Least favourite HAL ship and why

[brazilgirl]

Oh dear, SeattleCruiseLovers, now you've got me worried all over again! Maybe I would be smart to stop reading these boards until after our vacation so that I'll be able to form my own opinion... but I know I won't be able to help myself!

 

 

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Before I went on my first Celebrity cruise on the Summit , I read horrible reviews .. Including reviews that said there were bed bugs ( in 2008). The M Class ships were also having pos problems . I was terrified ! But we had an amazing cruise ... I expect we will have a wonderful time on the Westerdam as will you

Canadiaccruiser!

[puppycanducruise]

We've only been on 4 dam ships (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Volendam and Eurodam) and all of them were wonderful. I'd sail on any of them anytime. My least favourite port was Katakalon.

[SeattleCruiseLovers]

Before I went on my first Celebrity cruise on the Summit , I read horrible reviews .. Including reviews that said there were bed bugs ( in 2008). The M Class ships were also having pos problems . I was terrified ! But we had an amazing cruise ... I expect we will have a wonderful time on the Westerdam as will you

Canadiaccruiser!

 

I agree! I should've qualified more in my post that we did have a wonderful time on the Westerdam. As I said, we actually had a much better cruise than we did on the Oosterdam. By no means were we disappointed with the time we had. The most serious issue (the no cold water) was fixed, and we were accommodated appropriately in return. My post was to explain that, given a choice between the 2 ships themselves, we'd choose the Oosterdam. I am sure you will have wonderful cruises on the Westerdam!

[arewethereyet]

I agree! I should've qualified more in my post that we did have a wonderful time on the Westerdam. As I said, we actually had a much better cruise than we did on the Oosterdam. By no means were we disappointed with the time we had. The most serious issue (the no cold water) was fixed, and we were accommodated appropriately in return. My post was to explain that, given a choice between the 2 ships themselves, we'd choose the Oosterdam. I am sure you will have wonderful cruises on the Westerdam!

That's the thing about "least favorite". It's relative. I still had an excellent cruise on my least favorite ship.

[brazilgirl]

I agree! I should've qualified more in my post that we did have a wonderful time on the Westerdam. As I said, we actually had a much better cruise than we did on the Oosterdam. By no means were we disappointed with the time we had. The most serious issue (the no cold water) was fixed, and we were accommodated appropriately in return. My post was to explain that, given a choice between the 2 ships themselves, we'd choose the Oosterdam. I am sure you will have wonderful cruises on the Westerdam!

 

I must admit , not having hot water ( or cold water) , having a/c issues or having toilet problems would be real problems for us ... I do get concerned when I read about these issues on HAL ships ( they don't seem to be issues on Celebrity). These kinds of issues could really impact a cruise.

 

You were patient about your water issues! I can imagine my DH might be really miffed about that...

[MaisonRose]

Oh my, the NA is our next ship! I'm not expecting to "love it", though. This one is all about the itinerary.....21 day Collectors Cruise westbound across the pond.

I'm already prepared to not like the claustrophobic cabanas at the Lido Pool. They look dreadful. It is what it is.

The plus side is that we're looking forward to experiencing Tamarind...and the New York décor.

And then it will be back to the "S" class ships and the Noordam! ;)

 

So I am no expert, but I loved it.

Highlights...Tamarind for sure and the Pinnacle Grill. Would skip Le Cirque, not good value by comparison. If I went back I would eat in the Tamarind every lunch.

The Trivia, which was tons of fun, even with 70 teams!

Tea time.

The crew, both cabin and dining room, very much on the same page..the right hand knew what the left hand was doing.

The warm greetings, Welcome Aboard! Welcome Back!

The artwork.

The entertainment much better than expected.

The digital workshops.

The Library and the New York Times on line: the daily crossword puzzles.

 

Lowlights: the ice cream which had ice chips in it, so not properly kept.

The long walks to the Aft venues...meals and pool.

 

I crossed last April on the Celebrity Reflection and loved it (their ice cream was way too good) but on that ship I found the service personnel, especially In the open dining, incredibly confused, like a Chinese fire drill. I never got food at the big Sunday brunch because of long lines.

 

So in one month I will be on the Ryndam, as I am hoping that a smaller ship will have the excellence of service and be easier to navigate.

 

In any case I suspect that every ship has weak and strong points and will, I hope, be a great experience. The Nieuw Amsterdam is a beautiful ship which will carry you home in style. Bon Voyage!

[Aruba]

I'm really hard-pressed to think of my "least favourite" ship. If I have to pick one I guess it would be the Zaandam, but I'd still cruise on her again. My favourite is the Volendam...

Aren't those 2 ships identical? :confused: What makes one your least favorite and the other your most favorite?

[St. Louis Sal]

Picking a least favorite is definitely subjective. We all have our favorites and our bad experiences.

 

For me the Rotterdam wins hands down as the worst ship I sailed. But the itinerary we sailed on (Hawaii/Tahiti) was the best. I still have flashbacks of water, water everywhere (coming down the walls, filling up the hallway, bubbling out of our drain in the bathroom.) And yet I spend lots more time remembering how it felt to float in the lagoon in Bora Bora.

 

Favorite ships include the Noordam, Eurodam, Westerdam and Amsterdam-I would be hard pressed to pick the best among them. When I'm not in the South Pacific my favorite ports are every stop in Alaska.

 

Least favorite port is Acapulco; step one foot off the dock and you are fair game for every vendor and they won't leave you alone (come on lady, buy the bracelet, cheaper than K-Mart!!). I liked Jamaica better than most people but that may be because I've only done ship's excursions and I was insulated from some of what others have reported.

 

This thread has me thinking about all my fantastic cruise experiences. I am so lucky to have sailed wonderful ships and visited beautiful ports. I wouldn't change a single one.

 

St. Louis Sal

[ceejay3377]

Aren't those 2 ships identical? :confused: What makes one your least favorite and the other your most favorite?

 

Aruba, I have been on both, and while the layout is very similar (not 'identical'), there are many things that leave a lasting impression that are not related to the structure or design of the ship. Your statement is a little bit like saying identical twins must be physically identical and have identical personalities - and I don't know any twins that I could make that statement about!

 

I LOVE the Volendam, but I was less impressed with the Zaandam and here is where I saw the differences between the two ships (my opinion only and limited to my sailing date in Dec/Jan 2011/12)

 

• Overall surface maintenance on the Zaandam seemed to be of a lower standard than the Volendam ... faded, unvarnished deck chairs with thread bare cushions, many rusty surfaces all over the promenade deck, and a nasty 'sewer' smell all down one side of the promenade deck (the 'odd numbered' side, sorry can't remember if that was port or starboard). I saw the situation like two identical houses, one with a loving home owner, and the other with a homeowner who does what he/she has to to keep it maintained. They are both sound, but one just has a better 'homeowner' - the Volendam felt loved. :)

• Much of the food was repeated in the MDR weekly (we were on board 30 nights), and overall was just a little bit below the standard I was used to on the Volendam. (We had previously done two 14 night itineraries on the Volendam, with no repeated menu). Again, a personal opinion only.

• We were on a collector cruise and received a letter in our cabin on embarkation promising us several exclusive events (such as movie nights, gatherings and cocktail events, etc.). None of these eventuated.

• This was a southern hemisphere summer school holiday sailing and the aft pool and the aft pool spas were regularly full of young children and toddlers for the entire trip (the older kids were 'yahooing' in the Lido pool, making it a little unsafe and quite daunting for the younger children). I prefer when the Captain makes the call that the Aft pool is adult only, but this didn't happen on our cruise. Something that was disappointing to me, but no doubt made many families very happy. (I am a teacher, I love kids, but I also like a little bit of a break from them when I am on holidays;)). With so many toddlers in pool nappies, I felt the aft pool and spa water needed to be refreshed more regularly (it was only refreshed weekly, and was pretty cloudy and contaminated by that point). HAL are usually pretty stringent on hand sanitising and cleanliness, but here was a big health issue going unaddressed.

• The Hotel director and staff were not as accessable on the Zaandam. They really seemed to have no time for passengers with issues (although the concierges were lovely - as usual). The airconditioning in our cabin couldn't be regulated and it was very cold for the duration of our cruise (30 nights! Brrr). We requested a cabin change, but both our sailings were full. I managed to get an extra blanket for the bed, but that was it "no more are available, sorry maam". Friends of ours had the other problem and were given a fan. I'm not a complainer, but it didn't help with our overall impression of the ship, especially considering I am a cold hater and cruise the tropics to escape cold weather!.
  

 

Now, this is just what I saw/felt/experienced and I still enjoyed my cruise immensely. None of this ruined my cruise, but I was not able to compare the Zaandam to the Volendam in a favourable manner. Others on the same sailing will no doubt have a different impression of the ship. Would I sail on the Zaandam gain? Probably. Staff and crew change all the time, which in turn changes the management and feel of the ship. I still love the Volendam, and will be sailing on her in Dec 2014. I hope that she is just as I remember her (even with my rose coloured glasses on!). No doubt after 4 years she will be a little older but that's OK, 'coz so am I!!

 

Cheers,

[startwin]

^^That pretty much sums up my experiences too, and why, with the two ships being very similar, the Volendam wins hands down.;) There is a general, overall much nicer ambiance on the Volendam compared to the Zaandam.

[Thebes]

Picking a least favorite is definitely subjective. We all have our favorites and our bad experiences.

 

For me the Rotterdam wins hands down as the worst ship I sailed. But the itinerary we sailed on (Hawaii/Tahiti) was the best. I still have flashbacks of water, water everywhere (coming down the walls, filling up the hallway, bubbling out of our drain in the bathroom.) And yet I spend lots more time remembering how it felt to float in the lagoon in Bora Bora.

 

Favorite ships include the Noordam, Eurodam, Westerdam and Amsterdam-I would be hard pressed to pick the best among them. When I'm not in the South Pacific my favorite ports are every stop in Alaska.

 

Least favorite port is Acapulco; step one foot off the dock and you are fair game for every vendor and they won't leave you alone (come on lady, buy the bracelet, cheaper than K-Mart!!). I liked Jamaica better than most people but that may be because I've only done ship's excursions and I was insulated from some of what others have reported.

 

This thread has me thinking about all my fantastic cruise experiences. I am so lucky to have sailed wonderful ships and visited beautiful ports. I wouldn't change a single one.

 

St. Louis Sal

 

Was curious to know what ship excursion have u done in JA ?