Rare Roz Posted November 12, 2022 #276 Share Posted November 12, 2022 It was the Rotterdam. My sister and I had high hopes for a new ship, but HAL definitely didn't put their best foot forward. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwc13 Posted November 12, 2022 #277 Share Posted November 12, 2022 1 hour ago, LizzGo said: Just started following this thread. We will be cruising on HAL in January after mostly Celebrity and one MSC. Now I’m a little bit worried about the food! I’ve always heard HAL was a notch up from Celebrity. If it is as good we’ll be fine. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Food quality/taste/presentation and, to a lesser extent availability, is subjective. Even so, I'm optimistic you'll find plenty of food to enjoy during the cruise. Just remember, a bad day on a cruise beats a great day at the office. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KroozNut Posted November 12, 2022 #278 Share Posted November 12, 2022 2 hours ago, LizzGo said: Just started following this thread. We will be cruising on HAL in January after mostly Celebrity and one MSC. Now I’m a little bit worried about the food! I’ve always heard HAL was a notch up from Celebrity. If it is as good we’ll be fine. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Don't worry about the food. Depending on who is talking, it's either sub-par or it's the best afloat today. Our personal opinion is that it's top notch. We haven't personally sailed X, so, can't really compare. But a good friend of ours who has sailed X and HAL told us he thinks they're about equal; with HAL better at some things, and X at others. Bottom line is that you shouldn't be disappointed with HAL's food.. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MISTER 67 Posted November 12, 2022 #279 Share Posted November 12, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, Cruising-along said: Wow! What ship was this? Just goes to show that each ship and each sailing can be so different because we had all these things (except for the long wait at Dive In) on the NS in Oct-Nov. About the food on Celebrity -- we haven't sailed Celebrity since 2017 and we thought their food wasn't good at all. I'm looking forward to seeing how it is on our next Celebrity cruise next fall. 3 hours ago, Roz said: It was the Rotterdam. My sister and I had high hopes for a new ship, but HAL definitely didn't put their best foot forward. We were on the Rotterdam in April and we had everything you didn't, that's strange. It was a pretty good cruise except for lack of entertainment in the Main Showroom, the group that performed in Lincoln Center was outstanding and received standing ovations after every performance. Great group in BB Kings but the piano players/singers in Billboard Onboard were pretty bad. We've had 3 cruises with Celebrity this past summer and the food on Celebrity is better than HAL, excellent service on both lines and beautiful clean ships. Edited November 12, 2022 by MISTER 67 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted November 12, 2022 #280 Share Posted November 12, 2022 2 hours ago, dwc13 said: Food quality/taste/presentation and, to a lesser extent availability, is subjective. Even so, I'm optimistic you'll find plenty of food to enjoy during the cruise. Just remember, a bad day on a cruise beats a great day at the office. Hmmm. Availability of toast, salt/pepper, and butter are subjective? Cheerleading is reaching new heights. Hank 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasick Sailor Posted November 12, 2022 #281 Share Posted November 12, 2022 3 hours ago, Roz said: It was the Rotterdam. My sister and I had high hopes for a new ship, but HAL definitely didn't put their best foot forward. Wow Roz. We sailed Rotterdam 30+ days Dec/Jan. We always had toast, condiments, coffee/ cappuccino etc. We were very pleased with food and staff. We sail on her again for 45 days beginning Dec 11th. Can't wait to be onboard! I'm sorry you weren't treated well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YXU AC*SE Posted November 12, 2022 #282 Share Posted November 12, 2022 19 hours ago, cruisemom42 said: My question was a simple one, addressed to you: given the experience reported of having inexpensive (and un-elegant) dishes like "rustic lasagna" as a dinner entree several times on a short cruise, does it really seem to support your premise that things are "getting back to normal"? For those of us who have upcoming cruises booked, in the Navigator app you can see the day's MDR menus for the ship upon which you're booked-- Tonight's mains on Rotterdam? : Penne caprese Rustic home-made lasagne Spaghetti meatballs Parmesan-crusted chicken breast Chili prawns w/ garlic butter Eight-ounce New York striploin Grilled salmon w/ capers and dill + upsell menu. follow for a few days and draw your own conclusion. Scott. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_gal_50 Posted November 12, 2022 #283 Share Posted November 12, 2022 31 minutes ago, Hlitner said: Hmmm. Availability of toast, salt/pepper, and butter are subjective? Cheerleading is reaching new heights. Hank As I recall Roz sailed when the ship was at capacity and the ship was not staffed for it. People struggle to understand that when you sail on a ship at half capacity and full staff it’s a different experience. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_gal_50 Posted November 13, 2022 #284 Share Posted November 13, 2022 6 minutes ago, YXU AC*SE said: For those of us who have upcoming cruises booked, in the Navigator app you can see the day's MDR menus for the ship upon which you're booked-- Tonight's mains on Rotterdam? : Penne caprese Rustic home-made lasagne Spaghetti meatballs Parmesan-crusted chicken breast Chili prawns w/ garlic butter Eight-ounce New York striploin Grilled salmon w/ capers and dill + upsell menu. follow for a few days and draw your own conclusion. Scott. I can tell you mine has rustic lasagna smack bad in the middle of the chicken and salmon that’s available every day even though it’s not spelled out as such. Lasagna was on there yesterday too along with the salmon and chicken. Draw your own conclusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damcruiser Posted November 13, 2022 #285 Share Posted November 13, 2022 As a long time celebrity cruiser, we were very happy with the food on Nieuw Statendam. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YXU AC*SE Posted November 13, 2022 #286 Share Posted November 13, 2022 24 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said: Draw your own conclusion. (1) Consumer preference leans toward pedestrian menu choices ? (2) One is averaging down one's food cost ? I won't piss and moan about cutbacks, but simply note the apparent linkage between menu choice and inflation [un-]adjusted pax per diems paid. If I didn't perceive value, I wouldn't be cruising w/ HAL. It all comes down to tradeoffs, right? Fora like these help to inform that consumer value proposition decision. Scott. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted November 13, 2022 #287 Share Posted November 13, 2022 1 hour ago, YXU AC*SE said: For those of us who have upcoming cruises booked, in the Navigator app you can see the day's MDR menus for the ship upon which you're booked-- Tonight's mains on Rotterdam? : Penne caprese Rustic home-made lasagne Spaghetti meatballs Parmesan-crusted chicken breast Chili prawns w/ garlic butter Eight-ounce New York striploin Grilled salmon w/ capers and dill + upsell menu. follow for a few days and draw your own conclusion. Scott. I've been following menus on the Navigator app and noticed the same - penne, spaghetti, and lasagna. Three Italian/pasta dishes in one night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted November 13, 2022 #288 Share Posted November 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said: As I recall Roz sailed when the ship was at capacity and the ship was not staffed for it. People struggle to understand that when you sail on a ship at half capacity and full staff it’s a different experience. That is correct. Passengers in this forum were reporting ships at 30/40/50% capacity. The Rotterdam was at 92% (according to the captain) and CCers not on the same sailing disputed that figure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwc13 Posted November 13, 2022 #289 Share Posted November 13, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Hlitner said: Hmmm. Availability of toast, salt/pepper, and butter are subjective? Cheerleading is reaching new heights. Hank On a recent cruise, 3 types of pizza were served at lunch, dinner, and late meal (10:30pm), but not at breakfast and not available 24hours. To some passengers, the availability of pizza was acceptable. For others, especially those keeping later hours, not having a 24 hour option for pizza meant availability was somewhat disappointing. Die hard pizza fans can eat pizza every meal including breakfast and would likely do so on occasion if given the option, so not having pizza available 24 hours/at breakfast meant availability was unacceptable. Still others might only like sausage pizza or stuffed pizza or gluten free pizza and because none was an option, pizza was not available for them to eat. In other words, availability is not exclusively a binary outcome. It can also have a subjective component that depends upon the perspective of the person. Edited November 13, 2022 by dwc13 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_gal_50 Posted November 13, 2022 #290 Share Posted November 13, 2022 1 minute ago, Roz said: That is correct. Passengers in this forum were reporting ships at 30/40/50% capacity. The Rotterdam was at 92% (according to the captain) and CCers not on the same sailing disputed that figure. It’s always amazing to me that people refute what others say unless it’s happened to them. I’ve always found you to be a reputable poster. If you say something I know it’s happened. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted November 13, 2022 #291 Share Posted November 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said: As I recall Roz sailed when the ship was at capacity and the ship was not staffed for it. People struggle to understand that when you sail on a ship at half capacity and full staff it’s a different experience. So you are saying that folks should only sail on HAL if the ship is half full? Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted November 13, 2022 #292 Share Posted November 13, 2022 21 hours ago, LMaxwell said: Things can't be always available if they aren't always on the menu; whether there's a section for it or not. Ah, yes, they can. Took me years of sailing HAL to discover there are things that don't appear on the menu, but are available every night. This was long before the 'always available' selections made an appearance, too. My question had been if I don't know to ask for the item, how will I ever get it. But I learned, and I just might be pleasantly surprised. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida_gal_50 Posted November 13, 2022 #293 Share Posted November 13, 2022 55 minutes ago, Hlitner said: So you are saying that folks should only sail on HAL if the ship is half full? Hank Well that would be lovely, wouldn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BetsyS. Posted November 13, 2022 #294 Share Posted November 13, 2022 Ruth C - You're right. It is always good to ask for things. Crew wants to help in every way they can. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACD_JG Posted November 13, 2022 #295 Share Posted November 13, 2022 I consider raising the unlimited 7-day laundry from $49 to $63 a downgrade... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare FlaMariner Posted November 13, 2022 #296 Share Posted November 13, 2022 41 minutes ago, PACD_JG said: I consider raising the unlimited 7-day laundry from $49 to $63 a downgrade... The business case for "using HAL laundry vs paying Delta baggage fee" just turned negative. Rethinking our "just bring one carry on" strategy. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overhead Fred Posted November 13, 2022 #297 Share Posted November 13, 2022 1 hour ago, PACD_JG said: I consider raising the unlimited 7-day laundry from $49 to $63 a downgrade... Where was the cruise? The $9 per day sounds like the European price if I recall correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbluff Posted November 13, 2022 #298 Share Posted November 13, 2022 1 hour ago, PACD_JG said: I consider raising the unlimited 7-day laundry from $49 to $63 a downgrade... I recently added unlimited laundry to some Nov-Dec. 2022 sailings and it was still $7/day. North American home ports, of course. Did HAL announce an increase? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACD_JG Posted November 13, 2022 #299 Share Posted November 13, 2022 @Cajun Traveler stated - We just got off N. Statendam yesterday and the laundry was $30 per bag or $63 unlimited for 7 night cruise. Although the weekly price has increased from $49, we found it was still a good value. The laundry department did an excellent job. We sent out laundry 3 times and it was always returned within 24 hours. I am on the Nieuw Statendam over Thanksgiving, so this affects me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbluff Posted November 13, 2022 #300 Share Posted November 13, 2022 5 minutes ago, oldbluff said: I recently added unlimited laundry to some Nov-Dec. 2022 sailings and it was still $7/day. North American home ports, of course. Did HAL announce an increase? I see in the Laundry Prices topic that several people on the New Statendam out of Ft Lauderdale we’re charged $9/day. I just went into my Dec 10th booking and it is still $49 for 7 nights to add unlimited laundry. Perhaps the fee is now more if initiated on board vs. prepaid. Or they are testing the new rate on a ship or two to see the results in usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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