HAL continuing to downgrade its product

[Copper10-8]

7 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I don't even know what that is!  How is it going to increase profits on the ships?

 

 

https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/

[cruisemom42]

5 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/

 

As always you bring illumination to these boards. 😄

 

So.....perhaps HAL could set up a betting pool on said pickleball to monetize it. 😆

[daisy-mae]

47 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I don't even know what that is!  How is it going to increase profits on the ships?

 

Pickleball playing makes one thirsty...:)

 

Someone suggested that HAL has to attract new customers; pickleball is one of the fastest growing racquet sports in North America, and players are constantly seeking new venues to enjoy the sport. The cruise line could exploit the niche. 

[Wakepatrol]

51 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/

I just booked a cabin 7041

It’s right below the pickle ball court and I can’t sleep from the clickety clack of the racquet hitting the ball. Guest services won’t move me . 

[Mary229]

3 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

I just booked a cabin 7041

It’s right below the pickle ball court and I can’t sleep from the clickety clack of the racquet hitting the ball. Guest services won’t move me . 

Don’t worry, active sports venues on a cruise ship are just there as wishful thinking.  Travelers wistfully dream of getting in shape while on a cruise - yeah, right!  

[idiebabe]

We had Ladderball on the Nieuw Amsterdam last month.  Fun game!  

[AncientWanderer]

2 minutes ago, idiebabe said:

We had Ladderball on the Nieuw Amsterdam last month.  Fun game!  

 

Did you go through Panama Canal last month, same as us?  It was a very active and sporty cruise. 

We've done six HAL cruises since they started back up post-Covid and loved every one of them.

[idiebabe]

1 minute ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

Did you go through Panama Canal last month, same as us?  It was a very active and sporty cruise. 

We've done six HAL cruises since they started back up post-Covid and loved every one of them.

Yes, we did and had an awesome time!  Great Cruise!   We've just completed our 9th Cruise post-Covid and also loved them all!  We may have been on the same sailings on some of the other Ships! 😃

[Andi Land]

Currently on the Koningsdam for the second week. Service has been hit or miss the entire time. A few items to note:

 

Both weeks have been pretty much at capacity with over 2500 guests. 
 

All the things (salt, pepper, butter, syrup, bread) are readily available. 
 

MDR dinners this week have been really slow. One night took over three hours and food was delivered cold. 
 

Unlimited laundry is still $49

 

No extra charge for an extra appetizer in PG the one time we ate there. 
 

Week one we had Club Orange and it felt like HAL oversold that option. It was difficult to get a table quite often and we had to be put on a waitlist. 
 

Crew does not seem as happy as we’ve encountered in the past. Could be that they have to deal with a lot of complaints. We’ve heard more complaints from passengers directed at crew than in all past cruises combined. 
 

The biggest change my husband noted was that alcohol drinks seem to be being served in smaller glasses for the same cost as before. 
 

We stayed in an OV room week one on deck 1 and weren’t offered turndown service. We are in a verandah on deck 5 this week and turndown service was automatic. 
 

Chocolates and towel animals only on dressy night. 
 

And speaking of dressy night…apparently anything goes. Even shorts. I was surprised to see shorts in the MDR (on a lady). They were bedazzled but still shorts. 
 

Overall it’s been a weird couple of weeks. It hasn’t left me wanting to book again soon. My next cruise is with Celebrity in August of 2023. It’ll be good to get something to compare HAL to. I’m ready to branch out and try something new and I haven’t felt that way after prior HAL cruises. Nothing on this cruise has been outright bad but nothing has been memorable either. 

[Mary229]

@Andi Landthat is an apt description.  I don’t know if it is intentional or not but HAL seems to be differentiating.  All of my cruises this year were in the same class cabin so I can’t compare but 2 of my cruises were on the high end of HAL and one on the low.  We enjoyed the low end 7 day sailing but it was nothing exciting. Our TA plus Med was interesting. On the TA portion we were pampered and it was typical HAL but once on the 2 7 day Med segments service went down a tad and the menu certainly was not as rich.  Our third venture was an expensive HAL trip and was everything we would expect from the old HAL

[Copper10-8]

35 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

I just booked a cabin 7041

It’s right below the pickle ball court and I can’t sleep from the clickety clack of the racquet hitting the ball. Guest services won’t move me . 

 

Reminds me of HAL comedian Kevin Jordan, the former LAPD cop with the flashlight: "Dear Holland America......................" 
 

[Wakepatrol]

51 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Don’t worry, active sports venues on a cruise ship are just there as wishful thinking.  Travelers wistfully dream of getting in shape while on a cruise - yeah, right!  

Honorable mention to the guy that “Takes The Stairs” after his fourth dessert

[BetsyS.]

Andi Land - I'm sorry you didn't have a better experience.

            You said passengers complained to crew. They should 

know that crew is doing their jobs. The place to complain is 

on "Let Us Know" on Navigator app. 

           I didn't complain on the app, but I did mention crew 

who went above and beyond. I got a phone call from a 

supervisor thanking me for the feedback and crew members 

thanked me also.

          I hope your next cruise will be much better.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, Andi Land said:

Currently on the Koningsdam for the second week. Service has been hit or miss the entire time. A few items to note:

 

Both weeks have been pretty much at capacity with over 2500 guests. 
 

All the things (salt, pepper, butter, syrup, bread) are readily available. 
 

MDR dinners this week have been really slow. One night took over three hours and food was delivered cold. 
 

Unlimited laundry is still $49

 

No extra charge for an extra appetizer in PG the one time we ate there. 
 

Week one we had Club Orange and it felt like HAL oversold that option. It was difficult to get a table quite often and we had to be put on a waitlist. 
 

Crew does not seem as happy as we’ve encountered in the past. Could be that they have to deal with a lot of complaints. We’ve heard more complaints from passengers directed at crew than in all past cruises combined. 
 

The biggest change my husband noted was that alcohol drinks seem to be being served in smaller glasses for the same cost as before. 
 

We stayed in an OV room week one on deck 1 and weren’t offered turndown service. We are in a verandah on deck 5 this week and turndown service was automatic. 
 

Chocolates and towel animals only on dressy night. 
 

And speaking of dressy night…apparently anything goes. Even shorts. I was surprised to see shorts in the MDR (on a lady). They were bedazzled but still shorts. 
 

Overall it’s been a weird couple of weeks. It hasn’t left me wanting to book again soon. My next cruise is with Celebrity in August of 2023. It’ll be good to get something to compare HAL to. I’m ready to branch out and try something new and I haven’t felt that way after prior HAL cruises. Nothing on this cruise has been outright bad but nothing has been memorable either. 

I agree with a lot that you have said.  I've heard some things and I think the captain is not great with the crew.  I've heard that from a few.  Nuf said.  I agree,  turn down has been automatic on 5   I haven't had much of a problem  with club orange but they seem to forget to bring a lot. For once I've had very few account problems.  I was talking with someone at canaletto last night.  She randomly brought up the hot mess her account was in March.  Yup, been there.

[atexsix]

I haven't read through all 16 pages but I will say we think it's still worth it no matter how much they cut back, the benefits and conveniences we get compared to a land based trip are too numerous to list, but center around health and mobility related concerns.  If something happened medically at sea, at least we have help nearby.  I can't imagine trying to find help on land in a strange city, so that's the main reason we continue to cruise.  Of course we miss the little luxuries from 20+ years ago, but the prices now are about the same and try to find that everywhere else in the world right now.

[atexsix]

On 11/14/2022 at 3:16 PM, Hlitner said:

Tis a slippery slope once you accept add-ons.  First it starts with reasonable things like caviar or perhaps a 32 ounce steak (they don't have that in the PG).  Then it becomes an add on for a lousy warm water lobster tail.  Moves on to an extra main   than a fee for an extra starter.  Soon, they might charge a fee to use a tender, the salad bar in the Lido, all room service, or reserved seats at the shows.  And so it goes.  Unfortunately, management pushes these things, a little at a time, waiting for a reaction.  When Princess tried add-ons in their MDR (primarily steaks) there was a mild uproar and those add-ons disappeared.  But on HAL, since we have the usual folks saying "HAL is Perfect," and folks saying, "we don't care about no Production shows since we go to bed by 7,"  etc. etc. the slope quickly increases to near vertically downhill.

 

Hank

Very well said.  

 

3 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I sailed on a “premium” river line this year and had to hear about how delighted they were to present Corn Hole.  That doesn’t even sound nice much less something to brag about 

What is it?  Food?  Entertainment?

[Mary229]

3 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Very well said.  

 

What is it?  Food?  Entertainment?

It is a bean bag version of horseshoes. You pitch a bean bag into a hole in plywood.  About exciting as the name is weird.  

[atexsix]

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

It is a bean bag version of horseshoes. You pitch a bean bag into a hole in plywood.  About exciting as the name is weird.  

😱

No thanks.  That's as bad as karaoke to me, I know a lot of people like it, but give me a live band or even a DJ before I subject myself to that. 

[atexsix]

On 11/12/2022 at 6:07 AM, Florida_gal_50 said:

Oh yes the good old supply chain issue.  That’s my favourite 🤣.  That’s  one slow chain.  My grocery store has had 99 percent of items for more than 2 years.  I really don’t understand why a big corporation like carnival corporation would struggle.  I’ve seen Princess menus which do have lobster.  They are under the same umbrella.  This is a choice on Hal’s part.

We sailed both HAL and Princess since the restart and both have gotten skimpy with selection, I looked at menus from the restart on other cruise lines and couldn't believe the selection, and this was from day one.  Blaming the supply chain or Covid is a favorite scapegoat that they've used to death.  And like you, aside from some sporadic shortages, every grocery I shop at has had probably 99% of their normal inventory levels. 

[BetsyS.]

Atexsix - I agree with you that having medical help onboard

is important. My stepfather left 2 meds on the kitchen counter

even though we both had checklists and went over the lists 

as we were packing. The medical team on the Niew Statendam 

gave my stepfather enough meds to last for 24 days. We were 

on our way to Greenland and the doctor said that Greenland 

has NO ER! Those poor people.  The medical team was top notch.

It's peace of mind knowing that HAL has excellent medical centers.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

It is a bean bag version of horseshoes. You pitch a bean bag into a hole in plywood.  About exciting as the name is weird.  

Just heard, a few days ago, that there is actually a professional Corn Hole league and there have been issues with cheating!   One newspaper has called it the "Baggate" cheating scandal.

 

Hank

[Roz]

Corn Hole is very popular in the Midwest, and yes, there are national tournaments.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, BetsyS. said:

We were 

on our way to Greenland and the doctor said that Greenland 

has NO ER! Those poor people.  The medical team was top notch.

It's peace of mind knowing that HAL has excellent medical centers.

 

I think the doctor was either misinformed or having you on. 

 

There are certainly hospitals and urgent care facilities in Greenland. They may not call them "Emergency Rooms" but emergency care is available. Of course, due to the scant population and difficulties of travel, it might not be easy to get to one of the regional hospitals (though several are located in the towns were cruise ships are most likely to dock, including Nuuk and Qaqartoq).  

 

Having said that, they may not be able to deal with very complicated medical situations, which might necessitate an airlift to, say, Iceland. 

 

When you think about it, though, that's not much different than being onboard a ship, is it?  Ship medical centers are not equipped to deal with certain serious medical conditions, are not always near better medical care, and may require patients to be airlifted....

 

Those poor people.....

 

 

[LMaxwell]

On 11/12/2022 at 9:11 PM, RuthC said:

Ah, yes, they can. Took me years of sailing HAL to discover 

 

That's not the technical win you are doing a victory lap over. That's of no practical use to the new cruiser or someone who hasn't invested years to discover there is a secret menu or items made but not advertised (strange?). People know what's available by what's posted for them to see.  

 

Why is this a point of contention? It's just an objective comment. 

[LMaxwell]

On 11/15/2022 at 1:19 PM, RD64 said:

It may be attracting new cruisers, but at what price point? And are these cruisers the type to spend additional $$$ once on board?

I spent more onboard in a day than I would on Royal/Celebrity, I can tell you that much. 

 

Married, Florida, Dual Income in mid 100's, 5+ weeks per year time off. Music walk was nice but HAL relies on it too heavily. We have booked our second HAL cruise though to get the full taste of their product.  

 

We have found we prefer the Celebrity/HAL level of services and that the mass market lines are cutting themselves too far, packing in too tight, and just not what we find relaxing in a vacation. So HAL gets a round 2, then probably back to Celebrity or on to Princess.