Royal Caribbean VS Holland?

[jb456]

I'm curious - these 2 cruises are so different, what in the world made you narrow it down to these?:confused:

 

 

Did not necessarily narrow it down to these two it was more like stumbling upon them lol.

 

We were just checking each cruise line to see what prices / deals were out for last min April trips and stumbled across the HAL one. NCL, Carnival, RCI were all in similar price ranges then this HAL one caught us off guard being a 14 nigher for much less then 7 nights.

[Friend100]

Did not necessarily narrow it down to these two it was more like stumbling upon them lol.

 

We were just checking each cruise line to see what prices / deals were out for last min April trips and stumbled across the HAL one. NCL, Carnival, RCI were all in similar price ranges then this HAL one caught us off guard being a 14 nigher for much less then 7 nights.

 

People who could do a 14 nights cruise (from a time perspective, not from a cost perspective) in April may have other better choices ("better" from an itinerary perspective) such as Panama Canal or Transatlantic/Med, hence making a 14 nights Caribbean to be of lesser demand, regardless of the segment of people who demand a 7 night cruise on a mega ship more catered to families.

[Lady Chew]

Wow! Would you care to elaborate on why you feel it was a frustrating experience? I don't mean to sound nosy, but it would be beneficial to potential cruisers like me who are contemplating a first HAL cruise.

 

Thanks

Overall we had a good cruise, great itinerary (Southern Caribbean, partial Panama Canal transit) and we met some lovely people ... but we had several dinners spoiled by detailed health/medical conversations, couple of folks who sounded like they were choking to death with every bite (kind of puts ya off your feed!) ... being run into multiple times by scooters (and we try to be very sensitive to giving people with mobility issues their space, as our daughter is one of them), being held up in various places around the ship by scooters, wheelchairs & walkers, being delayed beyond reasonable expectation during excursions by people with mobility/health issues ...

 

We have been on much longer HAL cruises (this one was only 11 days) with much fewer of these types of issues. We still plan to cruise on HAL, they've got some fabulous longer itineraries ... but in the Caribbean we want a more lively, active atmosphere, including having children & teenagers around.

 

BUT - we went from this cruise onto Legend of the Seas, and we were much more bothered by smoking on Legend than we have ever been on any HAL ship!

[Lerin]

Thank you!

 

It was the Oasis ship.

 

Whats the atmosphere like on HAL? Late night bars? We been on Princess and our son and his friend in late 20s were a bit disappointed with the bars closing kind of early and not enough music / band at any of the pools..

 

Is HAL like that as well?

If they were disappointed in Princess then they are going to hate a 14-day HAL. Go with RC or leave them home.

[Aquahound]

Wow! Would you care to elaborate on why you feel it was a frustrating experience? I don't mean to sound nosy, but it would be beneficial to potential cruisers like me who are contemplating a first HAL cruise.

 

Thanks

 

I'm not Lady Chew, but I'll describe my first HAL experience. I chose HAL because it was a 12 night cruise from Venice to Barcelona with several Greek island and Italy stops. It was the perfect itinerary. And moreso, it was on HAL's newest ship (Nieuw Amsterdam), so I thought it couldn't be all that bad.

 

At first, I didn't really mind that the ship was dead after 10pm because it was a port intensive cruise and we were exhausted from our tours. However, the cruise had 2 sea days and the evenings before those sea days were when people were looking to stay out a little later. It became a game....walking around the ship looking for some sort of entertainment. But there was none. The piano bar was shut down at 9 and live music in other venues shut down at 10. There was a nightclub, but it was packed with obnoxious ship's staff (stage performers)...something I also noticed on Zuiderdam. Most cruises do some sort of game show (Love and Marriage, Majority Rules, etc) but again, nothing in the later evening on this ship.

 

Like someone else said, I'm all about relaxing too but my goodness, on a 12 night cruise, there comes a time you want to let loose a little and have a little fun.

 

If there's one thing good I can say about Nieuw Amsterdam, it's that I LOVED our room. I think it was called a Signature Suite...it was their lowest category of suites. It had 2 showers and jacuzzi tub, a beautiful balcony with wicker furniture, and the decor was very modern. My only complaint about the room...HAL doesn't have interactive televisions.

 

I will certainly cruise HAL again (as I did last year in Alaska), but they won't be my first, second, or third choice. For now, mostly due to inactivity on board and the fact they still allow balcony smoking, I'll only book them if no other line can match their itinerary.

[George C]

Thank you!

 

It was the Oasis ship.

 

Whats the atmosphere like on HAL? Late night bars? We been on Princess and our son and his friend in late 20s were a bit disappointed with the bars closing kind of early and not enough music / band at any of the pools..

 

Is HAL like that as well?

 

The newer ships on RCCL like Oasis cost way more than some of the older ships, I love RCCL but will not sail on newest ships for that reason. I also like Hal but ships are dead about 11:30 PM, casino will be open and they will have some kind of disco but no live music. In general ships on Hal are pretty old and small, RCCL smallest ship is about the size of Hals largest. Had issues with public bathrooms not working on Hal.

[JimAOk1945]

Aquahound and Lady Chew,

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I appreciate you taking the time to describe your first HAL cruises.

 

I've read several comments on the HAL board that there isn't much activity in the late evening. Is it like this on all HAL cruises or does it depend on the ship, the itinerary, or time of year?

Edited March 18, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[Lady Chew]

We've been on HAL in the Caribbean, the Med, and in Asia & Australia, at various times of the year ... and I would say that in my experience, things get pretty quiet after 9 pm no matter what ... there are exceptions, of course, occasionally a late show, maybe a late activity up on the pool deck, sometimes a bar/club open later ... and they will keep the casino open if there are enough gamblers to make it worth their while ...

 

But on the long itineraries, where you are going to a lot of new, interesting ports (think Asia or the Med), you need to go to bed early to be able to stay out and explore day after day!

[jb456]

We've been on HAL in the Caribbean, the Med, and in Asia & Australia, at various times of the year ... and I would say that in my experience, things get pretty quiet after 9 pm no matter what ... there are exceptions, of course, occasionally a late show, maybe a late activity up on the pool deck, sometimes a bar/club open later ... and they will keep the casino open if there are enough gamblers to make it worth their while ...

 

But on the long itineraries, where you are going to a lot of new, interesting ports (think Asia or the Med), you need to go to bed early to be able to stay out and explore day after day!

 

Your descriptions have been wonderful. One question if you don't mind?

 

I understand things get quiet early but does everything also close completely down?

 

I guess what I am trying to ask is if I want to buy a beer at midnight, 1 or 2am to go sit out on the pool deck can this be achieved? or is every bar on the ship completely closed out where one would have to stalk up on a bucket of beer at 9pm before everything is closed?

Edited March 18, 2015 by jb456

[big al]

Aquahound and Lady Chew,

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I appreciate you taking the time to describe your first HAL cruises.

 

I've read several comments on the HAL board that there isn't much activity in the late evening. Is it like this on all HAL cruises or does it depend on the ship, the itinerary, or time of year?

 

Again, remember that HAL attracts OLDER passengers who don't want to party,or even lots of options type cruise..so, yes, just about ALL HAL ships are fairly quiet at night, just like Disney attracts families with young kids who love the Disney product...BTW, the last 2 ships- Eurodam & Nieuw Amsterdam probably attract a slightly younger crowd, which was HAL's intention..

[Aquahound]

Aquahound and Lady Chew,

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I appreciate you taking the time to describe your first HAL cruises.

 

I've read several comments on the HAL board that there isn't much activity in the late evening. Is it like this on all HAL cruises or does it depend on the ship, the itinerary, or time of year?

 

I think it depends heavily on the Cruise Director. On my Alaskan Zuiderdam cruise, the CD (Hamish) was as energetic as any I've seen on RCI. But there's only so much that can be done in God's waiting room. ;)

 

By the way....Princess cruisers are, on average, older than HAL cruisers.

[susancruzs]

I disagree, you can't make a general statement that Princess cruisers are older than HAL cruisers, not at all.

 

It would depend on ship, length of cruise and itinerary!

[antique sailor]

AHOY POTENTIAL SHIPMATE,

 

 

AAAs you can tell by my past cruises, I am a HAL fan. Their STAFF and CREW are by far the most accommodating and courteous . mosst people are nice when you display a smile and respect.

 

The most notable thing on HAL is the average age (60-70) and experienced traveler. Food is as good as other lines in the same price range.

The Casino is much friendlier and "house charges" are not as bad as RCL and RCL.

 

My second favorite is Carnival . I'm 75 and treated Very well by everyone. even tho the avg age is 30 years younger.

 

ANY CRUISE CAN BE GREAT OR TERRIBLE Keep an open mind and don't forget, every thing you read on here is just one persons opinion as is mine.

Enjoy your cruise SEA YA

[big al]

I think it depends heavily on the Cruise Director. On my Alaskan Zuiderdam cruise, the CD (Hamish) was as energetic as any I've seen on RCI. But there's only so much that can be done in God's waiting room. ;)

 

By the way....Princess cruisers are, on average, older than HAL cruisers.

 

I disagree, you can't make a general statement that Princess cruisers are older than HAL cruisers, not at all.

 

It would depend on ship, length of cruise and itinerary!

 

Cruise agent here..FYI..cruise lines do keep statistics on passenger demographics and are available to TA's & cruise agents..just so you know..average age on some cruise lines are:

 

Carnival- 44

Disney - 36 ( makes sense with all the kids & young parents)

RCI - 47

NCL- 46

Celebrity -50

Princess- 52

HAL - 55

 

BTW, Alaska cruisers are on average, TWELVE years older than Caribbean cruisers, so yes, destination, length of cruise, and others can change passenger demographics such as age..as I stated earlier, I always remember the HAL Westerdam cruise my wife & I took in 2006..I joked in my review that "the average age was death" and that it was the "first time I had seen Metamucil on draft before"...some HAL loyalists got upset with those statements, BUT again I say, there is nothing wrong with wanting a more "mature" cruise experience- if a couple comes to me in their 20's or 30's & says they want a cruise with action, lots of bars & nightlife, lots of specialty dining, I will NOT be recommending HAL, and probably not Princess and even Celebrity, because these people would not be happy on those cruise lines, just as foodies may not be happy at Denny's for dinner, or at a Motel 6 for a romantic getaway for a weekend instead of a Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, etc..I would most likely recommend RCI, Carnival, Norwegian, and maybe MSC...no need for everybody to bash or insult others for their opinions...there are various cruise lines for different cruise experiences, just like there different restaurants for different dining experiences...

 

Big Al

[Aquahound]

duplicte...darn CC acting up today!

Edited March 18, 2015 by Aquahound

[Aquahound]

I disagree, you can't make a general statement that Princess cruisers are older than HAL cruisers, not at all.

 

It would depend on ship, length of cruise and itinerary!

 

Yes, I can...key words being "on average." Like big al said, these stats are published frequently.

big al, are those stats recent? The last I saw was:

Passenger ages vary somewhat by sailing, but usually they are as follows:

Carnival Cruise Line: 0 - 45 years of age

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: 25 - 55 years of age

Crystal Cruise Line: 55+ years of age

Celebrity Cruise Line: 35 - 64 years of age

Norwegian Cruise Line: 27 - 56 years of age

Holland America Cruises: 30 - 60 years of age

Princess Cruise Line: 35 to 65 years of age

[Lady Chew]

Your descriptions have been wonderful. One question if you don't mind?

 

I understand things get quiet early but does everything also close completely down?

 

I guess what I am trying to ask is if I want to buy a beer at midnight, 1 or 2am to go sit out on the pool deck can this be achieved? or is every bar on the ship completely closed out where one would have to stalk up on a bucket of beer at 9pm before everything is closed?

 

I've never tried to buy a beer at midnight, so I don' know for sure ... when we're up at that time we're usually in the casino, and the bar there is open ... some of the ships also have the Blues Club (don't know the exact name), it's got a live band & a bar, and is open a little later than the others ... but everything else is pretty much done by 9 or 10 pm ...

[George C]

Your descriptions have been wonderful. One question if you don't mind?

 

I understand things get quiet early but does everything also close completely down?

 

I guess what I am trying to ask is if I want to buy a beer at midnight, 1 or 2am to go sit out on the pool deck can this be achieved? or is every bar on the ship completely closed out where one would have to stalk up on a bucket of beer at 9pm before everything is closed?

 

bar by casino will be open at midnight, some bars may be open till 1 or 2am depending on ship and how crowded it was, piano player goes to at least 11:30 sometimes later