Considering first HAL Cruise with our teens

[iancal]

Ours preferred RCI to HAL. 

 

But that was then and this is now.   No idea what the post covid ship environment will be like.  For adults or for teenagers.   Far too many variables in this equation to recommend one cruise line over another.

 

Lots of things have changed over the years.

 

I suspect that it depends more on your children, the ship, the other teens on that ship, and the ships crew on that particular voyage.

 

As an aside.....we have been on two Carnival March break cruises.  Both last minute.  One from San Diego, one from Miami.   Neither cruise was overrun with wild, drunk college/university March breakers.  Quite the opposite.  Mostly families.   Never had an issue.   

 

I sometimes wonder whether people who make these types of claims about certain cruise line have actually sailed on them.

 

Bottom line is that you will not know until you have been on the ship for a few days.  But by then you are committed to your decision!

Edited April 5, 2021 by iancal

[Brentt_M]

I took my kids (14 and 10 at the time) on a spring break cruise in 2018 on RCL.  They both enjoyed it and had fun. In 2019 we decided to do an Alaskan Cruise with HAL and they both went on and on about how much more they liked the HAL cruise. It just fit their personalities better. 

 

My youngest loved the lower number of kids in Club Hal vs on the. RCL cruise.  He also found the club counselors to be more engaging and fun.  My teenager found the pace of life on Hal to fit her perfectly.  She loved sitting in on any lecture that was happening or finding a quiet spot to curl up with a book and just chill.

 

They both also commented on how much better the service and food was on the Hal cruise and they loved the music walk venues in the evenings.

 

When it came time for our 2020 spring break they both wanted a Hal cruise so we were on the last cruise the Nieuw Statendam made before everything was suspended.  Even in the craziness that was that week they were more than happy to be on a dam ship.

 

We now have another Alaskan cruise booked for 2022 and even though we are 450+ days away they are so excited to get back.

[FlaMariner]

Our children (boy and girl) went on HAL cruises as teens (to the Caribbean & Mediterranean) and loved them.  They prefer HAL (we first started cruising on Carnival when they were little but graduated to HAL when they were teens and they (& we) never looked back).

 

When we were going back to the ship in Nassau and the crowd entered the port and then forked according to ship (Carnival & HAL) after watching all the drunk teens (and adults) stumbling off to the Carnival ship, our son said..."Dad, I get it now".  Enough said.

 

I'm not judging but we do feel much more "at home" on Holland America Line......and our teenage kids did as well....As 20 somethings, they still prefer Holland America and they are proud of their 2 stars!  As others have said, it's really about you and your kids preferences. And YMMV.  

[sailingdutchy]

We were with our teenage grandsons , 13 and 15  on the Koningsdam a coupe of years ago and they loved everything of what this other Pinnacle Class had to offer while we were in the Mediterranean in August .

Not a minute were they bored , they spend some time with the adults but most of the time they were very happy  to be with a small number of new friends from  a number of other countries .

 

 Seeing your description of what your children prefer to do I believe they will be in the right place .

 

Tony 

Edited April 6, 2021 by sailingdutchy

[Daniel A]

Very slightly off topic - I just booked my first HAL cruise and I'm wondering if I need to have my TA or myself indicate "No Upgrades" as the cabin I booked is exactly what I want, where I want.  I've heard other cruise lines will automatically 'upgrade' you unless you state you won't accept any upgrades - is this the case with HAL?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Mary229]

I always have my TA do this. I do a call first but will consider upsells.  I usually do this when I make final payment   My sis owns an agency and often I have been upgraded when I would have preferred what I picked.  

Edited April 9, 2021 by Mary229

[vswan]

The first cruise we took with our kids was a HAL cruise many years ago. We had a fantastic time. Know things have changed sine then, but it was a great fit for them. They went to the teen program right away and met the other kids on board. There were very few, but that was good. They came from many countries and all hung around together. They learned about other cultures and had an eye opening experience for two kids from rural Minnesota. The food was also a good experience for them. I know the menus have changed, but the funniest thing was watching my 14 year old daughter choke down caviar and then having the waiter come over and tell her she ate it wrong and bring her another order which she dutifully ate the way he showed her to do.

[iancal]

I think that it is very much a crap shoot.  At the end of the day it won't be the cruise line as much as it will be the ship and it's amenities, other guests in the same age group, the ships crew, and the itinerary.

 

I believe that your teens have as much chance having a wonderful cruise on HAL as they do any other cruise line.  And as much chance as having a very mediocre cruise. 

 

Same with the rest of us for that matter.   The only constant with mass market cruise lines seems to be inconsistency.

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by iancal

[petepie]

We took teens on HAL to Alaska one summer and they enjoyed it. But there really isn’t much for them during the day. Activities offered were art auctions, acupuncture, shore talks and similar. We were in port a lot and just relaxed on the sea day, but if you’re looking at an itinerary with many sea days, that’s something you may want to consider. In the evening, they liked the piano players (billboard on board). One also met some kids to hang out with in the teen club. Overall they like HAL better than Disney, which they thought was too chaotic and crowded with kids.  They also really liked celebrity, which may be another good option. We have not tried RCL. I think there are a lot more families looking at HAL as they have some of the best fares on 3rd and 4th passengers in same cabin. Enjoy!

[Cruising Jedi]

For my two boys, HAL is their favourite cruise line, by far.  Like yours, they are mature, laid back, and enjoy family time. 

That said, they also made a great group of friends on board.  Being a smaller amount of teens, they bonded and did a lot together.  And they were a good group, nothing rowdy or crazy.  

Don't let people scare you off, like they tried to do with me and my boys lol

[irvington]

When my sons were teens we did two cruises on HAL and one on NCL. They loved them. They weren't super interested in meeting other kids on the trip, and we went on port-heavy ones that they really enjoyed. I would say they slightly preferred HAL because there was a tiny movie theater on the Zuiderdam (at the time at least). 

[sprockie]

We have been on celebrity, carnival and Hal (by far the most) and always with our kids - now 14 and 19.  Last cruise was on the nieuw statendam with the rolling stone rock room and billboard on board.  The kids and I were there every night.  The Rotterdam will have the same venues.  It was the best cruise we've ever had. So much fun every night.  We've never sailed on March break, but less kids doesn't bother them at all.  They're just as happy chatting with people of all ages and having some great family time on a great ship.  Don't let the "don't sail HAL" people influence you.  They're just the people who think Hal should be reserved for adults only.  Hal is a great fit for everyone in the family.  I am definitely not going to sacrifice my vacation to sail on a line I don't like so there's more kids activities.

 

[Albinroo]

1 hour ago, sprockie said:

We have been on celebrity, carnival and Hal (by far the most) and always with our kids - now 14 and 19.  Last cruise was on the nieuw statendam with the rolling stone rock room and billboard on board.  The kids and I were there every night.  The Rotterdam will have the same venues.  It was the best cruise we've ever had. So much fun every night.  We've never sailed on March break, but less kids doesn't bother them at all.  They're just as happy chatting with people of all ages and having some great family time on a great ship.  Don't let the "don't sail HAL" people influence you.  They're just the people who think Hal should be reserved for adults only.  Hal is a great fit for everyone in the family.  I am definitely not going to sacrifice my vacation to sail on a line I don't like so there's more kids activities.

 

Thanks for these encouraging words! I have been wanting to book a cruise with HAL for ages but then I keep seeing some comments on this board that are really discouraging like "keep the kids away from HAL" or similar. We have been on several cruises with Disney and NCL, and while we have enjoyed them, the party feeling on NCL is really far from our style. Our kids are pretty well behaved but I feel scared that they will get bad looks and comments on board HAL just because they are kids.

Anyway, reading your post and others made me feel better, so thanks!

[sprockie]

11 hours ago, Albinroo said:

Thanks for these encouraging words! I have been wanting to book a cruise with HAL for ages but then I keep seeing some comments on this board that are really discouraging like "keep the kids away from HAL" or similar. We have been on several cruises with Disney and NCL, and while we have enjoyed them, the party feeling on NCL is really far from our style. Our kids are pretty well behaved but I feel scared that they will get bad looks and comments on board HAL just because they are kids.

Anyway, reading your post and others made me feel better, so thanks!

I am glad you are encouraged by my comments.  We tried a Carnival cruise when the kids were smaller and we couldn't talk to each other at the pool over the blaring videos and music on the big screen. We love HAL for many reasons.   I really feel HAL is catering to us middle aged folks and families now with their change of music venues and better entertainment.  We've sailed with HAL for over 20 years and we've seen the transformation from catering to older people to encouraging more middle agers and families.  A very welcome change from my perspective.  Like i said, with the Rolling Stone Rock Room and Billboard Onboard we had so much fun on our last cruise.  I was 18 again in the RSRR and my kids realized Mom might just be kind of cool.  The people who don't want to see kids on HAL are few and far between and they're dying off.   Those are the people who think they're on the QEII or Cunard.  The vast majority of people are very happy to see and chat with kids and teens on board - including the staff who were always eager to have a chat with our kids.  I am quite sure most passengers and staff would rather interact with a happy family enjoying their vacation than a crotchety entitled snob who doesn't like to see kids on board.  I encourage you to give HAL a try - you won't regret it.