Couples in their mid 50's thinking of trying HAL

[stipmom]

Have sailed mostly on Celebrity and Royal Carribean. We are thinking of trying the Eurodam or Westerdam. Comparisons of HAL with Celebrity and RCCL please.Especially interested in what kind of entertaiment will we find on HAL and nightime activities.Thanks

[grannynurse]

The HAL experience is unique as it is a more classic ocean liner feel than floating resort. It closely resembles X but some things are better on X and some are better on HAL. Entertainment on HAL can be hit or miss. The Lido has a better variety of food, the alternative restaurant is better on X. HAL's cabins are bigger and most all have tubs. Suite and mini suites have jetted tubs. There are fans of both lines but I think they are closely ranked. We've been on Westerdam, she's a beautiful well-organized ship. Food is so subjective that I won't go there. Of course Eurodam will be brand new. Another thing, the passenger to space ratio is great on HAL, you never feel crowded even when the ships are full.

GN

[VTcruisenut]

We are cruising 3/9 on the Veendam. This is our 3rd HAL cruise, one on the Veendam in 2005, the Zuiderdam in 2007. I also have been on Carnival (YUCK) in 2005. We like the smaller size of the ships and the fact that most of the passengers are adult. There were about 60 children on our first cruise (some different then the Carnival I went on) and probably under 300 people under 30............my husband will turn 60 on the week of our cruise and I am 49, and we like the more mature crowds. There is plenty to do, both day and night. We loved the shows on both HAL cruises, we were in the clubs and dancing alomost every night and of course the casino. People were very friendly, and you can't even compare the service on board to anything! The crew works their butt off!

always smiling and pleasant. I have not been on the other ships, but our experience on HAL was so great, I am not willing to risk cruising on another line.:)

[sweetcat]

We did an interesting back to back taking the Westerdam and then the Millinenium. Very different and both thouroughly enjoyable. The beds on HAL were the best. The food in the Aqua Spa on the Millie was wonderful. The Millie was like being on a bright and beautiful NY Supper Club cruise. A little more formal in the evening with good lounge acts, lots of people circulating and having a great evening.

 

HAL was more relaxed, casual and with perhaps a little less to do in the evenings. Their crew was much more approachable and friendly. However, the Steward on the Millie even gave us his cell extension in case we had a problem. But I would still have a difficult time deciding which line to take next.

 

We are thinking of either the Noordam, Eurodam or C's new Solstice. My hubby loved the library/coffee shop and promenade of the Noordam and having a DVD player in the room.

 

I cannot be critical of the food on either since both were good. We do like the alternative casual eatery on the HAL since most everything is available from the dining room. C's is a bit more formal and limited but still lovely with linen tablecloths and great service.

 

Comparing both to the Crown Princess cruise we just took and they are both many stars better than the Crown experience.

[Harry1954]

HAL entertainment is very good. While it is not quite as ritzy as Crystal for instance, we have found it to be worth attending. We are in the same age range and seem comfortable with the HAL crowd. Even though many are older, they are not attempting to put on airs and seem genuinely interested in socializing with everyone. Naturally there are a few jerks/clowns, but we have been sufficiently impressed that we are booked on two more HAL cruises this year .. coupled with the prior two cruises with them and twelve with Crystal, we are pleased so far - so our thought is you will find it quite rewarding to sail HAL.

harry

[jer_l]

Have sailed mostly on Celebrity and Royal Carribean. We are thinking of trying the Eurodam or Westerdam. Comparisons of HAL with Celebrity and RCCL please.Especially interested in what kind of entertaiment will we find on HAL and nightime activities.Thanks

We are your age and we cruised on the Oosterdam a couple of months ago and enjoyed it. All our previous cruises have been on Celebrity. While we enjoyed both lines, Celebrity is still our favorite. Overall, the evening production shows on HAL are nowhere near the quality we experienced on Celebrity. Also, the HALcats are not as good as the Celebrity Orchestra. We missed the first show because they only had one performance and it was during our dinner. We also missed the captains welcome toast because it was before our late seating dinner was over. Mid-week they had two shows on the same evening. One was an acoustic set of Broadway tunes by the singers and band which we would have enjoyed, but it was during our dinner. The second was an R-rated comedian which isn't really our thing so we didn't attend. There was a show by Joel Mason who impersonates Elton John. It was one of the better shows I've seen on a ship.

 

I think HAL excelled in these areas: service, decor and art work in public areas, beds, smoking vs. non-smoking areas, retractable cover for main pool

 

I think Celebrity excelled in these areas: dining room service, food, entertainment, scheduling, grand foyer, therapy pool (on Millennium class ships).

 

We are sailing HAL this summer to Alaska on one of their smaller ships. We made the decision based on price and itinerary. Our next cruise will probably be a Caribbean cruise on Celebrity.

[1FatPER]

I would suggest you definitely try HAL. However, I would also suggest you avoid times when kids are on vacation from school. I've found that every cruise line has its pluses and minuses.

 

John