Mariner Status and Age

[FlaMariner]

17 hours ago, Charlene1985 said:

I'm just curious how old you were when you hit your 2 star 3 star, 4 star, and 5 star milestones?

 

Great question....her royal highness and I were just calculating that we are on track to make 4 "free laundry" stars next year.

 

Here is our history in climbing the Mariner ladder......which we consider one of life's greatest achievements!!!!!  LOL.

 

2003 ONE Star age 39/37

2012 TWO Star age 48/46

2018 THREE Star age 54/52

2023 FOUR Star age 59/57 (based on booked future cruises)

20?? FIVE Star (hopefully we make it or we will die trying!)

 

Good luck to all as you increase your stars and enjoy those 'dam ships.........

[richwmn]

My first cruise was 9/00, 7 day Western Caribbean.

When the 'Star' program began I was given 2 * status.

3* Came 12/10

4* Came 11/15

5* will come 10/22

All sailing in outside cabins and mostly solo.

[robotpony]

First cruise was this summer @ 49 years old, but we should hit ⭐️⭐️ with our November Caribbean plans! We're hoping that we'll be up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ next year with a longish YVR→Hawaii and Iberian Coast trips.

[rafinmd]

I'm running to the other end of the scale, being relatively late to both cruising and HAL.

 

First ever night at sea: Alaska ferry Matanuska: 7/91, age 48

First HAL: 1997, Age 54

2-star 8/11, Age 68

3-star 8/13, Age 70

4 star 2/15, Age 71

I would have turned 5-star 9/20 Age 77 but for Covid.  God willing, I will finally get there in November at age 79.

 

Roy

[kazu]

What an interesting thread.

 

OP, I don’t care how many stars a fellow cruiser has and I have not met too many (there are exceptions and ill mannered people) who do.  I just enjoy the company of my fellow travellers.

 

this is a tough question - 1st cruise on HAL 1988 where I met life long friends.

 

sailed on other lines and then life and University costs for son,  house and expenses got in the way.  Got back to cruising in the early 2000’s and IIRC DH and I were 3* before 2010.  4* in 2011.  And I think 5* was in 2013 for me & the next cruise for DH.

 

Remember those life long friends I met in on board so long ago?  They were on the Prinsendam with us when we both received our silver medallions.  Captain Dag was kind enough to have a special pic taken of the 4 of us together - we started sailing HAL at the same time and got our silvers on the same cruise.  Coincidence? I think not - fate 🙂 

[crystalspin]

7 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

Great question....

Good luck to all as you increase your stars and enjoy those 'dam ships.........

@Charlene1985

I usually skip the surveys and open-ended vague questions "Why do you cruise?" et al. But yours caused me to draw up my cruise history where I saw that it was TEN YEARS between my first and second HAL cruises and five until my third. After that about one per year until 2019. Interesting to reflect on that!

[jeh10641]

From what I have read on this thread, I may have started on HAL before anybody else. I was not yet 18 in June 1959 when, on a student tour to Europe, I sailed on the 1938 edition of Nieuw Amsterdam (8 nights, NYC to Rotterdam). Returned to NYC via the SS Constitution (American Export Line) from Genoa.

 

Next cruise was on the same HAL ship in December 1966 with my parents (age 25, recently added to my point total because I had photos of that trip).

 

Flash forward to 2012 (age 71, Westerdam, Panama Canal, Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle with my wife and her sister in an inside cabin).

 

Next HAL trip was 2016, Rome to Ft. Lauderdale on Oosterdam (age 75). I reached 3 stars in December 2021 on Rotterdam at age 80.

 

My wife and I also sailed on Costa Riviera (Caribbean) in Aug. 1989 with my parents, our son, my brother and his wife.

 

We have done one Royal cruise (2008, Barcelona to Florida, Navigator of the Seas) and will be on our second RCCL (Anthem of the Seas) in October 2023 from Southampton to Bayonne.

 

Jim

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Like @RuthC . DH and I were 4 star in 2009 when the star system was instituted, and we were 5 star when that level was added.  Our first HAL cruise was a 25 day b2b in 1998 when I was 51 and DH was 55.

[rocksteady27]

3*, started sailing with HAL in 2018. Got points quickly from staying in suites and onboard spending.

 

DS is still a teen and I’m in my early 40s.

 

I love sailing on HAL and plan to continue once the kid goes to college. Would love to do some longer itineraries and continue towards 4* and 5*

[kapear]

We started cruising HAL when I was 39, in 2009,  with my parents and grandparents. I am 22 points away from 4* with 2 week long cruises booked. Maybe if we spend enough, I can make it to 4 * by the end of 2024.  I'm looking forward to the free laundry! We've also cruised NCL, Celebrity and Princess      ( Elite on Princess). . 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We are elite on Princess and Carnival.

But since 2016 we only sail on Holland except for family cruises on Royal are PC on Holland both of us are 68.

[Dismomx5]

I had to go and look it up. 

🌟First HAL cruise Zuiderdam 2014 - 60yo

🌟🌟Third HAL cruise Koningsdam 2018 - 64yo

🌟🌟🌟Fifth HAL cruise Zuiderdam 2020 - 66yo

I have a long way to get to 🌟🌟🌟🌟 but I have the cruises booked to get there. LOL 

 

[Greysandy]

We hit 4* after our cruise last December, at age 52.

[HALrunner]

My son was 4 star at 5 years old. I was 4 star before 40 and am hoping for 5 by 50. 

[MISTER 67]

We were 51 when we took our first HAL cruise in 1997, we are now 76 and made it to 4 stars last March. We will probably never get to 5 stars as we also like to sail on Celebrity and Princess taking 3 or 4 cruises a year.

Edited September 23, 2022 by MISTER 67

[Cinder Again]

I just hit 5* at 69, but can I get extra credit if two of my grandparents emigrated to the USA on Hal ships in 1905? 😂. It seems like I was born to sail…

[CNSJ]

36 day transpacific should put us to 4 star after 15 years of cruising....

Look forward to free laundry and the 50% discounts on wine packages, coffees, and speciality dining.  As light drinkers this will mean I don't need to buy HIA packages.  

 

It would be nice if HAL gave us all a (let's just say....) 20 credit bump to make up for the cruises we booked but they had to cancel due to COVID.  Good will goes a long way.

 

 

[Mary229]

21 minutes ago, CNSJ said:

It would be nice if HAL gave us all a (let's just say....) 20 credit bump to make up for the cruises we booked but they had to cancel due to COVID.  Good will goes a long way.

 

Only if you want to give them the money for those cruises😉

[abbyoro]

I'm 57 and will reach 4 star next month!  Love Hal.

[whogo]

1* in 1999, if the star program was around then

2* in 2007

3* in 2011

4* in 2018

25 day pin in 2007

Bronze-ish medallion in 2015

[galipemi]

This is a fascinating exercise.

 

I took my first HAL cruise in 2008 at the age of 26.

 

Made ⭐⭐  in 2010 at 28yo actually during my birthday that year

 

Made ⭐⭐⭐  in 2011 at 29yo just after my birthday

 

On track for ⭐⭐⭐⭐ in early 2023 at 41yo  (unless I can somehow manage 38 points on my 7 day cruise this year!)

[Darlirious]

My first HAL cruise was in 2000 when I was 25.

 

I don’t know when I became a 2 or 3 star Mariner but I believe my first 4* Mariner cruise happened in March 2020 on the Nieuw Statendam. So I was 45 when that happened.

[leerathje]

lol....We started cruising quite late!

 

First cruise, January 2019, 9 day Caribbean aboard the Koningsdam, 52 years old

2nd cruise, March 2020 7 day Mexican Riviera aboard the Oosterdam, 53 years old (right before COVID)

3rd cruise, March 2022, 7 day Mexican Riviera aboard the Koningsdam, 55 years old

 

On our most recent cruise, we received our 2 star pins halfway through the cruise, and my husband proudly wore his to dinner every night after they were received! 

 

L.

 

[carmen3500]

First cruise was aboard the sparkling new Koningsdam on 2016, when we were 38 years old. Since then, we are now 3 star Mariners and waiting to receive our bronze medal very soon. It is very curious how you get hooked to cruising and Holland America when you try it for the first time. We have sailed since then MSC and Princess, and they don't compare to the quality and service Holland America offers.

Edited September 27, 2022 by carmen3500

[SeaCapt]

First HAL cruise in 1987 at 24 years old.

It was 2001 before I made 2 star, as we cruised a lot of different lines back then.

Made 3 star in 2002, then 4 star in 2007.

Took a 10-year break from HAL, restarted in 2019.

Received the Silver Medallion last year, but probably another couple years before 5 star.