Pickalily, Wilts

Thanks for the interesting review of our favourite ship. Haven't sailed anywhere since 2019, but we're back on board in May and can hardly wait!

I've never seen an ad for HAL over here and I doubt many other British cruisers have either. DH and I like an international mix of passengers and don't feel the need to be surrounded by our fellow countrymen/women. Thanks to HAL (and a few other lines) we've met many delightful people from all over the world and hope our health will allow us to continue for as long as possible. Agree with 3rdGenCunarder that it's important to not put off seeing places you've always wanted to visit. My Dad retired at 62, intending to fulfil his travel ambitions, but sadly died three years later before he got to see the US and Canada - countries which had fascinated him for many years. He'd have loved both.

My wish is quite selfish and a little harder to fulfil. I wish HAL would sail occasionally from one of the southern UK ports while still keeping the international mix of passengers which we so like. (We live around 45 minutes' drive from Southampton and that would be ideal.) Flying has become very tedious and not a little stressful with last minute cancellations and it would be great to be able to take it out of the equation once in a while.

Spare a thought for Britain. The last time Viking oarsmen set off, it didn't end well for us!

If you want to visit Norway, do it. It's beautiful. Norwegians are a civilised and polite bunch of people, but they do have concerns about the leviathans which could pull in and decant 4 or 5 thousand people into small villages. I was surprised to see Flam on our next itinerary, having read that cruise ships would be banned. Not sure that HAL ships can be classed as huge (in their eyes), but we have visited that port before and will treat it and the inhabitants with respect. I don't blame them for wanting to preserve their environment. It's really special.

In addition to the recommendations above, there are plenty of drug-free wristbands on the market which might help your child/children. Whether their efficacy is real or imaginary who knows, but if they work, who cares? They're not expensive 🙂. Have a great time!

I can see that you bread pudding fans are very happy with the recipe, but as a Brit there seems to be something vital that's missing.🙂 You may think that's heresy, but bear with me while I throw another ingredient into the mix.......... These days I prefer savoury to sweet food, but that wasn't always the case. My grandma used to make a mean bread pudding and hers contained a few teaspoons of ground mixed spice (typically cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, caraway and one or two others). The aroma in the kitchen was heavenly and the result didn't last very long once the family descended upon it. Just a thought.

Will HAL changes discourage regular HAL cruisers? We've taken 7 HAL cruises so far (should have been 8 but had to cancel last year for health reasons) and have cruised with several other lines, including some which consider themselves to be 5*+. HAL suits us well. DH is ex-Royal Navy and appreciates that the line is a well run professional outfit. We've seen changes over the years, but keep coming back to the DAM ships. Of course, we've noticed cut-backs in the restaurants, but an imaginative chef can still produce delicious food from slightly cheaper ingredients. Many cruise lines boast that they provide 'fine dining', but how can that be achieved when mass catering is involved? We like the introduction of BB Kings and Rolling Stone Rock Room bands and would miss them if we ever went back to the older, smaller ships. (The evening entertainment was always pretty ordinary, but has certainly improved of late - in our opinion - We're not bothered about production shows and don't need entertaining during the day, although a few interesting lectures wouldn't go amiss.) We know HAL isn't perfect, but it meets our requirements. The next cruise is in May and time will tell if it lives up to expectations. Glass half full etc...... Can't wait.

Our experience has been very good. I wouldn't describe OH or me as gregarious, but over the years we have met lovely people from many parts of the world and it has led to a few friendships which have lasted for decades. So long as you are open minded and have the patience to answer the inevitable "Where do you come from" questions etc., it can be very rewarding. Only twice have we been grouped with folk we wouldn't want to spend more time with, so open dining and sharing a table is what we always opt for.

This isn't something to be worried about. It's probably a decade since most men (and women) 'dressed up' on gala nights. Then, it wasn't unusual to see tuxedos and long sparkly dresses, but now they are definitely in the minority. Personally, OH and I still make an effort for the occasion and that would include a jacket for him, but so long as men wear long pants and a shirt with a collar, they can't go wrong. However, don't be surprised to see t-shirts and even shorts. Almost anything seems to be acceptable and we don't let what other people want to wear affect our enjoyment of a HAL cruise. Each to their own.

Oh well, I'll give it a go anyway. 🙂

Many thanks. That's what I was hoping.

Slightly off topic - has anyone been successful in swapping a HIA Pinnacle Grill for a Canaletto reservation? We're happy to take the included Tamarind option, but hoping HAL will allow us to have the cheaper (for them) Canaletto instead of Pinnacle.

It takes a lot of self-confidence to travel solo, so I admire you for that. HAL does have events for solos (admittedly not every day) and, as is mentioned elsewhere, there is pickleball and table tennis available - at my time of life such energetic activity would probably result in a helivac emergency.🙃 Hopefully others on your cruise roll-call will be arranging meetings or will have suggestions for making long sea days more interesting. Good luck and I hope you have an enjoyable cruise.

- We like the mix of nationalities (although as Brits we're always in the minority - no problem for us). - The ships are spotlessly clean, have an understated elegance, none of the hulls has been scribbled on by a child with crayons and the cabins are comfortable and well designed. - We don't need to be entertained during the day, but the evening entertainment is varied and the addition of Rolling Stone Rock Rooms on Pinnacle ships is an inspired decision. These and the BB King Blues Bands have helped to blow away the line's former reputation of being staid and boring. - The food is good. - Itineraries are interesting. - There are many other good points, but above all the crew members are invariably dee-lite-full. We've tried several other cruise lines, including some which call themselves 5*+, but we keep coming back to HAL.

It's about a decade since HAL gala nights could be described as 'dressy'. Shame really, but a sign of the times. What other people wear doesn't really affect our enjoyment of a cruise, but we do try to maintain a standard which we think is appropriate for the occasion - and that no longer includes a tux and posh frock. 🙂 In other words, don't worry about it.