How did you first find HAL?

[momatibm]

Hebron just posted that he/she found HAL by searching for Muesli.

 

I found it by scouring cruise booklets back in 1988, when some cruiselines were charging for deck chairs(does do away with the 'saving' issue, but still..). So I found HAL to be a good value for the money. Also this was back in the day when they didn't take credit cards (quell horror).

[Krazy Kruizers]

Back in the 90's we were at Canada Place watching a couple of ships come in. One of them was a HAL ship -- don't remember which one. (We were going on an Alaskan cruise on NCL)

We saw this ship which really loooked lovely.

There was a couple standing out on the verandah and we called over to them asking them how they liked the ship and HAL. Their report convinced us to try HAL.

So the following summer we were on the Maasdam doing a Baltic cruise.

[Firefly012]

Found HAL by searching for: beautiful beaches + spa + culinary + eggs benedict. Sounds silly but these are all the things my sis wanted in a vacation and our upcoming cruise is for her. :)

[Randyk47]

I had been bugging my ex to go on a cruise for years. As a Christmas gift she finally booked a 4-day cruise on Carnival's Fantasy to see if we'd like cruising. We loved it and talked to our TA about what we liked and didn't like on the cruise. Based on that feedback TA booked us on HAL the next year and we were hooked...well...on cruising but not each other. :o Forward a few years and I take my new bride on our honeymoon on a HAL cruise. It was her first and there's been no looking back since then. :)

[May4]

Our parents celebrated their 50th anniversary aboard the previous Rotterdam.

They told us that we'd like sailing too.

I said, "I don't think so."

They said, "Try it, you'll like it."

I did and I do.:D

[hammybee]

Strange as it may seem, we found HAL by looking for a large ship experience ( after sailing with Orient).

[kakalina]

Hammydear, haven't seen you posting for awhile good to see you.

 

We found HAL quite by accident. DH doesn't fly. Only other way to Hawaii is by ship. DH says he will grit his teeth and bear the ship to get there. DH falls in love with cruising, so did I. We're still hooked on cruising. Ain't life grand?!

[Cologal49]

We had HAL found for us. We decided to go on an Alaska cruise 3 years ago with a group of Christian Singers. They booked the ship and made the plans - and we went and are hooked. We took a NCL Hawaii cruise on our own last year - and there is NO comparison. In December we will be back with our singers and a longer cruise. We are so excited. :D

[Cruising-along]

In 2004 when we first decided to try cruising, I remembered that my parents had taken a HAL cruise to Alaska years before. I asked them if they could recommend the cruiseline, they had nothing but good things to say, and the rest is history. We were hooked the first day of our Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam.

 

We haven't even tried any other cruiselines, we've never been disappointed with HAL so we look at them before any others.

[sail7seas]

We had 'been good sports' and agreed (with protest) to try a cruise for our friends with whom we always traveled. Our TA suggested Royal Princess. We tried it and decided we liked cruising but thought there had to be a better match for us than Princess. Other friends suggested we try RCCL, as it was then called. Again, liked cruising but knew we didn't care for that line. Third couple suggested we sail their favorite line.... HAL. We did and knew very soon after boarding Noordam III we had found a home. :)

 

[bobincm]

My wife and I found HAL in 1985 through our travel agent. She was pushing Carnival out of San Pedro to Mexico. Back then, you could visit the ship while it was in port. We were not impressed with the Tropicale. We had grown up watching Love Boat so our expectations were high. Our travel agent had a beautiful brochure of the Noordam which she gave us. It was sailing from Acapulco on a 12 day round trip from San Francisco. We sailed to LA. We had a fantastic time and fell in love with cruising and HAL. Our TA said we wouldn't like it since HAL catered to older people. We were in our early 30s at the time.

 

Bob

[operafan]

While we had known about HAL for a long time, we couldn't resist the offer for Westerdam's Alaska cruise in June. So glad we grabbed it!

[dandro]

Word of mouth. Friends of ours have been on HAL cruises twice and after hearing their glowing stories, we decided to try it....and we liked it! Our next cruise (someday) will probably be on HAL again.

[brucory]

We were looking for a cruise line that did not target families, so those with roller rinks and water slides were out. As our first big cruise was to Alaska and HAL is known as an Alaskan specialist, HAL won out. Once we had decided, everything we read about HAL seemed to appeal. And it still does!!!

 

:D:D:D

[logicgf]

My travelling companion discovered HAL :Dwhen he was a young boy. He is Dutch and was brought up in Rotterdam nearby the docks. Every Wednesday? he would rush home from school then cycle to the docks to watch the SS Rotterdam leave for the States and each time when the ship's horn blasted, he would dream that one day he could be one of the passengers waving from onboard. Well that day came in 2006 when he was 73 years young and we took our first cruise. It was on the Statendam from Vancouver to Auckland (yikes 28 days for a first cruise !!) I will always remember watching him as the ship's horn blasted and we sailed out from Vancouver. He was in tears, but happy tears and we had the most fantastic time on the Statendam. :D We have not stopped cruising since.

[lka1012]

My parents first discovered cruising and HAL after my father retired. They had planned to travel the country by car, but my mother's health failed so she could not car travel. But they could cruise.

 

After my mother passed, my father took my sister, brother-in-law and myself on a HAL cruise. I was then hooked.

[momatibm]

My travelling companion discovered HAL :Dwhen he was a young boy. He is Dutch and was brought up in Rotterdam nearby the docks. Every Wednesday? he would rush home from school then cycle to the docks to watch the SS Rotterdam leave for the States and each time when the ship's horn blasted, he would dream that one day he could be one of the passengers waving from onboard. Well that day came in 2006 when he was 73 years young and we took our first cruise. It was on the Statendam from Vancouver to Auckland (yikes 28 days for a first cruise !!) I will always remember watching him as the ship's horn blasted and we sailed out from Vancouver. He was in tears, but happy tears and we had the most fantastic time on the Statendam. :D We have not stopped cruising since.

 

I think this is wonderful. I hope you are both still cruising

[logicgf]

I think this is wonderful. I hope you are both still cruising

 

 

We certainly are - 51 days so far this year and another 21 days booked for November/December. Just love cruising and HAL.

[Soundsgreat6]

I had lunch on board The Ryndam with the Vancouver Executives association in the Spring of 2001. The following September I took my First Cruise 3 day coastal just to check it out. I was hooked. Haven't been able to cruise as much in between has business pressures kept me at home. But now I'm retired I expect to do a lot more cruising. ( has long has my new lady likes it) This will be her first cruise, 19 days to Hawaii on the Zanndam Oct. 4th.

I'm breaking her in easy, lol. Just kidding.

[ger_77]

We found HAL through Cruise Critic! We were going to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary with a cruise and were disenchanted with the "hairy chest/legs and belly-flop" cruise line so we looked for a company that had more class and elegance. Through the CC boards I read about the new Zuiderdam going to the Caribbean and we decided to book it just a couple of months after she was brought into service. We're so glad we did because it filled our requirements to a "t". We subsequently celebrated our 27th and 30th on HAL ships and will celebrate our 35th on another one in a couple of years as well (the good Lord willing!).

 

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

[prescottbob]

...choice. My folks "forced" me to take a 14 day Xmas cruise on the old Statendam in 1958.

 

It's been 'bliss' for me (&DW) since and has also been 'fun' to observe all the many changes in the cruise line industry since.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[MsSteinrunner]

In May 2007 we were in Seattle for an Inside Passage cruise on Sun Princess. The Noordam was docked behind Sun Princess, sailed out behind us, and was once again in port with us upon return. We loved Alaska, but we just did not click with the Sun Princess. As we disembarked, my husband said, "put me on that ship behind us next time...." I did, taking a 10day Southern Caribbean cruise November 2008. He was eager for another HAL cruise, so we ventured to Copenhagen in May for the Eurodam and will be back on it in November. (However, the Noordam is my favorite!)

[durangoscots]

In the 1950's - 60's - 70's I made lots of cross Atlantic trips on HAL. As a matter of fact, my first transatlantic crossing was as "and infant" in 1937!!!! - on Holland America's Veendam. So when I looked for retirement cruises I looked and liked what I saw.

 

susan

[Old As Dirt Mom]

As several other posters have also mentioned, the decision to travel on HAL was made for me by my parents. Before the advent of air travel, my mother and father sailed on HAL to visit my mother's parents in the Netherlands. I "took" my first HAL cruise on the Statendam IV in 1960.

[Colakid]

In the early 1980's I was not married and needed a vacation so I went to my local travel agent in my small town of 4000 at the time and told her to book a cruise for me. She did and it worked. The reason HAL was chosen was she was of dutch decent and said they were good people. Later when a honeymoon was being chosen a cruise was mentioned to Alaska and as they say the rest is history. We are about to embark on our 10th cruise all with HAL and see no need to change. I can feel the excitement. Colakid.