Questions from a First Time HAL Cruiser

[languageartslady]

I have been on multiple cruises (RCCL, Carnival, and Celebrity) but not HAL yet. I am considering a November cruise on the Westerdam. Any suggestions on rooms, things to consider, shore excursions, best foods to try, etc would be appreciated!

 

But here's a few specific questions (and I do realize some are VERY silly):

 

-What is the towel situation by the pool? Do you have to take towels from your room for the pool, or do they have them available on deck?

 

-In the casino, anyone seen a slot machine called Hex?

 

-On most RCCL ships, the day is on the floor of the elevator (in a movable piece of carpet). Do they have that on HAL ships?

 

-I saw they have a DVD library... anyone have a general list as to the type of things they have?

 

Again, ANYTHING would be helpful... I am really excited to try a new line!

 

Thanks!!

[RuthC]

There's plenty of towels everywhere, so no need to be moving them around. You will find fluffy white towels in your cabin, navy blue on podiums by the pools, and light blue ones by the gangway when going to the beach is a possibility.

The "Day of the Week" carpets are in the elevators of many ships, but I don't recall them on the Westerdam. Perhaps they have been added since I cruised her in '10? I need them! :D

There's far too many DVD's to list, but there is a huge variety. Comedy, drama, thriller, sci-fi, children's, even TV shows. There should be a booklet near the TV/DVD player listing them all out. It is several pages long. There are fairly recent offerings, and some very old classics.

[innlady1]

"Ditto" to what Ruth has replied to you. I do think the daily carpets are in the elevators on all the ships...I've seen them on the Noordam and Maasdam...and read that here about the other ships.

[languageartslady]

Thanks for the answers! As I find out more information I just get more excited... I love having a long lead up to a cruise, so I can find out tons before I go!

[SwissMyst]

Favorite HAL foods: excellent fresh baked breads with sweet butter; crisp, flakey croissants, fresh squeezed (free) orange juice; improved cheese plate; eggs benedict in 7 different varieties; Pinnacle Grill specialty dinner locale can be superb; powder-sugar donuts; Indonesian Tea special crepes; Dutch High Tea pastry sausage rolls; Tea any afternoon; Liver - yes, they do it very well at least one night per cruise as one of the dinner options; Seared ahi with horseradish mashed potatoes; build it yourself Velveeta slathered nachos at snack bar buffet; all of their soups both hot and cold; complimentary hand made chocolates at the Explorers Lounge after dinner; mints and candied ginger from the Yum Yum man cart at the exit of the main dining room at night .............. :p

 

We love all the quiet private sitting areas available all over the ship, the large Library and Explorations Cafe.

 

Welcome aboard - these are low-key ships, but they feel like a comfortable, a little stuffy in a nice way, old country home to us now when ever we get back on board. They do have the most comfortable, inviting beds of any cruise ship we have ever been on. Nice sized bathrooms, good cabin layout and very adequate storage for everything you can now pack with the new luggage limits. Bring your own soft drinks and/or alcohol on board in any quantity (except beer).

[PathfinderEss]

I have been on multiple cruises (RCCL, Carnival, and Celebrity) but not HAL yet. I am considering a November cruise on the Westerdam. Any suggestions on rooms, things to consider, shore excursions, best foods to try, etc would be appreciated!

 

But here's a few specific questions (and I do realize some are VERY silly):

 

-What is the towel situation by the pool? Do you have to take towels from your room for the pool, or do they have them available on deck?

Pool towels are on the pool deck

 

-In the casino, anyone seen a slot machine called Hex?

No

-On most RCCL ships, the day is on the floor of the elevator (in a movable piece of carpet). Do they have that on HAL ships?

On most ships but not all. They are slowly doing that on the Vista ships. Which would be the Westerdam. They just put them in the Oosterdam and I understand that they haven't done the Zuiderdam yet.

 

-I saw they have a DVD library... anyone have a general list as to the type of things they have?

No

 

Again, ANYTHING would be helpful... I am really excited to try a new line!

 

Thanks!!

The Westerdam is one of our favorite ship, I don't think you can go wrong taking a cruise on her.

[languageartslady]

Again, thanks for the help! I can't WAIT to try all the baked goods... everyone keeps raving about them! And it's a novel concept to take drinks on with me... never considered that before. I didn't want to end up in the 'naughty' room!

[Alberta Quilter]

Again, thanks for the help! I can't WAIT to try all the baked goods... everyone keeps raving about them! And it's a novel concept to take drinks on with me... never considered that before. I didn't want to end up in the 'naughty' room!

 

I believe you can bring only wine for alcoholic beverages, not liquor or beer, for consumption in your stateroom. If you choose to take it to the MDR or the Pinnacle Grill, you will be charged a corkage fee of $18.

 

You can order liquor for your stateroom, and, of course, there are several bars on the ship. You can bring as much non alcoholic beverages as you wish.

 

Best of luck with your planning!

[SwissMyst]

Forgot to add grabbing a free bag of popcorn from the movie theater, whether you see the movie or not when you want something salty/crunchy.

 

If you do four laps around the 360 degree teak decks, you have walked a mile and that does balance the calorie intake (a bit).

 

Like all ship buffets, the novelty wears off after a few days and things start to look more jho-hum so I am finally learning how to leave the ship calorie neutral, mainly by taking only very small portions for just a taste and having a little bit of fun things throughout the day and then ordering one of the appetizers for my main course as well. Small plates works for me - more fun things to try too. Food is good to very good, fresh and varied, but not great. (thank goodness)

[languageartslady]

They have a movie theater and popcorn? Awesome! What type of movies do they show there?

[SwissMyst]

They have a movie theater and popcorn? Awesome! What type of movies do they show there?

 

Fairly recent films, and sometimes topical ones depending on where you are visiting.

[RuthC]

Bring your own soft drinks and/or alcohol on board in any quantity (except beer).

 

And it's a novel concept to take drinks on with me... never considered that before. I didn't want to end up in the 'naughty' room!

 

I believe you can bring only wine for alcoholic beverages, not liquor or beer, for consumption in your stateroom.

Alberta Quilter is correct here, languageartslady. You may bring aboard any liquids, with the exception of beer and liquor.

[Himself]

I know the carpets with the day are on the "R" Class ships and on the "Signature" Class ships. The Westerdam is a Vista class ship and I have not been on her in about 6 or 7 years.

[Northshorecruisers]

I have only sailed Oosterdam, but Westerdam is the same class. Very well liked ship. It flows, never a crowded spot -except when you leave a show - nice nooks to sit and enjoy the view.

 

The food is great IMO, and the service is excellent. We have never had anything less of superior service. It makes me feel guilty...but a good feeling. The staff is above and beyond in my experiences.

 

Have a great trip. Come back and let us know what you think

[languageartslady]

I will be sure to come back and report on how I liked HAL... I must say, I never have had a bad cruise, no matter the cruise line. I just have had ones that I preferred over others.

 

I am quite excited to bring some soda on board with me. Now I can have something to drink without trekking to a bar somewhere... where I get attitude for just getting a soda filled with my soda card.

 

Thanks again for all help!

[hrhdhd]

If you do four laps around the 360 degree teak decks, you have walked a mile and that does balance the calorie intake (a bit).

 

Only three laps needed on a Vista for a mile! :)

[languageartslady]

Thinking about picking a stateroom, I am going for cheap on this cruise, but I don't want to end up with a poor cabin choice... I can get the inside guarantee (MM) at the lowest, of course, and then choose a room for a bit more (M). A bit more than that lets me get a room that's higher on the ship and even more is a "large" standard. Any thoughts on whether it's really worth it to upgrade to a large interior? And for the M category, what's the size? I thought I had figured it out, but each place I look seems to have a different number...

 

Thanks for the help!

[RuthC]

Any thoughts on whether it's really worth it to upgrade to a large interior? And for the M category, what's the size?

Which ship? Or, which class of ships? Still the Westerdam?

 

There are "standard" insides. and "large" insides. The "standard" insides are tiny, they should be called "cabinettes", regardless of the class of ship. The "large" insides vary a great deal between the classes, but not necessarily a great deal on the same ship.

[Roz]

I got burned booking an inside guarantee on a Vista class ship (of which the Westerdam is one). As Ruth explained, there are "cabinettes", and that's what I got. Never again! On the S and R class, I've successfully booked guarantees and been very pleased with what I got.

 

Roz

[scapel]

Which ship? Or, which class of ships? Still the Westerdam?

 

Ruth,

I noticed in your profile that you Liked Antarctica so I am posting these two links for you to visit.

Russian Ship

 

Barbecue—Russian Music

 

I had to do this cruise alone as my wife did not want to go. I thought it was a great adventure

 

Our first HAL will be this June on Statendam.

[Steve_Red_Dog]

HAL is fairly liberal about bringing wine back on board for consumption in your stateroom (for free) or anywhere else aboard ship for a $18 corkage fee.

 

Although the policy statement "Except for wine and champagne, guests cannot bring hard alcohol on board for private consumption" does not address beer I was able to bring a six pack back on board to the Volendam on our AU/NZ cruise in 2010 and enjoy it in my stateroom. :D

[SwissMyst]

......

I am quite excited to bring some soda on board with me. Now I can have something to drink without trekking to a bar somewhere... where I get attitude for just getting a soda filled with my soda card.

 

Thanks again for all help!

 

I love bringing my favorite Australian Bundaberg Ginger Beer on board when airline baggage allowance lets me pack it in too. Part of my mal-de-mer prevention program. No ginger beer on HAL ships and their ginger ale is too insipid to bother with.

[languageartslady]

Yes, still thinking of the Westerdam. When I was looking at the options, I saw that they only had like 6 cabins in the cheapest category of the inside. I am guessing those are the tiniest.

 

Okay, so the cheapest would be a bad idea...

 

I also saw that the next few categories that included the large inside said that various ones are standard or large. Any idea how I can be sure to get a large inside?

 

Thanks!

[RuthC]

I also saw that the next few categories that included the large inside said that various ones are standard or large. Any idea how I can be sure to get a large inside?

Even the "large" insides on the Vista/Signature ships can be small, especially compared to the S- & R-class ships. There are some insides that are huge, though. Those would be the J- & K-category cabins on Main Deck only, and the I-category cabins on an upper deck (I forget which).

There are some things to keep in mind if you are looking at the insides on Main Deck. The K-cabins are all aft of the aft elevator. They are quiet, but it's a long walk home from any entertainment venues at night. The J-cabins are better located, imo, but do check what is overhead when selecting. Personally, I would not want to be under the Northern Lights nightclub; it would be fine for someone who plans to close the joint, though. :D

I have been under the Casino, and didn't hear a thing. And I have been in any number of cabins along those passageways. Never heard any noise.

[languageartslady]

Thanks so much for the help! Now I have to present my findings with my travel companions and see what they think... (they rarely have an opinion, so I generally get whatever I decide.)

 

SO looking forward to a new cruise line!