jeh10641

My first cruise ever was in 1959 (17 years old, student tour to Europe between high school and college). It was the Nieuw Amsterdam, 1938 version. There were three classes of passengers then - first class (access to the whole ship), cabin class (access to the lower two tiers only) and tourist class (access only to the lowest tier places). God forbid you cross the lines (as teenagers, we did!). It seems cruise lines are slipping back to that.

Jim

18 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Really? HAL is now booking naturalists to give lectures on their Alaska 7-10 day itineraries, other than having the “free” Glacier Bay NP Ranger come onboard when one of their ships visit there? That’s good to hear. But I'll still be a little skeptical until I hear it a few more times, especially when they only have their Cruise/Excursion Director rather than a professional lecturer giving the lectures/port talks on all of their other cruises.

You are right. I meant to say National Park Rangers.

Jim

19 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Jim, I imagine we will. We will get to find out on our Christmas cruise this year on the Rotterdam. If we like that we'll continue with our Arctic and Scotland cruise June 2025 on Nieuw Statendam.  Christmas 2025 finds us at the Panama Canal via Celebrity Ascent. After that we'll be on Noordam as described.

The good word of mouth via YouTube and this board on the HAL food and amenities impressed me to make the case for trying HAL to She Who Matters. I was right about Princess in 2011. Right about Celebrity in 2016. Right about Azamara in 2019. We have 20 happy cruises under our belts. So I'm feeling lucky!

Thanks for your endorsement Jim!

I was surprised to be the first to mention this new cruise itinerary. Happy to get my pick of Neptunes though. There are apparently only 2 sailings scheduled.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/find-a-cruise/l6p07a/n621

That's our itinerary....

Norris

Hi, Norris,

I use bold font because it is easier for me to see. I hope that does not offend you. In my signature below is a review I wrote on the Rotterdam after our cruise in December 2021. Pinnacle class ships of HAL (Rotterdam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam) are my perfect size ships. We are going on the Koningsdam in January 2025 to Hawaii. Talk soon.

Jim

On 3/13/2024 at 7:34 PM, mcrcruiser said:

Where do you send the e-mail to request that the MDR be open for lunch on embarkation day ?

Hi, Cliff,

Here is what I used:

On 3/13/2024 at 5:17 PM, FrankieSue said:

yesI do, just not on embarkation day!

I suppose weather might have an influence on eating outside, on any day.

On 3/13/2024 at 4:33 PM, ksmaxey said:

Perhaps everyone that like the dining room needs to go to their cabin and order room service .  . .

Not the same experience.

On 3/13/2024 at 8:41 AM, bajae said:

I’m just curious how this move saves much money. I would think the cost of feeding passengers would be very similar no matter where they eat. IMO, this is more likely a staffing issue. Less staff is needed with passengers eating in the lido allowing more staff available for other embarkation activities. 

Fewer staff members, less cost.

On 3/13/2024 at 7:45 AM, happytotravel said:

Hello All,

I just sent the following email to HAL stating my concern over their closing the MDR for lunch on embarkation day.  I have always enjoyed being able to go there and having a relaxing lunch on my cruises with NCL  I was hoping to experience the same on HAL.  Perhaps if others do the same they "might" reverse their decision.

happytotravel

==========================================================

HAL_Ship_Services@hollandamerica.com

Good Morning,

I wanted to write and say how disappointed I am in reading on Cruise Critic's website that the MDR will no longer be open for lunch on embarkation day.

 

I am aware, as on many other lines, it is kept a "secret" in order to keep the numbers small in the dining room.  But, it has always been a wonderful place to have a quiet lunch after the stress of traveling for those who know the area is available.

 

I do hope HAL will reconsider,

==========================================================

 

I, too, sent the following note to HAL.

"Hello, Gentle People,

I have been a fan of and cruiser with HAL since 1959. My 3-Star Mariner status is a result of my loyalty. From a thread on Cruise Critic, I just read that the Main Dining Room will not be available for lunch on embarkation day. That is truly disappointing. I hope you reconsider that decision before my next HAL cruise in January 2025. The Lido Buffet on HAL is the best I have found on various cruises and ships. On embarkation day, it is a zoo since that is where cruisers are directed for lunch. Are the Dive In, NY Pizza or the Grand Dutch Cafe open now on embarkation day? If not, why not?"

On 3/13/2024 at 3:40 AM, Real NHDOC said:

I asked the hotel manager aboard Nieuw Statendam why there was no lunch in the dining room on embarkation day Sunday and was told that HAL has discontinued the embarkation day lunch service fleetwide as of two weeks ago because they felt it wasn’t well attended enough to justify the effort. 
 

Very disappointing. I hope the beancounters reconsider this shortsighted decision. 

I hope that is not the case.

24 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

I got an email this morning offering up some new Pacific Coast/Mexico HAL cruises and was instructed to book one pronto. Neither DeckChairQueen nor I have sailed HAL before and yet now I find we have 3 bookings. The cruises show on the HAL website so I didn't bother getting in touch with our PCC. Snagged an aft-wrap Neptune with HIA and booked online.

Ketchikan and Victoria are the only ports we are familiar with from our Princess sailings.

Anyone else get the email and book? We are on the 7 day Noordam April 19 2026. She also has a sailing in October 2025.

 

Norris

You will love HAL, I think. In Alaska, they are reputed to have the best naturalists onboard because of their longevity sailing to Alaska. I have been sailing on HAL ships since 1959 (age 17+). Most recently (since 2012) on the Westerdam, Oosterdam and Rotterdam (Koningsdam in January 2025). Never cruised to Alaska but went there for business about 60 times. Now I'm retired. Have not been to the state in over 20 years. I look forward to taking my wife on a cruise there maybe in '25 or '26.

Jim 

On 3/8/2024 at 8:48 PM, mjldvlks said:

Unless you contend Royal never had two “cabin cleanups” a day.   The second sentence above clearly contradicts the first. The fact you are OK with the reduction of service doesn’t make it any less a reduction. I and others have cited specific reductions in the quality of included food options. Again, you maybe OK with the reduced quality, the reductions are obvious and many. I could list many more. 

 

Please understand I am not blaming the staff —  I agree they are, for the most part doing the best they can. I feel sorry for the room attendants and wait staff who are getting more and more pressure to get good ratings while getting more rooms to take care of or tables to serve. You maybe happy with the decline — you may even continue to contend there haven’t been any declines because things remain OK. I am not willing to settle for that low of a bar. I was loyal to Royal for years. 10 years ago I was avidly defending Royal from criticisms of curs and nickel and diming.  But I feel like the present state of affairs is virtually a spit in the face for those who have been loyal. Personally, I’ve had enough — I’m done. 
 

I saw a video recently about Boeing’s current problems. The presenter argued that, after the Boeing merger with McDonnell Douglas in the late nineties, Boeing changed its corporate philosophy to one that emphasized share value above all else. As a result, corners began to be cut and safety compromised. Employees became afraid to point out problems. The company that was once known for quality and reliability is now having to explain why its planes are literally falling out of or coming apart in the sky. I don’t want to be overly dramatic, and as far as I know, none of the cuts of any cruise line have compromised passenger safety, so the comparison is not perfect. I mention this only as an example to point out compromising the product in order to maintain or increase profits is fraught with danger. Boeing (along with Airbus)  is one of only two makers of large airliners.  So Boeing will undoubtedly survive. But the controversies are starting to impact sales. Royal has no such security blanket. Destroy the product and I doubt the company will survive. Nobody has to take a cruise vacation. 

Shame on you for chastising my comments on pricing as I was only responding to another's comment. Then you rant and rave about Boeing which has nothing to do with cruising at all.

1 hour ago, mjldvlks said:

You again change the subject from the listed topic “Food in Decline?” to a discussion of price. Any discussion of supply and demand generally assumes the product remains the same. Even you seem to agree the product has diminished — at least as to service. Hack the product enough and it’s not marketable at any price. For me, Royal has reached that point. I simply am not interested in the product at any price. 

First off, I did not change the subject to pricing but was responding to somebody who had. Second, I did not find the human service or food diminished in any way. One or two cabin cleanups per day is fine with me. All of the food we had was tasty and abundant. Staff members were friendly, efficient and willing to talk from management to servers.

So far, Royal's booking activity has been above average for 2024 and beyond so I guess that people are ENJOYING their trips despite the naysayers.

I am not a member of the Loyal to Royal bunch but I certainly enjoy their ships and everything on board. I should have bought their stock when it was in the $50 range. Woulda, shoulda. 

1 hour ago, Morecruisesplz said:

And you're happy with the decline in food and service?

Please read all of my recent posts. I DID NOT find your supposition to be true about the food and service. You can read my extensive review of Anthem located in my signature below (expand it).

13 hours ago, cruisinfanatic said:

Same post by some 20 years ago.

I covered the food on board Anthem OTS extensively. My review is in my signature below.

14 hours ago, mjldvlks said:

Raising prices is one thing — and a thing that is not the issue here. Gutting the product is the issue. So far post covid demand has been strong. But I read somewhere above that future demand is softening. As they continue to cut and otherwise diminish the product, I know they will continue to bleed long time, previously loyal customers. As a shareholder I would think you would be concerned with how they pay down debt while driving off longtime cruisers. 

The "Law of Supply and Demand" will answer your question. If pricing drives away customers, prices will retreat, maybe not all the way but enough to spark demand.

In the meantime, our Royal cruise (Anthem OTS) had very few of the complaints found in this conversation. Included food was very good and choices were ample. Service was impeccable. Did i miss not having two cabin attendants? No. Did I miss two daily cabin cleanups? No. Most hotels do not offer those services.  Many do not even offer daily service on longer stays.

If you do not want to pay Icon OTS prices, there are many more options in Royal's fleet. I do not care about all the bells and whistles that she offers. For me, destinations are more important than the ship. The megaships cannot visit the smaller, less visited places. Those are what I like.

By the way, my preferred cruise line is HAL.

In terms of profitability of cruise lines: Yes, they are having great bottom line success. But be aware they incurred multiple BILLIONS of dollars in debt during the "Shut Down!". It will take them multiple years of big profits to pay that debt down, especially as they add new and refurbish old ships to their fleets. As a stockholder in two cruise lines, I want that debt brought under control even if it means I may have to pay more in order for that to happen.

On 2/20/2024 at 10:47 PM, mjldvlks said:

Interesting that my first cruise on Royal was also aboard Splendour. Mine in 2007. On that cruise we had multiple bread options that aren’t around any more. The bread baskets were also kept filled. We had a midnight buffet. On the second formal night we had Baked Alaska for dessert flambéed in our presence in the MDR. The baked goods were always fresh and well prepared. We overall had more choice and better food and with decent portions. I know it wasn’t “fine dining” but it was good a plentiful. We also had a waiter and assistant waiter who only had 2 or 3 tables so could be more attentive to us.  We also had a head waiter who actually introduced himself and got to know us. Told us jokes and did magic tricks. The entire staff seemed to enjoy their jobs — they weren’t constantly begging for high ratings out of fear for their jobs.
 

That is not remotely comparable to the vastly inferior product we experienced on Odyssey last fall or Anthem last month. 
 

Again, no one has suggested that the MDR  or Windjammer should be or ever were “fine dining.” But I still maintain I would find a more enjoyable meal experience at about any buffet or casual dining restaurant shoreside such as Golden Corral, Applebees or the like.

You appear to agree that the food is worse than it used to be so maybe our disagreement is only a matter of degree. But in the last several years I have noticed a long and steep decline in the quality of the product. This goes beyond food. For example, cabin attendants now have many more rooms to take care of and can only tend to each one once a day.
 

Despite agreeing there has been a decline, you say you don’t believe it’s intentional. I cannot agree with that. I think the pattern of nickel and diming has been clear since well before the pandemic. I for one am tired of the pandemic being used as an excuse. I think the decline started in earnest about the time they started adding specialty restaurants. For me it has reached the breaking point. The worst day of cruising used to be the last day — the day we had to leave. On our last two cruises I have been eager to get the heck off of the tub.   The bean counters have taken control. For goodness sake the CEO of Royal’s parent company is an accountant with little or no operational experience. I am convinced these bean counters have persuaded themselves that cruise demand is a virtual bottomless pit that they can abuse to no end. Well not for me. I may cruise again. But unless things change, it will be a while — and then only if I am really interested in the itinerary.  I no longer have any interest in cruising just for the ship life. 

I will add my two cents. On our Anthem OTS cruise in October, we had two servers. Both were attentive and actually performed way above their paygrade. They had a pot of unsweetened ice tea for each dinner (about a dozen) in American Icon Grill MDR without us asking for it (see my review below, not available otherwise due the embarkation port and taste factors of Europeans according to the hotel director).

The two made us origami several times, without asking, including a napkin special one night. The head waiter came over every night to talk to us. He had the kitchen make us a special dessert that was no longer on the menu. We had only mentioned it in passing and never asked for it.

Our MDR dinners related, taste wise and appeal, to what I would expect in a land-based restaurant in the $30-40 range, per person (Seattle WA area). There were always 2-4 different items each night over 15 nights plus a few more that remained the same. Gourmet? Not really. However, it was still very good. If I ordered medium rare, it came medium rare. We like to dawdle over dinner but never had to stay more than 90 minutes in a leisurely atmosphere.

The Windjammer Buffet was light years ahead of any land-based buffet we ever ate at except maybe in Las Vegas where those buffets now start around $40 per person.

I have been cruising since 1959 but in recent years (after retirement) more actively. I do not classify myself as a "foodie" but I enjoy a good meal when I have one. I had only good top great meals on Anthem.

Jim       

6 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

Something is wrong with your font settings!

Nothing wrong with my font settings. I find it easier to read this way.

17 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

 

You really need to quote all of "my words".    Please read and quote my entire post instead of removing part of the post.  My comment referenced guests interacting with the performer and becoming part of the performance.  Most guests won't enjoy watching you or me playing games or interacting with the performer.  I stand by that comment unless you are going to tell me that you would enjoy watching me be part of the performance.

 

Enough said.

Wrong again. I will not respond to any more of your insults.

17 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

You really need to re-read my posts.  True I don't like sing-a-longs but I never talked about how many people would like sing-a-longs.  But the topic grew to how much individual guests became a part of the program.  People then talked about how they played a game with the performer.  That's what I said guests would not appreciate as much as that individual guest.  I'm sure you have zero desire to watch me play a game with the performer and as entertaining as I am, that would not be memorable for most guests.  I also have zero desire to spend time watching you interact with the performer.  That's what my most guests comment referenced and I stand by that statement.  

Your words:

"I'm sure it was memorable for you but not so much for the other guests." "For me and the rest of the guests, not so much." Enough said.

3 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

I am confused.  Please explain to me why I can't have the opinion that I don't like the new concept and I believe that it's only being done for cost cutting and not because they think it's an improvement?  I also don't like it when entertainers make the guests part of the show.   It has nothing to do with any particular person.  I'm sure it was great for them. For me and the rest of the guests, not so much.  Why can't I have that opinion?

 

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but please stop the personal attacks.  

 

BTW, you don't need to yell.

There is nothing wrong with having an opinion. We all do. Some people on this thread enjoy the singalongs and you keep saying that "most people do not enjoy them". How do you know what most people want? Have to talked to most people? You have not talked to me or many of the others who enjoy the singalongs. Find or start another thread to vent your opinions.

On 2/10/2024 at 2:52 AM, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Past experience would tell me that this isn't true but there is no doubt that you really enjoyed the evening because you were part of the show.  This is the same as the elimination of the Lincoln Center performers, cost cutting at it's worst.  Both are cost cutting at features that were enjoyed by many passengers and the performances were packed every night.  Shame on HAL for cost cutting on things that brought people on board the ships. 

 

Here's an idea.  Maybe HAL should eliminate all live piano players.  Maybe they should generate an AI based Barry, they would pay Barry one time, and an artificial Barry would perform with a computer operated piano.  People can then talk to an image of Barry on the screen and the computer will respond the same way Barry would have and then the computer will play the same sing-a-long songs.  No need for breaks and the computer can perform continuously all evening until the last person leaves the bar.  HAL can call it Barry on Board.

 

Please note that this is not an attack on Barry.  I'm sure he's a great guy and a great performer and HAL could select any piano player.  For more money maybe they could generate an AI version of  Billy Joel and have Billy on Board.  

 

Maybe HAL can even make some money from this concept.  The only way you would get Barry or Billy's attention is through your Navigator app and of course 4 and 5 star Mariners would get priority.  It would cost $5 to talk to Barry and $10 to have your song selected.  This could be another great way to use up non-refundable OBC.

 

I hope everyone enjoys the sing-a-longs.  Karaoke anyone?

I have no idea what your problem is. I have seen the piano bars with people singing along. Sometimes, if I know the words, I join the singing. You should not be putting people down BECAUSE YOU do not like the show. Leave the venue if you do not like singalongs.

Jim

18 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

I use my debit card to get cash from ATM's with my PIN.

Me too.

5 hours ago, Georgeny said:

 

Wow, now that is a class trip LOL! Yes definitely reverting back to class cruising and I think that is a darn shame! The beauty of then modern cruising in the 80's and 90's was that everyone received the same food, service, etc. The only difference was the actual cabin size and location. Two families we met and remain close to to this day and cruised many times together through the years were table mates. On land in reality we would have never come together being far different in financial and way of life those years. Now with the separate restaurants, my time dining, suite only areas, etc, this doesn't happen easy anymore. The other factor of course the number of passengers. doesn't promote the old " we are all on this special vacation together. "

 

I know you must miss Walters Hot Dogs 🙂

 

George in NY - Go Garnets class of 1968 

I get Walter's dogs every few years. My brother (died a year ago) lived in White Plains. I used to come East for MHS Reunions (now via Zoom). We use "Any Time" (or whatever the cruise line calls it) dining. We ask for tables of 6 to 8 including us so we get to meet other people. On our last cruise, via Cruise Critic Roll Call, we met some people with whom we connected before the cruise on land-based tours before and during the cruise. We dined with some almost every night. We all thought RCCL's food was very good.

Jim

I believe that we had the "new" menus on our transatlantic. They were mostly themed for each night. On one night the head waiter brought us, without asking, an apple dessert no longer on the "new" menus but had been a favorite of our dining partners. The regular staff prepared a pot of fresh brewed "unsweetened" ice tea for us each night because Anthem OTS was not stocking the unsweetened ice tea mix as the ship had been in England/Europe for several months. Those clientele apparently prefers sweetened.