HAL-Never Again

[jhannah]

Wow! Listening to the words being pronounced made me want to pick up a tray and find breakfast! Thanks for posting.

[osiebosie]

We wouldn't have minded sitting with our foreign neighbors so much except that they kept talking animatedly amongst themselves and laughing and so excluding us. They were a family of four, and obviously had no desire to try to communicate with us. We did try. DH is very outgoing, and was trying to say how much the son looked like the mother. It was a no go, though, and eventually he just became quiet (very odd for him) and we finished out meal and left.

 

Shay

[jhannah]

That's too bad, Shay. We've been lucky in this regard. Always have had very enjoyable tablemates. Were we ever in your situation, we would ask to be reseated elsewhere. Great dinner conversation with engaging fellow passengers is as much a part of cruising to me as everything else.

[cruz chic]

John and Copper,

 

I think it would be great if you two would start a new thread with some of those same Indonesian phrases and the seasite link. What a nice thing to reach out to our hardworking crewmembers with words from their native tongue!

I'm sorry I didn't make the effort previously to learn a few key words and phrases for past HAL voyages. I surely will in the future! Thanks!

 

I second that. Please do. Thanks.

[AWED23]

On my first cruise, back when, we were seated with two other families with children, at a table for 12. One family did not any speak English and my grasp of their language was not adequate for a conversation. The other family prayed continuously, thoroughout dinner and condemed alcohol and the debauchery, they perceived surrounded them in the dining room and on the ship. The nearest table was chock full of over-served, loud and demanding passengers, practicing their F-speak, in between inhaling multiple entrees, every night.

 

It struck me then how fate had put so many people with tremendous differences in close proximity for a relatively longer duration, than might otherwise occur. It was then I accepted when cruising I am sharing my vacation with 2000-3000 others and the only things certain is that some of the others will be quite different from me and I have no control over them.

 

I have since likened cruising to riding a subway, in NYC. You just never know and it's never going to be all about me. At some point, along the way, I am going to have to compromize some things and either sit back and enjoy the ride or be miserable.

 

I have enjoyed all my rides.:)

:D Well said hammybee but is it okay if I elect to take a taxi ???:)

[Seago2]

We wouldn't have minded sitting with our foreign neighbors so much except that they kept talking animatedly amongst themselves and laughing and so excluding us. They were a family of four, and obviously had no desire to try to communicate with us. We did try. DH is very outgoing, and was trying to say how much the son looked like the mother. It was a no go, though, and eventually he just became quiet (very odd for him) and we finished out meal and left.

 

Shay

 

That would be AWFUL. Seriously.

[Bouff]

This thread seems to have moved on somewhat but I would like to add my two pence worth (I'm a Brit!) to the original post.

 

I am a newcomer to cruising, sailing out of NY on the Noordam in October 2006 on our first cruise. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed excellent service on board.

 

As a consequence we booked our second cruise with HAL for this October on board the Volendam.

 

As has been posted on other threads the Volendam is a little tired but only what you would expect for a ship that is 8 years old and in virtually constant service. Nevertheless we had a wonderful time and again enjoyed excellent service and very tasty food. So much so that we have paid our $100 deposit for further HAL cruises, even though we don't know when or where - yet!

 

Next year we want to cruise to St Petersburg but the HAL schedules do not fit with ours! We are therefore considering X but I have to say I am a bit apprehensive!

 

I am so sorry that the OP had such a bad experience of HAL. These things are personal but the message seems to be so out of line with most people's experiences. I hope they can find what they want with another provider!

[AWED23]

Here's a little site where you can hear some of the phrases spoken.

 

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/indonesian/percakapan/indonesia7days/indo7days_fs.htm

:D Great site.....Thanks for posting it...Rob

[peterv]

I love all the posts jumping all over this women for being rude to the waiter.

 

If I understand the situation correctly, she wanted 3 lobster tails, the correct response from the waiter should have been "Yes Ma'am", not "I'll see what I can do."

 

Since when has there been a limit on the number of entrees you can order?

 

Since I did not actually hear the exchange I would also guess that her response was said in an offhand joking manner and not a threat in the least. However the waiter was completely in the wrong here.

 

Cheers.

Peter

[SmokinActuary]

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...

 

From the way this is written, it sounds as if the OP has the attitude problem, not the waiter.

[hammybee]

:D Well said hammybee but is it okay if I elect to take a taxi ???:)

 

I think you are going to have to graduate to Seaborn for taxi service. Even then, the driver may be a character, the AC may not work, street people, trying to earn a buck, may wash your windows and there could be a few bumps in the road. :)

[mmp13]

peter,

 

You may be correct in that the woman may have been joking around but, it became very apparent to us very quickly that our idea of humor might not be the same as our waiter. I really do think it is important to remember that on a cruise you are dealing with people from many cultures. At least I am hoping the woman was joking. We were very unhappy with our service on a recent hal cruise but we were also very aware of how sensitive our waiter seemed to be. We really tried not to hurt his feelings even when we finally had to complain. It was the service that was the problem not the person!

[DrTee]

I love all the posts jumping all over this women for being rude to the waiter.

 

If I understand the situation correctly, she wanted 3 lobster tails, the correct response from the waiter should have been "Yes Ma'am", not "I'll see what I can do."

 

Since when has there been a limit on the number of entrees you can order?

 

Since I did not actually hear the exchange I would also guess that her response was said in an offhand joking manner and not a threat in the least. However the waiter was completely in the wrong here.

 

Cheers.

Peter

 

Well, if this was a late seating it is very possible that they may have been running out of lobster tails (especially if more people had ordered three!). If he had agreed that the would obtain them and then discovered that there were no more to be had, then she would have complained that he promised her lobsters and she'd better have them right now or else.

[DrTee]

Hello everybody,

 

You are all right; you will always find bellyacher on any corner of the world, so why not also on a Cruise-Ship.:mad:

 

 

On one of our cruise, on a 6 person dining room table, we had a very old and hard of hearing couple, and a barrater couple. They were really funny, because any, and really any piece brought to our table was wrong for them. Name it; to hot, to cold, not enough, wrong quality, again rules, and so on. They even mentioned that everything on the vessel was bad.

 

They finished up, to be served exclusively by the MaitreD. He did a marvelous job while trying to satisfy this couple – but it was obviously not possible !:confused:

 

But it was not only this, what really deranged Anna and myself. It was the added remark. After each complaint, they loudly mentioned, "….….. – as on each and every HAL cruise".

 

O.k. after a while, we understood the message, so I asked, "please tell me, how many Hal cruises you did already" ? Again the above-mentioned phrase, but surprisedly we learned, it was there 23 or something cruises on HAL !?!

 

This leaves me astonished.

 

After the next explosion, I was obliged to say "Because each and any HAL cruise is a fiasco for you, you must me either masochist or idiot to be again here.

So please tell me, why the hell you do not stop to book them ??? "

 

 

 

 

 

We asked, and got from the MaitreD a new table.

 

Holidays, and especially Hal cruises are for us a perfect manner to spent our vacation.

Ok, sometimes with small irritations – but nevertheless, we did have 9 marvelous Holland America Line Cruises !!!

 

 

 

 

Happy cruising

 

Anna and Gerd

 

 

 

Our marvelous cruises :

 

MS Ryndam – Wayfarer – March 1997

MS Noordam - Transatlantic Island Hook - April 2001

MS Volendam - Southern Caribbean - April 2002

MS Volendam - Westfarer Caribbean - April 2004

MS Prinsendam - Windmills & Waterford – September 2004

MS Westerdam - Western Caribbean - April 2005

MS Statendam - Hawaii Circle - September 2005

MS Rotterdam - Vikings and Czars – July 2006

MS Veendam - Southern Caribbean – March 2007

 

106 days - 29'683 Nm

 

 

Future Cruise :

 

=>> MS Volendam, April 1st 2008

 

 

I'm sorry I don't know--what is a barrater couple?

[CDRMark]

I love all the posts jumping all over this women for being rude to the waiter.

 

If I understand the situation correctly, she wanted 3 lobster tails, the correct response from the waiter should have been "Yes Ma'am", not "I'll see what I can do."

 

Since when has there been a limit on the number of entrees you can order?

 

Since I did not actually hear the exchange I would also guess that her response was said in an offhand joking manner and not a threat in the least. However the waiter was completely in the wrong here.

 

Cheers.

Peter

I did not hear the exchange either, but if the waiter had said "Yes ma'am" and the kitchen was lobsterless, hoo doogies imagine the scene.

Lobsters are in high demand. It is not a matter of "limiting entrees".

Cheers back atcha

Mark

[AWED23]

I think you are going to have to graduate to Seaborn for taxi service. Even then, the driver may be a character, the AC may not work, street people, trying to earn a buck, may wash your windows and there could be a few bumps in the road. :)

:D OK, maybe just a rinkshaw....And, I'll not go with Seaborn until they get their new ship built....The Prinsendam is my personal favorite.....Keep up the good humor, Rob.:)

[hammybee]

:D OK, maybe just a rinkshaw....And, I'll not go with Seaborn until they get their new ship built....The Prinsendam is my personal favorite.....Keep up the good humor, Rob.:)

 

 

You don't want to travel only on the ice, in circles, now do you? ;)

 

Everyone knows you gotta zig when you hit a zag. :)

[AWED23]

You don't want to travel only on the ice, in circles, now do you? ;)

 

Everyone knows you gotta zig when you hit a zag. :)

I am hoping to avoid most of the Zags.....But I will deal with them if I must.:cool: Now staying clear of the ice in '09 might require some old fashioned Zigging but I am sure that the Prinsendam is up to it....Say good night Gracie......:) Rob.....More GIN...

[SDHALFAN]

I love all the posts jumping all over this women for being rude to the waiter.

 

Since when has there been a limit on the number of entrees you can order?

 

Cheers.

Peter

 

Since the fact is that the ship was at sea and had only ordered a certain number of Lobster Tails (probably figuring that two per person would be an accurate count) - it's not as though they could run down to the local Sainsbury's and get some more for people who are piggish enough to order 3 or 4 apiece.

 

Valerie:) (former Brit by the way so "Cheers" right back at you!)

 

Edited to say that I also think that the OP has a definite "attitude problem". Lord, please don't seat me with her on a future cruise because, believe me, the outcome would not be pretty - OMG!.

[nchank]

I love all the posts jumping all over this women for being rude to the waiter.

 

If I understand the situation correctly, she wanted 3 lobster tails, the correct response from the waiter should have been "Yes Ma'am", not "I'll see what I can do."

 

Since when has there been a limit on the number of entrees you can order?

 

Since I did not actually hear the exchange I would also guess that her response was said in an offhand joking manner and not a threat in the least. However the waiter was completely in the wrong here.

 

Cheers.

Peter

The asking for the 3 tails was not rude, it was the making a scean statement that was rude.

[bepsf]

If I understand the situation correctly, she wanted 3 lobster tails, the correct response from the waiter should have been "Yes Ma'am", not "I'll see what I can do."

 

Actually, No - the waiter said the correct thing, per his training.

It's called "Managing Expectations": Underpromise and Overdeliver.

 

Remember that Lobster is served on last formal night - the waiter had obviously had to deal w/ her and her demanding nature for a week prior to this incident. If he had said "Yes Ma'am" and gone into the kitchen only to be told that they were running low on lobster and he could only have two for her, he'd have had to handle an angry, ill-tempered passenger who had "been promised" three or four tails.

 

The OP was in the wrong for demanding, then threatening the waiter. If it had been me she was dealing with - she wouldn't have been served dinner at all.

[willowoodf]

I'm sorry I don't know--what is a barrater couple?

 

Drtee - I think the word here is "berate" - to scold or condemn vehemently and at length. It sounds like it fits that couple to a "t"!

 

Mary

[osiebosie]

On our last formal night on the Maasdam, our lobster was delivered with steak: surf and turf. So the lobster portion was smaller. We all (four of us) ordered another lobster tail. The waiter did say to us he would see what he could do, not the usual ,"sure, comin' right up!" We did get another lobster tail.

 

Shay

[fcorey]

4,878 views and 105 replies to this post in about 24 hours! That's just amazing! If we could capture all this energy, we could wean ourselves from our dependence on imported oil!

 

are you including cruise ships which use oil by the ton??? ;)

[pipedreams62]

"We've GOT 174 Posts Can We Get 200"