New to Holland America maybe

[mailbroad]

My husband and I may be joining my parents on a HAL cruise in April. By that time I will have cruised on NCL three times and my husband will have cruised on it twice. I like the freestyle idea for dining because of the time issue... but since I have never been on a traditional cruise I think I might like that. (By the way, the food on a recent NCL cruise was mediocre)

What are some of the activities offered? We are in our forties. We can take it or leave it when it comes to alcohol and are fairly laid back.

Thanks.

[doone]

Welcome to HAL. You didn't say which ship you are sailing, that will help us to help you with any of your questions.

 

I like traditional cruising, that's why I have stuck with HAL. I have sailed NCL and to be honest with you, it wasn't my cup of tea.

 

Look forward to your posting here on the boards.

[mailbroad]

The cruise would be the Noordam out of NYC in April for a 10 day Carribean cruise. My parents will definetly have a Verhanda and my husband and I will probably not...although all other cruises have had a balcony...

 

 

I have to convince my husband.

[AAAAmerican]

My husband and I may be joining my parents on a HAL cruise in April. By that time I will have cruised on NCL three times and my husband will have cruised on it twice. I like the freestyle idea for dining because of the time issue... but since I have never been on a traditional cruise I think I might like that. (By the way, the food on a recent NCL cruise was mediocre)

What are some of the activities offered? We are in our forties. We can take it or leave it when it comes to alcohol and are fairly laid back.

Thanks.

 

 

Maam,

 

Youall may want to come aboard before .. Seeing a few peop[le astonded or should I say flabergasted on the Low low Prices I/We all have found as well booked they are amazed.

 

The New York area is the most competitive marketplace in the world. Yes Holland America was HQ here and they moved to WaWA (Seattle, Washington) ..where things go at a much s l o w e r pace....

 

HAL has a great fleet of Ships now numbering 13 with the MS Noordam IV in NYC on Februrary 22nd, 2006

 

The ships crew is excellent.

 

Prices on her voyages are I guess to use the word ..PHENOMINAL... try her and see.

 

N C L now part of STAR HQ in Malaysia... has ships in NYC where the Noordam is...

 

The food quality is very subjective.. but once you try HAL I do think if you like quality, comfort, ease, great staffing and not being nickeled and dimed in each turn .. the choice will be obvious...

 

We have cruised many lines before and do like quality, comfort and the best cost basis. HAL has it again.

 

FreeStyle does have certain advantages but really does anyone ever go hungry? Or do people have to bring there own food supplies?

 

The way of future cruises may be again an American word we all adore.

 

C H O I C E.

 

Having both more Freestyle and Traditional Dining with 24 access for many items not just from RoomService is great.

 

 

We do like the Tradional best but having the choices are so much better for all.

 

Look as an example at the Mother Ships Line Miracle .. we have been on her twice and are amazed how much she was/is not like the atypical carnival ships...

 

We had great voyages on here. But still palls compared to HAL.

[RuthC]

You asked about activities on the 10-day Noordam out of NYC. There will be much to keep you occupied while at sea. Besides sitting around the pool reading and enjoying the sea there are the usual games like Trivia, Scattagories, Pictionary. There will be a ship-building contest. Even if you don't submit a boat you can still go to the contest; it's lots of fun. There may be ice-carving demonstrations as well as cooking demonstrations. There's a tour of the galley.

IIRC there was a passenger lip-sync show (I may not be remembering this cruise correctly:o ).

At night there is a floor show after dinner. There's also a movie, stringed instruments playing in the Explorer's Lounge, dance music in the Ocean Bar, sing-alongs in the Piano Bar, a disco, and more music in the Crow's Nest.

And a casino in case you have any money to spare.

That enough?

[xpcdoojk]

Maam,

 

Youall may want to come aboard before .. Seeing a few peop[le astonded or should I say flabergasted on the Low low Prices I/We all have found as well booked they are amazed.

 

The New York area is the most competitive marketplace in the world. Yes Holland America was HQ here and they moved to WaWA (Seattle, Washington) ..where things go at a much s l o w e r pace....

 

HAL has a great fleet of Ships now numbering 13 with the MS Noordam IV in NYC on Februrary 22nd, 2006

 

The ships crew is excellent.

 

Prices on her voyages are I guess to use the word ..PHENOMINAL... try her and see.

 

N C L now part of STAR HQ in Malaysia... has ships in NYC where the Noordam is...

 

The food quality is very subjective.. but once you try HAL I do think if you like quality, comfort, ease, great staffing and not being nickeled and dimed in each turn .. the choice will be obvious...

 

We have cruised many lines before and do like quality, comfort and the best cost basis. HAL has it again.

 

FreeStyle does have certain advantages but really does anyone ever go hungry? Or do people have to bring there own food supplies?

 

The way of future cruises may be again an American word we all adore.

 

C H O I C E.

 

Having both more Freestyle and Traditional Dining with 24 access for many items not just from RoomService is great.

 

 

We do like the Tradional best but having the choices are so much better for all.

 

Look as an example at the Mother Ships Line Miracle .. we have been on her twice and are amazed how much she was/is not like the atypical carnival ships...

 

We had great voyages on here. But still palls compared to HAL.

 

Huh????:confused:

 

To the OP, I am 47 and we very much enjoyed our cruise on HAL, after many cruises on Celebrity, RCI and Carnival. We are not big activity people, but we had a very enjoyable cruise.

 

jc

[hammybee]

I sail all mid -price cruise lines, but one, and always come home to HAL.

 

I too enjoy the NCL freestyle thing as an occasional diversion. Dine when you want, where you want, with whom you want, in what you want, gives NCL passengers many choices and I like this on port intensive cruises in Hawaii and the Med.

 

The downside of all this is that it's harder, at least for me, to connect with other passengers and the crew because you rarely see the same people twice.

 

On HAL you will have a fixed dinner time in the main dining room but can opt out for dinner in the Pinnacle Grill ( surcharge), more casual Lido or room service. Most take most dinners in the main dining room and have the opportunity to see the same people every night.

 

HAL has a dress code, casual, informal and formal. Most passengers go along with this.

 

Cabins are larger and better appointed on HAL. The HAL beds are wonderful.

The staff tends to be more experienced and sincere on HAL.

 

There are so many little things and traditions that go with a HAL cruise that makes it hard to beat at it's price point. Yum-Yum men ringing chimes for dinner, pop corn for the movies, soup on deck, high tea, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

 

The design, art and flowers make HAL a more elegent sail experience than NCL.

 

I will sail NCL again when and where the Freestyle thing works best. They are very different experiences and now you have the opportunity to determine which suits you best.

[mailbroad]

hmmm... I think that we will like all those little extras. I have heard that Holland America caters to an olderr crowd. That doesn't bother us at all. My husband loves just sitting by the pool! Now, I muist convince him that we must go!

[noblepa]

hmmm... I think that we will like all those little extras. I have heard that Holland America caters to an olderr crowd. That doesn't bother us at all. My husband loves just sitting by the pool! Now, I muist convince him that we must go!

 

I think that HAL's reputation for older passengers is due, in part to the fact that they do mostly longer cruises. Seven day cruises are common, but many are 10, 11, 14, 20 or more days. HAL does very few 3, 4 or 5 day cruises. Older, more affluent passengers are more likely to be able to afford the time and expense of these longer voyages than are young people, who may have school and/or work schedules to deal with.

 

That said, the Vista class ships (Noordam, Oosterdam, Westerdam and Zuiderdam) are a little larger than the other HAL ships, but no where near as large as the behemoths on some lines. With the Vistas, HAL seems to be trying to attract more of a family clientele. The Vista class ships do a lot of 7-14 day cruises.

 

I think you'll have fun. After all, fun, like beauty, is mostly in the eye of the beholder. If you want to enjoy yourself, you can and will. If you don't, you won't.

 

YMMV

 

Paul Noble

[seaisme]

from a loyal HAL cruiser since 1997...the line can't be beat. more sophsiticated. less children. great service (cabin staff are FANTASTIC). Decent entertainment and food. You will meet a lot of fellow passengers your age group (and your folks age group). Lots of on-board activities to keep you occupied...would suggest getting a verandah cabin so that you can enjoy total solitude. HAL is designed to have lots of "passenger space". There will be times when you think you are the only passengers! There's no crowding, or sense of overwhelming people. And if you really like to relax...don't miss the thermal spa! it's "Heaven on Earth"!!! Talk about relaxing! The tiled lounges are heated and overlook the sea. And don't think you'll go there and read a book...I thought that...and fell asleep in about one minute! You will not be disappointed in HAL. We're sailing April 7 out of Fort Lauderdale and taking my Sis and her family on their first cruise. Enjoy the trip with your family. It's a wonderful way to spend time together 9and apart!!!). For the price difference, would suggest the Verandah category.

happy cruising!

Cass

[tarps14]

Huh????:confused:

 

To the OP, I am 47 and we very much enjoyed our cruise on HAL, after many cruises on Celebrity, RCI and Carnival. We are not big activity people, but we had a very enjoyable cruise.

 

jc

 

Actually, I was able to understand exactly what AAAAmerican was saying this time! (Scary, huh?) It is great to have choices. The OP has never really had a true "traditional" experience and AAA... was simply extolling the virtues of having a choice. "The Mother Ships Line" (aka Carnival), Miracle, is not like the usual over the top Carnival ship. But even having experienced the newest a line has to offer, AAA... still prefers HAL. For someone who has never cruised with HAL, this was a ringing endorsement for me. I like hearing from people who have cruised many different lines as they can give a more balanced approach. On occasion, I have a difficult time understanding AAA...'s point, but I have learned to read between the lines (and to basically just look past the history lessons:cool: ). He gives good information, albeit sometimes hidden and difficult to find, and coming at it from a varied cruising past, is a great source of knowledge.

[NapTown Jim]

hmmm... I think that we will like all those little extras. I have heard that Holland America caters to an olderr crowd. That doesn't bother us at all. My husband loves just sitting by the pool! Now, I muist convince him that we must go!

 

My wife convinced me that we had to go on a cruise for our honeymoon and she let the choice of cruise line and itenerary up to me. From a guy who has never considered this as an option for vacations let me tell you after my first HAL cruise its all I think about now. Tell your husband that a cruise on Holland America is like eating Lays Potato Chips. You can't have just one. I guarantee all of you will have a great time.

 

As to the age thing....I'm 37, and I can tell you that Holland America ships are not the floating retirement homes that the more ignorant Travel Agents think they are.

[allen.crawford]

We are scheduled to go on our sixth HAL cruise over the past seven years. My wife was 30 when we went on our first HAL cruise and NEVER felt like she was out of step with everyone else.

 

We have found the HAL passengers to be the most friendly group of people we have ever bumped into while on vacation. It doesn't matter the people's social standing, age, or citizenship, that all seems to be left at home.

 

We have yet to sail without making lifetime friends -- all unintentionally!!!

 

In fact, our next cruise will be with a couple we met on our last cruise. They have done the 7 hour drive to visit us last spring and we did the same this summer to visit them. We are really looking forward to sailing with them again. btw, they use to sail on many of the other lines but are now HAL converts based upon our last cruise (a 17 day cruise from Lisbon to Rio).

 

As for activities, we aren't ones to sit and read, yet we found that we had a grand time every day (even for the 3 days when we were at sea crossing the equator). We are extremely confident you will have a GREAT time!

[RuthC]

There are so many little things and traditions that go with a HAL cruise ... chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

Oh, be still my beating heart. :D

[lainied]

Mailbroad

 

You Will Have A Wonderful Time. I Was 20 When I Took My First Holland America Cruise - It Was On The Old Rotterdam Out Of Nyc (1983). The Crowd Was Older, But I Had The Best Time Of My Life. The People I Meet On This Cruise Became My Friends For Life - We Cruised The Next 6 Or 7 Years With The Same Group Of Maybe 20 Or So. The Crew Is Also Excellent, They We Do Anything For You. I Recently Took A Rci Cruise - I Had A Good Time But Nothing Compares To My Hal Experience. Give Her A Try And I Bet You Will Have A Great Time.

 

P.s. Does Anyone Remember Frank Gusto From The Tropic Bar, Or Roger James. (memories)

[RuthC]

P.s. Does Anyone Remember Frank Gusto From The Tropic Bar. (memories)

Oh my, yes. From the moment I walked into the Tropic Bar, and Frank interrupted whatever song he was in the midst of to "pipe" me in, I knew I had found my place.

I still carry several of his "never too busy to say 'hello'" dollars in my cruise purse. Remember how he would ask "name a song I can't play and I'll give you $1000"?

 

What a fun room that little bar was---especially with Frank at the piano. I was the last passenger ever to leave that room.

[lainied]

Ruthc

 

What Wonderful Memories I Have Of That Bar. I Was Always The One He Picked To Play Shiela The Piela. He Was A Great Entertainer.

[RuthC]

Ruthc

 

What Wonderful Memories I Have Of That Bar. I Was Always The One He Picked To Play Shiela The Piela. He Was A Great Entertainer.

"Entertainer" is the right word. Frank couldn't sing worth a darn, but he really knew how to play the piano, could change keys in a heartbeat, knew (almost) every song worth knowing, and knew how to make a party. That was the most important part of all: he knew how to make a fun time.