Fewer Onboard Activities on HAL?

[charliedalrymple]

We are seasoned cruisers but have never sailed on HAL.  Our preferred line is Princess, and we really enjoy the broad range of activities offered onboard, particularly in the evenings.  We've heard that HAL has a limited activity schedule compared with other lines and that things tend to die down fairly early in the evening.  We are quite interested in some upcoming HAL itineraries (especially Antarctica) but are concerned that we might find it a bit "dull."  Can anyone comment on that?

[BobbiSox]

I find that a lot of the activites consisit of the passengers entertaining themselves, for example, trivia is very popular, although it isn't something that interests me. 

[kazu]

I haven’t seen things die down at night.  the Music Walk on the K was packed and my previous cruise just a few weeks earlier evenings were pretty busy.

 

Where you may find a big difference between the 2 lines is the show in the evening.

 

there are few pool side games on HAL during the day.  Mind you, when you cross the equator and other such locations there are major eleaborate celebrations at pool side.

[Lido deck main]

5 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

We are seasoned cruisers but have never sailed on HAL.  Our preferred line is Princess, and we really enjoy the broad range of activities offered onboard, particularly in the evenings.  We've heard that HAL has a limited activity schedule compared with other lines and that things tend to die down fairly early in the evening.  We are quite interested in some upcoming HAL itineraries (especially Antarctica) but are concerned that we might find it a bit "dull."  Can anyone comment on that?

Actually you said it best. That you are interested in some HAL itineraries (especially Antarctica).  HAL is about the destination.  You will probably be on the Zaandam. Smaller ships can only go to those destinations, and also that cruise includes Amazon River, also need a smaller ship.  Smaller ships have less spaces for late night activities.  We are elite on Princess.  For me travel is about the destination all of my longer cruises are on HAL.  All of our repeat Princess cruises leave and return to Vancouver, we do them when we want to fill in between our HAL cruises as those are simple and easy but always to the same places.  It really is about the ship and destination. We just did the Grand South America (including Antarctica) got home in March was on sister ship of Zaandam.  Yes late night activities were lacking.  Still loved the cruise.  We are early sixties and like you like late night and activities.  We are going to Europe this fall on HAL on one of the newer ships, which does have a lot of late night activities and a great itinerary.  So in this case we can have it both, great itinerary and great late night entertainment. It is up to you, for niche destinations that require smaller ships it is about destination only, little late night.  If late night is important to you hopefully Princess has a ship that does Antartica.  We have an over 3 month cruise early next year on HAL on the same small ship we took to Antartica, again late night will be lacking but again it is about the destination. Hope you have a wonderful cruise whatever you decide.

[Guest ldtr]

yes, the number of activities and entertainment options is much less on HAL than Princess. Night time activities are mostly music walk. During the day when music walk is shutdown there are a few activities, but not many.

 

Fewer choices on TV in cabin as well.

Edited May 7, 2023 by ldtr

[TiogaCruiser]

3 hours ago, Lido deck main said:

Actually you said it best. That you are interested in some HAL itineraries (especially Antarctica).  HAL is about the destination.  You will probably be on the Zaandam. Smaller ships can only go to those destinations, and also that cruise includes Amazon River, also need a smaller ship.  Smaller ships have less spaces for late night activities.  We are elite on Princess.  For me travel is about the destination all of my longer cruises are on HAL.  All of our repeat Princess cruises leave and return to Vancouver, we do them when we want to fill in between our HAL cruises as those are simple and easy but always to the same places.  It really is about the ship and destination. We just did the Grand South America (including Antarctica) got home in March was on sister ship of Zaandam……

Umm, oosterdam is doing Antarctica, and I believe a Vista class ship just did it this past season.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/S4N22B/O411.html

[Lido deck main]

17 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Umm, oosterdam is doing Antarctica, and I believe a Vista class ship just did it this past season.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/S4N22B/O411.html

I am referring to the Grand voyages.  Which I was on.  We were on the Volendam.  The Grand South America leaving this fall is on Zaandam.  I know there are other part voyages on other ships.

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, Lido deck main said:

HAL is about the destination.  You will probably be on the Zaandam. Smaller ships can only go to those destinations, and also that cruise includes Amazon River, also need a smaller ship.  Smaller ships have less spaces for late night activities. 

 

 

HAL has a number of voyages annually to Antarctica that use larger ships (e.g., Vista class) and that do not include the Amazon. They leave from Buenos Aires and end in San Antonio, Chile. For the coming season, they are using Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.

 

3 hours ago, ldtr said:

yes, the number of activities and entertainment options is much less on HAL than Princess. Night time activities are mostly music walk. During the day when music walk is shutdown there are a few activities, but not many.

 

Fewer choices on TV in cabin as well.

 

And speaking of Music Walk, as of right now there is only the Rolling Stones venue and Billboard on Vista class ships. Lincoln Center Strings (classical) is either on hiatus or gone, depending on what HAL clarifies, but either way they will not be a nightly event. 

 

Daytime activities on my 28-day Westerdam cruise (Vista class) included trivia, adult-coloring, origami, the occasional afternoon movie, etc. A few exercise classed in the a.m.  Destination lectures were given by the cruise/entertainment director either live or sometimes just pre-recorded and shown on in-cabin TV. Hopefully they would have something more for Antarctica, like a naturalist....

 

I did find my TV had a varied selection of movies for free though, which was nice when there was nothing else to do of an evening...  Maybe it's changed, but I seem to recall Princess charging for a lot more of their in-room entertainment.

 

 

[canadarocks]

We spent 31 days on the Rotterdam this winter, immediately followed by 14 days on the Sky Princess. When it comes to "activities" (ie trivia, game shows, etc. - NOT listening to music) there is no comparison. 

Princess beats Holland America hands down. Whether that is a deciding factor varies greatly between each of us obviously. 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

4 hours ago, Lido deck main said:

Actually you said it best. That you are interested in some HAL itineraries (especially Antarctica).  HAL is about the destination.  You will probably be on the Zaandam. Smaller ships can only go to those destinations, and also that cruise includes Amazon River, also need a smaller ship.  Smaller ships have less spaces for late night activities.  We are elite on Princess.  For me travel is about the destination all of my longer cruises are on HAL.  All of our repeat Princess cruises leave and return to Vancouver, we do them when we want to fill in between our HAL cruises as those are simple and easy but always to the same places.  It really is about the ship and destination. We just did the Grand South America (including Antarctica) got home in March was on sister ship of Zaandam.  Yes late night activities were lacking.  Still loved the cruise.  We are early sixties and like you like late night and activities.  We are going to Europe this fall on HAL on one of the newer ships, which does have a lot of late night activities and a great itinerary.  So in this case we can have it both, great itinerary and great late night entertainment. It is up to you, for niche destinations that require smaller ships it is about destination only, little late night.  If late night is important to you hopefully Princess has a ship that does Antartica.  We have an over 3 month cruise early next year on HAL on the same small ship we took to Antartica, again late night will be lacking but again it is about the destination. Hope you have a wonderful cruise whatever you decide.

Also the Oosterdam goes.

[ajcathy]

11 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

We are seasoned cruisers but have never sailed on HAL.  Our preferred line is Princess, and we really enjoy the broad range of activities offered onboard, particularly in the evenings.  We've heard that HAL has a limited activity schedule compared with other lines and that things tend to die down fairly early in the evening.  We are quite interested in some upcoming HAL itineraries (especially Antarctica) but are concerned that we might find it a bit "dull."  Can anyone comment on that?

I have done the Antarctica cruise twice on HAL, Santiago to BA both times.  First time was on the Zaandam and this past January was on the Oosterdam.  On both trips the guest speakers were fabulous and the scenery is your daytime entertainment.  (You only have a few hours of darkness!) Both times it was a trip of a lifetime and I won't rule out doing it a third time. I enjoyed the Music Walk every night and there were guest entertainers in the showroom at least four times. 

[OlsSalt]

12 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

We are seasoned cruisers but have never sailed on HAL.  Our preferred line is Princess, and we really enjoy the broad range of activities offered onboard, particularly in the evenings.  We've heard that HAL has a limited activity schedule compared with other lines and that things tend to die down fairly early in the evening.  We are quite interested in some upcoming HAL itineraries (especially Antarctica) but are concerned that we might find it a bit "dull."  Can anyone comment on that?

 

You will find it dull. Trade-off between great HAL itineraries and appeal to more self-contained cruisers, and the higher on board distractions available on other cruise lines.

 

HAL does serve a more unique niche in the cruise world - more for destinations oriented travelers on their smaller ships, but reaching out to more onboard entertainments on their larger newer ships.

[sfaaa]

No karaoke, no outdoor movies under the star, no Lido sail away party with live band, no waterslide, no silence disco etc. Bring a book or two with you if this is a concern. 

[Guest ldtr]

13 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

HAL has a number of voyages annually to Antarctica that use larger ships (e.g., Vista class) and that do not include the Amazon. They leave from Buenos Aires and end in San Antonio, Chile. For the coming season, they are using Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.

 

 

And speaking of Music Walk, as of right now there is only the Rolling Stones venue and Billboard on Vista class ships. Lincoln Center Strings (classical) is either on hiatus or gone, depending on what HAL clarifies, but either way they will not be a nightly event. 

 

Daytime activities on my 28-day Westerdam cruise (Vista class) included trivia, adult-coloring, origami, the occasional afternoon movie, etc. A few exercise classed in the a.m.  Destination lectures were given by the cruise/entertainment director either live or sometimes just pre-recorded and shown on in-cabin TV. Hopefully they would have something more for Antarctica, like a naturalist....

 

I did find my TV had a varied selection of movies for free though, which was nice when there was nothing else to do of an evening...  Maybe it's changed, but I seem to recall Princess charging for a lot more of their in-room entertainment.

 

 

You might be thinking Celebrity. Princess has not charged for in room entertainment, atleast not in the 15 years I have been sailing on the line. While both Hal and Princess has a selection of movies and some live tv the selection on Princess is a bit larger. Princess has a much wider selection of tv show episodes of various TV shows as well as a number of Ocesn original episodes by Jeff Corwin and others. The end result is a much wider selection.

 

I do know that Celebrity has charged for some in room entertainment, but have not been on one of their ships in the past year so cannot say if they still do.

[Guest ldtr]

8 hours ago, sfaaa said:

No karaoke, no outdoor movies under the star, no Lido sail away party with live band, no waterslide, no silence disco etc. Bring a book or two with you if this is a concern. 

More like 30 or 40 books.

[Guest ldtr]

13 hours ago, canadarocks said:

We spent 31 days on the Rotterdam this winter, immediately followed by 14 days on the Sky Princess. When it comes to "activities" (ie trivia, game shows, etc. - NOT listening to music) there is no comparison. 

Princess beats Holland America hands down. Whether that is a deciding factor varies greatly between each of us obviously. 

One of the problem is that the venues on HAL ships are not designed in a way to be conducive to some of those other activities.  Where as on Princess you have 2 other general purpose venues in addition to the main theater. On Hal the venues are more optimized  for music walk. When they do use the spaces for thing like trivia (in the piano venue) it is not a good venue for it.

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, sfaaa said:

No karaoke, no outdoor movies under the star, no Lido sail away party with live band, no waterslide, no silence disco etc.

Perfect when sailing Antarctica! Sailing the serene waters in quiet like you have never heard before. Tasting the fresh air as you breathe. 
Exactly as it should be on that itinerary. 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

You might be thinking Celebrity. Princess has not charged for in room entertainment, atleast not in the 15 years I have been sailing on the line. While both Hal and Princess has a selection of movies and some live tv the selection on Princess is a bit larger. Princess has a much wider selection of tv show episodes of various TV shows as well as a number of Ocesn original episodes by Jeff Corwin and others. The end result is a much wider selection.

 

I do know that Celebrity has charged for some in room entertainment, but have not been on one of their ships in the past year so cannot say if they still do.

 

You could be right. I have been mostly on Celebrity for the last several years so perhaps that's what I remember.  Although I could've sworn when DS and I were last on Princess there were not many movies for free (only ones that had already been on MUTS). We don't watch a lot of series. Seems like we ended up watching old episodes of Love Boat (which were new to DS, who found them cheesy but fun....lol).

 

[Banditswife]

On longer cruises, HAL sometimes has art classes which we found fun, but they are during the day & hard to get a seat, they fill up quickly.

 

[Mary229]

No day parties and unfortunately, for HAL enthusiasts, they do occasionally show daytime movies by the pool on the largest ships.  Evenings do tend to roll up early.  Many traditional HAL cruisers are destination oriented and passenger, in general,are early to be, early to rise to make the most of shore time.  
 

Recent cutbacks include curtailment of in room Video/TV offerings - still good but not as varied.   Also cutbacks in enrichment programs.  There seems to be some adjustments being made to their well known music venues so my experiences may be different from yours.  
 

Still for the destination oriented traveler you will be in good company with like minded people.  It will be relaxing and usually quiet.  

Edited May 7, 2023 by Mary229

[yvrcruzer]

we are just off the Noordam. Evening activities are pretty minimal. The main theatre seems to only be used for the dance company presentations (not to my liking - seen one you've seen them all) the only other time the world stage was used was for a couple of non hit movies (80 for Brady for example). Other shows like the comedian were in the Rolling Stone lounge with limited seating. Evenings consist mainly of trivia and 45 minute music sets in the rolling stone and billboard lounges along with a make shift trio playing in the ocean bar. Otherwise not much else except shop promotions. This was the same routine as the Alaska cruise we were on last year including the same dance show.

[BarbandDaleT]

We are sailing HAL for the first time soon and this sounds a little depressing.  

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, BarbandDaleT said:

We are sailing HAL for the first time soon and this sounds a little depressing.  

 

HAL has a special niche and a very high rate of repeat passengers so this low-key ambiance does work for a lot of paying HAL customers.

 

We don't find it "depressing" at all. Just the opposite - quiet, non-frantic, peaceful, relaxing with full attention to where we are going. Anything else is just extra, not necessary. 

 

Good thing you got warned ahead of time. Keeping in mind most of us "quiet cruisers" gravitate to the smaller, older ships with the longer itineraries. Shorter cruises on the newer and larger ships reach out to a much wider range of passenger interests.

[Pickalily, Wilts]

2 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

HAL has a special niche and a very high rate of repeat passengers so this low-key ambiance does work for a lot of paying HAL customers.

 

We don't find it "depressing" at all. Just the opposite - quiet, non-frantic, peaceful, relaxing with full attention to where we are going. Anything else is just extra, not necessary. 

 

Good thing you got warned ahead of time. Keeping in mind most of us "quiet cruisers" gravitate to the smaller, older ships with the longer itineraries. Shorter cruises on the newer and larger ships reach out to a much wider range of passenger interests.

 

 

Well said, although we love the Rolling Stone Rock Room and BB King's groups - and no one could call them quiet! 🙂.   Sadly, some people seem to expect to be disappointed and almost 'dare' the cruiseline to prove them wrong.  Be positive folks.

[Guest ldtr]

9 hours ago, Mary229 said:

No day parties and unfortunately, for HAL enthusiasts, they do occasionally show daytime movies by the pool on the largest ships.  Evenings do tend to roll up early.  Many traditional HAL cruisers are destination oriented and passenger, in general,are early to be, early to rise to make the most of shore time.  
 

Recent cutbacks include curtailment of in room Video/TV offerings - still good but not as varied.   Also cutbacks in enrichment programs.  There seems to be some adjustments being made to their well known music venues so my experiences may be different from yours.  
 

Still for the destination oriented traveler you will be in good company with like minded people.  It will be relaxing and usually quiet.  

Many of whom spend their time sleeping on the chairs in the Crows nest.