Is Holland the right line for our family

[cgolf1]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

- Free cooking demos are always fun

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

 

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

[cb at sea]

I don't believe you'll find water slides on HAL...the pools on ALL ships are pretty small...laps probably won't happen, unless there is NO ONE else in the pool with you!

 

Speak with the special needs dept. about your gluten-free menu...all cruiselines do that.

You will probably be better off in the dining room, where they KNOW what is GF...the buffet folks may not know.

 

Really, pretty much any cruiseline will give you what you want. HAL is probably a bit more "low key" than Carnival or RCI...

[DaveOKC]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

- Free cooking demos are always fun

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

 

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

 

While HAL does a great job of providing friendly service and pretty good food (IMO), they are not strong on activities - no water slides, small pools, rock climbing, rope course, etc.

 

The production shows (again IMO) are "ok", but thats about it. Not much in the way of drink packages as I recall.

 

HAL cruisers are a bit older than passengers on other lines and of course HAL provides events and services for this demographic.

[Lizzie68]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

- Free cooking demos are always fun

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

 

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

 

Which cruise line do you usually use? I love HAL, but when I have taken my family and grandsons when they were teens - or if I took them now they are in their early 20's - I booked on RCI. Lots more to do. Food in the MDR is not bad at all. HAL would give you a much more relaxing cruise, and I love that, but there would not be enough activities for my young family members.

[chefestelle]

I have only sailed the Veendam, so take it with a grain of salt:

Trivia - daily. My daughter took part and enjoyed it

Active events: not unless they are doing dancing with the stars which was on our Xmas cruise. Had to cancel the last rehearsal and the contest due to rough seas.

Cooking demos: yes. I think they are free but I'm not positive.

Busy: there is a basketball court, gym and tennis court. Lots of exercise classes of different types. Some free, some not.

Productions: nightly. Also performers in different parts of the ship.

Swim: depends on how short you are. The pools were tiny - better suited to a refreshing dip than doing laps.

GF: I saw a thread praising HAL efforts in this regard.

Slides: none

MDR: our meals were tasty, filling what few times we are in the main dining room

Buffet: not a fan of buffets but the salad,bar was fresh and varied. DD said the buffet food was fine.

Free food: pizza bar, buffet, MDR, burger bar and afternoon tea were all free. You could certainly manage enough variety eating in those spots without hitting the surcharge restaurants.

Drink package: I would search for the various threads discussing the different beverage packages as those will give you lots of info.

Service: everyone was very friendly and helpful no one is perfect every day but they sure try hard.

[Crew News]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

- Free cooking demos are always fun

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

 

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

 

Here is a typical On Location (daily activities) for Alaska on a HAL ship:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/AL-15-OL-Enroute-to-Juneau.pdf

 

And On Location for a Caribbean cruise:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/OL-Oosteerdam-2015-Sailing-to-St-Maarten-First-Day.pdf

[SeaBands]

and they enjoyed the cruise several drank during the day and late night, none were interested in the shows but enjoyed the pools on sea days and both the dining room and specialty restaurants, none had to have gluten free meals but on another cruise we dined both in the DR and Pinnacle with a lady that had that problem and she enjoyed the special items they made for her. No exciting on board activities and the shows vary, some good, some ok. They make good drinks and you can buy a drink card to cover daily purchases as long as everyone in the cabin buys one, no sharing. There are threads about this elsewhere on this forum. They allow smoking on the balconies so this could be a + or- for you.

Edited January 17, 2016 by SeaBands

[TheCalicoCat]

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

- Free cooking demos are always fun

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

 

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

 

My husband, my son (at the time he was 4.5), & I have sailed on HAL (Volendam to AK) and a couple other mass market lines.

 

Honestly, we never could see paying for the branded experience of DCL so I can't make a direct comparison. (We don't watch TV/movies, so my son is not fanatical about any of the characters & thus does not feel like he is missing out.)

 

I have found that you can have a nice time on any line (Its what you make of it) & so we choose based on itinerary rather than the cruise line/personalities. (I'm not all smiles & sunshine all the time, I don't expect that from cruise ship crew either)

 

HAL has trivia, my husband is a fan (has won some games on cruise ships) but he found on HAL that the number of repeat trivia liking cruisers made for some people who knew all of the answers... (We sailed a few years ago, maybe they have a new pool of questions.)

 

We are similar re: food & drink, HAL did a great job with us eating a vegetarian diet & the bar scene seemed to be more relaxed than a "lets shut down the bar" vibe. (Most lines are aware of & "cater" to gluten free cruisers, this is not an issue for us, so I can't speak directly to it, but I have read GF reviews & they were satisfied with HAL.) Maybe start a thread asking specifically about GF. (Might get a more targeted response, this topic may be more broad that some CCer's want to deal with.)

 

I don't do the shows (Occasionally I will go see the comedy) but I enjoyed HAL's low key music in the indoor public spaces.

 

As far as sports - check the individual ships (I like to lift weights, use the rower, & hike - so most cruise lines have me covered.)

 

HAL has a dedicated space to cooking demos & movies - not my thing, but I do know that they are there...

 

My bottom line advice is to choose based on itinerary instead of cruise line & see how that works for you. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Edited January 17, 2016 by TheCalicoCat

[Oceanwench]

I am a 4-star Mariner on HAL.

Just got off Disney Fantasy yesterday, my first experience.

 

I would say that you would find HAL far less exciting than DCL.

I was blown away by the service, food, activities and whole cruise experience on DCL.

 

HAL has one MDR, with choices for fixed or open seating - unlike DCL, which offers fixed seating and rotation through 3 MDRs.

Like DCL, you can choose to eat upstairs in the Lido for dinner too.

 

HAL's breakfast/lunch in the Lido is buffet, but not all things are self-serve - whereas most were self-serve on DCL.

Soda is NOT free on HAL, the way it is on DCL. And ice cream (soft serve) is not self-serve the way it is on DCL.

 

We don't go to the shows on HAL, mostly because we enjoy the Piano Bar so much (we follow a certain player, and we usually cruise with a group of fans).

On DCL we went to four shows and they were outstanding and full of that Disney magic!

 

HAL doesn't offer a movie theater experience the way DCL does in the BVT. (Not a real "theater")

But HAL's popcorn is free!

We watched the three original Star Wars movies, plus the newest one, in the BVT with surround sound and they were awesome!

 

Dress code is more formal on HAL in the MDR at night, whereas anything goes in the DCL dining rooms, from what I saw. Shorts and T-shirts predominated.

 

On HAL the dining room is much quieter, and you will be able to carry on a conversation.

And you won't hear pounding footsteps up and down the halls all hours of the day and night!

We rarely have seen more than a handful of kiddies on our HAL cruises ... But on DCL, well, crowds of kids are a given!

 

Oh, no Pirate Night on HAL! LOL

 

Palo blows away Pinnacle Grill in the specialty restaurant category!

 

Debarkation from Fantasy was a breeze - walked right off the ship.

Finding luggage was easy because not only do they have luggage arranged by character, but also by room numbers (the third number in your cabin number, so our luggage was in section 9)

With HAL, we've been in long lines and it always feels like a hassle to find luggage, get through customs, etc.

 

All in all, we had a fantastic DCL experience and wonder if our next HAL cruise will seem boring!

Edited January 17, 2016 by Oceanwench

[cgolf1]

Thank you for all the replies. This is going to be an interesting decision. We are so used to being so busy on a DCL cruise in the afternoon and evening that we will either be lost or really enjoy the more relaxed vacation pace. The only worry we had with Holland was that my in laws always talked about the martini bar and playing cards they brought, on our cruises we have yet to play a game we packed.

 

I will say though that others that have sailed DCL have said they have enjoyed Holland, so wow so many options out there when I open my eyes up. We are looking to cruise in the Bahamas or carabean (I know I butchered the spelling, but my iPad won't fix it for me lol)

[cgolf1]

I am a 4-star Mariner on HAL.

Just got off Disney Fantasy yesterday, my first experience.

 

I would say that you would find HAL far less exciting than DCL.

I was blown away by the service, food, activities and whole cruise experience on DCL.

 

HAL has one MDR, with choices for fixed or open seating - unlike DCL, which offers fixed seating and rotation through 3 MDRs.

Like DCL, you can choose to eat upstairs in the Lido for dinner too.

 

HAL's breakfast/lunch in the Lido is buffet, but not all things are self-serve - whereas most were self-serve on DCL.

Soda is NOT free on HAL, the way it is on DCL. And ice cream (soft serve) is not self-serve the way it is on DCL.

 

We don't go to the shows on HAL, mostly because we enjoy the Piano Bar so much (we follow a certain player, and we usually cruise with a group of fans).

On DCL we went to four shows and they were outstanding and full of that Disney magic!

 

HAL doesn't offer a movie theater experience the way DCL does in the BVT. (Not a real "theater")

But HAL's popcorn is free!

We watched the three original Star Wars movies, plus the newest one, in the BVT with surround sound and they were awesome!

 

Dress code is more formal on HAL in the MDR at night, whereas anything goes in the DCL dining rooms, from what I saw. Shorts and T-shirts predominated.

 

On HAL the dining room is much quieter, and you will be able to carry on a conversation.

And you won't hear pounding footsteps up and down the halls all hours of the day and night!

We rarely have seen more than a handful of kiddies on our HAL cruises ... But on DCL, well, crowds of kids are a given!

 

Oh, no Pirate Night on HAL! LOL

 

Palo blows away Pinnacle Grill in the specialty restaurant category!

 

Debarkation from Fantasy was a breeze - walked right off the ship.

Finding luggage was easy because not only do they have luggage arranged by character, but also by room numbers (the third number in your cabin number, so our luggage was in section 9)

With HAL, we've been in long lines and it always feels like a hassle to find luggage, get through customs, etc.

 

All in all, we had a fantastic DCL experience and wonder if our next HAL cruise will seem boring!

 

 

Thanks for the comparison, after 12 DCL cruises, your last line is what we worry about with any other line. We might need to do something more middle of the road like a Royal and then decide which way we want to go, more or less relaxed. It is really a hard decision when you only know one thing.

[MOcruiserman]

Thanks for the comparison, after 12 DCL cruises, your last line is what we worry about with any other line. We might need to do something more middle of the road like a Royal and then decide which way we want to go, more or less relaxed. It is really a hard decision when you only know one thing.

 

If you want lots of activities what about the RCI Allure or Oasis? They are the largest cruise ships around and are loaded with activities, restaurants and shows.

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL used to have a lot of activities -- like gold chipping in the pool and the atrium. But with the cutback of staff, many activities have been cut.

HAL's production shows were great at one time -- lasted an hour and sometimes longer. Now most of them are 40 minutes.

No water slides -- pools too small to lap swim.

Cooking demos are free and on sea days.

[Hlitner]

Honestly? We would say HAL is totally wrong for your family on many levels. We remember one excellent dinner table on a HAL cruise where we all started playing "where were you when" during dinner. We quickly got through the usual stuff like "where were you when JFK was shot." But then somebody asked "where were you when FDR died." And all but two at our large table remembered!

 

Hank

[MOcruiserman]

Honestly? We would say HAL is totally wrong for your family on many levels. We remember one excellent dinner table on a HAL cruise where we all started playing "where were you when" during dinner. We quickly got through the usual stuff like "where were you when JFK was shot." But then somebody asked "where were you when FDR died." And all but two at our large table remembered!

 

Hank

 

We've recently gone on two HAL cruises. The cruise to Canada had an older demographic - 60's to 80's - but the cruise to Alaska was much more diverse. The age of the passengers is more dependent on where you're cruising and the time of year than the cruise line.

[deadzone1003]

Sounds like Royal Caribbean or Princess might be a better fit for your family though I don't think there are water slides on either cruiseline. The former is a little better for activities for your daughter, but the latter is better for food and swimming (though the newer ships don't have that many pools). Try both of them.

[cruz chic]

Honestly? We would say HAL is totally wrong for your family on many levels. We remember one excellent dinner table on a HAL cruise where we all started playing "where were you when" during dinner. We quickly got through the usual stuff like "where were you when JFK was shot." But then somebody asked "where were you when FDR died." And all but two at our large table remembered!

 

Hank

 

Not everyone is a 100 years old that sails on Hal :rolleyes:. I was a toddler when jfk was shot. That said, either carnival or RC would likely be a better choice for the op.

[Oceanwench]

Have you considered Norwegian?

We were on Norwegian Escape and were impressed with all the activities, shows, etc.

NCL has three MDRs - all open seating - and a buffet restaurant, plus lots of specialty venues.

Tons of bars - and usually they have a promotion that offers a beverage package.

Comedy club, dueling pianos, Broadway show "Million Dollar Quartet," dinner theater (extra charge) with songs from '80s movies ...

Irish pub that is complimentary dining venue.

 

Water slides, ropes course.

 

Escape is the newest ship. Getaway and Breakaway are fairly new and have many similar amenities.

 

We were impressed and booked a family cruise on Escape.

 

 

I would not recommend Princess. Friends just cruised on Regal Princess with their kids (oldest is 17) and they said the kids were bored.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Oceanwench

[Aquahound]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

I don't think there's a perfect match for all you listed but based on your list, I recommend RCI's Harmony of the Seas. There is an abundance of pools, excellent entertainment and several waterslides and a 10 story dry slide. The main production is Grease, but the ice shows and Aqua Theater shows are also excellent. There is also a comedy club. There are numerous places to eat....free and upcharge.

 

By the way, DW and I are in our 40s and we were the babies on all 3 of our HAL cruises. I'm not saying that's a bad thing but its something you should be aware of before booking. HAL ships are not nearly as lively, and entertainment is nowhere close to lines like Disney, RCI, etc. You can see in my signature I say that from experience. :)

Edited January 17, 2016 by Aquahound

[TheCalicoCat]

Honestly? We would say HAL is totally wrong for your family on many levels. We remember one excellent dinner table on a HAL cruise where we all started playing "where were you when" during dinner. We quickly got through the usual stuff like "where were you when JFK was shot." But then somebody asked "where were you when FDR died." And all but two at our large table remembered!

 

Hank

 

On our last Carnival cruise the median age was 81! (It was a long repositioning cruise, but I bet no one would have made that assumption prior to the cruise.)

 

On out HAL cruise most of the people we met were 40 to 60. (Some older, some a lot older, some younger, some small children)

[cgolf1]

Thank you all for the replies, for now I agree with many that Holland probably would not be the best fit for us right now. That now leaves us with only 4 lines to choose from, life was easier when we just stuck with the one line lol

[Cruising Is Bliss]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

- Free cooking demos are always fun

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

 

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

 

RCCL is probably the best fit for you. Of HAL, Celebrity and RCCL, they have the most for people who like to keep busy.

 

Which is not me :) Very active on port days but on sea days best friend and I mostly read and drink pots of tea. We switched from RCCL for a specific itinerary and never went back because Celebrity and HAL were a better match for us even before RCCL's megaships.

[Oceanwench]

Not everyone is a 100 years old that sails on Hal :rolleyes:. I was a toddler when jfk was shot. That said, either carnival or RC would likely be a better choice for the op.

 

True, not everyone on HAL is 100. There are a few in their 80s. :rolleyes:

 

Obviously I am a HAL fan -- BUT the OP has been cruising DCL and would find the HAL pax a lot older.

It was VERY noticeable to me - the age of the DCL pax. Mostly families. Very young families with babies, toddlers, teens.

 

I have to say, we met NO disagreeable people on DCL. Never saw a passenger complaining or crabbing. Wish I could say that about HAL!!!

People were friendly, enthusiastic, helpful.

DH is in a wheelchair and people were so considerate of him. Several times I had to stop to adjust him when he began to slouch - and had fellow passengers stop to ask if I needed assistance or if he was OK. That meant a lot to me.

 

Having more than a dozen HAL cruises under my belt, I have to say that DCL is geared to families and caters to youngsters.

HAL attracts an older demographic.

Each has its own niche.

Doesn't make one "better" than the other. Just different.

 

For us, the ship is the destination.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

I would suggest Norwegian or Royal Caribbean. I sail both Norwegian and HAL for different reasons, but Norwegian would better meet your list of likes. Good luck with your choice.

[cruz chic]

True, not everyone on HAL is 100. There are a few in their 80s. :rolleyes:

 

Obviously I am a HAL fan -- BUT the OP has been cruising DCL and would find the HAL pax a lot older.

It was VERY noticeable to me - the age of the DCL pax. Mostly families. Very young families with babies, toddlers, teens.

 

I have to say, we met NO disagreeable people on DCL. Never saw a passenger complaining or crabbing. Wish I could say that about HAL!!!

People were friendly, enthusiastic, helpful.

DH is in a wheelchair and people were so considerate of him. Several times I had to stop to adjust him when he began to slouch - and had fellow passengers stop to ask if I needed assistance or if he was OK. That meant a lot to me.

 

Having more than a dozen HAL cruises under my belt, I have to say that DCL is geared to families and caters to youngsters.

HAL attracts an older demographic.

Each has its own niche.

Doesn't make one "better" than the other. Just different.

 

For us, the ship is the destination.

 

The op wasn't asking if dcl was right for them. They are leaving dcl as its too pricy. The op asked if Hal was right and I said either RC or carnival would likely be better. I have no idea why you decided to tell me about dcl :confused:. No one said Hal attracts a younger crowd. I get tired of hearing that everyone is ancient from the same posters.