Ok for young people?

[Avril]

I'm 22 years old and interested in Holland America. I've heard that it's for older people (I've heard it refered to as "Your Grandmother's cruise line"). Is this true or would someone my age have a good time as well? I like what I hear about the food, service and amenities. The ship's are very nice as well from what I've seen in pictures. My Mom needs a little convincing as she to believes in their image as an older persons line (she's 52).

[rcriley]

I guess it all depends on you. The first time I sailed on HAL I was 32 yo and had the same concerns. I had sailed on RCL and it was fun, but now that I have experienced a few more cruises, I have found that which cruise line you enjoy is all about what you like to do. I like HAL because it seems to me they cater a little more to you than say a Carnaval or RCL. I like to be waited on and I hate being treated like cattle. HAL seems to have less people on their ships and gives you more attention.

 

I have found the food and entertainment to be great on HAL, however if you are into wild, crowded keggers, then HAL is not for you. The age of the passagers are older and it has advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages to me is after about 9 to 10 PM the ship is not crowded at all, I love that!!!!! If you want to play in the casino or go dancing or be up on deck, you won't have big crowds to deal with. Also, I have noticed that there is less children on HAL than others I have been on. BIG PLUS for me!! I would jump off a Disney ship.

 

The only major disadvantage is queuing(standing in-line) on HAL can be painful. If you don't have priority embarkation privilages, the "HAL Crowd" can get on your nerves. If by some means you can get into a suite, which gives you lots of privilage including priority embarkation, it will eliminate most of the pitfalls from the "HAL Crowd"

 

You want to stay away from buffet lines during prime hours..... HAL puts a great deal of staff on these lines to serve you. The problem is hard to describe with out making some people flame me, well lets just say, the typical HAL passager(not all) has a little problem with choices when it come to breakfast buffets. However, the obvious solution is room service, which is very good.

 

The bigger HAL ships also tend to have younger crowds and more families(children), also.

 

I think the best equation is as follows for what cruise line is right for you:

 

Carnival= Party ship, cheap

RCL= Family oriented, and a little bit of a party ship for younger couples.

HAL= More elegant, less crowded-roomier, for people who like to be waited on.

Celebrity=Like HAL, but little less roomy and a couple of different perks.

 

I hope this helps you with your choice. HAL is my choice so far.

 

Just my opinion,

RCRILEY

[AlohaPride]

You should check out this thread for your answer. There have been a lot of posts about age on these boards.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=425585

 

And, fyi, I'm 23 and DH is 24 and we are on the Noordam's Christmas sailing this December. There are also a few other twenty-somethings on this board. Sooooo....I wouldn't think HAL to be "too old." HAL IS more traditional, however.

[Blackneto]

my wife and i are early 33 and 40 respectively. not as young as the OP but way below the curve on the HAL cruise we were on.

We had a great time. but we are not super active party people either. We wanted to relax, have pleasant conversations and not feel like something had to be going on the whole time. Thats why our TA suggested HAL to us.

 

Don't get me wrong, there were lots of activities onboard, but it didn't seem "busy".

 

Not 100% if we will go HAL on our cruise in 2008 or not, depends on time and destination but we won't avoid them.

[WindyCity]

Our son was 21 when he first cruised HAL and he loved it. He is cruising again with us, at age 24, and can't wait to get on a HAL ship. I guess it's whatever your expectations are. Our son loves talking to people - no matter what their age and likes a more laid back style, which HAL provides, rather than a frenetic sailing.

[x lindsay x]

I was 21 when I took my first ever cruise, which was on HAL. I went with my parents, and older brother (25 at the time). We all had an excellent time. We were on a 7 night Zuiderdam Eastern Caribbean trip during the end of October and while there weren't a ton of other people in the 21-28 age category my brother and I were still able to meet people to socialize with. Some nights Northern Lights (the disco) was dead by 11pm so we would just head over to the Piano Bar, while other nights we would dance until 2am. Don't expect a ton of people out and about late at night. I enjoyed the quiet ship at night, plus you would get to know the other late nighters well since most of the ship was already sleeping.

 

You really just need to go into it with an open mind.

[Scrumpy]

It's a matter of the type of environment you enjoy. HAL is somewhat sedate, but there are low-key games and activities onboard, nice lounges, evening entertainment and good dining. The disco is small, but fun, and there seem to be a lot of young people there, along with the young-at-heart. Our favorite lounge is Ocean Bar, which is quieter. Ages run the gamut. Although you will see a lot of seniors, there will also be folks of middle age and young people. You will even see children, but not a whole lot of them. We took my 70-something MIL on HAL. We were in our 30's at the time. It was not a party boat filled with loud music or outrageous pool games, but it wasn't boring and we liked it very much. We had expected that it would cater more to her than to us when we saw the ages onboard and were pleasantly surprised that it was so enjoyable for all of us. If you want something quiet, laidback and more traditional, you'll probably like it. If you want a more active, exciting, or casual/non-traditional experience, you might not like it as much. If your mom has cruised before, she can tell you what she likes. As much as I think my mom could enjoy a cruise, there's no way I could convince her to go. She can get stir-crazy, so if your mom hasn't already been on a ship, you might make sure you are catering to her nature. If she wants to go-go-go, you might all be better off with a land-based vacation or a cruise that is port-intensive.

[Scrumpy]

-double post- oops!

[LolaWiz]

my husband and i are 23 and 24 and we now cruise exclusively on HAL. We like and want good food, great service and nice extras like flowers everywhere and not a lot of crazy kids running up and down the halls at all hours.

 

We were on our first HAL cruise several years ago and loved it ever since. We have found wonderful folks to talk with all around the ship while aboard and were never bored with anything.

 

we tried RCCL first and hated it... it was not for us. HAL is. Our goal is to have at least 100 days with HAL by the time we are 30! :D