DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOLLAND AND RCI

[nauticaz24]

Hi everyone. First post here, but have been reading the boards for a while. I went on my first cruise this march on the zaandam and had a blast. i am thinking about going on a cruise in january on RCI to the Mexican Riviera. my question would be, what are the differences between Holland and RCI, for anyone that has been on both. I had an absoulute blast on Holland, and dont want to be let down on this one. Are there things on RCI that are better than Holland??? Any help you can give this inexperienced cruiser would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[Brad1185]

The latest change for HAL is no shorts period in the dining room for any meal. If im on vacation, that enough for me to stay away.

 

Jewel 07/15 

Golden 09/12 

[PhoenixCruiser]

Oh my goodness, it's going to snow in Phoenix Arizona -- I agree with Brad

 

We don't want to dress up that much to eat breakfast and lunch

 

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Navigator of the Seas 6/26/04

 

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[endi302]

We have been on two RCI cruises and have booked our third. We were on HAL this past April for the first time. Hands down we enjoyed RCI best overall. We enjoyed HAL and the people we met through cruise critic and really had a blast but the crew was different and not as friendly and approachable as the crew on RCI. The CD was American and while she seemed pleasant she was not involved as much as the CD's on RCI. The age group was a lot older but this did not bother me because some of the older people were a lot more fun than the younger ones! As far as food they do not prepare anything at your table such as bananas foster. The Head waiter was also american and seemed to be a little bit of a smart mouth. She came by the table most everynight. The aft pool was great on HAL because it was never crowded. The shops on HAL leaves a lot to be desired compared to RCI if you are into shopping on board. We thought the casino was about equal on either ship. Also RCI has a better crown and anchor program for people who return.

Anyway, hope this helps!

Diane

 

HOLIDAY-1997

NORDIC EMPRESS-1998

STAR PRINCESS-2002

RHAPSODY OF THE SEAS-10/2003

HOLLAND MAASDAM-04/2004

RHAPSODY OF THE SEAS-04/2005

[BigDave]

The old joke is the average age of a HAL passenger is 'dead'.

 

(Apologies to all non expired HAL passengers reading this)

 

BigDave

 

Enchantment 10/2002, Rhapsody 4/2004.

Caribbean Princess, E Carib. 11/27/2004

HAL Oosterdam, E Carib. 1/2/2005

Valor, W. Carib. 2/6/2005, Radiance, E. Carib 2/13/2005

[pcur]

That's not such an old joke, Dave. I just read on a thread here yesterday that the HAL line has several deaths on each cruise because of the older age of the passengers.

 

When you're carrying several thousand people, it's bound to happen, but when most of them are aged, it's guaranteed to happen.

 

Never been on HAL, in response to the original post. We stayed away because for over 30 years it has always had a reputation for much older passengers, and we weren't interested.

 

Peggy - RCI since 1973

[Brad1185]

Phoenixcruiser, lol, you finally agreed with me.

 

Jewel 07/15 

Golden 09/12 

[BigDave]

No wonder HAL is starting to try draw families with thier newer ships, it must be depressing to see your market share decrease with every hearse at the dock.

 

BigDave

 

Enchantment 10/2002, Rhapsody 4/2004.

Caribbean Princess, E Carib. 11/27/2004

HAL Oosterdam, E Carib. 1/2/2005

Valor, W. Carib. 2/6/2005, Radiance, E. Carib 2/13/2005

[Sophie]

I'm curious...Just HOW OLD are these HAL passengers? I just turned 50 and my grandkids think I'm OLD!!! LOL

I guess it wouldn't be a bad way to go...while you're on a cruise. But I don't think I would want to be a cabin steward on one of their ships!

 

Sophie

Counting down the days till we sail the Rhapsody! 12-5-04

[pinkrosesdeb]

We were on the Maasdam for our one and only HAL cruise. Couldn't wait to get back to RCCL. DH and I are both in our 50's and WE thought the crowd was too old. Definitely not as much to do as RCCL. Nightlife almost non-existent! Service was truly lacking on HAL contrary to what everyone else will tell you about HAL before more upscale. I think you will be very pleased with the change!

[pcur]

From what I read recently, the AVERAGE age on HAL is about 70.

 

As an example (I'm guessing here that this applies to HAL), we went on our Transatlantic on the Splendour with a much older crowd. We loved the cruise, by the way, because we really like sea days. Anyway, the ship was full of people obviously over 75. The only problem we experienced is slower reactions and slower walking, so there was a lot of dodging around people, because they would take soooooooooooo long to do things. Not a big deal, but it got a little dicey trying to get off elevators sometimes, and the buffet lines slowed down a lot, too.

 

Just a thought!

 

By the way: love the older ones. We still have two grandma's in their 80's with us, and one grandpa who's almost 85. Lost the other grandpa last Christmas Day, so we're happy to still have 3 of them kicking around.

 

Peggy - RCI since 1973

[Sophie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by pcur:

 

 

By the way: love the older ones. We still have two grandma's in their 80's with us, and one grandpa who's almost 85. Lost the other grandpa last Christmas Day, so we're happy to still have 3 of them kicking around.

 

Peggy - RCI since 1973<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Me Too! My Dad is 81 and my Mom is 76. They don't cruise anymore but if they did, they would surely be among the slower passengers! I thank God EVERYDAY we still have them with us!!

 

Sophie

Counting down the days till we sail the Rhapsody! 12-5-04

[RLapple]

We cruise on both RCCL and HAL. Very little difference, IMO.

 

I'm 73 and it seems to me, that the "Uh Duh" crowd come in all ages. :-)

[joeinwpb]

I cruised on the Maasdam last April. Had a wonderful time. One thing I found was while the pax, as a whole was somewhat older. People watching didn’t seem to suffer in the slightest. Hal women have nice legs. Probably the best part of the cruise was the people I meet. They were wonderful.

 

The cruise was exceedingly friendly, but seemed to lack the enthusiasm found on RCI. I always felt I knew the crew members better on RCI.

 

There are more ways to entertain yourself [especially if your young] on RCI. But I enjoyed the shows and the music on HAL very much.

 

All in all I give the nod of preference to RCI.

 

Joe

 

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[tazboyles]

Hi

A group of us went on our 1st cruise on the Zaandam. In fact I'm wearing their t-shirt now. Some comparisons for us are:

HAL-Food was excellent. RCCL-Food was good+

HAL Staff-reserved/professional/unobtrusive.

RCCL- Staff friendly/layed back/some joined us for drinks.

HAL-nightlife after the show was very subdued.One bar had a 4 piece band playing while 3 couples were ballroom dancing.

RCCL- Bar had a pop music group, good crowd, lots of people dancing. FUN.

We all loved both cruises but we are sticking with RCCL for now. In 20 yrs I'll try HAL again.

 

Till Vision 7/16/04 Alaska Sailing

Zaandam - 2000

Enchantment - 2002

[yarlenna]

We have enjoyed HAL for years! We find the service staff on HAL to be just fine, but we haven't sailed them since they changed the tipping policy. They used to proclaim loudly that tipping was not required. Now, they are going to a recommended tipping thing. I think they needed to in order to keep their good help. The ships are much lower density than RCI. The cabins are larger. The balconies are larger. The food was very interesting. I particulary liked the Indonesian thing (something like Bam Goering) they served at least once a cruise. Yes, the average age was older when last I sailed HAL. The entertainment suits me fine. I love the dance music, the piano player and the string group. (I liked it even better when they had the Rosario Strings!) Yes, they have taken economies especially lately. (Who hasn't?) The HAL of my experience (5 cruises) is NOT for families with teens or people who need to have a happening place to make things work for them. HAL is for people who love a relaxing cruise in a relatively quiet atmosphere. Sounds good to me.

 

Work like a dog. Live like a pauper. Save all your money. Then Cruise!

My gif kitties have gone to cyber heaven so that dial up cruisers don't have a problem getting their posts read.

[redjoan]

Benefits of HAL and an older clinetele:

1. Very few sunbathe or sit in the sun by the pool, hence you could always get a chair by the pool without worrying!

2. Bedtime is early, so you could basically walk into any show just before it began and get a great seat.

We enjoyed HAL.

[boingy300]

I think it just depends on what you want from a cruise. We did Exlporer last Dacember and shore excursioned <snorkel> w/ HAL passengers.They were fun. The crowd getting off the HAL boat was signifcantly older than our group (mean 70). The wood balconey decks looked private and lovely on HAL. I would consider HAL for a true retreat/honeymoon, but NOT for a family cruise, w/ children! It reminded me of the older cruise ships- fussy and pampered. When I want that I'll consider it. I remember feeling sorry for a lonely little girl getting off the HAL boat w/ her grandparents- but then my pity stopped when I realized my twins were sitting in school that day! I go for rollerblading and entertainment. It's just what you want out of a cruise........No matter who you sail with- it beats work!!!!!

Karen O.

 

Song of America 1991

Majesty of the Sea 1993

Monarch of the Sea 1996

Sov.of the Sea 1999

Disney Wonder 2001

Explorer 12/13/03

Mariner of the Seas 6/19/05

[joeinwpb]

Redjoan

 

Good points Redjoan. Add to you list, a more easy to listen to music.

 

As one matures. There is a distinct change in music appreciation, in general.

 

Example: How many people do you know still humming “Mary Had A Little Lambâ€, or †Twinkle, Twinkle Little Starâ€?

 

People just seem to change, as they age. I liked the music on both lines.

 

Joe

 

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<marquee width=50%>Until Mariner of the Seas</marquee>

 

 

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[Tatka]

I think age on HAL ships varies from ship to ship and time of the year.

 

New ships Zuiderdam, Oosterdam attract much younger crowd. We are going on Zuiderdam in August and heard that during last August average number of kids was 400 per sailing.

 

Age groups on RCI are also different. We went on Splendour and crowd was much older than us (we are 31 and 32 yo).

 

------------------------------

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>

<LI>Zuiderdam 8/21/04 FLL - Key West - Cozumel - Grand Caymans - Half Moon Cay - FLL

<LI>Splendour of the Seas 05/15/04 Barcelona - Marseilles - Villefranche - Livorno - Chivitavecchia - Naples - Barcelona

<LI>Century 07/12/03 Eastern Caribbean FFL-San Juan - St. Thomas - St.Maarten- Nassau -FFL

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/91 Moscow - Astrahan' - Moscow (honeymoon)

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/90 Moscow - Astrahan'- Moscow

<LI>Admiral Nachimov(or Nakhimov) (Black Sea)04/1986 Odessa - Batum

 

GO BRUINS!!!!

[momofmeg]

HAL's food and Broadway style shows are better. Otherwise RCCL is better. We took one HAL cruise. At the time we were in our mid forties and we felt like spring chickens compared to the rest of the passengers. Out of 1500 passengers maybe 200 were under 65. No live music in the lounges in the evenings. Live music was only in the Eagle's nest before your dinner seating. the paino bar was "name that tune" where he would play a few bars and then you were to guess the composer, what Broadway play the song was in etc. that is if the paino player was there-several times we went when he was scheduled to be there and he was not there. Late buffet on HAL was 10:30p.m. instead of midnight-the only thing hopping once the broadway style show finished at around 11p.m. was the casino. No ballroom dancing or disco.

 

RCCL has all these things. So if you love music-you will have plenty of choices and no need to feel you have to go to sleep at 11p.m. because there is nothing to entertain you.

 

Carnival Tropicale 10/15/98 Western Caribbean

RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/22/99 Bahamas

Carnival Fascination 09/23/00 Southern caribbean

HAL Statendam 05/20/01 Alaska

RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/08/01 Bahamas

Pacific Princess 09/29/02 Bermuda

Carnival Inspiration 12/14/03 Western caribbean

Carnival Miracle 04/09/04 Bahamas

[momofmeg]

endi3102 on my HAl cruise they prepared cherries jubliee and lighted the bake alaska that was served togther. I did enjoy dinner with HAL was just bored to death the restof the time.

 

Carnival Tropicale 10/15/98 Western Caribbean

RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/22/99 Bahamas

Carnival Fascination 09/23/00 Southern caribbean

HAL Statendam 05/20/01 Alaska

RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/08/01 Bahamas

Pacific Princess 09/29/02 Bermuda

Carnival Inspiration 12/14/03 Western caribbean

Carnival Miracle 04/09/04 Bahamas

[Folgy]

I've stopped going on HAL due to ,too many kids/babies now cruising with them.They have changed from the calmer more sedate cruise to family oriented.I might as well cruise on a better ship and stay with RCCL if I have to endure the kid/babies thing anyways.

 

Alaska (my BIG 50)Serenade of the Seas

 

[Tatka]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Folgy:

I've stopped going on HAL due to ,too many kids/babies now cruising with them.They have changed from the calmer more sedate cruise to family oriented.I might as well cruise on a better ship and stay with RCCL if I have to endure the kid/babies thing anyways.

Alaska (my BIG 50)Serenade of the Seas

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=dc143c&cdt=2004;8;8;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

What is so bad about HAL ships? (Just a question)

 

------------------------------

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>

<LI>Zuiderdam 8/21/04 FLL - Key West - Cozumel - Grand Caymans - Half Moon Cay - FLL

<LI>Splendour of the Seas 05/15/04 Barcelona - Marseilles - Villefranche - Livorno - Chivitavecchia - Naples - Barcelona

<LI>Century 07/12/03 Eastern Caribbean FFL-San Juan - St. Thomas - St.Maarten- Nassau -FFL

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/91 Moscow - Astrahan' - Moscow (honeymoon)

<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/90 Moscow - Astrahan'- Moscow

<LI>Admiral Nachimov(or Nakhimov) (Black Sea)04/1986 Odessa - Batum

 

GO BRUINS!!!!

[joeinwpb]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Folgy:

I've stopped going on HAL due to ,too many kids/babies now cruising with them.They have changed from the calmer more sedate cruise to family oriented.I might as well cruise on a better ship and stay with RCCL if I have to endure the kid/babies thing anyways.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

I cruised on the Maasdam 6 weeks ago. Maybe three kids on it. It all depends on the dates you sail on.

 

That's true on ALL cruise lines.

 

Joe

 

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