Feeling Nervous - Considering HAL

[Cindy]

My husband and I have cruised with Royal Caribbean more than any other line. We took our first HAL cruise in November, and had an excellent time! We would definitely consider another HAL cruise. They have some wonderful itineraries, and I think longer cruises and specialty cruises are where they excel. We have friends who have taken several jazz cruises on Holland America and loved them.

Here's a link to the review I wrote after our cruise...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1750733

 

[feb29]

We're also loyal to Royal but sailed on Niuew Amsterdam in her 1st Caribbean season. Thought the ship was beautiful. It was nice to experience some different activities. They had a great show kitchen. Loved the Hydro pool ( extra charge) We were in a midship VF category Balcony on deck 8, which was comparable with any other ship we've been on. A bit more sedate yes, but still a great trip. Wouldn't hesitate to book this class of ship again.

[markeb]

We've cruised HAL as well. It's been a few years, as we decided we enjoyed the more active lifestyle offered by RCI, but if I were looking for a fun, relaxing, cruise, I'd certainly return to HAL.

 

I'm surprised by those who found a HAL ship old and worn; one of the greatest differences we've seen between the two lines was the near constant attention to the ship and her passengers on HAL. On HAL, we've returned to our cabin mid-day for 15-30 minutes, left again, realized we forgot something, and found our cabin steward in the cabin mere minutes after we left. The ships are much more traditional. As one of the posters stated, they'll have dark (one could argue elegant) wood trim. The Pinnacle Grill is head and shoulders above Chops, and the wine list is amazing and varied. At least when we sailed them, it seemed the ratio of waiters to tables was much better.

 

HAL is the Waldorf Astoria; RCI is the W. Both have their place and both can be enjoyed.

[betsyl]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I don't think we're going after all as we were invited by friends who have since backed out. Oh, well ... Since it's apparently not against the rules, here is the website on the cruise we were considering: http://www.countrymusiccruise.com/

 

Happy cruising to all, regardless of which line you choose!:D