At 67, am I too young for Holland America?

[RocketMan275]

I had just about convinced myself to book our next cruise on Holland. But at dinner tonight a good friend and his wife were very negative about Holland because the age of the average Holland cruiser.

 

I had done a lot of research and had concluded the more sedate and impeccable service found on Holland might be a good match for the wife and I. Now I'm having second thoughts.

 

Can anyone help me here?

[cruz chic]

I'm 52 and Hal fits me well. The gym is not busy and it's quiet. Those two things are important to me. I'm also self entertaining. It you need a lot of activities Hal may not be for you.

[boulders]

You're about 10 years older than the average Holland America cruiser.

[TheEmerson]

I am in my mid 30s and my DW in her mid 40s. We find HAL fits us just fine. It is not an age thing but a personal preference if being in a age ranked peer group is important or not.

[sail7seas]

I had just about convinced myself to book our next cruise on Holland. But at dinner tonight a good friend and his wife were very negative about Holland because the age of the average Holland cruiser.

 

I had done a lot of research and had concluded the more sedate and impeccable service found on Holland might be a good match for the wife and I. Now I'm having second thoughts.

 

Can anyone help me here?

 

 

Makes me wonder if your good friend has actually sailed HAL?

 

[Jenncruiser]

I'm 23 and I enjoyed sailing with Holland, though I prefer RCI.

 

I think the service is really great, very personable with great attention to detail. My mom is 61 and enjoyed HAL a lot more then other cruises we've been on. If you don't need constant entertainment and activities then you'll be fine. The boats are nice, the food is great and you can really relax and have a vacation. I really wouldn't worry about age, you're well in the normal range. I actually saw a pretty wide variety of age ranges on my ship.

[kjw869]

I had just about convinced myself to book our next cruise on Holland. But at dinner tonight a good friend and his wife were very negative about Holland because the age of the average Holland cruiser.

 

I had done a lot of research and had concluded the more sedate and impeccable service found on Holland might be a good match for the wife and I. Now I'm having second thoughts.

 

Can anyone help me here?

 

According to a cruise line Hotel Director who posted on the Princess board last month, the average HAL passenger worldwide is 57 years old. Princess is 58.

 

It appears you are 10 years older, as I am the same age.

 

Link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=40273567&postcount=86

 

 

Give HAL a try. However, you won't find rock climbing walls, shopping centers, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks or belly flop contests on HAL. The company has been in this business for over 140 years.

Edited November 14, 2013 by kjw869

[Davidson Duo]

We have cruised 6 times with HAL, starting at the age of 50. It is now our cruise line of choice. They provide exactly what we are looking for when we cruise. We like a slower pace, higher level of service, and lower number of passengers on our cruises, which is just what we get on the HAL ships we cruise on. I think it is the activities, atmosphere, and type of service you want to have as opposed to what ages you encounter. I have an older brother who prefers another line that has more focus on high energy activities and nightlife choices. We also like the HAL itineraries better for our tastes. If you like what you have read for YOUR tastes, I would say give them a try. Age is not indicative of whether you will be happy on a cruise line or not. We know many passengers who love the HAL experience who are in their 40's and 50's. And others in their 60's and 70's who prefer other lines. We all have different likes and expectations. If HAL sounds like they fit the bill for you, they probably will. I say go for it. We love them. And I'm not yet 67! :)

[fm6175]

47 years old myself , have sailed on Carnival and Princess . I prefer HAL .

 

 

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[Kamloops50]

I had just about convinced myself to book our next cruise on Holland. But at dinner tonight a good friend and his wife were very negative about Holland because the age of the average Holland cruiser.

 

I had done a lot of research and had concluded the more sedate and impeccable service found on Holland might be a good match for the wife and I. Now I'm having second thoughts.

 

Can anyone help me here?

 

You'll fit in perfectly.

[RocketMan275]

First, let me thank those who've take the time to provide their thoughts and insights on this question.

 

Really, wife and I don't need a lot of entertainment. We're quite content to find a quiet place to read and listen to our music. We love good food and fine service which is what has attracted us to HAL.

 

It sounds like our friends just had an unfortunate experience. Pretty sure we'll book HAL. Probably Mar 2015. We've already made our 2014 plans.

 

Since this will be our first HAL cruise, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thinking suite and Eastern Caribbean.

 

Thanks again.

[doublebzz]

You're about 10 years older than the average Holland America cruiser.

 

Or about 10 years younger depending on the cruise.

 

You didn't mention what cruise you were considering and I find length of cruise the determining factor in age make-up.

 

On short cruise of 10 days or less, the demographics are probably not much different than Princess, Celebrity or RCCL, among others. Face it, on longer cruises, its generally retirees than can absent themselves from home for extended periods and the demographic is older, more experienced cruisers. If you are not put off by a lot of folks with mobility problems, and I'm not, and if you are not looking for a bar open past midnight, then you should find HAL to your liking.

[TracieABD]

I have found the demographic to be quite varied on HAL. I like Holland's quiet elegance.

[Toad]

DH and I are 57 and 63. We started cruising with HAL in our 30's. We have always preferred HAL to other lines, but then again, we cruise to be together and not necessarily to find new friends. If we do great, if we don't we still enjoy ourselves. I guess it really depends on why you are cruising and what you are looking for, maybe you could let us know and we could help you better.

[doublebzz]

 

Since this will be our first HAL cruise, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thinking suite and Eastern Caribbean.

 

Thanks again.

 

I prefer the Eastern Caribbean to the Western. On a Caribbean cruise, I would avoid dates when school is out or during Spring Break on any cruise line including HAL. I believe a veranda is essential on a warm weather cruise; whether you want to indulge in a suite depends on how much time you are going to spend in your cabin. The perks of Neptune suites are nice but come at a steep price. I believe all ships have the specialty restaurant, Pinnacle Grill, which is excellent. The Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam also have the Tamarind Pan-Asian restaurant which is top notch and would be a deciding factor for me all other factors being equal. I'm sure you are about to receive many more recommendations, some of which may be conflicting.

[markarmel]

Who cares about what age people are. It's the itinerary which we look at. We're in our early 50's and it's the itinerary that got us booked on HAL next June.

[Blamar]

I have been travelling on HAL since I was in my 30's. I much prefer the people there and find their lives and stories very interesting. I am more likely the type to enjoy reading and finding a nice quiet spot than playing games out on the decks. I think a lot depends as well on where you are going. A three or four day party on a trip to Mexico is way different then a week going to Alaska.

[mamaofami]

Sounds to me like Hal will be a perfect fit for you and your wife. You will find people your age, some younger and some older.

[Goldenfox]

I'm in my 30's and DH in his 40's and so far HAL is our number 1 choice. When we sailed to Alaska this summer there was quite the variety age-wise. I never felt for one minute that we were out of place (or too young). We've also cruised with Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and this December we're giving the Royal Princess a try. If we weren't going to try the new ship, our choice would have definitely been the Westerdam again. Great crew!!

[RocketMan275]

DH and I are 57 and 63. We started cruising with HAL in our 30's. We have always preferred HAL to other lines, but then again, we cruise to be together and not necessarily to find new friends. If we do great, if we don't we still enjoy ourselves. I guess it really depends on why you are cruising and what you are looking for, maybe you could let us know and we could help you better.

 

Why are we cruising? Simple question that goes to the heart of this.

 

We've only been on a single RCI cruise which we greatly enjoyed. We didn't do the rock climbing and we didn't do any shore excursions. We only did a single show. One of the things we enjoyed the most was watching the sunrise with coffee on the balcony. (BTW, we had an aft which was huge.). We simply enjoyed being there and being with each other.

 

We're both retired now, we've worked hard, and now we want to enjoy life. Cruising just seemed so relaxing that we couldn't wait to make another reservation. We're on Caribbean Princess in March 2014.

 

We would like to find a cruise line that provides good service and makes us feel at home. We'd like to find a cruise line with a multiplicity of destinations. We'll only be able to do a couple of cruises per year for now (we've got a couple of dogs), in the not too distant future, we'll do more cruises.

 

We're looking for that special cruise line which will be our 'go to' line for our future cruises. I guess you'd say that we're shopping around now.

 

What are we looking for? Some thing that makes us feel at home, that is relaxing not hyper intensive, good food, good conversations, interesting destinations, a cruise line to call home.

 

I do appreciate everyone's responses. They seem to reinforce my thoughts that HAL just might be what we're looking for.

[startwin]

I had just about convinced myself to book our next cruise on Holland. But at dinner tonight a good friend and his wife were very negative about Holland because the age of the average Holland cruiser.

 

I had done a lot of research and had concluded the more sedate and impeccable service found on Holland might be a good match for the wife and I. Now I'm having second thoughts.

 

Can anyone help me here?

 

You're the same age as me, and I've been sailing HAL for years. And I don't think I'm "old" for my age - in fact the opposite:D

[julia]

 

We've only been on a single RCI cruise which we greatly enjoyed. .

 

May I??

 

You can ask all the questions you want, about every cruise line there is. The bottom line is..... you will NEVER get a clear picture of ANY line until you actually sail them. PERIOD. :eek:

 

Do not let anyone's opinion sway your decision to try a cruise line. Try them all. Broaden your horizons and compare, until you find the one (or two or three) that best fits your expectations and traveling style. It's the only way to have an informed opinion. Everything else is simply "their opinion".

[Sir PMP]

I had just about convinced myself to book our next cruise on Holland. But at dinner tonight a good friend and his wife were very negative about Holland because the age of the average Holland cruiser.

 

I had done a lot of research and had concluded the more sedate and impeccable service found on Holland might be a good match for the wife and I. Now I'm having second thoughts.

 

Can anyone help me here?

 

Yes, you're too young, the average age on Hal is 90....

[OlsSalt]

First, let me thank those who've take the time to provide their thoughts and insights on this question.

 

Really, wife and I don't need a lot of entertainment. We're quite content to find a quiet place to read and listen to our music. We love good food and fine service which is what has attracted us to HAL.

 

It sounds like our friends just had an unfortunate experience. Pretty sure we'll book HAL. Probably Mar 2015. We've already made our 2014 plans.

 

Since this will be our first HAL cruise, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thinking suite and Eastern Caribbean.

 

Thanks again.

 

If you drop your expectations to good food and good service, I think you will have a happier time. I see you first expected "impeccable" service - ooops, probably setting it too high there, and now "fine" service ---- ooops again. Good service and pleasant dining, and you are right in the ball park for most HAL ships. It really is a very nice line for mainline cruising. We found we preferred it to Crystal, which was too much individual fussing for us.

Edited November 14, 2013 by OlsSalt

[OlsSalt]

Yes, you're too young, the average age on Hal is 90....

 

 

And you can look forward to HAL passengers having a snappy sense of humor too. :p