Carnival cruiser with a few Holland America questions?

[w8ing2cruz]

We've only sailed on Carnival and RCCL - absolutely LOVE the ten day Noordam itinerary that includes HMC, Turks and the ABC islands. I love to hear any feedback from any HA cruiser that has sailed Carnival too and what we might expect but I do have a few specific questions I would appreciate guidance on:

• Is there an early saver rate on HA or any other special pricing considerations we should look at?
  
• Can you carry on one bottle of wine as you can on Carnival?
  
• So the aft wraps and aft facing cabins have the much larger/deeper balconies and lounge chairs in addition to regular chairs?
  
• How is the Lido deck activity - I do enjoy the Master Mixologist type stuff - not so much the Hairy Chest contests. Love the late night parties on Lido - does HA have these?
  
• How is the piano bar atmosphere?
  

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[AlanAllyn]

We've only sailed on Carnival and RCCL - absolutely LOVE the ten day Noordam itinerary that includes HMC, Turks and the ABC islands. I love to hear any feedback from any HA cruiser that has sailed Carnival too and what we might expect but I do have a few specific questions I would appreciate guidance on:

• Is there an early saver rate on HA or any other special pricing considerations we should look at?
  
• Can you carry on one bottle of wine as you can on Carnival? unlimited amount of wine can be brought
  
• So the aft wraps and aft facing cabins have the much larger/deeper balconies and lounge chairs in addition to regular chairs?
  
• How is the Lido deck activity - I do enjoy the Master Mixologist type stuff - not so much the Hairy Chest contests. Love the late night parties on Lido - does HA have these? very little
  
• How is the piano bar atmosphere?
  

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

We are RCCL and Celebrity people, but sailed HAL Amsterdam last summer. We got very very lucky in the piano bar, since TW Greer (a singer & composer) was on for just that cruise. We spent many hours at the piano bnar. I can't comment on the regular situation.

 

Other comments above in red.

[andeesue]

On the HAL cruises I've been on, several winetastings were offered (one showcasing their regular wines for a nominal price, the other, more upscale, paired with food, that was held in the Pinnacle dining room). There was a cocktail class I enjoyed (a fee, as well), and several cooking demonstrations (gratis). Sometimes cooking classes are available,too.

[AZNative2000]

We've only sailed on Carnival and RCCL - absolutely LOVE the ten day Noordam itinerary that includes HMC, Turks and the ABC islands. I love to hear any feedback from any HA cruiser that has sailed Carnival too and what we might expect but I do have a few specific questions I would appreciate guidance on:

• 
   
  
• Can you carry on one bottle of wine as you can on Carnival?
   
  Carry on all the wine, soda, and bottled water you want. Even bring some from interim ports.
   
   
  
• So the aft wraps and aft facing cabins have the much larger/deeper balconies and lounge chairs in addition to regular chairs?
   
  Most do, yes.
   
   
  
• How is the Lido deck activity - I do enjoy the Master Mixologist type stuff - not so much the Hairy Chest contests. Love the late night parties on Lido - does HA have these?
   
  Not as much late night stuff on HAL.
   
   
  
• How is the piano bar atmosphere?
   
  Our experiences there were great but we are easy to please.:)
   
  

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Look for a quieter, calmer atmosphere on HAL. Have a great cruise.

[lettienets]

............How is the Lido deck activity - I do enjoy the Master Mixologist type stuff - not so much the Hairy Chest contests. Love the late night parties on Lido - does HA have these?........

No late night deck party a la Carnival. However Noordam will have a fun party bbq, decorations and music one night around the pool with great desserts too. Will be over just when Carnival's would begin. (I love those deck dance parties on Carnival with everybody dancing together, like a giant line dance and several styles of dance.)

 

10 day Noordam cruises will have a more lively crowd than longer ones.

 

Nothing happens around the Lido pool but the seaview pool will have some entertainment music during the afternoon. Oh there may be the shipbuilding contest float in one of the hot tubs.

 

Noordam is a beautiful ship.

[w8ing2cruz]

Noordam is a beautiful ship.

 

That is SO great to hear - I loved how open and classy the RCCL Radiance class ship was compared to the Carnival ships. That being said, the decor doesn't make or break a cruise for me. In fact, nothing breaks a cruise.

 

Thanks so much for all the quick responses. One question that didn't get addressed was the different rates for Holland. Carnival has Fun Rates, Past Guest Rates, Over 55 Rates, Early Saver Rates etc. Does Holland have anything like this?

[JJPacer]

We just got back from the Noordam 10 day you are interested in. It was great! You'll love the ports. Be sure to do Woodwind (book Early) in Bonaire. Best snorkeling anywhere.

 

HAL has all the same pricing discounts as other lines. Shop around for a good price.

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

Not much late night stuff on HAL. Most people seem to be in bed by 10pm....or even earlier. HAL has an older, more sophisticated crowd than Carnival. No hairy chest or belly flop contests. I would describe HAL as calm and relaxing and Carnival as a non-stop college fraternity party.

[James_TheVirus]

You will also find that the price varies by agency, so be sure to ask the price. Agencies cannot advertise their best price, just the 'list' price which you would find on the HAL site.

 

I have found that a certain website which allows several TA's to compete to get the best deal - just make sure you do your homework first by checking out the BBB ranking, and that HAL is the one that actually puts the charge on your CC.

[msmayor]

Though we have a long wait, my husband and I can't wait to try HAL for our 25th anniversary cruise.

 

We'll be cruising without our teens who really need a more 'active' atmosphere with lots of parties; we're quite happy finding a nice spot for drinks and maybe some music for a relaxing evening at sea.

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

I would describe HAL as calm and relaxing and Carnival as a non-stop college fraternity party.

 

HAL has passengers sneak around and drop the anchor of a ship but Carnival is a "non-stop college fraternity party"?:rolleyes:

 

Um........OK

[rkacruiser]

Having sailed on Carnival Freedom and Pride, I think I can give you a reasonable comparison. Carnival's entertainment is better, on the whole. I liked the way individual entertainers rotated from day to day through the lounges. Food quality should be better on HAL, particularly the beef entrees. Carnival has started to employ more Filipino and Indonesian Stewards and they are just as friendly and give excellent service as those on HAL. Some on board activities on HAL are better run, IMO, than on Carnival, i.e. Trivia on Pride was a joke--very poorly done. Not so on HAL. The pools on HAL are larger than on either Freedom or Pride (which was a surprise to me). HAL's Vista and Signature Class ships offer a Hydropool and Thermal Suite, for a fee, that cannot be found on most Carnival ships. HAL has lots of interesting art and the decor is more sophisticated. (Note: I did not find the decor on the Carnival ships outlandish or overdone; I did prefer Freedom's decor over Pride's, however.)

 

The Steakhouse on Carnival is as good as the Pinnacle Grill on HAL. I do prefer the set-up of the Lido Restaurant's buffet on HAL over Carnival's organization. Excellent, real ice cream available for long hours on HAL as compared to the soft serve stuff on Carnival.

 

I have enjoyed both of my Carnival cruises and hope to do more in the future. I hope this helps you.

[Cinder Again]

As far as "special deals", check with your travel agent, but as a previous Carnival passenger, you should qualify for any "Mariner" discounts, since they are both owned by CCL... if you're a stockholder,(100 shares) you can get a OBC as well...

[treasure4two]

Took 17 day HAL Noordam cruise this summer and just took 5 day Carnival Imagination - to me, Carnival had better entertainment, food as good as or better(especially the portions) on Carnival, and foI know alot of HAL people will disagree but it is just my opinion.rmal night was so less formal on Carnival than HAL, but I did not mind it. Fewer kids and young people on HAL. I would not call HAL an old person's cruise line, but quieter.

[amunhbuu]

Not much late night stuff on HAL. Most people seem to be in bed by 10pm....or even earlier. HAL has an older, more sophisticated crowd than Carnival. No hairy chest or belly flop contests. I would describe HAL as calm and relaxing and Carnival as a non-stop college fraternity party.

 

Having attended non stop college fraternity parties, I would say that Carnival has nothing like that on board.

[lettienets]

Took 17 day HAL Noordam cruise this summer and just took 5 day Carnival Imagination - to me, Carnival had better entertainment, food as good as or better(especially the portions) on Carnival, and foI know alot of HAL people will disagree but it is just my opinion.rmal night was so less formal on Carnival than HAL, but I did not mind it. Fewer kids and young people on HAL. I would not call HAL an old person's cruise line, but quieter.

Carnival food in dining room is wonderful in quality, quantity and presentation and that would be a big surpise to people who don't sail Carnival. Lots of food stations on the Lido deck. Formal nights are less formal, particularly in the Caribbean but still quite dressy. However, few tuxes.

On longer cruises like the Panama Canal and transatlantic Carnival has crafts for adults for free. Carnival offers more entertainment venues.

As far as pricing no other cruise line lists online their prices like Carnival. When you look at the website prices come up for Early Saver, past guest, pick your cabin, and guarantees for every cruise. You can phone for military rates. (forget the exact words used) Senior and Pack and Go rates appear after the final payment date with lots of discounts.

Got 2 8 day b2b Carnival Miracle in Jan and hope to have a great time and back to Hal Nieuw Amsterdam later in the spring. I like both cruise lines. Different experiences but more similar. Also have a 12 day Mediterranean cruise on the new Carnival Magic in Oct. Big difference is the size of ships too. If you don't like "big" the new Carnival ones may not appeal. My biggest gripe is lines for food in the Lido but that seems to happen on big and small ships because a lot of people like to eat at the same time.

[w8ing2cruz]

As far as "special deals", check with your travel agent, but as a previous Carnival passenger, you should qualify for any "Mariner" discounts, since they are both owned by CCL...

 

Really? This would be awesome as both my husband and I are past guests with Carnival AND the couple considering joining us are also past guests. Didn't know this was possible.

 

Great tip on Bonaire - that and Dominican Republic will be the only ports we have not been to. Thanks!

 

I was reading on this board somewhere about a 'flash rate' or something? And from what I've gleaned from your responses I should try my TA for deals rather than booking directly through HAL.

 

Thanks again for all the feedback!

[babyher]

Having attended non stop college fraternity parties, I would say that Carnival has nothing like that on board.

 

 

 

*LOL*

 

 

I always laugh when Carnival cruises are compared to "Frat House Parties".

These people obviously have never been to a frat house party.

[lettienets]

Can somebody explain what mariner discounts are on Hal. I sure don't know what is meant by mariner discount. I seem to see Hal's web site online prices and prices on their brochures (which sometimes go down) but I never can tell what is the best price. Because other websites and TAs have different prices.

At least on Carnival the prices are upfront with the different categories of prices and rules that go with them. For example the Early Saver is the lowest price and a nonrefundable deposit but it can be moved to another cruise before final payment date due plus $50. And if you buy the Early Saver, you are guaranteed any lower price differences up to 2 days before the cruise.

 

I have never heard that if you sail in the other family lines of Carnival Corp like Princess or Costa etc that you get any discount on Hal. Some info on here is misleading or needs clarification. I get lots of advertising from the Carnival Corp lines.

[unfdoug]

They do have pool games on the lido. Nothing like the hairy chest contest. Dive in the pool to get the rings and team stuff. Simple and fun. If you play the pool games, you get a free drink. :)

 

The piano bar was typical. Give me a drink, piano and bar and I'm happy!

[sldearth]

As far as "special deals", check with your travel agent, but as a previous Carnival passenger, you should qualify for any "Mariner" discounts, since they are both owned by CCL...

 

Really? This would be awesome as both my husband and I are past guests with Carnival AND the couple considering joining us are also past guests. Didn't know this was possible. {quote}

 

:confused: This is news to me. I have been on 6 Carnival and 1 Holland with another Holland booked for next month. We were told you can't mix the cruiseline "cruising days" to get your next level of perks. So, needless to say, we have so many days on Carnival and so many days on Holland.

[lettienets]

....................

:confused: This is news to me. I have been on 6 Carnival and 1 Holland with another Holland booked for next month. We were told you can't mix the cruiseline "cruising days" to get your next level of perks. So, needless to say, we have so many days on Carnival and so many days on Holland.

I think you are correct and someone else here is wrong about the way mariner points, perks and pricing works. Each cruise line in the Carnival family has their own perks and they are not transferable between cruise lines in the family. At least I have never heard of it. I do know however that RCI and Celebrity combine cruises for their perk system.

 

Another activity some on Hal find to be fun is the pub crawl.

[fann1sh]

Mariner pricing is nothing special. Usually, the so-called Mariner rate is exactly (or almost) the same as other pricing. You do need your Mariner number to check these rates online. (W8ting2cruz, I think you would need to call HAL with your Carnival number, and ask them for a HAL one. Like Lettienets mentions, I'm not sure if you can get one. )

 

Once in a blue moon, the Mariner rate is an amazing deal. In 2009, I got a Mariner + Canadian resident pricing for an Alaska B2B (solo cabin) that was jaw dropping. However, I booked at, or after final payment date, and I only discovered it by phoning.

 

So, do check the "HAL direct" rate, but generally TA's can do better, especially with OBC and perks like a free dinner in the Pinnacle Grill (=supper club).

 

W8ting2cruz, if you stick around and read the HAL boards, you'll get an idea of some of the things HAL does best. However, my comparison with Carnival would be:

 

I agree HAL night life is poor on most sailings compared to Carnival. Piano bars are frequently the saving grace of the evenings. There are fewer onboard planned activities in the day as well. Team trivia is my daily highlight. Make a point to show up for it THE FIRST DAY, and see if it's for you, too. Trivia is harder with a team of 6, not easier, and IMO alcohol and amusing team members makes the occasion a cruise memory. YMMV. Other activities: the ever present bingo, food demonstrations, films on a medium sized screen, mixology classes. Excellent ship's library on all ships - head and shoulders over Carnival, on that score. Few announcements.

 

HAL has exquisite cold soups appetizers in the MDR, and perhaps more "surprising" items on the menus than Carnival. Some of these are Dutch Indonesian dishes. Do try them. If you don't like one, ask for something else. (If the waiter teases you and asks if you'd like sambal sauce, "just say no", unless you're a 6 alarm spicy food fan.) I'm allergic to beef, which is many people's benchmark for comparing food, so I'm sorry I can't compare steaks, etc.

 

I avoid the taco bar/burgers by the pool. Generally, these are bad, IMO. HAL doesn't have 24 hour pizza like Carnival. However, there's an excellent free 24 hour room service menu instead. You can also order anything from the daily regular MDR dinner menu for room service if you place your order within half an hour of the MDR opening for the evening meal. Food then delivered at whatever time you ask that the MDR is still open. All courses come at once.

 

Room service is also exceptional for breakfasts. If you order delivery for after the MDR/Lido open, you can write in items on the breakfast delivery card like "eggs benedict".

 

HAL's table service tends to be more elegant, and waiters don't sing. Weelllll....except for the Master Chef's dinner, on the last night of some cruises. Then some of them sing....reluctantly.

 

OTOH, the HAL crew show is a "don't miss".

 

Also, the wrap around teak promenade deck may let you make believe you're sailing on the original Queen Mary in a bygone era.

 

HAL crew is Indonesian and Filipino with very rare exceptions. Most here agree: HAL's crews are the line's best asset.

 

Sorry for the "run on" post.

[Mary Ellen]

I have never heard that if you sail in the other family lines of Carnival Corp like Princess or Costa etc that you get any discount on Hal. Some info on here is misleading or needs clarification. I get lots of advertising from the Carnival Corp lines.

Just because you haven't heard of this dosen't make it not true. Past passenger pricing IS available across all the lines owned by CCL (aka 'World's Leading Cruise Lines'). 'Perks' aren't however.

 

Maybe this will help clear things up. Notice that the copyright is Carnival Corporation.

 

Only World's Leading Cruise Lines offers you our unique Vacation Interchange Privileges®. Once you’ve traveled on any of our six world-famous lines, you’re entitled to currently applicable past guest savings offered by whichever cruise line you choose.

 

So, next time you plan a cruise vacation, take advantage of our six members offers – the contemporary sparkle of Carnival Cruise Lines; the Italian charm of Costa Cruises; the classic British tradition of Cunard Line; the five-star sophistication of Holland America Line; the affordable luxury of Princess Cruises; and the indulgent intimacy of the Yachts of Seabourn.

[lettienets]

Mary Ellen maybe you can clarify what I said above:

Originally Posted by lettienets

I have never heard that if you sail in the other family lines of Carnival Corp like Princess or Costa etc that you get any discount on Hal. Some info on here is misleading or needs clarification. I get lots of advertising from the Carnival Corp lines.

Where or how do you get a discount on Hal if you have cruised with Princess, Costa, Carnival etc? Thanks