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Feel too old on HAL


ScottC4746
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We are looking at cruising again in 2014. My DDP and I (will be 42 and 49) feel RCCL is getting too young, the service is going down, and the quality of entertainment and cuisine is going down. Me personally I would love to sip a martini or brandy and hear a small chamber ensemble tucked off in a corner than to have my ears ringing from a high energy disco. Is HAL for us?

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Do lots of reading here on CC.

You will find the answers.

 

The more reading you do, the better feel you will get for what is HAL is about.

Ask us specific questions. We are happy to help, if we are able.

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Do lots of reading here on CC.

You will find the answers.

 

The more reading you do, the better feel you will get for what is HAL is about.

.

 

Some of the best advice I have heard here recently. ;) Wish more would follow it!

 

We started cruising HAL about your age and found exactly what you describe. 8 HAL cruises later, and two booked, we are still here.

Edited by CruiserBruce
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I'd say HAL might very well be for you, based just on the little you've said. I too don't like the blaring music and silly loud-speaker pool games, and would much rather enjoy a classical string quarter (or duo, as it's recently become) with a martini in hand. That's the ambiance HAL delivers.

 

HAL has a reputation (somewhat deserved) of appealing to an older demographic, but don't get tied up with ages. Travel agents sometimes do that, and it's a mistake. As an example, when I was in my 20s (waaaaaaay before the Internet where I could do my own research!), an agent put me on a Carnival, figuring that's where you put the young ones. I was unhappy with most of that experience. (Maybe I was just old before my time, but I cringed at the "Best-Body" contests and all that other stuff.)

 

Anyway, I started sailing HAL in my 40s (about a decade ago) and have never looked back.

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We are looking at cruising again in 2014. My DDP and I (will be 42 and 49) feel RCCL is getting too young, the service is going down, and the quality of entertainment and cuisine is going down. Me personally I would love to sip a martini or brandy and hear a small chamber ensemble tucked off in a corner than to have my ears ringing from a high energy disco. Is HAL for us?

 

Yes, you can get that on HAL. Also lovely jazz combos that know how to balance and control their volume level. You can have your ears assaulted by the HAL Cats (there's a thread about them somewhere on this board) if you wish, but you do have other. more civilized (IMO) options.

 

HAL ships tend to be smaller. This allows HAL to go places a lot of the other ships don't go, giving HAL some unusual itineraries. There aren't a lot of sea day activities. Yes, there's bingo, I think there's a law that says ships have to do bingo. But mostly there are quiet places to read or gaze at the ocean. A good library. A teak promenade deck that goes all the way around for a jog or a leisurely stroll.

 

One thing I love about HAL is that they keep the announcements to a minimum. It's a while since I was on RCCL, so I don't know what they're like, but I remember Princess drove me crazy with endless announcements about bingo and sales in the shops.

Edited by 3rdGenCunarder
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I think Hal will be a good fit, we cruise many lines including RCCL but last 3 cruises have been Hal, food is better than RCCL, also they have a great wine policy for BYOB and a really good steak resturant for 25 per person if you want to treat yourself to something extra.

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As we age, we find certain cruiselines are not for us anymore. This is how we've evolved over 25 cruises...

 

20's Carnival

 

30's NCL, RCCL

 

40's RCCL,Princess

 

50's Celebrity,HAL

 

60's HAL Prinsendam (small ships), luxury cruiselines

 

I think you may be ready to switch to HAL....

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I think it very much depends on the ship, the length of the cruise, and the date of your cruise.

 

We are not particular fans of HAL's entertainment programs...perhaps we ave been unlucky or have different tastes.

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We are looking at cruising again in 2014. My DDP and I (will be 42 and 49) feel RCCL is getting too young, the service is going down, and the quality of entertainment and cuisine is going down. Me personally I would love to sip a martini or brandy and hear a small chamber ensemble tucked off in a corner than to have my ears ringing from a high energy disco. Is HAL for us?

 

We did our first HAL cruise last year when we were 37 and 40 respectively. Before that we had done RCC and NCL.

 

We loved HAL, because mainly we enjoy quiet. We have absolutely horrible neighbors where we live; with screaming kids at ALL hours of the day and night, dogs barking constantly, people having loud parties - you name it and I can point to one of the houses surrounding us and it is happening. :mad: :mad: :mad:

 

As such, we do not look for a pool crowd, any major loud DJ events, or anything along those lines. We just want to be alone and enjoy the silence (well, at least to whatever extent is possible).

 

HAL is nice for us. You can just take nice walks around the deck and also sit in the library or Crow's nest. We enjoyed the dinners in the MDR and the breakfast in the Pinnacle.

 

I hope you will enjoy, should you decide to book HAL.

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I'm only 32 and am very excited for my first HAL cruise. My husband and I are not into loud music, night clubs or heavy drunken partying as we prefer to find a quiet spot and curl up with a good book while enjoying the scenery. I would love to listen to live classical music on board!

 

I know, I know... we have Allure booked for October but my husband picked the ship and I don't think we'll ever get to Florida again so we're making a big trip out of it (Disney World, Universal, Kennedy Space Center). :P

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We sailed on HAL just after we got together in 1993 and have never had a desire to go elsewhere (well except for Key West, but that's not a cruise).

I had previously sailed on several lines and HAL is and will be my number 1.

We are getting married on the Oosterdam in May so HAL will always have a HUGE place in our hearts.

We love the low key, no pressure, no conga lines in the hallways atmosphere and the smaller more intimate ships.

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I did my first Hal cruise in my 50's(with a cousin) the next year my husband came(early60s)along with my edest son and his fiance both aged 30 and my youngest son then aged 26 and guess what ? "The kids" are coming with us again this year.........that says it all, they love HAL cruises:)

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I'm in my late 20's and my partner early 30's and we cant wait to experience HAL. The service, food and quality sounds perfect. Its cruising how cruising should be....

 

I agree it may not be the livest party at sea, but do you research before you book

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Sorry for stating the obvious, but you'll never know until you try it. We're actually doing the opposite of the OP. We have grown tired of the HAL ships :eek: :eek: :eek: and are taking our first RCCL cruise next month. We met an older couple on the Ryndam last month, who said they prefer Royal Caribbean to HAL, and we have been wanting to try specifically the Freedom of the Seas, so that convinced us.

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If you're taking a 7-night cruise to the Caribbean, HAL will probably be a good fit. We're about to take a cruise from Quebec to Boston. We have you beat by 10 years, yet I'm thinking we'll be among the youngest passengers on this cruise. The rollcall is stagnant.

 

If someone your age asked me, I'd probably recommend Princess over HAL. Most of their ships are larger, which means they can offer more entertainment options.

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We are looking at cruising again in 2014. My DDP and I (will be 42 and 49) feel RCCL is getting too young, the service is going down, and the quality of entertainment and cuisine is going down. Me personally I would love to sip a martini or brandy and hear a small chamber ensemble tucked off in a corner than to have my ears ringing from a high energy disco. Is HAL for us?

 

I'm 40. I took my first HAL cruise when I was 37.

I wanted a rest, in classy surroundings with good food and no irritations.

I love a martini!

We've booked our second cruise and didn't consider anyone else.

HAL suits us down to the ground.

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We do not necessarily want a high energy disco.

 

But what we would appreciate, at least once in a while, is a vocalist who can carry a tune and hit the notes, accompanied by an ensemble who does not think that the quality of their music varies directly with the sound level.

 

And it would also be highly appreciated if even just one or two of the songs were from the eighties or nineties instead of the forties, fifties, or early sixties!

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It sounds to me that HAL is worth a try. Mind you I am not an authority on the subject having only 2 cruises under my belt but here's what I have to offer:

I am 44 and new to cruising.

I appreciate a sense of calm and a lack of unnecessary paging-I hadn't noticed how disruptive it is until we got rid of it at work. Now I don't know how I could go back especially on vacation.

I work long hours,really long hours. I accept that but when I cruise I want to relax and unwind. I don't need to be terrorized into participation or partying. Give me good food, a reason to dress up for dinner and early to bed. Yeah.... I'm definitely not getting that at home.

Give me a clean ship and good ports to learn and explore.

Give me people who are like minded and not disruptive at all hours of the day and night.

I have all the time in the world for the inquisitive,the elderly,the infirm, and the worldly. What they contribute far outweighs the others IMHO.

HAL is a wonderful place to do all of that and I just wish I had more vacation time and money to do it more often. :)

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Over the past 13 years I have been on 20 RCCL cruises and have enjoyed different itineraries and all that they offer. Several years ago I went with my parents on a Norwegian Fjords cruise on HALs Rotterdam because the itinerary suited us and I have subsequently been on 5 more HAL cruises, all lovely. Both cruise lines have lots to offer, they are just different and if you could take the good things from both you may have the perfect cruise. I love the Explorations Cafe on the HAL ships, it is a very well stocked library with comfy seating where you can go and sit and read or catch up with your emails. Other HAL favourites are the culinary arts theatre, the Crows nest, computer workshops and interesting port lectures. Dining experiences on both lines are similar with the food being good but not gastronomic. If your planned itinerary includes Half Moon Cay in The Bahamas that is the most beautiful beach. I do prefer the dining rooms on the RCCL ships because they are generally more spacious and less noisy. HAL has a reputation for being more suitable for the older generation but a lot depends on the length of the cruise, the itinerary and the ship. If you are planning a trip to the Caribbean on a Vista class ship that should be a good fit for a first experience with HAL.

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I also love HAL for its Explorations Cafe, though on some of the smaller ships, smoke wafted in from the casino nearby. I also love walking around the full promenades on all HAL vessels. Enjoy their cooking classes and overall atmosphere.

 

We also cruise sometimes on Celebrity, which has very good food in the main dining room and a no-smoking policy including on stateroom verandahs. If smoke bothers you, you may want to try Celebrity too.

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We do not necessarily want a high energy disco.

 

But what we would appreciate, at least once in a while, is a vocalist who can carry a tune and hit the notes, accompanied by an ensemble who does not think that the quality of their music varies directly with the sound level.

 

And it would also be highly appreciated if even just one or two of the songs were from the eighties or nineties instead of the forties, fifties, or early sixties!

 

I know what you mean! And not just on HAL. I'd love to know who came up with the idea of "louder is better," because it isn't!

 

I am terrified of the HAL Cats--my hearing is good and I want to keep it that way. I fled the Showroom on Maasdam one night because the room was so overamplified that the grand piano sounded tinny, like a kid's toy. I ended up in the Ocean Bar, listening to the Neptunes, where the sound level and music were perfect.

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