Today's "old" people, in their 60's or so, are vastly different than the ones 20 yrs ago. They are more active, younger at heart, and looking for more to do. Hopefully HAL sees that.
We will be on HAL for the first time this summer as a family with middle-aged parents and 3 teens (two are technically adults). I do wish the ship had more activities, but the price was good (Celebrity was cheaper, and I initially booked there but changed my mind), and it had the ports I wanted. For me personally, a cruise ship is a means to a destination. Sure, I want to enjoy activities on the ship as well, but that is secondary for me. So I guess I took booked because of itinerary, and despite their reputation as a ship for old people. I'm sure we'll have a great time, but not sure we'll go back to HAL later - only time will tell. We aren't old enough to enjoy those long itineraries, as we both work full time.