Pearl DCL cruiser tries another line for the first time: Holland America Line

[Chipmunkmaniac]

Check-in/arrival/muster You did an online check in at your pace. It was very easy no getting up to complete it or whatever because… it is only a check in. They dont PAT. Official docs said arriving at noon even though apparently they start around 11ish. Since its so easy to get reservations etc there is really no use in getting there as one of the first. We were catching a train from Belgium and got there around 12.30. You could print your luggage tags and of you hadnt there was a seperate line. Arrival had a bit of a line but it went super fast so we were insde the terminal in a breeze. They had tons of chairs and’made us wait 10 min of even in the chairs to avoid standing in the actual line. The line was a quick stop to take an identification photo and check your passport. There was also a quick security check.
They had photographers after that for a family pic. We were onboard within 20 min after our arrival.
They dont do a welcome aboard anouncement but tons of crew to show you where to go. Rooms are ready as soon as you board so no dragging carry on. We dropped it off went to the buffet and had no issues getting food or a seat.
Between 2 en 3.30 we had to check in at our muster station and were told to watch a safety video on our stateroom tv. Now we were that busy that we didnt get back to our room til 10pm àd we were already on the naughty list for not watching it haah. We had a letter summarizing the safety info.

Sailway had a small celebration with the cd, entertainment hosts and a dj. It wasnt anything big. There was no farewell party

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

The extra money… just like DCL they have an additional crew appreciation that is automatic. Drinks included are just coffee, water, tea, ice tea and at breakfast orange juice. Spa services were less expensive than DCL. They have a special gelato place with a charge but rhe ice cream (scoops and soft serve) at the buffet are free and available most of the day after 11.30am. Gameroom is free of charge. They do have a casino.
No hardsell onboard for packages or photos. They do have photographers on hand and the photos are still printed for purchase. The photographers get rated on the clicks they take so sometimes they ll ask you if you want a photo but a simple no thank you was enough.

They do have seperate drink packages and seperate internet packages but I dont recall the exact oroces because we took the have it all packages. This packages was about 1000 usd pp for a two week cruise and included:
-crew appreciation
- the drink package for drinks up to a 11 usd (if you want more expensive you only pay the difference but we only wanted specialty coffees, sodas, smoothies, beer)
- unlimited internet at decent speed no streaming but ig videos worked, i could do videocalls on whatsapp etc
- 2 specialty dinings
- 100 usd to be used towards an excursion (could be used on beforehand)
- 250 usd onboard credit but they allowed us to credit it towards a prepaid excursion

If you book well in advance you may get uogrades to the 15usd drinkpackage and towards the highest internetpackage. We get that for our Alaska in May.

 

[auntlynne]

My mom and I have been taking a look at HAL for Alaska... I believe mainly as they have the best berthing spots too. We are a bit concerned on if it's too oldy stuffy.... which is funny as I am 50 and my mom is 74.. This is why we loved Virgin and its diverse age and entertainment. We may be old but dont want piano rock classics in the lobby at night.

But we have been looking at HAL.

We just did the Dream, was a good trip ( it's DCL so it cant be bad) but it had to have been one of more disappointing cruises. out of control kids and teens ( complaints all over our FB group on this) and so many commented the MDR dining staff and service was subpar.. was really bad ( our assistant server was barely there, never refills had to hunt him down to ask, waiting 30 min to start an order) . and Afternoons if one wants real food between 2:30 and 6pm is actually sad once you sail other lines... Fast food at the pool or room service ( also basically fast food/ sandwiches) are your only options

I have been watching videos of HAL cruises for a while. I just follow the YouTube vloggers I normally watch - and recently they have covered HAL.

My impression is that HAL has a lot of Rock & Roll live sessions in their lounges. They ended their contract for Lincoln Center on Stage, so good-bye classical music in that venue, perhaps.

When picking a specific HAL ship, look at the music venues and other entertainment to find the right fit for you. Check out their Music Walk for this.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I have been watching videos of HAL cruises for a while. I just follow the YouTube vloggers I normally watch - and recently they have covered HAL.

My impression is that HAL has a lot of Rock & Roll live sessions in their lounges. They ended their contract for Lincoln Center on Stage, so good-bye classical music in that venue, perhaps.

When picking a specific HAL ship, look at the music venues and other entertainment to find the right fit for you. Check out their Music Walk for this.

We had a stringtrio onboard but they were guest performer and covered just two nights at the worldstage and did one afternoon sesssion At bb kings.

Ill do a seperate topic on zntertainment but the bands:
Bbkings: a jazz/blues band
Billboard: a lady doing poppy songs at the piano (my leats favorite rhough she had the post recent music)
Rollingstonz lounge: a really talented rock band covering rock from the 60s up til now

Music at the pools and public areas was def not -old-

My only complaint was that the live music was too loud. I couldnt hear myself think. We literally would go to a bar next to the bar where they were actually playing to enjoy the music.

 

[anricat]

The intresting thing is that DCL cancelled for the third year in a row Isafjordr saying they are having port contruction work going on and DCL cant go

And last year we got ZILCH (other than port taxes). Meanwhile, they miss other ports and they are giving onboard credits or other nice perks.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

And last year we got ZILCH (other than port taxes). Meanwhile, they miss other ports and they are giving onboard credits or other nice perks.

Yes same for my May TA. They also took one away and we didnt get anything

 

[auntlynne]

And last year we got ZILCH (other than port taxes). Meanwhile, they miss other ports and they are giving onboard credits or other nice perks.

Yes same for my May TA. They also took one away and we didnt get anything

I wonder if it matters how many ports are planned and then how many are missed. On our 7N Eastern C, with only 3 port days, we missed 1 - CC. The compensation was a $250 stateroom credit and 25% off future cruise (within 24 months - and combinable with onboard booking discount). I consider that very generous, but would rather have been able to visit CC.

I’d like to think there are standards for this, but some say they complained at Guest Services; then we got the notice. Having to complain shouldn’t be required.

 

[auntlynne]

We had a stringtrio onboard but they were guest performer and covered just two nights at the worldstage and did one afternoon sesssion At bb kings.

Ill do a seperate topic on zntertainment but the bands:
Bbkings: a jazz/blues band
Billboard: a lady doing poppy songs at the piano (my leats favorite rhough she had the post recent music)
Rollingstonz lounge: a really talented rock band covering rock from the 60s up til now

Music at the pools and public areas was def not -old-

My only complaint was that the live music was too loud. I couldnt hear myself think. We literally would go to a bar next to the bar where they were actually playing to enjoy the music.

And my concern is that the ship’s music would be too loud - and too rocky. No matter what age I was; I’m 60+. But maybe I've always been old.

But for those who like loud and plentiful choices, it seems like HAL does it better than Disney.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

And my concern is that the ship’s music would be too loud - and too rocky. No matter what age I was; I’m 60+. But maybe I've always been old.

But for those who like loud and plentiful choices, it seems like HAL does it better than Disney.

Its lockally loud if that makes any sense. Its loud when a band is playing in a bar but just there. Then the other two venues are dark.
Other spaces, pool etc were less loud than dcl

 

[auntlynne]

Its lockally loud if that makes any sense. Its loud when a band is playing in a bar but just there. Then the other two venues are dark.
Other spaces, pool etc were less loud than dcl

Makes sense to me. Thank you. That’s encouraging.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

Entertainment…. It was better than expected but the schedule is not overly packed…
They do morning taichi/stretch just like on DCL
They have a lot low key art classes involving origami, Caligraphy, adult coloring and paid aquarell classes
They did one time a nieuw statendamdam games thing near the pool which was very fun . They have a lowkey sailaway celebration. They did a few lectures about for example history of communication and how that impacted the titanic and how ships nowadays communicate.
The commedian guest entertainer (Benth) was sooo good (no Disney filter)
They did tWo q&a sessions with the captain.
Daily multiple trivias (including a Disney one)
A few gameshows including their version of match your mate but then at 8pm
Their were portlectures and port q&a
Scenic cruising was always with commentary
They did a few movies in the theatre and twice at the pool at night
The mainstagecast was very talented! I covered the music venues in an earlier post.

Then there were plenty of things to keep yourself occupied: a library, board games, jigsaw puzzles, crosswoedprints, sjoel, pingpong, on demand videos on your tv at no charge, the pools and jaccuzzis were so much more chill than dcl, they do have a casino, they had tech for travellers sessions which was not as much dummy like I feared

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

Oh I forgot the coolest bit of entertainment: the last seaday they did -city on the sea-
A backstage presentation in the theater colbined with in person appearances covering the bridge, galleys, place where they seperate garbage, sewing department, laundry, engines and so much more!

 

[anricat]

I wonder if it matters how many ports are planned and then how many are missed. On our 7N Eastern C, with only 3 port days, we missed 1 - CC. The compensation was a $250 stateroom credit and 25% off future cruise (within 24 months - and combinable with onboard booking discount). I consider that very generous, but would rather have been able to visit CC.

I’d like to think there are standards for this, but some say they complained at Guest Services; then we got the notice. Having to complain shouldn’t be required.

10-night cruise: originally 5 ports, 4 sea days. Took us to 4 ports and 5 sea days, which is too many sea days for how expensive the cruise was.

 

[auntlynne]

10-night cruise: originally 5 ports, 4 sea days. Took us to 4 ports and 5 sea days, which is too many sea days for how expensive the cruise was.

I have seen the pricing on Iceland cruises in Disney. And I’ve seen a lot of ports missed, no matter who is cruising that region.

Logically, I can see how our 1/3 of ports is a higher percentage than the 1/5 of yours. But I don’t see that warrants the compensation for us but not on your cruise.

I think ours was guilt. Maybe even to prevent charges of fraud, in that they knowingly sell a product that has potential for failure. The engine problems have been ongoing in the Fantasy.

I’m guessing yours were weather - out of their hands/ ability to control? Then it is just a known possibility in cruising. Very disappointing for many. And lots of us have heard a Captain come over the intercom with the sad announcement of a cancelled port. Even sadder when it’s probably your one lifetime chance to visit. And that you paid Disney premium.

I wonder if there is a good reason (like increased fuel costs or ship insurance) for those increased prices - or simply “because we can get it” by offering unique itineraries.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I have seen the pricing on Iceland cruises in Disney. And I’ve seen a lot of ports missed, no matter who is cruising that region.

Logically, I can see how our 1/3 of ports is a higher percentage than the 1/5 of yours. But I don’t see that warrants the compensation for us but not on your cruise.

I think ours was guilt. Maybe even to prevent charges of fraud, in that they knowingly sell a product that has potential for failure. The engine problems have been ongoing in the Fantasy.

I’m guessing yours were weather - out of their hands/ ability to control? Then it is just a known possibility in cruising. Very disappointing for many. And lots of us have heard a Captain come over the intercom with the sad announcement of a cancelled port. Even sadder when it’s probably your one lifetime chance to visit. And that you paid Disney premium.

I wonder if there is a good reason (like increased fuel costs or ship insurance) for those increased prices - or simply “because we can get it” by offering unique itineraries.

Not weather related! Dcl keeps saying Isafjordr is t ready to receive them but other cruise lines are and that new terminal they claim isnt ready def is (see my earlier post)

As for my TA it was also months ahead, right after PIF they took a port away

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

Seen the previous posts about ports Ill ho more into depth about HaL.

As I mentioned before:
- porttalks before portdays also very helpful for people not having booked excursions and then later that day q&a sessions
- a lot of scenic cruising (cruising close to rhe coastline with accompanying explanations on what you actually see. During these talks they also point out Ildlife and give pointers as to how to spot them.
- during the scenic cruising they ooen the crew area on the front bow so paying guests can experience this best spot
- you could sign up at guest services for an aurora light call. If the bridge spots aurora light, you get a phone call in your stateroom
- we received a certificate with when and where we crossed the artic circle
- we received a captains log at the end with all the ports/date/shipname/capt name. Its a big sticker so it can be put in a photoalbum or diary
- we missed Heimaey due to high waves so impossible to tender. They ended up doing a full tour around the island as scenic cruising so we still could see the volcano, the Cape, elephant rock and puffins without going on land
- after our circle around iceland we were supposed to have a tenderport at Djupivogur. It looked like the weathee was going to make it impossible. The day before they anounced they had replaced the stop with a port more upnorth that did not require tendering. A porttalk was added, a q&a was added, they added several excursions etc
-excursions were barely more expensive than those bookzd directly (often even the same prive) they also offer tons of excursions on most port. If I compare the ports DCL offers too its a huge difference!

 

[auntlynne]

Not weather related! Dcl keeps saying Isafjordr is t ready to receive them but other cruise lines are and that new terminal they claim isnt ready def is (see my earlier post)

As for my TA it was also months ahead, right after PIF they took a port away

That stinks!

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I think the last tooic to cover is the crew… they are simply amazing!
They look happy and not overworked/super stressed. I talked to several and they all said HAL takes good care of them compared to other lines.
It was also mentioned during city on the sea presentation that they strongly believe in keeping their crew happy so they will keep the guests happy.
It was all more laidbaxk than DCL as far as less stress, less scared to make mistakes, not scared of being watched by superiors and being told off. Interactions were more genuine and so were smiles and good mornings. I ran into the captain several times and I had asked a question during the q&a and he would always shoot a very informal hey and wave whenever Id see him.
Officers were on the floor helping their teams when it was busy but busy was not stressful; they were joking and working as a team.
Interactions fell more genuine, there was no Disney filter. If you d ask crew if they were able to get out in port and they hadnt the answer would be -yeah at deck3 haha- They were more open as to how they fell etc. The same crew would usually work the same spots so the ones you d see daily in your favorite spots would just be honest and say they d be tired cause they had a little crew party the night before or that they had to get up at 5am and prefer the later shift.
And all this without getting less of a service compared to DCL, quite the opposite. Service and kindness HAL even did a bit better imo

Crew was mostly Asian and Dutch with some South American, North American and Canadian mixed in. Very little Carraibian or African, very little Europeans besides the Dutchies.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Just wanted to pop in and say THANK YOU for your detailed review of your HAL cruise. DH and I are taking our first cruise ever on HAL K'dam next year to Alaska. I love reading about the experience through the eyes of another first time Hal cruiser. Even though I have no reference, I still enjoyed your comparison to DCL.

 

[SnowWhite2]

Thank you for your review. We are pearl on DCL and we are cruising on the Niew Amsterdam in November to the Caribbean to islands that DCL doesn't visit. I was worried that HAL might be "too old" (but DH and I are in our early 60's) but it seems like a good mix of mid to later life people. I'm getting really excited to try HAL now. I prefer longer cruises and DCL is doesn't offer many. My last DCL cruise was a 17 day B2B2B. Loved being on the ship for so long. I see all of HALs itineraries and they mostly start at 7 days and go up to 40+days. We are retiring soon so those are very interesting to us. I'm hoping we really like HAL so we have a new cruising home. DCL won't be far away though. DD just started working for Disney this year and is keeping a close eye on cast discount cruises. I want to try the Wish but I'm not spending $400+ a day per person for a non verandah cabin on a 3/4 day cruise. Too much other fish to find in the ocean!!!