one way or the other. So I dwell in the land of lay person speculation too.

 

It just intuitively feels it would be pennywise and pound foolish to "cheap out" on ongoing ship's maintenance. It also seems intuitive that ships are complex mechanical operations with thousands of moving parts that can never run at 100% perfection standards and one must accept there will be glitches in these closed and moving systems from time to time. Keep calm and carry on. And yes the older the ship perhaps the higher percentage of mishaps.

[Ferry Beach Kayaker]

Why on earth would you imply that I think that the HVAC room filters should be changed every week?

 

I have no idea what the schedule should be. But for certain, if there is poor AC in a cabin and the mtce team discovers a very old, very dirty, black filter in the vent that is blocking the air than that is a clue that the mtce sched is substandard.

 

I was on the world cruise on the Amsterdam ..half the ship was having respiratory symptoms.. the chief engineer said during a Q and A that he needed to change 1100 air filters but had to get permission from Seattle first. I personally had water leak through the ceiling from a kitchen gallery drain three times over the 56 days I was on the cruise. I could smell the Mold in my room. I went on the ship healthy and I developed severe respiratory problems while on the ship that took multiple medications and doctors visits to clear once I got home.

[OlsSalt]

I was on the world cruise on the Amsterdam ..half the ship was having respiratory symptoms.. the chief engineer said during a Q and A that he needed to change 1100 air filters but had to get permission from Seattle first. I personally had water leak through the ceiling from a kitchen gallery drain three times over the 56 days I was on the cruise. I could smell the Mold in my room. I went on the ship healthy and I developed severe respiratory problems while on the ship that took multiple medications and doctors visits to clear once I got home.

 

Many get upper respiratory infections on board ships including ourselves, mainly from inadvertently putting their contaminated fingers into their own nose or eyes. Not necessarily from perceived and unconfirmed "mold" exposure. I would not without definite confirmation, assume the source of your post-cruise distress.

 

We also had a "water leak" from the fire suppression fixture after they ran their routine test on one ship. It was either quickly stopped or remedied after a call to the front desk, and it was explained this was not untypical after this sort of testing. So yes, there can be "water leaks" in cabins too. How did you get it confirmed your water leak came from the kitchen galley drain?

[navybankerteacher]

Closer to what? The Celebrity ships simply go to Kings Wharf where there is little difference on the size of the ship. Docking position is based on a number of factors including other ships that might be in port, weather, etc.

 

Hank

 

What the smaller HAL ships moor closer to is Bermuda --- as opposed to mass-market, tourist trap Bermuda.

 

Being alongside Front Street in Hamilton, as the only ship in town, is distinctly different from being on a mega-ship nestled among other mega-ships.

 

But back on topic: I applaud OP's decision to abstain from HAL -- it lessens the chance of my sharing a dinner table with a voluble malcontent.

[iancal]

As long as our cabin is functional and the ship is in reasonable condition we are happy campers.

 

Food, service, and entertainment is so variable these days. We anticipate mediocre so we are usually pleasantly surprised. We truly see little overall difference between the mass market cruise lines. Sure, we can have wonderful food on a cruise but we realize that it may not be so on the next cruise. HAL included. So we simply select the ship that matches our preferences and are prepared for anything. Just as long as our cabin works...HVAC and plumbing.

[VennDiagram]

... So I dwell in the land of lay person speculation too. ...

 

 

...

 

 

Though often one's predisposition to any negative "smells" can trigger a mental/emotional response, out side of a corroborated physical allergy. ...

 

I'm going to speculate you really don't understand the whole allergy/reaction issue.

[OlsSalt]

I'm going to speculate you really don't understand the whole allergy/reaction issue.

 

WedMD explores the relationship between stress and allergic reactions, and admits there is still much that is unknown:

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/stress-and-allergies#1