First Time on HAL - 30 Day Cruise - My Review

[mikjr]

HAL Statendam – 35 Day R/T San Diego to Hawaii/Tahiti

 

I hope this is not too long… but here it goes anyway:

 

We boarded the Statendam in San Diego, so we were on the ship for 30 of the 35 day cruise.

 

In the months prior to our cruise, I asked many questions about HAL and the Statendam, right here on the CC boards. Thank you all for your help!

 

During the past several years, we have greatly enjoyed cruising with Princess and Celebrity. This was our first HAL cruise so we tried to keep an open mind and not make any presuppositions about any good or bad we’ve heard about HAL. But, during our trip, it was of course natural for us to compare HAL with Princess and Celebrity, and in this review, I will do a bit of the same.

 

We are located in Orange County, CA, so we just hopped on the Amtrak and arrived in San Diego on Sept 24, the day before departure.

 

We stayed at the Holiday Inn across from the cruise terminal. I woke up around 6:00 am that morning and watched the Statendam slowly creep in the harbor to the dock. It was quite a site!

 

Embarkation Process:

 

We checked out of the hotel around 11:00 am on Thursday Sept. 25 and just walked across the street to the terminal. It was very convenient. We checked our bags and went immediately to the check in area. This is where we were first met Flora and Carl. Flora informed us that Carl was 99 years old!! What a joy it must be to cruise at that age. Actually… any age is great… RIGHT?

 

The check in line was fairly short and we had our keys within 15 minutes. We were directed to a seating area, where we spent about 30 minutes before being allowed to board the ship. I found the embarkation process to be fast and painless!

 

Boarding the Ship:

 

This is a small thing, but I was a bit disappointed with the boarding process. On Celebrity, you are met with a glass of champagne or mimosa, while classical musicians are playing in the central foyer area. You were made to feel welcome on board. This was missing on HAL. As I mentioned, this is a small issue, but I missed that special touch. We were eventually directed to our room by one of the friendly cruise staff.

 

Our Cabin:

 

Our room was 399 (HH category), an “obstructed view” cabin located on the Lower Promenade deck. You have a full size window, and even though the view is called “obstructed”, you can easily see the ocean from an angle and daylight comes in with no problem. The cabin is larger than the standard cabins on Princess and Celebrity. We enjoyed the larger bathroom and shower area. The showers on Princess are like a showering in a small elongated tube. So, the larger shower on HAL was much appreciated!

 

I enjoyed the fact that we had a huge deck outside the side door of the corriedor. The Promenade Deck is like having a large balcony right outside your room. The downside is that you do have foot traffic during the day and deck lighting at night. There is a mirrored coating on the cabin window, so you really can’t see in the window, although you can see outside. The room curtains kept the light out at night.

 

Our room steward, Tony, was a delight. He was like a vapor in the night. You’d leave for a few minutes and the room is magically made up. And the room animals were great! He was extremely happy because he became a first time father during our cruise.

 

We did have a blinking room light and a toilet that overflowed, but both were fixed within a reasonable time. I would suggest they update their room safes. They didn’t seem very secure, and you have to have a plastic key to open… a bit inconvenient.

 

Food and Dining Experience:

 

Lido:

We ate all of our breakfasts and lunches in the Lido, although I must admit my lunches were spent at the grill and taco/pizza bar!! There was always a good variety of food during lunch; pasta station, Asian station, salad bar, etc. And… most of the food in the Lido was very good.

 

Now I know many on the CC boards say that food is very subjective, but I am a man of simple standards… “EDIBLE OR NOT”. I found the majority of food to be very good to excellent! Yes, there were a few exceptions, but even a Five Star restaurant can have an off day!

 

We found the coffee to be very good. Here again, coffee is subject to one’s taste. But, at least HAL’s coffee is brewed from grounds and not made from syrup like Celebrity and Princess. We normally buy a coffee card on Celebrity and Princess because their regular coffee is so bad.

 

One highlight of the Lido was the two breakfast greeters at the buffet line. They would great you with a song… every morning! They helped us start our morning with a smile. A nice example of HAL’s excellent personnel

 

Rotterdam:

We had “As You Wish Dining” (AYWD). Now, prior to our cruise I read a lot of unhappy posts about that option. We eat EARLY at home. So that means NO late dining for us. Since early fixed dining was not available for us, we welcomed AYWD. Now, here’s the good news… on the first night, I mentioned to the Maitre D that we were celebrating our 30th anniversary and wanted a table for two… EVERY NIGHT. After the first evening, he automatically sent a card to our room with our table reservation number on it. The same table for two… every night! We were not the only ones that were able to get the same table every night. So I guess we didn’t have an issue with AYWD.

 

We found the food in the Rotterdam dining room to be very good to excellent. Since I am not a big red meat eater, I only had steak twice. Both times were good. I stuck mostly to the pasta and fish dishes. There were only a couple of times I felt the food could have been better. But, even then, the food was good.

 

I was impressed with how ALL the hot food was actually HOT when it arrived at the table. I am a stickler when it comes to eating WARM food. But I was totally impressed with how everything from soups to entrée’s were hot when they got to my table!

 

We particularly enjoyed the dinner salads. Every salad was tasty and a meal in itself. Salads on some of the other lines we’ve cruised were barely visible… a couple of bites and they were gone. HAL served blue cheese dressing every night, which I especially liked. My wife especially liked the soups.

 

Our dining staff was outstanding… many thanks to Pras, Banu, and Winona! They were always attentive and made sure every meal was served promptly.

 

Pinnacle Grill:

Because we found the food in the Rotterdam to be very good, we ate at the Pinnacle only one time. The halibut steak was outstanding and a great experience.

 

Entertainment:

 

Not sure what I can say about the entertainment. Much like food, everyone has different tastes in music and entertainment.

 

Van Gogh Lounge: There were four production shows featuring the HAL singers and dancers. I’m not fond of listening to pre-recorded music with pre recorded voices. There were four lead singers that were actually singing, the rest were lip syncing! That seems to be pretty much what you get with any of the production shows today. But, that’s the way all the cruise lines seem to do it. It obviously keeps the costs down.

 

Other entertainment featured singers, a violinist, pianist, comedians, magicians and jugglers, and so on. All were entertaining, some more than others.

 

Wajang Theater: We watched several movies in the theater… This is more of a personal thing with me, but I found the projector to be blurry and out of focus. This seems to be a problem on other cruise lines also… either poor audio visual equipment or poor A/V techs. Also, the theater was always super cold, but the popcorn was great!

 

Lounges: There were also a variety of other musical groups and musicians. Adagio stringed quartette played classical music, Sea Breeze and Halcats played dance music, Laree played in the piano bar. All were talented and very good.

 

The Crow’s Nest has a DJ that played music in the late evening. It was usually empty… just my wife and I, and maybe a few other couples like Karen and Vince (Vinman). But given the average age of the cruisers on board, there wasn’t much nightlife around after 11:00 pm.

 

One of the entertainment highlights was the cruise director, Mike Connachan. He was a great MC and was very personable and approachable. The cruise director sets the tone for the rest of the cruise staff, and Mike did a great job!

Ports and Shore Tours:

 

I don’t think I’ll spend much time on this subject… other than to say Hawaii is always beautiful, and the French Polynesian Islands were outstanding, but expensive. It was our first time to the South Pacific, and would love to go back.

 

We purchased two HAL shore tours, The Lagoonarium in Bora Bora, and the Motu Picnic in Raiatea; and two private tours, one in Moorea and one in Nuka Hiva. Thanks to Vince for setting up Nuka Hiva! All were outstanding. If you need any specifics, let me know.

 

General Impressions of the Statendam:

 

As they say… first impressions are always the most important, and I must admit, the Statendam did not fail to impress us. Although an older ship, she is a beautiful ship and is very well maintained; carpets and upholstery clean, shining brass, wood and marble surfaces polished, etc. We were particularly impressed with the array of beautiful antiques onboard the ship.

 

The Statendam feels small enough that you can easily walk from the dining room to the show lounge without much effort. Lord knows we wouldn’t want to get too much exercise after dinner.

 

We never felt crowded in any of the public areas and there was always plenty of room to sit in the public areas.

 

The only quirk I found was that the seventh floor dead-ends at the rear of the ship. Leaving the Rotterdam dining room can be a bit tricky if you are trying to get forward and on the seventh floor. You need to either go up or down to get there. It took me almost 20 of my 30 days to remember that fact, but not a big deal.

 

All of the public areas were nicely decorated. The library is one of the nicest I’ve seen on any ship; very large and spacious. And the book selections and inventory is impressive! The Van Gogh show lounge is beautiful, as well as the Rotterdam dining room.

 

We really enjoyed the fact that the Lido pool ceiling could be opened and closed. This was especially important during the first sea days out of San Diego. Celebrity also has an enclosed pool area, but Princess does not. During our Princess cruises to Hawaii, we needed to stay indoors during the colder sea days.

In the Atrium, there is a beautiful 25’ high fountain. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always working, and when it did, only part of the fountain works. Also the escalators between floors 6 and 7 never did work. Maybe it was part of the ships “exercise program” to keep the passengers trim and fit.

 

Memorable Events:

 

Renewal of Vows:

Since we celebrated our anniversary on this cruise, we decided to renew our vows, so we purchased the Renewal of Vows Package. It was well worth it. Captain Jack Van Coevorden conducted the ceremony in one of the lounges. In addition, we received a nice flower arrangement and special Hor’dourves in our room, plus a special memory book with photos of the ceremony.

 

Cruise Critic Meet and Greet:

During the first week, there was a get together with some of the cruise staff and members of the CC boards. We had the opportunity to finally meet some of the wonderful people on this board… Trish and Virgil, Rita, Vince and Karen, Joe and Linda, GrandmaQ, Joe and Michael, and others. It was nice to be able to put a face with a name. Thanks to Trish for organizing the M & G!

 

Indonesian Talent Show:

What a great opportunity for the crew to display their talents, and they were not only talented, but very entertaining!

 

Disembarkation:

 

The saddest day of the whole trip… enough said!

 

Final Thoughts:

 

WOW… an experience of a lifetime! I had heard good things about HAL, but we had always cruised Princess and Celebrity, with our favorite being Celebrity.

 

The Statendam is a great ship with an outstanding Filipino and Indonesian crew, and we were impressed enough to book a 28 day to Panama for early 2010 while on board.

 

The seas were a bit rough out of Southern California, but calm for the rest of the cruise. The ship’s stabilizers seemed to work great to even out the bumps.

I know the question might come up as to how HAL compared with Princess and Celebrity. My wife and I have both tossed that question around a couple of times. We always liked Celebrity better than Princess, and I would say that HAL is more similar to Celebrity in quality and product.

 

But the bottom line… our cruises are itinerary driven and would have no problem booking a cruise with any of the three cruise lines mentioned above if the ports and dates were right.

 

I took about 400 digital stills and 6 hours of video… but haven’t had time to upload the photos to my laptop. Once I do, I’ll probably place a few on a photo site… When I do, I’ll post the web address.

 

Any private questions you’d like to ask can be addressed to my email:

MIKJR at AOL dot COM

[Roz]

Mikjr,

 

Wow! What a great review! The Statendam was my first cruise ship ever, so I have fond memories of her. Glad to hear she's still ship shape.

 

I love those outside cabins on the Lower Promenade deck. I call them the poor person's balcony.

 

Glad to hear AYW dining worked out for you. Isn't the crew wonderful? That's the biggest thing that keeps me coming back to HAL.

 

Thanks you for taking the time to give us the details of your cruise and your first impressions of HAL and the Statendam.

 

Roz

[SabreSailor]

What a well-balanced review.

 

We spent a week in the Tahitian islands a couple of years ago on Windstar, and the memories never fade. It is such a beautiful place. And our all-time favorite is Kaua'i. I can't imagine having the time to be able to visit both on one cruise!

[FlorenceItaly]

What a wonderful review. Thanks so much. I am tickeled that I got to read it before leaving for the airport in a few hours :). I appreciate you taking the time to post this.

 

 

 

 

Marie

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks mikjr for the great review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise. My DH and I were on for the first 5 days and wished we could have done the other 30. Someday I hope we can take that trip. I do have a question for you, having cruised on both Princess and Celebrity, I thought neither had the retracting canope that Hal does over their pool area's. I remember being on the Infinity once when we ran into some bad weather up in Alaska, you couldn't use their lido pool area, too windy and wet, am I wrong? I do agree with you about the champagne and/or mimosa that Celebrity does when you embark, it really set a nice tone for your cruise, wish Hal would do that too. Thanks again for taking the time to do your review.

[RuthC]

Thank you for posting your review. And you got to it so quickly! :) Thanks for not prolonging the suspense!

I enjoyed reading this, and especially enjoyed that you included info on the entertainment. I always love to know who is playing in the lounges.

Again, welcome home.

[mikjr]

I do have a question for you, having cruised on both Princess and Celebrity, I thought neither had the retracting canope that Hal does over their pool area's. .

 

Celebrity has their covered pool area... the AquaSpa area... they have a couple of jacuzis and the Thallasotherapy pool in that area. Also several deck and lounge chairs are located there. we spent most of the cold days in that enclosed area.

[takemewithyou]

One of the entertainment highlights was the cruise director, Mike Connachan. He was a great MC and was very personable and approachable. The cruise director sets the tone for the rest of the cruise staff, and Mike did a great job!

 

I agree with you! Mike was the CD on our Volendam Panama Canal cruise in 2007 and he was great! I thought he had a wonderful personality and was very genuine. His new wife, Leah, was the future cruise consultant. They are a lovely couple.

 

Glad you had a great cruise. Our first cruise with HAL was on the Statendam, also. :)

[cruz chic]

Thank you for your review. Since I am leaving shortly on the Statedam I am happy to read this. Thanks.

[rebeljohn]

Thanks for posting a GREAT review! We are Celebrity fans too, but HAL is a very close second............

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your wonderful review.

 

I also hate the Statendam safes -- just one more "card" i.e. -- HAL's key to the safe to carry around.

[dmgg]

Really enjoyed your review! We've booked a similar 30 day cruise for Jan 2010 which will be on the Zaandam, and we're also sailing on the Statendam this December, so it was wonderful to hear your views on this ship. Thanks & welcome home, great to hear you had a wonderful cruise!

[CroneWynd]

Thank you!

Our first HAL cruise will be on the Statendam... so good to hear that she's a good ship!

 

When we were on the Golden Princess in Alaska, one of the pools does have a roof that they close over it... so there was an indoor pool for that cruise. Perhaps you might try a different Princess next time you go Princess :)

[cheshire cat]

Interesting review. This will be our first time on HAL so any info is appreciated. Can't wait till January.

Irene.:)

[MightyQuinn]

Welcome home & congratulations on your wedding anniversary. I'm glad that HAL measured up to your expectations (no champagne welcome notwithstanding)! It speaks volumes that you booked another long cruise for 2010 when you were aboard the Statendam.

 

I enjoyed your review and have a quick question: did you or your DW use the thermal lounges in the spa? If so, I'd be interested in knowing about their general availability on those glorious sea days. Thanks. :):)

[Willsot]

Wow - booking a 28-day cruise while on a 30-day. I'm envious and want to be able to do that someday. Enjoyed the review. Thanks!

[kenish]

I've been on Celebrity Infinity (4 day Baja out of SD) and HAL Zaandam (7 day northbound Alaska). I agree with all the OP's comments. They are both excellent and on par with each other. Zaandam is a mid-size ship and I liked that it didn't take 15-20 minutes to get from one part of the ship to another. The two ships are sophisticated in different ways....HAL is "teak and brass", Celebrity is "maple and stainless steel". Also, I felt the service on HAL was more personalized than Celebrity.

 

I realize I'm nit-picking but that is because they are both great!

[Southbound]

What a great review! Informative, balanced and very nicely done. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

Speaking of Carl and Flora, we had the pleasure of making their acquaintance on the Prinsendam's holiday sailing last year. They truly are an amazing couple. During our 17 days on board, after dinner and the show, we would spend a couple of hours in the Ocean Bar and the two of them almost never sat out a dance the entire evening. Once in while, Carl would get a little tired and Flora would continue on while he stood by and watched. She told us that, for many years, she was a dress designer in New York City for the film industry. She had designed and made all of the outfits, including her formal attire, and all of the matching chapeaux, that she brought on the cruise. Her designs were very unique, indeed, as were Carl and Flora. She also told us that she was 10 years younger than Carl. I am so pleased to learn that they are still cruising and enjoying life. :)

[mikjr]

I enjoyed your review and have a quick question: did you or your DW use the thermal lounges in the spa? If so, I'd be interested in knowing about their general availability on those glorious sea days. Thanks. :):)

 

My wife did use the Greenhouse spa one day. It was nice, but she said once was enough. There was really no one else in there with her that day. I don't believe it got a lot of us. It's $20/day or you can buy packages.

[usha]

mikjr, thank you for a very nice review of what was obviously a

VERY NICE cruise to Tahiti!!!:D (yup, I'm envious!!!)

We love Holland America, too (although our favorite is still Celebrity:o ).

How I'd LOVE to go on a 35 day cruise.... (***sigh***)

[luvcruisn']

Thanks for the review, mikjr. I was on for the first 5 days of the cruise from Vancouver to San Diego, and met some of the cruise critic people that you mentioned. I've been following the itinerary along every since I got off the ship in San Diego, thinking of all the lovely places you were visiting. Flora and Carl were also on our 15 day Maasdam Panama Canal cruise in January, 2008. I'm glad to hear they're still cruising. It's interesting that the Crow's Nest late night disco was quiet - it was hopping on the 5 day cruise. The D.J., Barak, said that he didn't close down one night until 3am, and the other nights people danced until 1 or 2am. One night we closed the Crow's Nest down with all of us singing the song "American Pie." It was a lot of fun!

[MrsMuir]

Thanks for taking the time to post this well-written and interesting review, mikjr. I've been wondering about Statendam; there doesn't seem to be much written about her compared to the other ships in the Spotless Fleet. How wonderful to spend 30 days aboard a damship!! Someday!!

 

Linda

[kakalina]

Thanks for getting a review up so quickly Mike. It was great meeting the two of you and I wish we had been able to spend more time together.

 

It was a wonderful cruise and we didn 't want to get off the ship in San Diego. I agree with almost all of your observations.

[hammybee]

Thanks for making the time to share your experience with us. It does indeed sound like a trip of a life time.

[debshomespun]

Mike Thanks so much for your review. It was great to read about some of the things we are looking forward to on our Ryndam jan. cruise.

 

Do you know if anyone took the tour in Raiatea w/Bruno? It is a day tour of the island of Tahaa. Am trying to get some feedback about the tour, and how Bruno was, and how punctual he is on returning in time. I had emailed him, and he told me he would have us back to the dock at 4:20, and we leave at 5:00, and not sure if that is enough time with all aboard at 4:30.