3rdGenCunarder

I trimmed the original post down to this paragraph because this is something we will deal with for a while. I saw it on Cunard, too. In June I was in Princess Grill, and service at dinner was excellent because of the staff-to-passenger ratio and the fact that they put their best servers in the Grills. In September, I was in the MDR, and service was poor. We sat with menus for 20 minutes, waiting for someone to take our order. The assistant waiter made errors that someone with more than a months' experience would not make. They're scrambling to get good staff and get them trained. I could see where HAL is cutting. Mostly small things, some of which I mentioned in my review of Eurodam. Nothing was a big deal that "ruined my cruise." I didn't mind that they saved money by not having pens made with "Holland America" on them, but I did find it funny that the pen said STAPLES. I would have thought they might have bought plain pens to make it less obvious that they were saving money. (Or maybe they've got a commercial tie-in with Staples?) As Kazu said, it's all over the hospitality industry. Hotels give you the option to skip having your room serviced, so a potentially germ-laden stranger won't be in your room. They benefit from this if they're having trouble hiring workers or saving money by not hiring the usual number of workers.

I could have sworn the mac and cheese just said "Beecher's," but lobster added to it would explain the charge. That cooking demo looks like fun! I would love to see more like that. Good to know the kitchen is still back there, at least on some ships.

The performers live on a different time schedule from a lot of the crew, and I suppose when they end their work day, they're still too "up" to sleep. One of my dinner table companions said he was out by the seaview pool early one morning and he saw some of the BBK group out there. His description of their condition was "$***-faced" so we figured they hadn't been to bed yet.

That has occurred to me when I've seen the Ulu knives for sale on board. Friends bought a letter opener with a Murano glass handle in Italy, and that was confiscated and held on board. Then two days later, it was delivered to their cabin. This was on Cunard, so it isn't just HAL that has confusing rules.

That is disappointing, but all the Norway ports are wonderful. I think the scenery in Norway was the most beautiful I've seen, even edging out Yosemite and Alaska. I can understand their point. The train is the big attraction for most passengers, and when that's sold out, there isn't much to do in town. It's been a long time, so I don't know what other tour options there are in Flam.

That sounds like good reasoning all around. Covid is so weird! Two people can be living together in the rather small confines of a ship cabin, but one gets it and one doesn't. I'm sure the balcony helped a lot. Fresh air and sunshine are good for anything that ails you. I hope you pass your last test!

Last night, as I was going through the pile of miscellaneous stuff I brought home, I looked again at my key card. HAL's emergency number is on it. I'm not sure how much good that would do me, as my phone plan doesn't always work in foreign ports. But you do have a way to contact HAL when you're ashore if you can get to a working phone.

Yes, you can.

I think it's mid-February or early March. At "Ask the Captain," he seemed almost excited about it, although he didn't specify what would be done. He did comment that work starts as soon as the last guest leaves, and by the time they actually arrive at the drydock, "you wouldn't recognize the ship." If they're replacing carpets, those are torn up while they're on the way. If not, protective coverings are put on the carpets. Cosmetic interior work can start before the ship gets to the drydock.

Your post made me realize that I didn't take the port contact info ashore with me on my recent cruise. (I always used to, but I am so out of practice!!!) Then I looked at the programs. It wasn't there! I don't think it was on the Navigator app, either. It always used to be somewhere in the papers they gave out. Maybe it was on the shopping map, but I never keep them.

The mac and cheese is from Beechers, a cheese maker in Seattle, just down the street from the original Starbucks. I think Starbucks has/had something from Beechers, maybe a cheese sandwich? So Starbucks made Beechers cheese famous. I still can't believe HAL charges $10 extra for the mac and cheese in Pinnacle. Who goes to a "steakhouse" to eat mac and cheese? (especially when there's no charge for it in the Lido) HAL has liked to boast about around Names for years. BB King, Billboard, Lincoln Center, Rolling Stone, ATK, Oprah, The Culinary Council chefs. It's like they felt they had to prop up their own brand by linking to other brands/names.

I hadn't thought about breakfast The PG breakfast is one of the best perks of a suite. If you aren't on one of the Pinnacle class ships, CO really doesn't have much value unless it gets you a good upgrade when booking the cruise.

I've been in its twin, 5190, on Zuiderdam. See my comments in the post above yours. From HalFacts: 5190 – Westerdam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com)

I expect they'll be on until the dry dock. They're a good group who truly enjoy playing together. The violinist and cellist are brothers, so there's some fun interaction in the introductions to the various pieces. On the last two days (which were sea days on my cruise), the ED interviewed the various performers. I missed the LC interview but went to a few others. Watch for in the daily program.

Glad to hear your symptoms are mild. I know that the number of drinks you can order is limited to keep people from sharing the beverage plan, but who are you going to share with when you're quarantined?????

Drinks on a package do not show up on the app. I doubt that a server will know if you've reached your limit. But do people really get to 15 in a single day? I never get close to that cap. Interesting about the price increase. I was on Eurodam last week and found plenty of cocktails at $11 or under. I wonder what they've gone up to? I did see signs at the bars saying that you now only pay the difference if you go over the $11 limit on the signature package. That makes the package more reasonable. I don't mind paying a few dollars extra for a better glass of wine now and then, but I always thought it was very cheap on HAL's part to charge the full amount if you went over the price cap on a drink.

Wow, that's outrageous! Before I booked the fare with HIA I did the math to make sure HAL didn't double the HIA.

The aft cabins that are not on the corners are verandah cabins, not Neptunes. The balconies definitely vary in size. Most of my corner afts have been on 7. One time on 5 on Zuiderdam and it was huge. It's also fully covered. I like a little open area near the rail so at night I can stand at the corner and all I see is the sea and the sky, no roof overhead. The deck 5 balcony was a little enclosed for me. Also loud when I was outside because of being close to the wake and having the sound captured in the covered space. Cabins can vary in size, too. Deck 6 corner aft on Zuiderdam was a smaller cabin than the deck 5 or 7 corner aft. It didn't have the row of closets in the room by the side of the bed. All closet space was in the dressing area. Corner aft on 7 7142 – Zuiderdam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com) Smaller cabin on 6 6166 – Oosterdam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com) Deck finve with the huge balcony 5191 – Oosterdam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com)

It sounds like the early booking deal that ends today (unless they extend it). I booked a 2024 cruise on that deal, and the basic fare was double but the HIA was not double. Sometimes when they mention double occupancy, they're referring to how the displayed ("from") cost is calculated.

One of the good things (for residents) about a tender port is that people come ashore in smaller groups instead of all spilling out the gangway at once.

Service. This is where HAL always shines. Everyone smiles. Stewards say good morning, good afternoon, how are you, did you have a good time in port (this one usually if someone is rather tired and bedraggled looking). I love that this spills over to the passengers, who usually say good morning or good afternoon in the hallways, chat in the elevators. It makes for a happy ship. My steward was excellent, always asking how I was doing, was I having a good day, did I need anything? After talking to other women traveling along, we agreed that they seem to watch out for solos a bit more. NOT in a creepy way! But I always felt well cared for. On the first dressy night, my towel animal was the dog. His eyes were my chocolates. I wanted the chocolate, but I didn't want to leave the dog without his eyes, so I put my sunglasses on him. The next morning, when I returned from breakfast, the room was dark. The drapes were always closed because of the bright sun, but Darma usually left a light on. So did he think Puppy had a hangover? Later, when I was sitting on the balcony, he looked around the divider and asked how I was. I said that I was just fine, but Puppy was a bit hung over and appreciated the darkened room. When the letter came about the tiles, he asked if I had a Eurodam tile. I said no, but I have Zuiderdam, Veendam, Amsterdam... He said he would find a Eurodam for me. And he did! And yes, that upped his tip. I always tip my steward. I often pick up lunch or a snack in the Lido and take it to my balcony to eat in peace. My poor steward ends up having to harvest my dirty dishes, and I think that's worth a tip. Entertainment. Sigh, this is where HAL gets low marks. Thank God for Lincoln Center or I would have no evening entertainment. They were excellent, as always, and the early performance was always standing room only. I think people went to LC first, before Billboard or BBK started. The later shows were not full, but still well attended. Afternoon sets were well attended, too. BB King is too loud for me. Billboard is also loud. On top of that, the woman had a screechy voice. The man had a nice voice, but the overall loudness is not for me. Step One are very good, but four times in 10 days? (And I had already seen the first two shows before) Three nature videos, two performances by a steel drum group, and the "origin story" video made up the rest of the mainstage entertainment. Daytime "enrichment" was mostly spa infomercials, trivia, bingo, games. We did get some good documentaries about the Panama Canal. Somewhere in the literature about Eurodam, it says there is "one of the most extensive libraries at sea." No, not even close. Just that stupid wall of cubes where a few books are stacked. I was glad I had my own reading materials with me. Miscellaneous things. Tea was Bigelow. Okay for the herbals, I guess, but their black tea is vile. I tried their Darjeeling. It was bitter. Darjeeling is never bitter!!! I swear, they buy the floor sweepings of other tea companies and it's all the same, just in different packets. HAL does have PG Tips, fortunately. Next time, I will remember to take my own Twinings. Shut up, Stephanie!!!! The ED read the daily program around 9:30, 12:30, and 5:00. This bugs me. There's a printed program, they encourage people to use Navigator. We're adults, we can read. Chair hogs. Oh yeah, they're back. I had breakfast one morning right when the Lido opened at 6:30, and took my food to the pool area. Before 7 AM, there were 8 claimed loungers and nobody in sight. One pair had those clamps that hold your towel in place, as if to say "Don't you DARE move these towels." Four loungers had hats, books, etc. But the best were the loungers that had monogrammed towels on them. I do hope Chrissy and Geoff had a nice cruise. Their towels appeared to be enjoying their time in the sun. By the time I finished breakfast and another cup of coffee, probably around 8:00, the 8 claimed loungers were still unoccupied. Other people were arriving, claiming chairs and actually sitting in them! The hydropool was good, and rarely empty. This is the first hydropool I can remember that didn't have a shower in the room. That does encourage people to rinse off before going in. And I like to rinse off after, too. I had to drip my way to the showers in the thermal suite to rinse. HAL should take out the unused spiral staircase and put in a shower. So that's my review. Overall, it was a good cruise. It was nice to be back on HAL after 3 years.

I did use the internet on my phone, but I have no patience for typing long messages or reading websites on a phone, so the way I like to use the internet was definitely affected. I hope the electrical problems were unique to my room. I'm only sorry that I figured out the problem too late to leave a note. I have to say, HAL was pretty good about things that were reported. One of the spa showers was too hot. The thermostat in the water mixer wouldn't let in any cold water. I reported it at the spa desk, and others probably did, too. A few days later, they had the whole thing pulled apart. And when they were done, it worked properly.

To go back to the original complaint about booking the specialty restaurants, I have no memory of seeing the special dinners listed when I made my booking on the website. I just looked back at the daily programs for my recent cruise, and the hours for Pinnacle are listed every day, but there's no mention of a special dinner. Don't they show those in the daily program? Or is it possible that so many people had HIA on my cruise that they didn't do the special nights in Pinnacle?

I didn't know you could use your cruise card. That's so easy! I wish I'd been told. The cruise department on this ship wasn't on top of things. Or maybe it was the shoreside-ship disconnect. I had booked the snorkel by boat at HMC. Three weeks before the cruise, it was cancelled. That was the thing I was most looking forward to, so I was disappointed. On Embarkation day, there was a sheet of paper welcoming me and thanking me for booking at one of the ports and listing possibilities where I hadn't booked. And there was snorkel by boat! So I stood in line for a half hour only to learn that the tour was, indeed cancelled, and would be cancelled for the remainder of the season. So WHY was it on that paper addressed specifically to me? It wasn't a list of all excursions, just a few that some algorithm thought I might like. 🙄

Okay, suitcases are in the attic, so the trip is officially over. One thing everyone notices is the cost cutting. Stewards have more cabins than ever. Their morning service goes well into the afternoon. I tend to be up early when I travel, so I always left the "please tidy up" sign on the door when I went to breakfast. The room was nearly always done when I got back. I was going to my room one morning when a supervisor was in the hall. He asked me if everything was all right with the room. I took advantage of the opportunity to tell him how good my steward was and to comment that I was aware that they have more cabins than they used to. He sighed and made a scissor gesture with his fingers. Chocolates only on "dressy" nights. Towel animals only on "dressy" nights. No slippers. The pen in my room said "STAPLES" instead of "Holland America." They're so behind on the tiles because of supply chain issues that they're suspending this program. I imagine that all the people who were promised that a tile would be mailed to them will cost a lot in postage. There are a lot of upsells. The only way to get lobster is by paying extra. Lobster roll in the MDR at lunch was $10 or $20, I forget which it was. Adding lobster tails to a dinner was a charge, so was a whole lobster. Traditional surf and turf could be had any night for a charge. The second dressy night was tenderloin and 2 grilled shrimp. Some fish portions seemed to be on the small side. Meat portions, especially beef, were larger. Overall, I found the MDR food to be good, with enough choices that I could always find something to eat. I never had to resort to the chicken or the rustic lasagna. One of my pet peeves with restaurant food is salt. HAL does not oversalt. I know this because my rings never got tight. Food is rather bland. The Lido salsa and guac were too mild for me. The Texans at my table at dinner said they will remember to bring their own hot sauce next time! Pinnacle dinner was good, as usual. The lamb chops were served with pureed beans, as they were in the MDR. A few other items had odd sides. The waiter said a lot of people order the lamb chops without the beans and get the mashed potatoes as a side. Much better idea. I can confirm that they do charge extra for a second starter and for a second main. I did not have the clothesline bacon, but a table near me did. It's three strips of bacon. I think it was once four? There's a $10 upcharge to add Beecher's mac and cheese to any meal. I do not understand this at all. That same mac and cheese was at the buffet every day at lunch, no extra fee. Tamarind. OMG, so fantastic!!! A big THANK YOU to all who made menu suggestions for me. I had the tempura shrimp (close call between that and the shrimp and lobster potstickers) and the crispy duck. Asian restaurants know how to cook duck so the skin is crisp but the meat isn't overcooked, and there isn't a lot of fat under the skin. I tried the wasabi cocktail the night I ate there. Went back another night to try the cucumber mojito. I don't know why they call it a mojito when nearly all the ingredients are different, but it was the best drink of the cruise. The Lido breakfast was good. Because I get up early, I didn't have to fight crowds to get breakfast. It did take multiple stations to put together fruit, egg& bacon, toast. There is NEVER raisin bread by the toaster. So I had to get bread and then take it to the toaster. I knew the ship had strawberries--they were a garnish on lots of desserts. it took until day 5 to discover that they were hidden at the back of the cold case where the juices are, and where people get yogurt and toppings. I didn't find the crepe station until day 7. My Texas friends were thrilled when I announced this discovery at dinner. They hadn't seen it, either. On day 8, I found the makings of an English breakfast at "foreign lands" with the Asian breakfast items. But I had to go to another station to get eggs. Note to self: next time, walk the ENTIRE Lido and look carefully at all the stations! Lunch at the Lido was easier because I generally got a salad and went to the taco station (no more taco bar) to add guac and chips. There was a lot of hot food that I ignored. I eat a good breakfast but a light lunch, so I didn't try any of that. Sandwiches continue to be poor. They will make a sandwich for you, but the choices are very limited, and the sandwiches are skimpy. I didn't try Dive In, but it was busy. I didn't try the pizza, either. They say it's thin crust, but what I saw was too thick for my liking. More later...