Is HAL perfect?

[esimon]

I don't think so but seems like people just want to complain -  Is that the point of these threads?   Lots of cruise lines - pick another

[CruiserBruce]

Of course HAL is not perfect. Nor is ANY other cruise line.

 

People frequently seem to forget the tons of money the cruise lines lost during Covid full shutdowns, and they think HAL should just throw more money away before occupancy rates build and get consistently full.

[Banditswife]

In Oct 2021, the crew seemed so happy to be back to work.  Most went out of their way to make our cruise enjoyable.  Was it perfect?  Of course not.  But it was great seeing so many crew members happy to be at work.

[Mary229]

The people are leaving reviews on a travel website.  I certainly want to know if a cruise has widespread bedbugs, bad food, etc….  And some want to know if the line is a good match and often it is not.  Occasionally their tone may seem a bit snarky but in general I find most of the reviews quite reasonable even if I disagree. 

[FlaMariner]

We think Holland America Line is perfect for us. 

 

(If not, we would not cruise with them)

Edited November 7, 2022 by FlaMariner

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, esimon said:

I don't think so but seems like people just want to complain -  Is that the point of these threads?   Lots of cruise lines - pick another

Your post sure sounds like a "whine."

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

34 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

We think Holland America Line is perfect for us. 

 

(If not, we would not cruise with them)

We agree with you.

[Chickadee910]

We are a very private couple who love to travel and cruise. We are in our late sixties now and I gamble and my husband love the piano bar. He’s more social. The shows are great when we want to go. The excursions are a good fit and we enjoy the main dining room for dinner,room service for breakfast and lido for lunch or I send him for to go from the dive in or pizza. So for us Hal is the perfect fit.

[Copper10-8]

No cruise line is perfect!

[Hlitner]

4 minutes ago, Chickadee910 said:

We are a very private couple who love to travel and cruise. We are in our late sixties now and I gamble and my husband love the piano bar. He’s more social. The shows are great when we want to go. The excursions are a good fit and we enjoy the main dining room for dinner,room service for breakfast and lido for lunch or I send him for to go from the dive in or pizza. So for us Hal is the perfect fit.

What piano bar?

[tuolumne couple]

57 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

We think Holland America Line is perfect for us. 

 

(If not, we would not cruise with them)

Totally agree!

[lcand1923]

No cruise line is perfect.  What needs to be done is to find a cruise line that “fits”.  HAL fits me.

[FlaMariner]

36 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

What piano bar?

 

Billboard Onboard?

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Billboard Onboard?

That's not a Piano Bar, though. It's a performance. Totally different atmosphere. 

[doone]

2 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

We think Holland America Line is perfect for us. 

 

(If not, we would not cruise with them)

Me too😉

[Seasick Sailor]

We are on our way to 5*. Love Holland America Line.

 

We have sailed Cunard, Viking (both river and ocean) NCL and a disaster Princess cruise. We may sail Viking again in the future, but it is expensive and we can sail longer in comparison on HAL. 

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

No cruise line is perfect!

 

Amen!

 

25 minutes ago, RuthC said:

That's not a Piano Bar, though. It's a performance. Totally different atmosphere. 

 

I miss Janet Fast and her talented Bass player husband who was part of the Ocean Bar group.  He would sometimes join her for a set after the Ocean Bar group was finished for the evening.  

[albingirl]

Of course it's perfect. Why worry. No kidding.

[rkacruiser]

The one pleasantness, the courtesy, and service of the crew is the one consistent that remains from the HAL of 1970 when I first sailed on Rotterdam V.  Many other things have changed, but, even in those early '70's when the nationality of the crew started to change, somehow, someway, this guest's experiences with the crew never altered from being excellent to being acceptable.  (Except the one 21 day Noordam cruise when the Captain and the Hotel Director were less than guest oriented.)  

Edited November 8, 2022 by rkacruiser

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Billboard Onboard?

HAL used to have real piano bars on their ships, and DW and I were often among those who sat around the piano until close!   HAL got rid of nearly all of their piano bars (perhaps all by now) and also got rid of the many of the excellent piano bar players/singers.  Billboard is nothing like a real piano bar, but simply another entertainment venue with "sets."

 

If we want a real piano bar now, we must go on Princess where they still have piano bar players/singers although I am not a big fan of their venue which is often part of the Atriums.

 

Hank

[Chickadee910]

Sorry if I misspoke.yes I was referring to the pianos in the billboard. With the casino so close he can check in in between sets. Since we are both singers the interaction with the pianists makes it more informal to us. 

[tuolumne couple]

4 hours ago, albingirl said:

Of course it's perfect. Why worry. No kidding.

perfect enough... agreed!

[esimon]

14 hours ago, Mary229 said:

The people are leaving reviews on a travel website.  I certainly want to know if a cruise has widespread bedbugs, bad food, etc….  And some want to know if the line is a good match and often it is not.  Occasionally their tone may seem a bit snarky but in general I find most of the reviews quite reasonable even if I disagree. 

and I agree - but all I heard about was "they are charging for a second shrimp"  They are charging for ...        If there are problems - state them and move on -   

[cruisemom42]

11 minutes ago, esimon said:

and I agree - but all I heard about was "they are charging for a second shrimp"  They are charging for ...        If there are problems - state them and move on -   

 

Sorry, did I miss the post where CC made you a moderator?

 

HAL is suffering after the restart but so is every other line. Some are doing a better job than others of attracting customers back. HAL may be a great line but it still has to compete for my cruise dollars; I'm not going to sail with them out of charity or remembrance of good times past.

[VennDiagram]

16 hours ago, esimon said:

I don't think so but seems like people just want to complain -  Is that the point of these threads?   Lots of cruise lines - pick another

 

Not much in life is perfect.  Do I think HAL is perfect?  No. 

 

Don't like a grocery store?  Don't like your church?  Don't like the nearest fast-food place?  Don't like your barber?  Don't like HAL?  Move on.  Please. 

 

If, when we return to cruising, we find HAL is no longer a good fit, we will find another cruiseline.  Or adapt to the new HAL.  It seems like some of the people who repeat their list of complaints multiple times ARE threatening to move to other cruise lines, and I think that's a positive for those of us who will sail HAL in the future 😉