Considering HAL. Advice greatly appreciated.

[mrsalexb]

I am planning on taking a 10 day cruise with either Princess or HAL. I have never cruised HAL so I am a little hesitant.

 

My husband and I have an 12 month old son who will be 20 months at the time of sailing. We are courteous parents and would not make other passengers endure a screaming child. However with that said things do happen that are sometimes out of our control...while we try to manage the situation in a way that behooves everyone....an 18 month old is still a 18 month old, and I am sure there will be a situation or two that will be out of our control and may disrupt a few passengers for a few minutes. With that being said...do you think we should avoid HAL all together? We recently went on RCCL and our little boy was fantastic. I did notice on RCCL that a minor disruption here or there was not an issue. While we enjoyed RCCL we did think it was a little too casual for our liking and they do not have a 10 day cruise out of Florida.

 

Also if you have been on Princess and HAL, which one do you prefer? I know that the Noordam is smaller ship than the Emerald but that doesn't really matter to us. We are primarily intersted in the destination/relaxation and not the entertainment/ship.

[Richie2pies]

A lot more older people on HAL who MAY be more intollerent. Princess is also usually cheaper. I'm sure with a great child, you'd be welcome on either line.

[pmd98052]

We're trying HAL for the first time end of Feb. 2 of us (late 30's) and our 5 and 3 year old boys. This time around HAL was way cheaper than NCL or Princess since they had 3rd/4th in the cabin go free... Looking forward to the differences personally...

[USN59-79]

In the past year we have cruised 69 days on HAL and 46 days on Princess and love them both. I enjoy seeing young children on the ship and I think most others do also. If a child has a tantrum, you can always take him to your cabin. It isn't like on an airplane where you have no option but to endure it.

[Vic The Parrot]

A toddler will do what they always do ... behave like a toddler.

 

 

On all my HAL voyages, there were always small children on board.

Nobody really minded thier presence. In fact, many of the passengers (50-70 yr old included) enjoyed seeing them. Even help with changing, in some instances.

 

Guess they missed thier grandkids, and wanted some interaction. ;)

 

I'm sure you and your family will be fine on a HAL ship.

[kazu]

I don't think anyone on HAL will give you a difficult time at all. Children are enjoyed (at least from what I have seen). As to choosing between Princess and HAL, from what you have said, I would vote for HAL. Princess' entertainment can be superior to HAL, but IMO HAL has it beat for food, service and rooms. enjoy your cruise :D

[SwissMyst]

In the past year we have cruised 69 days on HAL and 46 days on Princess and love them both. I enjoy seeing young children on the ship and I think most others do also. If a child has a tantrum, you can always take him to your cabin. It isn't like on an airplane where you have no option but to endure it.

 

Sound does transmit between cabins if it is loud enough, so perhaps there is a better place to take a child having a tantrum than asking cabin neighbors to also share the child's distress?

[dag144]

I like both HAL and Princess. If I were bringing a toddler, I would pick Princess only because most of the Princess ships have more pools than HAL's standard two pool arrangement. On Princess especially the Coral or Island class ships,there is an ideal pool for kids, large and shallow.

 

Hope he likes cruising as much as I do!:)

[topspot]

Pools won't really matter unless the 20 month old is potty trained as diapered children are not permitted in HAL or Princess pools. Very few cruiselines have some sort of pool for diapered children due to health reasons.

[JJPacer]

As well as Celebrity, RCI, Carnival, Azamara. I would choose the cruise you want to take. We are surprised we have taken as many HAL cruises, as we have. We chose our cruises by price & itinerary. We have found HAL has better itineraries and the price is right.

 

Almost everyone has raised children. I remeber when my children were that age. They had their share of tantrums, too. As long as you remove your child to a quiet place, and make an effort to be courteous to other passengers, you will love HAL. Being courteous to others is something we all do no matter what our age.

[mexico5]

We enjoyed Princess alot more than HAL. HAL was cheaper, but it had a very casual atmosphere and no glitz or glamour. Formal nights were nothing special and the ship wasn't nearly as beautiful (atrium, etc...) as Princess or NCL. Can't speak for the kids aspect though. We saw quite a few kids on HAL having a good time though. We are glad we tried HAL (Oosterdam) but probably won't sail HAL again...

[mrsalexb]

Thank you everyone for your input!

 

I am feeling a bit more encouraged to book now!!! I like how much bigger the staterooms are in the interior. (love interior rooms) And I have been reading that smoking has been an issue in the staterooms on Princess.

 

Thanks again for your help. :)

[IRL_Joanie]

I am planning on taking a 10 day cruise with either Princess or HAL. I have never cruised HAL so I am a little hesitant.

 

My husband and I have an 12 month old son who will be 20 months at the time of sailing. We are courteous parents and would not make other passengers endure a screaming child. However with that said things do happen that are sometimes out of our control...while we try to manage the situation in a way that behooves everyone....an 18 month old is still a 18 month old, and I am sure there will be a situation or two that will be out of our control and may disrupt a few passengers for a few minutes. With that being said...do you think we should avoid HAL all together? We recently went on RCCL and our little boy was fantastic. I did notice on RCCL that a minor disruption here or there was not an issue. While we enjoyed RCCL we did think it was a little too casual for our liking and they do not have a 10 day cruise out of Florida.

 

Also if you have been on Princess and HAL, which one do you prefer? I know that the Noordam is smaller ship than the Emerald but that doesn't really matter to us. We are primarily intersted in the destination/relaxation and not the entertainment/ship.

While some CC members and other passengers may make it sound like kids are one of the most distasteful things to be found on their HAL ship, they are also some of the first to coo and awe over babies, no matter their age:)

 

We had a family with 2 little children, one 4 and one 18 months old, as part of our M&G group. The father (Hey Jeff!!) came to the M&G and sat off in a corner away from everyone else ONLY because he felt that the kids might not be welcomed. I and alacruisers asked him to please bring the kids and join us as they were most welcome.

 

Those 2 little girls were fawned over by most all of us grandparents:) And they were definitely most welcome:)

 

Kids will be kids, just like Donkey like humans (for lack of the real word I want to use:D) are everywhere, your kids will be loved by all the crew and passengers alike.

 

Please do not be put off by people who make it sound like the kids will be unwelcome/unwanted on the ship. The truth is FAR FAR different:)

 

Joanie

[topspot]

MRSALEXB I see from your last post that you like the insides. If you thinking of sailing on a Vista class ship the J category on the main deck are quite roomy. ;)

[schoolinmy3]

MRSALEXB I see from your last post that you like the insides. If you thinking of sailing on a Vista class ship the J category on the main deck are quite roomy. ;)

I agree. Our kids shared a J category on the main deck of the Eurodam. Wonderfully spacious. More space than the verandah room my husband and I had.

Diane