Why HAL?

[Brown Eyed Gurl]

1. few kids!

2. older, mature passengers

3. Half Moon Cay

4. excellent crew/service

5. good Vegetarian menu

6. comfy beds

7. relaxing & elegant atmosphere

8. formal evenings

[SwissMyst]

Maybe the better term is "Old World" rather than old at heart. As modern as Europe has become, these is still much we associate with the "Old World" that still brings nostalgia and praise. Even though HAL is more for Americans, it carries a lot of Old World Holland with it too. Just not the Amsterdam city "coffee shops" ..... yet.

 

It carries more the visions and traditions of the Dutch colonial empire without being reminded, of what was bad about foreign colonies. Oh dear, I think I am walking into something here. I guess I am saying it brings back the romanticized visions of colonial exploration from a bygone era.

 

Yep, when people "dressed for dinner" and one had "servants" in uniforms and white gloves working silently in the background, tea times rigorously observed, and stiff drinks at the bar with perhaps the gentlemen withdrawing to the lounge for cigars and talk of politics outside the gentle ears of women. And women and children would get rescued first, before the men, if the ship went down........:rolleyes:

 

Faux nostalgia sells just as much as rock climbing walls. Had to laugh at the difference between the two ads in the NYT today for NCL and HAL. One was all active and compelling to just stay on the hyper-frenetic ship with little mention of the destinations and the other one was all about quiet and individual care with the destinations held out there like juicy plums to pick and savor. Uhhhhh, any guesses?

[Pettifogger]

For me, the most important of many differences between Holland America and other cruise lines is that almost all of the officers treat us as though we were personal guests rather than just customers and the rest of the ship's complement follow their example. That's the tradition we care about most.

[gregdude]

There are extremes in every aspect of life. When I compare HAL (any of the ships) with RCI's Oasis of the Seas I just shake my head. Watch the Cruise Critic video of Oasis of the Seas and you will run to HAL. Everything that is low key, pleasant, and understated on HAL is in your face on RCI.

 

HAL provides that warmth and assurance that I am looking for. While they have a lot of 7 day cruises, they also have much longer and more interesting itineraries that fit a slower paced style of living.

 

Finally you don't have to be old (although I am certainly getting there) to enjoy a refined experience. This may sound funny, but a freshly cooked hamburger or hotdog tastes a lot better on a warm day than the stewed cafeteria hamburgers and hotdogs on all of the RCI ships. You may wait a few minutes, but there is nothing like freshly cooked food.

 

Without exception the service on HAL ships, from front desk, to cabin attendant, to excursion directors is personal and efficient.

[70notout]

We chose our next cruise because of the interesting itinerary. We will be on the Volendam around NZ and Aus on 20 December. I'll let you know the difference!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

[bonsat]

the ports are great and the price is right. much cheaper than princess or rci, and much nicer imo.

[kiggy]

Maybe the word should be "adult" instead of old? :-)

 

 

You know I sort of get what SwissMyst was saying though. I think what made me book our first cruise with HAL (2nd overall) was that I wanted to try a cruiseline that was well yes old at heart but classic. It sounded simple yet elegant and I didn't feel that on NCL. Not that NCL didn't have it's own appeal but it wasn't in my mind what I wanted in a cruise ship. HAL seems like it is more what cruises used to be like (before they had amusement parks on them and 6,000 passengers) but with classy modern amenities thrown in so it does appeal to lots of different people. Where the appeal of the ship is not how many water slides, bowling alleys or restaurants there are but the service, food, teak decks, spa, cabins, itineraries and for what I thought was a good price.

Everyone on CC is so good at describing their experiences on HAL that I'm having a great cruise already and haven't even sailed yet.

[rjm1cc]

Service and nice fellow passangers.

[SwissMyst]

I'm stickin' with "Old World", and that his my final offer. :cool:

[Alunan]

My first cruise with HAL will be this April as well. I have a sneaking suspicion that at 23 years old I am going to be the youngest adult on board. At least with the PS my friend and I will have of personal space if we start bugging all the older passengers.

[SwissMyst]

My first cruise with HAL will be this April as well. I have a sneaking suspicion that at 23 years old I am going to be the youngest adult on board. At least with the PS my friend and I will have of personal space if we start bugging all the older passengers.

 

Just don't wear all white or else the passengers will mistake you for the staff. They will be younger and will probably have fun getting to meet you.

 

And the entertainers are young and they are often seen out and about. There is a no fraternizing rule between staff and passengers, but at least you can have some chats with people closer in age when you find them out and about on the ship.

 

The croupiers in the casino and the spa attendants are also younger. And sometimes grandparents take their college age kids on a cruise for a treat. Just think how many people will want you on Team Trivia for the missing eras they know nothing about.

 

I hope you report back with your impressions and how you like "Old World" traditional HAL. Hope you love it. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Which cruise are you going on?

 

PS: We don't even mind if you make fun of us, because we all remember when we made fun of old geezers too. And most of us have good senses of humor now, and surprise, surprise most of us wouldn't trade our lives now to be young again and start all over again having to make all the same mistakes that we all probably did (like taking ourselves and our lives too seriously for too long). Great to see you are enjoying yourself right now.

[Alunan]

Just don't wear all white or else the passengers will mistake you for the staff. They will be younger and will probably have fun getting to meet you.

 

And the entertainers are young and they are often seen out and about. There is a no fraternizing rule between staff and passengers, but at least you can have some chats with people closer in age when you find them out and about on the ship.

 

The croupiers in the casino and the spa attendants are also younger. And sometimes grandparents take their college age kids on a cruise for a treat. Just think how many people will want you on Team Trivia for the missing eras they know nothing about.

 

I hope you report back with your impressions and how you like "Old World" traditional HAL. Hope you love it. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Which cruise are you going on?

 

PS: We don't even mind if you make fun of us, because we all remember when we made fun of old geezers too. And most of us have good senses of humor now, and surprise, surprise most of us wouldn't trade our lives now to be young again and start all over again having to make all the same mistakes that we all probably did (like taking ourselves and our lives too seriously for too long). Great to see you are enjoying yourself right now.

 

Well it certainly sounds like there will be a lot to do regardless. We booked the Pacific Coastal, from LA to Vancouver on April 29th. We figured it would be a test run to see if we liked the whole cruise concept. Not really looking to do a cancun resort on the sea sort of thing, we both have an idea in our head that is closer to fancier voyages of yore. Also working in a casino 50 hours as a week as a host, I need something a little bit more relaxing.

[world~citizen]

Going on my first HAL cruise and was curious why people book with HAL. Would be interested in your thoughts!

 

Why not?

 

Smooth sailing...

[world~citizen]

My first cruise with HAL will be this April as well. I have a sneaking suspicion that at 23 years old I am going to be the youngest adult on board. At least with the PS my friend and I will have of personal space if we start bugging all the older passengers.

 

Heck, when I was 45 I believed I was the youngest person on the ship except for the ship/cruise/entertainment staff.

 

At 23, you WILL on occasion be mistaken for one of these.:eek:

 

Smooth sailing...

[Mpowered]

Kiggy: Just saw that we're on the same roll call!

 

Joan

[jena1]

DH and I are also in the same cruise! We love HAL. As mentioned before, the DAM ships are classy, relaxing, great service, excellent food, very few announcements, dreamy beds, etcc. We have been on NCL, RCI, CCL, Princess, but prefer HAL for all of the above. I hope you have a great cruise. See you aboard.:) :)

[callmedeb]

I had my first cruise (on HAL and EVER!) last May and even if I hadn't won another HAL cruise playing BINGO... My second cruise would STILL have been on a DAM ship.

 

When I go away I want to be able to relax and not worry about anything. The service was excellent - I cannot give enough praise to the wonderful staff that I had the pleasure of getting to know ("Mr. Bill, Dark Rum - just show it the Coke. Miss Deb - Wang Wang - Good Drink").

 

But most of all it was a sense of peace and calm that I usually associate with home, away from home.

 

I can't WAIT until February!

 

Deb

[Alunan]

Are there activities like Bingo and Shows on three day cruises? How much does it cost to use the sportsdeck for Tennis and basketball?

[vinodoc]

We are family of 4, both of us are in early 40's and kids 12 and 9. We sailed with Princess last year to Alaska, and we almost sailed with them to Med this Summer, but as fate would have it, we were on Oosterdam. It was only our second cruise, and we were worried that kids may not enjoy HAL as much given the reputation that HAL is more catered to matured and seasoned cruisers. To our surprise, both of our kids much preferred HAL. They were treated like prince and princess. They have a grand time... enjoyed the shows, the food, the afternoon tea and even formal nights. They did not even use HAL's kids' program... needless to say, we immediately booked with them again for our cruise to Baltics next year! How impressed are my kids with HAL? They even have the picture of the ship and servers on their wall :D. I made a deal with my daughter.. if she graduate with straight A's, then she will get the Britishi Isle cruse with HAL. Hey a little bribery does not hurt. :D

 

Oh, yeah, bed is fantastic!

 

Kevin

[SwissMyst]

We are family of 4, both of us are in early 40's and kids 12 and 9. We sailed with Princess last year to Alaska, and we almost sailed with them to Med this Summer, but as fate would have it, we were on Oosterdam. It was only our second cruise, and we were worried that kids may not enjoy HAL as much given the reputation that HAL is more catered to matured and seasoned cruisers. To our surprise, both of our kids much preferred HAL. They were treated like prince and princess. They have a grand time... enjoyed the shows, the food, the afternoon tea and even formal nights. They did not even use HAL's kids' program... needless to say, we immediately booked with them again for our cruise to Baltics next year! How impressed are my kids with HAL? They even have the picture of the ship and servers on their wall :D. I made a deal with my daughter.. if she graduate with straight A's, then she will get the Britishi Isle cruse with HAL. Hey a little bribery does not hurt. :D

 

Oh, yeah, bed is fantastic!

 

Kevin

 

You hit on something that might be a bonus attraction for HAL and ClubHal, classes in dining etiquette for young people. "Finishing school" type activities in the relatively formal HAL environment. Even intro ballroom dancing and dating etiquette.

 

One often hears important jobs can be won or lost based just upon dining manners .This is not a merely an effete or trivial pursuit, but something that is sorely missing in many young people lives when "activities" for them tend to be active extreme outdoors or indoor computer video ones. Polite manners and dining etiquette becomes instead an economic advantage.

 

Another activity needed for young people is a Financial Boot camp which have become more and more popular in our area.

 

Surely, there needs to be a place to also appreciate the niceities of "polite" manners and conversation. Something that can change the balances for kids between "Rich Dad and Poor Dads". And what better place to put some of these practices into action than on a nicely Old World HAL cruise.

[vinodoc]

Well said SwissMyst. We have a few teeangers at our Med Cruise this past summer, and I noticed they all have good manners in dinning room and at shows. I thought they were quite matured for their age.

 

Kevin

[Pickels]

In a few weeks (okay, 44 days, but who's counting), I'll find out how I like a cruise with a lot of sea days--up to now my cruises have been port-intensive. I expect to like it just fine.

 

We are considering a HA cruise to Hawaii. Did anyone have a problem with the 8 days at sea, 4 out and 4 back? :confused:Thanks...

[RuthC]

We are considering a HA cruise to Hawaii. Did anyone have a problem with the 8 days at sea, 4 out and 4 back? :confused:Thanks...

I think I just read this in another thread. So, I'll post the same answer here:

Heck, no! That's the best part.

 

You have loads of sea days that you can use to relax and rest up going over. Then it's 4-5 days (depending on your cruise date) to see all you can see. Then you get more time to recouperate from all the fun.

[bonsat]

You hit on something that might be a bonus attraction for HAL and ClubHal, classes in dining etiquette for young people. "Finishing school" type activities in the relatively formal HAL environment. Even intro ballroom dancing and dating etiquette.

 

One often hears important jobs can be won or lost based just upon dining manners .This is not a merely an effete or trivial pursuit, but something that is sorely missing in many young people lives when "activities" for them tend to be active extreme outdoors or indoor computer video ones. Polite manners and dining etiquette becomes instead an economic advantage.

 

Another activity needed for young people is a Financial Boot camp which have become more and more popular in our area.

 

Surely, there needs to be a place to also appreciate the niceities of "polite" manners and conversation. Something that can change the balances for kids between "Rich Dad and Poor Dads". And what better place to put some of these practices into action than on a nicely Old World HAL cruise.

you are too much swissmyst. in fact much too much. don't you think it is the family's responsibility to teach these things. my children started cruising with us right out of diapers. they were well-behaved and gracious every time they were out in public. they learned table manners and etiquette from their parents. they learned how to balance their allowance budgets from their parents. we did not, however, teach them to dance. they learned that from professional lessons that we provided. i find your proposition extremely excessive and offensive. what kinds of low lives do you associate with?

[Alunan]

That's refreshing Bonsat. Everyone on this board is usually so passive-aggressive:

 

You're so dumb for asking this/holding your opinion! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED/ENJOY YOU CRUISE!

 

Nice to see someone willing to call out all the pretentiousness on this board.