Craft Beer on HAL? (and a few dining questions)

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I haven't been to Spinnakers in some time. I used to have a personal mug behind the bar back in the day. They don't make my prefered brew anymore it was called Mt. Tolmie dark. 

If you wanted to get together when you're over let me know. 

 

 

For sure, we can meet up for a few pints. We are at our condo next to the Coast Harbourside, from June 30th to July 14th.

 

I have an email address on the blog, so how about dropping me a note and we can arrange.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Depending on the  HAL  ship, the "term suite" gets attached  to regular verandah cabins. But naturally verandah are not located on the very lowest decks. Sorry you are starting out with so many early disappointments. Hope this does not ruin what could be a great  cruise - itinerary wise.

 

Being able rent an optional refrigerator for your lower deck cabins that do not have them. Seems like a win-win solution for those who require them, but by choice need to pick a lower deck cabin.

 

HAL offers cabins at various price points, which is a real boon for many who like to cruise to the wonderful itineraries HAL offers but have a limited travel budget. That is a bonus quality for HAL; not a down grade. 

 

I have no doubt we will enjoy the cruise, since I have survived 9-months on worse ships. Very impressed with the itinerary and visits to numerous smaller less mainstream ports.

[wandrr]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

I have no doubt we will enjoy the cruise, since I have survived 9-months on worse ships. Very impressed with the itinerary and visits to numerous smaller less mainstream ports.

Are you on the roll call yet? Already five pages at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2932165-volendam-january-25-2025-133-day-pole-to-pole/page/5/ .

[Heidi13]

4 minutes ago, wandrr said:

Are you on the roll call yet? Already five pages at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2932165-volendam-january-25-2025-133-day-pole-to-pole/page/5/ .

 

Affirmative

[Blackduck59]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

For sure, we can meet up for a few pints. We are at our condo next to the Coast Harbourside, from June 30th to July 14th.

 

I have an email address on the blog, so how about dropping me a note and we can arrange.

Roger that, although I am not familiar with your blog. I only know your excellent posts mostly in the Viking threads. Or you could drop me a line lyledotduckatshawdotca.

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

Roger that, although I am not familiar with your blog. I only know your excellent posts mostly in the Viking threads. Or you could drop me a line lyledotduckatshawdotca.

Done, sent from one of our shaw emails

[iceman93]

7 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

N. Statendam sailed from Sydney to Singapore? I don't think so. She has stayed in Europe and the Caribbean.

Yeah, sorry, it was the Westerdam (which is easily verified in my signature block--I guess I should have double-checked that).

[washiotter]

I’m on the Nieuw Statendam right now and was surprised to see a Pike Brewing scotch ale in the Lido - it’s their “Kilt Lifter.”

 

Affligem is on tap in the Dutch Cafe, looking forward to trying it. 

[Blackduck59]

I think perhaps the better tactic for "Craft Beer" lovers on any cruise is to research your ports of call for craft breweries. I'm guessing that the beer selection on board will depend on where in the world you are cruising. Another member posted finding some "unusual" brews aboard a repositioning cruise that had just left the Australian operational area. These could have been mass produced Australian or Kiwi brews and would only be unusual for someone not from there.

I'm guessing the beer selection on our New England/East Coast Canada cruise in August will be mediocre at best, that being said we will probably find at least a few unique brews in every port. Unfortunately these won't be covered by your drink package but alas such is the price of a proper "Craft Beer"

Cheers everybody.

[Native Floridian 26]

The best beer we found on board was Lagunitas.

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Native Floridian 26 said:

The best beer we found on board was Lagunitas.

 

Unfortunately that is a sad testament to the available beers, as it is owned by Heineken and no doubt mass produced. At only about 50 IBU, it is way too tame for the types of IPA I enjoy.

[Native Floridian 26]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Unfortunately that is a sad testament to the available beers, as it is owned by Heineken and no doubt mass produced. At only about 50 IBU, it is way too tame for the types of IPA I enjoy.

Yes, hubby is a beer snob and not thrilled with the choices.

 

[oakridger]

24 minutes ago, Native Floridian 26 said:

Yes, hubby is a beer snob and not thrilled with the choices.

 

 

The lack on board is a good excuse/reason to seek out good beers in port!

 

~Nancy

[washiotter]

On 6/6/2023 at 5:37 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

Appreciate the information, but having worked in the industry, I am well aware of the standards of most cruise lines. In booking HAL, I can assure you we have significantly downgraded our expectations, which were again downgraded last week when reading the cabins don't even have a fridge. However, they will rent you one for $2/day.

This maxim became something of a byword for my family on our recent first HAL cruise! At least once a day we would remind each other: “downgrade your expectations, and then downgrade them again.” It never failed to inspire an attitude adjustment!

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, washiotter said:

This maxim became something of a byword for my family on our recent first HAL cruise! At least once a day we would remind each other: “downgrade your expectations, and then downgrade them again.” It never failed to inspire an attitude adjustment!

 

Good question to ask .... where do the expectations come from in the first place?

 

Marketing imagery creates expectations?  - serene dinners on the balcony, everyone dressed up and sharing laughter with the warm winds wafting in your hair, so often with few other people around. 

 

The movies, TV,  media? Was a huge fan of The Love Boat (Pacific Princess) which created many of my own early "expectations"  about life onboard a modern cruise ship. We watched re-run of The Love Boat, before we took a long cruise on her sister ship - the former Island Princess which was sailing as the Discovery for Voyages of Discovery at the time (2008??)

 

Lavish formal dinners in long gowns every night, widely spaced tables, officers always in full dress mingling daily and personally  with the passengers, wide hallways where 3-4 abreast could carry on conversations, front desk, cruise director and bar tenders at your beck and call for anything, moonlight on the promenades every night.......

 

Expectations hit reality pretty hard, once we got on board the "Love Boat" sister ship, but one thing exceeded expectations - we fell in love with cruising, and the wonderful places a ship could take us in such contained comfort - bumps, rust, warts, wind, weather and all. The old Island Princess in deed was a cramped, rusty old bucket of bolts........... but oooooh, the places she could still go ....

[Heidi13]

16 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Good question to ask .... where do the expectations come from in the first place?

 

Marketing imagery creates expectations?  - serene dinners on the balcony, everyone dressed up and sharing laughter with the warm winds wafting in your hair, so often with few other people around. 

 

The movies, TV,  media? Was a huge fan of The Love Boat (Pacific Princess) which created many of my own early "expectations"  about life onboard a modern cruise ship. We watched re-run of The Love Boat, before we took a long cruise on her sister ship - the former Island Princess which was sailing as the Discovery for Voyages of Discovery at the time (2008??)

 

Lavish formal dinners in long gowns every night, widely spaced tables, officers always in full dress mingling daily and personally  with the passengers, wide hallways where 3-4 abreast could carry on conversations, front desk, cruise director and bar tenders at your beck and call for anything, moonlight on the promenades every night.......

 

Expectations hit reality pretty hard, once we got on board the "Love Boat" sister ship, but one thing exceeded expectations - we fell in love with cruising, and the wonderful places a ship could take us in such contained comfort - bumps, rust, warts, wind, weather and all. The old Island Princess in deed was a cramped, rusty old bucket of bolts........... but oooooh, the places she could still go ....

 

For those of us that may be a little older, our expectations aren't generated by TV, they come from actually having experienced the cruising standards of the 60's, 70's and 80's, where silver service was the norm, everyone dressed appropriately for dinner and yes, you had an officer at most dinner tables. I fully expect HAL had similar standards prior to being purchased by Carnival.

 

These standards have been gradually eradicated by the Carnivals, NCLs & RCLs. While I haven't experienced it on HAL, I have experienced the Carnivalisation of the once great P&O/Princess to what is little more than budget cruise lines.

 

BTW - The Love Boat was predominantly filmed ashore in the studio, but when using the ships, both Pacific Princess and Island Princess were used for filming. However, most was done on the Pacific, with Island used when the Pacific was in drydock, etc, which in those days was required annually. Later series also used other P&O/Princess ships and ships from other cruise lines, as I recall one of the Royal Viking ships.

[OlsSalt]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

......

 

BTW - The Love Boat was predominantly filmed ashore in the studio, but when using the ships, both Pacific Princess and Island Princess were used for filming. However, most was done on the Pacific, with Island used when the Pacific was in drydock, etc, which in those days was required annually. Later series also used other P&O/Princess ships and ships from other cruise lines, as I recall one of the Royal Viking ships.

 

Yes, the Love Boat interior scenes were a stage set mock up,  for the ships identified and used as the TV series actual cruise ships .

 

Forgot to mention the hugely spacious cabins from the stage set Love Boat mock up version. Our "Island Princess" cabin was 130 sq ft and that was the extra large size. 

 

My own "cruise ships" from the 1960's/70's were bunk beds and bathrooms down the hall, so a private ensuite cabin, even if only 130 sq feet certainly exceeded my prior cruise ship expectations from decades earlier.

 

So "expectations" about cruising remains a fascinating part of present cruise experiences.

[badtwin]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me about current beers

and happy hours on the Rotterdam.   There were taps 

by the pool deck bar on the Nieuw Statendam in February that never had beer.  Wondered if they were available on the Rotterdam and any other beer highlights for DH.    He drinks Rainier at home so we aren't beer snobs but do like something a bit more special on a cruise, although not IPAs.  We always look for a beverage in port, but in Norway and the Baltic I fear sticker shock.  So I was hoping for a nice happy hour back on the ship.

 

[Blackduck59]

24 minutes ago, badtwin said:

I was wondering if anyone could tell me about current beers

and happy hours on the Rotterdam.   There were taps 

by the pool deck bar on the Nieuw Statendam in February that never had beer.  Wondered if they were available on the Rotterdam and any other beer highlights for DH.    He drinks Rainier at home so we aren't beer snobs but do like something a bit more special on a cruise, although not IPAs.  We always look for a beverage in port, but in Norway and the Baltic I fear sticker shock.  So I was hoping for a nice happy hour back on the ship.

 

 

I don't know for sure about sticker shock but remember Norwegian beer in Norway is the local brew, not some high end "Import". I'm thinking a pint of local draft ashore will be less that the price of a beer on the ship.