Late 20s couple - would we be happy with HAL?

[KJMommy04]

My husband and I are late 20s and are looking for an Eastern Caribbean cruise in Nov. I've been looking at the Eurodam. We have cruised 3 times before (RCCL and Carnival), but from what I've heard, HAL is very different. We are not big party people, but we do enjoy having some drinks at night and possibly dancing a little if the mood is right. :) Mostly, we're just looking for relaxation. For those experienced HAL cruisere, do you think we would enjoy the Eurodam? Would there be other people our age on board? Thanks in advance!

[vermontcruisers]

We're in our mid forties and will be going on the Eurodam in January.We specifically chose this cruise because of the more laid back atmosphere that HAL offers.And because of the ship itself.I understand that there tends to be a more mature traveler on HAL which works for us since we tried RCCL (our first cruise) which was great, but we will be looking forward to a little more subdued atmosphere.

[kako14]

We are in our late 20's and just got off the Zaandam to Alaska. Previously, I had done Carnival, RC, and Celebrity. As long as you don't expect crazy drinking contests, hairy man contests, and some of the heavy drinking that you would get on some of the other lines you'll have a good time. HAL was perfect for us - I thought there was plenty of music/dancing and stuff (not clubby type of dancing though) but there were lots of people up and about even later on at night.

[GmaPajama]

Last November there was a couple from Tennessee at our Meet & Greet who couldn't have been over 30. During introductions, she said people wonder why they sail with "older" people - she said the reason is that older people are so much more interesting. These two had a ball on the shp ... they did everything and we got a big kick out of seeing them over and over again. If I remember correctly, they were in 3 of the silly game shows - and won 2 of them. They were absolutely delightful, and by the time the cruise was over, I think half the ship knew them by name. So, YES, it's entirely possible for 20-somethings to have a great cruise on HAL.

[Mary Ellen]

Well, I was even younger than you when DH & I first started sailing on HAL. I was in my mid-20s and I'm now probably your parent's age.

[innlady1]

On our Noordam cruise in '07, there were several young couples on our Roll Call. One in particular, was so thrilled to have been able to get away without their little ones, and they were so delightful....and delighted with HAL!

[mszula]

We've been searching for just the right cruise line for us. We aren't as young as you (late 50's); but here is what we have found so far.

RCL: lots of families and terrible terrible food.

Carnival: too many rowdy party people.

Celebrity: nice; but $$$$ and many snooty folks

HAL: older crowd; but great food and service.

So far it appears to be HAL for us.

[grsnovi]

...do you think we would enjoy the Eurodam? Would there be other people our age on board?

 

We just got off the Eurodam - beautiful ship, great staff. I think you will enjoy the Eurodam.

 

As to your second question: there will likely be a few other folks your age on board but ask yourself: are you going expecting to meet new friends for life?

 

One area you may wish to consider is the age make-up of any shore excursions you book. If you are planning to do "activity oriented" shore excursions like diving and snorkeling you will likely have a different experience than if you are planning to do "tour" oriented excursions.

 

On the two cruises where we did more activity oriented things I didn't notice the age differential as much as on the one where we did more tour oriented excursions.

[lovebug33]

We are in our early thirties, and we didn't enjoy HAL as much as the other cruise lines we were on. There were definite advantages: smaller ship, better food, less drunk people. However, we missed all the activities that we had been offered on Carnival and Princess and the fact that when they had activities, people didn't show up to them on HAL. Also, the entertainment on the Veendam was definitely aimed at an older crowd. One night, the guy did impressions of people we hadn't ever heard of because we were too young. We would have left the show if they wasn't just downright rude. Now, just as a disclaimer, we had a great cruise and we wouldn't be against sailing HAL again, but we would be more aware of what a cruise on HAL would be like.

[SAMMYR]

My husband and I are late 20s and are looking for an Eastern Caribbean cruise in Nov. I've been looking at the Eurodam. We have cruised 3 times before (RCCL and Carnival), but from what I've heard, HAL is very different. We are not big party people, but we do enjoy having some drinks at night and possibly dancing a little if the mood is right. :) Mostly, we're just looking for relaxation. For those experienced HAL cruisere, do you think we would enjoy the Eurodam? Would there be other people our age on board? Thanks in advance!

 

Based on what you have stated you should thoroughly enjoy the Eurodam. Even though my wife and I are part of the "older crowd", there is entertainment at night. Dancing in the disco, casino, and a very good piano bar. Also the Tamarind and Pinnacle restaurants and the Silk Den are musts. Look into the retreat cabanas, we found them to be a good investment. Enjoy.

[Tillylovesseabourn]

We've sailed regent and seabourn and people have said why,these ships are for an older crowd,but we prefer the sophistication that generally goes along with this,obviously theres always an exception to the rule,but we always enjoy ourselves and are looking forward to meeting mew people on eurodam in January,we are in our early 30's.

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time!

[superleggera]

We're both 26 and just did an Alaskan cruise on the Amsterdam. I was actually a little dissapointed at the number of children on the ship after reading about the reputaion HAL has for older passengers. We don't enjoy talking to or meeting new people, but we do like to relax quietly without lots of noise or commotion. We had a great time on the cruise, don't get me wrong, and we plan on sailing with HAL again in the future. But I almost would have prefered if it was less family friendly.

 

And I've sailed on Carnival previously, and I have to agree, the atmosphere on HAL is much, much better. Carnival was great for a cruise with the guys in school wanting to do a lot of drinking, but HAL was a much better experience overall.

[Himself]

I have seen all ages on HAL. You will enjoy it if you choose to enjoy it.

[suse]

Yeah, so what if people are old. I'm not out to meet my new best friends on these cruises. But, we have met wonderful people with great life styles and stories, so don't worry about it. It's our goal to get old someday. Enjoy it (while you are young, haha, as my mother would say):)

[KJMommy04]

Thank you all for the great information! All your insight has really helped. Still not sure what we will do, but I'm confident we would be pleased with a HAL cruise if that's what we decide on. Really though, who couldn't have fun being kid-free and on vacation in the Caribbean??? :)

[Typhoon1]

HAL is perfect for all ages, young, old, and in between.

[WhansaMi]

I'm going to offer a slightly more tempered response than those above.

 

We took the Rotterdam on the Baltic itinerary last year. So, smaller ship, perhaps different itinerary; these observations may or may not be relevant for the Eurodam.

 

There were a lot of things I liked about our HAL trip: I liked the smaller ship of the Rotterdam. I liked that people actually read in the library area. My husband loved the spa package with the thermal suite. The food was good (not spectacular, imo).

 

On the down side, at 47 and 54, we were definitely in the lower quartile of the age range, and the activities reflected this. All of the shows were tailored for the older (than me!) crowd -- we had lots of big band music and, yes, believe it or not, a polka guy, complete with accordian :-O. We tried every venue on the ship, and there was not a single one that played rock 'n roll. Of course, this could be different on the Eurodam, after all, it is a larger ship.

 

My husband found that, every single time he sat down at the casino, an elderly woman asked for his help with the machines. I told him they were flirting with him. :-)

 

Since the shows and music selections are not that important to me, I'd take another HAL trip again. DH is more hesitant.

 

Just my $0.02.