Returning Cruisers question

[20165]

Hi, we sailed HAL years ago, 90s and early 2000s and were wondering what has changed if anything.  We were in our 20s-30s when we cruised HAL and were definitely the youngest ones on the ship which we actually liked given weren't big partiers.  We also liked the quiet...  We had kids and switched to RCL and NCL over the years, but now that our kids are late teens, we were thinking come going back to HAL with our kids given they are also pretty laid back like we were.  They are 19-17yo and didnt like getting swarmed by young kids on our last cruise.

So, looking at some youtube videos, it looks like there is more of an age mix than what we experienced and the ships definitely look like they have more things to do on board.  I believe the last HAL ship we were on was the Maasdam...  Our last cruise was NCL Getaway over Christmas 2021.  Any info would be greatly appreciated as well as this is a bad idea comments if thats the case.  

thanks

[vicd1969]

Still a pretty mellow experience compared to NCL and RCL. Your kids should do fine on most of the HAL ships, except the 2 oldest ones. Depending on the itinerary and time of year, the reputation of HAL as a ship for senior citizens is overblown. Like all cruise lines, cutbacks will mean it's not fair to compare HAL now with what you experienced on the Maasdam about 20 years ago. You still should get the same level of excellent service from the crew and mostly interesting itineraries outside of 7-day Caribbean sailings. 

 

Had recent sailing with 18, 15, and 13 year old boys in our group and they loved their time on the Rotterdam, even if they didn't really use the Club HAL teen club. They spent most of their evenings playing D&D (like the kids in the TV show Stranger Things), where the deck 10 above the pool is a great venue to do so.

Edited July 28, 2022 by vicd1969
Added info

[doone]

I think your children will enjoy HAL, the Pinnacle Class ships (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam or Rotterdam) would be a good choice as they are newest ships........they have some nice music venues that I think everyone would enjoy. 

Edited July 28, 2022 by doone

[willoL]

4 hours ago, 20165 said:

Hi, we sailed HAL years ago, ...  We also liked the quiet...  ... now that our kids are late teens...19-17yo ...  I believe the last HAL ship we were on was the Maasdam...

@20165 My kids are quite similar in age to yours, our last HAL trip was on the Maasdam when they were of early school age, and we set sail (knock wood & negative COVID test willing) next Wednesday on Nieuw Statendam!

 

Three of the four of us are introverted types, and the traditional atmosphere on HAL suited the kids and myself quite well before. I'll try to tag you if I comment on CC once we return from our voyage. It's a long trip, so I will very definitely know if my teens enjoy the trip by the time we get home. 😄 Introverted does *NOT* mean not-complaining-to-mom.

 

I also write a personal blog. (Just note it isn't all travel posts, but those that are about travel will be tagged as such.)

 

Here's a link to an old post (2017) I wrote about my experience taking younger kids on the Maasdam from Montreal to Boston: http://reallywonderfulthings.me/2017/05/06/cruise-report-hal-maasdam-from-montreal-to-boston-with-elementary-school-aged-kids/

The blog is where I'm most likely to post updates after our trip, though I'm not usually organized enough to post daily or from the ship itself. I'm too busy having my vacation to write about it in real time. 🙂

[USN59-79]

One of the most important considerations is the length of the cruise.  The ambiance on a ship with a 7-day Alaska or Caribbean cruise is totally different from a 15-21 day cruise.  We learned this when we took a 21 day repositioning cruise from Asia to Vancouver and then added a 7-day Alaska cruise to it.  We went from casual, laid back conversations with fellow cruisers to long lines, everybody in a hurry not to miss something, etc.

Ray

[Dallas Glenn]

VICD1969 stated that teens would enjoy interesting itineraries outside of 7 day Caribbean sailings.  We are planning a 7 day Easter Caribbean trip from Ft. Lauderdale in January with our 17 year old.  Are you suggesting that we might not find it interesting?  Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay.  We have not been to any of those places, and plan to explore Ft. Lauderdale, as we have not been there either.

 

Thanks

[Cruise Suzy]

@Dallas Glenn I think that what @vicd1969 meant was that so very many ships sail so the Caribbean itineraries that they are somewhat repetitive. The Mediterranean, Baltic, Iceland/Greenland have less visited routes as do the Grand Voyages. This does not mean you your cruise will not be interesting, especially since you have not visited any of the ports. Many cruisers love the Caribbean ports for diving and snorkeling and return many times. I think there is something of interest at all your ports.

[doone]

10 hours ago, Dallas Glenn said:

VICD1969 stated that teens would enjoy interesting itineraries outside of 7 day Caribbean sailings.  We are planning a 7 day Easter Caribbean trip from Ft. Lauderdale in January with our 17 year old.  Are you suggesting that we might not find it interesting?  Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay.  We have not been to any of those places, and plan to explore Ft. Lauderdale, as we have not been there either.

 

Thanks

Great itinerary, but what ship will you be sailing?

[20165]

Thanks everyone for the info.  We talked to our kids last night and they are excited about trying another cruise line.  I should have shared what cruise we were considering in my original post.  We are looking at either a southern or eastern cruise over thanksgiving this year. Amsterdam or Statendam.  We are all divers so we are leaning toward eastern given it gives us more ports to dive at, however, we may not be able to fly in a day before, friday, and that is always a requirement.  We never fly in the day of the cruise.  Waaaay to stressful.

thanks again

[doone]

34 minutes ago, 20165 said:

Thanks everyone for the info.  We talked to our kids last night and they are excited about trying another cruise line.  I should have shared what cruise we were considering in my original post.  We are looking at either a southern or eastern cruise over thanksgiving this year. Amsterdam or Statendam.  We are all divers so we are leaning toward eastern given it gives us more ports to dive at, however, we may not be able to fly in a day before, friday, and that is always a requirement.  We never fly in the day of the cruise.  Waaaay to stressful.

thanks again

I have to say that is probably one of my favorite caribbean itineraries and I would definately choose the Nieuw Statendam vs. the Nieuw Amsterdam simply because its one of their newest ships.....I think this ship would serve you all best.  I have sailed the Nieuw Amsterdam and I loved it, but there is something about the Pinnacle Class ships (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam) that I love.  They have a Grand Dutch Cafe which gives you another food option for breakfast, lunch or just a quick snack, not to mention a great cappuccino.  I really enjoyed their music walk venues, BBKings, Rolling Rock Room for some great rock n roll and the dueling piano's were awesome as well IMHO of course.  

 

Also Sunday, July 31st at 9 pm EST, on the Smithsonian Channel, the Nieuw Statendam will be showcased on the Mighty Ship segment.  This will give you a great overview of the ship and all it has to offer.

 

Bottom line, don't sweat the small stuff, go and have a great time............

 

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by doone

[Dallas Glenn]

We will be on Niew Statendam on Jan 7th.  We also saw a few video tours on YouTube.  We are looking forward to it.