Quiet Areas on Board

[Shinydiamond]

I’ve been interested in trying a Holland America cruise. I’ve been on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, which I hated because of the crowds and the noise. I’ve been recently traveling on Viking but I want to expand my horizons. 
 

I need a ship that provides a quiet place to get away. I love going to shows and clubs but having a quiet, not crowded place is necessary for me. Does Holland America have those types of places for everyone or do I have to choose a suite for that?

[julia]

Many!!  Loungers on the beautiful promenade deck, Crow's Nest, Ocean Bar lounge during the day, and comfy chairs along large windows leading to the forward theater all come to mind.

[CruiserBruce]

Agree...many. Just takes a little looking around, and may depend on the events of the day.

[Navybikermom]

On the smaller ships (like the Zaandam), the library is a very nice place to sit. Very comfy chairs that look out the windows. The Explorer’s Lounge is nice and quiet during the day, and when the classical duo plays there in the evenings it is quite soothing to the soul. 

[FlaMariner]

Our favorite quiet places on HAL:

 

• the promenade deck
• deck 10 above the pool on Pinnacle Class
• pool lido deck....no loud music playing...we find it somewhat quiet all the time
• the Crows nest
• the top sun deck....forward (rarely anyone up there)
• Ocean Bar
• area around Lincoln Center on older ships and the BBKings lounge when nothing going on
• the sitting area at the thermal suite and the warm loungers (if you buy the thermal suite)

 

 

 

[RuthC]

For quiet places in public areas, where you can sit and commune with the sea, or read, I would choose the smaller HAL ships---not the Pinnacle class. The Pinnacle class doesn't have any place to sit outside and watch the sea, the inside is very dark in most areas, and the ships don't have much in the way of comfortable seats. 

Stick with the R-class ships (Volendam and Zaandam) or the Vista ships. Possibly the Signature class, which is very similar to the Vista class, with one additional deck. 

All those ships have a wide promenade deck, with nice deck chairs for sitting and enjoying the sea. 
They have some inside areas with comfortable chairs for reading, or chatting with others. Unfortunately, most of the inside areas have music playing all the time, but once in a while it's not so loud as to be disturbing. The Sounds of Silence is hard to find, if that is what you are looking for. 

[albingirl]

I have sailed with Pinnacle class ships several times and found there are always quiet nooks onboard. I like the ships since I find them shiny and new with the dutch cafe.

[robotpony]

We were cruising with some friends this summer and one of them needed quiet spaces to write from. One of their most creative finds was the outside tables by the Nami sushi bar before they opened in the evening, and the staff welcomed her while they were setting up for service. The chairs on the way to the MDR on the lower level were also quiet between meal times, and there were a bunch of quiet deck spaces to be found (we're looking forward to the cabanas in a few weeks for some quiet!).

[Shinydiamond]

Thank you for your help I think I’ll book a short cruise in the spring to try it out. 

[Sea42]

52 minutes ago, Shinydiamond said:

Thank you for your help I think I’ll book a short cruise in the spring to try it out. 

That might not be the best idea. Short cruises in spring may coincide with spring breaks which will mean more children onboard.

[FlaMariner]

2 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

That might not be the best idea. Short cruises in spring may coincide with spring breaks which will mean more children onboard.

 

Holland America Line kid passengers are well mannered and quiet.......just like their parents and grandparents.

[faerievert]

Unlike the other large ships, the Rotterdam has an enclosed library with some comfy chairs with blankets to read or watch out the windows. It’s lovely! 💕 

Also a fan of the couch pods above the lido pool area. Those are on all the biggest class, not just the Rotterdam.

Verandah’s on any ship are great for getting alone time outdoors. But as far as I know all ocean view and above room types have at least a small personal couch to sit on in private indoors. Not sure about interiors… those vary more in size/shape.

You might also like the thermal suite. We’ve always paid the extra for that and love relaxing there reading or napping on a what I call a ‘warming tray’ — a shaped heated ceramic lounger with a view of the sea. Divine!

[Shinydiamond]

The thermal suite sounds amazing. Thanks for the suggestion 

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, faerievert said:

Not sure about interiors… those vary more in size/shape.

On Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam, the insides marked with little circle (for being triples) have a long sofa (that 'flips' to make the third bed) that is very close to the long side of the main bed(s). The cabin numbers are 4104 4115 5108 5129 6112 6127 7104 7095 8092 8109. Same thing on the Rotterdam, only numbers are 4102 4113 5108 5129 6112 6127 7104 7095 8092 8111.

 

Here are some pics from our @Vict0riann:

https://halfacts.com/pinnacle-class/5108-koningsdam/

[Steirisch]

For our January 2023 cruise, we booked a cabana for the whole cruise.  At least I'll know where my husband will be.  There are only two people allowed in the Retreat cabanas (except for family cabanas, which allow 4 people--but there are only two of those).  I felt this would be a quiet place to read and relax.  This will be our first time in the Retreat, so hope it's relatively quiet.

[wdw1972]

Generally the Retreat is blissfully quiet.  The exception would be if you have multiple couples traveling together who each book a cabana - then they can get boisterous as the afternoon wears on & the alcohol flows 😉  I book a Retreat cabana every cruise (twice a year) and have really only encountered that once.  People tend to be friendly but respectful of it being a "retreat" and act accordingly.

 

Sue/WDW1972

[Hlitner]

You are talking about HAL!  Most of the ship is quiet :).

 

Hank

[FlaMariner]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

You are talking about HAL!  Most of the ship is quiet :).

 

Hank

 

....Agree...and isn't that why we cruise HAL in the first place!