Underwhelmed by HAL

[freestyling]

We bring our own wine and have never had a problem having our wine decanted. We do dine most nights at specialty restaurants due to hearing difficulties and the noise level in MDR.

When we dine at PG or Rudi’s we will go to the Pinnacle bar before our dining time and have the wine stewart open/decant our wine if needed.

Never been an issue.

We do visit with the Specialty Restaurant Manager and let them know in advance of any decanting that may be needed for our wine.

 We do keep our wines in our stateroom so I can control wine temp before drinking that evening.

 The only ships we have not sailed yet are the NS, Veendam and Rotterdam. 

[eroller]

I appreciate your review and thanks for posting it.  In the past I've been very underwhelmed HAL.  It just wasn't a good fit for me. I wasn't a fan of the ships or decor, and the entertainment, cuisine, and cabins were meh IMO.  Nothing really stood out as exceptional and the atmosphere onboard was kind of a yawn.  Other lines like Celebrity were better suited for me.  A bit more lively and modern.  My last HAL cruise was around 9 years ago.  To me it seems the line has evolved, with a new emphasis on cuisine and music which I think is great.  I even like the looks of NIEUW STATENDAM which is much more modern and contemporary than the old dated HAL.  So I'm sailing next Sunday and hoping for the best.  I'm a little older now as well, so perhaps it will all be more appealing.  

[OlsSalt]

14 minutes ago, eroller said:

I appreciate your review and thanks for posting it.  In the past I've been very underwhelmed HAL.  It just wasn't a good fit for me. I wasn't a fan of the ships or decor, and the entertainment, cuisine, and cabins were meh IMO.  Nothing really stood out as exceptional and the atmosphere onboard was kind of a yawn.  Other lines like Celebrity were better suited for me.  A bit more lively and modern.  My last HAL cruise was around 9 years ago.  To me it seems the line has evolved, with a new emphasis on cuisine and music which I think is great.  I even like the looks of NIEUW STATENDAM which is much more modern and contemporary than the old dated HAL.  So I'm sailing next Sunday and hoping for the best.  I'm a little older now as well, so perhaps it will all be more appealing.  

 

The line has evolved a lot in the past  9 years ago, even before  these new larger ships were added to the fleet in the past two years. All the ships have been undergoing a long and lovely incremental improvement. But it still for the most part it remains more traditional, with fewer gimmicks or rush to stay hip and or trendy. One feels HAL money is spent on longer lasting basics that still allow for value cruise fares, than superficial changes for change's sake.

 

The line today has so many different personalities that it is hard to say exactly what HAL is today which is its one complicated  negative - from small, old and traditional, to new and larger. And even the smaller-older ships are coming in with something new -  the dedication of the Maasdam, as the new InDepth, high-enrichment global explorer.  Overall however, for the most part HAL remains more for traveling to the destinations,  than the novelty of onboard experience itself.

 

 Hope you enjoy its warm embrace. 

Edited February 18, 2019 by OlsSalt

[eroller]

3 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

 

 

 Hope you enjoy its warm embrace. 

 

 

Thank you for your insight.  Funny enough I'm a huge fan of Cunard which is embedded in tradition.  I sail on them all the time but I've found it quite different than HAL.  Much more interesting in every respect, and a much better onboard experience (for me at least).  I know the HAL traditionalists probably don't like a lot of these changes at HAL (and I would feel the same way about Cunard), but they have attracted me back to the line for another test drive and I hope it's a successful one!  

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, SunNFunCruzer said:

We booked this cruise b/c of the itinerary and the focus on music. We don't need to be entertained like at Disney World but a cocktail and a quartet + exploring foreign ports make cruising what it is for us.  Are we not HALs target audience?  And, if not, what are the qualities of the typical HAL cruiser?

 

I feel you are HAL's target audience. Particularly for the newer ships.

 

As always, you get a variety of responses on threads like these. Some HAL loyalists can't bear to think HAL would make the tiniest misstep, ever. Others think HAL can't do anything right. Obviously the truth is somewhere in between. I feel that service on a new ship takes a few months to really become smooth, but I also don't disagree with the original poster that decanting a wine shouldn't have been an issue, and is not a rare or exceedingly fussy request, as some have opined.

 

If you think you're a good fit, the only way to tell for sure is to give it a try. I am not a HAL 'loyalist' -- there are some things I feel other lines do better, based on what I like -- but I do like the general direction HAL is headed in lately, especially with music onboard and more focus on destinations (although HAL has always had interesting itineraries).

 

 

 

[doublebzz]

18 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

As always, you get a variety of responses on threads like these. Some HAL loyalists can't bear to think HAL would make the tiniest misstep, ever. Others think HAL can't do anything right. Obviously the truth is somewhere in between. 

 

Perfectly said.  

 

 

 

[Hawaiidan]

To me the  key  is "  this or that is what I enjoy"    it doesn't  matter  what that is.... what or who the ship is or anything else. It a personal value you accept. It is what YOU like!!!. 

 

  Beauty  is held in the eye of the beholder.    It is their reality and you can not argue with a persons reality as it is theirs... not yours.        Pick , thus, what you want and dont try to  change that which you can not. 

 

 Gee  if x were only likeY or maybe Yand B     Or maybe just like My old X with a  littleB and  a tiny bitY