Ship Reviews

[SeaDate]

I was going through ship reviews and found a couple of reviews of the Zuiderdam from the same person. One said they were on the ship in Sept, the other said they were on the ship in Oct. Both were extremely neg, poor marks in every category. The interesting comment was that they would never, ever, ever sail HAL again! So, my take is that these are BS reviews because they were basically the same comments on each review. I also read one that was written about the same cruise I was on. Several inaccuracies to say the very least about the ship, crew, food, and anything else they could think up. They must have been the unluckiest people in the world on that cruise. Would never want to stand near, ride with, fly with, or cruise with them - the world may end around them at any second:rolleyes:

 

I'm not a HAL cheerleader, 4 out of 23 cruises, and yes there were issues with the A/C but ...... I've had issues on numerous cruise lines but never ever had a bad cruise.

 

Trollers waste everyone's time by their BS. Sorry, it makes me very angry when I see crap like that on the boards.

[Scrapnana]

They must have been the unluckiest people in the world on that cruise. Would never want to stand near, ride with, fly with, or cruise with them - the world may end around them at any second:rolleyes:

 

You sometimes get the feeling that these are the only people who want to write reviews. If a review does not give a fair account of the good and the bad, it is not worth reading, IMHO.

[sun~]

Sometimes it takes several days for a review to be posted. The reviewer probably wrote a second review thinking the first one wasn't published.

 

There are so many negative reviews, I had to read through them to see which two that were mentioned.

[MermaidWatcher]

There are posts on every line's boards that are 100% "Worst in the world everything". Like most, I disregard them, but I do amuse myself when reading them trying to figure out if the posters can be so pampered in their real life as to find everything and everyone beneath their expectations, or are they just such malcontents in real life and that is their genuine outlook on everything. With food, entertainment, ship's décor, etc. being so subjective, I can not imagine that there was not anything that met these posters' expectations.

 

As for Zuiderdam, we put off for a long time trying HAL because their ships do seem to generate an awful lot of mechanical issues. Finally we sailed 8/31 inside passage, had an excellent cruise, and did not hear of any ship board mechanical issues. So when it came to some "use it or lose it" vacation time, we gladly booked the 11/8 Panama Canal on her. We again had an excellent cruise, but their were some serious issues with non working AC in aft facing cabins on three decks, and indications seem to be that this existed for at least the two prior sailings, and HAL knowingly put more passengers in these rooms. Even though it did not affect me, I have been pretty vocal here about what I feel is callous disregard for those customers in particular, but I still have to rate my own experiences as excellent, and did so on the HAL survey.

[SeaDate]

There are posts on every line's boards that are 100% "Worst in the world everything". Like most, I disregard them, but I do amuse myself when reading them trying to figure out if the posters can be so pampered in their real life as to find everything and everyone beneath their expectations, or are they just such malcontents in real life and that is their genuine outlook on everything. With food, entertainment, ship's décor, etc. being so subjective, I can not imagine that there was not anything that met these posters' expectations.

 

As for Zuiderdam, we put off for a long time trying HAL because their ships do seem to generate an awful lot of mechanical issues. Finally we sailed 8/31 inside passage, had an excellent cruise, and did not hear of any ship board mechanical issues. So when it came to some "use it or lose it" vacation time, we gladly booked the 11/8 Panama Canal on her. We again had an excellent cruise, but their were some serious issues with non working AC in aft facing cabins on three decks, and indications seem to be that this existed for at least the two prior sailings, and HAL knowingly put more passengers in these rooms. Even though it did not affect me, I have been pretty vocal here about what I feel is callous disregard for those customers in particular, but I still have to rate my own experiences as excellent, and did so on the HAL survey.

 

We were on the same cruise. We were fortunate that we had no A/C issues but I also know that the aft cabins did have problems. I agree with you that it was/is unacceptable for HAL to book those cabins knowing there were/are issues. We too had an excellent cruise.

[tangerinebunny]

When numerous posters/reviewers mention the same problem it's believable.

 

But I agree that when one poster seems to have myriad problems it's difficult not to see that cartoon style black cloud over his head.

[startwin]

I was going through ship reviews and found a couple of reviews of the Zuiderdam from the same person. One said they were on the ship in Sept, the other said they were on the ship in Oct. Both were extremely neg, poor marks in every category. The interesting comment was that they would never, ever, ever sail HAL again! So, my take is that these are BS reviews because they were basically the same comments on each review. I also read one that was written about the same cruise I was on. Several inaccuracies to say the very least about the ship, crew, food, and anything else they could think up. They must have been the unluckiest people in the world on that cruise. Would never want to stand near, ride with, fly with, or cruise with them - the world may end around them at any second:rolleyes:

 

I'm not a HAL cheerleader, 4 out of 23 cruises, and yes there were issues with the A/C but ...... I've had issues on numerous cruise lines but never ever had a bad cruise.

 

Trollers waste everyone's time by their BS. Sorry, it makes me very angry when I see crap like that on the boards.

 

It is possible to be on a ship in two different months - for myself, I was on in August and September. Last year it was in April and in May. I don't understand doing two separate reviews, though. However, some people feel very strongly when they have had their cruise ruined by something detrimental on board a ship. Others on the same cruise may not have experienced it.

[OlsSalt]

Renumerations were offered to the complaining party. Sorry to see this exact same thread start up again with exactly the same past complaints, particularly after someone a week later in the exact same cabin had no problems at all. Whatever problems that a few people had experienced, seemed to have resolved.

 

From our close to 200 days I cannot agree with any conclusion that HAL ships have a lot of mechanical problems and I don't think that is a fair accusation to just let stand there without making a comment to the contrary. Sorry to see this exact same litany of complaints now well discussed to start up again.

 

Happy Thanksgiving. Be grateful one has the luxury of cruising to complain about in the first place, right? :cool:

[Keith1010]

When I read reviews I go with what I call the 80/20 rule.

 

If 80% of the people say something is positive, so so, or negative I accept that as fact until I experience it myself.

 

In the end, you will rarely have 100% of the people saying the same thing.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sadly there are many people who delight in ripping apart a ship about every little thing -- and this happens on all cruise lines.

Just remember that the people on CC are only a small percentage of whom are on the ships.

[pris993]

I actually read the reviews that very high and very low when I am selecting a ship, feel they help to balance our what I might expect. If I can live with the negative then figure ship will work for me. So I find the negative reviews helpful.

[fishywood]

My review of Massdam last month was not posted to the review section until nearly three weeks after I submitted it. So it is very possible the fellow member you are referring to made a second attempt to post. The duplicity that you somehow ascribe an anti-HAL consipracy theory to could even have been an accident; just think of how many inadvertant double posts are made on these boards every day.

 

If you believe that someone posted a series of factual inaccuracies, the helpful thing to do would be to offer your personal "more correct" version rather than start a thread for the sole purpose of venting and name-calling.

 

...which on many of the other CC boards, use of the "T-word" results in the thread being edited, locked or deleted--and possibly a 'Guideline Warning' in your mailbox. Would be nice if that was enforced throughout (my .02 on the matter).

[take us away]

We are soon to be 5 star on HAL plus we have many days on other cruise lines. Yes, we have had a few issues now and again (no or faulty A/C, toilets not flushing) . Now if our life was ALWAYS perfect I would write a bad review but come on folks, we all have mechanical problems in our homes and with the turn over on ships and the heavy use of the systems, it is just life. Not the most convenient but finding a public rest room while they get the toilet fixed is not all that inconvenient.

 

Some bad reviews remind me of a couple we had lunch with who were writing a formal complaint on their cabin steward as he 'woke them up' when he came in to clean their room at 10:00 am. They did admit they had always been out of their cabin by 8 am on the previous 20 days but "he should have known we were still there". Some people just have to complain about something / anything.

 

HAL has always been accommodating, do admit sometimes they need a little extra push, but the service, itineraries and food definitely out weigh the few mechanical issues we have encountered.

Edited November 29, 2013 by take us away

[startwin]

We are 5 star on HAL plus many days on other cruise lines and we have had a few issues now and again (no or faulty A/C, toilets not flushing) . Now if our life was ALWAYS perfect I would write a bad review but come on folks, we all have mechanical problems in our homes and with the turn over on ships and the heavy use of the systems, it is just life. Not the most convenient but finding a public rest room while they get the toilet fixed is not all that inconvenient.

 

HAL has always been accommodating, do admit sometimes they need a little extra push, but the service, itineraries and food definitely out weigh the few mechanical issues we have encountered.

 

That comment is quite funny, based on my experience - and I certainly have not slammed HAL over it, just been truthful and reported the facts. But 22 days - a very expensive cruise - with having to find a working public restroom constantly, is rather inconvenient to say the very least. I'm just happy you have not had to experience this.

 

On another note - whenever negative reports are posted, there is incessant parade of CC-ers who say you have to discount such reports. I'm just curious as to what these nay-sayers think there is to be gained by reporting false issues on here.

[Wakepatrol]

We are soon to be 5 star on HAL plus we have many days on other cruise lines. Yes, we have had a few issues now and again (no or faulty A/C, toilets not flushing) . Now if our life was ALWAYS perfect I would write a bad review but come on folks, we all have mechanical problems in our homes and with the turn over on ships and the heavy use of the systems, it is just life. Not the most convenient but finding a public rest room while they get the toilet fixed is not all that inconvenient.

 

Some bad reviews remind me of a couple we had lunch with who were writing a formal complaint on their cabin steward as he 'woke them up' when he came in to clean their room at 10:00 am. They did admit they had always been out of their cabin by 8 am on the previous 20 days but "he should have known we were still there". Some people just have to complain about something / anything.

 

HAL has always been accommodating, do admit sometimes they need a little extra push, but the service, itineraries and food definitely out weigh the few mechanical issues we have encountered.

 

 

It's also a great econmical way to cruise. Complain at the desk every single day about one thing or the other,sooner or later HAL will give you a $400 shipboard credit to sail with them again. This is the baffling part. Why would you want these PITA people to come back on your ships again? Just don't get it.:confused:

[TracieABD]

Everything with a grain of salt... :)

[MermaidWatcher]

Renumerations were offered to the complaining party.

Olssalt, I enjoy reading your opinions, so please tell us what you know of the remunerations and how you are privy to that knowledge. I have seen your posts often point out others for spreading "facts" which you believe they could not have any way of verifying, yet you seem to be doing the same thing.

Sorry to see this exact same thread start up again with exactly the same past complaints, particularly after someone a week later in the exact same cabin had no problems at all. Whatever problems that a few people had experienced, seemed to have resolved.

Seems to me if they were able to resolve these recurring problems, there would not be such a lengthy time line of posts on them, often referencing these same problems, even in times of past years.

 

From our close to 200 days I cannot agree with any conclusion that HAL ships have a lot of mechanical problems and I don't think that is a fair accusation to just let stand there without making a comment to the contrary. Sorry to see this exact same litany of complaints now well discussed to start up again.

I am very glad that you have not experienced any problems, and I always state that my own experiences with HAL, though nothing near your 200 days, have been excellent, but unless you believe that many of these people are making up stories on the mechanical issues, I can't reach your same conclusion that there does not exist an over abundance of recurring mechanical problems with several HAL ships. I remember you clearly posting a reply once that espoused the idea that just because something did not happen to you does not mean that it is not a very real issue to someone else.

 

Happy Thanksgiving. Be grateful one has the luxury of cruising to complain about in the first place, right? :cool:

 

I would like to see this end with some of those affected shedding some light on any remuneration they received, but I suspect they have been silenced by the terms of the agreement, if any was offered. And as I said before, we all know the cruise lines actively monitor all these public boards, so it seems HAL would address all this negativity with a public statement, but I guess that would be tantamount to acknowledging that there really is a problem

 

I do not want this to become a dominating issue on threads either, but I will continue to mention it when I think it is relative to my post. I read others comments and opinions to try to gather honest opinions and facts by others, so I can make an informed decisions on spending my dollars, not to just see series of "Hi, have a good cruise", "Hope you have good weather", etc.

Edited November 30, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[MermaidWatcher]

Sorry , but my last sentence is missing above and should read....Thus

I feel a duty to post a comment on issues that I believe could affect the enjoyment of something that people have spent thousands of dollars to purchase.

Edited November 30, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[sapper1]

I would like to see this end with some of those affected shedding some light on any remuneration they received, but I suspect they have been silenced by the terms of the agreement, if any was offered. And as I said before, we all know the cruise lines actively monitor all these public boards, so it seems HAL would address all this negativity with a public statement, but I guess that would be tantamount to acknowledging that there really is a problem

 

I do not want this to become a dominating issue on threads either, but I will continue to mention it when I think it is relative to my post. I read others comments and opinions to try to gather honest opinions and facts by others, so I can make an informed decisions on spending my dollars, not to just see series of "Hi, have a good cruise", "HoEpe you have good weather", etc.

I have no problem reporting the compensation we received for our Zuiderdam cruise. We were not silenced and we did not request anything from HAL. We received $500 OBC on our next cruise. We had told our TA about the day without AC ship wide and the full day with no toilets aft of the glass elevators. She likes feedback from her clients and she took it upon herself to get the compensation for us. We were pleasantly surprised.

Edited November 30, 2013 by sapper1

[startwin]

I would like to see this end with some of those affected shedding some light on any remuneration they received, but I suspect they have been silenced by the terms of the agreement, if any was offered. And as I said before, we all know the cruise lines actively monitor all these public boards, so it seems HAL would address all this negativity with a public statement, but I guess that would be tantamount to acknowledging that there really is a problem

 

I do not want this to become a dominating issue on threads either, but I will continue to mention it when I think it is relative to my post. I read others comments and opinions to try to gather honest opinions and facts by others, so I can make an informed decisions on spending my dollars, not to just see series of "Hi, have a good cruise", "Hope you have good weather", etc.

 

I would also like to see the answers to your questions to the member.

 

As for compensation, I also have no problem with disclosing that we received a $500 OBC on the last day of our 22-day cruise, in compensation for having a toilet that seldom flushed, and having to use the public restrooms for many days (and nights) of the cruise. The challenge there was finding a public restroom that was not "out of order".

 

As I posted in another thread, I have written go Guest Relations asking them for assurance that the cabin I have booked for next April does not have a/c or toilet issues, otherwise they will have to move us to a fully-functioning cabin.

[TracieABD]

I would also like to see the answers to your questions to the member.

 

As for compensation, I also have no problem with disclosing that we received a $500 OBC on the last day of our 22-day cruise, in compensation for having a toilet that seldom flushed, and having to use the public restrooms for many days (and nights) of the cruise. The challenge there was finding a public restroom that was not "out of order".

 

As I posted in another thread, I have written go Guest Relations asking them for assurance that the cabin I have booked for next April does not have a/c or toilet issues, otherwise they will have to move us to a fully-functioning cabin.

I hate to hear of these mechanical difficulties on anybody's vacation. I sure hope your next cruise is trouble free!:)

[OlsSalt]

Sorry , but my last sentence is missing above and should read....Thus

I feel a duty to post a comment on issues that I believe could affect the enjoyment of something that people have spent thousands of dollars to purchase.

 

To be most helpful, please include your cabin number, where you were cruising and dates of your cruise. Then readers will be able to evaluate whether later reports or an intervening dry dock remedied your specific situation. Or, not. Thnx. :cool:

[MermaidWatcher]

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences with us.

 

Sapper1....The $500 OBC from your TA is a nice effort on her part. I had no complaints with that day's event; we were notified, and although the ac was down a little longer than they anticipated, I was glad they did the work before there was another failure at sea. I understand that systems that operate 24/7 periodically need down time for servicing, and I am happy they had the foresight to schedule it on a port day.

 

Tracie....I don't think I would consider just a $500 OBC a just offer for your situation, and hope that if you keep nipping at their heels, they will refund you something.

 

My opinion is that OBC's are ok for an incentive or reward of some sort, but a slap in the face as compensation for real issues. I feel that these need real money refunds, not something that I can't collect unless I am willing to spend an additional several thousand dollars with a vendor who just provided me with an inferior product, and I most likely have no desire to use again, at least not very soon.

But you know what they say about free opinions.....they are usually worth exactly what you paid for them. ;)

Edited November 30, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[MermaidWatcher]

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences with us.

 

The $500 OBC from your TA is nice. I had no complaints with that day's event; we were notified, and although the ac was down a little longer than they anticipated, I was glad they did the work before there was another failure at sea. I understand that systems that operate 24/7 periodically need down time for servicing, and I am happy they had the foresight to schedule it on a port day.

 

I don't think I would consider just a $500 OBC a just offer for your situation, and hope that if you keep nipping at their heels, they will refund you something.

 

My opinion is that OBC's are ok for an incentive or reward of some sort, but a slap in the face as compensation for real issues. I feel that these need real money refunds, not something that I can't collect unless I am willing to spend an additional several thousand dollars with a vendor who just provided me with an inferior product, and I most likely have no desire to use again, at least not very soon.

[CowPrincess]

To be most helpful, please include your cabin number, where you were cruising and dates of your cruise. Then readers will be able to evaluate whether later reports or an intervening dry dock remedied your specific situation. Or, not. Thnx. :cool:

 

Requesting identifying and/or personal information from other posters is considered bad form, on most forums. I personally consider cabin number to be identifying information. You could not pay me enough to disclose my cabin number on the internet.

 

IMHO it would be more helpful to ongoing discussions if some posters stopped denying that some people are experiencing problems on the Zuiderdam. If a passenger is in one of 20 cabins with problems on a particular sailing, that leaves 100s of other cabins that did not experience a problem. That is no consolation to the passengers who did experience one or more problems.