T
tomc
Guest
Overall mark for this cruise: On the traditional HAL scale of 1-9, I'd give it an 8.8 or 8.9 score. Wonderful time, even if the weather did its best to spoil things. Fastest 12 days I've ever spent.
Embarkation: The quickest and easiest I’ve ever seen. Waltzed through the “Online Immigration Form†line and waited only a short time to board. Although there were stewards to escort us, I did not get one; I think so many people were boarding so quickly that they ran out of escorts and, rather than hold up the line, just pointed us in the right direction.
Debarkation: As quick and easy as one could expect, given the amount of people to be moved off in a short period of time. We did the usual waiting in public areas, but it really was not bad at all.
Cabin: Got exactly what I paid for this time. Cheap inside share … under a crew stairwell and next to the self-serve laundry. The inside room was quite nice and I couldn’t tell it from an outside except for the missing window. The bridge camera was helpful in seeing outside conditions. The crew did not make much noise on the stairs and the laundry closed at 10:00pm. Quite content with the cabin and would take it again.
State of the Ship: Excellent condition except for the overhead slats on the Lower Prom. They were coming loose or had already fallen out, with lots of rust present. Same as eight months ago when I sailed on it. As usual, it was a case of “If it moves, we greet it; if it doesn’t, we clean it.†On the last morning, the electricity and water went off and on a few times. That may, or may not, have been related to the "black box" which was being installed on the Sky Deck.
Cabin steward: Hardly ever saw him -- but I didn’t take the cruise to see my cabin steward. He was attentive and friendly when I did run into him, did a good job and kept me supplied with fruit on a daily basis. The first night, he did not turn the bed down or leave a chocolate. I thought, “Well, the downhill slide has begun.†But it was only one night and, for all I know, he may have been real busy fetching luggage. I also did not see a NY Times but realized my roomie was taking it before I got up.
Dining Room Steward: Did his job well, if a bit quietly; not everyone is a born extrovert. They are still wearing the traditional HAL uniforms.
Some D.R. Crew Person (in the morning): Whoever escorts us for breakfast realized quickly that I like to be alone at that time of day and made sure it happened without my asking. I was never awake enough to figure out who it was.
Breakfast: At one time, a few years ago, people seemed to be avoiding the dining room at breakfast. I stopped going, as there was hardly anyone there and only a few crew members; service was slow and it was not much fun. But lately, especially on this cruise, the dining room was comfortably full in the morning - even to the point of having both levels open.
Food: Excellent, in my opinion. Plenty of variety and prepared well. I had breakfast and supper in the dining room, lunch in the Lido (I like to make two large salads for lunch). Late-night buffet was reasonably light but still plenty for whoever needed a lot. After lunch, the Lido leftovers were available for a few hours, along with some wrapped sandwiches.
Head chef John Mulvaney above and beyond: We had two vegans (very strict food lifestyle) at our table. They said they were led to believe HAL had a vegan menu, which it does not. John came to our table and discussed with them their requirements, what he had onboard and how he could make it work for them. The couple was very polite, good people to dine with, and John bent over backwards to make their meals acceptable. The head steward Ruddin came by each evening with the next day’s menu to talk about it with the couple.
Entertainment: Did not attend any, so I do not have an opinion.
Music (live): The quality varied. The Champagne Strings were here and there during the cruise, including the dining room, and were quite good. The Rotterdam band, or whatever they call it, was a disappointment; a handful of people playing keyboard, guitar and drums does not qualify as a band. It does qualify as a very obvious cost-cutting way of having a cheap music group. I heard a rumor that there might be a real band on the longer cruises. I certainly hope so, as this rag-tag group will never be poster children for the Tradition Of Excellence society.
Music (recorded): Almost always inappropriate for the ship’s age group. One morning, in the dining room, I thought I was eating in a truck stop, it was so bad. I finally went to the black suit in charge and told him it just had to stop. Might have been Bob Dylan, or someone of that ilk with a harmonica in his mouth. The crew member put on classical music, which should have been there at the start. Lido music was generally not the right kind -- occasionally really bad, often close to the acceptable range, never the right kind. When you have 1,300 AARP’ers and fifty “working age,†the majority taste should rule. The cabins had an American Pop Standards audio channel; it should have been used in the Lido, as well. The cabins should also have a classical audio channel, but I was told, “Seattle does not want that.†I think Seattle should listen to the people who are paying their salaries: The recorded music onboard stinks and even crew members agreed. In addition, the piano/cd in the Dining Room often locked up and we had several minutes of “wongwongwongwong†sounds until someone went over and changed tracks.
Internet Café: Giancarlo (or, John Carlo, as he is sometimes known) just left to join his Best Beloved on an NCL ship in Alaska. Nice guy, quite helpful. If you’re reading this, John, don’t take it personally: I really can’t believe we are on a T1 line, even though you told me that. If that’s a T1, then I’m Betty Grable. It was slower than molasses and you are paying whether you are working on something or just watching the screen waiting for (a) the Second Coming or (b) the machine to load. Put your money on (a).
Tendering at ports: Martha’s Vineyard was as rough a time as I can remember. I didn’t mind the boat trip itself, having been brought up on the water, but trying to get from ship to tender, or back, was quite difficult and, for some people, downright dangerous. The seas did moderate later in the day, but there was the potential for disaster with some folks who, perhaps, should not have gone ashore. One old guy, in particular, took two minutes, with assistance, to get thru the security metal screener (because of the inch-high step in it) and, possibly, five-plus minutes to get from the tender to the deck. He should not have gone on shore excursions, no matter how heroic he might have seemed. It was a major hold up for people waiting to go, a big disruption for the tender operations, and downright suicidal for the old guy who had to go from a rocking ship to a badly bobbing tender. He could have died in the process and anyone who saw him will agree. I think HAL should bite the bullet on occasion and say, “No, you can’t go; it’s too dangerous.†Situations like this may have been the reason why the wait for tenders was so unusually long at ports.
Not a FNH: I thought a 12-day, in-school, northbound trip would have an average age of 80 and look like the mythical Floating Nursing Home. I saw only two wheelchairs and one oxygen walker tank. There were a surprising number of under-50’s onboard. Not a huge amount, but a few teens and younger along with their 30’s-40’s parents.
US Coast Guard: We had a surprise inspection at Portland, which the ship passed with high marks. We had a minor fuel spill in Bar Harbor from a tender (as far as I could tell -- unless it was a drill); apparently nothing big at all, but the USCG came out to check. It appeared to be well-contained and the crew mopped it up in short order.
Photo Shop Cruise Video: Dreadful. They were videotaping this cruise specifically for our passengers; it was not a "stock" tape, a one-size-fits-all. Nice idea, but as sloppy a job as I have seen, and they were charging $35 for a videotape that had: camera shaking, too-fast zooming and panning, heads cut off, too-quick cuts between scenes and other video production gaffes that were unprofessional. It was a real POS that could have been much better with very little effort. I heard the same opinion from two crew members.
Airport inspectors and customs: Canadians: fine. U.S.: stinkers. No wonder people dislike us.
Post Edited (06-06-03 00:58)
Embarkation: The quickest and easiest I’ve ever seen. Waltzed through the “Online Immigration Form†line and waited only a short time to board. Although there were stewards to escort us, I did not get one; I think so many people were boarding so quickly that they ran out of escorts and, rather than hold up the line, just pointed us in the right direction.
Debarkation: As quick and easy as one could expect, given the amount of people to be moved off in a short period of time. We did the usual waiting in public areas, but it really was not bad at all.
Cabin: Got exactly what I paid for this time. Cheap inside share … under a crew stairwell and next to the self-serve laundry. The inside room was quite nice and I couldn’t tell it from an outside except for the missing window. The bridge camera was helpful in seeing outside conditions. The crew did not make much noise on the stairs and the laundry closed at 10:00pm. Quite content with the cabin and would take it again.
State of the Ship: Excellent condition except for the overhead slats on the Lower Prom. They were coming loose or had already fallen out, with lots of rust present. Same as eight months ago when I sailed on it. As usual, it was a case of “If it moves, we greet it; if it doesn’t, we clean it.†On the last morning, the electricity and water went off and on a few times. That may, or may not, have been related to the "black box" which was being installed on the Sky Deck.
Cabin steward: Hardly ever saw him -- but I didn’t take the cruise to see my cabin steward. He was attentive and friendly when I did run into him, did a good job and kept me supplied with fruit on a daily basis. The first night, he did not turn the bed down or leave a chocolate. I thought, “Well, the downhill slide has begun.†But it was only one night and, for all I know, he may have been real busy fetching luggage. I also did not see a NY Times but realized my roomie was taking it before I got up.
Dining Room Steward: Did his job well, if a bit quietly; not everyone is a born extrovert. They are still wearing the traditional HAL uniforms.
Some D.R. Crew Person (in the morning): Whoever escorts us for breakfast realized quickly that I like to be alone at that time of day and made sure it happened without my asking. I was never awake enough to figure out who it was.
Breakfast: At one time, a few years ago, people seemed to be avoiding the dining room at breakfast. I stopped going, as there was hardly anyone there and only a few crew members; service was slow and it was not much fun. But lately, especially on this cruise, the dining room was comfortably full in the morning - even to the point of having both levels open.
Food: Excellent, in my opinion. Plenty of variety and prepared well. I had breakfast and supper in the dining room, lunch in the Lido (I like to make two large salads for lunch). Late-night buffet was reasonably light but still plenty for whoever needed a lot. After lunch, the Lido leftovers were available for a few hours, along with some wrapped sandwiches.
Head chef John Mulvaney above and beyond: We had two vegans (very strict food lifestyle) at our table. They said they were led to believe HAL had a vegan menu, which it does not. John came to our table and discussed with them their requirements, what he had onboard and how he could make it work for them. The couple was very polite, good people to dine with, and John bent over backwards to make their meals acceptable. The head steward Ruddin came by each evening with the next day’s menu to talk about it with the couple.
Entertainment: Did not attend any, so I do not have an opinion.
Music (live): The quality varied. The Champagne Strings were here and there during the cruise, including the dining room, and were quite good. The Rotterdam band, or whatever they call it, was a disappointment; a handful of people playing keyboard, guitar and drums does not qualify as a band. It does qualify as a very obvious cost-cutting way of having a cheap music group. I heard a rumor that there might be a real band on the longer cruises. I certainly hope so, as this rag-tag group will never be poster children for the Tradition Of Excellence society.
Music (recorded): Almost always inappropriate for the ship’s age group. One morning, in the dining room, I thought I was eating in a truck stop, it was so bad. I finally went to the black suit in charge and told him it just had to stop. Might have been Bob Dylan, or someone of that ilk with a harmonica in his mouth. The crew member put on classical music, which should have been there at the start. Lido music was generally not the right kind -- occasionally really bad, often close to the acceptable range, never the right kind. When you have 1,300 AARP’ers and fifty “working age,†the majority taste should rule. The cabins had an American Pop Standards audio channel; it should have been used in the Lido, as well. The cabins should also have a classical audio channel, but I was told, “Seattle does not want that.†I think Seattle should listen to the people who are paying their salaries: The recorded music onboard stinks and even crew members agreed. In addition, the piano/cd in the Dining Room often locked up and we had several minutes of “wongwongwongwong†sounds until someone went over and changed tracks.
Internet Café: Giancarlo (or, John Carlo, as he is sometimes known) just left to join his Best Beloved on an NCL ship in Alaska. Nice guy, quite helpful. If you’re reading this, John, don’t take it personally: I really can’t believe we are on a T1 line, even though you told me that. If that’s a T1, then I’m Betty Grable. It was slower than molasses and you are paying whether you are working on something or just watching the screen waiting for (a) the Second Coming or (b) the machine to load. Put your money on (a).
Tendering at ports: Martha’s Vineyard was as rough a time as I can remember. I didn’t mind the boat trip itself, having been brought up on the water, but trying to get from ship to tender, or back, was quite difficult and, for some people, downright dangerous. The seas did moderate later in the day, but there was the potential for disaster with some folks who, perhaps, should not have gone ashore. One old guy, in particular, took two minutes, with assistance, to get thru the security metal screener (because of the inch-high step in it) and, possibly, five-plus minutes to get from the tender to the deck. He should not have gone on shore excursions, no matter how heroic he might have seemed. It was a major hold up for people waiting to go, a big disruption for the tender operations, and downright suicidal for the old guy who had to go from a rocking ship to a badly bobbing tender. He could have died in the process and anyone who saw him will agree. I think HAL should bite the bullet on occasion and say, “No, you can’t go; it’s too dangerous.†Situations like this may have been the reason why the wait for tenders was so unusually long at ports.
Not a FNH: I thought a 12-day, in-school, northbound trip would have an average age of 80 and look like the mythical Floating Nursing Home. I saw only two wheelchairs and one oxygen walker tank. There were a surprising number of under-50’s onboard. Not a huge amount, but a few teens and younger along with their 30’s-40’s parents.
US Coast Guard: We had a surprise inspection at Portland, which the ship passed with high marks. We had a minor fuel spill in Bar Harbor from a tender (as far as I could tell -- unless it was a drill); apparently nothing big at all, but the USCG came out to check. It appeared to be well-contained and the crew mopped it up in short order.
Photo Shop Cruise Video: Dreadful. They were videotaping this cruise specifically for our passengers; it was not a "stock" tape, a one-size-fits-all. Nice idea, but as sloppy a job as I have seen, and they were charging $35 for a videotape that had: camera shaking, too-fast zooming and panning, heads cut off, too-quick cuts between scenes and other video production gaffes that were unprofessional. It was a real POS that could have been much better with very little effort. I heard the same opinion from two crew members.
Airport inspectors and customs: Canadians: fine. U.S.: stinkers. No wonder people dislike us.
Post Edited (06-06-03 00:58)
