HAL-Disney

[HelloThere]

I'm trying to decide between HAl and Disney. Details are here (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=101888). Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[shipcafe]

Well Holland America Line still has some of the most lenient single cruiser policies. One can either book at 150-190% (depending on category) or do single share guarantee. Not many other lines still offer that.

I have been aboard both Disney ships and, of course, Holland America Line. As far as comparing them apples for applies, I barely think that it is worth trying... that is just my opinion, though. I am not much of a kids / Disney person and the Disney ships are, well, screaming just those .. and ALL over. The entire décor of the ship is whimsical, "fun", colorful, with kids and/or families with kids in mind.

Holland America Line ships are designed with traditional, sea-going elements such as art collections, muted & tasteful décor, teak wooden promenade decks, wooden deck chairs, etc. etc. To me, at least, that is the essence of cruising.

I would suggest that it will depend on what kind of experience you're looking for. HAL does have a kids program and I've only heard great things about it. I can't see your kids NOT having a good time on HAL. I would almost move to the next set of criteria as to what type of experience both you AND the combination of you, your family, and kids are looking for.

Those are just my opinions and I'm sure that there are a lot more out there that are forthcoming ...

Steve

[gizmo]

Because my work schedule often conflicts with that of my friends, I'm looking for a cruiseline that welcomes solo travelers (aka, doesn't charge double for them.)

Hal's charge for singles is not double but 150% for many cabins. You would have to check the category to see which ones are 150% and which ones are double.

[HelloThere]

Holland America Line ships are designed with traditional, sea-going elements such as art collections, muted & tasteful décor, teak wooden promenade decks, wooden deck chairs, etc. etc. To me, at least, that is the essence of cruising.
Steve Thanks, Steve, that's my idea of cruising, too! Very much what I'm looking for. Although Disney sounds like a lot of fun, it definitely sounds like HAL is more in line with my interests.

[Tak8]

I have been on the Disney Magic and Holland Zuiderdam. I enjoyed both lines. Disney has excellent special lunch buffets. Holland has the better overall buffet. Disney's dinner menu is a little smaller on choices than Holland. Disney does a nice job of offering adults only areas: adults only pool area strictly enforced on our cruise, Palo's (an excellents adults only dinner, also do high tea and several lunch buffets for adults only). The shows are Disney oriented, but you mentioned being a fan. Holland would probably be cheaper.

[bdmarine]

No casino on the Disney ships!

[ger_77]

Disney - Hell; HAL - Heaven. :D Seriously, when we cruise, we like to get away from children - we are both in the education field - so we would never take a Disney cruise. We have raised our little ones and enjoy time spent with adults when we cruise. I'm sure Disney is very good, as people we know have taken their little ones on Disney and have really enjoyed themselves, it's just not for us. We love the ambiance on a Holland America ship - it's a little more refined, a little more laid back, and certainly serves a different clientele than Disney does. We like the quiet dinners, the bars and lounges, the leisurely strolls on the Promenade Deck, the casino, and HAL fits the bill for us. Just my humble opinion.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Peggy Sue]

Sailed both the Wonder and Magic (3 and 4 day cruises) Have sailed Zuiderdam and just returned from the Volendam.

Comparing HAL to Disney is like comparing apples to oranges. They are two very different products.

Disney -- The ships are classic, beautiful, well maintained and FULL of kids. Sometimes the "clutter" of the day gets ahead of the staff and things don't always stay so neat and tidy..but they work on maintaining things all day long. Food is good, however Disney dining is more of an event as it is done in true disney style, rotating with your dining staff through 3 different dining venues, each with a different theme...all whimsical and fun. Late seating..didn't see many wee ones, did have families with 10+ kids, who were well behaved and appared to be enjoying an "adult" dining experience.

Kids..we'll, they are indeed everywhere. But...they are sometimes totally out of your sight, as they have their own deck, activities etc. Adults also have their own sections of the ship, and they do enforce for the most part. This includes their private island castaway cay.

Disney in a nutshell is "wholesome"...everything is mom and apple pie. no casino, don't really see much somking on board. Shows are all disney themed..lots of interaction with the characters..you want an autograph, you've got a million opportunities before you depart!

3-4 days is about all we can take of the disney cruise experience, and we are disney fans. we are disney vacation club members and travel there at least once a year, sometimes 3-4...so we do enjoy the disney experience.

Holland America - a classic cruise experience. Average age is going to be much higher than a disney cruise. Wonderful people, of all ages, to sit and chat with. I'm in my early 50's and I was a "young" compared to our fellow passengers on our recent Volendam cruise.

Food is very good, service is very attentive, the staff is very gracious. Zuiderdam had some pep, Volendam (from our point of view) needed a little more zip..no music playing on the decks, just very, very laid back and quiet.

We have enjoyed both of our HAL cruises and booked another on the Zaandam for Alaska next June. We've received good value for our invested dollars. We've found Disney is a bit over priced...I think that because they have such an extensive kids program..but we don't have any kids to deposit there...

On a Disney cruise you can be as young at heart as you like..just as if you were visiting Walt Disney World. On HAL, the experience is calm, relaxing and you are the master of how much activity or lack there of you seek.

Disney and HAL really are two very different products. Both offer an very good cruise experience. Due the family theme on Disney, I think a single traveler would have more fun and have more opportunity to meet and mingle with people on HAL, or any other non-disney cruise line. good luck with your decision!!

Peggy sue

[sabaka]

Hi, We have not done HAL yet but are booked for this may. We have done Disney and Princess with our kids. We have done Celebrity,Carnival and Seabourn with out our kids.Our choice when travelling with out kids are Seabourn, then Celebrity and Disney were tied. Disney has a great cruise! The restaurants have exellent service and food quality better than most cruises. The extra charge restaurant Palo is exceptional. The only food we have found better at sea is Seabourn and they never have more than 200 guests aboard. Our children were in club from morning to night we had to beg them to spend time with us. So on disney we did alot of things without kids. Disney does a wonderful job at crowd control. We never felt like we were surrounded by kids, except in places kids would be, i.e. character signings, kid activities etc. We met several people without kids who love disney and cruise them often. By the way we are not huge Disney fans like the park ect. but aren't crazy nuts over all things Disney! However think thay have a great cruise and their island is great. If you are travelling alone just for the heck of it look at Seabourn. It looks expensive at first but they have some great deals out there. Their price includes all port fees and there is NO tipping. All alchohol is included all drinks and wines! They also have a program for solo travellers which we hear is good. Only 100 all suite cabins, Charlie Palmer is the chef! Good luck choosing!

[HelloThere]

Thanks so much for all the very helpful comments. It really does sound like HAL would be a better choice for me than Disney. The comments about a more refined cruising experience really hit home with me; that's very much what I'm looking for.

I also appreciate the suggestions of other cruiselines and will definitely look into those. I have plenty of time; just researching things now. I'm also looking into land vacations, as I've found their single supplements to be much more reasonable.

Thanks again for your very helpful responses!