HAL info

[Jancruz]

Did I see someone post about the new rules to cruise on HAL>>

Thanks,

Jancruz1

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Jancruz said:

Did I see someone post about the new rules to cruise on HAL>>

Thanks,

Jancruz1

I've seen new rules on Cunard: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5800/  , but not HAL.

[KirkNC]

Not yet

[pinotlover]

11 hours ago, njhorseman said:

I've seen new rules on Cunard: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5800/  , but not HAL.

Interesting.

 

No more supplemental air tanks allowed. No more dialysis machines. 
Linked family or group dinner reservations only. Link must be established pre boarding not once aboard.

Undefined max age.

 

As my friend the ship medical officer says” cruise ships aren’t assisted living facilities “. Sounds like Cunard is moving in the direction of enforcing that. Be interesting to see how many lines follow.

[tgg]

CPAP machines are specifically NOT excluded by Cunard. (You can still bring one onboard.)

[Hawaiidan]

As far as new rules regarding HAL...I think  the old, long standing ones still apply:

If your considering a cruise on HAL.....DON'T

 

 

If you FIND YOUR SELF , SOMEHOW STARTING TO CONSIDER SAILING ON HAL.... GO  YOUR FRONT DOOR OR CAR DOOR ( IF CLOSER) AND PROCEED TO SLAM THE DOOR ON YOUR FINGERS  REPEATEDLY UNTIL THE IDEA GOES AWAY...........

I think too there used to be a number you could call for intervention.. a travel" Sucide"line I think it was called.

[JRIH]

Whoa, worst cruise I was ever on was a HAL Alaska cruise. HAL used to be a pretty decent line until Carnival bought them. The ship was OK, but the food was almost inedible.  They had a midnight dessert buffet.  Everything was stale and tasted like it came out of a box of Betty Crocker mix.  My last HAL trip.

[ToxM]

P&O have identical rules to Cunard, unsurprising as they are also owned by Carnival 

[Jancruz]

Thanks for the info I have sent it on to O..

Jancruz1

[KirkNC]

On 12/23/2020 at 11:15 AM, tgg said:

CPAP machines are specifically NOT excluded by Cunard. (You can still bring one onboard.)

Yes but not oxygen tanks.

[Hlitner]

On 12/23/2020 at 12:55 PM, Hawaiidan said:

As far as new rules regarding HAL...I think  the old, long standing ones still apply:

If your considering a cruise on HAL.....DON'T

 

 

If you FIND YOUR SELF , SOMEHOW STARTING TO CONSIDER SAILING ON HAL.... GO  YOUR FRONT DOOR OR CAR DOOR ( IF CLOSER) AND PROCEED TO SLAM THE DOOR ON YOUR FINGERS  REPEATEDLY UNTIL THE IDEA GOES AWAY...........

I think too there used to be a number you could call for intervention.. a travel" Sucide"line I think it was called.

Ouch!  Sounds like you had an awful experience.   But HAL does have many long time fans so perhaps not everyone has such a negative experience :).   

 

Hank

[Hawaiidan]

3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Ouch!  Sounds like you had an awful experience.   But HAL does have many long time fans so perhaps not everyone has such a negative experience :).   

 

Hank

Trust me Hank....I used to like HAL....but THAT  Hal is long gone..... Todays is..... well sad.

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Trust me Hank....I used to like HAL....but THAT  Hal is long gone..... Todays is..... well sad.

In the interest of full disclosure I am a 5 Star Mariner and have cruised on 15 cruise lines (O will be our 16th line).  That being said, I am not one of these blinded HAL fans (their beloved line can do no wrong) and the HAL of the past 4-5 years is but a shadow of the classic HAL.  But we still found the line a good value and fun and they had some great itineraries (at least prior to COVID).   What they offer post COVID is a big question with their new CEO, the sale of 4 of their older ships, etc.   As to "O" we are just hoping that "O" survives long enough for us to finally try the product :).  Of the 4 major cruise corporations (RCI, CCL, MSC, and NCLH) and think that the latter is the most vulnerable to financial failure in 2021.  I hope I am wrong and all the lines quickly recover,  but the numbers do not lie.  All the cruise lines desperately need to resume operations and start earning revenue and my crystal ball is telling me that there are going to be more delays in resumption.

 

Hank

[pinotlover]

For us a couple points.

 

We are travelers not cruisers. We cruise to facilitate travel. HAL has some very interesting itineraries that Oceania has shown no desire to duplicate. Someday soon those itineraries will perk to the top of our wish list.
 

We have never starved on any line. Some definitely have better food than others, but starving, or even hunger pains, has never been an issue. If we didn’t particularly like the food aboard ship, we’d eat our major meals ashore where we’ve always food both delicious and interesting foods. That is part of the “ travel “ experience for us. 
 

We fully recognize that the multitudes of cruisers, with little desire to actually travel ( as we define travel), may have an entirely different prospective. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by pinotlover

[Hawaiidan]

Well with the large reduction of HAL's fleet.... the Rships are gone and the focus on the 3000+ ships many if not all of the unique HAL cruises are gone for ever as many of the ports can not accommodate such an influx

My complaint was not just on food ( which many days I did without ) was with the ideological change in  the staff of the ship.... From the Captain  down  it was to sail on a politically correct lecture series.   Multi point agrivations and upsets.... added to the fray.    28 days I could not wait to get off after seeing some truly wonderful, not to be repeated places...Saipan. Guadalcanal. Iwo Jima,Gizo, .     

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

Well with the large reduction of HAL's fleet.... the Rships are gone and the focus on the 3000+ ships many if not all of the unique HAL cruises are gone for ever as many of the ports can not accommodate such an influx

My complaint was not just on food ( which many days I did without ) was with the ideological change in  the staff of the ship.... From the Captain  down  it was to sail on a politically correct lecture series.   Multi point agrivations and upsets.... added to the fray.    28 days I could not wait to get off after seeing some truly wonderful, not to be repeated places...Saipan. Guadalcanal. Iwo Jima,Gizo, .     

Ahhh.  And I wonder if you were on the ill advised Maasdam EXP cruises which, IMHO, was a complete fiasco.  As to your 3000+ ships we should be honest and say that HAL does not currently have a single vessel that handles 3000+ although the upcoming Rotterdam (I think it is VII) could theoretically hold over 3000 if they filled a lot of 3rd, 4th bunks.

 

I agree with you on the ship size as DW and I do prefer smaller ships.  But to us, a smaller ship is fewer then 800 passengers (less then 600 is even better) which we only find on the luxury lines like Seabourn.   The downside to the small vessels is that entertainment often suffers.  But for many of us, "value" does enter into some decisions.  We have cruised on lines like HAL for under $100 per passenger day in balcony cabins when we snagged a good deal.  We recently booked a 2022 HAL cruise (with a fantastic itinerary in Asia) for about $250 per passenger day...and that is for a suite that is about twice the size of what you would get on one of the R-ship cabins at a higher cost.

 

So lets talk about comparisons to "O."  The fans of "O" have told me that we need to cruise on "O" for the food.  But at what price?   I can often book other cruise lines in suites and dine everyday in the decent alternative restaurants for less then what O charges for some of their cruises.  To be really honest, having spent over 1200 days on many different cruise ships we have seldom experienced food on a ship that came close to what we can get ashore.   The one exception was early Azamara (soon after it started as a cruise line) where the food was sometimes amazing.   Consider lobster.  I can never get excited about lobster tail (no matter how perfectly it is prepared) and when I think lobster I think a whole Maine lobster which is fresh out of the tank.   The best steak I have ever enjoyed on a cruise ship was not even close to what I have had at some decent steak houses on land.  And even a carefully chosen simple neighborhood restaurant in Paris blows away the best meals we have had on any ship.  Bottom line for a cruise ship is that they are preparing thousands (hundreds on a small ship) of meals and there is only so much you can do when you must deal with big numbers and a relatively large selection.

 

I think some of us have become very used to cruise ship food and apply a far lower standard then we would use on land.  Would I go out to any land-based restaurant and pay for the food we get on a ship?  Now that is a test.  The first time we went to dinner in Qsine (it used to be a Celebrity alternative option) I said to DW, "I would pay for this on land because it is unique."  But that is the exception.  The truth is that when we are on a ship that overnights in a decent European or Asian port we always go off the ship for dinner.

 

Hank

P.S. End of rant 🙂

[CintiPam]

Hank, everyone has different tastes and priorities when they travel. And I travel very differently when on a cruise then when on a land trip, which I prefer DIY, as I did for three weeks in September 2019 in France and Germany. On a cruise, I spend little time in my cabin unless I am enjoying my veranda so I do not care if I am in a suite.I still am a major sightseer at port stops plus am a slow museum goer (less stops but more time to appreciate each is my preference) so by the time I return to the ship I am tired; I do not want to disembark again to find dinner.
 

My “O” ship meals IMO indeed surpass many I have eaten in Paris, but not a single ocean liner stops in Paris. When I drove to Honfleur on one of my land trips to France, I ate many lovely meals there but had dinner on the ship on my port stops there. Service is a big part of the foodie experience IMO, and I have been very content for the most part with that on my Oceania cruises. I cannot predict your experience on Oceania but those “0” ships with their four specialty restaurants and excellent service make me happy. I miss it.

Edited December 28, 2020 by CintiPam

[Hawaiidan]

2 hours ago, CintiPam said:

Hank, everyone has different tastes and priorities when they travel. And I travel very differently when on a cruise then when on a land trip, which I prefer DIY, as I did for three weeks in September 2019 in France and Germany. On a cruise, I spend little time in my cabin unless I am enjoying my veranda so I do not care if I am in a suite.I still am a major sightseer at port stops plus am a slow museum goer (less stops but more time to appreciate each is my preference) so by the time I return to the ship I am tired; I do not want to disembark again to find dinner.
 

My “O” ship meals IMO indeed surpass many I have eaten in Paris, but not a single ocean liner stops in Paris. When I drove to Honfleur on one of my land trips to France, I ate many lovely meals there but had dinner on the ship on my port stops there. Service is a big part of the foodie experience IMO, and I have been very content for the most part with that on my Oceania cruises. I cannot predict your experience on Oceania but those “0” ships with their four specialty restaurants and excellent service make me happy. I miss it.

I agree with Pam...... Having eaten at many of the best restaurants world wide Pic, Tour de argent, Jamin, Triogioso,Le Pyramide, French Laundry, Alan Ducasse and many others......  I find that food on O is not to be discounted and worth of a Michelin rating..  maybe not *** but  *.... I know my cuisine and find nothing  afloat to equal O   Too  O has an ambiance that is also exceptional......

[clo]

26 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

I agree with Pam...... Having eaten at many of the best restaurants world wide Pic, Tour de argent, Jamin, Triogioso,Le Pyramide, French Laundry, Alan Ducasse and many others......  I find that food on O is not to be discounted and worth of a Michelin rating..  maybe not *** but  *.... I know my cuisine and find nothing  afloat to equal O   Too  O has an ambiance that is also exceptional......

Before our first (and only so far) O cruise I had been warned to not have overarching expectations on the food. I didn't. It was GREAT. The escargots were the best I've ever had...and I make them at home. And on and on.

[hmorrow]

We are almost 4 star cruiser on HAL, and have an April cruise booked on the Konigsdam. Also our first booked for Nov 2021 on Oceania. We haven't been on HAL in a while, but have never had a bad cruise on them.(a bad ship- yes), but not a bad cruise. I'm a little surprised to hear such negative things about them.

[hmorrow]

On 12/24/2020 at 3:43 PM, Jancruz said:

Thanks for the info I have sent it on to O..

Jancruz1

Jancruz1

Your screen name is so familiar to me.  I think       you put Carolyn and Don, and my husband and myself on a tour in St Petersburg, many  years ago! We were on the old Raddison(now Regent), Song of Flower.....

Helaine

[TrulyBlonde]

19 hours ago, pinotlover said:

For us a couple points.

 

We are travelers not cruisers. We cruise to facilitate travel. HAL has some very interesting itineraries that Oceania has shown no desire to duplicate. Someday soon those itineraries will perk to the top of our wish list.
 

We have never starved on any line. Some definitely have better food than others, but starving, or even hunger pains, has never been an issue. If we didn’t particularly like the food aboard ship, we’d eat our major meals ashore where we’ve always food both delicious and interesting foods. That is part of the “ travel “ experience for us. 
 

We fully recognize that the multitudes of cruisers, with little desire to actually travel ( as we define travel), may have an entirely different prospective. 

Same. The cruise line gets us to our destination while unpacking once. We cruise to see the world, not the ship, and have never starved either. Yes, HAL did have some of the best itineraries. 

[KirkNC]

We have over 800 days on HAL and I can assure you the product today (or as of March) was not the product of even two or three years ago.  We had never had a bad cruise either but we had one in 2019 on the Maasdam that came close.  We were supposed to be on for 98 days but got off two weeks early.  To me the only things left that HAL has going for it (again at least through March 2020 was some great itineraries and a great crew.

[pinotlover]

27 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

We have over 800 days on HAL and I can assure you the product today (or as of March) was not the product of even two or three years ago.  We had never had a bad cruise either but we had one in 2019 on the Maasdam that came close.  We were supposed to be on for 98 days but got off two weeks early.  To me the only things left that HAL has going for it (again at least through March 2020 was some great itineraries and a great crew.

So we’ve gone the circle, some of us cruise and travel primarily for the itineraries, others are cruises sailing primarily for the ship. Different priorities, so we can exit the DO Loop now.

 

For Dan, 

 

It is absolutely outrageous to suggest that any of O’s venues would rank a Michelin star. The Polo Grill isn’t up to the standards of chains like Flemings or Ruth Chris no less the great independent steak and chop houses, none of which rate stars. Same especially goes for Toscana versus top shelf Italian dining in many US cities. That’s not saying the food is poor, it’s good, but not star quality.

[njhorseman]

17 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

 

It is absolutely outrageous to suggest that any of O’s venues would rank a Michelin star. The Polo Grill isn’t up to the standards of chains like Flemings or Ruth Chris no less the great independent steak and chop houses, none of which rate stars. Same especially goes for Toscana versus top shelf Italian dining in many US cities. That’s not saying the food is poor, it’s good, but not star quality.

This^^^^

 I'd add that while we've had some very well prepared dishes on Oceania we've also had some literally inedible ones, something I suspect would be intolerable in Michelin-starred restaurant.

There's no way a cruise ship, which doesn't have daily or at least regular access to the freshest and highest quality seasonal ingredients could possibly compare to the finest restaurants on land. On cruise ships virtually all proteins have to be frozen and vegetables are usually in cold storage far too long to be at peak quality, so before we even get to the issue of the chefs' skills a cruise ship is at a severe disadvantage from the ingredients it has to work with.