Experienced Cruisers-30X- Never With HAL

[Sybird]

Joining HAL site first time ever. Planning to sail on Noordam in Jan of 2008.

What are your hints as to what I might expect + and - as compared with NCL Dawn or RCCL Voyager or Carnival Spirit. etc.

 

Basically, should we take the plunge?

 

Thanks

 

Sy & Marcella

[Chivalrygirl]

Joining HAL site first time ever. Planning to sail on Noordam in Jan of 2008.

What are your hints as to what I might expect + and - as compared with NCL Dawn or RCCL Voyager or Carnival Spirit. etc.

 

Basically, should we take the plunge?

 

Thanks

 

Sy & Marcella

 

Yes go for it, you will enjoy, I did :)

[OceanFantasys]

Yes take the plunge.. I have sailed RCCL, Princess, and Carnival but so far HAL has won me over. I am about to book my 4th HAL cruise !!

 

Rhonda

[starysacz]

Go for it. Sailed on RCCL, Costa and Celebrity. We will be completing our 27th cruise on HAL and will continue to sail with them. No thoughts about the other cruise lines. Enjoy!! :)

[Roz]

I think you'll find HAL to be more formal than the lines and ships you mentioned, but it's formal in a good way. More sophisticated, with a lot of attention to detail. The Philipino and Indonesian staff is wonderful.

 

It can't hurt to try!

 

Roz

[hammybee]

Wow....30 cruises and you have yet to try HAL.

 

Given you can drive to the port and it's a January cruise, it does not get any better than this.

 

I sail many different lines but come home to HAL. The cabins are larger, the beds are better, the ships are more elegant and most of all, I like the crew better, on HAL.

[madelinerose]

We're still cruise shopping. We've been on the Carnival Miracle and the Grandeur of the Seas, both from Baltimore with a 15 minute drive to the port. Unfortunately, neither of the ships were for us.

 

Our first HAL cruise is on the Noordam in December...keeping my fingers crossed. ;)

 

 

Karen

[10s nut]

Sybird

 

What do you enjoying doing on the ship? What kind of dining do you want? What ports of call do you want to see or is the ship experience more important? What kind of cabin do you normally book?

 

All of these things and more are what determine whether you will like HAL or not. If you want to be up until 2AM partying every night, these line is probably not for you. If you want anytime dining, right now, this is not your cruise line. Any time dining for HAL is in the experimental stages. If you want many alternative restaurants (like NCL) HAL is not for you.

 

Pose questions about what you want and enjoy, and we will be happy to tell you whether you will love our HAL.

[sail7seas]

What has taken you so long to try HAL? :D Of course you should try what we think to be the best!!! And you picked a wonderful ship for you first HAL cruise. We just disembarked Noordam from an amazing, wonderful, fabulous, great cruise. She is a gorgeous ship, with a fabulous crew, wonderful art, lovely furnishings/decorating, excellent dining room.......

 

I guess you've gotten the impression I love the beautiful ms Noordam and hope you do, as well.