Daily activities

[golfer1903]

New to holland.  Was looking into an alaksa cruise but do not know anything about holland. Past cruises have been carnival ( which is a little rowdy with booze for us) NcL which was ok but kinda boring.

We like carnival cuz the shows and comedy shows and day activities like bingo.

Was worried holland may be a little to boring or slow for a lack of a better word.

We are 50 and kids with us in 20s.

Not real drinkers or outgoing but love shows and bingo not really bars.

Does this ship offer daily bingo and little daytime shows and such and at night a Broadway show or magic or comedy .  Somthing other then music in a bar.

And dress. Can I wear khaki pants and a polo shirt to dinner except on gala note of course.

Kids have to wear slacks at dinner or can they wear the new fad yogi pants and a top?

Do they sell bottle water to purchase before hand so we can have water in room like a case ?

Is there empty fridges on board in rooms or are they stocked

 

Ships seem small is there alot of movement on them ? Since so small?

Any I site or things you can share I would be grateful

 

 

 

[catl331]

You've gotten replies on your earlier thread:

 

[1964IceCreamLady]

Reading this, I am pretty sure HAL is not for you. 

[golfer1903]

Maybe you can give some reasons you feel this way?

[1964IceCreamLady]

16 minutes ago, golfer1903 said:

Maybe you can give some reasons you feel this way?

 

HAL is definitely heavy on music in bars and the nightly entertainment isn't a priority.

 

If you thought NCL was boring, I am fairly certain you would find HAL a snoozefest.

 

No yoga pants at dinner.

 

All the ships are smaller, except for the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam, both of which are small compared to other lines' ships.

 

[RMLincoln]

Good questions to consider before booking!  

Our first cruise was on Carnival to Alaska, and it's not a drinkers cruise itinerary so you might want to look at Carnival's Alaska options if you enjoy their on board activities.  We've cruised on Carnival, HAL, NCL, Princess, Celebrity and others.... 

 

It's hard to say if you'd enjoy a HAL Alaska cruise - usually people go to Alaska for nature sightseeing, and Alaska cruises provide a huge WOW factor for sightseeing opportunity.  So if you would enjoy what Alaska offers is as big a question as on board activities.  One week Alaska cruises have 3 or 4 ports, usually one or days with glacier viewing and only two sea days.  

 

HAL doesn't not have a comedy club like Carnival but some of the headliner shows in the show lounge are comedy acts.  HAL also has some "game shows" like Liar's Club and such which are all meant to be a good laugh, but it's not every night.  Other headliners in the show lounge might be magician or juggler comics or specialty musicians or mind reading acts, for example.  There will be maybe two or three production shows per week by the ship's company of singers and dancers.  

 

Evening music entertainment is not really in bars but lounges where there is also drink service.  

 

HAL has Bingo most days if not every day.  There are also board games, card games and jigsaw puzzles available.  

 

Not many daytime performances on HAL - maybe a matinee performance by the classical musicians on a sea day.  The daytime is usually for sightseeing ashore, or relaxing aboard in your choice of manner - pool, spa,  card playing, sports or deck activities... In Alaska there will be Park Rangers on board all day In Glacier Bay to talk about natural and wildlife features and history - glaciers, seals, whales etc.  Probably no bingo that day because it's unlikely there would be enough people attending.   

 

HAL has been selling their smaller ships so most of their ships now are about 2000 - 2500 passengers.  They are very comfortable cruising but really rough seas can happen on any cruise so if sea motion is a potential issue for you it's best to book a room mid-ship on a lower deck.  Happy planning, m-- 

[golfer1903]

Thank you for your input.  I looked at. Carnival Alaska but  they sail on a Tues to Tues and for my job that's not an option.

I think from what I am seeing hal will be just fine.

 

[wyobean]

We will be on a 7 day Alaska cruise this summer. Looking at the itinerary we will have one day cruising the inside passage, one day cruising Glacier Bay which will both be scenic. There will be one sea day at the end otherwise we will be in port. Not much time to spend on activities IMHO.

[Turtles06]

On 12/12/2018 at 1:49 PM, golfer1903 said:

New to holland.  Was looking into an alaksa cruise but do not know anything about holland. Past cruises have been carnival ( which is a little rowdy with booze for us) NcL which was ok but kinda boring.

We like carnival cuz the shows and comedy shows and day activities like bingo.

Was worried holland may be a little to boring or slow for a lack of a better word.

 

Having sailed both HAL and NCL (and enjoyed our cruises on both lines), if you found NCL "kinda boring," HAL may not be a good fit for you.   

 

OTOH, how many sea days on your cruise?  The star of an Alaska cruise is not the ship -- it's Alaska. 

 

Enjoy whatever you decide.

[OCruisers]

7 hours ago, 1964IceCreamLady said:

 

 

If you thought NCL was boring, I am fairly certain you would find HAL a snoozefest.

 

 

 

 

Funny Above!  

But a cruise to Alaska is very port intensive so you won't have much time on the ship to become bored.  

 

[golfer1903]

One sea day I think. First day 

[Krazy Kruizers]

What ship are you looking at?  The newer ships all have mini coolers in all cabins -- they are not really refrigerators as they do not keep items as cold as your refrigerator at home.  

 

Yes you can pre purchase bottled water from HAL for your cabin?

 

You mentioned your children being in their 20's -- they are no longer children -- adults.  And they should dress as adults -- slacks and a collared shirt for the evenings -- JMO.  Do they wear yogi pants to work?

[golfer1903]

oosterdam or eurodam but mostly oosterdam.   No they are not legally kids but they are forever my kids  yes One is 22 just finishing college and heading into nursing, and one is 26 and a medical dr.  So no they don't wear to work, but there not working, there on vacation.  And flights now a days only allow so much weight so you cant bring everything.  

 

I was told from Holland operator consultants that the mini fridges can be emptied so you can store water in them.  Also the dress up policy is  a internet fad that people like you ( I presume) that wanna dress up on vacations.  Official rule of Holland as stated to me by Holland is:

 

Gala night kaki slacks and a button color shirt at least and is how most are dressing now.

Non gala nights at least jeans  and no shorts

rest of areas and or buffet any way you want to dress is fine.  yoga pants and a sweatshirt in buffet or casino or a show is fine.

[Ken the cruiser]

We've taken 3 Alaska cruises, one on Celebrity, one on Disney and last summer on HAL's Amsterdam. By far if it was just my DW and myself, both in our mid 60s, we would book a Celebrity cruise to Alaska! If we had family with children, we would book Disney. HAL was ok, but too low key for us anymore and no naturalists or lecturers onboard other than folks from their excursion desk, except if you go to Glacier Bay. Then a rep from the National Park Service boards the ship and provides a briefing (from what I've heard). Also, not much to do on sea days and the evening entertainment was pretty weak. On the other hand, Celebrity had a naturalist that gave at least 3 lectures on the 7 day cruise we were on and the evening shows were great!! You may want to also check out a Princess cruise to Alaska as they usually have a lot of things along with plenty of fun entertainment.

Edited December 14, 2018 by Ken the cruiser

[OCruisers]

To go the the ports of call on cruises to Alaska  .... we would only book on Princess or HAL.  

[faerievert]

Honestly, if being boring / engaging daytime activities / nightlife is a concern, I can't recommend HAL. I love HAL for the relaxation and the food. I enjoy the music, and some of the shows, but most of it's not that special. Probably 25% sub-par, 50% fine, 25% very good. Admittedly, I live in Nashville, TN--so I'm spoiled on live entertainment. The bingo is good but it's not every day and only lasts maybe an hour. I like the food demos and playing the slots and checking out all the art and doing puzzles and hanging in the thermal spa. And of course going on excursions (not always booked through HAL). But "fun" is never a word I would associate with the cruise line. 

[JCBAY4]

Agree.  HAL doesn’t seem to be a good fit.  I would recommend NCL.

[Cruising Is Bliss]

Alaska is a very good cruise to test if HAL works for you.  So port intensive it won't matter as much if things are too quiet for your family.

[shealea]

Hello, I have cruised to Alaska a few times.  All cruises were with NCL, except for one, which was with Holland America.

 

ALL cruises to Alaska on NCL were great. Great entertainment. Holland America was ok. Just not up to what we like and are used to on NCL.

I would suggest NOT going with Holland America, especially with 20 year old age group. Not enough to do with that age group. I think they may be a bit bored. Holland America's main showroom entertainment was no way as good as NCL. (MY opinion). Holland America was big with computer classes, which were popular with the older crowd. 20 year olds would not find them helpful. Holland America is really big into their Cooking and Cuisine Chef classes. Probably not the thing for Most 20 year olds.

I talked to a young man, pry in his early 20's. We were in the hot tub. He was on a family cruise. He was a bit bored. He said that they should have researched better, and he now realized that Holland America was not a good fit for the younger folks on the cruise.

Don't get me wrong, though. For many folks, Holland America is the Perfect fit. I just do not recommend it for the younger crowd. I know my teenagers that we brought to Alaska on NCL would have been bored on Holland America.  I would give NCL another try. We really like that cruise line.

And have a WONDERFUL Alaska cruise. Talk about Beauty!!!!!  ENJOY!!!

[Nashna]

I think Princess is a better fit for your family.  They have a younger cliental and offer similar pre and post cruse options.  Their entertainment is also much more ambitions than HAL.   Because Princess & Holland America were the first two lines to sail to Alaska, they are able to sail into the best areas and have the best docking options.  Please remember that a cruise to Alaska is totally different than a cruise to the Caribbean or Europe.  Folks tend to spend lots of time off the ship on excursions and are not as apt to dress for dinner.  Your cruise is all about Alaska.  If you only have one sea day, I would not be too concerned with daytime activities.  If that is your first full day onboard, you will be busy acclimating yourself to the ship and the staff will have lots of activities to keep you and your family occupied.  Plus, it sounds like you have two very busy children and they might like the opportunity to catch up with you and have a few hours to relax.

[golfer1903]

Thanks for all the opinions.  Main reason half is an option is the ports. We really wanna see sitka  and the room on the ship is the largest for the price compared to  others.  Premium balcony room vs aft balcony on ncl.