HAL for young couples?

[Jen516]

My husband and I are considering booking a 10-year anniversary trip next summer on the new HAL ship Nieuw Amsterdam (out of Venice).

 

We have never sailed on HAL (but have on RCCL and Princess) and wanted to see what the general age range is. We are in our mid-30s and don't mind a mix of ages but don't want many kids/teens running around and would also appreciate not being the only young couple on this ship!

 

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Jen

 

ps. Anyone who knows anything about the new ship or itinerary... info is appreciated there too!

[RuthC]

I was on the inaugural vayage of the sister ship, the Eurodam, and, based on that, could not recommend taking a new ship. It was several months before the reviews were consistently improved.

In the summer there are likely to be kids on board, but it should not be an invasion. Be careful, though, about booking a cabin in an area with a lot of triples/quads.

In general, the typical HAL age is older than you, but on the newer ships it tends a little younger than that. I'm not sure what difference that makes, though, especially on a port-intensive cruise like the Med. There will be much to talk about with your fellow travelers. If you like an elegant, relaxed atmosphere, then you would fit in; if not, then perhaps a different line would be a better fit.

[jeri.rigged.223]

The average passenger on a HAL cruise has grandkids in their 30's so I would say not. My hubby and I are in our mid 50's and just returned from our second HAL cruise. We are reluctant to take another for just exactly the reason you are writing. In our mid 50's and little to nothing is geared to our age group. No music, dancing, entertainment. What entertainment we enjoyed we heard the "elders" around us complaining about.

 

Although HAL has SOME wonderful ships and cruises I'd say the average age is definately mid 70's to deceased.

 

 

 

My husband and I are considering booking a 10-year anniversary trip next summer on the new HAL ship Nieuw Amsterdam (out of Venice).

 

We have never sailed on HAL (but have on RCCL and Princess) and wanted to see what the general age range is. We are in our mid-30s and don't mind a mix of ages but don't want many kids/teens running around and would also appreciate not being the only young couple on this ship!

 

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Jen

 

ps. Anyone who knows anything about the new ship or itinerary... info is appreciated there too!

[Jen516]

Thanks to both of you for the helpful info.

 

Ruth -- I am curious about your inagural experience. I am also worried about lots of kinks and this is another thing holding me back from this HAL cruise. My other option is a RCCL cruise that is on an older ship. The initerary is great but I worry about many kids and the condition of the ship.

 

So brand new ship and older folks?

or

Older ship and more kids?

 

Which to choose?!

[510picker]

My wife and I are in our mid 30's.......ok......I'll be 38 in August so I'm late 30's......and we love HAL. We don't have kids, we're not big on late night partying and we like quality service, so HAL fits us perfectly. We tend to cruise when kids are in school to avoid having lots of kids on board and the cruises are generally cheaper then. We are in the minority age group, but aren't the only ones our age. It all goes back to my second sentence for us.

[crockea]

I think HAL is right for you if 1)you don't need a lot of late night entertainment and 2)you can entertain yourselves. My hubby and I are late 30/early 40. The first HAL we took many naps. The second time around, I was reminded of this and so we've done Carnival and NCL the past 5 cruises. We have sailed RCCL, NCL, Carnival and Princess all in the past. This next year we will be on HAL again. Why? Because it is the best service and food we have ever experienced and since we keep ourselves busy at ports, it's nice to come "home" to our cabin and just relax ..... or go watch a show if we want. We recently sailed a one-nighter between Seattle and Vancouver and I was geekishly giddy over the pampering we recieved. If you like a little more night life, I would choose RCCL, NCL or Carnival. If you like relaxation and pampering .... HAL.

[English_in_Spain]

Thanks to both of you for the helpful info.

 

Ruth -- I am curious about your inagural experience. I am also worried about lots of kinks and this is another thing holding me back from this HAL cruise. My other option is a RCCL cruise that is on an older ship. The initerary is great but I worry about many kids and the condition of the ship.

 

So brand new ship and older folks?

or

Older ship and more kids?

 

Which to choose?!

 

I would not recommend a Med cruise, in the summer, on RCCL. You will get lots of children. A lot of UK and European families cruise with RCCL in the Med during the school holidays.

 

Also, RCCL caters more for children. Depending on the ship you will get rock climbing wall, ice skating, roller blading, flow-riders, kids club etc.

 

Europeans generally tend not to cruise so much on HAL. It is mainly American and Canadian and they are less likely to bring young children with them to Europe (although you will certainly get some).

[Harry1954]

My wife and I are in our mid 30's.......ok......I'll be 38 in August so I'm late 30's......and we love HAL. We don't have kids, we're not big on late night partying and we like quality service, so HAL fits us perfectly. We tend to cruise when kids are in school to avoid having lots of kids on board and the cruises are generally cheaper twe hen. We are in the minority age group, but aren't the only ones our age. It all goes back to my second sentence for us.

This hits the nail square on the head. We have children this poster's age, but we find that when on HAL we interact with all age groups - and there are indeed all age groups. I can not recall a cruise where we in our 50s were the youngest onboard. Further, we tend to take all the excursions we can. In the Med, they come in bursts, one right after another and are exhausting, leaving many of the golden age set onboard. In the Caribb, they tend to be more athletic - think Catamaran and Snorkel - and these fill up our days. In each case, the younger set always is on the excursions and we get to know many of them quite well as we share the mutual enjoyment of the adventures.

My conclusion is that HAL would work IF you are not a late night party person. That is the one item that would trump the others if you are; otherwise, it would be a great fit as HAL's price point is very good for almost any pocketbook - that is what makes HAL a bit unique IMHO.

harry

[Mary Ellen]

I'm with 510picker. I was 26 on our first HAL cruise (20+ yrs ago). We're still sailing on HAL, I guess that says we're happy.

 

As to the new ship thing - we were with Ruth on the E'dam. We have absolutely NO plans to ever sail a brand new ship again, particularly an Inaugural on HAL (or any other Carnival Corp. ship). We expected the crew not to be accustomed to working together as a team and the ship itself needing some finishing/breaking in. Not a problem. What we didn't expect was to feel like 'interlopers', in the way of HAL and their 'invited' guests (not fare paying as we were).

 

Well maybe I shouldn't say 'not a problem' with the ship finishing issues. We didn't have anything major, but another friend did have more than her share. First, there was the commode 'fountain' - on more than one occasion. :eek: Then there was the problem of the shower assembly falling on her while she was showering. Immediately calling the Front Desk (in both situations), their response was "I'll fill out a work order". Hello! This person has sewage spewing in their bathroom or their shower interrupted. They may need still to rinse off soap and/or shampoo. What they need to hear is "We'll take care of this right away". That may involve filling out a work order, but it needs to be taken care of NOW. This isn't the same as a very squeaky closet door (our problem).

 

So, don't shy away from HAL due to the age thing, but I'd seriously consider not taking a brand new ship.

[iancal]

We would NEVER, EVER go on the maiden or first few voyages of a new ship. Not unless the cruise was very heavily discounted. Nor would we be tempted to go on the first cruise of ship out of drydock..we would wait for at least one voyage to be completed. We are in our 50's-we liked some aspects of HAL more than others that is the same on all lines. I think there are differences between ships in the same line. We usually select by itinerary and then value. I think that you will be so busy in port that you will not notice the demographics as much as if you were on a Caribbean route with fewer stops.

[RuthC]

Ruth -- I am curious about your inagural experience. I am also worried about lots of kinks and this is another thing holding me back from this HAL cruise.

I'm not trying to discourage you from sailing HAL---quite the contrary. I believe on this itinerary the age demographics are the least of your concerns. I am suggesting that taking the Nieuw Amsterdam is not the best idea. You should look for another HAL ship going the route you want.

I found that on the inaugural voyages the crew was not up to the speed of the usual standards. We would arrive for cocktails 45-60 minutes before leaving for dinner, but had a difficult time getting served. IIRC, one night early in the cruise at least one member of our party hadn't gotten his drink before we left. :eek:

The dining room "team" wasn't working as a team yet. Cabinetry in the dining room was falling apart. The wine steward managed to send broken glass all over our table (and into our food) twice by doing thoughtless little things.

As Mary Ellen related, not only was our friend's cabin broken, it was dusty-dirty, and her steward was hopeless.

 

It takes a little experience for the crew to work seamlessly without thinking about it. That experience was lacking on the E-dam's inaugural voyage.

[Jen516]

Thanks everyone for the great additional feedback. We are definitely not late night people, so based on all of your feedback it seems like HAL would be great for us.

 

However, I am concerned about the maiden voyage.

 

The problem is that there are no other ships to choose from beyond this and the RCCL one. (Based on timing, our desire to leave out of Venice, and our need for a 7 night cruise)

 

So...

 

Inaguagral ship + great itinerary

OR

Older (established) ship + great itinerary + lots of kids?

 

??

 

What would you pick?

[RuthC]

So...

 

Inaguagral ship + great itinerary

OR

Older (established) ship + great itinerary + lots of kids?

 

??

 

What would you pick?

Tough one. But I'm a HAL-pal, so I'd take the Nieuw Amsterdam---even with my previous inaugural experience.

[ilovhywd]

On the Maasdam last week, we met several couples who were signing up for biking and kayaking shore excursions. These people were not in their 70's and 80's.

 

If I were you, I would sail in the spring or fall instead of the summer to avoid the tourist crowds, to avoid the children, and to avoid a possible heat wave in the Med.

 

If you want an upscale cruise experience without silly pool games and constant announcements for Bingo on the PA system, choose HAL!

[nocruiseforu]

I can't help you with the new ship question, but I can tell you that my husband & I sailed HAL in the mediterranean(rome to lisbon) for our honeymoon in Nov 2000. We were, as far as I could tell, the youngest (27) on the ship and it made no difference to us. We had a wonderful time, met some very nice people and saw some incredible places. I think that by virtue of that you picked that ship and and are taking the same excursions, you'll have something to talk about with people. The lounges were a little lonely at night, but we're not big club/party people so it wasn't a big deal, and it wasn't like we were the only people up past 11:00. If you're significantly younger than the rest of the passengers, be prepared to answer the are you on your honeymoon question, a lot.

 

Which ever you choose, have a great time I'm sure it will be a great trip.

[suse]

I never heard of a shower assembly falling on you while you are all soaped up. Jeepers.

HAL is quieter than some. Good if you like that. I do. Especially if you like to read alot. But, wait a minute. I never heard of a commode fountain either.:eek:

[happy cruzer]

To some couples, if you are in your 30's, YOU are not a young couple. It's all relative.

 

If it would ruin your cruise to be with older than you, I would go on a line that more obviously meets your expectations. If you can stand a little risk or chance, I would try the new ship based on the Eurodam reports.

 

Good Luck.

[jetwet1]

Just to jump on the "don't do a maiden voyage" band wagon, there is just to much that can and will go wrong, you worked hard for your money, spend it where it will work the best for you.

 

On the age thing, I have to agree with the rest of the gang, I describe HAL as a very laid back version of Princess, if you enjoy relaxing then HAL is great, oh and the beds are better than Princess or RCCL.

[tidenik]

I sorta identify with you in that I will sail HAL the first time this fall on the Eurodam. I have done Carnival, NCL, RCCL and frankly don't know what to expect on HAL other than what I read on these boards. Wait a minute ...I DO know a little of what to expect...a lot of fellow and gal cruisers in my age group.

 

I m a 70 something solo male cruiser.

 

Most of my friends tend to be in their 30's to 50's ..even have a few x generation buddies...and of course some dear friends of my age group but mostly younger friends.

 

I am pretty active...I cycle 7 miles a day, hike, ski, ride all the scary rides at WDW, (Tower of Terror my fav) like movies, plays, the arts, travel, dance at least once a week, am computer savy, own an mp3, enjoy my kids, gks, and ggk, and am busily, self employed.

 

Most of the time I feel like a 19 year old.

 

My number one fear of this cruise are...grumps. They come in all ages. But, thankfully, there are more really neat people on cruises so I have a hunch I'm gonna have a whole lotta fun. ...cause when you get right down to it attitude is everything. Doesn't have anything to do with age. If you plan to have a good time the percentages are with you and it'll be cool.

 

It sounds like you are a great couple the kind of folks I'd enjoy meeting so, perhaps, someday we'll meet on a cruise somewhere. Best wishes.

[Jen516]

If I were you, I would sail in the spring or fall instead of the summer to avoid the tourist crowds, to avoid the children, and to avoid a possible heat wave in the Med.

 

Not possible for us as my parents are watching our kids and are only off in the summer (my mom is an educator).

 

So I guess I need to determine how risky this maiden cruise is. I am sold on HAL now on the age thing! Maybe I will post separately about that.

[jeri.rigged.223]

My conclusion is that HAL would work IF you are not a late night party person.

 

I agree and disagree to some extent.

 

HAL is wonderful because there are very few teens and children and those we have seen on HAL cruises are a cut above most in the manners, behavior department. I cringe to think of a Disney cruise with all that running, yelling and screeching. Hence why we'll never sail on a Disney cruise.

 

You won't find us closing the bars and dance "clubs" at the wee hours. On our last HAL cruise we went to the "disco" which played faster, more current music and night after night we were the only people to show up. Finally they stopped having it. The passengers were just too beyond that age bracket and not interested. We're not late night party people either, but we DO like to go to some of the smaller, quieter lounges for a nice, snuggly dance and a drink after the dinner and show, before going to bed. If I remember right you said you were going for an anniversary so I suspect you too might be looking for the cuddling too. My husband rarely (never) dances except on cruises so I take advantage of every second of his moments of zest :) Being in our mid 50's, we don't want to SLOW dance solely to the Waltz's, Frank Sinatra and Lawrence Welk type music and that seems to be the theme with HAL lounges because of the majority age bracket of their passengers. Heard very few songs that we're of our age group. We love pop, rock, jazz, and country songs and it just wasn't to be.

 

This same standard of entertainment seems to include the majority of the after dinner show entertainment be it comedians, singers, or pianists. The majority of the shows we left early. Liberace style pianists, Frank Sinatra vocalists, etc. etc. So the reality is that if all you want to do is go into port on your own and hang out in your stateroom, any cruise line would be suitable. But I suspect that isn't solely why you're going and the differences are as vast as night and day.

 

Ruth is right about new ships having their issues. Just like a new car you have to run it awhile to get all the kinks out. One thing to keep in mind when thinking about an older ship is most are remodeled after about 5 years. So look to see if you can find out when or if an older ship was last drydocked and remodeled.

[iancal]

I think I would focus on how the maiden voyage of the Eurodam went..there have been posts AND how HAL treated it's paying guests in comparison to how it treated it's comped guests. That will give you a good insight as to what you might expect in terms of service and attitude. I cannot see that children will be a big issue since the cruise is port intensive. We were on a Carnival Spirit cruise in March, our first Carnival cruise. We found out that there were 300 children on board..this blew us away. We never saw many and did not witness any misbehavior or rudeness whatsoever. Go figure.

[AlanAllyn]

I will be sailing on my first HAL cruise next summer to Alaska. So I can't say much about that. However, I would not consider taking one of the first few cruises on any ship.

 

I have sailed on RCCL many times. They do cater to children, but I have rarely seen them under foot. Their children's programs do keep most well entertained.

 

Note that the Splendour was refurbished in 2006.

 

Alan

[luvmytigs]

We did HAL to Alaska last June and Celebrity to the Med. HAL was some seriously older folks! Celebrity had a great mix and still had great service.

[Jen516]

Now I am leaning back to the RCCL ship. The fact that it was remodeled, plus established, may make it a more sure thing. (Though I really did want a "step up" for this trip... there just doesn't seem to be anything else out there that fits our criteria and timing.)

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback and keep it coming if you have more!