ZGSCL Live from the Koningsdam: November 14th 7 day Mexican Rivera

[zgscl]

14 hours ago, canadianbear said:

 

It is so disappointing all the cutbacks and blame passengers.  I've been following on FB a lady (most of us know) who used to sail HAL a lot.  She is currently on NCL in a Haven suite and she said the perks are superior to HAL Neptune suite.  Her photos look great and her review of the food, service, etc is great too.  She also mentioned it is comparable in price to Neptune suite.

 

We have done a suite on Celebrity and compared to HAL Neptune, Celebrity was also superior.  We have some serious thinking to do in the future.  As we are older I would prefer HAL the way it used to be and don't mind paying more for quality.  The excellence of HAL has diminished. 

 

We have one very long cruise booked on HAL next year so time will tell if we will keep it or branch out. 

 

 

I agree the cutbacks are disappointing particularly the MDR changes. I do not love the PM main shows at all. That being said I keep coming back to HAL for a few reasons. I am open to trying a few other premium lines if the dates/prices/itineraries work out but nothing has enticed me yet and I usually find I would be paying more for things that I don’t particularly care about and when I have compared the daily programs HAL is just a better fit even if I do now pay for specialty dining most of the time. I also really like the music walk & EXC talks when they have them. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by zgscl

[Cruising-along]

15 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I’ve come to the conclusion that if I want a chocolate I best go buy some. It’s used to be only on gala nights, not even now.  Guests don’t want them. I’m just furious right now and it’s not about the chocolates.  It’s the lie about guests don’t want this, they don’t want that.  I chatted with his supervisor and I’m pretty sure they’ll be bad mouthing me for a while.  He didn’t have any chocolate but all of a sudden because I was getting angry they manage to find them. I guess the Easter bunny must have shown up.

 

34 minutes ago, zgscl said:

I brought leftovers from our Alaska cruise. I did get a chocolate and a towel animal last night 

I almost wish I could share the piles of chocolate our stewards left for us every day on the Eurodam!  (note I said "almost", I am a chocoholic, after all.  They did NOT go into the garbage) 😉  Seriously, we would get between 4-6 each day. Our stewards were outstanding.   Too bad there isn't more consistency between ships. 

[Florida_gal_50]

43 minutes ago, zgscl said:

I brought leftovers from our Alaska cruise. I did get a chocolate and a towel animal last night 

That was smart but what are leftovers ;)? I don't want to give the opinion that everyone on the ship is not doing their job.  There are so many wonderful people on this ship.  Housekeeping clearly didn't get the memo from.my perspective.

[cruisin'mama]

If possible, could you see if a bottle of  Sheridans is still being sold onboard? My dog sitter always wants me to bring her home a bottle! 🤪 Thanks!!

[zgscl]

On 11/15/2021 at 6:02 PM, PSR said:

 

I have seen the crab risotto mentioned a lot, but I do not see it on the Canaletto menu, is it something new? It looks like it also has an uncharge of $12 , is that correct?

It is not on the online menu, but only on the onboard/navigator app one. There is also a spaghetti All astice for $18

[zgscl]

5 hours ago, cruisin'mama said:

If possible, could you see if a bottle of  Sheridans is still being sold onboard? My dog sitter always wants me to bring her home a bottle! 🤪 Thanks!!

I’ll try to check! Do you usually get from the shops or from a bartender? 

[PSR]

23 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

It's under small plates and yes the up charge it $12.

Thanks for the info!

[PSR]

20 minutes ago, zgscl said:

It is not on the online menu, but only on the onboard/navigator app one. There is also a spaghetti All astice for $18

 

Thanks also...what is in the special spaghetti All astice, if you remember?

[zgscl]

9 minutes ago, PSR said:

 

Thanks also...what is in the special spaghetti All astice, if you remember?

It is lobster, tomato, garlic and white wine. They pushed very hard for us to try on Nieuw Amsterdam but they didn’t push at all on K

[zgscl]

6 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

That was smart but what are leftovers ;)? I don't want to give the opinion that everyone on the ship is not doing their job.  There are so many wonderful people on this ship.  Housekeeping clearly didn't get the memo from.my perspective.

My mom actually didn’t eat any of hers on our Alaska cruise. I found them in my travel electronics bag with my extra phone chargers and computer mouse. Thankfully Seattle is cold or I would have had another mess! 🤣

 

I have actually found the onboard service to be exceptionally good. When I catch up on posting I will go into more detail but across the board the onboard crew have been great despite some of the limitations placed on them by corporate. 
 

Also someone decided to turn volume on the slot machines in the ocean bar casino on yesterday.  That is a bit tedious though I’ve found a few people who like them and they do seem to be in use quite a bit. Gus please don’t get any ideas! 

[Florida_gal_50]

Have you gone to sel de mer yet?  If you have and you think it’s meh I may just cancel and go to club orange for dinner if the choices are good tomorrow.  That said I’ve had zero go against my account so far as I have promos for everything this week and $125 burning a hole in my pocket.  Maybe they have chocolate somewhere onboard 😛.

[aliaschief]

Looking forward to cruising through your perspective. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[TiogaCruiser]

11 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

Staff Captain Sabine was introduced by Captain Henk Draper last night.

 

I’m sure that’s good news to Roy.

 

10 hours ago, zgscl said:

I agree the cutbacks are disappointing particularly the MDR changes. I do not love the PM main shows at all. That being said I keep coming back to HAL for a few reasons. I am open to trying a few other premium lines if the dates/prices/itineraries work out but nothing has enticed me yet and I usually find I would be paying more for things that I don’t particularly care about and when I have compared the daily programs HAL is just a better fit even if I do now pay for specialty dining most of the time. I also really like the music walk & EXC talks when they have them. 

Have they had any of the EXC talks or other cultural enrichment for the Mexico part. They used to have “Mexican Ambassadors” do a cultural program.

[zgscl]

3 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Have you gone to sel de mer yet?  If you have and you think it’s meh I may just cancel and go to club orange for dinner if the choices are good tomorrow.  That said I’ve had zero go against my account so far as I have promos for everything this week and $125 burning a hole in my pocket.  Maybe they have chocolate somewhere onboard 😛.

I burned all my promo credit on spa treatments day 1 and then booked more. They are really good sales people. 
 

Sel de Mer is Thursday for me but and I’ve never been. If it is no good I have no compunction about going for a second dinner in club orange or the lido.

 

Let me check my stash, I may be able to donate some Alaska HAL chocolates to you. 

[zgscl]

3 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Looking forward to cruising through your perspective. Thanks for sharing your experience.

I have loud to write about whenever my phone decides to transfer photos to my computer. It might be protesting since I’ve given it no syrup or bread pudding sauce since getting onboard 

[cruisin'mama]

5 hours ago, zgscl said:

I’ll try to check! Do you usually get from the shops or from a bartender? 

Thank you! I find it in the shops at the ‘liquor store’ . I really appreciate you checking for me!!

[zgscl]

Well for a vacation where I am doing not much but relax, I have been surprisingly busy! 

 

Sunday 

When & Where

 

MDR menu

 

Really nice views of San Diego from my balcony though I greatly disapprove of this whole getting dark at 4:45 PM thing!! 

 

 

 

I did order the Elite beverage package for this cruise and received a special reusable cup for the Coca Cola Freestyle machines (which I have not yet used). There is also a card that explains the terms and conditions of the package. The first beverage I ordered was a Pellegrino from the Crow's Nest and it was charged to the package with no issue. I ordered another one through the cabana attendants and it was charged as $6.99 onto my account and then taken off and recharged to the beverage package about an hour later without me saying anything. I only bothered reading this card after getting back to my room later where it notes in bold that Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino are not included (despite being $7 but you can get $15 beverages). I have since stopped ordering them but neither were charged to me so it seems maybe they have something set up wrong in the system. I ordered a club soda on Monday in the cabanas and the attendant clarified which I wanted and mentioned that the Pellegrino is not included so maybe they have now figured this all out now. I can't imagine I am the first person with a beverage package in the last 6 weeks since the ship restarted to order a Pellegrino, oh well. HAL does excel at inconsistencies. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

50 minutes ago, zgscl said:

I burned all my promo credit on spa treatments day 1 and then booked more. They are really good sales people. 
 

Sel de Mer is Thursday for me but and I’ve never been. If it is no good I have no compunction about going for a second dinner in club orange or the lido.

 

Let me check my stash, I may be able to donate some Alaska HAL chocolates to you. 

No worries.  I got 2 tonight! I’m saving 1 because it might be the last 2 I see 🤪.  I might as well go.  I loved it on the n.statendam.

Edited November 17, 2021 by Florida_gal_50

[zgscl]

While walking through the lido I was stopped by the spa people and offered a tour. I thought this would be a great chance to see the spa (it is). They somehow talked me into a thermal pass and all sorts of treatment packages. Not quite sure exactly sure how that happened. Oh well. I have been enjoying them over the last few days. If you want a chance to see the facilities this is the best opportunity, but be prepared to say no as they have these very enticing packages and offers they will give you. 

 

Muster drill was the same as it was on Nieuw Amsterdam with the only exception that the muster stations are on deck 2 & 3 in the lounges/dining room on Koningsdam instead of out on deck. I went right after I got onboard only to figure out they only were open starting at 1:30. I also walked by the Grand Dutch Cafe which looks great but I keep forgetting to visit! 

 

 

Dinner tonight was at the Canaletto. I really do like how they have decorated it onboard. I specifically booked Sunday night to try the Chicken Parmigiana which is one of my favorite dishes and wanted to try HAL's take on it.  I found the food to be OK for the most part but the service was excellent and very attentive. 

 

 

 

 

To start with is the famous crab risotto. It was good, but not great. The amount of tomato (which I like in general with Italian food) overpowered the crab flavor in the risotto so it just tasted like a tomato risotto with crab on top. Not sure if this was an off night or if they prepare it differently on this ship. I might try again when I go back later this week. 

 

For comparison the one form Nieuw Amsterdam this summer literally was bursting with crab flavor in the risotto. It was exceptional and one of the best meals I have ever had (and not just on a HAL ship). 

 

Chicken Parm was OK but nothing to write home about. Tomato sauce tasted like it came out of a can and in my opinion tastes better with pasta. I probably would not order this dish again. I should have gone with the lamb which is one of my favorite dishes onboard usually. 

 

For desert I thought I would try the Orange Blossom Ricotta Tart which was fantastic - really moist and flavorful. 

Edited November 17, 2021 by zgscl

[zgscl]

On my way down to the Music Walk I stopped by the shops and fonud this great HAL Ship Christmas tree ornament which is the perfect souvenir and will make a great gift this season for a few folks. 

 

This evening the main show was Origin Story which I have already seen. I highly recommend it if you have not yet seen it but I don't particularly need to see it 3 months apart. The Music Walk is great and a bit different on this ship. BB King's and Lincoln Center Stage are the same venue. Rolling Stones Rock Room & Billboard Onboard are essentially the same venue that is the entire width of the ship with an open hallway in the middle but music pumped into both sides. Shows basically alternate every 45 minutes or so (Lincoln Center Stage goes early while the BB King's Allstars do back to back shows later). This is all a really great setup. You can tell how empty the ship is (reports from the crew are about 1,300 people total which would be 49% capacity). I could always find a seat in any venue and particularly as the night got later they would be half full or less. The BB King's group is fantastic just like they were on Nieuw Amsterdam. I thought Rolling Stones & Billboard couple were both quite good too. The big challenge is deciding which to go to when they are on at the same time. 

 

Pro tip for BB Kings lounge, do not sit directly to the side of the stage. The bass is totally intolerable next to the drums for more than a couple minutes. If you sit in the main room in front of the band then the shield works as designed and the sound is mixed properly. For the Billboard shows I actually just stayed on the Rolling Stones side which was then empty and enjoyed the lack of people while at the bar. 

 

Bartenders in all of these venues have been great. Every time I walk back over to BB King's someone comes up to take my order within 2 minutes of sitting down. Similar experience in the other venues. 

 

A lot has been said on these boards about HAL not having a nightlife. On this cruise, even with half capacity I have seen lots of folks out until at least midnight every day and one of the music groups is always going until 11:30 or 11:45 or so. They put on "Dancing to the Hits" after which is canned music for those who want to be out and about later. I do not think it is accurate any longer to say the ship shuts down at 10 PM any longer, at least on the 7 day cruises. 

 

As far as the age range I have seen a good mix. Of course the typical HAL demographic applies but I have also seen a good number of 20, 30 & 40 somethings onboard. 

 

After a fun night of lounge hopping I decided to stop by the Late Night (read 10:30-11:30) buffet. Tonight they had a garlic roll, cauliflower au gratin, chicken wings, shrimp tempura and a baked pasta dish. All were quite good. 

 

 

[zgscl]

And I totally forgot the Cabana! I had lunch in the cabana on Sunday which was very nice.  This week we have 3 attendants and they have 14 filled (including all family cabanas). Last week due to the colder weather there were only 3 or 4 sold and I think just 2 attendants. 

 

My newest friend! I saw several people taking pictures with it so if  HAL wanted it to be a conversation starter they certainly succeeded. I think a nice little hot tub/plunge pool that could be used as hot or cold depending on the weather would be a much better use of the space. 

 

First views of my cabana. As soon as I came in they brought over a bottle of Acqua Panna and an ice bucket - you seem to get one every day. They also took drink orders and lunch orders. 

 

Cabana service menus. Note that beverages are not included. They will take your drink orders and bring them to you but will take your keycard to charge it. It is not on the menu, but they will also bring milkshakes! 

 

 

For lunch today I went with my traditional embarkation day meal which is the Cannonball and fries with cheese sauce. 

 

 

[zgscl]

One other note is they have these great hand washing stations in the Lido which I really like. You stick your hands in for 12 seconds and it washes your hands for you. They still do have the hand sanitizer stations but they are much less prominent than they were on other ships. 

[zgscl]

Well I got so excited marking up my When & Where with all my notes for the day I forgot to take a picture beforehand of it. 

 

 

 

 

Sunday night I went for my first of many spa treatments. I had a facial which was very relaxing and they did a great job and my skin has never looked so clear. If you go to the spa be prepared for a hard sales pitch at the end of your service. They started with a $420 line of all sorts of face creams and cleansers that I absolutely needed because it is important to take care of your skin! Sorry, I have gotten 29 years without it and I don't think I plan on spending over $400 on creams now, thank you very much! They also offered the creams one by one to which I also politely declined despite dire warnings of how important it is that one have their creams. 

 

After my facial I tried out the thermal suite. Embarkation evening (and evening in general) is a great time to go as it is not at all crowded. When you buy a pass they put a sticker on the back of your key card which you show at the reception to get a key and locker when you want to come in. 

 

I did not take pictures of the thermal suite as it is not really a great place to be walking around with a phone and snapping pictures but I will do my best to describe it. There are lots of pictures of it on the HAL website. 

 

When you walk in the heated ceramic loungers are immediately to the right. Off to the left there are showers including a horizontal shower - this is an evil contraption where you take a shower lying down and end up breathing a lot of water in your nose and get a lot of water in your eyes. The heated loungers are nice and very warm. 

 

In the shower area they also have an ice bucket where you pull a chain and it pours very cold water on you. I think you are supposed to use it after the sauna or something like that. They also have rainfall showers which are fantastic and very roomy. 

 

After the loungers they do have a sauna which is very hot and steamy. At the end of the loungers there is a door into a separate room where they have the heated pool. This is about 3 feet deep and very large around with warm but not hot water. There is also an amazing shower off of the pool with jets that shoot at your feet and legs as well as a large overhead waterfall shower. It all sort of alternates between hot and cold which I think is supposed to be therapeutic. 

 

The area is very nice if it is your cup of tea. I do like the warm pool and the showers (except for the horizontal shower). They recommend using it before and after all spa treatments/massages. It is also a nice area to shower after working out (and with the small showers in the rooms this could be a great place to have a nice shower in a larger space). 

 

[kazu]

4 hours ago, zgscl said:

I did not take pictures of the thermal suite as it is not really a great place to be walking around with a phone and snapping pictures

 

Sounds like you learned a lesson from the syrup 😂. Seriously, great description, great posts & pics and very informative.  Thanks so much 🙂 

[Heartgrove]

4 hours ago, zgscl said:

One other note is they have these great hand washing stations in the Lido which I really like. You stick your hands in for 12 seconds and it washes your hands for you. They still do have the hand sanitizer stations but they are much less prominent than they were on other ships. 

 

I was so happy to see these return when we sailed on the Nieuw Statendam two years ago. Our first cruise with HAL was aboard the Veendam which also had hand washing stations. Surprisingly the Vista-class and Signature-class ships do not have them. It appears that they have solved the paper towel dispenser problem with the wall mount unit.