First HAL cruise today

[rideev]

Although we are seasoned cruisers, we are getting ready to board the Rotterdam for our first HAL cruise in a couple of hours.  We are so excited.  Have been cancelled twice for this itinerary (Baltic) twice due to Covid.

[Heartgrove]

29 minutes ago, rideev said:

Although we are seasoned cruisers, we are getting ready to board the Rotterdam for our first HAL cruise in a couple of hours.  We are so excited.  Have been cancelled twice for this itinerary (Baltic) twice due to Covid.

 

Bon voyage!  Seas are rather calm today. We are currently NB off of Haarlem bound for Hamburg.

[pmjnh]

41 minutes ago, rideev said:

Although we are seasoned cruisers, we are getting ready to board the Rotterdam for our first HAL cruise in a couple of hours.  We are so excited.  Have been cancelled twice for this itinerary (Baltic) twice due to Covid.

 

We will be on the Rotterdam next September for the Baltic . We have not yet sailed on the Rotterdam but we have sailed on the Koningsdam, her sister ship and loved the ship. Enjoy the music walk!

Edited September 23, 2023 by pmjnh

[ski ww]

Bon Voyage, enjoy your cruise.

[puppycanducruise]

Enjoy your cruise!

Come back and tell us all about it.

[rideev]

Wow, easiest and fastest embarkation process.  And I have been on close to 20 cruises.  Absolutely no wait at any station.  Zero waiting.  And we showed up 30 minutes earlier than our boarding time (since no one was at luggage drop off or security.). And we are an inside cabin with no perks.  Ship is beautiful!

[Blackduck59]

Enjoy your cruise. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your adventure.

[canadianbear]

Have a wonderful cruise!

[dawnvip]

Bon Voyage! Looking forward to hearing more about your cruise

[YourWorldWithBill]

Bon Voyage! Great to hear about the boarding; next May we will be on the Jewels of the Baltic on the Nieuw Statendam, 13 days....  We loved sailing on the Rotterdam last May.

[mawvkysc]

Have fun! Hoping to go on our first HAL cruise in the spring. I think we’re totally ready for the HAL atmosphere. 

[rideev]

So far, after a full sea day, I can say we have pretty much enjoyed the ship.  There is probably not as much of the trivia and entertainment games as on Princess (which is something we enjoy), I think the food and dining choices is slightly better on HAL.  Overall, very happy so far.  I like the more "quiet" atmosphere.

[Haljo1935]

Welcome to HAL! Hope you continue to enjoy your cruise. Please keep us updated on your adventures and thoughts.

If you enjoy HAL, of course we all think you will, stop by the Future Cruise Desk.

[rideev]

Thought I would update, after 1 full week on the 2 week cruise.  Enjoyed the cruise for the most part.  Staff was great.  Food and dining options were great (except for the pizza.). Bathroom Shower was the best ever. Entertainment, not so much to our taste.

 

Glad we are on this cruise, and selected it based on the itinerary.  Probably won't do another HAL cruise unless it is the only one doing the itinerary we want.

 

I did get lots of helpful hints from cruise critic about HAL, so thanks to all who have posted.

[Haljo1935]

12 minutes ago, rideev said:

...Glad we are on this cruise, and selected it based on the itinerary.  Probably won't do another HAL cruise unless it is the only one doing the itinerary we want...

Hi - glad you have mostly enjoyed your cruise, so far.

Would you elaborate on why you would not select HAL again if there were other options?

Thanks much!

[REOVA]

Did you get the dry stale pizza from Lido Buffet or the fresh made NY Deli? You can probably ask them to change it up, if it can be to make it better (?)

[doone]

Love the Rotterdam, enjoy!!

[BetsyS.]

Thanks for the updates! Enjoy the rest of your cruise! 🥂😊

[rideev]

I had the pizza at the NY Deli.  Was hungry last night so I tried another pizza.  It was much better, but was still not a great pizza, but it did the trick.

 

As far as why I wouldn't select HAL again, it is the entertainment.  We prefer the games the cruise staff hosts on Princess (Yes/No, trivia all the time, Liar's Club, and even the shows).  The pianists were really good on this ship, but that's just not our thing.  Last night was an overnight in Stockholm and there was zero things on the daily (might have been music on music row.)

 

Nothing wrong with any of the cruise, the cruise host was good, just not enough of him.

 

Actually enjoyed the laid back clientele of the ship (I can't say old any more since we are in that category.). The sports girl was great.  Enjoyed the pickleball on the ship.  

[Banditswife]

After our 1st HAL cruise we felt similar to you- just not our thing.  Fast forward a few years & we are cruising HAL most of the time.  I would still prefer a more active daily program, but have decided the other positives out weigh the negatives.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise, thanks for sharing your experiences.

[VMax1700]

2 hours ago, rideev said:

Last night was an overnight in Stockholm and there was zero things on the daily (might have been music on music row.)

They were showing Fast X on the mainstage screen.  Rolling Stone Rock room, BBKings and Billboard Onboard were all giving it all.  

As far as we were concerned there were plenty of options, we are not into games etc.  Didn't know that there was a 'Cruise Host' on this cruise.  The Cruise and Travel Director is Karlyn.  By 'Cruise Host' do you mean the DJ 'Ace' who wears a kilt and plays music when BBKings has finished?

Not knocking you, just pointing out what was happening on the overnight, should readers think that there was nothing at all happening.

[rideev]

Cruise Host Tomas, who runs the Trivia games nightly.  

[VMax1700]

6 minutes ago, rideev said:

Cruise Host Tomas, who runs the Trivia games nightly.  

Someone posted on another thread that Tomas left the ship in Helsinki.