Should a long time Cunarder return to HAL?

[deck chair]

Hi

 

I have not sailed with HAL since a 35 day Voyage of the Vikings cruise in 2005 where I had a very disappointing experience mostly due to cutbacks.  94 days total.

Turned to Cunard Line for countless voyages until covid.  

 

I am not thrilled with the Queen Mary 2 world cruise itinerary for 2023 and happened  upon the Volendam South America 74 day cruise in January 2023. I am, however, concerned about onboard experience with HAL.  

 

I am used to fixed second sitting dining with the same waiters and table companions.  does HAL do that?   How is service in dining room? Are waiters stressed due to lack of staff?  How is dress code?  How is the musical entertainment pre-dinner on?  Any ballroom dancing?  Cunard has tons of musicians all over the ship and ballroom dancing very night.  Does Volendam still have a 360 promenade deck with steamer chairs?  I am a divorced man who will be traveling solo and looking for a sophisticated experience.

 

I hope we can have a conversation and I very much appreciate your input. Thank you! 

Deck Chair

 

[OlsSalt]

We love HAL, we love their smaller ships  like the Volendam. We love their itineraries and some degree of retained sea going traditions. But no, if you were unhappy with your experience on the Voyage of the Vikings and wanting a more "sophisticated" onboard experience, this will probably not offer what you now expect from Cunard. 

 

Instead you will find well-seasoned, more low-key travelers, some variety of live evening music, some degree of ballroom dancing, most likely fixed dining in a less formal setting, and an unknown about service due to what the cruise industry has been asked to go through these past two years which led to a devastation of their previously well-trained and hospitable crews. Early cruise reports are good, but they are also sailing well under full capacity so keep that in mind. 

 

They often say HAL is the next best thing to Cunard, among the mass market cruise lines, so it is the better choice for the price. But if you want more formality, you might need to look that the more premium luxury lines like Silversea or Seabourn. 

[deck chair]

Thank you olsSalt!   I don't really care that much about formality.  More concerned about service and evening music opportunities.    Thanks again.

[lcand1923]

I've only done one Cunard cruise, so am not an expert.  While I was on THAT cruise, I kept saying to myself, "This reminds me of what HAL used to be."  (My first HAL cruise was in 1999, followed by many, many other HAL cruises.)

 

I can say that the Volendam will have a 360 degree Promenade Deck.  I can say that you will probably have a somewhat comparable dining room experience.  (The service in the MDR on my one Cunard cruise was not as good as what I normally get on HAL.)  As far as music opportunities in the evening,

I do not know.  I've had good evening music on HAL and not so good.  As far as Ballroom Dancing, HAL does not offer anything even remotely related to what you have on Cunard.

 

HAL does not have the elegant little touches that you see on Cunard.  But, I found HAL's service far superior to what I got on Cunard.  HAL servers ALWAYS remember what I like to drink and eat.  HAL stewards ALWAYS remember what I like in my cabin.  HAL is more relaxed than Cunard, but I find the service much better on HAL.

[dawei]

Yes, the Volendam does have a 360 prominade with deck chairs. It's HAL's three newest ships-Pinnacle class-- that have a restricted (narrow) prominade deck without space for deck chairs.

My DW and I were on Volendam for her 2020 S. America/Antarctica Grand and have made a deposit to do it again in Jan. '23. However, it's a big question as to whether that cruise will happen, since several of the S. American countries have been closed to cruise ships including Chile, Argentina and Brazil. We give it a 50/50 chance of taking place and intend to check on port availability a little closer to final payment time.

 

HAL's dress code seems to be simply a suggested one that is often partly or totally ignored from our recent observations. Although folks do tend to dress up more on longer Grand type voyages, it's not like what I've heard/read about with Cunard. On Volendam's 2020 S. America Grand, we did see some men in tuxs but not the majority. A couple weeks ago in the Caribbean I was the only tux wearer in the MDR.

 

HAL was still doing fixed seating and waiters just before the pandemic with adequate staff to serve pax. Trying to gear back up after the pandemic shutdown has resulted in some staff shortages (as my DW currently reports from the Rotterdam in the Caribbean).

 

David

[Mary229]

9 minutes ago, dawei said:

A couple weeks ago in the Caribbean I was the only tux wearer in the MDR.

The Caribbean and Alaska tend to be much less formal than other regions regardless of the cruise line.  

[OlsSalt]

41 minutes ago, deck chair said:

Thank you olsSalt!   I don't really care that much about formality.  More concerned about service and evening music opportunities.    Thanks again.

 

The larger new HAL ships are now known for their extensive  musical variety. The smaller ones, like the Volendam are less predictable or consistent. Ever entertainer takes up one more crew bed or passenger cabin, so that puts brakes on what can be available. In the past entertainers were used in other capacities to help on tours or run onboard activities, but new contracts required they can only be used for their entertainment tasks only. That put a dent in having too many entertainers onboard taking up limited bunk space.. 

 

HAL crews are often mentioned as the most favorite signature when  cruising on HAL ships. Genuinely gracious and hospitable. They provided a unique aura of restrained hospitality that we did not find on other cruise lines.  

 

However, a lot of them were picked up by some of the newer more premium cruise lines recently, because of their excellent training. I suspect it will be a scramble to put the cruise industry back together again for a few more years until things settle out a bit. (If ever, the way things are still going>)

Edited March 17, 2022 by OlsSalt

[RuthC]

I remember you from that last HAL cruise you took, and how disappointed you were with HAL after that. I hope you have found a better match with Cunard. 
Since that cruise HAL has not improved, but rather has dropped some of the standards it had even then. I'll take your questions in turn:

I am used to fixed second sitting dining with the same waiters and table companions.  does HAL do that?   
Yes, HAL still has early and main dinner sittings. Early is at (I think) 5:30, while main is at 8:00. 
There is also an open sitting option when you show up when you want. 

How is service in dining room? Are waiters stressed due to lack of staff? 

Last time I cruised, which was pre-pandemic, most all of the waiters did not appear stressed---at least most of the time. Were they stressed? Probably more than they were back in 2005. Experience, of course, has something to do with how stressed they are performing the job, and how well they cover it up. Service was still very good. 

How is dress code? 
Not nearly what it was, even back in 2005. A simple evening casual outfit is now 'well dressed' compared to 20 years ago. 

How is the musical entertainment pre-dinner on?  Any ballroom dancing?  Cunard has tons of musicians all over the ship and ballroom dancing very night. 

On the Volendam there may be some live music with dancing in the Ocean Bar pre-dinner, at least on some nights. Other evenings it will be the overhead speakers feeding you music not at all suitable for ballroom dancing. That was my experience on the Rotterdam and the Maasdam both in 2019. 
There may be some dance music there after dinner, too, but it ends much earlier than it did in 2005. 

 

Does Volendam still have a 360 promenade deck with steamer chairs?  I am a divorced man who will be traveling solo and looking for a sophisticated experience. 

The promenade will be just as it was on the Maasdam on your last HAL cruise. Just a little longer on the Volendam. 

[Boatdrill]

I've sailed on the QM2, and QEII.  Frankly I can't wait to go back to Cunard, and was looking at their 2023 Alaska itineraries just two days ago.    

[OlsSalt]

I believe the Volendam has "Lanai" cabins on the 360 promenade deck. This is a cabin with outdoor access that walking deck, but not a balcony cabin. It includes two dedicated loungers for the the cabin's exclusive use.

 

I would think this would be a great option for a solo traveling - watching the world go by while meeting and greeting those who love their strolls around the 360 promenade deck - or just keep to yourself. Privacy is respected, and by now most know those loungers by the large patio doors are "taken". 

 

These cabins have their pros and cons, so good to hear how others have liked them. 

[deck chair]

On 3/17/2022 at 4:11 PM, RuthC said:

I remember you from that last HAL cruise you took, and how disappointed you were with HAL after that. I hope you have found a better match with Cunard. 
Since that cruise HAL has not improved, but rather has dropped some of the standards it had even then. I'll take your questions in turn:

I am used to fixed second sitting dining with the same waiters and table companions.  does HAL do that?   
Yes, HAL still has early and main dinner sittings. Early is at (I think) 5:30, while main is at 8:00. 
There is also an open sitting option when you show up when you want. 

How is service in dining room? Are waiters stressed due to lack of staff? 

Last time I cruised, which was pre-pandemic, most all of the waiters did not appear stressed---at least most of the time. Were they stressed? Probably more than they were back in 2005. Experience, of course, has something to do with how stressed they are performing the job, and how well they cover it up. Service was still very good. 

How is dress code? 
Not nearly what it was, even back in 2005. A simple evening casual outfit is now 'well dressed' compared to 20 years ago. 

How is the musical entertainment pre-dinner on?  Any ballroom dancing?  Cunard has tons of musicians all over the ship and ballroom dancing very night. 

On the Volendam there may be some live music with dancing in the Ocean Bar pre-dinner, at least on some nights. Other evenings it will be the overhead speakers feeding you music not at all suitable for ballroom dancing. That was my experience on the Rotterdam and the Maasdam both in 2019. 
There may be some dance music there after dinner, too, but it ends much earlier than it did in 2005. 

 

Does Volendam still have a 360 promenade deck with steamer chairs?  I am a divorced man who will be traveling solo and looking for a sophisticated experience. 

The promenade will be just as it was on the Maasdam on your last HAL cruise. Just a little longer on the Volendam. 

Thank you so Much Ruth.  I remember you too!!!  Hope I see you on the high seas soon!

[jeh10641]

I am used to fixed second sitting dining with the same waiters and table companions.  does HAL do that?   YES!

 

How is service in the dining room? On our cruise, the service was friendly, efficient and happy.

 

Are waiters stressed due to lack of staff?  Ours were not. I cannot say that about anyone else.

 

How is dress code?  I do not go :"formal" but I do wear a long sleeve shirt with a nice sweater. I had no problems (Caribbean cruise).

 

How is the musical entertainment pre-dinner on?  We loved Lincoln Center, B.B. Kings and Rolling Stone. The comedians were funny (in B.B. Kings). I saw an acapella group called Cantare in the theater. Very good. I heard mixed reviews about the dancers (did not see) and Billboard (did not see). In the past, we loved Billboard.

 

Any ballroom dancing?  not sure.

 

Does Volendam still have a 360 promenade deck with steamer chairs? I rthink so but it just got out drydock so check with HAL.

[ew101]

A semi related question.  On the Zaandam, do they still have a combo in the Oceans Bar?  The idea is some kind of dancing.