HAL cruisers: Should I come back?

[CruiseRQA]

We are 3 star HAL cruisers and were HAL loyalists until our next to last cruise pre-COVID.   Our concerns about HAL on that cruise started when we realized that there was no evening entertainment on our first night out and continued when we were given a surcharge to have lobster in the MDR and found the famed promenade deck was never completely open all week.   There were other things as well and so on our last pre-COVID cruise we booked on Celebrity Edge.

 

We loved the Edge.   Live music for production shows!   Good food and service in the MDR.

 

We do fondly remember our past cruises on HAL and would consider a return but are concerned about whether HAL remains a "premium" line or if the our perceived decline in quality has continued.   We loved the old school vibe that used to be there on HAL.   Is it a thing of the past or should we continue to consider HAL? 

[Sea42]

It sounds like Celebrity is a better fit for you now. Except for the Promenade deck issue, all of things that you didn't like on your last HAL cruise haven't really changed.

[nocl]

7 minutes ago, CruiseRQA said:

We are 3 star HAL cruisers and were HAL loyalists until our next to last cruise pre-COVID.   Our concerns about HAL on that cruise started when we realized that there was no evening entertainment on our first night out and continued when we were given a surcharge to have lobster in the MDR and found the famed promenade deck was never completely open all week.   There were other things as well and so on our last pre-COVID cruise we booked on Celebrity Edge.

 

We loved the Edge.   Live music for production shows!   Good food and service in the MDR.

 

We do fondly remember our past cruises on HAL and would consider a return but are concerned about whether HAL remains a "premium" line or if the our perceived decline in quality has continued.   We loved the old school vibe that used to be there on HAL.   Is it a thing of the past or should we continue to consider HAL? 

You found another line you like so why come back

[HamOp]

What's that old saying? "You can never go home again"

Time marches on and things change.  Sometimes for the better and sometimes not.

Holland America continues to evolve and some will like it while others won't.

Go with what makes you happy.

[OVgirl]

I'd suggest sticking with Celebrity.

[BarbinMich]

My late DH and I did 6 cruises on HAL shops between 2001 and 2017; I just did my first solo cruise on the Eurodam.  Really enjoyed the ship and the itinerary:  main feature was the partial transit of the Panama Canal.  We had traversed the Canal once in each direction so it was nice to spend a whole day in Gatun Lake.  I did a nature tour by small boat and saw lots of birds and monkeys.  Our guide was excellent at pointing them all out.  As a solo I enjoyed the more intimate atmosphere on the ship than on the larger Princess ships we've been on.  Crew was very friendly, esp. my room steward and the gals in the Spa.  Entertainment was great, both on Main Stage and elsewhere such as Lincoln Stage.

[Ferry_Watcher]

I would guess that the Edge would be hard to beat across all categories.   Do you think you would have the same reaction sailing on Celebrity's smaller and much older Millennium?  (The Millennium has her loyal fans as well).

[nocl]

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

I would guess that the Edge would be hard to beat across all categories.   Do you think you would have the same reaction sailing on Celebrity's smaller and much older Millennium?  (The Millennium has her loyal fans as well).

Personally I would rather sail on the Millennium and Infinity than Edge.

[esimon]

please don't come back and then complain -  it isn't celebrity - 

[baggal]

16 hours ago, CruiseRQA said:

We are 3 star HAL cruisers and were HAL loyalists until our next to last cruise pre-COVID.   Our concerns about HAL on that cruise started when we realized that there was no evening entertainment on our first night out and continued when we were given a surcharge to have lobster in the MDR and found the famed promenade deck was never completely open all week.   There were other things as well and so on our last pre-COVID cruise we booked on Celebrity Edge.

 

We loved the Edge.   Live music for production shows!   Good food and service in the MDR.

 

We do fondly remember our past cruises on HAL and would consider a return but are concerned about whether HAL remains a "premium" line or if the our perceived decline in quality has continued.   We loved the old school vibe that used to be there on HAL.   Is it a thing of the past or should we continue to consider HAL? 

Amazing.  I could have written this same post.  We are also 3 star Hal cruisers - almost 4.  Yes, the service is wonderful on HAL (but its also very good on other lines), the food is fine, and the itineraries are definitely interesting, but on our last HAL cruise we found the evening entertainment to be lacking as well as daily activities. 

 

Ironically, our last pre-Covid cruise was in the Caribbean on the Edge.  We loved it!  So much so that we agreed we wouldn't sail HAL in the Caribbean again. But after 18 months of following very strict Covid protocols, we decided to start living again.  My husband recently received a casino offer on the Rotterdam that we couldn't refuse.  It stops at Half Moon Cay, my favorite beach, so we said yes.

 

Now, I'm beginning to regret our decision.  There's so much negativity on these boards regarding the Casino, as well as toward anyone who might not agree with the majority of HAL cheerleaders, that it has left me feeling very uncomfortable about our upcoming cruise.  

 

 

[trixiee]

1 minute ago, baggal said:

Amazing.  I could have written this same post.  We are also 3 star Hal cruisers - almost 4.  Yes, the service is wonderful on HAL (but its also very good on other lines), the food is fine, and the itineraries are definitely interesting, but on our last HAL cruise we found the evening entertainment to be lacking as well as daily activities. 

 

Ironically, our last pre-Covid cruise was in the Caribbean on the Edge.  We loved it!  So much so that we agreed we wouldn't sail HAL in the Caribbean again. But after 18 months of following very strict Covid protocols, we decided to start living again.  My husband recently received a casino offer on the Rotterdam that we couldn't refuse.  It stops at Half Moon Cay, my favorite beach, so we said yes.

 

Now, I'm beginning to regret our decision.  There's so much negativity on these boards regarding the Casino, as well as toward anyone who might not agree with the majority of HAL cheerleaders, that it has left me feeling very uncomfortable about our upcoming cruise.  

 

 

Don't let the negative, whiny folks on this board get to you.  They are likely to not be on your cruise anyway.  Go enjoy!

[Sir PMP]

I would stay away, Hal has become a mediocre self destructing cruise line...

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, trixiee said:

Don't let the negative, whiny folks on this board get to you.  They are likely to not be on your cruise anyway.  Go enjoy!

On the other hand you have the "deniers" who want to think that the HAL of today is anything close to what we loved in the past.  There is nothing "negative" about citing facts such as no production shows, add-ons in the MDR, slots in the Ocean Bar, etc.  Based on what we are hearing from recent HAL cruisers there is no way we plan on booking any future HAL cruises until the reviews suggest things are returning to a decent cruise line,,,not some kind of budget line.  And consider we are 5*.   We are well aware that there are plenty of other lines (we have cruised on 16 lines over the years) that do not seem to be in a state of collapse (it terms of quality).

 

Hank

[OVgirl]

37 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

On the other hand you have the "deniers" who want to think that the HAL of today is anything close to what we loved in the past.  There is nothing "negative" about citing facts such as no production shows, add-ons in the MDR, slots in the Ocean Bar, etc.  Based on what we are hearing from recent HAL cruisers there is no way we plan on booking any future HAL cruises until the reviews suggest things are returning to a decent cruise line,,,not some kind of budget line.  And consider we are 5*.   We are well aware that there are plenty of other lines (we have cruised on 16 lines over the years) that do not seem to be in a state of collapse (it terms of quality).

 

Hank

Sounds like a well thought out plan.

[iancal]

I do not understand the issue. 

 

Why would you book a HAL cruise simply because you are 3 star or if you feel some false 'loyalty to a cruise line.  If you are not happy with the product then shop for a product that has the right combo for you.

 

If, for whatever reason, you much prefer Celebrity or some other cruise line/ship at this point then buy the product.    The HAL perks are hardly worth writing home about.

 

Products change over time, as do consumer preferences.   

 

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by iancal

[PACD_JG]

9 minutes ago, iancal said:

I do not understand the issue. 

 

Why would you book a HAL cruise simply because you are 3 star or if you feel some false 'loyalty to a cruise line.  If you are not happy with the product then shop for a product that has the right combo for you.

 

 

 

Can't help but add my 2 cents, but this!

 

When I read the OP's question my first comparison was being in marriage that has run its course, finding a new partner that makes you happier than you've ever been, but not getting a divorce because you don't want to disappoint your adult children.

[hmorrow]

We're also 3 star, almost 4. We haven't cruised on HAL since 2018. For some reason we started with Royal, as we were diamond, from being elite on Celebrity.  (lots of free drinks) lol

We also got a casino offer, and are leaving tomorrow for San Diego to board the Konigsdam, on Sunday.

Will it be different than the last time we cruised HAL? Probably.  But I don't care.  I'll just be so happy to be cruising again. It's a cruise- hardly every been on a bad one....!!!!!

[iancal]

26 minutes ago, PACD_JG said:

 

Can't help but add my 2 cents, but this!

 

When I read the OP's question my first comparison was being in marriage that has run its course, finding a new partner that makes you happier than you've ever been, but not getting a divorce because you don't want to disappoint your adult children.

Agree.

 

The way some loyal posters go on about HAL one would think they married the cruise line and took vows to cruise HAL for better or for worse.....

[trixiee]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

On the other hand you have the "deniers" who want to think that the HAL of today is anything close to what we loved in the past.  There is nothing "negative" about citing facts such as no production shows, add-ons in the MDR, slots in the Ocean Bar, etc.  Based on what we are hearing from recent HAL cruisers there is no way we plan on booking any future HAL cruises until the reviews suggest things are returning to a decent cruise line,,,not some kind of budget line.  And consider we are 5*.   We are well aware that there are plenty of other lines (we have cruised on 16 lines over the years) that do not seem to be in a state of collapse (it terms of quality).

 

Hank

Yes.  I know. You've written the same post over and over again.  I get that you're not happy/satisfied. Move on.

I don't care about production shows. I don't care if there are slots in the Ocean Bar - there are other lounges.  They aren't "making" you pay for extras...

Enjoy your day.

[OlsSalt]

Some cruise to travel. Some cruise to be entertained on board. Some want both, in varying degrees. There is a cruise line that works best for any and all. Trial and error is the surest way to find one's own sweet spot.

 

We moved from Crystal first then to HAL, with a few high travel adventure cruises on very low frills on the now defunct Voyages of Discovery in between. That is how we found out sweet spot with HAL. We cruise to travel. HAL delivers beyond our wildest expectations for the price and comfort.

 

We think HAL is for best for travelers on this range of cruising spectrum, which is what made HAL our own long time favored choice. Crazy if HAL starts spreading itself too thin and requires HAL to all things for all people. It has found a unique comfortable niche for some, but obviously not all.  

 

And yes, being a cruise line for "old people" is not a bad place to be at all. In fact, this is a preferred reputation and a selling point as far as we are concerned. 

[Tampa Girl]

Picking a post-pandemic, not-yet-back-to-normal time to question if HAL has reverted to its former state, is overly optimistic that a reasonably knowledgeable answer could be expected.  I have not read a review yet from a cruiser who says that every aspect of cruising now is just "the way that it was."   Try asking again a year from now, and hope that the S. African variant has not taken hold.

[nocl]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

On the other hand you have the "deniers" who want to think that the HAL of today is anything close to what we loved in the past.  There is nothing "negative" about citing facts such as no production shows, add-ons in the MDR, slots in the Ocean Bar, etc.  Based on what we are hearing from recent HAL cruisers there is no way we plan on booking any future HAL cruises until the reviews suggest things are returning to a decent cruise line,,,not some kind of budget line.  And consider we are 5*.   We are well aware that there are plenty of other lines (we have cruised on 16 lines over the years) that do not seem to be in a state of collapse (it terms of quality).

 

Hank

On the other hand you have some of us that like the changes HAL has been making with the music walk and some of the other feature.  The production shows on HAL in the past were more like Lawrence Welk than Broadway.

[HamOp]

2 minutes ago, nocl said:

On the other hand you have some of us that like the changes HAL has been making with the music walk and some of the other feature.  The production shows on HAL in the past were more like Lawrence Welk than Broadway.

anna 1, anna 2 😁

[pralientje]

4 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

I would stay away, Hal has become a mediocre self destructing cruise line...

I just wonder, have you ever made a positive comment about anything?

[SumoCitrus]

HAL explored nickel and diming their guests pre-COVID. Remember those second serving upcharges in the MDR that were tried? I fear the allure of charging for everything will be too strong now that their finances have been wrecked by the pandemic. You're seeing occupancy rates in the 40-50% range which is not sustainable. In addition, the price of fuel oil is near record highs and there is tons of uncertainty around COVID still. Too many people (and countries/ports) freaking out about seasonal spikes and variants. 

 

I think the cruise industry is doomed unfortunately. Before they shut things down and run the ships aground in India, they will attempt to stop the hemorrhaging at your expense. That means less for more, even if it's not glaringly obvious at first.