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Gay on Holland America, what's it like?

jeepers13

By jeepers13,
in LGBTQIA+ Cruisers

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jeepers13

jeepers13

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My husband Eric & I will be sailing March 8 for eleven nights to Panama Canal on Zuiderdam for our twentieth anniversary. Yeah!

 

I'm curious if anyone would care to share their experiences traveling gay on HA. I think they have LGBT meetups. We all know they tend to have an older clientele.

 

So what's it like?

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morebelman

morebelman

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My partner and I have sailed HAL many times. As to your question, we have found them (and other non-LGBT guests) to be very accommodating. There's usually a LGBT meeting each evening - sometimes lots of people, sometimes a few, but always some new friends. On a broader level, HAL is a terrific value for the money - it's a first-class experience on some fine ships. They go above and beyond.

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MiamiSpartan

MiamiSpartan

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Only sailed with them once, but had a good experience.....met up with 8 guys traveling together from Orlando and ended up hanging with them the entire trip. As it turns out, they were also friends with Barry Williams of Brady Bunch fame, so he and his girlfriend also hung with us....

Two very straight couples at our dinner table that also ended up being really fun....

Definitely an older clientele....

 

Good crowd at the LGBT get togethers....

Edited by MiamiSpartan
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bigbenboys

bigbenboys

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We have 65 nights with HAL. As a gay couple we have never had any problems with any of the cruise lines. The cruisers on HAL seem to be older. More places to smoke cigarettes. For us we started cruising with Celebrity and have not looked back. The perks with Celebrity are great.

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keithm

keithm

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Smoking policies on HAL changes in the New Year - no more smoking on balconies.

What about the casino & places like that? We found a lot of smokers on the Regal Princess. quite a few in the casino, so we spent little time there.

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Nieuwuser

Nieuwuser

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What about the casino & places like that? We found a lot of smokers on the Regal Princess. quite a few in the casino, so we spent little time there.

FYI

Holland America Line will eliminate smoking on the balconies of its ships starting in 2017.

HAL was the last sizeable cruise line based in North America to still allow the practice. It said it was making the change “to better align with guest wishes and health concerns.”

Most other cruise lines banned smoking on balconies in the last few years.

Enforcement will begin on the Rotterdam and Maasdam on Jan. 2 and will be rolled out on most other ships the first two weeks in January. The policy will take effect on the Amsterdam on April 26 and on the Prinsendam May 6, HAL said.

All HAL ships will continue to have outdoor public areas where smoking is permitted. In addition, smoking is allowed indoors in the Oak Room on the Noordam, and in ship casinos in designated areas where slot machines are being played, with the exception of the Oosterdam and Eurodam.

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GNGator

GNGator

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We have done many HAL cruises and always enjoyed the welcoming staff and friendly passengers. Sometimes it is not particularly the "old folks" at all! The LGBT gatherings nightly can typically have a few or up to 20 attend. We think HAL is a great value for a quality product!

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christojo58

christojo58

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My husband and I will be taking our 5th HAL cruise in February. On one of the cruises, we were celebrating our 20th anniversary. The dining room staff made note of it by bringing us a cake as a surprise. We also went back to our cabin to find the door all decorated with streamers and balloons. If I remember right, there was also a bottle of wine and a card in our room. Couldn't be more comfortable and welcoming.

Edited by christojo58
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christojo58

christojo58

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My husband Eric & I will be sailing March 8 for eleven nights to Panama Canal on Zuiderdam for our twentieth anniversary. Yeah!

 

I'm curious if anyone would care to share their experiences traveling gay on HA. I think they have LGBT meetups. We all know they tend to have an older clientele.

 

So what's it like?

 

 

(I posted above our positive experience as a gay couple on HAL.)

 

I just noticed you're doing the 10 day on the Zuiderdam. So are we! What is your sail date? We're going on Feb 5.

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