What is new/different on HAL from several years ago???

[LuAnn]

We have not been on HAL for several years..and have recently booked a cruise out of SD to HI and Mexico for the holidays of '17....wondering what will be new/different changed and/or taken away/added since we last sailed?? Sounds like in reading the general HAL board many things have been changed? Your thoughts? Thanks for your help...looking forward to sailing on the Oosterdam which used to be home-ported here in SD and we sailed many, many times...also other great HAL ships...LuAnn

[kazu]

Hmmm - depends upon how long it has been but...

 

No more Captain's toast

 

Some items in the Pinnacle Grill have a surcharge (ie. lobster, caviar, etc.)

 

Dinner in the specialty restaurants has gone up in price (ie. $35 in PG)

 

Happy hour is rising to $2 for the second drink.

 

some things are being eliminated such as duplicate bridge (except on cruises over 30 days), dance hosts, etc.

 

I'll let others add to the list.

[Lady Arwen]

No smoking on balconies as of January 2017. No formal nights....now called Gala nights and much more casual. No build your own sandwiches in the Lido......most are pre-made.

[RMLincoln]

Room Service menu is different. A hamburger is $4.95 and a Pinnacle steak delivered by room service is (I think) $15.

 

We did have 'made to order' sandwiches... maybe because it was a long cruise? over 30 days.

 

The Adagio Strings have been a duo the last few years, some excellent (our most recent), some pathetic (our experience last year).

 

Some things haven't changed - the internet.

 

Some things are rumored to be changing soon - smaller libraries and no librarians, smaller Cruise Director staff.

 

A lot depends on which ship: The newer ships have more to offer: Tamarind Restaurants, BBKing venue; K'dam has the new music walk and high tech theater plus Dutch Cafe, Sal de Mer dining...

 

My Motto: It's hard to have a bad day on cruise ship. Happy planning! m--

[Krazy Kruizers]

No VIP parties.

Rarely see the captain.

[OlsSalt]

We still had VIP parties on the Veendam, and heard the captain every day giving longer explanations about both ship, route and what decisions he faces in navigation on that particular day. They were very interesting. But the librarian was already gone. More ship "insider" talks.

[RMLincoln]

We still had VIP parties on the Veendam, and heard the captain every day giving longer explanations about both ship, route and what decisions he faces in navigation on that particular day. They were very interesting. But the librarian was already gone. More ship "insider" talks.

My bold... Not sure what ship "insider" talks are, but we had a very nice presentation by Captain Fred Eversen about the ship and some about his history. It was very good, personal and informative. We saw the captain at the Mariners Cocktail party and I think he was at the Mariners Brunch but I didn't attend. It's true that we don't meet him early in the cruise, no Captain's Toast anymore. I miss that. m--

[mcmarya]

My husband used to be an occasional Guest Lecturer but they have been eliminated.

[ellieanne]

Let me say some things I found have been changed for the better:

 

>> The new Lido Marketplace arrangement is much better, and easier to navigate.

>> Fewer serve-yourself options in the Lido -- most salads/sides are already plated. Only things like rolls, butter, crackers, sauces are self-serve.

>> Better and more varied desserts in the Lido -- there are actual choices, not just flavorless cakes and bread pudding.

>> The Dive-In is really nice, especially with the pagers to let you know your order is ready -- the fried onions on the hot dogs are one of my favorite things!

>> Smaller servings in the Main Dining Room, and much better daily vegetarian options. (Though I do wish they would have a standard vegetarian option on the "always available menu.)

>> The dress code has been relaxed, no more need to drag formal wear with you taking up valuable luggage space/weight.

>> No more dressed chairs on "Gala Nights", which is fantastic for me, I hated the dressed chairs.

>> Scanning of keycards rather than calling roll at Lifeboat Drill, makes it much faster.

>> Fewer ship-wide announcements to come play Bingo.

[oliver1821]

No more bring all you want wine aboard free. 1 free bottle per person the rest is $18.00 per bottle corkage!!:eek:

[OlsSalt]

My husband used to be an occasional Guest Lecturer but they have been eliminated.

 

The enrichment lectures are now reserved for cruises of longer duration - I believe those over 14 days. However, Collectors Cruises do not count if it is broken into several 14 day or under segments.

 

Heavy enrichment offerings till on the trans-atlantic and Tales of the South Pacific or that 50 day Rotterdam Passage to Asia type cruises.

[doublebzz]

For all of the above reasons, HAL is no longer my primary cruise line.

[shipfriend_max]

How about Royal Dutch/Indonesian tea time, and regular tea times?

Still offered?

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

New on location design, no more staff in library,

 

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[OlsSalt]

How about Royal Dutch/Indonesian tea time, and regular tea times?

Still offered?

 

Both still offered and tea time was posted at 3-4 pm on our last Veendam cruise - no more rushing out in 20 minutes and clearing the tables right away.

[shipgeeks]

We just sailed on HAL after ten years elsewhere. We were mightily impressed! HAL is our new favorite line.

The only disappointment, compared to the past, was the lack of danceable ballroom music. Years ago, multiple lounges had trios playing for crowds of dancers. This time, only Ocean Bar had live music, and only two couples danced the entire week (not us). However, BB King's Blues Club had live music nightly, and they were great.

We were very happy with the Lido. The small plates of tapas, fruits, desserts, cheeses, muesli, etc. made the displays clean and attractive, and there were no long lines behind people serving themselves from platters or big bowls. Brilliant concept.

[NRFBQN]

We're on the Eurodam right now and discovered that Happy Hour was "buy one, get the second one for $2" which is $1 more than last year. Everything is going up, so I don't begrudge them the increase, but it surprised us.

 

On the plus side, we are in love with the new Gallery Bar. It's comfortable and whimsical. The artwork is really fun and there are plenty of small groups of seats (4 people usually.) The servers wear suspenders and hats - it's a new look and fun.

 

We had lunch in the Pinnacle today - same great food, same great menu, same great service. The dishes were the same as we had on the Koningsdam this summer - the orange ones for the original setting, then the various shapes of white ones. Had a wonderful time!

 

The casino is so nice without smoking (sorry, smokers!). The whole area from the casino to the Gallery Bar feels so open and nice.

 

There was a special welcome reception for 3, 4, and 5 star Mariners at 1:30 on embarkation day, in the Crow's Nest. The last time we went to a Mariners reception in the Crow's Nest, it was crammed with people and we couldn't even find a place to sit. This time it was not crammed, the champagne flowed freely, and the hors d'oeuvres were wonderful. The salmon tartare was our favorite and kept coming by.

 

There is an officers' welcome tonight at 7:30, so that hasn't been phased out. It's in the Queen's Lounge, so it may be crowded.

 

We like the interactive TVs - there is a flat panel on the wall facing the bed. We could check our bill, review the menus at all venues, and check out the itinerary. I've been checking the daily schedule on my iPhone and find that there is much more listed than on the paper Navigator, which they are still delivering.

 

So, on balance, we're very happy with the changes!

 

Best regards,

Priscilla

[dockman]

Let me say some things I found have been changed for the better:

 

>> The new Lido Marketplace arrangement is much better, and easier to navigate.

>> Fewer serve-yourself options in the Lido -- most salads/sides are already plated. Only things like rolls, butter, crackers, sauces are self-serve.

>> Better and more varied desserts in the Lido -- there are actual choices, not just flavorless cakes and bread pudding.

>> The Dive-In is really nice, especially with the pagers to let you know your order is ready -- the fried onions on the hot dogs are one of my favorite things!

>> Smaller servings in the Main Dining Room, and much better daily vegetarian options. (Though I do wish they would have a standard vegetarian option on the "always available menu.)

>> The dress code has been relaxed, no more need to drag formal wear with you taking up valuable luggage space/weight.

>> No more dressed chairs on "Gala Nights", which is fantastic for me, I hated the dressed chairs.

>> Scanning of keycards rather than calling roll at Lifeboat Drill, makes it much faster.

>> Fewer ship-wide announcements to come play Bingo.

 

agree

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I am happy about the dressed chair's on Gala night being gone

 

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[Tante Amalie]

Probably the biggest change is the overall drop in quality due to continued cost cutting. It shows up in nearly every aspect of HAL. We are 5 star Mariners and avoid HAL unless there are special circumstances. One Food and Beverage Manager told me that his budget has been frozen or cut every year for 5 years, despite dramatic rises in food costs. He has no choice but to use worse cuts of meat, cheaper fish varieties and lower quality food. It's a shame, as HAL food used to be pretty decent. Excursions are in very large and crowded groups. Nearly every activity is a "nickel and dime" proposition. Take a look at the Koningsdam reviews. They are terrible for a new ship, and almost all the criticism can be traced to the fact that it is too big and crowded. This is the future of HAL and it saddens me to see this decline.

[OlsSalt]

And on the other hand - 5 star and 8 years with HAL:

 

There is no sense of being nickeled and domed. Ever. The extraordinary professionalism and politeness of the HAL staff continues, without change or interruption.

 

Features have changed, many for the better, but no drop in quality. Improved if anything because there is more variety.

 

HAL shore excursions offer "small group" options for only a few dollars more. We take a lot of shore excursions and find them good value with plenty of variety and activity levels - more active ones now, more off the beaten path ones too. Something new often for re-visited ports too.

 

Konigsdam was an intentionally larger ship- they inherently have their drawbacks unless you like the trade off of lower price for larger size.

[shipfriend_max]

Both still offered and tea time was posted at 3-4 pm on our last Veendam cruise - no more rushing out in 20 minutes and clearing the tables right away.

 

 

Thanks and great to know. [emoji5]

 

 

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[LuAnn]

for your input and knowledge!...we were last on in '13 or so??? Sorry...don't keep very good track like most of you!!! :cool: So the HH price is a change...and the lack of BYO wine as well....I had a friend who we sailed with on the Oosterdam out of SD who took an entire case of wine on board...sorry to hear about that change...especially sailing from our home port!!!

 

Tea still sounds good...and the extra "up" charge is interesting in the restaurants...seeing that more on other lines as well...as to the up charge on room service items...have never been a big room service fan (why?...not sure???) so that won't change for us!!

 

Guess the limit on wine will be the big change for us!!! Boo Hoo!!!! :) LuAnn

[marluvs2go]

We last sailed in 2014 and just returned from Zuiderdam 11 day partial transit Panama Canal. I was surprised that they now make your salad in a large green bowl as you pick out what you want, they then add opt vinegar and oil and your choice of dressing toss it or not and hand you the bowl. I liked having the salad this way but unless you ask for a little bit I do not think most folks finished them (?)

The menu of lamb and Pig and Pork was repeated at carving station seems like everyday. Beef was stringy and tough and a one time offering of Corned Beef Sand which was too fat and salty to endure. No more whole carved Turkeys just pieces wrapped in foil, No more whole Hams just little processed pieces. I believe we had Prime Rib once and I asked for it well done they put it on flame but was still red.

The pre made sandwich's looked really nice but failed to have any combos I liked. Big Differences to me. However the myriad of International Choices were abundant just not my "cup of tea"

Edited November 28, 2016 by marluvs2go
left out part

[oliver1821]

for your input and knowledge!...we were last on in '13 or so??? Sorry...don't keep very good track like most of you!!! :cool: So the HH price is a change...and the lack of BYO wine as well....I had a friend who we sailed with on the Oosterdam out of SD who took an entire case of wine on board...sorry to hear about that change...especially sailing from our home port!!!

 

Tea still sounds good...and the extra "up" charge is interesting in the restaurants...seeing that more on other lines as well...as to the up charge on room service items...have never been a big room service fan (why?...not sure???) so that won't change for us!!

 

Guess the limit on wine will be the big change for us!!! Boo Hoo!!!! :) LuAnn

 

LuAnn, bringing your wine and paying the corkage is still a much better deal than paying the ridicules markup on Holland's wine!!