How crowded are HAL ships?

[mcrcruiser]

On 2/18/2024 at 11:46 AM, crystalspin said:

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

My bad Crystal .Yes club Orange is available fleet wide however only the Pinnacle class ships of holland America have the smaller dining room ;where as the other ships you still dine in the MDR

[mcrcruiser]

Essentailly ,stay away from when school kids are out of school . If HAL offers kids sail free or discounted expect a huge crowd of kids . Otherwise you should be ok  .Christmas time ,Thanksgiving  ie are tpical holiday periods to avoid HAL ships .Even summers cab be iffy if HAL is  offering special deals for kids

Edited February 19 by mcrcruiser

[albingirl]

22 hours ago, crystalspin said:

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!

Agree.  I just booked a cruise pretty far out and got one of the last Club Orange reservations.  It's become very popular, for obvious reasons.

[Godsonsafari]

On 2/17/2024 at 12:53 PM, 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. 

 

I took Celebrity on the Summit last May and have been on 3 Holland America cruises since 2022 in both Vista and Pinnacle class vessels. I would say to you that most ships will feel somewhat crowded at peak times, but the Pinnacle class ship I was just on (Nieuw Statendam) probably felt the least crowded of the bunch. Finding places to sit well in advance (20+ minutes) for live music venues was generally a good rule in the evening, but the pool deck would usually be empty. We didn't dare brave the breakfast buffet, but between the dining room, Grand Dutch Cafe, Dive-In, and New York Pizza/Bagels, we didn't feel as though we missed out on anything and were able to be served fairly efficiently and quickly while getting high quality food. Zuiderdam was on par with the Summit, and the trip on Westerdam was still when the boats were not yet at 100% occupancy.

 

[OlsSalt]

1 hour ago, ScottC4746 said:

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.

 

HAL is known to be a more quiet cruise line. In a few years (decades?) this may well appeal to you. Probably not now. Though HAL's four newer and larger ships are very different - far more active.

 

The smaller HAL ships are chosen more for their travel itineraries and access to so many more unusual ports. A value cruise line for travelers primarily. 

[quilty964]

We just got off of the Nieuw Statendam.  I don't know how full the ship was, but I'm guessing it was pretty much booked.  There were some kids, younger and older, and they all seemed to be having fun.  The Lido Buffet was crowded at lunch time, some days it was hard to find a seat.  Breakfast and dinner were much different there.  (We only ate at the buffet area)  The other issue was finding someplace to sit on sea days.  We like shady spots, and they were hard to find.  We had a wonderful time though!  

[amandas friend]

We are older so the quieter the better. 

[OlsSalt]

We had to trek all over the Konigsdam looking for a quiet space (no piped in music mainly) and finally found one part of the Upper Deck Crows Nest, but I think it got taken over now by an art class lab.  

 

So the larger HAL ships remain one and done for us. But as other observe, lots of people were enjoying the far more noisy fun on these ships. 

[Shalandara]

4 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

HAL is known to be a more quiet cruise line. In a few years (decades?) this may well appeal to you. Probably not now. Though HAL's four newer and larger ships are very different - far more active.

 

The smaller HAL ships are chosen more for their travel itineraries and access to so many more unusual ports. A value cruise line for travelers primarily. 

Actually that quiet nature was what appealed to us in our twenties as honeymooners and has kept us returning 30 years later.  Then again I have never actually fit into most stereotypes. 

[Khlela]

14 hours ago, Shalandara said:

Actually that quiet nature was what appealed to us in our twenties as honeymooners and has kept us returning 30 years later.  Then again I have never actually fit into most stereotypes. 

Same for us! Went on a HAL cruise for my honeymoon at 21 years old. LOVED it! Has kept bringing me back. Going again in June after my 39th birthday. 

I feel like it reallly isn't about age, just about the individual. If you want late night party/activities with a screen by the pool blaring music or movies, then HAL isn't for you. I'll go to RC if that is what I want. I go on HAL for the laid back and more calm atmosphere. 

[ellieanne]

I find it really depends. Some totally full cruises do not feel crowded, while some that are not nearly full seem like you can never find space.
I find the Zuiderdam-Class ships to feel the most crowded, but that has more to do with the layout and use of space than how many passengers are on the ship. I always feel a bit crowded on those ships.
The use of space & layout issues were corrected on the Eurodam-Class, and I feel there is more space on those ships. It's really a very nice layout, with plenty of space for passengers.
My favorite are the R-Class ships (Zaandam), and I rarely felt crowded on those. The little bit of extra space over the S-Class made them so much better for passenger comfort.

But it really does depend on the ship and the numbers of passengers, and how much what you want to do co-incides with what everyone onboard else wants to do and when they want to do it. That said, I have always been able ti find a favorite spot for each cruise...and it's different for each cruise. This last cruise on the Zaandam, my preferred spot was either a table for 6 on the starboard side of the Lido, or the couches by the bar in the Crow's Nest. Except for the last (unscheduled sea) day, it was always easy to stake out my favorite spot for a while each day.

[cruise4mom]

I have sailed Carnival, Royal Caribbean, HAL, Celebrity, and Princess. I found Carnival and Royal to be way too crowded for me. Our last Celebrity cruise last year was

crowded. It also seemed that they placed all the activities in the smallest bar area. Princess seems to be able to spread things out.

if there is something in the Atrium it can get a bit tight. 

[amandas friend]

The two cruises we have taken on Celebrity were crowded but the low point of our last cruise in October was the food. Very few options and taste was mediocre 

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 2/18/2024 at 3:00 PM, threebluestars said:

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.

 

I was just on Zaandam, and I had the same reaction. The ship was fully booked, but it didn't feel that way. 

 

I was nearly always the only one in an elevator. The longest Lido line I saw (except for "cake me away") was five people at a salad station. I eat most breakfasts and lunches at the Lido. I like to eat out by the pool. I was always able to find a table out there. Sometimes, even one by the windows. Yes, loungers at the Lido pool were claimed and guarded all day on sea days, but tables were never full. Deck chairs on Promenade were usually full too, although I was able to get one and camp out on it on one of our sea days. 

 

Walking around inside, I saw plenty of places to just sit and look out the window or read. Near Mix, there are 3 or 4 pairs of chairs by the windows, and I never saw more than two people there. The library was busy and the recliners facing the window were claimed early and guarded all day. Ironically, there were more people congregating and talking in the library than in other indoor areas. 

 

One surprising thing is how many tables were available at early fixed dining. That's usually a desirable time, but I never saw upstairs full then. Perhaps moving it up to 5:00 has driven people to open dining. 

[Susanmaz]

OlsSalt - I agree with you. One cruise on the Konigsdam, and we found it too crowded, with too many passengers and no place to sit to take a break. We have decided to not sail a Pinnacle class ship.

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

Gosh, it is SO dependent on the itinerary and the time of year.

 

We are recently off the Nieuw Statendam, and we found it very crowded and very noisy. But in all fairness, this was a 7-night Caribbean cruise in February with lots and lots of northerners who are escaping the cold and are ready to party. Peace and quiet did not seem to be part of their vacation plans.

 

On lengthier voyages, we've found the overall vibe to be a good deal more mellow, even when the ship was full.

 

Best to take it all with a grain of salt, along with the knowledge that cruising continues to grow - rapidly - in popularity. Perhaps the days of "less crowded" are behind us....i.e. that ship has sailed!

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 hours ago, Susanmaz said:

OlsSalt - I agree with you. One cruise on the Konigsdam, and we found it too crowded, with too many passengers and no place to sit to take a break. We have decided to not sail a Pinnacle class ship.

 

I found Koningsdam more crowded than other HAL ships I've been on, and I've sailed in all the classes. Yes, the Pinnacle ships are the largest, but HAL really packs people in. 

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I found Koningsdam more crowded than other HAL ships I've been on, and I've sailed in all the classes. Yes, the Pinnacle ships are the largest, but HAL really packs people in. 

I agree with what @Palms2Pines2Seasaid: it depends on the itinerary and time of year. During school holidays ships are much more crowded, even if there aren't many kids onboard. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

11 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

I agree with what @Palms2Pines2Seasaid: it depends on the itinerary and time of year. During school holidays ships are much more crowded, even if there aren't many kids onboard. 

 

I've done a lot of Caribbean cruises, none during school holidays. I sailed on K'dam twice, and both times it felt more crowded than other ships at similar times and itineraries. 

[albingirl]

For what it's worth, and I'm sure not much, we find the transatlantics to feel the least crowded of all.  I know they don't sail full sometimes, but it's a totally different vibe.  Seasoned travelers who are intent on seeing as much of the world as they can, and resting in between.  That's us!

[BermudaBound2014]

I Am currently on the Koningsdam and it feels more crowded than both ships I sailed on last month. One which holds 6,000 passenger’s and the other 4,000 passengers. 
 

IMO this ship is poorly designed to move crowds. The venues for evening entertainment in music hall are literally back to back and crowded because there aren’t many choices in things to do.  The lido buffet is also poorly designed, and the top decks are full of weird dead ends preventing smooth transitions. 
 

Im having a great cruise, but in terms of functionality, the physical design of the Koningsdam makes it one of my least favorite ships. 

[amandas friend]

Thanks. I hope NA is more functional 

[cruisemom42]

On 2/27/2024 at 12:31 PM, albingirl said:

For what it's worth, and I'm sure not much, we find the transatlantics to feel the least crowded of all.  I know they don't sail full sometimes, but it's a totally different vibe.  Seasoned travelers who are intent on seeing as much of the world as they can, and resting in between.  That's us!

 

Your perception of TAs is so different from mine, lol. I did my first TA in November on NS. Yes, it did not seem overly crowded, but I wouldn't say I felt it was full of seasoned travelers. I was surprised (and dismayed?) by how many people I met onboard had flown over to Europe just a single day ahead of time to get on the cruise! Seems like a sin to make such a long trip and not spend any time in Italy. (And the cruise itself had only 4 ports in 14 days.)

 

In the past I never would have considered a TA due to limited time off from work. If I was going to take off two weeks from work, I wanted to spend those two weeks IN Italy (or Greece, or England....) NOT on a ship. I guess that would be more my definition of a seasoned traveler. 😂

 

I enjoyed the TA, don't get me wrong. Just -- very different perception.

[albingirl]

4 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Your perception of TAs is so different from mine, lol. I did my first TA in November on NS. Yes, it did not seem overly crowded, but I wouldn't say I felt it was full of seasoned travelers. I was surprised (and dismayed?) by how many people I met onboard had flown over to Europe just a single day ahead of time to get on the cruise! Seems like a sin to make such a long trip and not spend any time in Italy. (And the cruise itself had only 4 ports in 14 days.)

 

In the past I never would have considered a TA due to limited time off from work. If I was going to take off two weeks from work, I wanted to spend those two weeks IN Italy (or Greece, or England....) NOT on a ship. I guess that would be more my definition of a seasoned traveler. 😂

 

I enjoyed the TA, don't get me wrong. Just -- very different perception.

Yes, I agree with your comment about hopping on a cruise without spending some time in the area you've arrived.  I cannot imagine jumping on a cruise without a few days, at least, in a foreign city to immerse myself in the whole culture, eating, dining, and so on. My transatlantics have been very long cruises, so that may be the difference that I am talking about.  I'm not working so I have the luxury of such long trips occasionally.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, albingirl said:

Yes, I agree with your comment about hopping on a cruise without spending some time in the area you've arrived.  I cannot imagine jumping on a cruise without a few days, at least, in a foreign city to immerse myself in the whole culture, eating, dining, and so on. My transatlantics have been very long cruises, so that may be the difference that I am talking about.  I'm not working so I have the luxury of such long trips occasionally.

 

I look at a transatlantic as transportation with benefits. Most of our TAs were westbound after time in the UK. Once DH retired, we could fly over, spend the time in the UK, and enjoy the extra week (once upon a time it was 5 days on QE2) sailing. 

 

But I do TAs on Cunard, where there's lots to do, and "getting there is half the fun," as their old ad campaign used to say. Because Cunard does so many TAs, it's possible to do a B2B, and a lot of people do that to enjoy the sea days. Friends who are still working and have limited time off have done several crossings. Fly over one day before and then sail home. Seven relaxing days at sea. That isn't for me. For all the times I've been to the UK, I can't say been there done that and just get on a ship to go home. I need a week there, at least.