Will my young men like Hal?

[cruiseorbust]

We have cruised a lot, but never on Hal. We have cruised on Carnival (which we did not care for and neither did our young men). We have also cruise a lot with Celebrity and we all liked it except it can be slow in the evenings after dinner and the show. We also have cruised recently with Royal Caribbean, and enjoyed it very much.

We love some of the itineraries that Hal has to offer and just wondered if our young men would find enough to do to enjoy it as well? They are 26, 23, and 17.

Thanks in advance for you input.

[jhannah]

Hard to answer, not knowing what your young men specifically like/dislike. Much will depend on when and where you go. Caribbean itineraries tend to attract more families, for instance, than do the more exotic sailings. And school vacation time will see more families and a younger demographic also. The more passengers their age, the better chance they'll have to mix and mingle and find those they enjoy hanging out with.

Here's a thread (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=351661) started yesterday that is along the same lines with regard to 16-year olds.

Good luck!

[Krazy Kruizers]

You really do need to tell us if your young men like to party or just have a "laid back" cruise.

Do talk about your young men some more and as to what they would like to do on a cruise.

[RuthC]

If you consider Celebrity as "slow" after dinner then HAL might not be the best choice for your "boys".
I do agree with all that Jim posted, and would add that the Vista ships would be the better consideration. They tend to draw a younger crowd, and have more of a nightlife to them.

[babyher]

Actually surprised the young men didn't care for Carnival, as they usually have more to do for the younger crowd.

The above posters are right though. A little more info into what they enjoy would be helpful

[sarahjane]

There were very few (read that "virtually NO") young people on our recent Alaska cruise on Westerdam. In fact, we actually felt sorry for the few youngsters (late teens to early twenties) that we did see, as they looked like they were pretty bored. We were glad we had not brought our 19 & 20 yr olds along. Perhaps the Caribbean itinerary is different. This is just what we experienced last week.

sarahjane

[ehough]

My husband and I just came off the Westerdam- he's 25, and I'm 22. We certainly were not bored. There's so much to do, between playing basketball or putting golf balls, to seeing movies and/or shows. Plus the Northern Lights Night Club had quite a few young people once it got later into the night. Long story short, there is plenty to entertain anyone of any age, in my opinion.

[RuthC]

Oops. :o I gotta apologise to the OP.
I just returned to the thread and noticed my boo-boo. When I typed "boys" I thought I was quoting the OP. Nope---she used "Young men". I am so sorry that I demoted them.

[cruiseorbust]

My husband and I just came off the Westerdam- he's 25, and I'm 22. We certainly were not bored. There's so much to do, between playing basketball or putting golf balls, to seeing movies and/or shows. Plus the Northern Lights Night Club had quite a few young people once it got later into the night. Long story short, there is plenty to entertain anyone of any age, in my opinion.


After reading this review, we should be fine. Sorry I didn't give more info before about our guys. They do not like to drink, and the 17 yr old likes to hang out with his group on the ship. The older two do not like to gamble, and are not party animals! On the RCCL they have plenty to do besides drink and gamble thats why we didn't care for Carnival....too much of that going on.

Does Hal have a group still for the 17 yrs old?

[ehough]

I believe Club HAL's maximum age limit is 17, so your 17 year old should be covered. There's also a "teen disco" on board for ages 13-17 that he might like.

Even if they don't like to drink, party, or gamble, there is plenty to do. One thing I discovered on the Westerdam was that a person will go neither hungry nor bored on the Westerdam :)

[bepsf]

Not sure what itinerary you're looking at, but I'd definately suggest the Vistas for your family - for more space, more lively venues and the disco.

Don't be surprised if you find your guys hanging out w/ the cruise/entertainment staff - they're all about the same age...

Enjoy!

[cruiseorbust]

If you consider Celebrity as "slow" after dinner then HAL might not be the best choice for your "boys".
I do agree with all that Jim posted, and would add that the Vista ships would be the better consideration. They tend to draw a younger crowd, and have more of a nightlife to them.


I know this is probably a stupid question, but what are the Vista ships?

[middle-aged mom]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but what are the Vista ships?

Cruiseorbust:

See the "Sticky" posted by Host Doug at the top of the HAL forum; it explains all the ship classifications in HAL's fleet (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=350993http://). Also, FWIW, I'm taking my 17-year-old daughter on two HAL cruises this year. We've never cruised before. You and I can swap notes:)

[cruiseorbust]

Cruiseorbust:

See the "Sticky" posted by Host Doug at the top of the HAL forum; it explains all the ship classifications in HAL's fleet (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=350993http://). Also, FWIW, I'm taking my 17-year-old daughter on two HAL cruises this year. We've never cruised before. You and I can swap notes:)


thank you!