Mainly Disney-Cruisers exploring other options.

[Bags4r]

Hello, as a new member of the board I wanted to quickly post a thread requesting information that will assist me in my decision to try another cruiseline. My mother (my primary traveling companion) has been on 6 cruiselines however her favorite is still Disney. I have been on two: Disney (6 times) and Princess (2 times).

 

I have cruised Mexico, W & E Carib and Europe (BI/France and now W. Med), and she has cruised everywhere except Asia & South America.

 

I have four places I've yet to visit on a cruise and would like to:

Northern Europe (east of London) [NO/SW/DE/GER/EST/RUS/FIN/etc]

Southern Caribbean +/- Panama Canal

Alaska

South America (Brazil-Argentina-Uruguay-Chile)

 

That said - HAL is constantly on the brain when considering a cruise to these regions, I respect the history of the company but am concerned the median age may be a bit high. (remember SIX Disneys)

 

I'm also concerned food-wise, we had a horrible experience on Princess last year, the food was the only bad part of the Cruise. (I am picky in that I am pretty much Beef/Poultry only, and I inherited a horrible allergy to all seafood, so that is always ruled out).

 

We have a travel agent of 9 years so she will be assisting us in our planning, but I respect the opinions of you guys and look forward to all the helpful information you have to get me started on HAL-cruising.

 

 

Sum - I'm looking to cruise on HAL in the South Carib (Aruba in particular) possibly the 11 day offering. This would likely be in 2012. Thanks.

[78232]

Dinsey on land or sea never appealed to me, even when I was much younger so I can't make an accurate comparison. I take my grandchildren on Holland America to expose them to a more refined life style and to appreciate the beautiful art and floral arrangements. We have always liked the food. There is always beef available and frequently chicken, In the carribbean there are quite a few seafood dishes and always fresh fruits. The Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam also have an Asian and an Italian restaurant which offer additional options.

Marcia

[GA almost empty nester]

I have been on Disney, Costa, Celebrity, Royal Carribean and HAL - once on each, so far. I leave tomorrow to go on my second HAL cruise - this time on the Baltic Sea to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Berlin and Kiel:). I also own a Disney Vacation Club membership and am a huge Disney fan!

 

Our first HAL cruise was in 2008, and it was an Alaskan cruise from Seattle. We loved it (2 adults in our early 50's and two teenage daughters!) There were plenty of other kids and activities to keep our girls entertained, and not so many that the ship was overrun with unruly kids (which was the case on one of our other cruises.) Alaska might be a unique market, but we noticed all ages - families with young children, families with teens, young couples, old couples, and several young adults traveling with other family members. I can let you know in a couple weeks what the average age is on a Baltic cruise;).

 

The food was very good in the Main Dining Room, and the specialty restaurant was excellent! My oldest daughter is allergic to shellfish, and is also possibly the world's pickiest eater. We ate in the main dining room every night as a family, and she always found something she wanted. The wait staff was always very accomodating when the girls wanted something changed.

 

Disney is always great too, although I get tired of the character hype and the large numbers of very young kids. I really loved the ship we went on though - and it was years ago, so I don't remember much else.

 

HAL ships are lovely in the common areas, and we put four people in a small stateroom on the Alaska cruise and were able to fit everything in! Nicely appointed cabins on HAL.

 

I think you would be fine either way. Just go!

[gregdude]

Disney has the best/largest verandah cabins, but the food is way sub par compared to HAL. In my opinion you need to consider itinerary, not the ship or line. Unless you travel during school holidays and/or select only 7 night cruises, you will find very few children on HAL ships. Once again long cruises on all lines have many more seniors because they are not working and can take longer cruises.

[jhannah]

We've sailed Disney and Princess, and loved all of them for different reasons. But Holland America is special to us. Refined without being stuffy. Outstanding stewards. So far as demographics, the longer the cruise the older the passengers will tend to be. We've been on 10- and 11-day sailings where there was a good mix of young families with kids to the older generation.

 

The only way you can know what you like is to try it yourself. Reviews/opinions are fine for reference; but your own judgment serves you best. I think, though, if you give HAL a try that you'll be back.

[Mary Ellen]

We've sailed primarily on HAL, but we've also sailed on Disney. As to the ages of the adult passengers - after hearing SO many times here about how OLD the passengers are on HAL, we were quite surprised to find that the adults on Disney looked just like those on HAL. Now we were on a 7-day cruise, maybe on Disney's shorter cruises the adults tend to run younger, but not on our sailing. We also noticed more scooters and walkers on Disney than we do on our normal (over 2 weeks) HAL cruises.

 

Food - that is so subjective. Quality was about the same for us, but HAL wins in the variety of selections.

 

Cabins - both lines are quite nice with plenty of storage. I like that HAL doesn't have anything but the phone on the nightstand. Disney has the bedside lamps attached to them. This left VERY little space for us to have anything there. The split bathroom arrangement on Disney is nice, but each part is teeny, tiny. We like HAL's larger bathroom better. We thought we'd prefer Disney's but because they are so cramped compared to what we're used to, no. We do like that Disney has the sofa near the large window. You'll only find that on HAL's newer ships (which we don't like for other reasons) or on our favorite, the Prinsendam.

 

Entertainment - Disney, NO contest.

 

Itineraries - HAL, again NO contest.

[jkrislc]

Having been on three Disney cruises before HAL, I was curious of the comparisons before sailing on the Oosterdam. Personally, I've always felt the "Disney service" was overhyped. I found the service to be equally good on both lines and would say the food was comparable, although I liked Palo better than the Pinacle Grill. Cabins were similar and I always felt that the split bath on DCL was a waste of space. Room service options are much better on HAL and you can write in requests for breakfast and get a hot breakfast delivered even on the disembarkation morning. Another plus is the DVD player and library onboard.

 

Entertainment goes to DCL, although I will say that I was impressed with the staging in the main theater. I also felt the Leo Ward's show (magician) was on par with DCL shows. In addition, I felt HAL's "game shows" were a bit more entertaining. However, I would give a nod to Disney for ship design as I liked the interior of their ships better. They seemed roomier and brighter to me.

 

Personally, despite the differences, I don't think you'll be disappointed in HAL.

[Bags4r]

Many thanks to all of you for your kind and precise responses.

 

I'm surprised to say the least over the "Disney's entertainment is the best, HAL is best (or one of the best) in all other areas" feel of the responses. While I agree the first three Disney cruises had wonderful entertainment, the one I'm on presently (thank God for internet-onboard :cool:) is completely lacking entertainment-wise. All of those great shows (Trivia, Who Wants to be a Mousekeeter, etc) are identical to their original form, and the movie theater now only plays about 4 'regular' (modern) movies the entire cruise. (Most of the movies are of course Disney-owned). So I can't imagine how HAL couldn't have better entertainment, at least from the perspective of someone a wee-bit tired of the same repetitive shows on Disney.

 

Since you have been on multiple HAL cruises I'd like to know how HAL treats return-customers, as most of you know, Disney's addition of a tiered system is almost meaningless, as you don't get anything important, other than 15-30 days earlier for bookings. (We are gold now)

 

I am wondering Mary Ellen if the fact Disney has a much smaller fleet may contribute to HAL's obvious victory over them in the Itinerary department. HAL rolls out a new ship every 2-3 years, whereas it took Disney 11 years just to build two new ships. I'd agree with you that Food is subjective --- if only I hadn't gone on Princess last year and found out that cruise-food is NOT de-jure "Some like it, some don't". Prior to that trip, we had always been ok with what came our way, but now we notice both quality and quantity depreciation on Disney --- something foreign to our great memories with them.

 

I'll be listing in my signature my cruises as many of you have done. ;)

 

Thanks and I definitely think I'll be traveling HAL next year!

[jhannah]

Since you have been on multiple HAL cruises I'd like to know how HAL treats return-customers ...

You generally get a "Welcome Back" when you board the ship at embarkation. So far as the Mariner rewards program is concerned, opinions will vary. But IMO it's inferior to Princess Captain's Circle. Holland America has the highest repeat passenger percentage in the industry, from what I'm told. So it doesn't make financial sense for them to spend lots of money to woo us back. We're coming back already for the experience and the crews.

[Bippie]

Based on your stated food preferences, you should consider booking the Pinnacle Grill for several nights when you're cruising. You'll have an upcharge of $20 per person but a meat lover should find several good choices in the PG. If you do a little searching on CC, you'll even find the menu.

 

On my recent Baltic cruise, the PG never seemed completely full so you could wait until you review the main dining room menu to determine where to eat.

 

I was very impressed by the food on HAL during a recent Baltic cruise.

[Modern_Viking]

HAL doesn't always build a new ship every two years. They have been doing that lately, but are currently taking a pause. Even still, they do have a much larger fleet than DCL and many ships that carry fewer passengers than the ones on DCL, thus the can (or really need to) offer a more diverse set of destinations to keep people coming back. (I think HAL sometimes goes after more adventurous passengers in terms of where they want to travel, more non-US passengers (although by far the most are from the USA or Canada), and because of the smaller ships don't need as many people to fill the ship and thus can go after destinations that draw fewer people.

 

HAL also focuses on longer trips (many cruises are "only" 7 days, but many are 10, 11, 14, .. 100+ days), so that is different from Disney with their cruises being mostly 3, 4, 5, or 7 days long.

 

HAL does have a large percentage or repeat cruisers and like Disney, couldn't really give out much without having to give the perks to lots of people. (If everyone had the perk of "early boarding" then the lines would be just as long as if nobody is given "early boarding.") Also keeping in mind the longer average length of HAL cruises, it takes roughly two round the world cruises on HAL (or one round the world cruise in a full suite), to reach the highest published status level (and plenty of people seem to have already achieved that "4 star Mariner" status, so it isn't like HAL is trying to set an impossible goal there). So, if you take 2 or 3 week long cruises on HAL, you certainly will be welcomed back with a smile, but don't expect them to give you extra-special attention and service. (Oh, and in case it is not obvious, HAL tracks past passengers based on the number of nights sailed, on-board spending, and whether or not you paid for a suite. In contrast, I believe DCL only tracks the number of cruises taken and not the length of those cruises). In general, I would say HAL is fairly egalitarian in how they treat their passengers most of the time, and I am good with that.

 

In terms of entertainment, it sounds like you loved Disney the first time but are tired of seeing the same things over and over. I can understand that. HAL does tend to change things up a bit from year to year and since they have a diverse fleet, there are some differences forced just from having different sized theaters. That being said, it didn't take me long to memorize the standard HAL welcome aboard show "Let Us Entertain You" and some guest entertainers repeat over and over (Leo Ward, while wonderful, is now on his third year, at least, giving magic and stand-up comedy shows on the Oosterdam). Some HAL trivia contents do repeat from year to year, but many do not. There is more diversity in terms of music on HAL, and more of it is live vs. recorded, although the volume is sometimes excessive and the quality ranges from wonderful to terrible.

 

HAL serves plenty of simple beef/chicken/potato dishes at lunch and dinner. Although they also serve lots of seafood and complicated dishes. If you can't sit at the same table as someone eating fish, or visit a buffet where fish is served, you would not be happy. But, otherwise you should be OK. In the main dining room, there is a simple strip steak and a grilled chicken breast on the dinner menu all but one night of the cruise (and the room service menu always has simple, hot options 24 hours per day).

 

What is is about Disney that you (or your mother loves)? If it is the characters and all the child-focused items, then HAL will not be the same. DCL also seems better in terms of interior decor theme (HAL ships are not blah and boring, nor are they Las Vegas neon glitzy, but they can be a bit too colorful or gaudy for some, especially for people who like the "modern" white/beige/plain look that is popular these days especially on lines like Celebrity). Both DCL and HAL admit you are on a ship and have nautical touches and theme. Other than the Prinsendam, all HAL ships were built by the same company that built the Disney Magic and Wonder, so there are some similarities there).

 

HAL does like their crew to be friendly, chatty, hard working, and not-stuffy or snooty, just like Disney. Neither HAL nor DCL seem to push on-board spending as much as some (I have not sailed Princess, but they have a reputation for that). Some DCL officers and crew previously worked for HAL and I think many ways of doing things transferred over.

 

HAL supposedly once had the most on-board activities of any major line. In the past 6 years, the number of activities seems to have dwindled. Still, they have quite a few. Their oldest/smallest 9 ships have decent movie theaters (although not a good as Disney) where there is a different movie each day. Most of them would be of the right age to be in the "new releases" section of Blockbuster, but they won't be still in theaters. HAL sometimes also brings back the classic to fit the destination (like showing "White Fang" on an Alaska cruise) or the time period (like showing "White Christmas" near Christmas).

 

HAL does feel a bit more upscale to me compared with DCL, like offering free robes for loan in cabins, cloth hand towels in public restrooms, using no plastic utensils or paper plates at meals, having a better room service menu especially for breakfast for people not in a suite, etc.

 

You did list a series of places you would like to visit, and HAL certainly can take you to any or all of those places whereas DCL cannot, so that makes a big difference. HAL does tend to attract people who like to travel and are interesting in going different places!

 

I wish you luck in making your decision. I know it is tough since you won't know for sure until after you are back from a cruise. Such is life!

[Mary Ellen]

Many thanks to all of you for your kind and precise responses.

 

I'm surprised to say the least over the "Disney's entertainment is the best, HAL is best (or one of the best) in all other areas" feel of the responses. While I agree the first three Disney cruises had wonderful entertainment, the one I'm on presently (thank God for internet-onboard :cool:) is completely lacking entertainment-wise. All of those great shows (Trivia, Who Wants to be a Mousekeeter, etc) are identical to their original form, and the movie theater now only plays about 4 'regular' (modern) movies the entire cruise. (Most of the movies are of course Disney-owned). So I can't imagine how HAL couldn't have better entertainment, at least from the perspective of someone a wee-bit tired of the same repetitive shows on Disney.

 

Since you have been on multiple HAL cruises I'd like to know how HAL treats return-customers, as most of you know, Disney's addition of a tiered system is almost meaningless, as you don't get anything important, other than 15-30 days earlier for bookings. (We are gold now)

 

I am wondering Mary Ellen if the fact Disney has a much smaller fleet may contribute to HAL's obvious victory over them in the Itinerary department. HAL rolls out a new ship every 2-3 years, whereas it took Disney 11 years just to build two new ships. I'd agree with you that Food is subjective --- if only I hadn't gone on Princess last year and found out that cruise-food is NOT de-jure "Some like it, some don't". Prior to that trip, we had always been ok with what came our way, but now we notice both quality and quantity depreciation on Disney --- something foreign to our great memories with them.

 

I'll be listing in my signature my cruises as many of you have done. ;)

 

Thanks and I definitely think I'll be traveling HAL next year!

 

When I was giving Disney the win in the entertainment department I was thinking of the stage shows. The quality of the performers and productions is superior on Disney. Now, if we're talking about the variety of activities on board for adults, I'd have to give the nod to HAL instead. We didn't find nearly as much to do on Disney as we accustomed to on HAL.

 

Two of the people with whom we dined were also Gold cruisers on Disney. I don't know how many years it took them to obtain that, but they did seem to know the evening shows by heart. ;) We rarely go the shows on HAL anymore, but when we did, I don't remember seeing any production more than once. Even now I do read the Daily Program on HAL and I don't even remember thinking 'They're doing that show again???'

 

Service on both HAL and Disney were both quite good. We can't give either an edge over the other. If you like Disney's service, you'll be happy on HAL too.

 

Sailing as two adults we thought it was nice that Disney offered an 'adults only' lounge and expected to spend our evening time there. We went there one night after the show for our pre-dinner drinks. We found it too quiet and moved to a 'family' lounge where we preferred the duo performing there. We enjoyed them more than any other lounge act we've seen. (That could also have effected my initial nod to Disney for entertainment.)

 

Like Disney, HAL now seems to be having the show for the later dinner seating before dinner. However, on HAL the timing is such that one goes directly from the show to dinner. On Disney we had about 45 minutes in between, time for our pre-dinner drinks. We like the later dinner seating so we have time to relax, shower and change before dinner. Since we didn't go ashore on our Disney cruise having the show before dinner didn't bother us, but that is why we rarely go to the shows anymore on HAL.

 

With the larger fleet HAL can obviously sail more places around the world. However, I gave HAL the win in itineraries also because of the quality of the itineraries, specifically Alaskan. We went to Alaska on Disney to try out Disney, not because of the itinerary. This was number six to Alaska for us and we weren't concerned about the ports. With Tracy Arm being Disney's only glacier viewing from the ship, we felt sorry for passengers for whom this was their first (and possibly only) time doing an Alaskan cruise. Having been there before, we knew the odds of getting close enough to see any calving were pretty darn small. While we did get closer than last time, but we were still about 1.5 miles away and we saw very little of the face - from an odd angle. We didn't see any calving - nor even hear any. To put it bluntly, IMHO the Disney itinerary sucked and it will only get worse next year when they sail from Seattle instead of Vancouver.

 

While HAL doesn't have great Mariner perks, we were quite frankly put off Disney and their repeat passenger 'perks'. As a first time Disney cruiser we felt VERY unwelcome. As the old saying goes - you only get one chance to make a first impression - and Disney blew it even before we boarded. As a first-timer on HAL you will be able to make reservations at the specialty restaurants on-line just like the rest of of us. It doesn't matter how much you've sailed (or not), everyone has the same opportunity. You'll also be able to book shore ex and check-in on-line whenever convenient for you, not relegated to waiting until others get 'first dibs'. I couldn't believe that I had to wait until so close to sailing to do our on-line check-in and print out our docs. Having that as one of the (in-your-face) priorities for repeat passengers blew me away. The perks I get as a 4-star on HAL aren't obvious to other passengers and won't make them feel like they are bottom of the barrel crud not getting them.

 

I did like that Disney mailed out real luggage tags. Kudos to them for also having them pre-printed with our information. It was VERY nice to just put them on the bags without any rigmarole at home or at the pier.

 

I don't know if this is true in all cases, but the one shore ex we looked at that both Disney and HAL have this year (Taku lodge salmon dinner) was $50 more pp on Disney. It was the exact same excursion, Disney didn't offer anything additional.

 

We had a good time on Disney and we're glad we went, but we had to mark 'undecided' on the questionnaire as to how likely we are to sail with them again.