Mid 30's gay couple sailing on HAL? Thoughts?

[Northshorecruisers]

We've sailed HAL twice and are heading for our 3rd time next week. Yes, we are going for my husband's 60th birthday - the rest in our group are younger :D I have always found a good age mix on HAL and I've never found that just because you're "older" means you can't have a good time and be very interesting to talk to.

 

There have been gay couples on all of our cruises and I do not think there have ever been issues with other passengers. I love seeing all couples get their formal pictures taken. I certainly wouldn't patronize a cruise line if I thought my son and his partner wouldn't feel comfortable and accepted cruising that line.

 

Now how "fun" the line is or how active the bar scene is or what's presented for entertainment is individual on what you enjoy. We like a more classic cruise experience where we don't have to witness someone behaving badly because they're drunk or have someone on the elevator throwing up. We go for the attention to detail, excellent service, and knowing we can choose to be quiet and relax or partake of activities whenever we want.

[skidawg71]

Hey Maximus, Great question.

 

It's really hard to judge based on the cruise line itself. The fellow passengers on board and the vibe of the ship depends more upon the ship itself, where it's cruising from, what time of year, and also the length.

 

You have chosen a Trans-Canal cruise. Probably on one of their smaller ships also. I don't care which line you choose, a cruise of that length and route is going to have a much older crowd than shorter lengths. Not a bad thing at all, just the reality of who goes on those type of sailings. besides gay men and older folks, most working people with kids your age cannot take that much time off on the off-season.

 

I call these cruises "The Gay 90s" Either your Gay, or 90!

 

You can bet that the passengers on the Trans Canal sailing on Celebrity will be made up of the the same demographics. I know this because I sailed out of Seattle on Celebrity about 3 years ago and it was the oldest crowd I have ever seen in my life, hands down. The walkers were literally lined up just outside the dining room each night. But it had nothing to do with the Line itself, but more the cruise, time of year and the ports/route. Get it?

 

Really, I guess is just depends on what you are both looking for. If you want to be surrounded by kids running all over the place with water slides and rock climbing walls, hairy chest contests and fat rednecks from the boonies, then you've chosen the wrong cruise. If you and your partner want to be surrounded by only other gay men and have drag performances and underwear parties, then you really chose the wrong cruise. However, if the priority is to have a relaxing and romantic experience in each others company and surrounded by adults that have little concern about your relationship, then you'll have a great time.

 

IMO, if you want a better demographic mix and more modern ship attributes but still have the HAL experience, you should stick with their newer ships, Eurodam and the Nieuw Amsterdam. They cater to a broader group of people and have better options, amenities, decor, gym spa facilities, and dining tastes for people 30 to 50. Both the retreat cabanas and Tamarind restaurant keep me coming back to these ships. Honestly....who wouldn't want attractive filipino boys bringing champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries to your private cabana all day??

 

Regardless, you'll have a fantastic time with each other if that's the goal. Cheers!

[shepp]

IMO, if you want a better demographic mix and more modern ship attributes but still have the HAL experience, you should stick with their newer ships, Eurodam and the Nieuw Amsterdam. They cater to a broader group of people and have better options, amenities, decor, gym spa facilities, and dining tastes for people 30 to 50. Both the retreat cabanas and Tamarind restaurant keep me coming back to these ships. Honestly....who wouldn't want attractive filipino boys bringing champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries to your private cabana all day??

 

Honestly, that's one of the reasons I feel a bit uncomfortable on HAL: the racial makeup and admittedly "wonderful" attitude of the staff. I know many people (my mom, for instance) love it, but IMO the well-trained staff is almost too attentive, to the point of seeming servile. I realize that's probably because of both the corporate culture and the, um, cultural culture...but after a lifetime of traveling to non-Western places, I don't feel entirely comfortable with a nearly all-Asian service staff bowing and scraping to me like I'm the Queen of France.

 

Princess, which has turned out to be my line of choice, features a staff that's both racially more mixed and bit less servile-seeming. But like I said, it's a matter of taste. Some folks would find them insufficiently attentive, where I find them just attentive enough.

 

Should the occasion present itself, I'd sure sail HAL again. But I love the overall mood on Princess, and on their trans-Canal route they run what many of us think of as our favorite ships in the fleet.

[keithm]

Hey Maximus, Great question.

 

It's really hard to judge based on the cruise line itself. The fellow passengers on board and the vibe of the ship depends more upon the ship itself, where it's cruising from, what time of year, and also the length.

 

You have chosen a Trans-Canal cruise. Probably on one of their smaller ships also. I don't care which line you choose, a cruise of that length and route is going to have a much older crowd than shorter lengths. Not a bad thing at all, just the reality of who goes on those type of sailings. besides gay men and older folks, most working people with kids your age cannot take that much time off on the off-season.

 

I call these cruises "The Gay 90s" Either your Gay, or 90!

 

You can bet that the passengers on the Trans Canal sailing on Celebrity will be made up of the the same demographics. I know this because I sailed out of Seattle on Celebrity about 3 years ago and it was the oldest crowd I have ever seen in my life, hands down. The walkers were literally lined up just outside the dining room each night. But it had nothing to do with the Line itself, but more the cruise, time of year and the ports/route. Get it?

 

Really, I guess is just depends on what you are both looking for. If you want to be surrounded by kids running all over the place with water slides and rock climbing walls, hairy chest contests and fat rednecks from the boonies, then you've chosen the wrong cruise. If you and your partner want to be surrounded by only other gay men and have drag performances and underwear parties, then you really chose the wrong cruise. However, if the priority is to have a relaxing and romantic experience in each others company and surrounded by adults that have little concern about your relationship, then you'll have a great time.

 

IMO, if you want a better demographic mix and more modern ship attributes but still have the HAL experience, you should stick with their newer ships, Eurodam and the Nieuw Amsterdam. They cater to a broader group of people and have better options, amenities, decor, gym spa facilities, and dining tastes for people 30 to 50. Both the retreat cabanas and Tamarind restaurant keep me coming back to these ships. Honestly....who wouldn't want attractive filipino boys bringing champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries to your private cabana all day??

 

Regardless, you'll have a fantastic time with each other if that's the goal. Cheers!

We had this adorable Filipino waiter who took care of the LGBT meetings every day. He was really into my spouse(who's Chinese). "Sticky Rice" is what Richard refers that to.

[keithm]

Honestly, that's one of the reasons I feel a bit uncomfortable on HAL: the racial makeup and admittedly "wonderful" attitude of the staff. I know many people (my mom, for instance) love it, but IMO the well-trained staff is almost too attentive, to the point of seeming servile. I realize that's probably because of both the corporate culture and the, um, cultural culture...but after a lifetime of traveling to non-Western places, I don't feel entirely comfortable with a nearly all-Asian service staff bowing and scraping to me like I'm the Queen of France.

 

Princess, which has turned out to be my line of choice, features a staff that's both racially more mixed and bit less servile-seeming. But like I said, it's a matter of taste. Some folks would find them insufficiently attentive, where I find them just attentive enough.

 

Should the occasion present itself, I'd sure sail HAL again. But I love the overall mood on Princess, and on their trans-Canal route they run what many of us think of as our favorite ships in the fleet.

Yeah, I noticed that a bit as well on Cunard. We'd quietly take them aside & talk to them a bit.Treat us like "family", not royalty,we ask them. The Eastern European staff(usually in the Grills)Were very polite, but not servile. I have to give theAsian staff credit for putting up with some really snotty pax. By the way..nothing wrong with being treated like the Queen of France, now & again..as long as it's not Marie Antoinette! What ships do you like on Princess? Since Cunard is cutting back in the Caribbean, we're scouting other lines.

[shepp]

What ships do you like on Princess? Since Cunard is cutting back in the Caribbean, we're scouting other lines.

 

My favorites thus far (in common with many Princess regulars) are the Island/Coral twins, though they lack a couple of later ships' bells and whistles. They sail the Canal, not the Caribbean per se, and Alaska. I'm also very fond of the Sapphire Princess, which doesn't sail the Caribbean, either, and the refurbed Grand, which will be home-ported in San Francisco. I'm no help at all.

 

One thing about Princess is the consistency of the product, to the point where it's hard to tell one ship's dining room from another's unless you study the pictures on the wall. This is either "reassuring" or "boring," depending. I'm not crazy about the Sun-class ships, but they've mostly gone Down Under. And I'd beware of the Caribbean Princess, only because they added a deck of cabins without increasing public areas. I'm looking forward to the new Royal, which is a departure from the usual Princess design...but not too big a departure.

[keithm]

My favorites thus far (in common with many Princess regulars) are the Island/Coral twins, though they lack a couple of later ships' bells and whistles. They sail the Canal, not the Caribbean per se, and Alaska. I'm also very fond of the Sapphire Princess, which doesn't sail the Caribbean, either, and the refurbed Grand, which will be home-ported in San Francisco. I'm no help at all.

 

One thing about Princess is the consistency of the product, to the point where it's hard to tell one ship's dining room from another's unless you study the pictures on the wall. This is either "reassuring" or "boring," depending. I'm not crazy about the Sun-class ships, but they've mostly gone Down Under. And I'd beware of the Caribbean Princess, only because they added a deck of cabins without increasing public areas. I'm looking forward to the new Royal, which is a departure from the usual Princess design...but not too big a departure.

Consistancy definately matters. I always hate paying more & getting less. We'll have to research Princess a bit more.

[Erik101]

To the last posters (shepp and keithm): I've read your last 4 posts and I'm not sure if I find them informative or somewhat offensive. I'm very interested in taking a future cruise with HAL and Cunard, and I'm not sure if I'm in agreement with how your opinions of the over-attentiveness of Asian staff members.

 

The reason why I stated for my unsurety is because being Asian (Filipino to be exact), how I deliver service when it comes to my profession is based on what I believe is my definition of excellent customer service. And this same service attitude, I've seen demonstrated numerous times by the Asian staff on the 3 cruises that I've been on and I would never consider their skills as servile. So it makes me wonder about myself and how my service skills compare to my fellow countrymen (and women) and you know what, they're not different at all! It's all about the superior delivery of a product/service and maintaining its consistency...and if going above and beyond to meet someone's expectation is a cultural phenomenon, then so be it! I'd rather know that culture distinguishes the differences between the service performance of an all Asian staff and everyone else (European, South American, etc.).

 

Look, I'm not trying to create a debate or argument with either of you but the bottom line is this....I think I'm going to stay away from the G&L boards for a while. I've been using the boards to discover what it is like for gay cruisers on several cruise lines but lately, the threads I've been reading have not been helpful. I think I'm better off discovering it when I actually get on the ship.

[keithm]

To the last posters (shepp and keithm): I've read your last 4 posts and I'm not sure if I find them informative or somewhat offensive. I'm very interested in taking a future cruise with HAL and Cunard, and I'm not sure if I'm in agreement with how your opinions of the over-attentiveness of Asian staff members.

 

The reason why I stated for my unsurety is because being Asian (Filipino to be exact), how I deliver service when it comes to my profession is based on what I believe is my definition of excellent customer service. And this same service attitude, I've seen demonstrated numerous times by the Asian staff on the 3 cruises that I've been on and I would never consider their skills as servile. So it makes me wonder about myself and how my service skills compare to my fellow countrymen (and women) and you know what, they're not different at all! It's all about the superior delivery of a product/service and maintaining its consistency...and if going above and beyond to meet someone's expectation is a cultural phenomenon, then so be it! I'd rather know that culture distinguishes the differences between the service performance of an all Asian staff and everyone else (European, South American, etc.).

 

Look, I'm not trying to create a debate or argument with either of you but the bottom line is this....I think I'm going to stay away from the G&L boards for a while. I've been using the boards to discover what it is like for gay cruisers on several cruise lines but lately, the threads I've been reading have not been helpful. I think I'm better off discovering it when I actually get on the ship.

Erick..for starters my spouse is Chinese.He's from Singepore/Malaysia. My brother's wife is Filipina. Richard(my spouse) & I both know that Asians, in general, are much more willing to go the "extra" mile. Some, of course would take that as servile. Have you ever been to a hospital in Florida? Filipinas everywhere. There's a reason. Some would say it's because they're cheaper to hire. Not true at all. It's because they CARE! My mother's last days was in a hospice staffed by a mix of different nationalities. Sorry, we instructed her care be done by Filipina staff, as we knew it would be by a caring staff, not just someone collecting a paycheck. One of the main reasons the staff on ships is mostly Filopean/Indonesian is the willingness to do the job right. True, many are willing to work for lower wages(as wages may be low in these countries, realtive to say Europe)but I've seen a lot of these guys put of with some amazing crap & not get flustered. We have seen some that are almost too attentive. I guess Richard & I sometimes like to "help" ourselves. So please don't read into that we're labeling people.

[shepp]

To the last posters (shepp and keithm): I've read your last 4 posts and I'm not sure if I find them informative or somewhat offensive. I'm very interested in taking a future cruise with HAL and Cunard, and I'm not sure if I'm in agreement with how your opinions of the over-attentiveness of Asian staff members.

 

Having only spent two weeks total aboard HAL, no, I can't accurately generalize. It was just my feeling that the way I was treated by the largely Indonesian/Filipino HAL staff was more, yes, "servile" than the way I'm treated by the more mixed staff on Princess, including the Asian/Pacific Islanders. (Others, BTW, have complained of the "rude" behavior of staffers from Eastern Europe, so this cuts both ways.)

 

HAL, as I understand it, sends all their staff to a central training facility, and perhaps that results in what Keith and I (and other posters) have noted. My mother, who said she loved cruising in part because it made her feel upper-class, preferred HAL's service to Princess'. I, though, would rather not feel I was being attended to by temporary "servants," just people who politely and efficiently did their jobs. (By the bye, the large Filipino workforce here in San Francisco doesn't give the same "Oh, yes, Sir" vibe my HAL stewards did.)

 

I do find it a bit ironic that my discomfort about being in a situation where the demands of a mostly white group are catered to by ever-cheerful people of color should be taken as offensive.

[rbyrd2531]

I'm with you I am not comfortable with people acting like servants. I try to be equally respectful to everyone. I loved HAL and the Westerdam and we were treated great by the crew. (Those was an RSVP Alaska cruise, so the passengers were gay friendly) :)

 

the straight posters on the HAL board were very helpful and nice

[shepp]

I'm with you I am not comfortable with people acting like servants. I try to be equally respectful to everyone. I loved HAL and the Westerdam and we were treated great by the crew. (Those was an RSVP Alaska cruise, so the passengers were gay friendly) :)

 

the straight posters on the HAL board were very helpful and nice

 

I'm glad you had a nice time on the Westerdam. I had a good time, too, but I was onboard with my mother, so that probably skewed things.

 

As I've said elsewhere, the only outright homophobia I've experienced onbaord was on the Zuiderdam sailing out of FLL, and the staff was complicit...but it'd be stupid to hold that against the whole line.

[skidawg71]

LMFAO. Oh dear.... Another hijack of a thread completely off topic. Thanks for that Shep. To cut to the chase, Here's some of your comments...

 

"I don't feel entirely comfortable with a nearly all-Asian service staff bowing and scraping to me like I'm the Queen of France."

 

and...

 

"I do find it a bit ironic that my discomfort about being in a situation where the demands of a mostly white group are catered to by ever-cheerful people of color should be taken as offensive."

 

Shep, what in the world are you talking about?? What part of my post gave you any indication that I love laying around wanting "people of color", as you put it, treating me like I'm "the Queen of France"??

 

Firstly, the queen of France had her head cut off :) Why would I want that???

 

Second, I was making a joke on how attractive the Cabana boys are. Lighten up, honey!

I happen to think Filipino men are beautiful (inside and out). Each time I sail I learn more and more of their language and culture to try to greet them each time with it and talk about their lives.

 

Third, you don't know anything about my travels, my own career in the hospitality industry, or for that matter, anything about me at all. BTW, I am a man. I am not so precious that I feel like I need to have people of different races treat me like the queen of France as you put it, just because I happen to be white. I do however love and appreciate good, honest and caring customer service with a genuine smile. I expect nothing less from even myself when I am working.

 

Fourth, your comments are very weird and not at all part of the original poster's question. The original post was about the OP's concern regarding Age. I addressed that in my post. Please stop hijacking threads to talk about how racist we are because we enjoy the incredibly good service by people who come from cultures that smile, and as one poster put it, ACTUALLY CARE.

 

Finally, if you feel "discomfort" with having people not of your same race serve you, then I think that's really your problem. Please stop projecting those insecurities onto the rest of us. Its also weird that you keep talking about "homophobia" in relation to HAL. I would think the ongoing relationship HAL has with RSVP/Atlantis has proven their incredible and honest reach into the LGBT community.

 

I am happy you found a cruise line that suits you on your vacation needs. Now, do you have anything to add regarding the OP's original concern with HAL?

[rbyrd2531]

lol...I love my people

 

anyway how about them Olympics?

[keithm]

lol...I love my people

 

anyway how about them Olympics?

Whew! For a second there, I thought you were going to talk about the Red Sox!

[keithm]

LMFAO. Oh dear.... Another hijack of a thread completely off topic. Thanks for that Shep. To cut to the chase, Here's some of your comments...

 

"I don't feel entirely comfortable with a nearly all-Asian service staff bowing and scraping to me like I'm the Queen of France."

 

and...

 

"I do find it a bit ironic that my discomfort about being in a situation where the demands of a mostly white group are catered to by ever-cheerful people of color should be taken as offensive."

 

Shep, what in the world are you talking about?? What part of my post gave you any indication that I love laying around wanting "people of color", as you put it, treating me like I'm "the Queen of France"??

 

Firstly, the queen of France had her head cut off :) Why would I want that???

 

Second, I was making a joke on how attractive the Cabana boys are. Lighten up, honey!

I happen to think Filipino men are beautiful (inside and out). Each time I sail I learn more and more of their language and culture to try to greet them each time with it and talk about their lives.

 

Third, you don't know anything about my travels, my own career in the hospitality industry, or for that matter, anything about me at all. BTW, I am a man. I am not so precious that I feel like I need to have people of different races treat me like the queen of France as you put it, just because I happen to be white. I do however love and appreciate good, honest and caring customer service with a genuine smile. I expect nothing less from even myself when I am working.

 

Fourth, your comments are very weird and not at all part of the original poster's question. The original post was about the OP's concern regarding Age. I addressed that in my post. Please stop hijacking threads to talk about how racist we are because we enjoy the incredibly good service by people who come from cultures that smile, and as one poster put it, ACTUALLY CARE.

 

Finally, if you feel "discomfort" with having people not of your same race serve you, then I think that's really your problem. Please stop projecting those insecurities onto the rest of us. Its also weird that you keep talking about "homophobia" in relation to HAL. I would think the ongoing relationship HAL has with RSVP/Atlantis has proven their incredible and honest reach into the LGBT community.

 

I am happy you found a cruise line that suits you on your vacation needs. Now, do you have anything to add regarding the OP's original concern with HAL?

I think Shep was more referring to himself being treated like the Queen of France. My spouse(Chinese)and myself do enjoy the eastern cultures & what they do to go the "extra" mile. Richard never hesitates to tell me he treats me like the King of France, with a touch of Deloris Claiborn(some day that iron will fall)Most of the staff on Cunard knows we're in the hospitality industry. I think they treat you better, because we "take care of our own" as it were. Since Cunard is cutting back big time in the Caribbean we're looking at HAL/Princess/Celebrity/Oceania to take Cunard's place.

[shepp]

LMFAO. Oh dear.... Another hijack of a thread completely off topic. Thanks for that Shep.

 

May I politely suggest you get over your defensiveness?

 

As Keith said, I was talking about my own experiences on HAL, which I've brought up before on other threads. Sure, I might have found your image a bit too Night of the Iguana for my tastes, but you're the one who put it out there. Yes, I quoted you as a jumping-off point. However, my response did not mention you. Not once. Got that? I did not talk about you. I talked about my mother. I talked about my own feelings around class and race (for which I was criticized for racial stereotyping). I talked about the behavior of the HAL staff. I did not talk about you, not even by implication. But you sure went after me. At ad hominem length. Jeez.

 

Note: when the thread I started about St. Petersburg ended up dealing with cell phones vs. landlines, I didn't get all OT Police on other posters. And yes, the OP asked not only about age but about our general experiences as queers sailing on HAL. I mentioned (as others have, as well...e.g., gskimmel and Schplinky in this very thread) an unpleasant experience on HAL, but that it was "stupid" to generalize that to the line. Just how is that "hijacking?" Oh, and just to be accurate, only one Queen of France got beheaded. The others were waited on main et pied.

[shepp]

One slight correction to my previous post: I suppose the phrase "not even by implication"could reasonably be regarded as debatable and self-serving. Sorry.

 

And now I, with relief, return you to the thread's regularly scheduled topic.

[rbyrd2531]

I didn't intend offended....I think the hardships our community goes through results in an extremely honed debating ability. It is why no one in my family will argue with me. I also think it makes us capable of dealing with any problems encountered on a mixed cruise

[rbyrd2531]

"Offense"

 

Sorry my Kindle Fire has a mind of it's own

[shepp]

I didn't intend offended....I think the hardships our community goes through results in an extremely honed debating ability. It is why no one in my family will argue with me. I also think it makes us capable of dealing with any problems encountered on a mixed cruise

 

I also think that being queer sensitizes us to the offense that words can bring.

 

E.g., many of us would object to the term "lifestyle" to describe our lives, even when used by straight folks with the best intentions in the world. Yes, there are good reasons for that objection. And yes, if we're discussing queer rights, it's not off limits to discuss that. This is a queer board, the premier site for LGBT cruisers, and AFAIK, we're permitted to talk about politics as well as Speedos here. But no, I'm not going to call out a straight Princess tablemate just for saying "choose a gay lifestyle." Life's too short, and cruises even shorter than that.

 

Likewise, I've learned from women, people of color, and transpeople that they may perceive misogyny, racism, and transphobia that a white cisgender male like me might be blind to.

 

To use an example you'll be able to relate to, it wasn't till an operation left me temporarily disabled that I really appreciated the challenges disabled folks face in dealing with everyday life.

 

Are there instances when any and all of us might be over-sensitive? Sure. But it's really no biggie to be aware of and respect the sensitivities of, i.e., a Latina transwoman. I actually respect myself a bit more when I do so.

 

My bad, I guess.

 

EDIT: Whoops, went off-topic again. But you started it. ;)

[keithm]

May I politely suggest you get over your defensiveness?

 

As Keith said, I was talking about my own experiences on HAL, which I've brought up before on other threads. Sure, I might have found your image a bit too Night of the Iguana for my tastes, but you're the one who put it out there. Yes, I quoted you as a jumping-off point. However, my response did not mention you. Not once. Got that? I did not talk about you. I talked about my mother. I talked about my own feelings around class and race (for which I was criticized for racial stereotyping). I talked about the behavior of the HAL staff. I did not talk about you, not even by implication. But you sure went after me. At ad hominem length. Jeez.

 

Note: when the thread I started about St. Petersburg ended up dealing with cell phones vs. landlines, I didn't get all OT Police on other posters. And yes, the OP asked not only about age but about our general experiences as queers sailing on HAL. I mentioned (as others have, as well...e.g., gskimmel and Schplinky in this very thread) an unpleasant experience on HAL, but that it was "stupid" to generalize that to the line. Just how is that "hijacking?" Oh, and just to be accurate, only one Queen of France got beheaded. The others were waited on main et pied.

Night of the Iguana..that was a good one!

[aebi46]

My partner (68) and I (65) did not feel that comfortable on our 30-day Sep 2011 Hawaii/Tahiti cruise due to the regional/cultural/generational differences of the mostly senior passengers aboard the Westerdam. We sadly received numerous askance looks, no acknowledgement to our courteous greetings in the elevators, passage ways and other communal areas of the ship undoubtedly due to obvious affection we have for each other, wearing plumerias in our suit lapels or colorful leis in celebration of our tropical cruise. Public display of affection (PDA) is alright for some but not for all -- especially same gender couples. The passengers we did enjoy were the very few gay couples on board, Canadians and some Progressive types and HAL crew. Knowing what to expect, we will go on the same cruise (29 Sept - 3 Nov 2012) and just be ourselves. We will hold hands on the promenade deck, snuggle and dance together.

[shepp]

Knowing what to expect, we will go on the same cruise (29 Sept - 3 Nov 2012) and just be ourselves. We will hold hands on the promenade deck, snuggle and dance together.

 

That's the spirit!

[FreedomSeeker]

That's the spirit!

 

I wish I could be as bold.....but over in the celebrity forum, I asked about being 40 something on a longer cruise, and whether I and my partner would fit in.....it caused some discussion of how shallow the younger crowd is perceived to be....and I don't think my question helped allay that perception:(

 

What I didn't say over there was "PS we're also GAY and 40".

 

We are new to this cruising thing, and we're beginning to think we should cancel and try something else. Being stuck in the middle of the Pacific for 19 days with a bunch of older, less progressive couples who all go to bed at 10 doesn't sound like the best way to celebrate 10 years together....

 

I know that I should care less what others think, but I also know that I couldn't tolerate the cold shoulder from a whole ship for three weeks, especially when paying a small fortune for the privilege of being there.

 

Is there a different cruise line that does Honolulu to Sydney as an itinerary that would skew younger? Or is Celebrity or Princess (the ones I've seen) the sum total?

 

Sorry if this hijacks the HAL thread at all, but I think I'm being at least tangential, not completely OT.

 

Mike