New Years Aboard a Cruise ship

[We2Cruzers]

We're contemplating a holiday cruise this year and was wondering if anyone can provide feedback on what we might expect. If you've been on a cruise (particulary with HAL) during the holidays and would like to share your feedback, I'd be really interested.

Thanks,

LK

[kryos]

We're contemplating a holiday cruise this year and was wondering if anyone can provide feedback on what we might expect. If you've been on a cruise (particulary with HAL) during the holidays and would like to share your feedback, I'd be really interested.

Thanks,

LK

Never cruised over the holidays, but I hope you realize that there will be a lot of kids aboard a holiday cruise.

 

Not saying that's a bad thing ... just something you might want to be aware of.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Linda&Vern]

We're contemplating a holiday cruise this year and was wondering if anyone can provide feedback on what we might expect. If you've been on a cruise (particulary with HAL) during the holidays and would like to share your feedback, I'd be really interested.

Thanks,

LK

Cruised Christmas & New Years in '04 on the Maasdam (11-day). While there were children, there were not near the number I was afraid there would be from reading here. I think the 11-day versus a 7-day may have a bearing on children passengers. Also cruised in '05 for Thanksgiving on the Maasdam (10-day) and children were not a problem. Again 10-day versus a 7-day may be the difference. :p Our opinion is that CRUISING is the perfect stress-free holiday. If that's what you are looking for, you will enjoy!

 

Linda & Vern

Cruising for Christmas again this year!

[kakalina]

As long as the cruise you choose is over 10 days you generally won't find alot of children on it. We have sailed on holidays before and find it a wonderful time.

I haven't sailed on New Years as scenes from the Poseiden Adventure tend to run through my head.

[Juanita462]

We cruised with last holiday season and were aboard for Christmas and New Years. The ports were great as it was New Zealand and Australia but otherwise it was disappointing. We paid more than double just because it was a holiday and while the decorations were excellent, the food was very poor. Christmas day we had turkey roll, which I sent back and one woman left on her plate - no stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy or any dessert that was in any way usual for the holidays. At the price we paid we were definitely expecting a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The only concession was a free glass of champagne which we don't drink so we got nothing. They promised us carols around the ship but all we got was a few crew members singing at the beginning of the meals for a few days. They were enthusiastic but singers they were not.

 

I think the children fared better - we saw them in a parade with Santa and it looked as though each child received a gift. We didn't attend any of the New Year's events and never heard any raves from people who did so I can't comment on them. I'm sure there were parties going on in all the lounges.

 

There were about 100 children on board but you would never know it - they were almost invisible and mostly well behaved. The only problem was around the pool and hot tubs plus a few were unattended when they roamed the ship causing other pax some concern.

 

Would I do it again? Definitely not - mostly because we missed the family but also because it was not good value for the money.

[AlohaPride]

I'll let you know once we get off the Noordam's Inaugural Christmas Sailing this Dec. :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. Prices just dropped, only 1278 pp for a VF! :D

[dakrewser]

We welcomed in the new millenium (12/31/00) aboard ship in the harbor at Piraeus - there was dancing, champagne and a great time had by all. See our pictures here. (scroll to the bottom of the page for the New Year's Eve pix, but also notice the Christmas decorations in the others.)

[bdcbbq]

We sailed the Veendam over the 2003-2003 New Year's holiday. There were some families with kids but they weren't out of line or any big problem. The crew was great. NYE day was in Jamacia but we were back on the ship midafternoon and on our way. New Year's Eve was a big party, but it settled down around 1:00 a.m. It was formal night and Jan 1 was a sea day which was very nice. Plenty of time to relax for the day and then get dressed up for the evening. There was free champagne passed around during the hour before midnight. We were on a Western Caribbean cruise.

[Copper10-8]

We've done New Year's cruises on Nieuw Amsterdam, Veendam, Zuiderdam, Ryndam, Zaandam, on two Princess ships and we're booked on Oosterdam for this year. In our opinion HAL does it the best and it sure is a great way to ring in the new year with no worries about drunk drivers and rocket scientists shooting guns in the air:rolleyes: . HAL's ships have parties, music and decorations in most, if not all, public lounges. On Ryndam in the Caribbean, they had the big party on the Lido pool deck under the stars with Capt. Frans Consen doing the countdown himself.

Staff will start handing out party favors after 2nd seating dinner.

Every lounge will have plates and plates of a Dutch New Year's Eve tradition delicacy called "oliebollen" (tasty little fried raisin-filled powdered beignet-like fritters) and at about 11:30 PM they will start pouring glasses of champagne. There will be an official countdown right before midnight, lots of kissing and shaking hands and dancing at/after 12:00 AM. On Veendam one year, two of the cruise staff members dressed up like Father Old Year and Baby New Year complete with diapers (that one is now a cruise director) and paraded throughout the entire ship. Both passengers and crew really get involved in this one with officers dressed in their formal whites. The public lounges will usually simmer down around 1-1:30 AM. A great time is had by all; I can highly recommend it:)

[ellieanne]

I was on the Amsterdam last Christmas/New Year's. I had a great time. Christmas Eve was nice, if dicey (we hit some very rough seas), though it was one of the nicest most sincere Midnight Masses I have ever been to. The wweatehr was better for New Year's Eve and it was great. My parents' birthdays are the day after Christmas and New Year's Eve, and we had a fantiastic time. We were in the Crow's Nest for midnight New Year's Eve and there were noisemaklers and balloons and general merrymaking. It was a very festive cruise.

 

My only real complaint was that the Christmas decorations came down as soon as midnight struck on the 26th. I'm from New Orleans and it's tradition to keep the Christmas decorations up until King's Night (January 6th) so I was expecting them to be up the full-length of the cruise. It was disappointing and somehow sad to see the festive ship so empty of the decorations of the season

 

But truly it was a wonderful festive time onboard over the holidays.

You'll have a great time.

[kryos]

As long as the cruise you choose is over 10 days you generally won't find alot of children on it. We have sailed on holidays before and find it a wonderful time.

I believe there were quite a few children disembarking the Amsterdam's holiday Hawaii cruise this past January. We left on the 30-day Hawaii/South Pacific run on January 5th and there were quite a few families with kids getting off. That's a 15-day cruise they were on ... so apparently as long as the cruise runs over school holidays, I guess many parents will take the brood.

 

I'm not saying the kids are necessarily a problem. Some kids are very well behaved and very well mannered, and are a joy to have around. I'm just commenting that any holiday cruise (or summer cruise for that matter) is going to have a higher proportion of children as opposed to cruises at other times of the year.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[We2Cruzers]

Thanks all for your comments. We're going to go for it!:)

[FLACRUISER99]

Not on HAL but on Celebrity Millennium last year they had a super party on deck free champagne, oeuvres, etc. At midnight the high lite was the Captain Blowing several blasts on the ships horn it was great fun.

[SPARKLE10]

Hi:

 

We've been on five New Years Eve cruises and have another one booked for this years' New Years Eve on the Freedom of the Seas. While we haven't been on HAL for New Years; we have been on RCCL; Princess; Carnival, and American Hawaii Lines. Our experience has been that there have been very few children on these cruises. The few we did see, were very well behaved. We think it's the only way to spend New Years Eve, on a cruise ship.

 

Happy Cruising....Sparkle 10:)