Cutbacks on Holland? - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

cruisin' chick · 06-16-2009, 01:17 AM

What cutbacks have you seen on Holland?

Have you noticed one less shrimp in the cocktail?

A single guitar instead of a string quartet in the lounge?

Cabin steward now in charge of an entire deck instead of a group of cabins?

Krazy Kruizers · 06-16-2009, 05:56 AM

Lots of changes.

Fewer wait staff in the dining room -- used to be that the waiter and his assistant had 16 people -- now they have up to 26.

Two cabin stewards can have anywhere from 26 - 30 cabins to do.

Down to 4 shrimp in the shrimp coctails.

Fewer deck hands to clean up the towels etc, around the pools.

We Delux suite guests used to have a suite dinner on cruises of 10 days and longer.

Now have a Captain's Welcome Aboard toast -- no standing in line to meet the captain and have you picture taken with him.

No live music in the dining room on formal nights.

I might think of more later.

nealberk · 06-20-2009, 06:17 PM

Add to that list a charge for shrimp cocktail on nights when it is not explicitly on the menu.

Decrease in quality of steaks.

Decrease in quality of the midnight chocolate buffet.

Dinner in the cafeteria is the same items at the formal dinner - just in a more relaxed atmosphere.

I really miss the live music during dining.........

The crew appear more harried overall and less willing to do anything not by the books.

Decrease in medical staff (so it seemed after my accident and my inability to get medical aid to the room)

Krazy Kruizers · 06-20-2009, 08:04 PM

The chocolate buffet is now the dessert extravaganza -- now on most ships it is part of the Lido Pool Party which is held at 9 PM.

But on longer cruises -- there is the Dessert Extravaganza as well as the Lido Pool Party -- and there are lots of chocolate desserts.

Chocolate has gotten bery expensive -- thus there is a cut back as many people take way too much and waste too much!!

We had wonderful steaks and beef in the dining room and the Pinnacle Grill -- guess we just lucked out.

All the crew we have seen -- including the wheel house crew when I set off the fire alarm -- none seemed harried.

Have had to use the infirmery recently -- Noordam -- no problems -- concierge called the doctor and he was there when I arrived there in a wheel chair. I have very bad knees and had a problem for a couple of days where I had to rent a wheel chair for a couple of days. All this happen during off hours. One of cabin stewards wanted to wheel me down there but Joe insisted that he knew how to handle a wheel chair. We really appreciated how our cabin stewards tended to me for 2 days making certain that I had ice for the ice packs, kept checking on me every couple of hours -- they just went out of their way!! And we kept telling them that I was doing fine and they could work on their other cabins and if we needed them, we would get them.

The cabin stewards that we had on the Noordam and the Westerdam were the best that we have had in years!!

Krazy Kruizers · 06-20-2009, 08:22 PM

Having a computer problem here.

Now understand that we are not HAL champions or HAL cheerleaders.

Will we continue to get the great service and food that we had on our recent Noordam and Westerdam cruises -- who knows!!

Just to let you all know -- I am aware of who the HAL Champions are that get 15 - 17 category upgrades -- and those who are wined and dined by the staff nearly every day -- getting off the ships and owing nothing!!

nealberk · 06-21-2009, 02:01 AM

Yonnie, I think you and I are on the opposite ends of the spectrum in HAL service.

I don't dispute anything you say and I hope my cruise and experiences on HAL were the exception rather than the rule. But between my experiences with Noro, the hairdryer, the general apathy of the front desk, and the total lack of cooperation from headquarters I think I have reason to be very disappointed in HAL right now. So, yes my views are very tainted.

May you, though, continue to have great cruises!

nealberk · 06-21-2009, 02:04 AM

As far as your comments on the waste that occurs during the buffet, you are 100% correct. We saw a lot of good food going to waste both in what people were taking and what was tossed.

I think you are right that HAL was perfectly correct in cutting back on what is done and how it is done. Just can't stop calling it the Chocolate Buffet, though!