Does HAL have heir act together in the Med?

[drdaddy]

Hi, all. We have been on the Zuiderdam twice and the Volendam once.. Very pleased. Since they have moved all the ships out of the Caribbean for the summer, we are considering a Med cruise. Zuiderdam is repositioning in October so that sounds pretty good.

 

My question is does HAL have their act together for such a long cruise and in the Med? We did Alaska on Princess and although we did not care for the cruise itself, the land part of the trip was outstanding. So, being a newbie to Europe, I just want to make sure this is a good choice.

 

Thanks!

[Copper10-8]

Hi, all. We have been on the Zuiderdam twice and the Volendam once.. Very pleased. Since they have moved all the ships out of the Caribbean for the summer, we are considering a Med cruise. Zuiderdam is repositioning in October so that sounds pretty good.

 

My question is does HAL have their act together for such a long cruise and in the Med? We did Alaska on Princess and although we did not care for the cruise itself, the land part of the trip was outstanding. So, being a newbie to Europe, I just want to make sure this is a good choice.

 

Thanks!

 

You bet they do! Excellent choice, highly recommended. The Med, and all of Europe, for that matter is a great cruise destination and HAL knows what they are doing, has done it for many years, and has some great itineraries there to pick from. Places like Venice, Dubrovnik, Kusadasi, Monte Carlo, Alexandria (Cairo), Naples, Valetta, you name it!

[jtl513]

We loved our 10 days on the Noordam in the western Med. Except Palermo!

[Jade13]

We loved our 10 days on the Noordam in the western Med. Except Palermo!

 

Really, if we could go back to one place it would be to Palermo Sicily. We had a private driver and guide, left the city and went to Monreale Cathedral and its cloister, the Zisa Palace, and Segesta Temple and it's theatre. We did stop back in Palermo at one of their best pastry shops for cannolis and pistachio ice cream. It was probably my favorite port stop on the 10 day.

[HokiePoq]

Appreciate all comments on this thread as we are considering the same. Interesting that your observations on Alaska are the exact opposite of ours: We sailed on the Volendam and then did the HAL land tour. Cruise with excursions was fantastic and the land part was so-so, IMHO. Would love to hear from others who have been on HAL Med cruises. TIA

[jhannah]

We have done 10- and 14-day Med cruises (on Prinsendam and Noordam.) Both were great! HAL has been in Europe for, oh, how long? Since inception! They do have their act together.

[Maryandi]

We did the Grand Med & Africa this year for 56 days on the Prinsendam. We loved it. Of course with so many ports (31), we had alot of everyday tours and cities, the sea days were a treat. HAL made every day feel new - not' ho-hum - another boring day with the same people.'

 

The food was wonderful, the shows never repeated, the port talks very interesting, the tours as advertized and on time. ... Well, you get the idea. We wanted to stay on even after so long a trip !!

 

Avoid the hot months, go to Dubrovnic, Florence was so-so, don't miss the sail- aways and have a great time.

 

MaryAnn

[TedC]

We've done several Med cruises on HAL and loved them all. We generally cruise the Med in spring or fall, when it may not be as hot or crowded as July and August. And as a bonus, prices usually are a bit less in spring and fall.

[Cruising-along]

We did a 12-day eastern med cruise last year (loved it!) and will be doing a 15-day western med in May. For each country you visit, HAL will have some simple phrases on the daily program so you'll know how to say things such as "good morning", "please", "thank you" etc. in the language of the particular country. They also tell you what currency that country uses, whether it be euros or other, and include a simple street map in case you decide to "do it on your own". If you prefer to use a HAL tour, those are great too, IMO. You can't go wrong!

[ldog]

Most of our cruising with HAL has been in Europe. The Baltic was fantastic on the Oosterdam and then we've been on the Rotterdam two years in a row. It's a busy trip - not many sea days but you get to see such fabulous cities. We'd go back in a heartbeat but there are so many other places to cruise.

[mafig]

Hi, Rob!

 

Just wanted to say hi. We were on Volendam with you.

 

 

You were so helpful to us on our first HAL cruise. You gave us info on the cabanas, menus for the ten days, dining room plans and info on how to reserve a certain table, and I believe you were instrumental in setting up our meet and greet.

Anyone who is on the cruise with you can just relax and let you do all the work.:) Thanks again.

[ger_77]

I don't think you'll be sorry going to the Mediterranean with Holland America . The onboard historians are superb and really help make the experience memorable. We've been there twice and are planning a third one for 2009 - we figure we're onto a good thing and will stop going when the fun runs out.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[PrincessYoga]

I loved my Western Med cruise on the Noordam. I would highly reccommend it.

[dakrewser]

We loved our 10 days on the Noordam in the western Med. Except Palermo!

 

What was wrong with Palermo?

 

We were there on Christmas Day back in 2000 and thoroughly enjoyed it:

 

The Cappella Palatina,

 

Monreale Cathedral,

 

The cloister,

 

And the church of St. Peter the Hermit...

 

And while it wasn't up to the standards of, say, Taormina - it was a lovely day....

[hammybee]

Cruising in the Med is a fabulous vacation. I think both Celebrity and HAL do a great job and then it comes down to preferences.

 

Autumn repositioning cruises tend to be great values and attract those looking for value. These are not the same experiences as a cruise which begins and ends in the Med.

 

The 10/11 Zuiderdam cruise is 12 days with one @ sea day. This is a port intensive cruise without down time between most ports.

 

The 10/23 Zuiderdam repositioning cruise, 17 days has 8 @ sea days and 6 of these days are consecutive and apt to be either relaxing or boring, depending upon your outlook.

 

The latter repositioning cruise will cost less than the former even though it is 5 days longer.

[Jade13]

What was wrong with Palermo?

 

We were there on Christmas Day back in 2000 and thoroughly enjoyed it:

 

The Cappella Palatina,

 

Monreale Cathedral,

 

The cloister,

 

And the church of St. Peter the Hermit...

 

And while it wasn't up to the standards of, say, Taormina - it was a lovely day....

 

Dave, wasn't it great, loved the Monreale Cloister. Segesta was great too. We did a private tour but I recall those that went with HAL for the half day did not sound like they saw much as they were stuck in traffic and could not get to the Cathedral (HAL refunded half of their tour cost). It seems like one of the places to go private.

 

Also, we are going back next year to do the Eastern half (still working and can not get away for 3 weeks plus at a time). The stop in Palermo was my deciding factor on choosing this half in the Med as it is a full day. The only thing I hate about next years itinerary is that Messina is only a half day :( and no time to go to both Taormina and up Mt Etna.

 

Also, the tour group was excellant, honor system and no deposit or credit card hold required. They have never had a problem with Americans. They charged us something like 570 euros for a 30 seater mini bus and price included driver, licensed guide, parking, tolls and gas. I believe our group was 11.

[Grumpy1]

2002, 10 day Western Med, Celebrity Constellation.

2006, 10 day Eastern Med, Noordam

2006, 16 day Eastern Med, Prinsendam

2007, 10 day Western Med, Westerdam

 

All were excellent cruises. We have done Ships tours, some better than others, but mostly good. We have done private tours that were excellent and others that weren't what we expected. This is, I think, typical of any cruise in any location.

 

You need to decide what is important to YOU in each port and then figure out the best way to do that. The ship's tours offer choices for almost everyone, and it is certainly the easiest way to tour a port. Arranging private tours takes a lot more effort before the cruise, but can be very rewarding. Sometimes less expensive too.

 

There are several ports in the Med that we've visited more than once.. including Palermo.. and there are always more places to see or tours to take when we get there again. The Med is so rich in culture and history that I can't imagine anyone not enjoying a cruise to almost any of the many ports in that region.

[dakrewser]

The only thing I hate about next years itinerary is that Messina is only a half day :( and no time to go to both Taormina and up Mt Etna.

 

 

Oh, that's too bad - it'll be hard to choose between them....

[drdaddy]

So many great responses! Thanks so much.

 

As for you, Mafig! Hey there! But as you can tell, as opposed to the Caribbean, we are just newbies to the Med so I will be depending on others for info this time. (So nice of you to remember us)

 

Hammybee, you are so right. We know the repo cruises are different animals but because it is coming into Lauderdale, that is perfect for us (of course, we will have to fly out of MIA for the outbound leg due to customs so parking at the port is not an option.) And it is sooooo much less expensive. I wonder if the experience will be the same as all of everyone's wonderful comments about the Med cruises?

 

Next question for you have been a few times. The following are the ports. Which ones can we do "on our own", like get off the ship and wander around? (I did not include Rome for I know about that one!)

 

Dubrovnik

Corfu, Greece

Messina, Sicily

Cartagena

Cadiz

Funchal. Portugal

 

Has anyone done a long transatlantic like this on HAL? We have done one on Norway but it was shorter (the Northern route). Will there be activities on those Sea Days?

 

Thanks so much for the help. This cruise is really a good value and we think it would be really special for our 30th Anniversary!

[Cruising-along]

Dubrovnik is easy to do on your own. We walked all over Old Town, had lunch outdoors at a cafe on the waterfront, and then walked along the wall. We walked along the water, people-watched, and dangled our feet in the water. Nice relaxing place! I'm sure others will chime in about the must-see things there, but we just took it easy and had a relaxing time. :)

 

The only other port we've been to on your list is Corfu, we did the ship's excursion to Achillion. Very nice!

[TedC]

Dubrovnik is easily done on your own. Buy a ticket to walk the wall and also duck in and out the many picturesque churches.

 

 

Cadiz is a pretty city with hop on and off buses. I think there were two, we took the cheapest and it was fine.

 

You'll love the Med.