Underwhelmed by HAL

[CineGraphic]

Earlier this month, my wife and I embarked on our first HAL cruise, aboard the Nieuw Statendam. This was our 12 cruise overall, most with Princess.

Although the ship was band-spanking new, and the musicians were the best I've heard at sea, were were completely underwhelmed by everything else, most notably the F&B department.

When checking in with our three bottles of wine, the first person at the table, tried to take our wine and said that it would be returned before we disembark, then someone else corrected her, but asked us to verify that this was indeed wine, and not booze. Why they staff a table with someone who can't tell the difference is beyond me. Bad first impression.

On our first night, we dined at the Pinnacle Grill, a dark, nondescript room with service so bad we cancelled another reservation we had for later in the week.

It was hard to keep from rolling my eyes as the waitress explained to us that the beef was superior due to the fact that the rancher fed his cattle wet corn instead of dry corn, but I let her continue to spew her memorized script and ordered the lamb instead. I will say that the lamb was excellent, but everything else was just subpar, including waiting 20 minutes for a dink when there were only 8 tables occupied. With a ship wired for internet, and bar staff wielding Ipads, there should be no reason why a bartender should say, "I don't know how to make that", and we're not even talking anything unheard of, just classic Caribbean cocktails on a Caribbean cruise like a Goombay Smash or Planter's Punch. The ingredients for my Planter's punches seemed to vary with every order. Most of the time, the bartenders would even top off the drink with Myer's Rum, the main ingredient.

Two hours before our reservations at Canalletto,  I dropped of a bottle of wine and asked for it to be decanted so that it had time to breath, and we could avoid any sediment. When we arrived, the sommelier came to our table, with the bottle unopened and his only words were, "there's an $18 corkage fee".  The pic below will show you why I wanted the wine decanted, we joked that the last glass was thick enough to chew. The food at Canaletto was underwhelming, and the lasagna was on the dinner menu the next night in the MDR.

The next picture is from the menu in the MDR, the F&B manager was probably wondering why sales were soft that night, as not too many people like to drink, "Cabo Pis Cus"

There seemed to be lots of printing errors throughout the ship. At one point we received a card from guest services stating that they needed to talk to us about our cabin change. My wife began to worry that were were going to have to change cabins for some unknown reason, yet nobody could tell us what was going on till later that afternoon, when the guest services agent who sent us the card looked at the card in disbelief and stated, this is not what I sent you. She was merely trying to check up on the subpar service at the Pinnacle Grill. Later that day, someone from the F&B department approached me as well to inquire into our PG experience. How did he recognize us, you may ask, well, they send your photo associated to your key-card along with the report to management. I like the fact that management is concerned and communicating with each other about problems, but the though of "big brother" sitting with us at our table for two is a bit unsettling. Although, kind and concerned, this officer implied that I should relax, I'm on vacation. So don't fall for the promotional schpiels about great service, relax, and settle for whatever you get.

We had one other problem, this time with the casino. They had promised me a small bit on free play prior to the cruise, but on board, they had no record of this. When it comes to gambling with one's money, trust is a big issue.

Our room, a VD verandah was nice, with the best shower at sea. Everything was new, and everything still smelled new. We joked that it "smelled like ship". Carpets were still flaking, and the staff mentioned that there were still many rooms filled with supplies that needed to be unpacked.

The main dining room was hit & miss, the hostess was wonderful, always accommodating, but the service could drag on, even when less than half full. One morning for breakfast, we noticed that no hot food was coming out of the kitchen, and that each table was surrounded by waiters offering seconds and thirds of pastries.

We also noticed that they only use waiters in the MDR, no waitresses. Why is this so? Is this not 2019?

My wife preferred the coffee drinks at the Princess International Cafe over the Dutch Cafe, and this is the first cruise where we didn't buy a single photo.

We really wanted to like everything, but after a while, it became work. We walked off the ship and both said how we couldn't wait to be back on board with Princess.

[OlsSalt]

HAL built its reputation, which BTW is low key, on its smaller ships and unique itineraries. it was  a ship for travelers and primarily self-contained travelers. But some how this combination created a very high passenger loyalty niche. One of the best in the business.   It is now losing its way, trying to compete in the larger ship market. 

 

Not sure what would distinguish their larger ships, who primarily now do bus routes - too short to enjoy the subtle charms of the HAL staff and crew; too large to offer their formerly great itineraries and sense of onboard itimacy.

 

This is a current HAl and CCL management issue. I just hope those who have invested their lives working on HAL ships and offering their formerly unique added-value do not get lost in this current HAL management meat grinder misdirection.  

 

Thank you for your feedback.  You are obviously more interested in the details onboard experience than the overall travel experience.   HAL has not made the shift to these new customer requirements. 

Edited January 28, 2019 by OlsSalt

[puppycanducruise]

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise with HAL.

Hope you will continue to enjoy cruising with Princess.

[CineGraphic]

HAL is aware that it's old guard is dying off, and they are trying to attract a newer, younger clientele, and that's who we are, yet they haven't seem to be able to figure out the finer details involved.

[OlsSalt]

9 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

HAL is aware that it's old guard is dying off, and they are trying to attract a newer, younger clientele, and that's who we are, yet they haven't seem to be able to figure out the finer details involved.

 

The old guard knew they were getting great value for a relatively low price on the older smaller ships - we got to go all over  the world at mass market prices. No wonder we demonstrated so much loyalty. 

 

Not sure what the "new younger clientele" wants for their cruise dollar, or whether even today's young people will demographically move through the pipeline and age just like HAL's old guard aged, and in fact will want a cruise option exactly like HAL used to provide. Going larger and getting generic may have been a flawed HAL management decision.

 

At least the OP liked the onboard music choices - that was an intentional HAL choice for its larger ships. But apparently not enough to generate sufficient overall passenger satisfaction. For me as an old guard, that would be the last reason I would chose a cruise ship.  But one assumes management did enough market surveys to think this was a good marketing investment.

Edited January 28, 2019 by OlsSalt

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sorry you were disappointed in your first HAL cruise.

 

Thank you for expressing your thoughts.

 

Hope you enjoy your future Princess cruises.

[Cruise Junky]

LOL  James Suckling would be really proud to have his name associated with that wine description ...EEK

[OlsSalt]

OP wrote: ......Although, kind and concerned, this officer implied that I should relax, I'm on vacation. So don't fall for the promotional schpiels about great service, relax, and settle for whatever you get.

 

Many of us old guard, long ago go into this mode and accept this is good advice. The disconnect between marketing imagery and slogans and actual onboard experience has always been under active discussion here.  I learned that pretty quickly from my own early cruise experiences (No, I did not have to go around the ship in smart little twin sweater sets, like the cruise line ads portrayed).

 

However, as you learned if Princess offers the perfect match between the marketing and actual onboard experience, you now have learned what works best for you 

[57redbird]

In re: the wine 'names' --- one night we received the Where & When in Spanish....maybe a bilingual typist entered the names.

[Wishing on a star]

While I understand you take on this, and how you feel about a few of these things...

I am sitting here thinking that this is a brand new ship with operational kinks being worked out, new menus, etc...

And, that can account for a lot.

 

And, the whole boarding and paying corkage with wine has also been a known 'inconsistency' and confusion with Princess as well.  No doubt.

 

But, of course, too many small errors and disappointments can really add up!!!!

 

I will say this... we just returned from our latest cruise on Princess, on the REGAL, in December.

The ship was WONDERFUL!!!!

The entertainment was EXCELLENT!!!

 

However, when discussing Princess, at this time...  you might want to note that there are some very considerable changes and obvious cutbacks in dining and service.  Food quality, etc...   That was the one thing onboard that was absolutely horrible and abysmal compared to our last cruise with Princess.  It was AWFUL...  A few of our 'entrees' were just almost inedible.

 

As far as the ship,  I would probably prefer the Regal Princess any day.

But, the absolutely horrid food and service has our next cruise deposit on the Nieuw Statendam.

You mentioned the coffee selections and availability, as compared to the International Cafe on Princess.

I am thinking that I am beginning to see that you are correct on that point.

HAL really needs to join the 21st century and the coffee-craze.

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Wishing on a star

[OlsSalt]

OP wrote: Two hours before our reservations at Canalletto,  I dropped of a bottle of wine and asked for it to be decanted so that it had time to breath, and we could avoid any sediment. When we arrived, the sommelier came to our table, with the bottle unopened and his only words were, "there's an $18 corkage fee".  The pic below will show you why I wanted the wine decanted, we joked that the last glass was thick enough to chew. 

 

I am not  a wine drinker so this does not make sense to me. If all the sediment was in the last glass of wine that you brought on board, where was it supposed to go since it appeared to have properly settled? 

[Wishing on a star]

7 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

However, as you learned if Princess offers the perfect match between the marketing and actual onboard experience, you now have learned what works best for you 

 

Hahahaha!!!!

Read my post, just above...  and then look at slick PR out by Princess, just this week, about their new and wonderful and improved dining.   OMG...   Really just maddening.

[Cruise Junky]

4 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

OP wrote: Two hours before our reservations at Canalletto,  I dropped of a bottle of wine and asked for it to be decanted so that it had time to breath, and we could avoid any sediment. When we arrived, the sommelier came to our table, with the bottle unopened and his only words were, "there's an $18 corkage fee".  The pic below will show you why I wanted the wine decanted, we joked that the last glass was thick enough to chew. 

 

I am not  a wine drinker so this does not make sense to me. If all the sediment was in the last glass of wine that you brought on board, where was it supposed to go since it appeared to have properly settled? 

Breathing was the most important part of decanting the bottle but when pouring the wine into the decanter would have allowed the sommelier to capture the sediment in the bottle and not in the decanter, thereby ensuring it ended up in no one's glass.

[OlsSalt]

Mass market cruise ship provide room, board and transportation at reasonable prices. That alone makes them a preferred choice. Expecting highly customized, perfect individual service seems to be asking too much. But their marketing imagery does set up the potential for very unhappy customers.

 

Serves them right if they lose their way and stop offering what they continue to offer best - room, board and transportation at reasonable prices. Selling all of this at often less than $100 a day strains the credulity of any passenger assuming they will get $500 $1000 a day service levels. 

[OVgirl]

As for coffee, The Dutch Cafe is not the place to get real coffee. It has been set up to offer an 'experience'.

If you want espresso drinks you should head up to Explorations Cafe in the Crows Nest.

[CineGraphic]

23 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

OP wrote: Two hours before our reservations at Canalletto,  I dropped of a bottle of wine and asked for it to be decanted so that it had time to breath, and we could avoid any sediment. When we arrived, the sommelier came to our table, with the bottle unopened and his only words were, "there's an $18 corkage fee".  The pic below will show you why I wanted the wine decanted, we joked that the last glass was thick enough to chew. 

 

I am not  a wine drinker so this does not make sense to me. If all the sediment was in the last glass of wine that you brought on board, where was it supposed to go since it appeared to have properly settled? 

Slowly and carefully decanting the wine ensures that the sediment stays in the bottle and you get a nice clear wine in the decanter, and subsequently in your glass. ... As the wine is slowly poured from the bottle to the decanter it takes in oxygen, which helps open up the aromas and flavors.

[fatcat04]

My my, that is some list. 

Good thing there are so many cruise lines that everyone can find their cruise vacation of choice. 

 

[OlsSalt]

From the net:  What Does a Corkage Fee Include? 

 

A corkage fee includes the labor and cost involved in wine accommodations. The fee may cover some or all of the following amenities and efforts supplied by the bar or restaurant:

• Revenue lost from not purchasing the restaurant’s wine
• Use of restaurant or lounge space
• The restaurant’s investment in their own wine service program, including efforts related to curating a wine list, keeping a sommelier on staff, and training staff on their wine selection
• Accommodations relating to the wine (wine buckets, corking wine, or disposing of bottles) 

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by OlsSalt

[freestyling]

6 minutes ago, faerievert said:

I didn't think anyone except the cellar master for each ship was a true sommelier (and maybe not even them). HAL definitely makes a point to call the staff "wine stewards" everywhere I've seen.

What I have found with my cruise history on HAL is “most” cellar masters were sommeliers. Most of the cruises I have taken were 21+ days with HAL. I don’t know if that made a difference or not. 

Edited January 28, 2019 by freestyling

[faerievert]

Just now, freestyling said:

What I have found with my cruise history on HAL is “most” cellar masters were sommeliers. Most of the cruises I have taken were 21+ days with HAL. I don’t know if that made a difference or not. 

We've purchased the cellar master package for our cruise next week. I'll have to ask the Eurodam's CM! I'm very curious about the of decanting corkage wine issue and will be asking about that, as well. 

[Hawaiidan]

3 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

Earlier this month, my wife and I embarked on our first HAL cruise, aboard the Nieuw Statendam. This was our 12 cruise overall, most with Princess.

Although the ship was band-spanking new, and the musicians were the best I've heard at sea, were were completely underwhelmed by everything else, most notably the F&B department.

When checking in with our three bottles of wine, the first person at the table, tried to take our wine and said that it would be returned before we disembark, then someone else corrected her, but asked us to verify that this was indeed wine, and not booze. Why they staff a table with someone who can't tell the difference is beyond me. Bad first impression.

On our first night, we dined at the Pinnacle Grill, a dark, nondescript room with service so bad we cancelled another reservation we had for later in the week.

It was hard to keep from rolling my eyes as the waitress explained to us that the beef was superior due to the fact that the rancher fed his cattle wet corn instead of dry corn, but I let her continue to spew her memorized script and ordered the lamb instead. I will say that the lamb was excellent, but everything else was just subpar, including waiting 20 minutes for a dink when there were only 8 tables occupied. With a ship wired for internet, and bar staff wielding Ipads, there should be no reason why a bartender should say, "I don't know how to make that", and we're not even talking anything unheard of, just classic Caribbean cocktails on a Caribbean cruise like a Goombay Smash or Planter's Punch. The ingredients for my Planter's punches seemed to vary with every order. Most of the time, the bartenders would even top off the drink with Myer's Rum, the main ingredient.

Two hours before our reservations at Canalletto,  I dropped of a bottle of wine and asked for it to be decanted so that it had time to breath, and we could avoid any sediment. When we arrived, the sommelier came to our table, with the bottle unopened and his only words were, "there's an $18 corkage fee".  The pic below will show you why I wanted the wine decanted, we joked that the last glass was thick enough to chew. The food at Canaletto was underwhelming, and the lasagna was on the dinner menu the next night in the MDR.

The next picture is from the menu in the MDR, the F&B manager was probably wondering why sales were soft that night, as not too many people like to drink, "Cabo Pis Cus"

There seemed to be lots of printing errors throughout the ship. At one point we received a card from guest services stating that they needed to talk to us about our cabin change. My wife began to worry that were were going to have to change cabins for some unknown reason, yet nobody could tell us what was going on till later that afternoon, when the guest services agent who sent us the card looked at the card in disbelief and stated, this is not what I sent you. She was merely trying to check up on the subpar service at the Pinnacle Grill. Later that day, someone from the F&B department approached me as well to inquire into our PG experience. How did he recognize us, you may ask, well, they send your photo associated to your key-card along with the report to management. I like the fact that management is concerned and communicating with each other about problems, but the though of "big brother" sitting with us at our table for two is a bit unsettling. Although, kind and concerned, this officer implied that I should relax, I'm on vacation. So don't fall for the promotional schpiels about great service, relax, and settle for whatever you get.

We had one other problem, this time with the casino. They had promised me a small bit on free play prior to the cruise, but on board, they had no record of this. When it comes to gambling with one's money, trust is a big issue.

Our room, a VD verandah was nice, with the best shower at sea. Everything was new, and everything still smelled new. We joked that it "smelled like ship". Carpets were still flaking, and the staff mentioned that there were still many rooms filled with supplies that needed to be unpacked.

The main dining room was hit & miss, the hostess was wonderful, always accommodating, but the service could drag on, even when less than half full. One morning for breakfast, we noticed that no hot food was coming out of the kitchen, and that each table was surrounded by waiters offering seconds and thirds of pastries.

We also noticed that they only use waiters in the MDR, no waitresses. Why is this so? Is this not 2019?

My wife preferred the coffee drinks at the Princess International Cafe over the Dutch Cafe, and this is the first cruise where we didn't buy a single photo.

We really wanted to like everything, but after a while, it became work. We walked off the ship and both said how we couldn't wait to be back on board with Princess.

 

 

To put your observations in perspective...  you booked a nice solid basic cruise line  like booking a Best Western motel.

Your  total right... you were expecting more like a Ritz Carlton but the low low fares seduced you into believing your  getting a supreme deal. 

  Your mistake was setting your sights on lobster in a place that does  burgers well, in comparison.   Its a common mistake that cruise lines  sell  people on.    learned a long time ago  you get what you pay for.   When you get a cheap or economic price your not going to get much more no matter how you complain or wish for

Time to change lines  not change a line....it ain't going to happen. 

 

Indeed, low fares get people on board and  there they spend and spend far more trying to achieved a cruise experience that could have been what they wanted for maybe much less total cost !!!   Rather than blaming HAL, choose better lines that  deliver  but may cost more.

[Copper10-8]

This might not contribute anything at all to this stimulating discussion, but here it goes anyway

 

On the topic of wine which I know very little about, here are the different positions in HAL's Beverage Dept onboard:

 

Beverage Manager

Asst Beverage Manager

Cellar Master (my guess similar to Sommelier but HAL doesn't call it that)

Vinologist (a new position on the Nieuw S)

Wine Attendant 

Head Bar tender

Bar tender

Beverage waiter

Beverage Utility

Deck Steward

Barista

 

To the OP; sorry it didn't work out for you on Nieuw S and enjoy your return back home to Princess!

 

It's a good thing there are choices in cruise lines 

 

[taxmantoo]

I am a "certified" sommelier with a college level sommelier degree from a Canadian college with a School of Hospitality and Tourism.  I have personally met the Cellar Master on all our HAL cruises (5 stars) and can attest to the fact that they all have a sommelier deignation of some sort either through WSET courses, the International Sommelier Guild, or some other recognized program and have extensive experience in the field.  Two HAL Cellar Masters are graduates of the same program and College where I earned my certification.   It is an employment requirement for HAL Cellar Masters to have a sommelier degree. 

 

The wine stewards in the MDR, on the other hand, are trained in-house by the Cellar Master and are usually recruited from the regular bar staff.  Some of them may have more of an interest in wine than others and have taken a few courses on their own but not achieved certification.

 

p.s. I do not work as a sommelier.  I discovered very early in my studies that it is a lot more fun to sit at a table and taste wine than it is to stand next to a table and serve wine 😉    

Edited January 28, 2019 by taxmantoo

[Cruise Junky]

32 minutes ago, taxmantoo said:

I am a "certified" sommelier with a college level sommelier degree from a Canadian college with a School of Hospitality and Tourism. 

 

Algonquin?  how far did you get with WSET? 

[CineGraphic]

8 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

 

 

To put your observations in perspective...  you booked a nice solid basic cruise line  like booking a Best Western motel.

Your  total right... you were expecting more like a Ritz Carlton but the low low fares seduced you into believing your  getting a supreme deal. 

  Your mistake was setting your sights on lobster in a place that does  burgers well, in comparison.   Its a common mistake that cruise lines  sell  people on.    learned a long time ago  you get what you pay for.   When you get a cheap or economic price your not going to get much more no matter how you complain or wish for

Time to change lines  not change a line....it ain't going to happen. 

 

Indeed, low fares get people on board and  there they spend and spend far more trying to achieved a cruise experience that could have been what they wanted for maybe much less total cost !!!   Rather than blaming HAL, choose better lines that  deliver  but may cost more.

How is this putting my words into perspective? I didn't say anything about price, or getting a supreme deal, nor did I set my sights at lobster. We passed on the lobster several times and ate a few burgers, dogs and pizza poolside. I'm not asking them to change anything, they just simply couldn't deliver. Sure, fill a ship with millions of dollars worth of art, and then tell folks, oh, this is a floating Best Western. Where do you come up with this nonsense?