Related to the "Why Spend 1,000s More" Thread - But different

[ltsally]

:) I know from the cruise rundown/signatures of many of the regulars here that a lot of you are also veterans of other cruise lines, including HAL. But I realize this foroum is not the place to discuss the merits, or lack thereof, of sailing with HAL.

 

However, I'm particularly interested in hearing the perspective of a SS traveler vis a vis HAL and hoped there might be some willing to hop over to the HAL board from here and add a comment to a thread I have there: New to HAL - Questions about Ryndam and Mexico '07

 

A TA comment I received was that HAL was "definitely not an upscale cruise line...." which poses more questions than it answers, I think.

 

We do love the small ship ambience of SS; the all-inclusive aspect; the open dining; the refined atmosphere (to try to put in a nutshell SS's overall appeal). I understand those factors are going to be quite a bit different on HAL. (I also know that we -- no-way -- are material for mega-ship/ice rink/party-hearty kinds of sails). I'd just really appreciate hearing the take of someone who has sailed both lines to help us decide whether we could enjoy a HAL voyage, as long as we went into it knowing it wasn't SS. Thank you!

[wripro]

Some people could enjoy a freighter if they went into it knowing what to expect. Whether you would enjoy a HAL cruise is a question only you can answer. As for me, I'd rather stay home but that's just me.

[wripro]

Some people could enjoy a freighter if they went into it knowing what to expect. Whether you would enjoy a HAL cruise is a question only you can answer. As for me, I'd rather stay home but that's just me.

[ORV]

Wripro,you can say that again.

[lord of the seas]

Itsally,

I have sailed on both lines and for me the difference is vast.My most recent HAL cruise was on the Westerdam,which as you will know is a new ship.The food in the main Restaurant was dreadful,in fact I ate most evenings in the speciality Restaurant at an extra cost of $25 per person.The menu was limited but the staff were better trained.I found the officers to be non friendly and also the front office hotel staff were unhelpful and sometimes rude.I spent three weeks on the ship and after three days,in hind sight,I should have got off and come home.When I worked out what I had spent on the extra food and wine,I could have easily sailed for the same price on Silversea or Seabourn.I wanted to try this new ship and found it lacking,but if you do not try then you will not know.This is only my observation and ofcourse it will differ from others

[blackbird71]

It will be 19 days until my first SS cruise I have cruised on an almost as good RSSC :p and also on HAL...

 

Itinerary ... Itinerary... Itinerary.....

 

I am looking at one HAL itinerary that does the shore excursion from hell to Copper Canyon, which I realllllly want to take.

 

HAL has always been IMHO a little different from Princess and worlds apart from Carnivale/RCI.

 

Yes they are going to nickel and dime you to death, but if you go into knowing that, it can be handled. Myself I am not a drinker or a TRUE Wino, so I normally only have wine with dinner. So the big bar tabs do not hit me.

 

As for fix seating vs open seating, I will give my World Cruise rule :p. If I did one on HAL I would get a table for two. While on RSSC/SS I would normally join a group. The last thing I want is to be seating for long periods of time with people I do not enjoy seating with. IMHO..IMHO.. the ppl on RSSC/SS are normally world travelers and interesting to talk to.

 

As for ships I like the smaller size of the SS ships. The Ryndam is about the RSSC Mariner/Voyage just with more ppl. IMHO that is the largest size I want on a ship.

[Silver Pearl]

Well, I'm finding this thread bad news. I really love Silversea and have had no cruise that compared to our Nov. 05 cruise on the Silver Whisper. That said, I've got an Alaskan cruise coming up in early June on the Westerdam, and I'm going to give it a fair shot.

 

Why HAL? One reason: My DVC points allow me, my wife, and daughter to go for no charge in an outside cabin. For $1,400 I was able to upgrade to a 400 sq ft suite that shouldn't be too shabby.

 

Would I prefer a Silver Shadow cruise to Alaska? No question! But, taking my 14-year-old daughter wouldn't be a good choice, even though she's civilized. So, for me, Silversea or stay home isn't the real choice.

 

I'd guess that so long as I don't expect the Westerdam to compare favorably to the Silver Whisper, I won't be disappointed. I like cruising, and I also like large ships, though not megaships. At 82,000 tons with 1,860 passengers, the Westie shouldn't be too bad. I know it's not the 74 tons per passenger like the Whisper, but the Westie isn't horrible at 46 tons per passenger. (Those "tons" are just space estimates.)

 

Anyway, I'd sure like it if some HAL cruiser would reassure me that the Westie won't be living hell, such as others on this thread have made it sound. (BTW, the charge per person for the Pinnacle, the Westie's upscale restaurant is supposed to be $20/person, not $25.)

 

--Rich

[luvtojump]

Rich,

 

I know exactly what you are feeling. We have a 15 year old son and he loves to travel with us.

 

For every trip we take with him, we take one without him. Silversea is definitely a trip we would take without him. Not only because of the price but the whole experience. When we cruise with him, it's Royal Caribbean, Princess, etc. Are we in heaven? No. But if you can prepare yourself for a "family type" cruise and realize that food, service, amenities etc. aren't going to be 6 star, you will have a good time. Just seeing his face when he meets new friends, climbs the rock wall...makes our day.

 

I have been on the Westerdam. She is beautiful. Fresh flower arrangements everywhere.

 

Be prepared for crowds, average food, paying for extras and maybe you will be surprised. Know that a SS cruise with your wife is just around the corner.

[blackbird71]

Silver Pearl

 

I would not worry about HAL. Over on the HAL forum there are food fights all the time. :eek: Two pax on the same ship on the same sailing will be 180 out on the food.

 

As long as you do not expect SS service and no lines then you will enjoy it.

 

Myself, I would never take SS much less any other ship to Alaska,,, just too many ppl and ships in port. But that is my opinion.

[simonv]

If my grandchildren are too young for a luxuary line, then my choice would be HAL. HAL would be the best of mass market lines I think. I'd take it over Princess or RCL anytime. I recommend you arrange for private excursions. Unlike SS, HAL will have tons of buses filled to the capacity. After SS excursions, wearing those numbered color tags for tours would be a shock to your system.

[Iamseasick]

I haven't been on HAL. I would consider Celebrity and Crystal at this level, as well.

 

I have not sailed on Crystal, but I can tell you from personal experience that Celebrity is great for the size. I suggest going with the Concierge level or a suite.

 

Very few lines or crowds, and you can avoid the buffets without a problem. No annoying announcements over the intercom.

[blackbird71]

A couple sidenotes: :) I just read that Princess will be adding the third Whisper size R-Ship to their stable. Mmmm :)

 

Also on tour buses, Princess did it only in Europe on my med cruise, and I assume SS will do it like RSSC, but I liked that RSSC placed a crew member on every tour with a first aid kit and to help where needed.

[Silver Pearl]

Folks,

 

I appreciate the reassurances about HAL. I've cruised four separate lines, and my personal favorite is Silversea. But, although I know my 14-year-old would behave okay for the most part, she wouldn't really appreciate Silversea at this time. Maybe in three or four years when she eats things other than junk food . . .

 

Meanwhile, we'll have what will probably be a pleasant suite on the Westerdam. It is about 400 sq. ft., with a separate whirlpool tub and shower, and two sinks, though I doubt that it will be nearly as wonderful as our std. veranda suite on the Silver Whisper. In any case, it should provide a suitable retreat.

 

I'm not expecting much from the meals, but I'm open to being pleasantly surprised. I've heard they do good buffet. While I'm not really a buffet fan at all, much preferring to be served, I did enjoy the occasional breakfast and lunch buffet on the Silver Whisper.

 

What I think I'll find most difficult is the crowds. There really is no avoiding them on a ship with nearly 2,000 pax.

 

I also agree that Alaska is not a happy cruising ground these days. The small ports are overwhelmed when multiple ships are docked. The cruise calendar site provides fair warning. What I've arranged is only one ships tour--and that one going far from town. Should be tolerable. The rest of the time, we plan to hike or take a cab far from town. It'll be a chance to see a little of Alaska and determine if we want to come for a more leisurely visit.

 

Thanks again for the reassurances, folks.

 

--Rich

[cporter]

Hi Ltsally,

 

How are you! Looking forward to seeing you in July for the Alaska cruise. Vince and I did HAL on the Zuiderdam for our first cruise, then we switched to SS.

 

It is TOTALLY different, but we had a nice time. We had a suite and it was very roomy. The balcony was aft and the whole world could see us from above. Other than that it was nice.

 

You do get nickel and dimed, but as long as you know that.

[ltsally]

Interesting and useful comments here - thanks to everyone who has jumped in so far.

 

Blackbird: The thing that first caught my eye about HAL was their Sea of Cortez itinerary. And Copper Canyon, of course. If you pop over to the HAL site, and the thread I have there, you'll see a dreadful review of the CC excursion that turned me right off. :(

 

Is anyone aware of other cruise lines that do the Sea of Cortez? I just took a look at Celebrity and...nope.

[ltsally]

Yo, CPorter - You snuck in while I was "composing." I knew you'd done another cruise line (before being 'swept away' by SS) and was wondering which one it had been.

 

Yep - we are starting to dream a little more fixedly about Alaska...Will be good to see you guys.

 

 

Re my post above about 'who else', I am aware of Cruise West; perhaps they bear a closer look.

[blackbird71]

 

Blackbird: The thing that first caught my eye about HAL was their Sea of Cortez itinerary. And Copper Canyon, of course. If you pop over to the HAL site, and the thread I have there, you'll see a dreadful review of the CC excursion that turned me right off. :(

 

 

I did not call it the shore excursion from hell from nothing :eek: But I have also flown into Moscow on Soviet built airplanes.

 

Here is another From a PHD in Mathematics his train windows were clean :D

[trinidad]

We did the Sea of Cortez cruise on HAL's Ryndam and enjoyed it. While we prefer all inclusive lines, we wanted to do this itinerary. The ship is very nice, cabins ok. The ship is a comfortable size and we never felt we were part of the thundering herd. The food was mostly ok, some bad but we always found something to eat. The dining room staff ran around like crazy. It made me uncomfortable and I felt like I need to help them out. As we were not impressed by their wine list,we brought our own wine and paid their corkage. We did not like assigned seating and times but we able to get a table for two.

All in all, it was fun. It all has to do with your expectations.

[lord of the seas]

trinidad,

It doesn't sound like fun to me!!

[blackbird71]

trinidad,

It doesn't sound like fun to me!!

 

A) It is a cruise and that is always GREAT.

 

B) It is going to a port that you really want to see.

 

While Wind Star is not a cruiseline I would have ever planned to go on, over at the RSSC forum a poster pointed to her review of it's seven day Costa Rica cruise and that sounds GREAT to me. But I have been interested in CR for some time now.

[Steamboatin]

Cruises are similar to airplanes in some ways.

 

There are those that go fast, high and to places unknown.

 

But boy do they "suck up" to those slow and boring tanker jocks. They may not want to "cruise" on one but boy are they ever glad to meet up with one. If you get my drift.

 

It just takes different types of cruise lines offering different caliber, levels and variety of services. In the end they all reach the same port. It is in how one makes and enjoys the journey that is the difference.

 

Like there are different kinds of aircraft and cruise vessels to make for a better desired objective by the end user.

[surfklutz]

Interesting and useful comments here - thanks to everyone who has jumped in so far.

 

Blackbird: The thing that first caught my eye about HAL was their Sea of Cortez itinerary. And Copper Canyon, of course. If you pop over to the HAL site, and the thread I have there, you'll see a dreadful review of the CC excursion that turned me right off. :(

 

Is anyone aware of other cruise lines that do the Sea of Cortez? I just took a look at Celebrity and...nope.

 

Smaller ships do the Sea of Cortez - try Cruise West. HAL does it - but it is a really poor cruise in that area. When they are in places like Loreto - they totally overwhelm the little village and it is awful.

[garydm]

Different perspective on Loreto. We have been there twice-once on Ryndam (the first cruise ship to visit Loreto) several years ago and last Fall on Crystal Harmony. We did not feel it overwhelmed the town. People there were very nice and told us how excited they were to have the ships visit. On the first trip, they let the kids out of school and they came down in their uniforms to look at the Ryndam anchored offshore.

 

When you do HAL, the ships are very different we have found in terms of food and service. We have found Ryndam and particularly Statendam to have excellent food and service and Amsterdam to be pretty dreadful. In our experience, the main dining room on Statendam is on a par with Silver Shadow or any of the Crystal ships we have been on. Pinnacle Grill on Statendam, at $20 pp extra, is a great disappointment however.

 

Silversea is the clear winner on the quality of the cabins.

 

Gary

[blackbird71]

 

 

Silversea is the clear winner on the quality of the cabins.

 

Gary

 

And more than just size of cabins :D. While the size of the R/S HAL ships at 50,000 is about the max I like, they have what I call the old style outside rooms with the beds next to the bulkhead. It is hard to see out the windows on them. OTOH, on the SS ships, the Vista suites have nice large windows and a nice chair(s) next to them.