Would We Like Holland America?? Help!

[timetogosoon]

So we just got back off of a Carnival cruise a couple weeks ago and honestly it wasn't the greatest. It was super cheap. Only $800 total for two people for a 5 day cruise. But my biggest beef with Carnival was that they were

a. Always trying to take our picture

b. The food was mediocre at best unless you ate in the steakhouse for $30pp

c. EVERYONE was drunk ALL the time and they always tried to sell us drinks!

 

So we have been looking around and HAL seems really nice and we could definitely afford the 7 nighters. This is what we want from a cruise:

1. entertaining things to do throughout the cruise (we played sudoku, did karaoke, danced, watched broadway type shows etc. and loved them)

 

2. Good food. At least as good as Applebee's. That's not too much to ask right? I would prefer better food though. Warm food, good tasting, and good variety. We love trying new things (like duck and lamb YUM)

 

3. NOT A PARTY CRUISE. We don't drink and don't like being around tons of alcoholics! We want to have fun without the alcohol.

 

4. Nice beds. (the one on carnival was literally FALLING apart. big crack down the middle of the bed and very hard to sleep on)

 

We're mid twenties, but don't care if we are with our age group. We won't be taking the kids, so don't care about the youth center either. And we don't really mind how big the ship is, as long as it is fun!

 

What do you think? Is HAL a good match?

[RADGIRL80]

Hi,

 

I just got back from a first cruise on holland, and we really enjoyed it! My dh and I are in our early thirties and we also were looking for just a relaxing time. We are not into "partying." holland in that respect is great! There were zero drunk, literally, we didn't see any! We loved that! There was no chair hogging at any time of the day, which was also very important to us. The food, although subjective, is definitely better than carnival. But we have experienced better entertainment on other lines. This is one area that holland can improve in.

 

The beds are comfortable. They aren't ready to fall apart. ;)

 

I think you would like holland, as long as you keep in mind that the majority of the cruisers are above the 50's-60's. There won't be too many people your own age.

[CruiserBruce]

I think HAL will work for you.

 

By the way- the "large crack" down the middle of the bed allows for the beds to be split, and made into doubles. You will find this on many cruise lines, including HAL. Cruise ships are not like hotels in this case- they don't sell king rooms and double bedded rooms. Usually each cabin can be both king or double bedded, but simply arranging the beds.

[innlady1]

I, too, think HAL would be a great choice for you. It's a wonderful cruise line. The important thing is you'll not see anyone drunk running around the ship...at least, in our 74 days on HAL, I haven't noticed that! It's very civil; very nice passengers. Great food. Very relaxing. Give HAL a try!

[innlady1]

Oh...and the beds on HAL are super comfortable! I ordered one of the mattresses for us at home...

[timetogosoon]

About the crack in the bed, after they fixed it it was fine, but it took 4 days on our 5 nighter so not much rest. Apparently someone before us had BENT the metal part of the support in the bed and one side was bowed into a large U shape and there was a 2-3"gap between the beds when pushed together because of it. Also I do think the floor would have been comfier and I am not that picky.

[Himself]

I think you would like HAL. There are drinks available on HAL but they do not force them on your. We do have Ship Photograpers but they respect your wishes not to have your picture taken. I have been traveling on HAL since November of 1996 and I have yet to have a bad meal. The beds on HAL are most comfortable. Please, give HAL a try.

[Coolcruise02]

And we don't really mind how big the ship is, as long as it is fun! What do you think? Is HAL a good match?

 

IMHO - NO! We enjoy all cruise lines but I can tell you when we take a HAL cruise it is a completely different vibe than a Carnival or RCL cruise. It is more sedate with more of a cruising experience of days gone by. We know the ship will be dead after 9:00! :)

 

If having FUN is important, I would stick with Carnival or RCCL!

[Himself]

IMHO - NO! We enjoy all cruise lines but I can tell you when we take a HAL cruise it is a completely different vibe than a Carnival or RCL cruise. It is more sedate with more of a cruising experience of days gone by. We know the ship will be dead after 9:00! :)

 

If having FUN is important, I would stick with Carnival or RCCL!

 

Early to bed and early to rise is healthy and wise--if not wealthy!

[timetogosoon]

Well, we went to bed at 10pm every night...

[canadianbear]

Well, we went to bed at 10pm every night...

 

You'd fit right in then! :D

 

My son and his girlfriend have been cruising on HAL since 2008 and they are in their mid 20's. They love the excellent food aboard the ship, chatting with the "older folks", and usually have a lot of fun chatting with the staff too (since they are closer to their age). The staff though are truly amazing on HAL and is one of the main reasons we return.

 

The beds are the most comfortable I have ever slept on (including home:rolleyes:). It is not a party type cruise but there are things to do if you want to enjoy a show or relax in a lounge even if you aren't drinking. We loved the Eurodam even though it was bigger than what we had previously been on it still felt comfortable.

 

One of the things I really enjoyed on our last cruise was the free computer courses-I don't know if other cruise lines do that but it was very informative.

 

I would say to you-give it a try. Won't know until you do.

[30scruiser]

My husband and I are early 30s and we did a HAL cruise last summer and loved it. I haven't been on Carnival, but I found the food to be better than RCCL and better than I expected. Also a lot less trying to sell you things and a lot less of the drunk partying crowd. After dinner we would either go to the show or listen to the string quartet and walk around on the deck, and were back in our cabin around 11 or 12, but that was perfect for us.

We were definitely on the younger end, although there were some people our age cruising with their parents, but like you that didn't bother us. I would say based on what you described as fun you would probably really enjoy HAL. It's elegant and relaxing without being pretentious.

[Coolcruise02]

Well, we went to bed at 10pm every night...

 

Ok, If it isn't the nightlife, I guess you will have to explain what you mean by "fun". :)

[flatlander7]

You will enjoy HAL. DW and I are 50 and met cruisers of all ages when we went on the Eurodam in Dec 10. Thankfully there were not many kids but the ones we encountered were not out of control. There was fun to be had but it was not a 24 hr frat party like some of the ships you hear about (nothing wrong with that if that is what you are looking for). There were hardly any lines and nothing was forced on you. HAL staff was extremely courteous and attentive. The food was very good. We had fun at the casino, the shows and the piano bar. We went to relax and have a good time. There's more to do in 7 days than we had time. In the ports we had a good time exploring. Cruises are a great way to see a lot without the hassle. We saw a couple of ports we want to go back to and spend more time exploring.

 

All the cruise lines we researched and asked our travel agent about have their strengths and weaknesses. HAL exceeded our expectations and we will stay with them. We are sailing on our 2nd HAL cruise and we're leaving tomorrow on the Nieuw Amsterdam. Find a cruise line \ ship \ itinerary that meets your needs then go for it.

[Rinderoo]

What CCL ship were you on? I've only had great food on Carnival, and what I had on the Valor in April was absolutely wonderful. We even paid extra for the Chef's Table, which was worth every single penny. Loved it.

 

We're on the younger side of the HAL demographic, but aren't into night life or gambling or drinking, and for me a cruise is about the ship. My kids don't care about the kids clubs, which is why I picked HAL. The HAL ships are gorgeous and classy and the right size for me. (I have been on several for ship tours but have not sailed them yet.) At this point I don't know what I am going to do on HAL all day long, but I did book a Family Retreat Cabin, so I know I'll be drinking champagne and eating strawberries at 3pm! :D

[scamper]

I agree with all posts, I think HAL would be right up your street. Cruises are quite low key and very relaxing. You won't be pushed into buying ANYTHING and you will not be hounded by photographers. As a matter of fact, on my last cruise we had our pictures taken ONCE (besides at check in) and that was at boarding! The food is very good--in Pinnacle it is EXCELLENT--and if they offer spare ribs at all, have them! I still think about how good the one's we had at the Mariner's luncheon were!

[happy cruzer]

I think any 7 night cruise will match what you are looking for more than a 5 night on any line. Shorter cruises are filled with folks trying to have 7 nights of fun in their shorter time period.

 

And yes HAL is probably a good match for what you are looking for.

[luv2travel06]

So we just got back off of a Carnival cruise a couple weeks ago and honestly it wasn't the greatest. It was super cheap. Only $800 total for two people for a 5 day cruise. But my biggest beef with Carnival was that they were

a. Always trying to take our picture

b. The food was mediocre at best unless you ate in the steakhouse for $30pp

c. EVERYONE was drunk ALL the time and they always tried to sell us drinks!

 

So we have been looking around and HAL seems really nice and we could definitely afford the 7 nighters. This is what we want from a cruise:

1. entertaining things to do throughout the cruise (we played sudoku, did karaoke, danced, watched broadway type shows etc. and loved them)

 

2. Good food. At least as good as Applebee's. That's not too much to ask right? I would prefer better food though. Warm food, good tasting, and good variety. We love trying new things (like duck and lamb YUM)

 

3. NOT A PARTY CRUISE. We don't drink and don't like being around tons of alcoholics! We want to have fun without the alcohol.

 

4. Nice beds. (the one on carnival was literally FALLING apart. big crack down the middle of the bed and very hard to sleep on)

 

We're mid twenties, but don't care if we are with our age group. We won't be taking the kids, so don't care about the youth center either. And we don't really mind how big the ship is, as long as it is fun!

 

What do you think? Is HAL a good match?

Definitely give HAL a try. We were on our second Zuiderdam cruise last month, and have booked our second Maasdam (smaller ship) cruise for March.

 

Various things to do on sea days. More people are talking about the computer classes they offer. Also cooking and flower arranging classes if you are interested and informational talks by a travel guide, port talks and jewelry talks. Trivia games. Daily NY Times briefings available in addition to daily quizes, puzzles, and trivia games. Nice library. Free access to NY Times and HAL website (so you can plan your next cruise) on their computers (slow, though).

 

Nightly shows, daily movies, different venues for dancing if you wish, karaoke, piano bar as well.

 

Various organized exercise activities in the morning and evening (free) in addtion to classes you can pay for. Of course, the spa is available.

 

The cruise director does get a few participants for the line dancing and pool games on sea days, but they are not over-the-top like they might be on another cruise line. Basketball, ping pong, shuffleboard, chess available.

 

Food is good in the Lido buffet. Lots of new things to try in the MDR in addition to the duck and lamb you mention. Barbeques and special menus by the pool for lunch on sea days as well as evening desert buffet.

 

It is an older crowd, so things are more sedate than on Carnival. You can ususally find a deck chair somewhere (although people often do not take their towel with them when they leave, making you think that the chair is occupied when it is not.)

 

There is a promenade deck so you can take walks around the ship. Shops, casino, bingo if you are interested.

 

The crew is so nice. You can hardly walk past the crew without them giving you a friendly greeting and a smile--every time.

 

Beds are comfortable--sometimes you just can't drag yourself out to get up and watch the sunrise or arrival in port. Good size cabins.

 

Give HAL a try! I'm confident that at worst, it won't be a bad cruise. Instead, you too may become a loyal HAL cruiser.

[Karennella]

We were on our second HAL cruise in September, with friends who were on their fifth. To be honest, we all thought the food was not nearly as good as last time, though the service was. It was the Prisendam, and much smaller of course than the Eurodam (of the previous cruise). It was so quiet late at night, that a couple of times when we started listening to musicians in the bar and were nearly the whole audience, we felt trapped as we felt sorry for them!

But I do not recall seeing anyone drunk, hardly anyone at all smoked, and they did not push any of the options. We picked the cruise for the ports and I imagine if we do another cruise that will be the main factor again.

[Leeroy-Jenkins]

What do you think? Is HAL a good match?

 

No.

[TheCalicoCat]

c. EVERYONE was drunk ALL the time and they always tried to sell us drinks!

 

3. NOT A PARTY CRUISE. We don't drink and don't like being around tons of alcoholics! We want to have fun without the alcohol.

 

 

These 2 complaints are based on people I think drunks can be on any ship. Alcholism is a disease & most sufferers can't afford a cruise even at $800 without figuring in the costs of alcohol on board. "Fun without alcohol" well, no one is forcing it on you, but they have it on all cruises, so cruising may not be the vacation for you. Short cruises (5 days or less) tend to attract a party crowd. & If they only pay $800 for a cruise then they probably have more discretionary income to spend on alcohol.

 

So you had a 5 day on 1cruiseline if you turn around and have a 10 day on 2 cruiseline you cannot honestly compare the 2. Similarly, you can not compare an $800 cruise to a $1,600 cruise.

 

Unless the point of your question was to "stir the pot."

[starwhite2]

I have taken two Mediterranean cruises in the past two years on NCL. NCL is trending toward "specialty restaurants" and definitely downgrading their meat quality in the MDRs. On both cruises I was hard put to order something chewable at dinner. Very tough entrees. I'm trying HAL Noordam in 2012.

[timetogosoon]

These 2 complaints are based on people I think drunks can be on any ship. Alcholism is a disease & most sufferers can't afford a cruise even at $800 without figuring in the costs of alcohol on board. "Fun without alcohol" well, no one is forcing it on you, but they have it on all cruises, so cruising may not be the vacation for you. Short cruises (5 days or less) tend to attract a party crowd. & If they only pay $800 for a cruise then they probably have more discretionary income to spend on alcohol.

 

So you had a 5 day on 1cruiseline if you turn around and have a 10 day on 2 cruiseline you cannot honestly compare the 2. Similarly, you can not compare an $800 cruise to a $1,600 cruise.

 

Unless the point of your question was to "stir the pot."

 

Why would it be stirring the pot to ask if HAL is a right line for me? I told you I have only cruised once, and I explained it wasn't just the drunks on board, but if you choose to focus only on that then that is your business. If you see this as a pot stirring thread, why read it or post? I have gotten some great feedback before you posted!

[iancal]

If you like HAL so much then why switch? Especially after trying two other lines.

 

We like HAL but we are somewhat agnostic. We also like Celebrity and Princess.

 

You can have less than satisfactory cruises on all three lines even though the 'boosters' on these forums may claim different. Sometimes it is just down to the ship/crew or timing.

[Typhoon1]

That's the reason they call Carnival Kmart cruisers.

 

Now, go ahead and flame me.