Back to Non HAL After HAL

[qsuzi]

As a solo cruiser and one who cruises mainly for itinerary, my list is probably not the norm, but:

 

1. Voyages to Antiquity -- great itineraries, great lecturers, great crew, solo-friendly. On the minus side, little entertainment onboard, ship definitely not glitzy.

 

(the above is my cruise line of choice; all others are far below in terms of my readiness to sail with them)

 

2. Tie: If I want the Caribbean (rather rare) I'd pick Celebrity's newer ships. I like the decor, the food (I enjoy sophisticated dining, not a basic chop for dinner), and the entertainment. Cabins are smaller but I don't spend most of my time there anyway.

 

2. Tie: If I want something itinerary-based, I'd pick HAL. Has been relatively solo-friendly, good itineraries, good cabins. On the minus side: not as happy with the food choice (see above); not much entertainment in the later evening; no good lecturers on shorter cruises, apparently....

 

4. Princess -- All things being equal I would swap this with #3 (HAL) if I could count on getting a comfy bed on Princess. Alas, I can't.... I like Princess' food and entertainment better than HAL's but not as much as Celebrity's. However Celebrity itineraries are often, how shall I say it, unadventurous.

 

5. Swan Hellenic -- Small ship, great itineraries & lecturers, very British. Love the itineraries, not so fond of some of the entitlement onboard....

 

 

Only one line I've sailed with that I would never sail with again: NCL.

Well I definitely have to check out #1 and #5. Good news regarding the beds on the Crown Princess (sailed 1/15) - it was the most comfortable of any bed we have experienced in 36 cruises - beds were recently replaced at least on the Crown. I have a single friend who mostly cruises RCI which is not single solofriendly. As Diamond Plus he gets lots of amenities but! He has sailed Celebrity. Is your itinerary preference based on your profession and/or personal interest?

Edited March 17, 2015 by qsuzi

[cbr663]

River cruises also interest us. Have you done much research and have a recommendation of companies you are considering for a river cruise? I briefly looked at Oceania and won't say never. Have you compared size and price of mini suites and suites on other lines to HAL. We found the Princess mini suite comparable size and less price to our HAL Vista suite. We have not been to Half Moon Cay but heard very good things.

 

We have recently started researching river cruises. Viking has some wonderful itineraries, especially in France. (Viking ocean cruises look pretty wonderful also). Others I have spoken with have told me that they learned so much more about the ports on a river cruise than they ever did on an ocean cruise. Add in the fact that many river cruises have less than 200 passengers and you have a very different experience.

 

One of the reasons we sailed on the Volendam to Alaska was to check out the size of the ship. The Volendam is nearly the identical size of Oceania's Riveria and Marina. We found that size of ship to be wonderful. We had a Vista Suite on the Volendam and it didn't seem to be much larger than a regular balcony suite on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

[qsuzi]

We have recently started researching river cruises. Viking has some wonderful itineraries, especially in France. (Viking ocean cruises look pretty wonderful also). Others I have spoken with have told me that they learned so much more about the ports on a river cruise than they ever did on an ocean cruise. Add in the fact that many river cruises have less than 200 passengers and you have a very different experience.

 

One of the reasons we sailed on the Volendam to Alaska was to check out the size of the ship. The Volendam is nearly the identical size of Oceania's Riveria and Marina. We found that size of ship to be wonderful. We had a Vista Suite on the Volendam and it didn't seem to be much larger than a regular balcony suite on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

Gives you a whole new perspective for sure. Thanks for the information on the Volendam.

[Laurie22]

My wife and I just returned from a two week southern caribbean cruise on Celebrity's Eclipse. We had heard that Celebrity was equal to or slightly above HAL. I'm here to tell you....... it ain't so!!! The ship was beautiful, the itinerary was good (too many islands in too few days though - we wouldn't do that again). Generally, the crew was available and friendly. Our cabin Stewart was OK, but not friendly like on our past two HAL cruises where they called us by name after the first day and couldn't do enough for us. We sailed the Eurodam two winters in a row and the cabin Stewart even remember our names. Unless the food quality has slipped very recently, the food on HAL was far superior. I never had a problem in the MDR on HAL finding something great to eat. How did Celebrity compare.. Well, out of 14 nights, we only had dinner in the MDR five times. Looked at the evening menues in the afternoon and couldn't find one item that appealed, so ate at the buffet all the other evenings. Room service meals are very restrictive in what they offer. However, Celebrity entertainment is FAR superior to that on HAL. We even had karaoke five times during the 14 days and the winner appeared on stage at the final show Saturday. Slightly younger crowd on Celebrity 50s thru 70s. HAL appears to be more 60s thru 80s. Only took two ship shore excursions. Both were good, but costly. I think that's the same with all the cruise lines though. Loved being able to track my account on the tv in our room. Cruise director was fabulous and involved and even did a one-woman show one night. My view is that HAL Is more traditional on both style and on-board finishes whereas Celebrity is more plastic, glass, Chrome and flash ----- European style vs American style.

Would I return to Celebrity? Maybe. Will I sail again with HAL? Definitely!

 

Wow, I could have written the above comments, word for word. We have only ever tried HAL and Celebrity, and we came away wanting to go back to HAL. We really missed the genuinely friendly service on HAL when we sailed with Celebrity, but we loved the entertainment on Celebrity. This is a really interesting thread. I am enjoying reading all the comments.

[Friend100]

We had a mid-ship hump Junior Suite on Liberty of the Seas last November, and then a month after that, we had a Deck 1 inside J on the Eurodam. The comparison of the overall cruise experience was still fresh in our mind. We concluded that we liked the HAL product more.

 

Our next cruise will be back to Disney, and then will likely try Norwegian for the first time after that.

Edited March 18, 2015 by Friend100

[HELENPSL]

I have only sailed on 5 cruises - 2 on RCI, 2 on CCL and 1 on HAL.

 

Carnival - these were both to the Caribbean. We sailed on the Dream and the Breeze. We found both of these ships difficult to get around. We always felt like we were in a maze since few of their decks go all the way through from one side to the other. We finally decided to just go to the casino and start there. We did enjoy the food on the CCL ships and the entertainment.

 

RCI - the first experience was many years ago and a quick 4 day trip on Navigator of the Seas. We then sailed on Oasis. I was also amazed that they could process so many people so quickly and the ship never felt crowded. We liked the food better on CCL and finally realized that we are not meant to travel to the Carribbean. We did find, though, that this ship had the best entertainment.

 

HAL - last years trip was my dream trip. We took the 24 day Magic of the Med cruise. It was completely port driven and went to some of the most interesting places such as Venice, Athens, Barcelona, Istanbul, etc. We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam - loved the ship and the service was fabulous. Although the shows in the evening left something to be desired we spent most of our evenings in the BB King Blues club. Just fantastic (yes it's loud). Since we were exhausted from our excursions we were in bed by midnight so we could do it again the next day.

 

We are now scheduled to leave April 15 on the Eurodam for the 24 day Iberian and Baltic Adventure. We loved the size of the Nieuw Amsterdam and expect to love the Eurodam as well. Right now we are pretty much committed to HAL primarily because of the itineraries. Now looking at the 14 day Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale cruise for 2016. Always in the planning mode!!!

Edited March 18, 2015 by helenpsl

[qsuzi]

Wow, I could have written the above comments, word for word. We have only ever tried HAL and Celebrity, and we came away wanting to go back to HAL. We really missed the genuinely friendly service on HAL when we sailed with Celebrity, but we loved the entertainment on Celebrity. This is a really interesting thread. I am enjoying reading all the comments.

 

Thank you for commenting Laurie.

[qsuzi]

We had a mid-ship hump Junior Suite on Liberty of the Seas last November, and then a month after that, we had a Deck 1 inside J on the Eurodam. The comparison of the overall cruise experience was still fresh in our mind. We concluded that we liked the HAL product more.

 

Our next cruise will be back to Disney, and then will likely try Norwegian for the first time after that.

 

What are some of the things you liked about the Eurodam Friend?

[qsuzi]

I have only sailed on 5 cruises - 2 on RCI, 2 on CCL and 1 on HAL.

 

Carnival - these were both to the Caribbean. We sailed on the Dream and the Breeze. We found both of these ships difficult to get around. We always felt like we were in a maze since few of their decks go all the way through from one side to the other. We finally decided to just go to the casino and start there. We did enjoy the food on the CCL ships and the entertainment.

 

RCI - the first experience was many years ago and a quick 4 day trip on Navigator of the Seas. We then sailed on Oasis. I was also amazed that they could process so many people so quickly and the ship never felt crowded. We liked the food better on CCL and finally realized that we are not meant to travel to the Carribbean. We did find, though, that this ship had the best entertainment.

 

HAL - last years trip was my dream trip. We took the 24 day Magic of the Med cruise. It was completely port driven and went to some of the most interesting places such as Venice, Athens, Barcelona, Istanbul, etc. We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam - loved the ship and the service was fabulous. Although the shows in the evening left something to be desired we spent most of our evenings in the BB King Blues club. Just fantastic (yes it's loud). Since we were exhausted from our excursions we were in bed by midnight so we could do it again the next day.

 

We are now scheduled to leave April 15 on the Eurodam for the 24 day Iberian and Baltic Adventure. We loved the size of the Nieuw Amsterdam and expect to love the Eurodam as well. Right now we are pretty much committed to HAL primarily because of the itineraries. Now looking at the 14 day Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale cruise for 2016. Always in the planning mode!!!

Nice to see comments about various cruise lines. What a great itinerary on the Nieuw Amsterdam! Istanbul is one place I would love to see. What are some of the ports on your upcoming Eurodam cruise? HAL does have some very good itineraries especially the longer cruises. Planning is a fun part of the cruise process don't you agree?

[cruisemom42]

Well I definitely have to check out #1 and #5. Good news regarding the beds on the Crown Princess (sailed 1/15) - it was the most comfortable of any bed we have experienced in 36 cruises - beds were recently replaced at least on the Crown. I have a single friend who mostly cruises RCI which is not single solofriendly. As Diamond Plus he gets lots of amenities but! He has sailed Celebrity. Is your itinerary preference based on your profession and/or personal interest?

 

Yes, not many lines are truly "solo-friendly" and even in the best case it is not a bargain. River cruises are particularly $$$ for solos. But the experiences of travel are worth every penny to me. :) I try to alternate cruises with land trips -- generally one of each annually, overseas.

 

I'm sort of an "armchair" historian with a strong interest in ancient civilizations, particularly ancient Rome but also others.

[HELENPSL]

Nice to see comments about various cruise lines. What a great itinerary on the Nieuw Amsterdam! Istanbul is one place I would love to see. What are some of the ports on your upcoming Eurodam cruise? HAL does have some very good itineraries especially the longer cruises. Planning is a fun part of the cruise process don't you agree?

 

Cruise critic makes the planning even better. Last year I hooked up thru CC with several people from Australia. Since we were leaving from Venice we flew in a few days early. Two of the couples were staying in the hotel right next to our hotel so we met them for dinner the first night. With one of the couples it was love at first sight...very unusual for us. We spent most of our cruise with them and they will be cruising with us this year. The upcoming cruise leaves from Barcelona. This was an intentional choice since we ended there last year but didn't have enough time. We are going in 4 days early and then leaving on April 26 (not April 15 which is what I wrote above). We go to several ports in Spain; to Lisbon; Gibraltar, England to see the Rock of Gribraltar; Cherbourg, France to see the D-Day sights; Belgium; and end the first 12 days in Copenhagen. From there we cruise for 12 days thru the Baltics - Germany; St. Petersburg, Russia; Finland; Sweden and end up back in Copenhagen. We decided that we didn't know when we would get back to this part of the world so we are then flying to Prague for 4 days and then home to Florida. I don't know how anything can beat the trip last year but I'm certainly ready to try!!

[qsuzi]

Yes, not many lines are truly "solo-friendly" and even in the best case it is not a bargain. River cruises are particularly $$$ for solos. But the experiences of travel are worth every penny to me. :) I try to alternate cruises with land trips -- generally one of each annually, overseas.

 

I'm sort of an "armchair" historian with a strong interest in ancient civilizations, particularly ancient Rome but also others.

 

I love history too but have not spent the time and effort to really be knowledgeable. Have you been to Rome before? I quickly looked at your "Voyages to Antiquity" and that seems the best cruise way to go for the in-depth experience. We were in Rome 2 full days and hired a private limo plus a Sistine Chapel guide and just scratched the surface of everything there is to see. Land trips are a better way to go in Europe.

Edited March 18, 2015 by qsuzi

[qsuzi]

Cruise critic makes the planning even better. Last year I hooked up thru CC with several people from Australia. Since we were leaving from Venice we flew in a few days early. Two of the couples were staying in the hotel right next to our hotel so we met them for dinner the first night. With one of the couples it was love at first sight...very unusual for us. We spent most of our cruise with them and they will be cruising with us this year. The upcoming cruise leaves from Barcelona. This was an intentional choice since we ended there last year but didn't have enough time. We are going in 4 days early and then leaving on April 26 (not April 15 which is what I wrote above). We go to several ports in Spain; to Lisbon; Gibraltar, England to see the Rock of Gribraltar; Cherbourg, France to see the D-Day sights; Belgium; and end the first 12 days in Copenhagen. From there we cruise for 12 days thru the Baltics - Germany; St. Petersburg, Russia; Finland; Sweden and end up back in Copenhagen. We decided that we didn't know when we would get back to this part of the world so we are then flying to Prague for 4 days and then home to Florida. I don't know how anything can beat the trip last year but I'm certainly ready to try!!

Such a wonderful thing to be so compatible and have such a strong connection with people you meet like that. We keep in contact with our special friends we meet on cruises but it can be difficult to arrange another cruise to take together. Thanks for sharing the details on your April itinerary - impressive! What memories you will make.

[KruzPrincess]

1. Princess

2. Celebrity

3. HAL......I guess.

 

It's been a long time since I've cruised other cruise lines, so it's difficult to rank them on this list. I feel at home on Princess. Princess offers the best loyalty benefits and that's usually what draws me back. I like trying other cruise lines, but I usually go back to Princess. I enjoyed my single Celebrity cruise, but it had issues for me. I hadn't cruised on HAL in 12 years. My first HAL cruise was unfortunate. I finally tried the Veendam last year and that was a mess because my cruise was cancelled while I was on the ship.

[Caribbean Chris]

. I am also wondering if some people get accustomed to the nuances of a particular line and then miss that when they try others, perceiving that as a negative versus a simple difference.

 

I agree. We invited old friends to join us on the Noordam about five or six years ago after we had a good experience sampling HAL. We loved Noordam and everything about that cruise was first rate.

 

Our friends, however, had been sailing a lot on Princess, and the wife relentlessly made negative comparisons. (It got to be almost a private drinking game where my husband and I reached for our wine glasses every time she said the word "Princess.") I felt like I had to keep defending HAL, which was ridiculous.

 

I caught myself thinking the same way when we sailed Celebrity, and I missed HAL's promenade decks, Explorations Cafe, and wonderful room stewards. But I now know that X has a whole lot of positives, too. There are just differences between the two.

[Cruzaholic41]

Thanks for starting this thread. I think it's an excellent discussion and I enjoy reading the varied opinions. I'm going to give you a different perspective. I cruise at least once a month and have cruised all the major lines numerous times. I'm not bragging - I just have part ownership of a large travel company.

 

I like that HAL is unique in the cruise industry but for me, they rank rather low. It's my opinion their biggest detriment is being part of Carnival Corp who isn't exactly known for being new and exciting. By that, I mean they don't have enough variety in the individual fleets. Carnival Cruise Line has been expanding on the same old ship design since Destiny and Conquest Class. HAL's Vista and Signature Classes are almost identical. Even Princess was stuck with the same old layout until recently. As a very frequent cruiser, I want to see different. Sameness gets boring to me. HAL needs to come into this century. I'm excited about Koningsdam, but so far HAL's inability to install new technology and their resistance to banning balcony smoking has me looking (and suggesting) elsewhere.

 

My rankings of the major lines are as follows. I've also cruised several luxury lines, but I'll leave those out.

 

1. Celebrity

2. Royal Caribbean

3. Disney

4. Princess

5. MSC

6. Holland America

7. Carnival

8. Costa

9. NCL

 

Celebrity only has 2 ship classes (excluding the Century who is by herself), but they hit a grand slam with Solstice Class. I also favor them for their very restrictive smoking policy.

 

Royal Caribbean cannot be matched when it comes to variety and entertainment. Their ships are so different from one another, it's almost like there are 4 different cruise lines within RCI. For example, a cruise on Oasis is nothing at all similar to a cruise on Radiance.

 

The wild card in this is MSC. I was blown away by my cruise on Divina and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

 

Like most of the others, NCL is at the bottom. I've had too many bad experiences with Freestyle and if it's possible to get too casual, NCL has achieved it. On no other cruise line have I seen so many tank tops and baseball caps worn in the MDR and NCL's level of service matches the passengers' unwillingness to present themselves decently.

Edited March 18, 2015 by Cruzaholic41

[cruisemom42]

I agree. We invited old friends to join us on the Noordam about five or six years ago after we had a good experience sampling HAL. We loved Noordam and everything about that cruise was first rate.

 

Our friends, however, had been sailing a lot on Princess, and the wife relentlessly made negative comparisons. (It got to be almost a private drinking game where my husband and I reached for our wine glasses every time she said the word "Princess.") I felt like I had to keep defending HAL, which was ridiculous.

 

I caught myself thinking the same way when we sailed Celebrity, and I missed HAL's promenade decks, Explorations Cafe, and wonderful room stewards. But I now know that X has a whole lot of positives, too. There are just differences between the two.

 

 

You have said so well what I have struggled to articulate many times. Different isn't necessarily bad. Some things one may like more or less, but we shouldn't expect every cruise line to be exactly the same.

 

Kind of reminds me of those travelers that visit a foreign country and lament that everything isn't exactly the same as it is at home.

[cruisemom42]

I love history too but have not spent the time and effort to really be knowledgeable. Have you been to Rome before? I quickly looked at your "Voyages to Antiquity" and that seems the best cruise way to go for the in-depth experience. We were in Rome 2 full days and hired a private limo plus a Sistine Chapel guide and just scratched the surface of everything there is to see. Land trips are a better way to go in Europe.

 

Yes, I've been to Rome....more times than you can count on two hands. :D I'm hoping to spend a significant chunk of time there after I retire.

 

Land trips are great, as is simply spending a week or so in a major city. But cruises are also a nice change of pace, and they provide a way to get to places that are worth a quick visit (say Katakolon, where the only major draw is the ancient ruins of Olympia) but where you wouldn't necessarily want to spend more than a day.

[Alberta Quilter]

Thanks for starting this thread. I think it's an excellent discussion and I enjoy reading the varied opinions. I'm going to give you a different perspective. I cruise at least once a month and have cruised all the major lines numerous times. I'm not bragging - I just have part ownership of a large travel company.

 

I like that HAL is unique in the cruise industry but for me, they rank rather low. It's my opinion their biggest detriment is being part of Carnival Corp who isn't exactly known for being new and exciting. By that, I mean they don't have enough variety in the individual fleets. Carnival Cruise Line has been expanding on the same old ship design since Destiny and Conquest Class. HAL's Vista and Signature Classes are almost identical. quote]

 

Thank you for your post; I enjoyed reading your perspective since you have so much experience with so many cruise lines.

 

Just one question, you say that you like that HAL is unique in the industry - in what way are they unique compared to the other lines?

[qsuzi]

1. Princess

2. Celebrity

3. HAL......I guess.

 

It's been a long time since I've cruised other cruise lines, so it's difficult to rank them on this list. I feel at home on Princess. Princess offers the best loyalty benefits and that's usually what draws me back. I like trying other cruise lines, but I usually go back to Princess. I enjoyed my single Celebrity cruise, but it had issues for me. I hadn't cruised on HAL in 12 years. My first HAL cruise was unfortunate. I finally tried the Veendam last year and that was a mess because my cruise was cancelled while I was on the ship.

As you know things can happen on any cruise line but boy what bad luck twice on HAL. Hope you give them another chance but I do understand about going from perks you receive/like vs little perks and/or those not of value to you. What level are you on Princess? HAL perks are not much value to us until we would reach 4 Star. IMHO HAL perks are not as good as RCI and Princess for example especially at lower levels.

[qsuzi]

I agree. We invited old friends to join us on the Noordam about five or six years ago after we had a good experience sampling HAL. We loved Noordam and everything about that cruise was first rate.

 

Our friends, however, had been sailing a lot on Princess, and the wife relentlessly made negative comparisons. (It got to be almost a private drinking game where my husband and I reached for our wine glasses every time she said the word "Princess.") I felt like I had to keep defending HAL, which was ridiculous.

 

I caught myself thinking the same way when we sailed Celebrity, and I missed HAL's promenade decks, Explorations Cafe, and wonderful room stewards. But I now know that X has a whole lot of positives, too. There are just differences between the two.

It's a natural reaction considering things like loyalty and experiencing the change/difference. I try to keep this tendency in mind when on board. It would be irritating to have some constantly make negative comments.

[qsuzi]

Yes, I've been to Rome....more times than you can count on two hands. :D I'm hoping to spend a significant chunk of time there after I retire.

 

Land trips are great, as is simply spending a week or so in a major city. But cruises are also a nice change of pace, and they provide a way to get to places that are worth a quick visit (say Katakolon, where the only major draw is the ancient ruins of Olympia) but where you wouldn't necessarily want to spend more than a day.

 

I thought you probably had and you are such a wonderful resource to keep in mind for all things Rome. I would be interested in your comments about the ancient ruins at Katakolon vs those in Turkey and Croatia.

[take us away]

Thank you for your comments. You are the second one to mention Costa - gotta check it out.

 

Maybe check out more reviews about Costa before you book as have not heard much of anything good about their food and some negative comments about the European crew ....... Was walking back to the ship in St Thomas with a lady who turns out was the entertainer on a Costa ship. She had just got off the phone with her agent as she was refusing to sail any further on the ship and wanted him to buy out her contract. She claims there was a lot of issues with the food served in the MDR; spoilage, contamination, etc.

[qsuzi]

Maybe check out more reviews about Costa before you book as have not heard much of anything good about their food and some negative comments about the European crew ....... Was walking back to the ship in St Thomas with a lady who turns out was the entertainer on a Costa ship. She had just got off the phone with her agent as she was refusing to sail any further on the ship and wanted him to buy out her contract. She claims there was a lot of issues with the food served in the MDR; spoilage, contamination, etc.

 

Yikes. Thanks for posting this information take us away.

[elusive_23]

Here is my 29 year old perspective. :D Many have suggested that my fiance and are "too young" to sail HAL and that we should try MSC or Norwegian but I just can't quite get myself to book with them. The rock climbing walls, water slides, large crowds and younger demographic don't enthrall me at all. I prefer formal dining and quiet pool time. Therefore the lines on the absolute bottom of my future cruise list are RCCL and Carnival because of the above listed things.

 

I've sailed 4x with HAL on the N. Amsterdam and Rotterdam. I LOVE HAL Ships for their class, their staff, and the clientele! I never thought I would stray... but just recently I sailed on the Azamara Quest because they had an amazing sale on an itinerary my mother had wanted to go on for a long time. The clientele on Azamara skewed older but more healthy and active than HAL and the staff confirmed that the clientele really doesn't change much no matter the itinerary. Besides one or two pre-teens that were lecturer's children I was THE only person under 40 besides crew. The whole time I was on the boat I was definitely comparing it to HAL on many levels and most definitely was missing HAL in some aspects. I think I annoyed my mother with all my comparisons!

 

But there were several big "win me overs" for me with Azamara:

1. smaller ship and fewer people (our particular sailing sailed less than half capacity. Normal capacity is 702 and I heard numerous reports of our ship sailing with 250-300 people)

2. Longer times in port. We stayed late into the night at many ports and had overnight stays.

3. It is more all-inclusive (large list of alcohol, wine, beer, soft drinks and coffee is included in your fare). It was so nice to not have to use my key card for anything but getting into my room!

4. The captain and senior staff was very accessible, approachable and very personable. The captain (and his wife and children) would dine in public areas and were commonly seen about the boat mingling with passengers. The captain made lengthy appearances at most events and was very talkative over the PA.

 

That being said Azamara without sales or incentives is definitely cost prohibitive.

 

What I missed the most from HAL?

1. The food! While Azamara did more exotic and regional cuisines I did miss HAL's buffet and MDR menus. I also missed the midnight buffet.

2. The Dutch officers and the staff in general

3. The familiarity

4. The days of the week on the elevator floors :p

 

My only real gripe about HAL is their entertainment. I'm not expecting Cirque du Soleil or anything but I did feel like Azamara one up-ed them on entertainment as far as alternatives to the main show. I will admit the few main evening shows I attended on Azamara were similar to HAL's and I ended up skipping most.

 

I will be taking HAL again this October for my honeymoon and will be interested to see how I feel now that I have sailed another line. I'll admit I am a bit worried! :eek:

Edited March 18, 2015 by elusive_23