Volendam Cruise Letter to HAL- A complaint

[Guienevere_Arianette]

I am so appalled! You know, I see people complain a lot on the Cruise Critic boards, and normally I take their complaints with a grain of salt. However, this letter strikes me as valid and credible, which says nothing good about HAL Volendam.

 

The thing, I think, that disgusted me most about this experience for the OP were the rude questions about his profession and finances; it is this type of attitude that turns future cruisers like myself away. I don't, on the outside, look like I'm made of money; however, I have the money to travel when and where I choose, and for the staff to inquire about socioeconomic status is gross!

 

Are the pax on HAL as rude as their staff obviously is? I've been looking at HAL for some time, but things like this really turn me off. I can spend my money elsewhere, without the dirty looks and judgments, thank you very much!

[wvdleek]

I am so appalled! You know, I see people complain a lot on the Cruise Critic boards, and normally I take their complaints with a grain of salt. However, this letter strikes me as valid and credible, which says nothing good about HAL Volendam.

 

The thing, I think, that disgusted me most about this experience for the OP were the rude questions about his profession and finances; it is this type of attitude that turns future cruisers like myself away. I don't, on the outside, look like I'm made of money; however, I have the money to travel when and where I choose, and for the staff to inquire about socioeconomic status is gross!

 

Are the pax on HAL as rude as their staff obviously is? I've been looking at HAL for some time, but things like this really turn me off. I can spend my money elsewhere, without the dirty looks and judgments, thank you very much!

 

These rude questions had nothing to do with HAL, but with your 'very polite' US customs !

[Tatka]

This is not to critisize anybody.. but really, on any line, HAL included, you can order as many entries as you wish. (We've never tried more than 3 :o , but I believe it's possible).

[Sea King]

never ceases to amaze me how someone waits until a cruise is over and then writes to Seattle (of course making sure a copy goes immediately to CC) rather than stopping off the GRM's office or making an appointment to see the Hotel Manager

 

if the cruise was so bad, why didn't you do something about it while you were on board:confused:

 

if you don't express a complaint, how can it be addressed by the people who can correct a problem on the spot

 

as for Customs, what connection can that possibly have to HAL?

 

why not blame HAL for a rude TSA inspector at the airport?

 

although I certainly can't question the accuracy of what you said, it is interesting that other pax on the same cruise had a wonderful time, free of complaint

 

quite honestly, and with due respect, it appears you share some responsibility for what happened

[serendipity1499]

I am so appalled! You know, I see people complain a lot on the Cruise Critic boards, and normally I take their complaints with a grain of salt. However, this letter strikes me as valid and credible, which says nothing good about HAL Volendam.

 

The thing, I think, that disgusted me most about this experience for the OP were the rude questions about his profession and finances; it is this type of attitude that turns future cruisers like myself away. I don't, on the outside, look like I'm made of money; however, I have the money to travel when and where I choose, and for the staff to inquire about socioeconomic status is gross!

 

Are the pax on HAL as rude as their staff obviously is? I've been looking at HAL for some time, but things like this really turn me off. I can spend my money elsewhere, without the dirty looks and judgments, thank you very much!

 

Have you read this entire thread?:confused:

 

No where in the OP's letter did it say that a member of HAL's staff asked rude questions about his socioeconomic status..If you read the letter carefully you should be aware of the fact that it was a Customs Agent who rudely questioned this.. Customs Agents do not work for HAL but for the Dept. of Homeland Security which is a branch of the U.S.Govt.? I once had a Customs Agent act the same way on my return in a U.S. Airports only because I was an Airline Employee..Most of them are pleasant & very professional! However, I would never think of blaming the Airline which transported me..Customs Agents such as this should be reported to the proper authority..they should not be permitted to treat anyone in this manner! I have friends who are Customs Agents & they all have been very professional when dealing with our Passengers..Agree the Customs officer should be reported, but it should be done to the Dept. of Homeland Security..

 

Now the discussion about the rudeness of the HAL staff is another matter & that should be brought to HAL's attention..

[Copper10-8]

I am so appalled! You know, I see people complain a lot on the Cruise Critic boards, and normally I take their complaints with a grain of salt. However, this letter strikes me as valid and credible, which says nothing good about HAL Volendam.

 

The thing, I think, that disgusted me most about this experience for the OP were the rude questions about his profession and finances; it is this type of attitude that turns future cruisers like myself away. I don't, on the outside, look like I'm made of money; however, I have the money to travel when and where I choose, and for the staff to inquire about socioeconomic status is gross!

Are the pax on HAL as rude as their staff obviously is? I've been looking at HAL for some time, but things like this really turn me off. I can spend my money elsewhere, without the dirty looks and judgments, thank you very much![/quote]

 

Please take a minute and read the OP's post again before becoming appalled! You are drawing the wrong conclusions! HAL is not U.S. Customs and U.S. Customs is not HAL :rolleyes: See Serendipity's comments which are valid!

[MercedMike]

I am so appalled! You know, I see people complain a lot on the Cruise Critic boards, and normally I take their complaints with a grain of salt. However, this letter strikes me as valid and credible, which says nothing good about HAL Volendam.

 

The thing, I think, that disgusted me most about this experience for the OP were the rude questions about his profession and finances; it is this type of attitude that turns future cruisers like myself away. I don't, on the outside, look like I'm made of money; however, I have the money to travel when and where I choose, and for the staff to inquire about socioeconomic status is gross!

 

Are the pax on HAL as rude as their staff obviously is? I've been looking at HAL for some time, but things like this really turn me off. I can spend my money elsewhere, without the dirty looks and judgments, thank you very much!

 

UMMM --- those questions were allegedly made by Customs Officials. How can you then say it is "nothing good about the Volendam?"

 

The only thing this guy seems to say about the Volendam are that he had to ask for extra food in the Lido. That has nothing to do about obnoxious questions asked by Customs, totally out of HALs control.

 

Some guys would complain if they were hung with a new rope.;)

[bplazo]

We went to the natural bridge on our last cruise when we were in Aruba and I have to say that I found it more interesting since it had collapsed.

[SDHALFAN]

 

Are the pax on HAL as rude as their staff obviously is? I've been looking at HAL for some time, but things like this really turn me off. I can spend my money elsewhere, without the dirty looks and judgments, thank you very much!

 

 

I would suggest, in the politest way possible, that HAL is probably not for you anyway since you already seem to have some preconcieved notions, albeit wrong ones. As several others have mentioned, the OP's problems with rudeness were generated by his/her interaction with U.S. Customs and not the HAL staff.

 

On any HAL cruise you are going to run into one or two extremely rude, crude and obnoxious passengers. Hey, you are going to meet those folks on any cruiseline. The HAL officers, staff and crew are generally (actually more than generally) the epitome of class. Okay, once or twice you will come across someone who is having a bad day and takes it out on the passengers. No problemo - just report the infraction right away and it will be taken care of, I assure you.

 

Have a great cruise on whichever cruiseline you choose for your next cruise and please remember to be polite to the Customs officers if you don't want them to get too intrusive into your personal life (which, as has been pointed out, is none of their business anyway).

 

Valerie:)

[SDHALFAN]

We went to the natural bridge on our last cruise when we were in Aruba and I have to say that I found it more interesting since it had collapsed.

 

I remember several years ago that we took a shore excursion that included the "Natural Bridge". Coming from the west coast of the U.S. and used to seeing things like the Grand Canyon, or the amazing erosion-caused sights in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, etc. I took one look at the "Natural Bridge" and thought "that's it". Okay, it was there and it was interesting, albeit very small. I honestly did not see then, and don't see now, what the big deal was.

 

I won't even get into the "Divi Divi Trees", I promise.

 

Valerie:)

[cruz chic]

Holland America is always very stingy with their portions in the lido. Everytime I have asked for more I always get the cold shoulder and they act like they don't know what I'm talking about. It's very irritating.

[sail7seas]

I can't believe what I'm reading here. I've never seen a Lido server refuse to serve a guest as large a portion as they desire. We've cruised Volendam twice in the last year and a half and no one I saw was going hungry.

 

I've never seen anyone on any HAL ship ever denied more food than any of us could want or need.

 

Seems I haven't sailed HAL enough yet. Have to keep booking cruises until I find the Lido 'guy' who starves us. ;)

 

I'm sorry others have experienced such an unpleasant circumstance. Hope it never happens to you again.

 

[Tricia724]

I have devised a wonderful plan for the Lido that works very well for me. I take a quick look at the food portion size in the serving dishes and ask for exactly the amount that I want, clearly and directly to the server. "I'll have two pieces of fish and two spoonfuls of vegetables" and so on. If my spoonful is a little skimpy, I ask them for a little more....and smile....and I have never had a problem.

 

In the dining room if the portion sizes are too small, grab your waiter the first night and tell him that you have a healthy appetite and would like larger portions, and they should take care of you. When you are ordering from the menu, if you ask the waiter how large a portion the appetizer or entree is and tell them you want a double, they are happy to accommodate you. What they don't like is to be sent running back to the kitchen time and time again for seconds.

 

Another thing I always try to remember is that English is a second language to the stewards and servers, and some are more proficient than others. In addition, we passengers come with many accents and eccentricities, and sometimes we have difficulty understanding each other. So the more specific we are, the greater the chance that we will receive what we want.

[auntpam]

My husband and I and our 25 year old daughter were on the Volendam two sailings before you. The ship was wonderful, we did not starve, we ate too much, my daughter was in the guest show and had a great time, we enjoyed many fun activities, the wonderful library, we loved the pools, the bar waiters were always attentive when we went to get soda with our drink cards, we got to watch the beautiful water, we were on a cruise and had great dinners with an exceptional waitstaff, and the best tablemates of all of our 11 cruises! It was different than our other cruises on Carnival which we loved, but they treated us like royalty! We loved Aruba, even the bridge! We loved snorkling in Cuaracao, going through the Panama Canal on the ship and all the way through on Hals ferry excursion, and we loved the bananna plantation in Costa Rica! There are things we like about Carnival better but there are things we liked about Hal better. We are sailing on RCI Mariner of the Seas on June 3 and will see how they compare and then on carnival Valor in July. We will plan to sail on the Volendam again in the future. She is a beautiful ship!:) We love to cruise and enjoy ourselves whatever ship we are on! Sorry your trip wasn't great like ours, hopefully next time!

[Sundagger]

I have devised a wonderful plan for the Lido that works very well for me. I take a quick look at the food portion size in the serving dishes and ask for exactly the amount that I want, clearly and directly to the server. "I'll have two pieces of fish and two spoonfuls of vegetables" and so on. If my spoonful is a little skimpy, I ask them for a little more....and smile....and I have never had a problem.

 

In the dining room if the portion sizes are too small, grab your waiter the first night and tell him that you have a healthy appetite and would like larger portions, and they should take care of you. When you are ordering from the menu, if you ask the waiter how large a portion the appetizer or entree is and tell them you want a double, they are happy to accommodate you. What they don't like is to be sent running back to the kitchen time and time again for seconds.

 

Another thing I always try to remember is that English is a second language to the stewards and servers, and some are more proficient than others. In addition, we passengers come with many accents and eccentricities, and sometimes we have difficulty understanding each other. So the more specific we are, the greater the chance that we will receive what we want.

 

I'm glad you mentioned this. I'm sure that not only is the American idiom a challenge for many, but there are the regional dialects that the staff may never have heard. On another board, someone was complaining that the staff didn't know what "sweet tea" actually was. I'm not sure I've ever had sweet tea, from the description I read. When I moved to Massachusetts, it was always a struggle to remember that "regular coffee" had milk in it.

 

On my last cruise, I paid more attention to what people were asking the Lido staff (since it was holding up the line at times). I would have had a difficult time determining just what the passenger was asking for at times and wanted to "translate it into plain English" for the server.

 

Pointing and using short declarative sentences (unlike mine here) makes it easier for the staff to understand and to be able to please the passengers, which I'm sure they really want to do.

[Jade13]

The letter is too long and it rambles. The customs issues have nothing to do with HAL. If you have new looking Rolex's you should bring documentation showing that you owned the watch before you left.

 

I think you have some valid complaints, but they would be better in a one page letter directly to the CEO. The fact that you are not asking for money or credit is a positive thing because someone at the top would just see that you are just relay your experiance regarding customer service so they can bring it to the attention of the management on-board.

[dolls4sell]

My husband and I have been on 2 HAL ships 7& 14 day and are going again in Oct. for a 10

The 2 sailings were when the tips were not included. I personally feel (and I use to be a waitress many moons ago) that having the tips included may create a problem for the service you now get compared to the service when the tips were not included. Yes, there a few who did not tip, but the % of the people did. Now with saying that, the new tip sitiutation they know they are going to get it even if they do not give the service. We always gave extra if the service was good and even gave tips to the bar staff if they were good. There are some who do not want to go the extra mile why should they if they know they are getting the money anyway and a 2nd thought.

Maybe the tips that are now included are not all going to the staff maybe they are just getting a %. As for the portions never had a problem if I wanted more had no problems asking or receiving although I never ate in the lido only lunch. Customs we had no problem.

[dolls4sell]

I forgot to ask, did you go to the purser's office to make your complaints while on the ship? Remember everyone has a boss. We had a several issues on Princess and went to the chief purser and problems were taken care of plus credit was issued for the inconvienience.

[PDAZ]

I'm glad you mentioned this. I'm sure that not only is the American idiom a challenge for many, but there are the regional dialects that the staff may never have heard. On another board, someone was complaining that the staff didn't know what "sweet tea" actually was. I'm not sure I've ever had sweet tea, from the description I read. When I moved to Massachusetts, it was always a struggle to remember that "regular coffee" had milk in it.

 

 

Good point! I'll never forget the first time I ordered iced tea in the south and was given something close to syrup! Out west, iced tea is usually served unsweetened -- I had to ask for it to be served that way in the south, and sometimes, it wasn't even an option!

[hammybee]

Good point! I'll never forget the first time I ordered iced tea in the south and was given something close to syrup! Out west, iced tea is usually served unsweetened -- I had to ask for it to be served that way in the south, and sometimes, it wasn't even an option!

 

Do you mean "aise tae" ?

 

I have no idea how those within the service industry, with ESL pick up on the regional dialects and have a clue what we are talking about. It's often challenging for me to understand my native tongue unless the speaker is willing to slow it down, just a bit.

[MercedMike]

Holland America is always very stingy with their portions in the lido. Everytime I have asked for more I always get the cold shoulder and they act like they don't know what I'm talking about. It's very irritating.

 

How strange. I am (like the OP) a big fellow and like large portions. I frequently ask for such in the Lido, and have ALWAYS received them promptly and cheerfully. Frankly, it seems to me it is more in the perceptions of the receiver than the actions of the server.;)

[the2ofus]

Are the pax on HAL as rude as their staff obviously is? I've been looking at HAL for some time, but things like this really turn me off. I can spend my money elsewhere, without the dirty looks and judgments, thank you very much!

 

I hope you do not allow one negative post to turn you off from sampling a truly wonderful cruise experience on HAL. I am not saying that the OP did not have the experience he describes, but rather that it was far from a typical HAL experience.

 

I was on the same cruise as the OP. I found that polite requests made with a smile were responded to with politeness. Servers were sometimes less outgoing than I have seen on other HAL cruises, but never rude. I assumed they were tired due to the extra work required by the code red situation and allowed them some slack. Occasionally, in the Lido I did find that servings were small. More often, I was served more than I had asked for or expected. I was never refused or grudgingly provided with more of something.

 

I did not experience rude passengers anywhere on the ship.

 

My sister did have a difficult experience with the rude young woman who was staffing the internet service on the last evening of the cruise. She was unwilling to answer questions or provide assistance. She insisted that all the information my sister needed was on the computer screen when the screen was right in front of them both and the screen was not the one the staffer insisted was there. My sister is not computer illiterate but the staffer treated her as though she was too ignorant to read a computer screen. Other passengers nearby actually were more helpful than the staff person.

[the2ofus]

Another thing I always try to remember is that English is a second language to the stewards and servers, and some are more proficient than others. In addition, we passengers come with many accents and eccentricities, and sometimes we have difficulty understanding each other. So the more specific we are, the greater the chance that we will receive what we want.

 

Good comment! On our excursion in Costa Rica, the young gentleman who was our guide made that same point in a very humorous way. Right at the start he stood up in the front of the bus and addressed us all in rapid-fire Spanish. Then he stopped and grinned at all the startled and puzzled faces on his tour group. He explained that English was his second language, and asked that we speak slowly and enunciate clearly when asking questions or making comments. Otherwise, it made as little sense to him as his Spanish did to us. Point well taken by all, and we had a wonderful day with him.

[haligonian37]

Back In February, my friends and I were on a code red sailing of the Westerdam, so I can relate to the OP. There were a few instances in the lido where I had to repeat myself a couple of times when asking for things such as danish or how much cream and sugar I wanted in my coffee, but it was nothing of major importance and certainly nothing I let impact my experience onboard.

 

I really believe while in code red "mode", the staff must work many, many hours of overtime and what may seem like rudeness to some passengers may well be cases of near exhaustion (and throw in a bit of a language barrier as previous posters have mentioned). I know in our case, we saw our dining room waiter and his assistant every morning in lido during this time and as the days wore on, even they could barely muster a smile.

 

I truly hope the OP enjoys his next cruise....and may it be noro free!

[serendipity1499]

The complaint regarding the Customs Agents has been niggling me.. :confused: Now believe I know the reason why they asked about the OP's Living Arrangements & the Type of Work they do...

 

First of all , you have to understand that there is a great deal of smuggling going on & Customs Agents are trained to ask certain questions to ferret out the Smugglers...

 

Persons living in the same household usually fill out only one form & that is done by the "Head of Household" for the entire Family....I'm wondering if this was the case with the OP & his companion..Customs Agents are trained to look at things such as this & wonder if they asked both of the Gentlemen to show ID & prove they were in the same family..Many times they will ask about the person's profession...Asking to see the watches are part of their training & there was nothing wrong with that..If the OP had receipts or registered them before travel, that would not have been a problem..

 

When working for an European Carrier & in the early 60's & 70's Customs did not have computers...Since I traveled a great deal, I was periodically questioned about my profession as that was part of the Custom Agents training...They also made sure they went through my bags very carefully...Now they have all the info about me in their computers..Only once did I have a rude Agent who obviously disliked Airline Employees & that was when I re-entered the U.S. in Honolulu..I was carrying loose face powder & thought he was about to put his hands into it, to be sure something else wasn't in the container...Again as stated before, I did not blame the Carrier who transported me into the U.S.

 

In no way am I condoning what was said to the OP about porno films & why they could afford their watches, but now understand why their living arrangements & profession were questioned...

 

The OP should still file a complaint with the Dept. of Homeland Security about the unprofessional way they were treated...:( Betty