Someone twist my arm...please?

[TerriRN]

I'm an X cruiser and have not had much to complain about on previous cruises. In fact, I've been eagerly awaiting the opening of the spring '07 eastbound TA on the Galaxy, more than ready to book, but it's looking fishy. Not sure what's going on there, but I'm thinking of jumping ship and booking a spring TA on HAL.

 

Several things are important to DH and me on our cruises:

 

Food, food and food. DH is a gourmet and we have high standards in this area.

 

Service. The more refined, the better.

 

Ports. Westerdam's spring TA has numerous ports we'd like to visit and terminates in our port of choice.

 

We're late 40's and not big into late night partying, but don't go to bed with the chickens either.

 

Think we'd enjoy HAL for a change?

 

Terri

[lka1012]

consider your arm twisted. come join the hal side of cruising

[bepsf]

Think we'd enjoy HAL for a change?

Terri

 

Terri--

 

Oh my yes.

The service has always been wonderful - the way your steward and waiters get to know you by name always makes me feel like a valued guest.

 

The food is generally good - although not stellar - including the selections avaialble in the Lido, including the handmade ice creams that are available late into the night.

 

And the beds are some of the best at sea.

 

When are you planning to go? My Aunt and Uncle are booking Westerdam to celebrate their anniversary this spring.

[mechcc]

HAL and X are compared so often. All and all, there are those that love X and despise HAL and then there are the opposites. Then there is the middle ground that like them both. What better way to draw your own opinion by trying them both? If the itinery suits you better then X then now may be the time for a comparision. Only way to find out if the water is too cold is by dipping a toe into it.

[TerriRN]

Terri--

When are you planning to go? My Aunt and Uncle are booking Westerdam to celebrate their anniversary this spring.

 

 

We're thinking of the same....Westerdam in the spring. I guess the food thing is my biggest holdout. It's the most important aspect for my husband. Stellar would be best. And on a long cruise (16 days), it's hard to escape the food if it's not up to par.

 

But you guys are correct. No way to know until we jump in and test the water.

 

Thanks for the input, Brian.

 

Terri

[TerriRN]

If the itinery suits you better then X then now may be the time for a comparision. Only way to find out if the water is too cold is by dipping a toe into it.

 

 

This is the thing that draws me most. The Westerdam has a great TA intinerary next spring. Some of those ports I've wanted to visit for a while.

 

So we'll probably wade in if Galaxy doesn't open a great TA soon. And I mean soon. I get itchy when I don't have a cruise booked. <G>

 

Terri

[BumperII]

We were on the Hal Maasdam over Christmas, the Galaxy in February, and the Dawn Princess in April. Having tried all three, we now have booked three more cruises on HAL, and will cruise Princess again in February 2007.

We loved the dining experience on HAL Maasdam. I love the prime rib and all seafood dishes while the bride favors anything lamb. We enjoyed the main dining room so much, we still didn't get to the Pinacle Grill. We did most lunchs at the buffet salad bar. It is excellent, and loved the omnipresent Bread Pudding.:) :) :) The Dawn Princess was similarly excellent but we did try their steakhouse one night. Again, consistantly good quality, super service, and enormous portions coupled with all you can eat. If you wanted a second 22 oz. Porterhouse steak, they would have brought it to you.:D

What cruise ships serve isn't fine dining, they are serving what are essentially banquet meals which most of them do exceptionally well. We were disappointed by the condition of the Galaxy and the dining room experience. The waitstaff tried to substitute their euro-chic arrogance for quality, and the wine steward must have gone cross-eyed looking down his nose at me. I personally did not care for many of the attempts at gourmet, in fact I sent most of that stuff back.

We have never been on a cruise we didn't enjoy! But we find that HAL and Princess are a really "good fit" for us. We are a little older than you folks, but I would have enjoyed both cruise lines in my thirties. The biggest mistake we made was that we didn't start cruising as young as you did.

Sooo, welcome aboard, give HAL a try.

[grannynurse]

Terri,

If you both are true "foodies" it's probably hit and miss. We were disappointed on 2 transatlantics on HAL Rotterdam, but pleasantly surprised on Zaandam (Caribbean) and Maasdam (NE). Our friends who just got off the Amsterdam transatlantic and b2b Baltic said the food and menus were similar to Rotterdam. We'll be on Westerdam in September. I agree 35 days of mediocre food is a real downer. We had no repeat menus but sent a couple of meals back.

The Lido has great oferrings, the Pinnacle has good food but a limited menu which hasn't changed since 2003.

We love HAL and evrything about the line. The atmosphere, service, THE BEDS, the itineraries. Don't get me wrong, we never went hungry. Maybe it was the length of the trips, on the shorter cruises we never had a complaint. The cold soups are wonderful. The salads are wimpy though. Most of the entrees are very well presented and flavorful. Food is so subjective.

If you're a true food critic, you may not like it. We haven't been on X so can't compare.

GN

[xpcdoojk]

If food of 5 star quality then you won't generally get it on either X or HAL. That said I had a mostly very good experience on our 16 day cruise in South America on the Rotterdam. I would say the food in the main dining room was very consistently good, if you went with the waiters recommendations. I think the service on X is a tad more professional, but we enjoyed our waiter and assistant and bartender very much. The specialty restaurant when we were on the Millenium was the best meal and service I have ever had while at sea. The Pinnacle the food was very good service was not nearly at the Olympic level as on X. Our English friends were so happy with the Pinnacle that they wanted to eat there every night after the first night. I suggested that we try the main dining room at least once before we made that decision. We never went back to the Pinnacle so I think the food is above average. I think the Lido food, which I avoid on RCI and X like the plague was actually very good on HAL. In otherwords their buffet was much better than anything I ever had on X or RCI. Currently the bedding on the HAL ships are by far superior to X or RCI, although time will tell after they upgrade their stuff. The ship on HAL were very traditional and I liked it.

 

jc

[TerriRN]

Sooo, welcome aboard, give HAL a try.

 

Thanks so much for the info, Bumper. We're getting closer and closer to booking with HAL, I think.

 

Terri

[TerriRN]

We love HAL and evrything about the line. The atmosphere, service, THE BEDS, the itineraries. Don't get me wrong, we never went hungry. Maybe it was the length of the trips, on the shorter cruises we never had a complaint. The cold soups are wonderful. The salads are wimpy though. Most of the entrees are very well presented and flavorful. Food is so subjective.

If you're a true food critic, you may not like it. GN

 

Thanks, GN. You're right. Food is terribly subjective until you feel a little foolish asking others what they thought.

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

 

Terri

[TerriRN]

The specialty restaurant when we were on the Millenium was the best meal and service I have ever had while at sea. The Pinnacle the food was very good service was not nearly at the Olympic level as on X. Our English friends were so happy with the Pinnacle that they wanted to eat there every night after the first night. I suggested that we try the main dining room at least once before we made that decision. We never went back to the Pinnacle so I think the food is above average. I think the Lido food, which I avoid on RCI and X like the plague was actually very good on HAL. In otherwords their buffet was much better than anything I ever had on X or RCI. Currently the bedding on the HAL ships are by far superior to X or RCI, although time will tell after they upgrade their stuff. The ship on HAL were very traditional and I liked it.

 

jc

 

We did the Millie TA last spring and LOVED the Olympic too. I still fondly recall the goat cheese souffle. Yum.

 

And I'm thrilled to hear you think the Lido is a step up from X and RCI. It was more than I could stomach on Millie last year. Just awful.

 

You guys have all been very friendly and helpful. Thanks so much for your input.

 

Terri

[LHC]

If you want a refined, elegant ship, quiet but interesting night life, with the greatest staff try HAL. I love them and think the two of you will too. I cruise with my DD (age 28) and she too loves the atmosphere and staff, along with the spa and food.

Linda

[TerriRN]

If you want a refined, elegant ship, quiet but interesting night life, with the greatest staff try HAL. I love them and think the two of you will too. I cruise with my DD (age 28) and she too loves the atmosphere and staff, along with the spa and food.

Linda

 

 

Thanks, Linda. I'm holding for 24 hours an aft cabin on the Upper Prom Deck. Think that's a sweet deal. Just hafta make sure DH is ok with it before I sign on the dotted email line.

 

Terri