HAL or not?

[realtysandy]

The Noordam has a very tempting itinerary but a little wary on what to expect. We are 40 ish Christian females leaving the hubbys and teens behind. What is the nighttime entertainment like...or is there any?

 

I have always found Princess was excellent in the entertainment department and we love the ships. Absolutely hated Carnival..or as we affectionately dubbed it..."the Carnibilly Cruiseline"..line ups for tendering were awful and lack of entertainment..teen program was virtually non existent....but the dining was excellent. Recently tried Celebrity....not my cup of tea either...dining was excellent but the lack of entertainment..ended up watching movies in the stateroom.

 

Is the entertainment on HAL similar to Princess or virtually non existent. Like watching the comedians, talent shows, game shows, learning new dances, trivia, etc...just not a bar hopper.

 

In a perfect world...Princess would have the itinerary Noordam has....any thoughts for those of you who have tried the various lines?

[May4]

The Noordam is a gorgeous ship with HAL's always amazing crew to make your stay wonderful.

 

I gather activities and entertainment are especially on your mind. I can assure you I have been quite satisfied with enough to do, but I can't know if the excitement level will meet your needs.

 

Anyway, happy sailing:)

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Noordam is PERFECT! Even when there's nothing to do, the Crow's Nest is amazing! Lots of shows. However, depending on the time of year you are sailing, there may not be any night life after the shows. We are in our early 40's and spent a total of 21 MOST EXCELLENT days on the Noordam on two cruises.

[smalldog]

On my Alaskan cruise last year there was entertainment every night after dinner for a couple of hours. Singing and dancing Broadway style or a comedian - stuff like that.

 

There was no trivia or talent contests - mostly it was delivered from the front rather than the interactive things you are describing.

 

You don't mention your intended destination. I suspect the Alaskan cruises are a bit quieter than some of the others, because a large percentage of people go to Alaska for the scenery, and the average age is higher. I am in my forties and was a young 'un in Alaska.

 

Hope that helps a bit with your decision. :)

[AZNative2000]

While they didn't have trivia at night, they did have trivia twice a day (morning and afternoon) on our recent Alaska cruise.

[BaltiGator]

Recently tried Celebrity....not my cup of tea either...dining was excellent but the lack of entertainment..ended up watching movies in the stateroom.

 

My first bit of advice would be to take all the advice here with a grain of salt. :D Remember you're asking this question in the HAL part of the forums. So you're bound to get, as you already have, some knee-jerk replies of the "You'll love it!!" variety from people who may love HAL themselves but have absolutely no idea whether you'll love it too.

 

We have only sailed HAL once so far, on the Noordam for ten days in the Caribbean. We have sailed Celebrity three times. From the one HAL cruise we came away with the impression that HAL's entertainment offerings were slightly lesser in quantity and quality to Celebrity's and also somewhat more subdued. So if you found Celebrity's entertainment offerings lacking, I'm not sure how satisfied you would be with HAL. I can't speak for Princess. I would have guessed their entertainment offerings were similar to both HAL and Celebrity, but from your post it sounds like maybe they have more.

 

Someone already made the good point that the itinerary matters. Caribbean cruises almost always have more nightlife. Alaskan cruises maybe not as much. All the more reason we were a little surprised at how quiet the Noordam was after hours. We've also sailed RCI three times, and while their product is tailored to a somewhat different clientele, they do have lots of entertainment on board and plenty of nightlife.

 

Lately we have found HAL's itineraries to be best in class, which is why we're booked on two more of their cruises. But we're the types who rarely take advantage of onboard entertainment, so that aspect of the cruise line doesn't figure into our decisions.

 

It will be interesting to see what other comments you receive. And also interesting to see what you decide, should you choose to come back and tell us...

 

Happy sailing!

[Essiesmom]

I have not sailed Noordam, but have spent time on her sisters Oosterdam and Westerdam. Also recently sailed on Princess. I think you will find HAL very similare to Princess. I do think HAL has better food and much more comfortable food than Princess. But food is very subjective. EM

[kazu]

I have been on the Noordam, Celebrity and Princess. Personally I prefer HAL for the food and the service. Hal has a number of things to do during the day. Our last cruise on the Zuiderdam, I found the shows had improved dramatically. Most of HAL's ships also have string quartets playing in the evening if you like that type of music. It's deadly though, we were so enchanted with that we missed some shows a few cruises ago.

 

The Noordam is gorgeous. I loved her. Just my thoughts. Enjoy your cruise.:):)