HAL opinions overall

[TheCalicoCat]

Hello all,

 

My friends and I are contiplating taking our first HAL cruise. As my signature states I have sailed on Disney, NCL, Carnival, and RCCL. I was wondering how the lines compared.

 

I wasn't overly impressed with Carnival and I know that they own HAL...

 

Why are you contemplating HAL? For a change? For the itinerary? The price? The length of the cruise? The dates? Are you hoping for _____? or are you going for a nice relaxing vacation?

 

Carnival Sunshine is one of the less desirable ships in the Carnival fleet - the one that you chose, so I wouldn't bundle the whole brand together based on that experience.

 

Similarly, there are variances in the HAL ships...

 

When have sailed with several different cruise lines & enjoyed ourselves on each. We chose HAL for the superior Alaska itinerary & are returning to HAL and Alaska for the same reason. (There you chose Disney... I wouldn't pay their inflated price for an inferior itinerary.)

[Aquahound]

Hello all,

My friends and I are contiplating taking our first HAL cruise. As my signature states I have sailed on Disney, NCL, Carnival, and RCCL. I was wondering how the lines compared.

 

I wasn't overly impressed with Carnival and I know that they own HAL...

 

Unlike some here, I'm not a cruise line loyalist, so I think I can give you a bit more objective advice.

 

First, I whole heartedly disagree with BB King being the best entertainment at sea. I promise you this....after cruising Disney and Harmony of the Seas, you will be disappointed by HAL's entertainment. Of all the mainstream cruise lines, HAL's entertainment is the worst.

 

One thing that I think is a little better on HAL is the service. Not leaps and bounds better, but slightly better. If I were to give CCL and NCL a 6, and RCI service a 7, HAL would be a 8. I also think the main dining room food is very slightly better. But again, not by much. I think HAL's soups and appetizers suck, but their main courses are pretty good.

 

HAL, in my opinion, is great for relaxation. This is mostly due to a lack of activities and entertainment. If you look forward to just being a vegetable, this is a great line.

 

HAL also seems to have better itineraries than most. The 3 times I cruised HAL, it was for the itinerary. But truth be told, if RCI or Celebrity had the exact same itinerary on those dates, HAL would have been my 3rd choice.

 

I also wasn't too impressed by Carnival. I'll cruise them again likely, but not as a preference. Same goes for NCL.

[alwaysfrantic]

Hello all,

 

My friends and I are contiplating taking our first HAL cruise. As my signature states I have sailed on Disney, NCL, Carnival, and RCCL. I was wondering how the lines compared.

 

 

I can compare RCI, HAL, and Disney. HAL is MUCH quieter than the other two, in terms of there really not being anything much going on. That suits my husband fine so quietly we cruise. The staff are very good, meals are nice, rooms well laid out though dated in decor <for the ships I have been on> The pools get really funky by the end of the cruise. An older clientele with virtually no children during the winter. Hal has messed up and lost dining reservations on both my cruises, so that is a problem. I am positive if it happens again in June that will be the last time we use HAL. But if you want quiet, stay to yourself relaxation, it is great.

 

Disney is wonderful. Staff is top notch and there is always something to do if you want to do something. Everything is spotless. Decor is always up to date and lovely. Great food, rooms are laid out perfectly though I am the only one who doesn't love the 2 bathroom setup in the room. So much for adults to do. If it were my choice, that might be the line I picked more regularly.

 

Royal was great. The staff were impressive, lots to do. Room setup was as expected. A mix of ages from babies to the elderly.

[hexdragon]

Thank you for all your replies. Hmm, we have much to think about.

 

As far as onboard entertainment, we have seen the gamut. From Disney (three Broadway quality shows per cruise) to NCL Pride of America (not even going there, that bad...). I am personaly very interested in the BB King Blues, but I think my friends would be "yuck" (a Tony Orlando fan and a music hater...) That doesn't mean I have to be tied to their hip :-)

[iancal]

Bottom line is that HAL is a good cruise line but you do have to understand the ships in their fleet.

 

You have as much chance of having a great cruise on HAL as you do on any of the other mass market lines. And you have as good a chance of having a mediocre cruise. That is the industry today. HAL is similar to Princess and Celebrity but different in a few ways. Understand the differences and attributes of each ship/cruise line is about all you can do. The rest is a function of the specific cruise and the crew.

 

This is our experience across a number of cruise lines.

[POA1]

Thank you for all your replies. Hmm, we have much to think about.

 

As far as onboard entertainment, we have seen the gamut. From Disney (three Broadway quality shows per cruise) to NCL Pride of America (not even going there, that bad...). I am personaly very interested in the BB King Blues, but I think my friends would be "yuck" (a Tony Orlando fan and a music hater...) That doesn't mean I have to be tied to their hip :-)

The BB King All Stars don't play much in the way of Blues. It's a mix of 60s pop / rock (not to be confused with the magically delicious bursting candy of my childhood) 70s dance music, the occasional 80s tune, and newer stuff. Newer stuff - at least on our cruises the past three years - has consisted of songs like Pharrell's "Happy," Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," and whichever song displaced them each year.

 

The band has a solid set list. Our crack research team, ages 35 to 54 find it to be a great party. Our emeritus research team member (80) thinks the venue is too loud.

[Hlitner]

Thank you for all your replies. Hmm, we have much to think about.

 

As far as onboard entertainment, we have seen the gamut. From Disney (three Broadway quality shows per cruise) to NCL Pride of America (not even going there, that bad...). I am personaly very interested in the BB King Blues, but I think my friends would be "yuck" (a Tony Orlando fan and a music hater...) That doesn't mean I have to be tied to their hip :-)

 

Well, the "music hater" can certainly go someplace where there is no music. As to the Tony Orlando fan.....well....there is a place for an occasional Tony Orlando number....which is a piano bar (isn't HAL eliminating piano bars). We will be on the VOV this August and know that "Barry from Boston" will be working on our cruise. Barry can certainly play (and sing) Tony Orlando songs...if they are requested. On the other hand, if he did more then 1 or 2 of those songs....most would go running a screaming from the lounge :).

 

As to BB King, we first cruised with the HAL's concept of a BB King Group...last August on the Zuiderdam. Our group was excellent and I was fortunate to make friends with a couple of the musicians over a few drinks (after their shows). Being a real BB King fan, I asked them why they didn't at least do 1 set (out of 3) of real Blues. They told me they they certainly knew and loved the Blues....but they had previously discovered that its not what most passengers want to hear. Instead, they did an awful lot of Disco era music (including Donna Summer music) which did have a lot of European teens (and a few older passengers) up and rocking. It was great fun.

 

Hank

[OlsSalt]

Well, the "music hater" can certainly go someplace where there is no music. As to the Tony Orlando fan.....well....there is a place for an occasional Tony Orlando number....which is a piano bar (isn't HAL eliminating piano bars). We will be on the VOV this August and know that "Barry from Boston" will be working on our cruise. Barry can certainly play (and sing) Tony Orlando songs...if they are requested. On the other hand, if he did more then 1 or 2 of those songs....most would go running a screaming from the lounge :).

 

As to BB King, we first cruised with the HAL's concept of a BB King Group...last August on the Zuiderdam. Our group was excellent and I was fortunate to make friends with a couple of the musicians over a few drinks (after their shows). Being a real BB King fan, I asked them why they didn't at least do 1 set (out of 3) of real Blues. They told me they they certainly knew and loved the Blues....but they had previously discovered that its not what most passengers want to hear. Instead, they did an awful lot of Disco era music (including Donna Summer music) which did have a lot of European teens (and a few older passengers) up and rocking. It was great fun.

 

Hank

 

Now that you mention the VOV and disco all in one post, the Isle of Mann port stop at Douglas - home of the BeeGees. Too bad we will be there on Friday, and not Saturday so we could feel the .... fever.

[styles27]

We were really hoping that the BB King band would play some Blues and Motown too.

 

We noticed by the second set on night 2 that this particular band played some duplicate songs.

One night they played some of the same songs in set 3 that they played in set 1. I guess most people didn't sit there for all 3 sets but some of us did.

 

When we returned home we searched YouTube for some HAL BB King band videos from the different ships that now have them on board.

 

We were surprised to see the similarities of all the bands from the different ships. The sets appear to be scripted/controlled (music wise, not speaking) probably by the head of HAL's entertainment?

If you watch some videos you will see what I mean.

 

We were originally thinking they would be like the many Blues bands we saw on Beale St in Memphis.

 

The last set on the last evening of our cruise was called "all request" but they didn't take any requests. lol. They did sing a Rolling Stones song which we loved. The male singer also did a great rendition of Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud.

 

This band has some very very talented musicians. The lead guitarist was phenomenal, as were the sax and trumpet players. All of them were great, the drummer, bass player and keyboard as well. I wouldn't want to leave any of them out.

 

I only wish HAL would let them play a wider variety of music...let them play to their capabilities....let them play some Blues.

 

If they're going to call it BB King's all star band, they could at least allow them to play some of his music.

 

Maybe they will eventually? We were sure to request that on our end of cruise survey.

[delgados129]

Yes they are great but I think you may be missing the point. Not everyone likes the "Blues" so HAL needs to cater to all age groups. The Billboard Onboard is nice but I have to agree with many, the Show Lounge entertainment is just okay, IMHO. We love many things about HAL but after three Princess cruises I have to say that their entertainment is much better, again IMHO

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The assertion was:

 

"...One thing we find in general is that HAL entertainment is not great, it is very dated."

 

The B.B. Kings All Stars are great and the farthest thing from "dated".

 

 

See the Cruise Industry News article entitled 'Holland America Expands B.B. King's Blues Club to Five Ships':

 

"

Due to the "exceptional popularity" of its first B.B. King’s Blues Club on ms Eurodam, Holland America Line will expand the experience to five ships in 2014

.

 

 

The concept that debuted in March 2013 will become an integral part of the nightly entertainment experience on Eurodam, ms Noordam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam.

 

 

In addition, “Live from BB King’s” headlines one night on the ship’s main stage in the Show Lounge.

 

Enthralling guests with its musicianship and quality, the B.B. King Blues Club Band will return to Eurodam for an open-ended run starting on March 23, 2014, following their current run through Dec. 8, 2013. The Club will be onboard Westerdam now through April 5, 2014, and Zuiderdam now through March 17. Noordam and Nieuw Amsterdam begin open-ended runs of B.B. King’s Blues Clubs, with launch dates of Dec. 16 and April 6, respectively.

 

“

The B.B. King’s Blues Club on Eurodam is packed full every night and is one of our highest-rated entertainment offerings,” said Richard Meadows, executive vice president of marketing, sales and guest programs for Holland America Line. “By expanding it to other ships in the fleet, more of our guests will be able to enjoy these talented musicians and their engaging performances.”

 

The music and excitement that comes direct from Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn., thrills guests five nights a week when world-class musicians from the B.B. King Blues Club Band create a dynamic sound to get the crowd energized. The eight-piece band features two vocalists backed by a drummer, bassist, guitarist, sax player, trumpeter and organist.

 

Each ships’ Queen’s Lounge will be trimmed with portraits of the Memphis Blues legend, illuminating the prominence of Memphis blues and its influence on everyone from Sam & Dave and Otis Redding to The Rolling Stones and Neil Diamond. A special stage will be crafted to resemble a Memphis nightclub with hanging guitars as a backdrop. Exclusive specialty cocktails from the land-based clubs also will be served, featuring the tasty, rum-based Lucille and Rock Me Baby concoctions mixed with different fruit liqueurs and juices.

 

“

We couldn’t be happier that this collaboration will be featured on several ships in the Holland America Line fleet,

” said Tommy Peters, B.B. King’s Blues Clubs’ CEO. “

We always knew it would be hit on Eurodam, but the guests have embraced the show and its success has gone beyond our expectations

.”

"

 

[styles27]

The assertion was:

 

"...One thing we find in general is that HAL entertainment is not great, it is very dated."

 

The B.B. Kings All Stars are great and the farthest thing from "dated".

 

 

See the Cruise Industry News article entitled 'Holland America Expands B.B. King's Blues Club to Five Ships':

 

"

Due to the "exceptional popularity" of its first B.B. King’s Blues Club on ms Eurodam, Holland America Line will expand the experience to five ships in 2014

.

 

 

The concept that debuted in March 2013 will become an integral part of the nightly entertainment experience on Eurodam, ms Noordam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam.

 

 

In addition, “Live from BB King’s” headlines one night on the ship’s main stage in the Show Lounge.

 

Enthralling guests with its musicianship and quality, the B.B. King Blues Club Band will return to Eurodam for an open-ended run starting on March 23, 2014, following their current run through Dec. 8, 2013. The Club will be onboard Westerdam now through April 5, 2014, and Zuiderdam now through March 17. Noordam and Nieuw Amsterdam begin open-ended runs of B.B. King’s Blues Clubs, with launch dates of Dec. 16 and April 6, respectively.

 

“

The B.B. King’s Blues Club on Eurodam is packed full every night and is one of our highest-rated entertainment offerings,” said Richard Meadows, executive vice president of marketing, sales and guest programs for Holland America Line. “By expanding it to other ships in the fleet, more of our guests will be able to enjoy these talented musicians and their engaging performances.”

 

The music and excitement that comes direct from Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn., thrills guests five nights a week when world-class musicians from the B.B. King Blues Club Band create a dynamic sound to get the crowd energized. The eight-piece band features two vocalists backed by a drummer, bassist, guitarist, sax player, trumpeter and organist.

 

Each ships’ Queen’s Lounge will be trimmed with portraits of the Memphis Blues legend, illuminating the prominence of Memphis blues and its influence on everyone from Sam & Dave and Otis Redding to The Rolling Stones and Neil Diamond. A special stage will be crafted to resemble a Memphis nightclub with hanging guitars as a backdrop. Exclusive specialty cocktails from the land-based clubs also will be served, featuring the tasty, rum-based Lucille and Rock Me Baby concoctions mixed with different fruit liqueurs and juices.

 

“

We couldn’t be happier that this collaboration will be featured on several ships in the Holland America Line fleet,

” said Tommy Peters, B.B. King’s Blues Clubs’ CEO. “

We always knew it would be hit on Eurodam, but the guests have embraced the show and its success has gone beyond our expectations

.”

"

 

 

The BB King was definitely not "packed every night on the Eurodam" two weeks ago. A few nights there were less than 20 people by the last set. I can explain the "highest ratings"...it's the only live band music at night (after 8pm) besides the piano players. Of course we rate it high. lol

 

 

Have you guys been to Beale St? They aren't like the bands that play on Beale St.

 

 

That's not saying they aren't good, but to compare what they play to the music we heard on Beale St is not an accurate comparison.

 

 

I have a feeling that HAL wanted to go that direction, but I didn't see it on Eurodam or on the YouTube video clips from other ships in the fleet.

 

 

I think, and this is just my honest opinion...HAL seems to be putting all of their eggs in one basket when it comes to this.

 

 

For those who go on multiple HAL cruises they're ultimately going to be seeing a very similar show on all the ships that have these clubs. I know we had our fill by day 5 but other than the piano players there wasn't any other option.

 

 

 

 

If you get a chance and if you're interested (not just you delgados, anyone reading this, I'm certainly not singling you out just responding to the article you quoted)

Google search Jerry Lee Lewis club Beale St Memphis. That's just one example of the caliber of music you see on Beale St.

 

 

Beale St is a very unique place with exceptional music.

 

 

I would love to see that on board a cruise ship someday but it's not there yet.

Edited May 26, 2017 by styles27

[Aquahound]

Have you guys been to Beale St? They aren't like the bands that play on Beale St.

 

Exactly. "BB King" is a very misleading name. Someone earlier mentioned them playing Pharrell's "Happy" and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines. That too was my experience with them. Not once did they play a BB King song or any other Blues music for that matter.

 

They're a cover band. That's all. I'll give them this...they are good. But I've heard the same quality from cover bands on RCI, Celebrity, and even the casino band on Carnival. In fact, largely because of the venue, I think RCI's Oasis Class cover band in Dazzles is better than HAL's BB King band. I think HAL cruisers are so smitten with BB King because their previous cover band (HAL Cats) was so terrible.

 

But again, this is just about a cover band. Other cruise lines not only have great cover bands...they also have Broadway quality shows, comedy clubs, etc. And being the OP has previously sailed Disney and RCI, I again predict they will find HAL's entertainment severely lacking...even with BB King.

[olya1972]

We sailed HAL for the first time last week, went on Oosterdam to Alaska. Previous cruises were NCL (6), RCCL (5), Princes (2, one of them first time in Alaska in 2015) and Celebrity (1). We were very worried about going on HAL due to all the misconceptions we read regarding entertainment and clientele. We found this particular ship to be no different from your average NCL, RCCL or Celebrity ships, not to mention Princess. Obviously, it can't be compared with Allure or Harmony of the Seas as someone mentions above, but then nothing can be compared to those floating resorts. We found food, entertainment and service to be very similar to that on other cruise lines I mentioned. It was more traditional maritime atmosphere, which we enjoyed for Alaska. We would definitely return to HAL in the future.

[delgados129]

 

...But I've heard the same quality from cover bands on RCI, Celebrity, and even the casino band on Carnival. In fact, largely because of the venue, I think RCI's Oasis Class cover band in Dazzles is better than HAL's BB King band. I think HAL cruisers are so smitten with BB King because their previous cover band (HAL Cats) was so terrible.

 

But again, this is just about a cover band....

 

I'll concede the point when a link to a video is provided from another cruise line showing a

with passengers from just about every age group thoroughly enjoying themselves.:

[debsjc]

I'll concede the point when a link to a video is provided from another cruise line showing a

with passengers from just about every age group thoroughly enjoying themselves.:

 

Thanks for posting the video, they aren't too bad at all. From a lot of the comments, and their name, I was expecting something totally different.

[debsjc]

Just found this video too, I think I actually like them! :D

 

[Aquahound]

I'll concede the point when a link to a video is provided from another cruise line showing a

with passengers from just about every age group thoroughly enjoying themselves.:

 

I didn't say they weren't good and that people aren't capable of a good time (sheesh :rolleyes:). But the fact is, they're still just a cover band and talent like that exist on other lines. My point hasn't changed. One good cover band does not make a whole cruise full of great entertainment....and HAL still can't touch RCI.

[styles27]

I didn't realize BB King Bands have been on Eurodam since at least 2013 when that video was made. I just recently started seeing the HAL tv commercials including them.

 

The video of Purple Rain confirms what Aquahound and some of us are trying to say.

 

They're all very good musicians who perform great cover music (most of which is dated before the turn of this Century with a few modern ones thrown in) but they're not a BB King Blues band if they're not playing the Blues.

 

The advertising and name is misleading.

 

I know we were expecting something totally different.

 

Not saying we didn't enjoy the band on Eurodam (who by the way is different from this YouTube video) we thoroughly enjoyed them.

[Hlitner]

I'll concede the point when a link to a video is provided from another cruise line showing a

with passengers from just about every age group thoroughly enjoying themselves.:

 

We do not routinely make videos on cruises....but have cruised on 14 cruise lines (including nearly 500 days on HAL). Until we heard the BB King concept we thought that HAL's bands were dismal. Excellent bands do exist on quite a few other lines and there are options to suit most taste. For those that are into the the 30s and 40s Big Band stuff that HAL has tried to provide for years (think HAL Cats)...you can go on the Queen Mary 2 where you might be entertained at one of their "Balls" by a 16 piece Big Band who really knows how to play that type of music...and has the musicians to pull it off. I used to cringe when the HAL Cats would try to play Glenn Miller music with 2 keyboard and a couple of guitars. Playing "In the Mood" without a sax section is truly sad....and would certainly make Glenn Miller roll over in his grave (with his fingers in his ears).

 

Where we thought HAL did well was with some of their Piano Bar entertainers...who were truly professional and knew what to play in a piano bar. But alas, now HAL seems to be on a quest to rid itself of piano bars. The BB King concept is darn good for music lovers....but we wonder how long until HAL decides that can cut the BB King group to 4 musicians (2 guitars and 2 keyboards), Yuck!

 

Hank

[iancal]

Bottom line for us is that as long as you pick the right ship you won't go wrong with HAL.

 

HAL is fine. Not outstanding, just very average similar to others like Princess, Celebrity, etc. Every cruise line seems to have one or two unique attributes. HAL is no different. I know that there are many people on various boards who think that their cruise line of choice is the best since sliced bread. We have not arrived at this conclusion. We judge a cruise line on what they offer today, not what they offered twenty years ago. Or even a year ago. Lots of changes.

 

The challenge is to match the cruise line and it's attributes to your personal preferences.