OK, Had Crystal Booked, we know how that went.

[Ray4Fun]

We were booked for Symphony, Jan 8 Miami to Miami. We had the opportunity to postpone and we did. What luck we missed that ferry boat ride. SO, HAL questions. Last HAL cruise for us was 2004.

 

Has anyone been on the Pinnacle ships? Rotterdam is one we are thinking of going on. Thoughts for those who were almost stranded?

[KirkNC]

It will be a lot different then the Symphony!

[deliver42]

I can pretty much guaranty that you won't need a ferry to get home.

[rkacruiser]

7 minutes ago, Ray4Fun said:

Has anyone been on the Pinnacle ships?

 

Have not sailed on any of the Crystal vessels.  Have sailed on Nieuw Statendam.  I enjoyed my cruise, but, the decor and art is modern and rather different from the art and decor of previous HAL ships.  Service, cuisine, ambiance?  All were what this HAL Mariner expected and received.  

[Ray4Fun]

Watching Bimini Port Cam the last couple of days,  we are so happy we skipped that!

[CruiserBruce]

Has anybody been on the Pinnacle ships? Well, the first of the class, Koningsdam, was launched in May 2016, so, yes, people have sailed on them, and there is tons of threads on them with all the info you will ever need.

[jeh10641]

30 minutes ago, Ray4Fun said:

We were booked for Symphony, Jan 8 Miami to Miami. We had the opportunity to postpone and we did. What luck we missed that ferry boat ride. SO, HAL questions. Last HAL cruise for us was 2004.

 

Has anyone been on the Pinnacle ships? Rotterdam is one we are thinking of going on. Thoughts for those who were almost stranded?

Hi, Ray4Fun,

Look for reviews in CC. I posted a multipage review of Rotterdam about a month ago. There were at least ten reviews of that ship around January 1, 2022.

 

Jim

[oaktreerb]

If you want a small ship experience try Seabourn.  

[OlsSalt]

Been on both and the first thing DH noticed after our first HAL cruise was the "stewards were still nice to you, even after you gave them the end of cruise tips". While not the high fuss attention Crystal crews offer, the low key professionalism and genuine warmth of HAL crews convinced us to keep coming back. Basically you have two very different products and passenger niches, so very hard to compare.  

 

Food will be better on Crystal, but cabins on Crystal were pretty small and cramped compared to HAL ships. Did not like the overall layout of our Crystal ship (Symphony) at all and enjoy the visual interest and discovery that one finds on HAL ships seeking our their unique nooks, crannies and variety of public spaces.  

 

Outdoor deck space is superior on HAL ships, but the newer builds are not as generous with this space as the older HAL ships. Felt the Crystal forward observation lounge was "tippy" and it was underused - but this is a more active and enjoyable space on HAL ships.

 

Decor finishings were deluxe on Crystal; more serviceable, but still attractive on HAL. Size of ship and numbers of passengers of course will be very different, but HAL ships have moves these numbers very efficiently and we never felt the ships were crowded or getting on and off was compromised in any way. 

 

Of course the experience will be very different, but if you like to travel and enjoy some new variety in the cruise experience, you can find HAL ships very enjoyable, just in different ways. 

 

 

[OlsSalt]

Link to a thread here, that has good videos of the Rotterdam:

 

 

 

[SonuvaBeach]

16 hours ago, Ray4Fun said:

We were booked for Symphony, Jan 8 Miami to Miami. We had the opportunity to postpone and we did. What luck we missed that ferry boat ride. SO, HAL questions. Last HAL cruise for us was 2004.

 

Has anyone been on the Pinnacle ships? Rotterdam is one we are thinking of going on. Thoughts for those who were almost stranded?

You might like our youtube vids on the Koningsdam from 2018. Lots os ship photos, food pics, etc...and yes US , of course...

Part1 and Part 2:

 

[MarkWiltonM]

We have sailed on HAL Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam and will be on Rotterdam in April. We were on Crystal Serenity last July. As previously noted, food is better on Crystal, and certainly more consistently good across all food venues. That said, we didn't like the buffet area on Serenity because it felt quite cramped. HAL's buffet area is extensive and attractive, and at least the baked goods are as good on HAL as on Crystal. I can't comment on suites because we always book verandas, but the Pinnacle-class veranda staterooms on HAL are nicer, in my opinion, than on Serenity, which has very dated staterooms. The bathrooms on HAL's Pinnacle-class ships are also very nice and attractive, especially the large glass shower with excellent water pressure. No tub as you'll find on Crystal but not something many will miss. Also, no self-serve laundry facilities on HAL.

[KarefreeKaren]

Was lucky enough to board the Symphony December 4th for two weeks.  It was a great experience but actually missed a lot of things that I love on HAL ships—ie. the Dive In:best burger and fries on sea (and maybe land); the large exterior walking decks; the casual atmosphere in the Lido for breakfast and outdoor seating area for breakfast and dinner; the incredible crew!; the casualness on the evenings, if that’s your preference—long pants only after 6 pm on Crystal….looking forward to boarding the Zuiderdam Feb 13th for two months!  

[zgscl]

I have never been on Crystal or a comprable line so I really can't compare but as others have noted the experience is obviously very different. I have two live from threads in my signature that have lots of details and photos, one is on Koningsdam which is a sister ship to Rotterdam. 

 

HAL is a great line with a relaxed atmosphere and like all the other cruise lines occupancy has been pretty low (though there will be more people then on a Crystal ship). The Music Walk is fantastic. The Pinnacle class ships (Rotterdam, Nieuw Statendam & Koningsdam) are lovely, new and have the most to offer.

 

I must warn you that HAL has moved more in the direction of mainstream lines since your last sailing. An example of this is the main dining room now pushes upsells at every meal (and you cannot get lobster at any meal free of charge on a 7 day sailing, you must pay a cover charge for it). The live shows are now primarily dance with piped music rather than the production shows they used to do (though there are a couple songs sung live in one show with someone from BB King's coming on stage to sing). 

 

HAL is obviously in a much better financial position than Crystal and you do not need to plan on the ship evading arrest or taking you to the Bahamas and ferrying you back to Florida. 

 

It really depends on what you find important in a cruise. I think that it could be great, as long as you have realistic expectations of what the HAL experience is. 

 

If you want more of a luxury experience you could look at Silversea, Seabourn, or possibly Regent Seven Seas. If HAL is the best fit but you still want the luxury experience a Neptune Suite will provide a very nice cabin with a concierge. Cabanas are also available for rent and are the best kept secret of HAL. They run roughly $400 for a 7 day cruise (I have a lot of details and photos of this on my Koningsdam live thread). You get access to a private cabana in a restricted area with great service during the day time and it was really a lovely addition to my trip. 

 

On 1/24/2022 at 4:51 PM, OlsSalt said:

Been on both and the first thing DH noticed after our first HAL cruise was the "stewards were still nice to you, even after you gave them the end of cruise tips". While not the high fuss attention Crystal crews offer, the low key professionalism and genuine warmth of HAL crews convinced us to keep coming back.

I definitely echo this. The crew are very professional and just excellent all around. Tips have always been accepted with a smile but are not expected and are gratefully accepted (even pre-auto service charge the crew was very professional about it and I never felt like their motivation dropped off after the tips were given).