How do you determine a cruise line's "style"?

[popcan]

Good day all,

 

Just wondering, as a first time cruiser, if we did the right thing after all....

 

It only occurred to us after we booked, that all cruises are not created equal, ie some are more family oriented, some are giant parties, some are more traditional....

 

But how do you find out which line or ship has the "culture" you want? Is there someplace to read about the different lines, and what ships have what kind of tendancy?

 

We picked Volendam Sept 8th mostly because it is a little smaller ship, and because the mid-week sailing fit our schedule to a T.

 

We are mid-fifties, first cruise, going to Alaska in Sept on the Volendam as a test (to see if we want to do more/longer cruises in the future). We are not big party animals, and likely would prefer a more traditional cruise - we don't mind dressing for dinner, for example, but being from the West Coast, we have a pretty laid-back life style. I'm sure you'll find us at least part of the time in the Casino, enjoying fine dining, or working out in the exercise room. Any tips for us?

 

Thanks! Great forum!

[Keith1010]

There are several ways to get a feel about the style of the cruise line and the specific ship. You can do this by going to the cruise critic boards for your specific line and reding the posts. by also reading the passengers reviews that are posted on cruise critic and by making good use of other sources. There is a very good book written by Douglas Ward and published by Berlitz that has good writeups on each ship which is called Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships.

 

Based on what you have said you will find a traditional cruising experience on this ship with many passengers in their 50's and 60's. It is not a party ship.

 

Keith

[geoherb]

Holland America cruises don't usually attract a party crowd. And since you're cruising to Alaska in September with a mid-week departure, you definitely won't have one on board.

 

Even on larger ships that have attracted a more boistrous crowd, we have found quiet places to relax. We avoid the main pool areas and opt for the adults only ones. Probably not a concern on an Alaskan cruise.

[wg6530]

That won't be a party cruise. I'd expect an older, quiet crowd. Fall in Alaska may be cool and perhaps rainy.

 

FYI, good or bad....HAL has kept a pretty liberal smoking policy. As some other lines have restricted smoking areas, HAL may be attracting more and more smokers. Perfect, I imagine, if you are a smoker. Not so good if you are sensitive to smoke. I'm sensitive to fresh and stale smoke, so I doubt I'd last 5 minutes in their casino.

[greatdanemom]

I've gotten a feel for the different "styles" by reading on each of the different boards and seeing what types of cruises appeared to be attracting which types of people. My actual cruises have proven to be pretty much what I've seen on the boards.

 

By the way, I think the HAL cruise you've chosen is a good one. Alaska cruises tend to be slightly less formal, HAL attracts the 50+ crowd with a more mature perspective, and the kids are back in school almost everywhere by 9/8. Sounds like a heavenly cruise to this mid-50 cruiser!!

[madelinerose]

Do some research on the HAL board and enjoy your cruise. ;)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=171

[cherylandtk]

I think brochures and print ads plus the lines' own websites give a pretty good idea of the style they try to project and the demographic they try to attract.

[greatdanemom]

I think brochures and print ads plus the lines' own websites give a pretty good idea of the style they try to project and the demographic they try to attract.

 

The demographic, yes. But my husband always chuckles about how attractive the people in the brochures are versus what we see on the ships. He's still hoping to find those pretty young ladies in bikinis that he's seen in the ads...;)

[Taxguy77]

The demographic, yes. But my husband always chuckles about how attractive the people in the brochures are versus what we see on the ships. He's still hoping to find those pretty young ladies in bikinis that he's seen in the ads...;)

 

Yeah, that's one thing the man of the house will find disapointing.:( Pasengers are real people.

Back to the question; the above answers are all good. You should enjoy HAL very much, we did after using several other cruise lines. The smaller ships allow you to get off and on at ports without the looong lines of larger ones. Both of us quit smoking long ago and love no smoking venues; however we were both in the casino every night and were never bothered.

I have seen people who wouldn't get near the water take a cruise and enjoy it, a few do not care for the experience. Cruises also differ from port intensive like Alaska to Transoceanics with many sea days.

Enjoy your cruise.:)

[popcan]

Thanks for the responses all!