Hubby and I are set to sail on the Noordam out of New York City on October 31st, for a 10-day to the Eastern Carribean. It will be our first HAL cruise but second overall-- we sailed on the Carnival Miracle in October 2004 for our honeymoon, and we got completely hooked on cruising. We were trying to hold off for our 5th anniversary for another cruise, but we just couldn't wait that long.
While we had a great time on our first cruise, Carnival was not quite what we had expected from cruising. It was definitely more of a "party" crowd, even though (at that time of year) there didn't seem to be a huge number of kids or teens on board. I don't know how to describe it exactly... I hate to sound rude, but the, um, "low level of sophistication" caught my attention every now and then-- like people traipsing into the Lido in their bathing suits, dripping wet from the pools, waiting in the pizza line... or our table-mates whom we only met on the first formal night, and were very nice people but turned their noses at the lobster tails they had ordered because they'd never had lobster before and it was "just too weird-looking." Stuff like that... it felt less like a cruise and more like a Super 8 motel in Ocean City.
Don't get me wrong-- everyone that we encountered, staff and passenger alike, were nice, friendly people... I think I was expecting at least a somewhat classy experience, but Carnival just wasn't it. Hubby and I aren't that old-- we're 31-- but the late-night discos and drunken free-for-alls are NOT our thing, so we wanted to try something different than Carnival for our second time around.
So I was browsing online last weekend and stumbled upon the HAL 10-night out of NYC, $1100 per person for a verandah stateroom... did a little more looking, seemed this was the going price... so hubby and I decided, what the heck. Today I went to AAA and booked the cruise, and we're INSANELY excited. (October cannot possibly come quickly enough!)
So, I'm wondering-- are we going to be the youngest people on board? And will the older veterans be looking down their noses at US for being out of place? (Haha, a little "what goes around comes around" maybe?)
Will you be the youngest? Probably or at least amount the youngest. I am not trying to discourage you, but there may a middle of the road line that would be even better for you. The longer the cruise the older the guests and you have chosen a longer cruise. Don't expect much in the way of ship activities. If you enjoy spending time together, doing lots of reading, visiting with people even if they are twice or more your age you will have a wonderful time. The casinos are smaller than on many other lines, the entertainment geared to the older age groups and any night life almost non existant. Passangeers on HAL are inclined to be a little more intellectual than some other lines, one of the busiest places on the ship is the library, the crew is friendly but more formal than some lines and we found the food to be the best of all lines. If this is what you are looking for you will have a very pleasant cruise experience. If you think you may want a little more energy you may want to consider Princess or Celebrity. You don't sould like the type that would enjoy NCL or RCI as much as some other lines. BTW, you did get a great price. NMnita 8)
nmnita, relax...you'll love it!! Although a few years older than you, we too are a bit under the age demographic usually associated with HAL. We like HAL so much that it is our preferred cruise line. Different strokes for different folks and we find that the relatively reserved, laidback, quiet surroundings of HAL is perfect for us. Have fun!
I think given what you said you disliked about Carnival, you will probably really like Holland America Lines. We've been cruising on HAL, almost exclusively for 10 years and we were now in our early 40s. On our first few cruises on HAL, there was a noticeable age gap. But, over the years that gap has decreased dramatically. And, since you are cruising on the newest Vista ships, the age demographic will probably be even lower. The older diehard HAL loyalists seem to dislike the Vista ships. Even though its a longer cruise, I am pretty confident you will find plenty of people close enough to your age to have a good time.
We have cruised on the other three Vista ships, but not on the Noordam. We're considering the Noordam for fall '07. We have also cruised on Carnival twice and pretty much had the same opinion of the line that you did. There just seemed to be a much higher percentage of "obnoxious" people on CCL. On HAL, you will find a much quieter environment. We find HAL to be very relaxing, elegant and serene. And, most of the people seem to dress a lot nicer on HAL, especially on formal nights.
As for the nightlife, we have found it depends on the passengers. On Zuiderdam in '04, we found the ship to be very lively in the evenings, especially in the casino, piano bar and disco. But, on the Westerdam in '05 we found the disco to be generally dead, but the crow's nest was always lively. HAL is certainly not a party ship by any means, but its really what you make of it. If you like to spend the evening drinking, dancing and socializing, you can do it. One thing you will notice is the dance floor is never very crowded. If you want to spend a quiet evening on the deck, your veranda or in one of the quiet and elegant lounges, its there.
Bottom line, any cruise is what YOU make of it. Its just been our experience that on HAL, compared to Carnival, there will be much less of a chance that one of your fellow passengers will do something to reduce your enjoyment of your cruise.
Tim
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As a child, a library card takes you to exotic, faraway places. When you're grown up, a credit card does it.
-- Sam Ewing (Readers Digest, Dec, 1997)
nmnita, relax...you'll love it!! Although a few years older than you, we too are a bit under the age demographic usually associated with HAL. We like HAL so much that it is our preferred cruise line. Different strokes for different folks and we find that the relatively reserved, laidback, quiet surroundings of HAL is perfect for us. Have fun!
I don't think I know what you mean, by relax. I was giving the OP my opinion of the differences in her first cruise experience and what she could expect from HAL, I certainly wasn't knocking the line. Our last cruise was on HAL, I did a review which is posted here. HAL is a great line, yes, reserved is a very good word to discribe her, but I did want the OP to know the difference between various lines and what to expect. That is what she asked. The biggest complaint I have heard about HAL is the lack of activities, this comes from some on the ship when we cruised, those doing reviews, people we spoke with when waiting 5 hours at Fl Lauderdale Airport and my clients. I think anyone asking about the line should know this. As I said, if your idea of a good cruise is to relax, read, enjoy some good ports, visit with older people and indulge yourself in good food, HAL is wonderful: if you want more energy, better entertainment, some night life than there might be better lines out there. Again, I didn't mean anyone to take my comments as negative, just honest. Too many of us are so loyal to our favorite line we get very defensive if anything other than raving reviews are posted. (me included btw) as for the age spread, we are very much seniors and most of the ship made us look like young 20 somethings. I would say, on our sailing and a few others (Alaska primarily) the average age was 70 to 75. The average age for HAL overall is 59.3 years. NMNita
I would agree with just about everything you said, with the possible exception of the age. Our last 4 cruises on HAL were on the Vista class ships and the average age of the passengers is definately a lot lower. There are a few 70+ year olds on board, but they are very much in the minority. Just from my observations, not backed up by any facts at all, I would guess the average age on the Vista ships to be high 40's to low 50's.
The age you suggest was probably very accurate on our '02 Panama cruise on Amsterdam and our '03 S. Caribbean cruise on Rotterdam. Being in our late 30's at the time, we felt like youngsters. The passenger demographic on the Vista ships is completely different.
Tim
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As a child, a library card takes you to exotic, faraway places. When you're grown up, a credit card does it.
-- Sam Ewing (Readers Digest, Dec, 1997)
Tim, like all lines it does vary from ship to ship and yes, the Armsterdam through the canal probably did attract a much older crowd. The figure I gave of 59.3 is right out of my TR work book sent by HAL. Again, you are right about the difference. I have a cliant that did the Transatlantic on Carnival last fall; they are in their early to mid 70s, are not the Carnival type but because it was a transatlantic they took a chance; loved the ship, the people aboard and everything else. Of course it wasn't a party atmosphere in any way. We did the Northern Transatlantic on NCL about 18 months ago; again the ages were much older than you would expect to see on NCL and the cruisers were veteran cruisers with an upper middle class attitude (well not all of them)
Carnival and Holland America are so different. It would be like trying to compare Holiday Inn Express to the Ritz Carlton.
I can tell you this. You will love your HAL cruise. My wife and I have sailed Holland America six times now. We'll be going on our seventh Holland America cruise February, 2007. We are 42 and 49 year old professionals with no children. We enjoy traveling with people who know how to behave. We enjoy traveling with people who were raised right. Holland America ships tend to be traditional, elegant, and very well maintained. HAL passengers tend to enjoy dressing on formal nights. You will be among the youngest couple on board. This is a good thing. You are exposing yourself to people with whom you feel most comfortable. The entertainment is excellent. HAL has not always been able to say that. They can know. The entertainment is not geared for old people. The food is gourmet and delicious. Your fellow passengers will probably be between 45-65 and they will be polite and friendly. I’ve never found passengers on HAL to be snobby or arrogant. They tend to be educated, well traveled, and discerning passengers. They also tend to be approachable and friendly people who enjoy meeting other people. You did a wise thing by upgrading your cruise line. Be yourselves and enjoy your trip. The other passengers are going to love you.
cnvh,
I think you'll have a great time! My wife and I (40 and 41 respectively) just got back from an 11 day Southern Caribbean on the Noordam. It was our third cruise with HAL, and although the mean age on board was more 50-ish, we were by no means the youngsters on board. Granted, our cruise did encompass Christmas and I'm sure that resulted in more families with children. We're not into the partying all night either and only briefly checked out the disco out of curiosity. Frankly, either real or percieved, the party all the time image that we got from Carnival is one of the big reasons that we sail HAL. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not our thing. We do however enjoy a quiet evening at a nice bar and good conversation with interesting fellow passengers. We met many of the most interesting people on our last cruise. Some our age, some older, some younger and that's what makes a cruise memorable for us.
We just returned on Jan. 6th from same out of New York and back for 10 nights and cannot say enough about the cruise. We have done 22 cruises and Holland america is the greatest. No need to go to the Pinnacle Pay Restaurant for food, no different then main dining room, everything you want and more there. Waiters and cabin steward could not have done a beetter job and beds so comfortable and large. Have a great time.
Have cruised the line from age 30-50 and my son from age 1-9. Have enjoyed HAL. The line attracts a more educated, sophisticated, older crowd, with a heavy core of repeaters. Mostly couples, few "singles" (looking) more "solos" (not looking), some extended families with tons of world travellers. You should bring formal wear for the formal nights - if you cruise HAL once you are likely to cruise HAL again and use the formal wear.
Comparing Carnival to HAL is like MacDonald's compared to a fine French Restaurant. Expect a different experience. Many of your fellow HAL cruisers will have hundreds of days cruising HAL as well as having cruised many other lines. 8)
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HAL:
1987 Rotterdam V, 1989 Nieuw Amsterdam II, 1993 Nordam III, 1994 Ryndam III, 1996 Westerdam III, 1999 Veendam IV, 2001 Maasdam V, 2002 Amsterdam III, 2003 Volendam III, 2003 Zuiderdam II, 2004 Westerdam IV, 2004 Oosterdam I, 2005 Zaandam III, 2006 Statendam V, 2006 Prinsendam II, 2007 Nordam IV, 2008 Eurodam I, 2008 Rotterdam VI, 2009 Veendam IV, 2009 Volendam
You couldn't have picked a better Cruise line...we've been on RCCI, Celebrity and HAL...
We were sold right away after our first sailing. Service from the staff and crew, the ship, food...everything was tops!
We saw passengers of all ages...but most were in the middle to older age range. We saw very few of the classic 'elderly' types expected.
There was plenty of dancing and other activites offered during the day and evenings...
BUT activities do seem to sorta' close down early...around 10pm or so. Now this doesn't bother us at all! We loved our large comfortable cabin and didn't mind having noshes and fresh coffee brought to our cabin by friendly cabin stewards for late night snacks. Service is really the BEST and you can't help but tip large! The service is that good!
We've sailed on the Oosterdam....and our next sailing will be on the Rydam. Can't wait!!!
By the way...we did see young couples your age on board...In fact we got very friendly with one couple we met very day in the Spa/gym...It was OUR first HAL cruise and they're third!
Just booked our very first HAL cruise...
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