wyomom2 Posted October 9, 2010 #1 Share Posted October 9, 2010 We are family of five traveling eastern carrib early December. First time cruise. We do not drink and we do not party. Want low key, super relaxing, extra special service. We chose HAL for this reason. Did we choose right? I saw some pics & video (online) of ports. Different cruise line. Turks -Margaritaville. Yikes! Looks like party central. This has me a bit intimidated. We are seasoned travelers with lots of world experience. But, at this season of our life, we prefer peace and quiet in our travels. Sorry to sound like snob. We love people, just not the party hardy scene. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OVgirl Posted October 9, 2010 #2 Share Posted October 9, 2010 You don't have to worry. What you see posted in pictures is only a very small specific activity available in any port. You will have lots of options either to join or do excursions/activities on your own. In Grand Turk after leaving the dock, you can head to the right of the pier and have a nice quiet day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Essiesmom Posted October 9, 2010 #3 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Please do not be frightened away from Margaritaville in Grand Turk. they have the most beautiful pool, and you do not need to stay anywhere close to the bar. Personally, all I have ever paid for there is Diet Coke. This is the area by the bar: But there is so much more to it: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted October 9, 2010 #4 Share Posted October 9, 2010 You can be as laid-back as you want....what others do will NOT affect your type of vacation! If there is a booze-cruise excursion, don't take it! If a bunch of folks decide to get 'rowdy and party', don't join in. A cruise is really no different than being in a resort hotel...you'll have the partiers and the folks who want nothing to do with a party....you do what suits YOU! Very easy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady_cruiser Posted October 9, 2010 #5 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Essiemom, your photos are beautiful and remind me of Costa Maya before the Hurricane Dean destroyed it. wyomomof2, my sister and I are far from party people. We love to sit back with a diet coke and relax. Two places that are usually crowded with the serious party goers are Carols N Charlies and Senor Frogs so except for me going to the Senor Frogs store (not bar) to buy a T-Shirt or notepads with frogs on them we usually stay away from these bars. As Essismom said, not be fooled by a name. You can tell which place are for the serious drinkers and which bars are for those just wanted to step in out of the sun and get something cool to drink. How can you tell? By how much the noise on the inside is heard on the outside. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyjane Posted October 14, 2010 #6 Share Posted October 14, 2010 We took our first cruise on Carnival during spring break 6 years ago with our 2 daughters. I knew it was the "fun ship", but when we boarded and saw all of the college students drinking I was horrified. After that first day we didn't even know they were on the ship. We didn't go to Carlos and Charlies or Senor Frogs - we did go to Margarittaville and were pretty much the only ones there. Don't worry about the other folks - focus on what you want to do and enjoy the cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agabbymama Posted October 14, 2010 #7 Share Posted October 14, 2010 HAL shouldn't be a party ship. If you don't like the looks of the ports, just stay on the ship. Should be a nice elegant, relaxing, pampered cruise. But I'm sure HAL will offer some excursions, or look at the excursion listing to get an idea of what you might like to do on your own in each port. There may be some that are there to party, but you certainly don't have to join in and it won't be difficult to find some quiet nook of your own. Have a great cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatgoat Posted October 14, 2010 #8 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I think you chose well. Don't worry about the photos. My sister and I visited Turks -Margaritaville in May. (We are mid and upper 50's and cruise to relax and be pampered. Ports are secondary.) This was one of my favorite ports. There were quite a few party types at the pool that day but almost no one on the beach where lounges with nice cushions were are abundant and free. There are quite a few palm trees so you can select a lounge with shade or with sun. There were Margaritaville waiters circulating occasionally should you need anything. We spent some relaxing time on the beach and went inside for lunch before joining a snorkeling excursion in the afternoon. It was a very relaxing day. It is also easy to return to the ship for lunch if you prefer. I felt it was much like a private beach day (also one of my favorites)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjcruiser Posted October 15, 2010 #9 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Dont be itimidated by the pictures. As previosuly mentioned, every part of the port/boat isnt party central. There are plenty of areas to relax and kick back, without all the hustle and bustle or partying/music (loud). One of my new favorite places on a ship is the Library. So peaceful to sit and read or to make new friends, or just general conversation with others onboard. Then there's my other favorite activity in the Library, a cat nap overlooking the Promenade (RCCL) while people watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruecatt Posted October 17, 2010 #10 Share Posted October 17, 2010 We are not party people either. We have sailed on HAL and it was great. We like the relaxing feel of cruising. You won't having any problems, HAL is a very nice cruise line. No worries, you'll have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavis2222 Posted October 17, 2010 #11 Share Posted October 17, 2010 The night life shuts down after 10 pm on HAL. But at 6am in morning stand by for lines for food...The older folks go to bed early and get up on crack of dawn. My sister and her husband sailed on HAL for a travel agent cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted October 17, 2010 #12 Share Posted October 17, 2010 The night life shuts down after 10 pm on HAL. But at 6am in morning stand by for lines for food...The older folks go to bed early and get up on crack of dawn. My sister and her husband sailed on HAL for a travel agent cruise. :confused: You sound so definite about HAL and the hours of guests being out and about but when I read your list of cruises, I don't see any HAL cruises on that list. DH and I are leaving soon for our 70th cruise on HAL and have never been in bed at 10 P.M. We aren't the only people enjoying the ship after our 8 P.M. dinner. Don't believe everything you hear until you check it out for yourself. :D Certainly on a 45 day Asian Rim cruise, it will be mostly seniors. Who else has the time? But on a seven day Caribbean cruise from FLL, you will have a wide diversity of guests. On holiday cruises, there are loads of families with multi generations. All the way from Grammie to little 1 year old baby. Just like Princess, Celebrity, RCI etc OP....... we've been to Grand Turk a number of times and we go to far side of the pool, away from the bar, and have a delightfully relaxing day. (p.s....... don't waste your money on a margarita there. The bartenders on the ships make them way better. ;) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelcat2 Posted October 17, 2010 #13 Share Posted October 17, 2010 From what I have heard from many people, HAL is the perfect choice. Just be aware that there probably will not be many other children on board. Usually kids are in school in early December and the adults are taking advantage of it by booking quiet, relaxing cruises. I assume that your children are well behaved and will be fine since you are looking for this type of environment. Don't worry about the ports. . . . you will be there during the day when it is very sedate. Enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS90 Posted October 17, 2010 #14 Share Posted October 17, 2010 My wife and I are not partiers, either, and we have gone on RCI, Princess, and Celebrity. I must say that some of them had partiers aboard, but never at any time did I feel like I was forced into the "frat house" atmosphere. Even the smaller ships are plenty big enough that you can find places away from all that. And actually, its more like there are little areas, both on the ship and on excursions, that are party spots, and the rest of the cruise is calm and relaxing. I have never been on HAL, but I wouldn't get overly worried about it. Have fun.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putterdude Posted October 17, 2010 #15 Share Posted October 17, 2010 If you are looking for drinkers and parties you will find them...but in the main you are going to find your fellow pax very pleasant people enjoying their cruise vacation in a quiet and relaxing manner. Don't be intimidated by pictures. The cruise terminal area of Grand Turk is just a small portion of the island...there are lots of beaches to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northshorecruisers Posted October 17, 2010 #16 Share Posted October 17, 2010 As far as picking the right cruise line with HAL, yes, I think you made an excellent choice. I have heard of a few people drinking too much and getting out of hand, but have never witnessed it as we're always in bed by then. We're more about getting up early and enjoying the day. One of my husband's favorite things to do is grab a coffee and head up to the crows nest to begin his day. Even my teenager has said they prefer HAL over the Princess cruise we took. I have never been to Grand Turk but we considered it at one point. It seemed to me that everything was about hanging around the Cruise Center. Don't know if it's a big party area, and I can see where some people would have a great time there. We're just not into crowds. Go over to the port specific boards on this site and check there. Or do a Google search. I know we had found a private beach not far from the cruiseport that we looked into for having a quiet beach day. That might be more to your liking. Have a wonderful cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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