How crowded are HAL ships?

[mcrcruiser]

We have done 2 Trans Atlantic cruises . The last one on Celebrity  from the port of Rome was in 2009  .It was a fabulous crossing with no bad weather & we had a stern balcony for that wonderful 180 degree views  . 

now backing up  we first flew in to Amsterdam to take the Rhine river cruise . These river cruises are so very different than ocean cruises .first ,we have 140 people ,The chef  each day bought fresh produce for dinners .wine & beer was included with lunch & dinner .all the tours each day were included .We enjoyed a French Balcony cabin . My DW won a cucko clock onboard  , hand made  where we visited ine of the tours . 

 

 After seeing amsterdam & taking the  Rhine river cruise  from Amsterdam to Basil Switzerland we stayed at the Hilton in Zurick with side trips on their trains  . We did a lake cruise to see all the Swiss Chalets  .We over looked the alps from a coffee shop  .

 

 After Zurick we flew to Rome for 6 wonderful days of exploring this eternal city 

 

 So the moral is see as much as you can ,enjoy the local food  & entertainment .  Get all the culture you can where ever your travel take you . Life is short &   injuries can also change what you once could do  . So enjoy it all as you can 

 

[OceanFishingFan]

On 2/18/2024 at 1:11 PM, 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 

If you want to stay with category F (that is what we have right now) I did find two category F staterooms on deck 6. The windows face out over the bow of the ship.

 

If Club Orange gives an upgrade to any other Ocean View staterooms, I might go with that.

 

Which sailing are you going to be on? We are also on NA for May 19th north bound. You should consider finding the Roll Call board for your ship and sailing. 

[crystalspin]

6 hours ago, OceanFishingFan said:

If Club Orange gives an upgrade to any other Ocean View staterooms, I might go with that.

Yes it does, but CO is likely sold out for THIS May if that is your sailing.

[KAKcruiser]

I was surprised at how much I liked the Rotterdam since my previous favorites were the smaller R class ships.  I actually found the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam to be more crowded.

[tvl4life]

Much too crowded for us, we will not sail on HAL again as a result.  Thankfully we have a balcony to retreat to!

[rj59]

It all depends on what class of ship. Older Celebrity ships don't feel crowded, but Edge-class ones have more passengers and more public space removed for an expanded Retreat section, and two performance spaces, Eden and the Club, are small and get overflow crowds. Likewise, HAL really depends on class--I'm going on Zaandam in Alaska with 1400 passengers, perfect, but was on Koningsdam in January, 2800 or so, and it felt too crowded for comfort, especially the narrow buffet with reduced seating over older ships.  It also depends on how willing you are to zig when others are zagging--so if you dine at 6-7 and eat at the buffet at 9 am and noon, you'll be in a packed place, and going to early shows as well, or the most popular excursions, like the White Pass Railway. Fortunately, HAL has venues to escape from crowds that Celebrity doesn't, such as a spacious, wraparound outside promenade deck (unless you're going on Koningsdam). That's also a great place for glacier/whale watching and getting exercise. The deck with the music venues, usually 2 on most ships, is fairly quiet during the day, so I have lounges to myself if I want to read and look outside a window. Then the Crow's Nest throughout the day can be quiet, the covered Lido pool deck is usually deserted in the evening, and I can always find a quiet spot in the buffet area in the evening. Most HAL ships are under 2000 passengers, so there will be less crowding and HAL makes it fairly easy to spread out. Having a covered Lido deck makes it far superior to other lines in Alaska, where the pool decks are too cold and windy and wet, so everyone crowds inside.