Will We Feel Out Of Place?

[discjoker]

Hello All! My wife and I are both 25 and have book on the Zuiderdam for the Eastern Caribbean in September. I know that HAL is trying to shake the "retirement home at sea" perception that they have, but will my wife and I feel out of place? We have previously sailed on NCL and found a large mix of people and many people our age. We are not the party type so we are not looking for all night drinking fests but we want to be able to relate to the other guests on board. Should we be concerened? All opinions and advice that can be given would be appreciated.

[Sierrachik]

Hello All! My wife and I are both 25 and have book on the Zuiderdam for the Eastern Caribbean in September. I know that HAL is trying to shake the "retirement home at sea" perception that they have, but will my wife and I feel out of place? We have previously sailed on NCL and found a large mix of people and many people our age. We are not the party type so we are not looking for all night drinking fests but we want to be able to relate to the other guests on board. Should we be concerened? All opinions and advice that can be given would be appreciated.

 

I think you will find yourself feeling just fine on this ship. There are people of many ages on board, including many people in the 25-35 age group. The cruise we were on had many young people, including several honeymooners. We enjoyed our cruise tremendously, we're approaching mid-forty.

[Without Tessa]

Hi discjoker - perhaps I can help. I am 30 and started cruising when I was 28 aboard the Zuiderdam. I was not sure what to expect but both times I had a BLAST!

 

The last time I went, my DH and I were having a really hard time "keeping up" with the older crowd! lol! We too wanted a more classic, relaxed and memorable holiday - and we were not disappointed. However, there was opportunity if we wanted, to dance all night in the disco or hit the slots but we were too tired! Remember, those that are older are often retired and can "rest up" for their cruise - they don't want to miss a second of it! We worked all week and had a hard time keeping our eyes open past the evening show!!

 

We had a table for two in the diningroom so we did not interact much with the other passengers save for some small talk in elevators etc. I also saw quite a few younger passengers (late teens, early 20's) probably with their parents.

 

We also have a much more varied taste in music and entertainment than probably some people our age. We really enjoyed the barber shop group, the flutist, the adult comedy show AND the broadway productions!

 

Our outlook is that WE make our own vacation and we did everything we enjoyed. It was great fun!

 

We are going again on HAL - the Zaandam (trying a smaller ship this time).

An older crowd can be as pleasant or as unpleasant as a younger one - makes no difference (just the ratio of jerks on your cruise really). The older crowd just have more stories! :)

 

If you go in with an open mind, you will have an awesome time - no worries!

Have fun!

[Joanne G.]

We've sailed on both NCL and HAL (though not the Zuiderdam) a number of times. In our experience, the two lines do have a different demographic. The average age on HAL was definitely older, but that doesn't mean that everyone is older. There were many younger passengers on our HAL cruises, especially on the 7-day ones as opposed to the longer ones.

 

If you aren't looking for all night drinking fests, then HAL's a good choice.

 

For what it's worth, in our experience, HAL passengers tend to dress up more for dinner, and that includes the non-formal nights. NCL promotes "resort casual" dress - and that is interpreted in wildly different ways! That may or may not be an issue with you, but I thought I'd mention it as another difference between the lines.

[Sierrachik]

We've sailed on both NCL and HAL (though not the Zuiderdam) a number of times. In our experience, the two lines do have a different demographic. The average age on HAL was definitely older, but that doesn't mean that everyone is older. There were many younger passengers on our HAL cruises, especially on the 7-day ones as opposed to the longer ones.

 

If you aren't looking for all night drinking fests, then HAL's a good choice.

 

For what it's worth, in our experience, HAL passengers tend to dress up more for dinner, and that includes the non-formal nights. NCL promotes "resort casual" dress - and that is interpreted in wildly different ways! That may or may not be an issue with you, but I thought I'd mention it as another difference between the lines.

 

I think the Zuiderdam has a bit of a younger average age than other HAL ships, though I've only been on the Zui. In general the Zui attracts a different demographic than many other HAL ships, though I think perhaps it retains a bit of the refined atmosphere and is a bit more laid back than other lines, which many younger people find appealing as well.

[MandyGirl]

You should be just fine. :) We are currently ages 30/32 and have previously been on NCL twice and HAL twice - all for 7-nt Caribbean cruises. Found the age mix on Zuiderdam to be more diverse than on Maasdam but we enjoyed both of them. The demographic mix on Zuiderdam Thanksgiving week was very comparable to our previous NCL cruises (350 Club Hal participants on board, etc). Overall, NCL had more "planned" activities but we were really cruising HAL to try to have a relaxing week. :) I'm not really sure we have seen the stroke of midnight on any of our cruises except maybe on our wedding cruise when we had our families/friends with us who would keep us out late. :D (And we're all getting back together for Alaska this summer, so with sunlight so late and friends onboard, I'm thinking we'll be seeing midnight in Alaska...)

[pingsplace]

I started cruising at age 26 and personally preferr the ships with older crowds. The ship is quieter, people have good manners and very interesting to talk to, etc...... I joined a scavenger hunt in the lounge and I had a hoot of a time! I just died laughing. One of the items were dentures, bras and men's pants!!!

Older crowds are still very young at heart.

 

I have been warned many times not to go on HAL or Celebrity.

Well guess what? I joined a younger crowd ship and hated it! I see 30 year olds acting like 10 year olds, screaming and hollering, etc......and the whole ship is crowded and noisy! There was the Grand buffet, the line up was a block long. By 1:30 a.m. in the morning, the line up was still a block long and ship closed the doors to the dining room. I didn't even get to see the buffet! (Keep in mind I didn't line up. My stateroom was just around the corner and I thought I could wait for the line ups to go down before going.)

 

No matter what ship you go on, you will enjoy it. Go with a open mind.:)

[relaxedMIKE]

I was on the Westerdam this month and I was surprised at the number of young people on the ship. I was expecting to be with many seniors, but found a wide mix of people from seniors to families to young and old couples. HAL is definately more laid back than the mainstream cruise lines. I am 37 and my partner is 31, and we had the time of our lives. If your looking to party all night, HAL is probably not the best choice. If your looking for a relaxing, elegant laid back experience, HAL is perfect for any age!!!

[discjoker]

Thank you everyone for responding! I think we have made the right choice and I am sure we will have a great time!