Just Off Eurodam Alaska-Never Again

[KNOT2L82SAIL]

e2011

I am so sorry that HAL let you down, in your opinion. There is so much info on Cruise Critic, I am surprised that you were not able to tell beforehand that it would not be a good fit for you.

I admit, I have not read all of the posts in this topic. If you used a travel agent to book the cruise, I wonder why they did not tell you what life is like on the HAL ships. I have only cruised on HAL, so I am used to the Lido and waiting in line. The dining room usually has a minimal wait time, depending upon when you show up. And unfortunately, I have never had the luxury of booking a Neptune suite, so no comment on that area of the cruise.

But I bet you did have a good time, all things considered. When you look back, you will appreciate the level of service and the beautiful ship. Good luck on you next cruise.

[RMLincoln]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. HAL is certainly no Disney and we have not been on Seaborn so I can't compare that either. Nor am I familiar with the Neptune Lounge beyond what I've read here as I haven't cruised in suites, but Princess, and I think Celebrity offer free drinks perks to high-days loyalty cruisers and maybe the all-suites lounge does too.

 

But we do find HALvery comparable to NCL, albeit with differences. On our last NCL cruise we found that they too are going to more crew-served stations in the buffet than self-service, for sanitary reasons. It sound like you and your family remained healthy on your Eurodam cruise and enjoyed Alaska.

 

Not sure why on your cruise the bars closed at 9pm and everyone was in bed, as that's not how it has been in our experiences.

 

What's a GPS locator for children, and why would that be needed if they are in Club HAL? We took 3 grandkids to Alaska on Volendam and they enjoyed Club HAL some, but also enjoyed their activities with us too, but I knew they where they were or what activities they were doing on the ship.

 

And our grandkids did get bored with the children's menu in the Main Dining Room after they tried it a couple of nights, but after seeing the choices on the regular menu (and our plates) to be superior, they preferred to order adult meals and try new and different eating experiences.

 

The only Chinese staff I have met on a HAL ship was a young woman in the shop, and I think they are not HAL employees but contractors.

 

Certainly your experience on HAL didn't match up with your expectations of services for you and your children, and not aligning with what you thought you'd get from what you must have invested in an expensive Neptune Suite where the HAL lounge doesn't serve free drinks must have made for a disappointing vacation. I sincerely do hope you find a better match for your expectations and requirements from your next cruise line. m--

[retird]

I am currently on a b2b on Noordam in Alaska and we are thoroughly enjoying the trip, food quality, entertainment is excellent and the crew are wonderful. I , as well as many other fellow cruisers have not found the buffet line in the lido market very user friendly. If you look at the buffet section from left to right it starts with the breads and then the hot items etc. Lineup starts from the left however you go past the breads and when you get to the centre of the buffet there is the only plates which are filled by the server and handed to you( after being on several cruise lines I do agree with the server filling your plate). Now once you have your plate with food in hand you have to go back to the left and line up again to get to the breads. Just trying to butt into the line is not possible it obstructs the lineup and upsets those in line. It would be much better if they allowed you to take a plate at the beginning of the buffet and then have the servers serve you as you move along. That suggestion to management has fallen on deaf ears. As for finding a table, yes that can be a challenge at times but no different than any other cruise line

[TheCalicoCat]

Thanks for sharing.

 

I'm glad you at least liked Alaska. In 2012 when our son was 4.5 we took our first HAL cruise (Chose for the superior itinerary) & frankly LOVED it - all 3 of us - in an inside, so we didn't have the suite perks to complain about...

 

We'll be returning to HAL & Alaska next week & my son now 8.5 is beyond excited. (We don't watch movies/play video games at home, so that for him is part of the vacation experience. We also don't have a children's menu at home...)

[English_in_Spain]

The one thing I agree with the OP on is the Neptune Lounge

 

Don't get me wrong. I love HAL. It is my favourite cruise line. On my upcoming cruise in December I become 4 star

 

The equivalent of the Neptune Lounge on other lines are much better. Open 24 hours to get coffee and light snacks. Happy Hour with free drinks to meet up before dinner. Somewhere quiet to sit at any time.

 

I find HAL's Neptune Lounge a bit more like a private Front Office.

 

Although, for me, it is not a deal breaker I do wish they would change it.

[Mickb]

Could it just be the Eurodam? We had a really disappointing Caribbean cruise aboard her about 3 years ago where many aspects of the cruise were just underwhelming. I agree about the Neptune Lounge. However, I thought the Tamarind restaurant was superb.

We have previously cruised on Maasdam, Veendam and Prinsendam which we enjoyed enormously. I have to say that there were very few children on board, so the poster is correct in his surmise. We have since decided that HAL is not really our favourite line anymore and have not booked with them since.

Maybe it is just that their new ships do not suit us? - it's not a size issue as we adored the Queen Mary, it is merely a matter of preference.

[austincici]

Link to the rogerjett - Hal Children's Menu:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/HAL-Kids-Menu.pdf

 

 

 

I'd order off of that! [emoji39]

 

 

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[alwaysfrantic]

Link to the rogerjett - Hal Children's Menu:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/HAL-Kids-Menu.pdf

She said she asked and was told there was not a menu. So whether there was a menu at some point is irrelevant; there was not a menu on her ship for her children.

[alwaysfrantic]

The bar situation is a problem on the front end of the evening as well. I went to 5 different locations one day before I found a bar that was serving about 4 pm.

[ontheweb]

Of course the whole cruise was about Alaska and that was fantastic. Minor frustrations on the ship did not diminish the glory of Alaska at all. In fact having the naturalist on board in Glacier Bay was very nice. They said other cruise lines don;t do that so kudos to HAL for that great experience.

 

Princess also has a naturalist aboard on their Glacier Bay cruises. The one on ours was wonderful and truly added to the Alaska cruise experience.

[alwaysfrantic]

I had a problem with the Lido as well......thinking specifically of the pasta station. They do a fresh pasta with whatever you want, and they have pasta dishes of the day. The daily specials are individually valeted....behind the servers. You have to wait in line as each person gets a dish created just for them, to ask for a mac and cheese where they had you the plate. Why not have those dishes on the line for folks just to pick up. That was silly.

[OlsSalt]

She said she asked and was told there was not a menu. So whether there was a menu at some point is irrelevant; there was not a menu on her ship for her children.

 

The OP is a he, one child, age 10. Who already established a track record for grossly inaccurate reporting. (Eg: Staffing demographics)

 

So merely bringing facts into this thread, that children's menus on HAL ships do exist, in case there is any confusion they might have been discontinued and permanently unavailable. Print it out and take with if you plan on traveling with children in case you face a similar, as reported, experience as OP claims he faced.

[OlsSalt]

The bar situation is a problem on the front end of the evening as well. I went to 5 different locations one day before I found a bar that was serving about 4 pm.

 

The Neptune Lounge now has an all day honor bar that was available to the OP. However, it does not provide free drinks and an evening social gathering spot, like his favorite cruise line NCL offers. It was clear for what the OP wanted and expected. HAL was not the ship for him.

[slidergirl]

She said she asked and was told there was not a menu. So whether there was a menu at some point is irrelevant; there was not a menu on her ship for her children.

 

Wow. Just Wow...

 

I agree. And to those who posited that hmmm, they maybe didn't actually ask for the menu or hmmm, weren't polite - bah.

 

OP: Sorry that your family did not find the ship a good fit for your expectations or activity level. You tried and didn't like it. Now you know to visit the other cruise lines and save HAL for when the children are out of the nest and you are retired ;) (I share you opinion of HAL, even though I cruise it once in awhile).

Edited July 10, 2017 by slidergirl

[debsjc]

I'm surprised the Lido was that busy in the evening, we have not encountered that before. At lunch time certainly, but never had a problem getting a table in the evenings.

[OlsSalt]

Checking the net for cut off ages for "children's menus" is all over the place, but often anyone over 10 is often no longer considered a child for restaurant children menu purposes.

 

Perhaps that was the hang up - this "10 year old child" might have been too old according to HAL guidelines?

 

Though I see no reason to not offer these menu items to anyone who wants them. Maybe not the crayons to color in the menu puzzles, but why not the items? Though like all ships, they need to know how many childrens meals to have on hand up front by assessing the ages of the passengers.

 

I know my kids and grandkids would be eating off the adult menus at that age.

[SetAnOpenCourse]

Much ado over children's menus. If it truly caused a problem, with all due respect I'd have to say it was a blessing in disguise. An opportunity to learn to adapt or just put things in perspective.

[shipgeeks]

Re the Lido: We, too, noticed slow lines there when we sailed on NA a few months ago. However, we quickly discovered the "little plates" available at a number of locations there, and they became our favorite way to have breakfast and lunch. Small plates and bowls with a variety of foods, nicely presented, available to just walk up and take, without any waiting.

I have not seen passengers mishandle ladles, etc., but I have witnessed a passenger picking up an entire tray of cookies/lox/crab legs from a buffet and walking off with it, so even though slow service can be frustrating, it does help us in the long run.

[styles27]

Of course the whole cruise was about Alaska and that was fantastic. Minor frustrations on the ship did not diminish the glory of Alaska at all. In fact having the naturalist on board in Glacier Bay was very nice. They said other cruise lines don;t do that so kudos to HAL for that great experience.

 

 

I agree with you that this cruise is all about Alaska...it was for us as well.

 

HAL is lacking in nightlife but we were so tired from getting up so early that we were ok with heading back to our room by 10:30-11 most nights.

 

HAL would not be our first choice if we had small children, thankfully we have a lot of choices these days.

 

Glad you liked Alaska! Thx for the review it will be helpful for others with children.

 

 

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[LoveTigerOak]

I love to cruise and before including my granddaugther on a cruise, I had been on Princess, Royal Carribbean, Celebrity and Carnival. (I have even been on the Royal Princess which has a capacity of about 5,000. Upon deciding to take my daughter and granddaughter on a cruise, I did some research and decided that I wanted HAL because I wanted a smaller ship. At that time, my granddaughter was 7. I booked us to Alaska on the Amsterdam. So, when we found out that she would be lumped together with 3-7 year olds in Club Hal, she was not thrilled. On that cruise my granddaughter ended up not going to Club HAL.

 

BUT because it was a small ship, I could take her up to the pool. She would swim and I could watch her while reading a book. Since there was only one pool and not 3-4 pool as they have on the big lines, she was easy to watch.

 

We ate dinner every night in the MDR and she ate off the menu and was very pleased. Some of the wait staff would come and do card tricks for her. A couple of night she and her mom went up to the Crow's Nest and danced. She loved the Amsterdan and HAL. My daughter and I also enjoyed the cruise and we would take turns watching her in the pool.

 

On our second cruise, we did the Caribbean at Christmas. This time she was 8 and loved the Club Hal activities. There was a talent show that the parents came to see. Again, the pool was her favorite spot. On our third cruise, we did the Mexican Riveria in January, and again she loved it and enjoyed Club HAL.

 

On July 31, 2017, just she and I are going on a 14 day Alaska cruise and we are both looking forward to it. My daughter is ready to try a different cruise line with my granddaughter. But for my peace of mind, while I am in charge of her, I prefer the smaller ship.

[doublebzz]

Re the Lido: We, too, noticed slow lines there when we sailed on NA a few months ago.

Ditto for me. I always thought the Lido was a zoo not helped by folks spending more time choosing their vegetables than I spent purchasing my last car.

[Kona921]

There is a children's menu in the main dining room. Our daughter always eats off the regular menu though since the kids menu is nuggets and mac and cheese type food...

Also there was not a children's menu available anywhere except room service.

[Avery's Gram]

Also there was not a children's menu available anywhere except room service.

We are just off the Nieuw Amsterdam and there WAS a children's menu......our grandkids were offered it every night in the Dining Room.

crayons were not available, but we had brought our own to keep the kids happy while waiting.

 

We (Gram and Grandpa) traveled with our three adult children, their spouses, and eight grandchildren, aged 12 down to 2. We found service in the MDR was excellent and much easier than going to the Lido. We had 2 large tables and wonderful service.....the kids loved it. The MDR was fairly empty at 5:30, so our wait staff was able to really pay attention to us.

 

Club HAL.....our 12 year old grandson and 5 year old grandsons had to be dragged out every evening. Our 3 girl cousins preferred to be their own company, but everyone enjoyed the trip.

 

Grandpa and I had an aft wrap balcony, and the younger ones had 6 cabins in a row, 2 adjoining ones per family. They had the dividers opened so they had one long balcony for cousinly visits, and our room was the gathering place as it was so much larger. It was wonderful, and a very good time was had by all.

Edited July 11, 2017 by Avery's Gram
Left out some info.

[iancal]

Agree about the Lido. The Lido hours of operation and availability of dinner has to be one of the most limiting of any of the mass market cruise lines that we have experienced. Not certain why this is. I think the limited hours makes the Lido busier than it should be at certain times.

[secretcastle]

We'll be returning to HAL & Alaska next week & my son now 8.5 is beyond excited. (We don't watch movies/play video games at home, so that for him is part of the vacation experience. We also don't have a children's menu at home...)

 

❤️❤️❤️ Have a wonderful trip! I travelled with my mom when I was a child and often one of very few kids and was quite spoiled by the staff - it was great!