Changes/Cutbacks

I have been asked by many people to discuss the differences between the Grand Africa and the other "Grand" Voyages I have been on. This was discussed frequently onboard so I compiled a list, in no particular order, of what I had experienced or others mentioned.

For any others who were on this cruise, please share your experiences.

Cabins

1) Nightly service only when requested.

2) Chocolates and towel animals only when requested.

3) No slippers (I don't know if the suites got them or not).

Dining Room

1) The old "always available" items (steak, chicken, etc.) are now part of the regular menu.  Because of this there are fewer rotating foods available for selection.

2) There are only three "different" desserts each night besides the "always available" ice cream and sundae.

3)  The choices seem to repeat more frequently than in the past.

4)  The once "always available" shrimp cocktails now have an $8.50 surcharge.

5)  The entire dining room was not decorated for special days (like Halloween) or theme nights.  Besides the decorations, in the past the servers had special vests, ties, shirts, hats, etc. for these nights - none of these on this cruise. 

The Lido 

1)  Again, the choices were very repetitive.  For lunch there was a hot meat and fish (that rotated) but the other choices were the same: a pot pie, a taco, and soups as well as the sides (baked potato, french fries, mac&cheese, green vegetable).  There was fresh fruit, deviled eggs, and almost the same cold cuts and cheeses every day.

2) The orchids that used to be on the tables in the Lido are gone.

Activities

1)  Likely the biggest mess-up was that there were no lecturers for the first two weeks.  Many people find the lectures very important and were not happy.  Note:  Once the lecturers arrived most were very good (especially Kate Ross).

2)  No cooking demos

3)  There were more movie nights in the World Stage especially on port evenings.

4) Some of the extra charge special dining evenings were on port nights or the night before.  Not really good timing on a cruise with numerous sea days.

Miscellaneous

1)  Many people did not like that the Cruise Director and the Port Presenter are now the same person.  For shorter cruises, I don't think this would be a problem but for the longer ones, it makes the Cruise Director less "visible" around the ship.

2)  There are no longer any port guides.  As bad as the maps were in them, you at least had a general idea of the layout of the area.  I know many people use their cell phones but in some areas it is not advisable to be flashing them around.  You can get a printed map from Guest Services.

3) "Pillow Gifts" are one of the perks of a "Grand".  For the first three (ceramic box, a HAL tote bag, and a box of chocolates) there was only one per cabin.  This is fine with some couples but these are built into the cost of the cruise and each person deserves their own.  This was especially bad for roommates who each paid their own fare.  There were numerous complaints and for the last couple of gifts, there was one per person.

There are also fewer "Pillow Gifts" because they are usually tied to Formal nights that have been cut back with the introduction of "Dressy Nights".

4) On the topic of Formal and Dressy nights:  Nobody knows why HAL suddenly started this.  Nobody can really give an easy explanation for the difference between the two.  I noticed that many people wore their more formal wear on both.

5)  There was a major blunder with the distribution of information/luggage tags for disembarkation.  Normally, they will ask about your plans in advance and then a few days before the end of the cruise, you receive a letter with the time for you to depart along with color coded tags.  On this cruise, they put out the tags with no explanation or notice by Guest Services.  They quickly disappeared.  The day before disembarkation most (maybe all??) had not received a letter.  From my personal experience, I went to Guest Services just before 1pm the last day and was told my cabin steward would have the letter and tags shortly.  Still nothing at 5pm.  Called Guest Services at 6 and got the same answer.  Nothing just before 9pm (with bags due out in the hall in less than three hours).  Back to Guest Services after the show and was finally given the letter and tags.  A friend of mine received two different packets with two different sets of tags.

The really trivial

1) Marshmallows - marshmallows seem to be the new whipped cream on board.  Where you might expect whipped cream (like on the ice cream sundae) there are now marshmallows.  One of the extra charge nights in the Pinnacle (I think the surcharge was over $100) had a marshmallow dessert.

2)  The bar snacks in the Crow's Nest (not sure of other bars) consisted of only peanuts.  In the past they have had goldfish and popcorn as well as mixed nuts on special nights.

3)  The Chocolate Surprise evening was the worst I have seen.  Once again, marshmallows (with part dipped in chocolate with sprinkles) made an appearance and was not very popular.  They had a hard time getting people to take them and many were left on flat surfaces.  Supposedly (because I never tasted one), there was a mini cupcake that was delicious but they were gone by the time I left the late show.  I did try two other things - chocolate covered somethings (not sure what) and a chocolate tart - both were left unfinished.

The Good

1)  Activities like bridge, arts and crafts, drawing, watercolors, etc. were excellent as usual.

2)  There was a rabbi, minister, and priest (who had to leave for a little due to a family loss but came back) present.

3)  The laundry did a great job.  Most times when I put my bag out on my bed at 10am it was back that evening. 

4) The In-Room Dining staff were amazing while I was in solitary.

5) The crew.  Although some were on their first contract, they were out to please and did a great job as always.