How crowded are HAL ships?

[amandas friend]

I have been on two Celebrity cruises. Both times the venues sometimes seemed crowded. I have been on two HAL cruises but not in several years but I believe they didn’t ever seem crowded. We are going to Alaska in early May. TIA for any opinions. 

[ReaganRachelle]

I'm not an expert like most of the folks who post here - I've been on 3  HAL cruises, each one on a different pinnacle class ship. Prior to HAL, we've cruised on Princess twice and Royal Caribbean once. RC was the worst for crowds. It was a much bigger ship (Allure of the Seas), but oh my goodness, it was often chaotic. I recall spending a lot of time wandering around trying to find a good spot to lounge in the sun. The public areas were packed. Disembarkation was so tedious.

 

HAL, on the other hand, has never been like that. Granted, we were only on pinnacle ships, which are larger. I don't know if it's because HAL's demographic usually means fewer children running around, or if there's something about their space ratio, but the vibe is so much more calm and relaxing. Once we switched, we've never looked back. We are looking forward to boarding the Rotterdam again a week from now.

[kazu]

Generally speaking, I have found the Pinnacle Class ships more crowded than the other classes.

 

Keep in mind I am talking in terms of HAL.  None of the ships are usually crowded except at a peak time like Christmas, spring break, etc when there are bound to be more families and children (which add to the count).

[REOVA]

It will seem crowded at lunch, dinner (depending on time) and some venues (depending on ship). Get to World stage and music venues early for shows and seating that you want. Early or late meals are less crowded as most people eat at same time in between (for anytime, if you have set time, you already have a table otherwise may have a wait). Staff and kitchen can get hectic when busy, especially on Pinnacle ships (recommend Club Orange on those). Otherwise around the ship it shouldn't feel crowded. Pool areas may be busy on sea days (and HAL does have chair hogs as well 😉). Overall a more relaxed experience. 

[albingirl]

Depends. If you generally like people, it won't seem crowded. But, if you get annoyed easily, it's going to feel crowded, especially when in line for dinner or guest services. Go with the flow and you will be ok. The huge ships are a crowd nightmare. Not HAL.

[Btimmer]

We were recently on the Oosterdam South America & Antarctica cruise and the ship sailed at capacity.  The LIDO was generally crowded for breakfast and lunch and occasionally for dinner.  The Main Stage was very crowded and one had to get there 1/2 hour or more ahead of time for a choice of seats.  They even broadcast some of the presentations into the Rolling Stone Lounge and/or staterooms.

 

Immediately preceding it, we were on the Grand South America cruise on the Zaandam which only had 900 guests out of 1400 capacity.  It was wonderful!

[OlsSalt]

One area that rarely feels crowded on HAL ships are the elevators.  More often than not, one does not even need to share an elevator, except when coming back to the ship after a port stop. But during most daily activities, rarely a wait and never (never say never)  a crowd.  

 

Learn where the other elevator banks are on the ship, so you can avoid a crowd  the elevator bank directly located next to the showroom when an event lets out. Crowds usually build at the start of early dining in the main dining room, or the first hour for breakfast or lunch at the Lido buffet. Wait a while, and things are much more accessible.

[crystalspin]

4 hours ago, amandas friend said:

I have been on two HAL cruises but not in several years but I believe they didn’t ever seem crowded. We are going to Alaska in early May. TIA for any opinions. 

We have sailed on every class of HAL ships except the Prinsendam! I have always found them roomy and marvelled at how skillfully the venues were arranged, so that there was always somewhere to go to fit our mood. (To get away from Trivia, say!)

[YourWorldWithBill]

We never felt too crowded on our HAL cruises on ships of different classes. 

But on another note: you definitely chose the best line for an Alaskan cruise! HAL has been going to Alaska far longer than any other cruise line, and there are certain benefits to that.

[cruisingrob21]

Been on all the classes of HAL ships.  R class ships are probably the least crowded in all scenarios (maybe during peak meal times in the buffet, or on deck when its sunny, or embarkation/disembarkation in a port), but they are also smaller than other the other classes.  The vista class ships occasionally have crowds and the signature ships may feel a smidge more crowded than vista.  The Pinnacle ships seem to handle their crowds a bit better than the vista/signature, but there are more people for not that much bigger of ship.

 

Overall, you'll find HAL ships are less crowded in most instances.  Part of that is there are less activity "magnets' during the day and nights.  Another way to look at it is that Princess, X, and RC all have a few large venues for events.  HAL has a large stage on most ships, and a secondary performance lounge and that's generally it - there are many more "independent activity" areas on board that seem to pull some crowds away.

[dockman]

Could it also be with an older demographic that HAL passengers may well spend more time in their rooms rather than public areas?  I sure don't go out nearly as much as my younger days and as more of my favorite places to spend time like on a nice wide prom deck  or a nice library disappear I likely do spend more time in my room.  Big events with loads of people don't appeal to me these days.  I have also gotten better and better at adjusting my times so not to hit the lido, dining rooms  etc at peak hours.  Save yourself a lot of aggravation by going early or late.

 

Anyway...i generally do seem to feel less crowded on HAL than Princess and other lines and have my own strategies to better enjoy my cruise with minimal standing in line etc.

[mcrcruiser]

We select Club Orange upgrade stateroom & the Club Orange smaller restaurant . The smaller restaurant  gives a feeling of dining on a smaller ship .This club Orange is only available on the Pinnacle class ships cin the fleet ;which are presently 3 ships .Koningsdam ,Statendam &  Rotterdam .to upfgrade it is $30 per day per couple on 14day  or longer cruises & under 14 days $50 per day per couple . The cabin upgrade is well worth the money 

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

This club Orange is only available on the Pinnacle class ships cin the fleet ;which are presently 3 ships .

Correction: the Club Orange RESTAURANT is only available on Pinnacle ships. The program with varied benefits is fleet-wide.

[threebluestars]

The only time I noticed crowds was in the buffet at breakfast and dinner.

 

There were times walking around the ship - on sea days - when I was thinking "Where IS everyone?" and we had a full ship.

[Khlela]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:53 AM, amandas friend said:

I have been on two Celebrity cruises. Both times the venues sometimes seemed crowded. I have been on two HAL cruises but not in several years but I believe they didn’t ever seem crowded. We are going to Alaska in early May. TIA for any opinions. 

Alaska in early May will not be busy at all. Alaskan cruise already don’t feel as crowded and busy as warm weather cruises. HAL is also not a party ship and Alaska is a far more laid back cruise. Most people are on their balconies, lounging in the spa, enjoying the crows nest. And being earlier in the season and during the school year helps reduce the chaos as well.

 

i think you will find it beautiful, peaceful and calm. Which ship will you be on? I’m doing my third Alaskan cruise with HAL this June. Previously went in mid May and once late April. 

[amandas friend]

1 hour ago, crystalspin said:

Correction: the Club Orange RESTAURANT is only available on Pinnacle ships. The program with varied benefits is fleet-wide.

Thanks. We have a F category ocean view on NA. As far as I can tell, there are not many of them and they are on main deck next to the theater. So Club Orange probably would not offer an upgrade to a better stateroom since there are only a few F staterooms. 

[amandas friend]

45 minutes ago, Khlela said:

Alaska in early May will not be busy at all. Alaskan cruise already don’t feel as crowded and busy as warm weather cruises. HAL is also not a party ship and Alaska is a far more laid back cruise. Most people are on their balconies, lounging in the spa, enjoying the crows nest. And being earlier in the season and during the school year helps reduce the chaos as well.

 

i think you will find it beautiful, peaceful and calm. Which ship will you be on? I’m doing my third Alaskan cruise with HAL this June. Previously went in mid May and once late April. 

 

[amandas friend]

We are on the NA. Got HIA but not Orange Club as we are in a F stateroom and they appear few in number and all on main deck next to showroom. So I don’t think the upgrade would not be a factor. Thanks 

[crystalspin]

13 minutes ago, amandas friend said:

We are on the NA. Got HIA but not Orange Club as we are in a F stateroom and they appear few in number and all on main deck next to showroom. So I don’t think the upgrade would not be a factor. Thanks 

You can upgrade to any cabin in the same mega-category, in your case any available OceanView. 

[amandas friend]

True. But it looks like there are only 10-12 F stateroom and they all together on main deck. Thanks 

[cbr663]

Our first Alaska sailing was on the Volendam in 2014 in late April.  It was the first sailing of the season.  The ship wasn't full and as it was sailing midweek we were the only ship in the ports.  It was a wonderful cruise.  Our 2nd best, topped only by our Norway cruise.

 

Our second sailing to Alaska was on the Koningsdam in May of last year and the ship sailed full.  It was crowded.  We left Vancouver on the weekend and in every port we were joined with 3 or 4 other mainstream cruise lines.  The ports were very crowded with cruise passengers.  It was the worst of cruise travel on display.

 

My understanding is that cruise demand is still high and if I were sailing to Alaska in May of this year I would go prepared for a full ship and crowded ports.

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, amandas friend said:

True. But it looks like there are only 10-12 F stateroom and they all together on main deck. Thanks 

With Club Orange, you do not have to stay in an F oceanview, but any C, D, E for the same fare. It looks like even a CQ on Panorama Deck 10! But there are only 4 of them so probably sold out. You could even have booked a HH totally obstructed OV and moved to a better location!

 

Just something to keep in mind. CO is capacity-controlled, and by the time I figured it out, it's not available on any of my cruises!

[amandas friend]

Is that really true? The HAL website says the upgrade is only in the category you have. Thank you 

[*Miss G*]

18 minutes ago, amandas friend said:

Is that really true? The HAL website says the upgrade is only in the category you have. Thank you 

 

The category (known as the meta-category) is Ocean-View.  It is then broken down into lettered sub-categories, ie C, D, DD, E, F, etc.  You can choose any of those lettered sub-categories (C, D, etc) within the meta category (Ocean-View).

 

Edited February 19 by *Miss G*

[ScottC4746]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:53 AM, amandas friend said:

I have been on two Celebrity cruises. Both times the venues sometimes seemed crowded. I have been on two HAL cruises but not in several years but I believe they didn’t ever seem crowded. We are going to Alaska in early May. TIA for any opinions. 

We were on Holland Eurodam April 2019 coming from RCCL.  We found many of the events and activities poorly attended, which was a plus for us.  The buffet we felt was crowded and what seemed to be "first time buffet users".  In the evenings the lounges were very quiet as far as crowd.

 

I was 54 and DH was 47 at the time.  While we had nothing but great things to say about HAL, we felt we were just a tad young by a few years.  It seemed like on our cruise, people turned in by 9 PM.

 

Season also comes into play with school holidays and seasons.  I am sure if we took it in the summer, things would have been different than.