Will I be the youngest person on the Westerdam?

[OptFlv]

I've been on several cruises but never on a HAL cruise. I'm looking at a run on the Westerdam in October, but don't want to be the only person under 30 on the ship. Are there a lot of activities onboard? I really enjoyed the Caribbean Princess a few months ago, but the deck activities were a little on the light side. I like what I see of the decor of the HAL ships, but I just want to make sure it's not going to be like staying at my grandparent's house for a week...

 

Any thoughts?

 

-Rob

[jhannah]

I don't think you'll be the youngest person on the ship. We have always seen a good number of twenty- and thirty-somethings on our sailings even though the HAL demographic is generally older than some other lines. One of the "oldest" cruises we were ever on was on Princess.

 

Deck activities probably won't be as much as on the Caribbean Princess. But there will be things like team trivia that are fun to join in.

 

Staying at your grandparents' house for a week? Haven't heard that expression ... but I like it! :)

[peaches from georgia]

I don't know what it's like at your grandparents' house, but what kind of deck activities are you looking for? HAL has team trivia, board games, kitchen tour, culinary arts activities, bingo, golf putting and chipping contests, and some things like that.

 

It certainly does not have as many organized activities as some other lines and for sure is a quieter atmosphere than RCCI and some others. If you are looking for a lot of pool games and contests, you are not going to find much of that on HAL

[OptFlv]

Well in real life my grandparents are deceased... so I guess that wasn't a great comparison. ;) However, before I have to join them, I want to have a good time! I'm not a stay-out-all-night party animal, but I do appreciate a festive atmosphere, reasonably priced drinks, and fellow passengers who want to let go a little and have a good time. Nothing bothers me more than people whining and complaining on a cruise ship... except maybe people who are mean/rude to the staff.

 

I enjoy the pool game type of thing, and the calypso bands, and I don't enjoy the riff-raff you tend to find on 3 and 4 day trips. However, I just don't want to feel out of place. It sounds like it may not be so stuffy, which is a good thing... :)

 

-Rob

[kryos]

I enjoy the pool game type of thing, and the calypso bands, and I don't enjoy the riff-raff you tend to find on 3 and 4 day trips. However, I just don't want to feel out of place. It sounds like it may not be so stuffy, which is a good thing... :)

While HAL will not be the "wild" atmosphere some of the other lines feature, you will find plenty of activities onboard to keep you interested and involved. Also, if you're looking at a seven-day itinerary on the Westerdam, you'll be in port for several of those days, which means you'll most likely be doing your own activities of choice off the ship.

 

On the seven-day itineraries, no matter what time of the year you take your cruise, you'll often find a much higher percentage of younger people and families. Those shorter itineraries tend to draw younger people who are still actively employed and can only get away for shorter periods. You'll get more families too.

 

I don't think you'll have a problem enjoying a HAL cruise on the Westerdam, and I doubt very much you'll be the youngest person on the ship.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita