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HAL-Never Again

njsonja

By njsonja,
in Holland America Line

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njsonja

njsonja

Posted
Posted

NOORDAM, LEAVING OUT OF NYC, NOV 21 UNTIL DEC 1 (this morning)

 

Sorry, everyone....this was my 14th cruise, the 1st and last on HAL...the service was so unbelievably bad, it was painful...in the scheme of things, granted, this is not the end of the world...but i expected something more of a cruise company that prides itself on its service.

 

We ordered breakfast delivered from room service and we are still waiting for it.

 

The internet manager, after I told him that there was a glitch with the pc system onboard, asked me what I wanted him to do about it.

 

After those two, we received champagne (we don't drink) and chocolates (my husband is a diabetic) from the management.

 

I ordered a second glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and was told it was not available.

 

The people we traveled with were unable to get chocolate ice cream for dessert...funny how the other cruise lines never had a problem getting it.

 

My room attendant went through my drawers.

 

The location of the television was on the side of the bed so I had to look over my husband when we were lying down (and this was in a mini suite) The other alternative was that his feet were by my head so we could both enjoy the same movie at the same time.

 

The clocks were moved ahead one hour before we reached the first island. After we reached the first island, we found out their clocks were now an hour behind us and several people were left on the pier waiting for an hour for their tour.

 

The shows were horrible except for Justin Miller who was glorious.

 

The lunch at the Lido Deck every day was basically rotisserie chicken of some sort...just named differently. There were other choices but not main course choices that really did it for me. The food wasn't fantastic....the sugar frees were outstanding, just as an fyi.

 

Food was virtually impossible to get as a snack between 9:30 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. which is when i would have liked a fruit or cheese. Room service, when they did deliver, took about an hour and the portions were horrifically small. The Surf and Turf was a horror...the tiniest portion of filet...and lobster...I asked my waiter to get me 3 lobster tails...he said he would see if he could...I told him he had a choice...he could get it for me or we would have a scene...guess what?...he found three for me...

 

People were seated with people who didn't speak the same language...how fun!

 

WARNING: if you order tea at any time and they bring it to you in a teapot, the handle is as hot as the rest of the pot...please use your napkin or risk scalding your neighbor when you drop the pot.

 

Pinnacle Grill was fabulous...but then again, I paid for it, right?

 

I understand that since HAL has been taken over by Carnival, the waitstaff is having major issues with the management and their pay went from little to less than little. For this I am truly sorry.

 

I opted to take my tips off but was told I could not do so until the end of the cruise. There was no reason for that....I also feel if you tip people for work they haven't yet done, there is no reason to work for it and boy did it show in the service. I spoke to a multitude of people on board who were very disappointed with the cruise.

 

Oh and as a point of information, there were 140 kids on board and they ran out of chocolate milk for them 3/4 of the way through....

 

The elevators were fabulous...empty and lightning fast and always available...

 

Room steward woke up people at 7:30 a.m. the morning before the day we left to deliver the liquor and cigarettes people had purchased on board.

 

These are strictly the opinions of my husband and me.

 

Sonja and Jeff

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kakalina

kakalina

Posted
Posted

I almost fell for your story until I saw the part about cigarette delivery. They don't do this on HAL. When you purchase cigs on HAL you take them right to your cabin and enjoy them on your cruise.

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy it but if you make up one part of it what else did you make up??

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NoNoNanette

NoNoNanette

Posted
Posted

Hi Sonja-

 

I just did a quickie run-through of your previous posts. It appears as though you had a WONDERFUL attitude prior to this cruise.

 

It sounded horrid, honey. I don't blame you for your negative post. I'd have been posting the same way. ;)

 

I wish you the best of luck in the future.:)

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MrPete

MrPete

Posted
Posted
I understand that since HAL has been taken over by Carnival, the waitstaff is having major issues with the management and their pay went from little to less than little. For this I am truly sorry.

 

 

Who supplied you with this piece of information? :confused:

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LAFFNVEGAS "Live from...." Rare

LAFFNVEGAS

Posted
Posted

I really have no comment because I found the Noordam to have one of the BEST Ever Crews and fantastic service but this comment is definitely not accurate

I understand that since HAL has been taken over by Carnival, the waitstaff is having major issues with the management and their pay went from little to less than little. For this I am truly sorry.

 

 

A little checking into history might be needed before posting comments as such. Carnival purchase HAL almost 19 years ago. So brining in this make no difference about management with waitstaff.

January 17, 1989

Carnival purchases Holland America Line-Westours Inc.

This information can be verified thru this accurate link.

http://www.hollandamerica.com/about/history.do?date=1980

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WeLoveCruising

WeLoveCruising

Posted
Posted

NJSonja

I'm really sorry the Noordam didnt meet your expectations. I read some of your other posts (to see what ship you were on), and I could see how excited you were before you left.

 

I love the Noordam and had a great cruise, but also realize everyone has their own experience.

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted

It sounds like a very sad experience, and I'm sorry that your time aboard Noordam wasn't all that it should have been. That I have never seen (for example) Lido selections as limited as you describe doesn't mean that such wasn't all that you saw. Clearly, that's all you saw or found; I'm sorry you didn't see the wonderful Asian and Pasta Stations, the Sandwich stations, the Burger and Pizza stations (out on the Grill) or anything other than chicken at the Entree station.

 

Sometimes "it" happens ... milage varies, experiences are different, and people are different.

 

I hope your future cruises, on whatever Line you chose, are more to your liking than your cruise on HAL.

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WeLoveCruising

WeLoveCruising

Posted
Posted
It sounds like a very sad experience, and I'm sorry that your time aboard Noordam wasn't all that it should have been. That I have never seen (for example) Lido selections as limited as you describe doesn't mean that such wasn't all that you saw. Clearly, that's all you saw or found; I'm sorry you didn't see the wonderful Asian and Pasta Stations, the Sandwich stations, the Burger and Pizza stations (out on the Grill) or anything other than chicken at the Entree station.

 

Sometimes "it" happens ... milage varies, experiences are different, and people are different.

 

I hope your future cruises, on whatever Line you chose, are more to your liking than your cruise on HAL.

 

I thought the same thing From my recent Noordam cruise I know they had a different "theme" rotisserie chicken every day at the carving station...Asian, Southwestern, German, etc, but they were all essentially the same chicken with different seasonings. There was plenty more available ..but maybe the chicken was all the OP liked? I'm not sure.

 

I know how it feels to have a review criticized, so I'm not going to judge the OP. If the cruise didnt meet her expectations, then it didnt.

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agabbymama

agabbymama

Posted
Posted

I think this is a case of different strokes for different folks. That's why there are so many cruiselines to choose from. If you aren't happy with one, then there are always others.

 

I wasn't happy with NCL's freestyle.

 

Sorry your cruise with HAL wasn't what you expected or were hoping for. HAL has been the only cruiseline I have cruised with more than once. I have found them to be a notch above the other lines. Even Celebrity didn't reach the heights of HAL in my eyes.

 

Unfortunately I couldn't find a Med cruise on HAL going where I wanted to go, for the money I wanted to pay. SO I chose Grand Princess. I hope I won't be disappointed with the monolith size of the Grand.

 

If you've been on 14 other cruises, did you find a line you did like? Or are you still searching?

 

Good luck on your future cruises.

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Seago2

Seago2

Posted
Posted

Oh my God! It sounds like MY HOUSE! We have seriously had chicken three times this week- each time with a different flavoring- and I am about to throw up. Seriously! No. More. Chicken.

 

Sorry you had a bad cruise. I loved the Noordam- tap natch, as they say around here (Fargo-esque flat Buffalo accents). But there was a couple on the ship who hated it- HATED IT. They were biding their time, miserably, until they could get home and write a letter to Seattle. They were in our CC group, too. Their kids were miserable and the whole family was scared to death of the weather we had coming back up north.

 

What can I say? Scoop to nuts, flawless.

 

Just FYI: if we were at a table with someone demanding a third lobster tail we'd be faking Mandarin, too .

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