Having second thoughts about HAL

[SpokaneDan]

Our family's experience on Zaandam's Alaska Cruise with our 11 and 14 yo were a wonderful one. I also had concern reading several threads in this forum, but HAL runs wonderful ships. Atmosphere on Zaandam was very relaxed; our kids did not feel out of place. Fellow pax and crews were friendly and not stuffy at all. Our kids enjoyed the shows and movies much like other ships they had been on, and finding nothing to do were not their complaints. Club HAL was fine, there will be enough kids in your Aug. cruise.

On formal nights in MDR, most of men were in sports coats of some sort, with or without ties. Otherwise, MDR dress code is no more strict than any other cruise line I've been on (x NCL).

We booked another HAL cruise while on board Zaandam for our next family vacation.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[FreeStateCruiser]

...involve making memories and enjoying new experiences. HAL is going to be a bit "Old School" with its ambiance.

 

1. Dressing up as a family for a semi-formal dinner isn't exactly a torture. Photos may be taken that become keepsakes. What is so

bothersome about looking refined for a couple of hours?

 

2. Evening shows on an Alaskan cruise are generally a happy afterthought for most. After all, the scenic grandeur can be enough stimulation for most folks.

Curling up with a good book or a game of chess with hot cocoa may be a typical HAL night for some.

 

Plenty of folks are connected to the MTV culture with constant highly produced and highly edited entertainment that is a mile wide and an inch deep. People that crave pop culture may not have the patience to enjoy what Alaska has to offer.

[daisy37]

OP here. Thank you for all your comments.

 

-Yes, I'm sure I am just having "buyer's remorse". I tend to second guess myself alot. I know in the end, we will have a wonderful time just being together.

 

-I agree that Disney charges a premium for it's entertainment and family themed ships. We usually cruise on Disney because it is just my daughter and myself and I know we will enjoy it. However, those cruises have been to the Caribbean, and we don't spend much time in port.

 

-I chose to cruise on a different line so I would money to spend on shore excursions. There are so many wonderful things to do.

 

-It was not my intention to cause disagreements about dressing up. I really wanted to know if there was someplace else we could eat without being so formal. It's not that my son doesn't like to dress up, though he prefers button down shirts and sweaters. However, this is a vacation. In addition, he travels for work all the time and lives out of one suitcase. Prior to meeting us in Vancouver, he will be in Las Vegas. Therefore, he will have lightweight clothes. As it is, I will have to bring some of his clothes with me. I am trying not to have too more than a couple of bags.

 

[jer_l]

OP here. Thank you for all your comments.

 

-Yes, I'm sure I am just having "buyer's remorse". I tend to second guess myself alot. I know in the end, we will have a wonderful time just being together.

 

-I agree that Disney charges a premium for it's entertainment and family themed ships. We usually cruise on Disney because it is just my daughter and myself and I know we will enjoy it. However, those cruises have been to the Caribbean, and we don't spend much time in port.

 

-I chose to cruise on a different line so I would money to spend on shore excursions. There are so many wonderful things to do.

 

-It was not my intention to cause disagreements about dressing up. I really wanted to know if there was someplace else we could eat without being so formal. It's not that my son doesn't like to dress up, though he prefers button down shirts and sweaters. However, this is a vacation. In addition, he travels for work all the time and lives out of one suitcase. Prior to meeting us in Vancouver, he will be in Las Vegas. Therefore, he will have lightweight clothes. As it is, I will have to bring some of his clothes with me. I am trying not to have too more than a couple of bags.

 

 

I'm sure you will have a great time. Our son and his wife went on Holland America for their honeymoon a few years back and they will not consider any other cruise line. Our daughter and her husband joined us on an Alaska HAL Cruise for their first cruise and they also will not consider any other cruise line. All that is to say that I'm sure your son will have a great time.

 

He may want to try the button-down shirt with a tie and sweater on formal night. The matre d' might consider it appropriate. The worst case scenario would be that he would be offered a jacket before entering the MDR.

 

Although I generally wear a tux or a dinner jacket we have been seated with other guests who did not wear a jacket and we all had a great dinner together.

[tamsocal]

OP here. Thank you for all your comments.

 

-Yes, I'm sure I am just having "buyer's remorse". I tend to second guess myself alot. I know in the end, we will have a wonderful time just being together.

 

-I agree that Disney charges a premium for it's entertainment and family themed ships. We usually cruise on Disney because it is just my daughter and myself and I know we will enjoy it. However, those cruises have been to the Caribbean, and we don't spend much time in port.

 

-I chose to cruise on a different line so I would money to spend on shore excursions. There are so many wonderful things to do.

 

-It was not my intention to cause disagreements about dressing up. I really wanted to know if there was someplace else we could eat without being so formal. It's not that my son doesn't like to dress up, though he prefers button down shirts and sweaters. However, this is a vacation. In addition, he travels for work all the time and lives out of one suitcase. Prior to meeting us in Vancouver, he will be in Las Vegas. Therefore, he will have lightweight clothes. As it is, I will have to bring some of his clothes with me. I am trying not to have too more than a couple of bags.

 

 

OP- we have cruised on DCL, Princess, HAL & Carnival

we will be on the Statendam this summer on an Alaska Cruisetour. My kids are 5/5/9 (just the 4 of us). Last I checked we will have about 30 kids (april). I am sure your daughter will have a great time. It's not disney-- but HAL has other special things to offer & the kids love Club HAL.

My kids loved DCL but they also love HAL & Princess. One of our favorite kids club counselors out of nearly 20 cruises has been on HAL. They were just able to spend more quality time engaging with the kids and entertaining them as individuals vs the herds at times we have experienced on Princess, Carnival & DCL. We have also been on princess with minimal amount of kids as well (So AMerica, Antarctica, Panama Canal)

The shows on Disney are great but they are essentially Disney videos for me-- I love them and on a back 2 back cruise I went to each one of them twice in 2 weeks but I enjoy the review shows of Princess & HAL as well(princess a little more). My kids will still go to the HAL shows and they enjoy them. They like the comedy shows too(not the late night version though!! :)

 

My boys all wear tuxes to dinner but we are not sure what we want to do for alaska this year- I am hoping to travel light with the cruisetour but also enjoy dressing up for a few evenings. If that doesnt work for your 2 kids- dress slacks & shirt, -- you can order room service, lido, etc-- I agree with the other posts that the dress code is pretty relaxed from the cruises I have been on-- it spans quite a range. a button up shirt even without a tie I have seen on formal night.

 

My nine year old has been involved with picking out port excursions. He is super excited. We have been on the AMsterdam.

 

I hope you guys have a wonderful time.

[Jemima]

Dinner in the Lido is very pleasant and the food is as good as and mostly the same as the dining room food. If you and your daughter want to eat in the MDR on formal nights and your 25 year old son doesn't, then just do it that way.

My daughter, early 30s, and I just play dinner by ear. We pack some things for the MDR including something formal. We then eat where we feel like each night and dress accordingly.

There will be other kids your daughter's age onboard and your son should be fine. Alaska cruises are all about the ports.

[misssea]

We will be on the Zaandam in July. My husband and I will be dressed according to the dress code on formal nights but my 8YO son will be wearing dress pants, dress shirt and a tie. I am not buying him a jacket to wear just for this cruise which he will grow out of within the year. I don't believe we need to go eat at lido restaurant just because of one less dinner jacket!

[serendipity1499]

<Snip>

 

Alaska is an amazing place. I was the last person here who wanted to go to Alaska but as a 'good sport', I agreed to travel there with DH last summer and we had one of best cruises ever. We loved it.

 

Call HAL and perhaps they can tell you how many guests in your DD's age group are booked so you will have some expectation if there will be a fair number or not. That might ease some of your concern.

 

Hope you have a great time.

 

Had a good laugh about you not wanting to go to Alaska! :D:D I always wanted to go to Alaska & DH did not..

In early 2008, I was ushering at DH's Afternoon Barbershop show..My Friend, who was working the box office came into the theater to watch the show..

After seating latecomers, I went to sit with her in the second row (up two steps) of the balcony... Normally, I sit in the first row..Just as the chorus finished the last song I went to open the doors, forgot it was two steps & fell, flat on my face & twisted both ankles.. In about 15 min my ankles blew up like a balloon..We handed the tickets & cash for the evening performance to another Usher...Didn't want DH to miss the evening show so asked my Friend to drive me to the Hospital.. They thought I had broken both ankles, but fortunately they were just badly sprained..

To make a long story short, while I was recovering, all the Alaska brochures from HAL came..Instead of throwing them out, I left them on the table next to DH's chair..I was laid up for several months & DH felt sorry..So being a "good sport" one day he picked up a brochure & said why don't you book this tour/cruise to Alaska..

I jumped;);) err hobbled to the phone & booked our land tour/cruise within 10 minutes..DH loved the whole trip & still talks about it..That was some year for me, two weeks after getting home I ended up in the Hospital again with a ruptured appendix, & two months later we booked another last minute cruise to help me recover...LOL

To Daisy..We found that our Alaska cruise was less formal than others..Your Son could definitely get away with just a sport coat sans tie..But as others have pointed out they don't require a jacket for the Lido..We also found that our cruise had lots of kids on board, so your little one should find a few to play with..We've heard that the children love the Kids programs on HAL..Agree the shows will not be the same as Disney, but you might find that you all are much too tired to even go to the shows..

Hope you & your children have a wonderful cruise..

cheers...:)Betty

[daisy37]

Tamsocial-how did you find out how many kids are on the ship? I've tried calling and emailing and the answer is always, "information unavailable".

 

It sounds as if your kids have been to some wonderful places.

[tamsocal]

Tamsocial-how did you find out how many kids are on the ship? I've tried calling and emailing and the answer is always, "information unavailable".

 

It sounds as if your kids have been to some wonderful places.

 

I think ship services on HAL 800-541-1576. I haven't checked since april since if they tell me 300 I will be sad for a moment HAHA! I was just curious when I first booked.

I was checking on other things (suite amenity package, moving off the 8pm dining time UGH!!, etc, and then inquired about the number of kids). if it isn't this number try reservations line again and ask them which department. It is very odd the range of staff you get by random calling the same number. Some super friendly and helpful, others that seem like they woke up deciding today I will answer the phones but not help anyone and I will do my absolute best to keep this promise to myself and NOT help anyone.

I have never encountered rudeness that I recall, just lack of desire to assist.

 

I would not worry about formal night. Dress up if you guys want or slacks & shirt if thats all he will do.

 

Yes the kids have tagged along to many places with my vacationing obsession. oldest DS has missed 6 weeks of school in 1 year tagging along :). recently I got frustrated though-- DS at 9 yrs old can't remember the beluga personal encounter 2 yrs ago at Vancouver Aquarium we paid several hundreds of dollars for...... I expected the kids not to remember things from being a toddler but really??? 2 years ago and you can't remember :)

 

9 yr old DS is working on mapquesting our Fairbanks driving plan. He has to earn his cub scout belt loop/pin so having him figure out mileage, time, best route, etc- also gets him involved with figuring out and excited about where we will be going and then he has to contribute his 2 cents when looking up places on the internet to find out their address (for mapquest)-- mom this place looks boring...... "yes I know and you better not forget to include it in the directions- thats where mom wants to go"

[summersigh]

In addition, he travels for work all the time and lives out of one suitcase. Prior to meeting us in Vancouver, he will be in Las Vegas. Therefore, he will have lightweight clothes. As it is, I will have to bring some of his clothes with me. I am trying not to have too more than a couple of bags.

Something we did on our Alaskan cruise was to take only 1 sweater with us - we bought sweatshirts/sweaters during the cruise as our souvenirs. We carried the ones that didn't fit in the suitcase home in a light tote bag (also a souvenir :D )

[Tampa Girl]

My sister was on a Hal Alaska cruise a couple of years ago and said there were almost 1,000 children on board, no way of telling how many children will or will not be there. Also can eat in Cannelto (10 dollar fee) on formal night without jacket/tie

 

 

Was that a bit of an exaggeration? I hope so. If I ever found out that there were going to be 1,000 children aboard my cruise, my reservations would be instantly cancelled. Not my idea of a peaceful vacation.

[Roz]

I can't imagine any HAL cruise with almost 1,000 kids on it. Are you sure this was HAL and not RCI?

 

Roz

[jaguarstyper]

I'm really curious after reading this post. Has HAL gotten more strict about formal nights? We've sailed 55 days with HAL in the last 2 years and there's always been men in the dining room without jackets. We like to dress up so not an issue with us and we enjoy seeing others dressed nicely. It's fun to see what others are wearing (in a non-judgemental sort of way). Do some ships enforce the rule and others not?

I totally agree. I was on Westerdam twice in the past 6 months, once in the Caribbean and once in Alaska and on every formal night, I saw plenty of men in the MDR without any type of jacket. A guy sitting just across from us was dressed in Dockers type trousers and a polo shirt both formal nights in the Caribbean. Personally, I could care less what other people wear, so I have no agenda. I do think HAL has become pretty loose with the policy, but it appears that a lot of posters here are having trouble accepting this and don't want to acknowlegde the fact that formality is rapidly fading from most cruising, including HAL.

[garydm]

We were on the Oosterdam week before last and my comments are based on that. We have cruised Alaska 5-6 times but this was the first time for our grandsons to accompany us. We were in the PS due to our need for a cabin for 4 and a good deal on the cruise. I share Judy's comments from a couple months ago, I think, about the superior use of space in an SA compared with the PS.

 

We did not do the formal nights. One night we went to Lido and as mentioned the menu was virtually identical to the MDR and I think the boys (ages 9 and 12) enjoyed the change from the MDR, although the food and service in the MDR was very good. The other night because we had a dining table in our cabin (never had this option before) we opted for dinner in the cabin from the MDR menu. I don't recommend doing this on the Oosterdam. Their room service program has always and continues to be a train wreck. We have been on the ship 4 times or so and this is a consistent problem. The food arrived 75 minutes after ordering-and it was pretty much all a uniform temperataure whether it was beef or ice cream. When they did show up they had forgotten one entree which they brought about 15 minutes later. Rather than do anything as labor intensive as throw a table cloth down, they unceremoniously merely placed the covered trays on the table and left. No bread or water or anything not specifically ordered was delivered-items you would normally have in the MDR. We tried room service one other time and the person on the phone was very challenged to speak English and asked no less often than 5 times if we wanted our hamburger on white bread, after answering him each time-no, just a regular bun. This was after a 5-7 minute phone hold just to reach them.

 

In terms of Club HAL, we had high hopes having heard of it so we signed the boys up on day one. They have changed the policy and kids can no longer check themselves in and out-an adult has to do so. There were 100 kids on the ship and about 30 in the 7-12 year old group. The activities listed each day unfortunately were not age appropriate for this specific group but looked like they targeted the lower age group. Our grandsons really had no interest in coloring or playing musical chairs. They opted instead to go to Microsoft Photo sessions which they enjoyed.

 

We had a great time on the Oosterdam, had great MDR waiters and cabin stewards. Food was very good but room service and Club HAL present opportunities for HAL to further enhance their good product. If they cannot improve the room service, they should do away with it.

[tamsocal]

We were on the Oosterdam week before last and my comments are based on that. We have cruised Alaska 5-6 times but this was the first time for our grandsons to accompany us. We were in the PS due to our need for a cabin for 4 and a good deal on the cruise. I share Judy's comments from a couple months ago, I think, about the superior use of space in an SA compared with the PS.

 

We did not do the formal nights. One night we went to Lido and as mentioned the menu was virtually identical to the MDR and I think the boys (ages 9 and 12) enjoyed the change from the MDR, although the food and service in the MDR was very good. The other night because we had a dining table in our cabin (never had this option before) we opted for dinner in the cabin from the MDR menu. I don't recommend doing this on the Oosterdam. Their room service program has always and continues to be a train wreck. We have been on the ship 4 times or so and this is a consistent problem. The food arrived 75 minutes after ordering-and it was pretty much all a uniform temperataure whether it was beef or ice cream. When they did show up they had forgotten one entree which they brought about 15 minutes later. Rather than do anything as labor intensive as throw a table cloth down, they unceremoniously merely placed the covered trays on the table and left. No bread or water or anything not specifically ordered was delivered-items you would normally have in the MDR. We tried room service one other time and the person on the phone was very challenged to speak English and asked no less often than 5 times if we wanted our hamburger on white bread, after answering him each time-no, just a regular bun. This was after a 5-7 minute phone hold just to reach them.

 

In terms of Club HAL, we had high hopes having heard of it so we signed the boys up on day one. They have changed the policy and kids can no longer check themselves in and out-an adult has to do so. There were 100 kids on the ship and about 30 in the 7-12 year old group. The activities listed each day unfortunately were not age appropriate for this specific group but looked like they targeted the lower age group. Our grandsons really had no interest in coloring or playing musical chairs. They opted instead to go to Microsoft Photo sessions which they enjoyed.

 

We had a great time on the Oosterdam, had great MDR waiters and cabin stewards. Food was very good but room service and Club HAL present opportunities for HAL to further enhance their good product. If they cannot improve the room service, they should do away with it.

 

we were in the PS in 2010 :) loved it!!

we dined in cabin a few times once they placed table cloth ther other times we were really just eating bfast quickly before port days so didnt bother. they always brought salt, pepper, bread butter, etc- so maybe this was an off cruise or things are deteriorating?? :(

agreed the service then was lukewarm food- so hard to bring piping hot food. they were so nice to us in the MDR though we didnt feel like eating in the cabin. THe service was excellent in the MDR.

 

I am sad to read about Club HAL- this has happened to us on Princess before-- inappropriate activities due to combining age groups :(

we will have to check into this on day 1 so we can remedy it before the week proceeds.

 

thanks for the post!!

[dan1618]

My sister was on a Hal Alaska cruise a couple of years ago and said there were almost 1,000 children on board, no way of telling how many children will or will not be there. Also can eat in Cannelto (10 dollar fee) on formal night without jacket/tie

 

Clearly, this is a gross exaggeration or someone got cruise lines mixed up. Since the largest HAL ship only has a passenger capacity of 1900 and change, that is simply an impossibility/implausibility of ridiculous proportions.

[HamOp]

Clearly, this is a gross exaggeration or someone got cruise lines mixed up. Since the largest HAL ship only has a passenger capacity of 1900 and change, that is simply an impossibility/implausibility of ridiculous proportions.

 

No, it could be accurate. You see if you are 90 years old all those 40 and 50 somethings are "kids". :D:D

[dan1618]

No, it could be accurate. You see if you are 90 years old all those 40 and 50 somethings are "kids". :D:D

 

Point taken. :) Or perhaps he was referring to all the 90 year olds behaving like children. Saw a few of those last time around!

[Linda&Vern]

Originally Posted by George C

My sister was on a Hal Alaska cruise a couple of years ago and said there were almost 1,000 children on board, no way of telling how many children will or will not be there. Also can eat in Cannelto (10 dollar fee) on formal night without jacket/tie

 

Clearly, this is a gross exaggeration or someone got cruise lines mixed up. Since the largest HAL ship only has a passenger capacity of 1900 and change, that is simply an impossibility/implausibility of ridiculous proportions.

I can't get my brain around this ;)... but the math just isn't adding up for this to be a HAL ship.

[Tampa Girl]

No, it could be accurate. You see if you are 90 years old all those 40 and 50 somethings are "kids". :D:D

 

 

But the poster said "children", not "kids." Or maybe he was just referring to people acting like children?

[Markanddonna]

I just got off the Westerdam from Alaska and the staff would not allow one man in who did not have a tie or jacket on formal night.

[kjw869]

we were in the PS in 2010 :) loved it!!

we dined in cabin a few times once they placed table cloth ther other times we were really just eating bfast quickly before port days so didnt bother. they always brought salt, pepper, bread butter, etc- so maybe this was an off cruise or things are deteriorating?? :(

agreed the service then was lukewarm food- so hard to bring piping hot food. they were so nice to us in the MDR though we didnt feel like eating in the cabin. THe service was excellent in the MDR.

 

I am sad to read about Club HAL- this has happened to us on Princess before-- inappropriate activities due to combining age groups :(

we will have to check into this on day 1 so we can remedy it before the week proceeds.

 

thanks for the post!!

 

We were in the PH Suite on the Zuiderdam last month, and had in-suite dining three out of the eleven nights on the B2B cruises. One evening, we our friends joined us for dinner. On every occasion, the service was wonderful, the food that was supposed to be hot was hot, and the foods that were supposed to be cold were cold.

 

We also ordered late night room service 3-4 times, and had the same great service.

 

 

 

Sent via Samsung Note II by AT&T using TapaTalk2

[jaguarstyper]

I just got off the Westerdam from Alaska and the staff would not allow one man in who did not have a tie or jacket on formal night.

I can almost gaurantee if the man would have grumbled or put up any sort of mild fuss, he would have been admitted to the dining room, sans jacket and tie.

 

In fact, in my recent experiences with fixed dining on the Westerdam, if you arrive for dinner after the throngs waiting online have all been seated, you can walk right in, completely overlooked (ignored?) by the gatekeeper staff in the MDR.

[RuthC]

I can almost gaurantee if the man would have grumbled or put up any sort of mild fuss, he would have been admitted to the dining room, sans jacket and tie.

Now there's a commentary that's doubly sad.