What Am I Missing By Not Sailing W/HAL?

[*Miss G*]

We have cruiseed on Carnival, NCL, RCI several times each and have never witnessed drunks or been bothered by particularly loud noise.

 

Mind you, some people find live music, steel band or otherwise, poolside loud and offensive.

 

It is the usual uninformed comment about loud music, drunks, hairy chest competitions, rock climbing etc. I sometimes wonder if some cruisers would prefer to spend their vacation in an adults only funeral home or in a library.

We have had the misfortune of being docked next to a Carnival ship with loud blaring music. It was on an outside deck with a large movie screen. The movie screen had fishes swimming around and was very pretty, but it was definitely not intended to be compatible with the music. Anyway, it was so loud (and bad) that we had to retreat to the interior of the ship to get away from it. I remember thinking that, if it was that loud to people who weren’t even on the ship, it must be brutal for those who are.

[*Miss G*]

I travel on many cruise lines and trust me Hal needs to improve their safety drills

They dont need to line up 10 deep and push short people to the back and roll call names loudly. They need to scan seapass cards and treat people nicer.

I can’t remember the last time names were called loudly in a roll call. All is calm and quiet as they scan each card when you approach. As another poster has mentioned, on the Koningsdam you sit quietly in an interior muster station as you listen to the instructions.

[fishin' musician]

Sounds like you have not been on any HAL ship lately. The new decor in the dry docked ships is a lot lighter, even the gaming tables on the Zaandam are now ivory colored. HAL is definitely getting its act together decor wise over the past few years. Still "classic" but much fresher than in the past. The only really "dark" ship I recall was the deep purple, burgundy and mahogany look paneling of the Zuiderdam, but that got changed years ago.

 

Just off the Westerdam, which I believe got a drydock facelift in 2017. The decor, while fresh, still struck me as 50 shades of brown... much like I recall the Zuiderdam 8 or 9 years ago. Having said that, the volume, variety and quality of fresh flowers was astonishing and the muted backgrounds really made them pop! It was an amazing, memorable cruise!

 

As I said in an earlier post, I have no brand loyalty and thus have no desire to be labelled "cheerleader".

[Georgie562]

I’m 34 and I always said I would never sail HAL because of the stuff I’ve heard, older people, scooters everywhere, boring ships. One thing that made me sail with them for the first time last year was the very unique itinerary. I ended up loving my cruise. It was very laid back , non rushed and a different experience from bigger ships. It felt more personal and I definitely wouldn’t mind sailing HAL again. They also promoted me with a very generous Casino discount so thank you for the experience HAL you won’t see the last of me ☺️

Edited June 29, 2018 by Georgie562

[Woofbite]

Hey, when you get old an decrepit maybe you will realize how difficult it can be to stand and stand and stand. It is really hard to concentrate or care about what anybody is saying when all you can think of is, "Lord help me get through this before I have to sit down right here on deck"!

 

Really??? If the 25 minute process for the muster drill is enough for you to choose a different cruise line, by all means, feel free to choose other than HAL. I can’t believe the “first world” problems people think are important enough to complain about! Get real people! Heaven forbid 25 minutes of your expensive vacation was “wasted” standing outside on the deck of a cruise ship!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[MajMom96]

Hey, when you get old an decrepit maybe you will realize how difficult it can be to stand and stand and stand. It is really hard to concentrate or care about what anybody is saying when all you can think of is, "Lord help me get through this before I have to sit down right here on deck"!

 

 

 

They will make accommodations if you can’t stand. All you need to do is ask. I’ve seen a crew member bring a chair on deck for a woman who couldn’t stand. And they’ve let my mother use the elevator because she can’t do the stairs. So all you have to do is ask and you will be accommodated. [emoji848]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[cruisemom42]

If mustering outside is such a significant safety advantage, then why is HAL the only line to do it that way? Or are there other lines who do this? (I haven't encountered any.) Why wouldn't it be mandated by SOLAS requirements, or whatever other rules apply to how safety muster drills are carried out?

 

I seem to recall a few years ago, following the investigations after the Concordia disaster, that there were actually very good reasons given for having passengers muster at their stations inside, rather than at their lifeboat. This was because in an emergency, it is never 100% given that all lifeboats will be operational (as happened on Concordia due to the tilt of the ship), and it is much better to be able to direct passengers where to go based on real-time situations rather than have them to to their lifeboat only to find out they in fact need to go somewhere else -- or place themselves in danger.

[OlsSalt]

Hey, when you get old an decrepit maybe you will realize how difficult it can be to stand and stand and stand. It is really hard to concentrate or care about what anybody is saying when all you can think of is, "Lord help me get through this before I have to sit down right here on deck"!

 

Good practice for a real emergency which may demand even more physical stress. Know your limits and don't put others at risk if you cannot comply, or refuse to comply, with onboard requirements.

[taxmantoo]

Hey, when you get old an decrepit maybe you will realize how difficult it can be to stand and stand and stand. It is really hard to concentrate or care about what anybody is saying when all you can think of is, "Lord help me get through this before I have to sit down right here on deck"!

 

Good practice for a real emergency which may demand even more physical stress. Know your limits and don't put others at risk if you cannot comply, or refuse to comply, with onboard requirements.

 

Not passing judgement either way, but this reminds me of a conversation we once had with a most reputable and renowned HAL Hotel Director at lunch one day a few years ago. We were sitting in the MDR talking about just this, evacuation procedures in case of an emergency, and he said: "Just look around the room and you will plainly see that approx 40% of the folks in here should really not be on a cruise ship!" I will always remember that and pray that we will never witness such an event.

[KroozNut]

Hal offers cruising as it should be....more about the trip and scenery...and less about amusement park activities. We live in such a fast pace...that it is wonderful to slow down.

 

This.. (y)

[lajbec]

My husband, 12 y/o daughter, and I are RCCL/celebrity cruisers but we just completed our first HAL cruise on Eurodam to Alaska last month. I have to say, we were skeptical going in.

We did miss all of the variety of the Windjammer. HAL had very limited selections for dinner. On RCCL you could usually find most of the same MDR items in the windjammer. This was not the case on HAL. The "lido" felt more like a K&W cafeteria to us.

We missed having a Freestyle Coke machine but were freely allowed to bring on sodas and bottled waters.

We really liked that things were less expensive than RCCL: bag full of laundry "special" was $20 instead of $35, room service was $0 rather than RCCL's $7.95

The burger stand and NY pizza place were great! Our only complaint was the burger place generally closed before 6pm so it wadnt an option (other than upcharge on room service menu)

The TV service on Eurodam was great and had an awesome of on demand movies and TV shows at $0 charge.

We found this disembark process so much better on HAL where luggage tag times were actually called at their times and not basically all at once and the times, therefore meaningless and you are allowed to stay in your cabin to wait.

Our daughter didnt like that her buffet food was served to her as she is bashful and wouldnt ask for anything. I liked it as it kept people's snotty hands off of the serving utensils.

We really liked the Microsoft classes that were offered! My husband and I learned how to do photoediting, how to use OneDrive, etc. We also liked the lectures on our destinations that weren't the typical RCCL "shopping/kickback" talks.

We loved the America's Test Kitchen demos. Our daughter has even done one of the recipes with one of her friends.

We loved that the bathroom was bigger and had a tub vs "cubicle" for the shower. Our 12 y/o loved it!

We are not shoppers, dont drink, and dont dance so we found this cruise to be more our speed but we still prefer RCCL for other things.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Forums mobile app

[drsel]

but we still prefer RCCL for other things]

Very interesting and informative review, thanks.

What things do you prefer RCCL for?

[Aquahound]

HAL lovers, I've cruised Princess, X, NCL, RC and even Azamara but what exactly does the HAL have that others don't?

 

I'd like to cruise with Holland but why?

 

So in case you haven't figured it out from reading this thread, there isn't a whole lot that is unique to HAL. In fact, I wouldn't even say the great service is unique because I've had equally great service on other lines as well. In fact, I think Celebrity's service is slightly better than HAL's because their senior officers are always out and about mingling with the passengers.

 

For the most part, this thread should tell you that it's what HAL doesn't have that attracts their faithful followers.

[OlsSalt]

[quote name=Aquahound;56415241.........

For the most part' date=' this thread should tell you that it's what HAL doesn't have that attracts their faithful followers.

 

Well said.(y) There should be at least one option out there that discretely underwhelms rather than gratuitously overwhelms and remains more travel oriented, than entertainment oriented.

[drsel]

, there isn't a whole lot that is unique to HAL. it's what HAL doesn't have that attracts their faithful followers.

So what else is missing in HAL, besides loud music, games, parties, dancing and theme park entertainment?

[cruisemom42]

So what else is missing in HAL, besides loud music, games, parties, dancing and theme park entertainment?

 

Keeping in mind that HAL is a line with many different classes of ships:

 

-- Limited time openings for lido/buffet area including fairly early evening closure

-- Limited specialty dining restaurant options -- Only one option (Pinnacle) on older ships; only newer ships have Tamarind and only the newest feature more options

-- Limited daily activities compared with what many lines offer

-- Enrichment lecturers only available on cruises of 15+ days

-- Limited entertainment in the evening after ~10:00 pm

[drsel]

Thanks, mom knows best!

I don't think I will be missing anything if I skip HAL altogether.[emoji6]

Edited June 29, 2018 by drsel

[iancal]

Very accurate.

[Aquahound]

So what else is missing in HAL, besides loud music, games, parties, dancing and theme park entertainment?

 

That's quite a list already but I'll add....pool music, suite perks (compared to other lines), large variety of entertainment, evening game shows, theme nights, fully interactive televisions with room service and on-board spending account info. HAL also does not apply their drinks packages to their own private island. I'm sure there are others that I'm missing.

 

Don't get me wrong. This isn't a knock on HAL (well, at least, not all of it.) I'm just saying that some people prefer this atmosphere. Who knows, the OP might try it and find it refreshing.

 

That's why I cruise multiple lines.....to keep it refreshing.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Aquahound

[*Miss G*]

We missed having a Freestyle Coke machine but were freely allowed to bring on sodas and bottled waters.

Just in case you weren’t aware... they do have this on other HAL ships. Thanks for the comparison notes. They were informative.

[fishin' musician]

So what else is missing in HAL, besides loud music, games, parties, dancing and theme park entertainment?

 

20 somethings, teens and pre-teens.

[iancal]

One thing that you are definitely missing is probably the worst cruise line web site known to man or beast.

 

Hard to imagine but for some time I thought the Celebrity website was the worst.

 

HAL's website certainly establishes a new low for cruise line web sites.

[OlsSalt]

Missing in this discussion is where people are actually cruising, where and how long when they choose a cruise line. If I were a cruiser who went on 7 day Caribbean cruises, every year to more get away from the Northeast winters, i would probably enjoy different cruise lines just for the heck of it.

 

But since I am a cruiser who likes to travel for longer periods of time on global discovery adventures, HAL will continue to be my top choice because they have the best product for the best price ...but that is only after they fix their G.D. website. :mad:

[Aquahound]

One thing that you are definitely missing is probably the worst cruise line web site know to man or beast.

 

Hard to imagine but for some time I thought the Celebrity website was the worst.

 

HAL's website certainly establishes a new low for cruise line web sites.

 

Usually it's a bad thing that HAL is slow to catch up to other lines. In this case, it would have been better if they never caught up. They're now using the same webpage format as the other lines and it sucks!

[drsel]

Best product for the best price?