Carnival cruiser goes on Holland America

[Hoosierpop]

What’s up all,

 

I’ve done a lot of Carnival cruises and decided to go on HAL to Alaska on the Eurodam. This post provides where I think the major differences lie in case you’re ever thinking of going on HAL. Of course, this is a sample of one cruise on the Eurodam. So take it for what it’s worth.

 

Food: slight edge to HAL in the MDR. Part of that is I’m so used to Carnival that something new is going to taste better if that makes sense. But if you are looking for a huge leap in MDR quality, I didn’t see it. Lido is different on HAL. They mostly serve you as you go through the line. I heard lots of complaints on the ship that the lido was too crowded and took too long. I didn’t find that to be the case except during the peak times but that was no different than most ships to me. Their pizza was better than Carnival (my wife disagrees with this), but it could take 30 minutes to make. But they give you a beeper, so you can do other things. I like Guys more than the Dive in on Hal. Especially the fries. The only specialty restaurant we did was Pinnacle Grill and it was excellent. But not better than the Carnival steakhouse.

 

Cabin: It might as well have been a Carnival cabin. And I mean that in a good way. Bed was fine, there was enough closet space, etc. I’m not too picky about cabins. It’s sort of pass fail to me. There is a nightlight in the bathroom which was nice. Overall, I rate them the same. It can also depend on the ship.

 

Entertainment: This, as with everything else, is highly subjective. But Carnival is the clear winner for me. At night, the routinely had the piano bar area going with two pianists who were both excellent.  The BB King band was also good. I’ve read some bad reviews about them, but not sure I know what people are expecting. They saved the trip for me in terms of entertainment. Because the lack of entertainment was noticeable, Cotton.  They had a magician one night, a comic one night, and an acrobat one night. I’m a huge fane if Carnival comedy, and the side bands/singers they have. Not on HAL. You’d think that, given HAL’s older demographics that there would be a lot of trivia and such during the day. Nope. Two trivia per day.  And they might as well as not had a casino. It was dead. Craps table was open 3 hours per day not counting the two days it wasn’t open at all. However, it was smoke free, which was awesome.

 

Ship: I liked the Eurodam. It was easy to get around and lots of space to hang out. Given that it was an Alaska cruise, not a lot of sun worshiping, so can’t really comment on chair hogging on HAL compared to Carnival. But in terms of ship, I’d say it’s as good as the better Carnival ships. We don’t the elevators a lot, but there seemed to be a lot of them and it was quick when we did want to take one.

 

Service: Service was good. Seemed to be more people to order drinks from than on Carnival so big edge to HAL there. MDR Service was similar to Carnival. Sometimes a little slow especially on elegant nights. One thing I actually missed was, HAL crew don’t have their countries on their name tags. So I’d ask them, but I did miss seeing that. Not sure why they don’t. Also, I’m Platinum on Carnival, so it doesn’t matter often, but there was almost never a line at guest services compared to the Disneyland lines on Carnival.

 

Bottom line: it was a great cruise. Is HAL worth the premium in price? Not for a typical cruise for me. But I do understand why some folks like HAL more.

[Djptcp]

We have sailed on Carnival 35 times and our 36th will be in August. We have sailed on Holland America 8 times and our 9th will be in December. The Holland ships are much more elegant, including the cabins, service is exemplary, food is outstanding. We have had the pleasure of sailing in Neptune Suites on Holland our last 5 cruises and Carnival has nothing like them or the Neptune Lounge for NS passengers with concierges and food all day in an elegant setting. We sail on Carnival more because I receive free or deeply discounted casino rates with cash, drinks on us for both me and my husband. We live only 45 minutes from the Port of Tampa, are retired, and can cruise anytime we want to. The Holland ships we have sailed on all leave from Fort Lauderdale, so much less convenient although only a 3-hour drive. We also receive great casino rates from Holland, it's just a matter of convenience to hop on 4 and 5-day cruises in Tampa on Carnival. The Carnival cabins are comfortable, service is excellent, and the food is pretty good.

[GradUT]

That’s a pretty accurate assessment of the Carnival/HAL similarities and differences.  But, I’d say the one place that HAL tops Carnival is the musical entertainment.  For me, the BB King Blues Club cannot be beaten and I would say that the best piano bar performers I’ve encountered have been on HAL.  

[Banditswife]

We've done mostly Carnival, but did do a 19 day on HAL for the itinerary.  We are an older couple (62+) but I found Hal's demographic extremely old even for us.  Lots of scooters & walkers, yes there are those on CCL, but were overwhelming on HAL  I did prefer Hal's lido buffet to CCL's with them serving us, not so many hands touching the food.  IMO/experience CCL's food & service is better in the MDR. I'm a dessert person & CCL's is better-IMO.  I found cabin service to be equal on both lines.  Entertainment, on our cruise anyway, on HAL seemed to be geared to the older crowd, no late night offerings.  We just don't feel HAL is worth the premium price.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the thoughts, OP!

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for the comparison

[grandmarnnurse]

16 hours ago, Hoosierpop said:

What’s up all,

 

I’ve done a lot of Carnival cruises and decided to go on HAL to Alaska on the Eurodam. This post provides where I think the major differences lie in case you’re ever thinking of going on HAL. Of course, this is a sample of one cruise on the Eurodam. So take it for what it’s worth.

 

Food: slight edge to HAL in the MDR. Part of that is I’m so used to Carnival that something new is going to taste better if that makes sense. But if you are looking for a huge leap in MDR quality, I didn’t see it. Lido is different on HAL. They mostly serve you as you go through the line. I heard lots of complaints on the ship that the lido was too crowded and took too long. I didn’t find that to be the case except during the peak times but that was no different than most ships to me. Their pizza was better than Carnival (my wife disagrees with this), but it could take 30 minutes to make. But they give you a beeper, so you can do other things. I like Guys more than the Dive in on Hal. Especially the fries. The only specialty restaurant we did was Pinnacle Grill and it was excellent. But not better than the Carnival steakhouse.

 

Cabin: It might as well have been a Carnival cabin. And I mean that in a good way. Bed was fine, there was enough closet space, etc. I’m not too picky about cabins. It’s sort of pass fail to me. There is a nightlight in the bathroom which was nice. Overall, I rate them the same. It can also depend on the ship.

 

Entertainment: This, as with everything else, is highly subjective. But Carnival is the clear winner for me. At night, the routinely had the piano bar area going with two pianists who were both excellent.  The BB King band was also good. I’ve read some bad reviews about them, but not sure I know what people are expecting. They saved the trip for me in terms of entertainment. Because the lack of entertainment was noticeable, Cotton.  They had a magician one night, a comic one night, and an acrobat one night. I’m a huge fane if Carnival comedy, and the side bands/singers they have. Not on HAL. You’d think that, given HAL’s older demographics that there would be a lot of trivia and such during the day. Nope. Two trivia per day.  And they might as well as not had a casino. It was dead. Craps table was open 3 hours per day not counting the two days it wasn’t open at all. However, it was smoke free, which was awesome.

 

Ship: I liked the Eurodam. It was easy to get around and lots of space to hang out. Given that it was an Alaska cruise, not a lot of sun worshiping, so can’t really comment on chair hogging on HAL compared to Carnival. But in terms of ship, I’d say it’s as good as the better Carnival ships. We don’t the elevators a lot, but there seemed to be a lot of them and it was quick when we did want to take one.

 

Service: Service was good. Seemed to be more people to order drinks from than on Carnival so big edge to HAL there. MDR Service was similar to Carnival. Sometimes a little slow especially on elegant nights. One thing I actually missed was, HAL crew don’t have their countries on their name tags. So I’d ask them, but I did miss seeing that. Not sure why they don’t. Also, I’m Platinum on Carnival, so it doesn’t matter often, but there was almost never a line at guest services compared to the Disneyland lines on Carnival.

 

Bottom line: it was a great cruise. Is HAL worth the premium in price? Not for a typical cruise for me. But I do understand why some folks like HAL more.

We recently returned to Carnival after sampling RCCL and NCL for a total of four cruises. Boy, are we glad we returned! The total amount of entertainment on Carnival is amazing! Everywhere, there is something—-trivia, music, activities. Granted, their Playlist Productions are lacking, compared to the Broadway caliber shows on RCCL and NCL, but everything else far out weighs that shortcoming. And the grab and go options of food on Carnival are superior. Far more for-fee food/restaurants on RCCL and NCL, and that turned us off. We happily returned to Carnival on the Breeze this past March, with three more cruises booked with them. My hubby and I are senior citizens, ages 65 and 70, and WE are too young for sailing the likes of HAL! Lol! Glad you enjoyed your trip, though. 

[Djptcp]

I forgot to mention all the music venues on HAL from classical to rock. Amazing. So many times the bands on Carnival next to the casino are horrible and so loud. Also forgot to mention many fewer kids on HAL When we cruise on Carnival we deliberately select cruises when school is in session and try to avoid holiday and summer sailings at all costs. We also try to avoid Thurs-Mon. Carnival cruises for the same reason. We don't mind the older demographic on HAL since we are retired and find their casinos (where I spend most of my time when they are open) quieter without the loud, obnoxious millenials screaming when they win $10 on slots or win a hand at the tables on Carnival. HAL also serves hot breakfasts on their Room Service menus which we enjoy immensely and we receive free Mimosas with breakfast in the Neptune Suites.

[dbrucern]

We tried Holland America on the Koningsdam, the ship was absolutely beautiful, the food offered on the Lido could no way compare to Carnival. Infact we actually found it better than the dining room, they cooked steaks to order and had seafood. The service was above reproach. They made us feel like we were true VIPs. However, the entertainment was extremely lacking and while we are both senior citizens, even a senior crew member told us we were to young for the ship and we agree. For now we will be sticking to Carnival