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-   -   HAL NO! (http://www.travelbanter.com/showthread.php?t=125932)

Splenda November 24th, 2007 08:02 PM

HAL NO!
 
We just got home after B2B on Noordam for 21 miserable days. We were shocked
at the lack of quality of food. Macaroni and cheese is not my idea of a
suitable cruise ship dinner menu item. It reminded me of my early years of
marriage when I had to make my food budget last from payday to payday.
Activities on the ship were almost non-existent for those of us in our
senior years. Entertainment was mediocre at best. The "as you wish dining"
was less than successful. IMO
Yes, there were some lovely guests.
The one and only bright spot of the entire cruise as provided by HAL was our
"suite" steward. I believe "suite" is misnamed since about the only 'perk'
was a phone call to the concierge. The line was almost always busy and after
5 to 15 minutes wait for an answer, we gave up.
The soda card is a joke. 18$ + 15% you get 20, 6 oz fountain drinks.
We will never cruise on another 'dam' ship.
Splenda





BrianK November 25th, 2007 01:48 AM

HAL NO!
 
On 11/24/2007 2:02 PM Splenda plucked Senior Frog's Magic Twanger and
said:
We just got home after B2B on Noordam for 21 miserable days. We were shocked
at the lack of quality of food. Macaroni and cheese is not my idea of a
suitable cruise ship dinner menu item. It reminded me of my early years of
marriage when I had to make my food budget last from payday to payday.
Activities on the ship were almost non-existent for those of us in our
senior years. Entertainment was mediocre at best. The "as you wish dining"
was less than successful. IMO
Yes, there were some lovely guests.
The one and only bright spot of the entire cruise as provided by HAL was our
"suite" steward. I believe "suite" is misnamed since about the only 'perk'
was a phone call to the concierge. The line was almost always busy and after
5 to 15 minutes wait for an answer, we gave up.
The soda card is a joke. 18$ + 15% you get 20, 6 oz fountain drinks.
We will never cruise on another 'dam' ship.
Splenda





This post might get more responses at rec.travel.cruising. I've sailed
HAL frequently. My guess is that "Splenda" got into some bad LSD. This
cruise report in no way resembles my experience.

1) Mac and Cheese may have been an option at the Lido Buffet during
lunchtime but not in the main dining room.
2) There are lots of activities for seniors. In fact seniors are the
primary passenger on most HAL cruises.
3) The fountain (soda) card is a great deal. For $20 you get unlimited
fountain drinks in any size container. This card is good in all
restaurants, pool side bars, and lounges. In most cases you only need
to show it once to a server.
4.) HAL goes beyond requirements to accommodate people with disabilities.
5.) True the concierge line may be busy. It's a popular line. All you
need do is look in the shipboard phone guide and activate auto-redial.
Place the phone on the receiver. The phone will continue to redial the
number. When it gets through it will make short rings. You pick-up the
hand piece and are connected to the party.

6.) If you'd like something that isn't on the menu all you have to do is
call the main dining room or restaurant. If they have the ingredients,
they will make it for you special.

That's the Holland America Line that I know.

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

Splenda November 25th, 2007 03:42 AM

HAL NO!
 

"BrianK" wrote in message
...
On 11/24/2007 2:02 PM Splenda plucked Senior Frog's Magic Twanger and
said:
We just got home after B2B on Noordam for 21 miserable days. We were
shocked at the lack of quality of food. Macaroni and cheese is not my
idea of a suitable cruise ship dinner menu item. It reminded me of my
early years of marriage when I had to make my food budget last from
payday to payday. Activities on the ship were almost non-existent for
those of us in our senior years. Entertainment was mediocre at best. The
"as you wish dining" was less than successful. IMO
Yes, there were some lovely guests.
The one and only bright spot of the entire cruise as provided by HAL was
our "suite" steward. I believe "suite" is misnamed since about the only
'perk' was a phone call to the concierge. The line was almost always busy
and after 5 to 15 minutes wait for an answer, we gave up.
The soda card is a joke. 18$ + 15% you get 20, 6 oz fountain drinks.
We will never cruise on another 'dam' ship.
Splenda





This post might get more responses at rec.travel.cruising. I've sailed
HAL frequently. My guess is that "Splenda" got into some bad LSD. This
cruise report in no way resembles my experience.

1) Mac and Cheese may have been an option at the Lido Buffet during
lunchtime but not in the main dining room.

You are wrong! Mac and cheese WAS on the Vista dinning room menu!

2) There are lots of activities for seniors. In fact seniors are the
primary passenger on most HAL cruises.

You are wrong! Team trivia and puzzles in the library was just about the
only senior citizen activity.

3) The fountain (soda) card is a great deal. For $20 you get unlimited
fountain drinks in any size container. This card is good in all
restaurants, pool side bars, and lounges. In most cases you only need to
show it once to a server.

You are wrong! maybe you haven't sailed Noordam lately. It is just as I said
"18$ + 15% you get 20," 6 oz fountain drinks. ok maybe some of the glasses
they used weren't 'juice glasses'

4.) HAL goes beyond requirements to accommodate people with disabilities.

In our case you most certainly are wrong. HAL made those that needed
assistance to board all sit in a ring while a knowitall told everyone of
them that they MUST have a number about an hour after another knowitall told
them that they didn't need a number. I believe we were finally given number
38 and about another hour after that were assisted on board.
We had informed HAL on the phone many weeks before that we needed
assistance.
When we do this with Celebrity or RCL we are met at the curb and assisted
directly to our stateroom.

5.) True the concierge line may be busy. It's a popular line. All you
need do is look in the shipboard phone guide and activate auto-redial.
Place the phone on the receiver. The phone will continue to redial the
number. When it gets through it will make short rings. You pick-up the
hand piece and are connected to the party.

yeah, yeah, yeah, and we did that but it always took so long that (as I
said) "we gave up."

6.) If you'd like something that isn't on the menu all you have to do is
call the main dining room or restaurant. If they have the ingredients,
they will make it for you special.

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
Not once did they attempt to satisfy a request.
You must have stock in the company or write their drivel for the website or
commercials.


That's the Holland America Line that I know.

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera "Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951





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