En Route with Hank in Japan and the Westerdam

[Expo67]

32 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

LOL.  I've already been on a cruise ship running out of everything, which is when we decided to jump to HAL.  Since we bought $10,000 in gift cards during the shutdown, we're pretty much locked in for two more cruises.  We've certainly experienced better since, but I'm tired of chasing our first Carnival cruise from 2011, and watch everything sink beneath it in the mass market.  MSC may be more solvent, so the Yacht Club is an option, or moving on to better lines.

👍 Well last summer we were on Princess doing the British Isles and then Norway and the Baltic and we had to go off to the city markets that had more than a sufficient stock of berries since the ship did not. Even better was when we were in Scotland they ran out of Single Malt Scotch. 😳 Now go figure that one out and yes I did have a LONG chat with the Beverage Manager. At the Captain Q & A one individual asked if he could get the funds from Guest Services from his unused portion of the SBP and go procure a couple of cases of different Single Malts that were on the beverage menu but not available. 🤭 Needless to day the next day we had single malt scotch. 👏

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Expo67 said:

I will answer and am sure Hank will follow up. The small 8+ Oz bottles were $5.35 and with the SBP you were required to pay the full $5.35. If you upgraded to the premium package they were included. Somewhat mystified how a $5.35 drink was not included in the $11 SBP but that is what is was. Now if they were out if stock of Perrier then I certainly would of been all over the Beverage manager to substitute the Pelegríno for the out of stock Perrier but thats just me. 😵‍💫

I just talked to a friendly bar tender about your question.  He said the liter Pelegríno is $6 but for those with drink packages they are supposed to charge it as two Perrier.  So, why is a $6 bottle of water charged as 2 drinks on a package that includes drinks up to $11?  “It is company policy.”

 

The other issue would be whether all the bar staff follows this same policy?  As to the beverage manager, that is another officer that seems to be on hiding 😋.  

Two nights ago I went to order a glass of red wine in the MDR and asked about options.  The waiter said they only had Cabernet (at that time).  The Pinnacle bar still has Cline Zinfandel, but we could not get that in the MDR.  We know a few folks who get wine in the Pinnacle bar and carry it to the MDR.  Bush league stuff, but it is an option.

 

I want to be clear that DW and I are enjoying the cruise and do not let this kind of stuff ruin our day.  That being said, HAL is not making a good case to book any future cruises.  

 

[Expo67]

8 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I just talked to a friendly bar tender about your question.  He said the liter Pelegríno is $6 but for those with drink packages they are supposed to charge it as two Perrier.  So, why is a $6 bottle of water charged as 2 drinks on a package that includes drinks up to $11?  “It is company policy.”

 

The other issue would be whether all the bar staff follows this same policy?  As to the beverage manager, that is another officer that seems to be on hiding 😋.  

Two nights ago I went to order a glass of red wine in the MDR and asked about options.  The waiter said they only had Cabernet (at that time).  The Pinnacle bar still has Cline Zinfandel, but we could not get that in the MDR.  We know a few folks who get wine in the Pinnacle bar and carry it to the MDR.  Bush league stuff, but it is an option.

 

I want to be clear that DW and I are enjoying the cruise and do not let this kind of stuff ruin our day.  That being said, HAL is not making a good case to book any future cruises.  

 

lol on the $6 bottle costing 2 drinks. 😵‍💫 As for carrying wine to dinner it is the only way to go. At least you know what you are getting and do not have to wait for the waiter to pass on your order to a bar runner to get it. 👍 Yes we all do try to make lemonade when presented with lemons but HAL is making that quite a chore. 🫣

[cruisemom42]

As @LAFFNVEGAS mentioned above, HAL is celebrating their 150th anniversary this week. I believe the actual date is April 18. Our cruise director announced last evening at the show that Westerdam will have a “special” Orange Party on that evening to also celebrate this milestone. I’m curious to find out more. Hopefully it will be more “special” than the virtual non-event on the previous cruise. 😏

[tjcox9]

We were booked on this and the last two versions during the C shutdown. Due to so may uncertainties, we decided to cancel and am now more certain than ever that we made the correct decision. I was beginning to feel that is was going to be such a let down after our 27 day, 3 nine day B2Bs on the Diamond Princess right after they started focusing on Japan. It was a wonderful experience and right now, we are feeling rather thankful that we cancelled this current voyage and the crossing. We will just continue to enjoy our memories from the Diamond.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

 

58 minutes ago, Expo67 said:

👍 Well last summer we were on Princess doing the British Isles and then Norway and the Baltic and we had to go off to the city markets that had more than a sufficient stock of berries since the ship did not. Even better was when we were in Scotland they ran out of Single Malt Scotch. 😳 Now go figure that one out and yes I did have a LONG chat with the Beverage Manager. At the Captain Q & A one individual asked if he could get the funds from Guest Services from his unused portion of the SBP and go procure a couple of cases of different Single Malts that were on the beverage menu but not available. 🤭 Needless to day the next day we had single malt scotch. 👏

 

I think I'll skip the Princess phase at this point.  I don't believe HAL had these shortages going back to last summer.  Good on the captain and that passenger, but this really puts everyone in an awkward possition.

 

21 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

As @LAFFNVEGAS mentioned above, HAL is celebrating their 150th anniversary this week. I believe the actual date is April 18. Our cruise director announced last evening at the show that Westerdam will have a “special” Orange Party on that evening to also celebrate this milestone. I’m curious to find out more. Hopefully it will be more “special” than the virtual non-event on the previous cruise. 😏

 

Thanks for posting the breakfast menu, I do love HAL's Asian breakfast options.  I've been a bit snarky, but I don't hear anything that would cross the line into a "bad cruise", especially while visiting Japan.  I hope everyone is having a great vacation in the larger sense..

 

[Expo67]

30 minutes ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

 

I think I'll skip the Princess phase at this point.  I don't believe HAL had these shortages going back to last summer.  Good on the captain and that passenger, but this really puts everyone in an awkward possition.

 

 

Thanks for posting the breakfast menu, I do love HAL's Asian breakfast options.  I've been a bit snarky, but I don't hear anything that would cross the line into a "bad cruise", especially while visiting Japan.  I hope everyone is having a great vacation in the larger sense..

 

Unfortunately these shortages were present on HAL last year but most of the ships were sailing at less than 50% capacity so it was not quite as visible as it is now with the ships sailing at near full capacity. As for the Orange Party I can only hope it is better than the one last month on the Koningsdam where they combined it with the St.Pattys Day party and lasted all of 45 mins. 
 

Many years ago when Carnivore gobbled up all these other cruise lines most people feared that eventually they would be Carnivalized so to speak even though Carnival guaranteed they would let each manage their own affairs. Unfortunately Covid sped up that process and thus we are where we are at right now. We can hope it will get better but things look pretty grim right now. Of course I would bet the same things are happening with Royal Caribbean right now as well. Most likely the ones that with thrive through this are the ones that cater to the younger clientele with their water slides, wave surfers, etc. Sadly I doubt HAL falls into this category.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Expo67

[Californian]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I believe the all day bus pass must be purchased at a counter inside the train station.  But since we did not buy the pass, I cannot be 100% certain.  The shuttle drops at the Kanazawa Train Station, which is also a major bus station.  We simply paid the exact 200 yen fare to the driver.  Our SUICA card would have worked, but we only had 170 yen on the cards and did not want to go back into the station to replenish.

 

We do not know the exact location of the location of the local bus.  Once a Japanese tourist official showed us the schedule, we lost all interest.

 

Hank

 

 

Thank you!

[REOVA]

6 hours ago, Expo67 said:

All of us Mariners that have been cruising decades with HAL truly hope your feelings are correct Lisa. With 3 HAL cruises over the past 8 months all departing from different US ports with limited or no stock in some cases and reduced staffing I am skeptical but with hope like you. After each of these 3 cruises we have sent off letters to corporate expressing our concerns. Each letter received the typical stock letter of reply stating we continue to work on our issues and hope to have them addressed soon. 🫣 With the Voyage of the Vikings coming in a few months I think our decision will be made one way or the other. Considering the pricing for these Exotic/Grand Voyages it does leave us with other alternatives. We have already looked into different cruise travel options for replacement if need be but our hoping like you they will not be necessary.

We've noticed various "declines" in HAL for years and yes being 5* weighs heavy on sticking with them but at some point the benefits won't compensate for continuing to run out of supplies, not making efforts (at minimal cost) of creating a pleasant cruise and lack of using the World Stage effectively (especially when other lines can). We do cruise for itineraries and last VoV checked that box but HAL worked it as a B2B TA as opposed to a "Grand/Legendary Voyage" style cruise. Yes they had a few good lectures but entertainment repeated (not only during the cruise but the same we've seen on prior cruises).  We know they can do better because they have on some itineraries. Supposedly they now are marketing to "differentiate" their niche and "refinding" their target but as we phase out at top mariners, there are alot of new cruisers who are loving the Pinnacle Class ships and booking multiple cruises. HAL is not focused on us and the small ships when the others are bringing in the bacon (which is shrinking in PG these days). These "new" Legendary Voyages will test whether HAL is able to hold up to its old niche (no pun) or if they decide the Pinnacle Class is the future. As we (and its ships) age out, they can focus on the short profits and quick resupply ports. While we like some of the aspects of the other cruise lines, we don't like the big ships so that is part of our continued  draw to HAL. And while in Berlize a few months ago we experienced a restaurant that ran out of fish (They must have exported them all?!). So yes bad inventory mgt happens but should not be continuous unless done on purpose or by poor managers/systems (or both). 

[avalon1025]

2 hours ago, Expo67 said:

Unfortunately these shortages were present on HAL last year but most of the ships were sailing at less than 50% capacity so it was not quite as visible as it is now with the ships sailing at near full capacity. As for the Orange Party I can only hope it is better than the one last month on the Koningsdam where they combined it with the St.Pattys Day party and lasted all of 45 mins. 
 

Many years ago when Carnivore gobbled up all these other cruise lines most people feared that eventually they would be Carnivalized so to speak even though Carnival guaranteed they would let each manage their own affairs. Unfortunately Covid sped up that process and thus we are where we are at right now. We can hope it will get better but things look pretty grim right now. Of course I would bet the same things are happening with Royal Caribbean right now as well. Most likely the ones that with thrive through this are the ones that cater to the younger clientele with their water slides, wave surfers, etc. Sadly I doubt HAL falls into this category.

So Carnival Corp purchased HAL in 1989,  so now they finally decide to cut back services?  You realize most of these cruise lines would be gone if they weren’t purchased.  

Edited April 17, 2023 by avalon1025

[Expo67]

5 hours ago, avalon1025 said:

So Carnival Corp purchased HAL in 1989,  so now they finally decide to cut back services?  You realize most of these cruise lines would be gone if they weren’t purchased.  

Yes we know that very well. 👍 The difference being that they lost billions from Covid and that has forced their hand. Making the $$$ back is not the real issue as much as trying to make it back in half the time it took to lose it. When passengers expect certain levels of service and offerings and pay for it then not providing such is bound to ruffle the feathers. I expect them to have to make some cuts but if I am paying $120 per day for a SBP that is suppose to have a certain list of items on it then it better have them or a comparable alternative. 

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I just talked to a friendly bar tender about your question.  He said the liter Pelegríno is $6 but for those with drink packages they are supposed to charge it as two Perrier.  So, why is a $6 bottle of water charged as 2 drinks on a package that includes drinks up to $11?  “It is company policy.”

 

The other issue would be whether all the bar staff follows this same policy?  As to the beverage manager, that is another officer that seems to be on hiding 😋.  

Two nights ago I went to order a glass of red wine in the MDR and asked about options.  The waiter said they only had Cabernet (at that time).  The Pinnacle bar still has Cline Zinfandel, but we could not get that in the MDR.  We know a few folks who get wine in the Pinnacle bar and carry it to the MDR.  Bush league stuff, but it is an option.

 

I want to be clear that DW and I are enjoying the cruise and do not let this kind of stuff ruin our day.  That being said, HAL is not making a good case to book any future cruises.  

 

"It is company policy" sounds like the "because I said so" that we all remember our parents saying. (I hope I did not say that to our son, but I probably did. 🤦‍♂️🤣

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Expo67 said:

Yes we know that very well. 👍 The difference being that they lost billions from Covid and that has forced their hand. Making the $$$ back is not the real issue as much as trying to make it back in half the time it took to lose it. When passengers expect certain levels of service and offerings and pay for it then not providing such is bound to ruffle the feathers. I expect them to have to make some cuts but if I am paying $120 per day for a SBP that is suppose to have a certain list of items on it then it better have them or a comparable alternative. 

While I agree there is pressure to return to profitability, I don’t think it is limited to Carnival (and has nothing to do with their takeover of HAL, the effects of that were played out years and years ago.) Cruise Critic is littered with posts on all of the forums from Royal Caribbean to NCL detailing current cutbacks. 

[avalon1025]

15 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

While I agree there is pressure to return to profitability, I don’t think it is limited to Carnival (and has nothing to do with their takeover of HAL, the effects of that were played out years and years ago.) Cruise Critic is littered with posts on all of the forums from Royal Caribbean to NCL detailing current cutbacks. 

Friends off Celebrity shared that they faded the same issues 

[cruisemom42]

Today onboard Westerdam in tribute to the 150th Anniversary I notice they are doing the HAL origin story — appropriate for its 3:00 pm time slot but not exactly new to many of us.

 

I also took a peak at the dinner menu in MDR this evening: it appears to feature several “traditional” HAL items including their pea soup and a plated Rijsttofel. I will admit to only being familiar with the old HAL version of this dinner, with many separate small plates offered. Has anyone had a plated entree version like this??

 

Finally, there is an Orange party tonight. I think we’ll be rocking and rolling — not from the party so much as the gale force winds that will be chasing us out of Busan, according to the captain’s recent announcement. (We arrived early here in an effort to avoid the windy weather and are just about to leave after a short and — it must be said — gray and showery day here, our one and only in S. Korea.) 😭😭

[cruisemom42]

Update: Apparently we are missing one passenger. Captain announced they are “working things out with customs” and we will depart in about 10 minutes.

 

Does that mean the passenger is being left? Much discussion in the Lido where many are eating a late lunch, including me.

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Update: Apparently we are missing one passenger. Captain announced they are “working things out with customs” and we will depart in about 10 minutes.

 

Does that mean the passenger is being left? Much discussion in the Lido where many are eating a late lunch, including me.

Please fill us in on how this is resolved.

[Hlitner]

Howdy fellow cruise,fans,

 

Today was Busan, Korea, a port necessary to satisfy Japanese cabotage  rules and a short port day (everyone aboard by 2:30).  The early morning meant a face to face with Korean authorities which was a bit of a mess with the queue extending more than half way through deck 2.  But we were cleared and soon on our way to a mediocre excursion that included a Buddhist Temple and a couple of downtown markets. When we returned to the ship we had to deal,with the longest queue we have seen in over 50 years of cruising as the local authorities slowly allows cruisers through their sub standard security.  This meant that we again had to clear security onboard.  Not HAL’s fault and just the cards we were dealt.

 

We wondered how this ship would celebrate the 150th Anniversary of HAL.  As Cruisemom said, they had a couple of items on the MDR dinner menu.  There also,was the Orange party, tonight, which was pathetic.  The cruise director scheduled a normal comedy/magic show in the theater at 9:30 at the same time as the Orange Party in Rolling Stone.  The Orange Party was simply the normal 9:45 set of the band.  The Dutch Senior Officers were not to be seen and nothing special happened other than some passengers wearing Orange.

 

Speaking of the Anniversary, we thought there might be some bitterballen or other treats at pre-dinner, but there was nothing other than the awful tiny pretzels at the bar. Apparently HAL does not think that being 150 is special and made that very clear.  However, they did have paper napkins in the bar with a 150 year motif.

 

DW and I,enjoyed dinner in Canaletto only to be overcharged by $12.92.  When I pointed out the error the manager tried to fix it, but said nobody in Financial Services answered the phone,  This is only our 5th or 6th overcharge of the cruise and will be resolved tomorrow.

 

Hank

 

[cruisemom42]

A photo leaving Busan in case folks think I’m exaggerating re: the weather:

 

 

Seen around the ship this evening  - the Rijsttofel )delicious), cake at the MDR entrance, and a photo from the Orange party (where to be fair they were passing out some mini profiteroles and other items). However, as Hank said nary an officer in sight and not even a toast to the 150th.

 

 

 

 

@ontheweb I never found out whether the passenger was actually left behind. We left Busan about 30 minutes late. No further announcements.

[Travelexpert35]

Hank, Enjoying your posts. I’ve also been following along with some people on the World cruise on the Zuiderdam. The nightlife is hopping on that ship and it seems bars are open later. 

[cruiseaholic78]

To me the offer of a rijsttafel looked pretty pathetic ( I’m glad you enjoyed it though) we tried it on N. Statendam in Tamarind and were so dissatisfied at their offering.
I was actually looking forward to trying the Canaletto Asian dinners on our Westerdam tour in October, might have to reconsider. One would have thought with all the Indonesian crew they could have done a better job.

Here some fotos of what we consider a typical Indonesian rijsttafel.

Love Hanks and Cruisemom42 posts will use some of your tips for our trip.

 

[Florida_gal_50]

I'm not surprised you didn't hear anything about the passenger.  I'd be shocked if they did. When that sort of thing happens on a cruise generally I've found if you hear anything it's through the grapevine.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, cruiseaholic78 said:

To me, the offer of a rijsttafel looked pretty pathetic ( I’m glad you enjoyed it though) we tried it on N. Statendam in Tamarind and were so dissatisfied at their offering.
I was actually looking forward to trying the Canaletto Asian dinners on our Westerdam tour in October, might have to reconsider. One would have thought with all the Indonesian crew they could have done a better job.

I’m sure it does not compare with the older version (only heard about it from my parents), but compared with most entrees offered in the MDR, it actually was a bit spicy and had flavor. 😉

 

It is a foggy night tonight, the horn is going off at regular intervals but can barely hear it down on Deck 4, lol.

[REOVA]

2 hours ago, Travelexpert35 said:

Hank, Enjoying your posts. I’ve also been following along with some people on the World cruise on the Zuiderdam. The nightlife is hopping on that ship and it seems bars are open later. 

On the World they do alot of things different and added entertainment/events. But it doesn't explain why, for a little more money/effort, HAL can't make adjustments on regular cruises. Hopefully they do make some effort on the "new" Legendary Voyages. We will have over 25 "sea" days on the 53 day Majestic Japan R/T Voyage next year. Hope there is more than repeat Step One, BBC movies and a few Bud Lights to go around. 

 

Would be curious what Corp's break even is for opening a bar 1 or 2 more hours later. Do they need 30 people out of 2000? Oh wait, they need alcohol.....🤔

[Expo67]

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Howdy fellow cruise,fans,

 

Today was Busan, Korea, a port necessary to satisfy Japanese cabotage  rules and a short port day (everyone aboard by 2:30).  The early morning meant a face to face with Korean authorities which was a bit of a mess with the queue extending more than half way through deck 2.  But we were cleared and soon on our way to a mediocre excursion that included a Buddhist Temple and a couple of downtown markets. When we returned to the ship we had to deal,with the longest queue we have seen in over 50 years of cruising as the local authorities slowly allows cruisers through their sub standard security.  This meant that we again had to clear security onboard.  Not HAL’s fault and just the cards we were dealt.

 

We wondered how this ship would celebrate the 150th Anniversary of HAL.  As Cruisemom said, they had a couple of items on the MDR dinner menu.  There also,was the Orange party, tonight, which was pathetic.  The cruise director scheduled a normal comedy/magic show in the theater at 9:30 at the same time as the Orange Party in Rolling Stone.  The Orange Party was simply the normal 9:45 set of the band.  The Dutch Senior Officers were not to be seen and nothing special happened other than some passengers wearing Orange.

 

Speaking of the Anniversary, we thought there might be some bitterballen or other treats at pre-dinner, but there was nothing other than the awful tiny pretzels at the bar. Apparently HAL does not think that being 150 is special and made that very clear.  However, they did have paper napkins in the bar with a 150 year motif.

 

DW and I,enjoyed dinner in Canaletto only to be overcharged by $12.92.  When I pointed out the error the manager tried to fix it, but said nobody in Financial Services answered the phone,  This is only our 5th or 6th overcharge of the cruise and will be resolved tomorrow.

 

Hank

 

Sounds very reminiscent of the Koningsdam 35 night S. Pacific when they combined the Orange Party with the St. Pattys Day for a whole 45 mins and not one officer. Guess they were too busy during their smoked old fashions in the Ocean Bar. That was about the only place w3 ever saw any of them usually for about an hour at 10 pm. The overcharging bit has to be getting a bit old. 😡 Reminds me a few months ago of seeing multiple charges on our bill for my wife’s grape consumption. When we inquired at Guest Services the answer was well you have the SBP and she does not. 😵‍💫 I said excuse me you do realize that we are in the same cabin and not separate cabins and therefore we both have to have it according to your rules. 🤣 After a day the finally got finance to issue a new card with the SBP attached to it for her and reverse all of the overcharges.