HAL to Bermuda

[pichjoe]

DW and I are thinking of HAL for Bermuda this year in July, have been on Celebrity Summit last two years to Bermuda and loved it, this year we are taking our two sons who are 18 and 19, the extra day in port and being docked in Hamilton are very appealing. Never been on HAL before, family has been on RCCL and Carn, reading the boards it seems like DW and I will enjoy HAL, wanted to see what people think about the boys?

[styles27]

My DH and I are doing that cruise in May.

 

But, last August my 21 yr old son went on it with a group of his friends and they had a ball.

 

He said there were plenty of other cruisers his age (probably because college is out) and he didn't feel out of place.

[baggal]

If your sons are looking for the latest fads in cruising - rock-climbing wall, flow-rider, etc., the HAL ship won't have it. It was my experience that late teens are a difficult age to please: past the teen years but not quite adult enough (below the legal drinking age).

[styles27]

If your sons are looking for the latest fads in cruising - rock-climbing wall, flow-rider, etc., the HAL ship won't have it. It was my experience that late teens are a difficult age to please: past the teen years but not quite adult enough (below the legal drinking age).

 

That's a good point. My son was old enough to go into all of the lounges and have a drink if he wanted to.

 

That 2 to 3 year age difference would make a difference on a smaller ship without all of the bells and whistles baggal mentioned.

[pichjoe]

Thanks for the insights, although they can't have a drink on the ship both should be able to use the casino, at least my older boy who was 18 last year on explorer was able to. Being in Hamilton will be nice for us since we can go out to the different night spots in the city without traveling from the dockyard by bus or ferry. We have been cruising for family vacation since the boys were small and liked being in the kids program but we haven't sailed with HAL before.

[luv2travel06]

DW and I are thinking of HAL for Bermuda this year in July, have been on Celebrity Summit last two years to Bermuda and loved it, this year we are taking our two sons who are 18 and 19, the extra day in port and being docked in Hamilton are very appealing. Never been on HAL before, family has been on RCCL and Carn, reading the boards it seems like DW and I will enjoy HAL, wanted to see what people think about the boys?

We are doing that cruise in May with our 2 girls in their early 20's. IMHO, they are lucky they were invited. But they are pretty low maintenance. I haven't done a lot of research on Bermuda yet, but isn't there a biking trail in addition to the beaches and other activities on the island? Have them pick up a Bermuda travel guide and pick out the things they would like to do. The one I have is Frommers(?), I believe. It even gives plans/suggestions for 1, 2, and 3 day visits.

[CaroleSS]

We did HAL to Bermuda last August and throught it was WONDERFUL! We travelled with our 22 and 24 yr olds. We were able to tender to Ft George (you will just go directly to Hamilton) and really enjoyed that area!

 

Wednesday night there is a festival right outside the ship. Kids of ALL ages will love it! The bus system is great for getting around and seeing the sights.

 

We did some of the trivia/pool games/scavenger hunts aboard - they were really fun! I do think your kids will have a good time.

[pichjoe]

Luvtotravel I agree with you that they are very lucky to be included in such a nice trip, I'm just trying to get some ideas for the days at sea on the Vummiteendam to compare with what they offer on the Summit. Not having been on HAL before myself let alone with the family, but I agree that once there we'll have plenty to do especially being docked in Hamilton.

[3rdGenCunarder]

There are only two full sea days (and two half days), so you'll have more time in Bermuda and less potentially boring sea time than on other ships.

 

I think giving up a rock-climbing wall to get all that time in Hamilton is a fair trade.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for the insights, although they can't have a drink on the ship both should be able to use the casino, at least my older boy who was 18 last year on explorer was able to. Being in Hamilton will be nice for us since we can go out to the different night spots in the city without traveling from the dockyard by bus or ferry. We have been cruising for family vacation since the boys were small and liked being in the kids program but we haven't sailed with HAL before.

 

The casino has to be closed while the ship is in Bermuda. That was one 'bone of contention' as HAL had requested permission from Bermuda to leave it open but permission was denied.

 

 

Lest that be misunderstood, ALL the ships have to close their casino while docked in Bermuda.... not just HAL.

 

[andyandsue]

I am with 3rdGen- I think. We are actually trying to decide if we want to cruise with Norwegian again or go on HAL to Bermuda. We loved NCL but the main draw being in Bermuda 4 days there and the docking in Hamilton.

 

If we are not at sea as long as we were are on NCL (that second day was SO long) the kids shouldn't get too bored. I noticed they have the Oasis now for kids on the higher deck. Does anyone have any experience with it? The time we cruise our kids will be 10 and 13. They did NOT use the rock climbing wall, and they did not like the kids programs on NCL since they were split up, and my daughter who was literally days away from being 10 was forced to be grouped with the 7-9s rather than the 10-12s and my son who was 12 1/2 was grouped with the 10-12s so they both felt they were in younger groups than where they wanted to be, without activities that met their interests. So that said, the kids program isn't too much of a draw either.

 

Opinions everyone?

[3rdGenCunarder]

I am with 3rdGen- I think. We are actually trying to decide if we want to cruise with Norwegian again or go on HAL to Bermuda. We loved NCL but the main draw being in Bermuda 4 days there and the docking in Hamilton.

 

If we are not at sea as long as we were are on NCL (that second day was SO long) the kids shouldn't get too bored. I noticed they have the Oasis now for kids on the higher deck. Does anyone have any experience with it? The time we cruise our kids will be 10 and 13. They did NOT use the rock climbing wall, and they did not like the kids programs on NCL since they were split up, and my daughter who was literally days away from being 10 was forced to be grouped with the 7-9s rather than the 10-12s and my son who was 12 1/2 was grouped with the 10-12s so they both felt they were in younger groups than where they wanted to be, without activities that met their interests. So that said, the kids program isn't too much of a draw either.

 

Opinions everyone?

 

From what I could see on Veendam, the Oasis was a place for kids to hang out. I don't think there are any program activities up there. (I believe there are activities elsewhere) It was May when we were on Veendam, so there were very few kids, mostly pre-school ages. The Oasis is probably busy during the summer. There are hammocks that looked comfy and a sort of wading pool with a waterfall you could stand under to cool off and get wet.

 

Have you tried a search for children's activities on the HAL board? the search function isn't great, but sometimes it turns up useful posts.

[pichjoe]

AndyandSue 13 is a rough age, that's when my guys didn't want to do the kids program anymore and started being our tail, saying they were bored or trying to get us to do something that they wanted to do, never had that problem as long as they had others their age to hang with. My two are 15 months apart and we had the same problem with them being split up when their ages fell in different groups.

I realize the casino will be closed while docked in Bermuda but as mentioned by someone once we're there we'll have plenty to do. Has anyone been on both Veendam and Summit? If so how do they compare? Veendam just looks so small when we saw her docked while we walked the streets in Hamilton last summer.

[andyandsue]

We embarked in NYC on NCL right next to the Veendam, which looked so tiny. I was happy I wasn't on that ship- then we saw it again in Hamilton I said, man I wish I was on that ship!

 

Yes 13 is a tough age (in many ways!) and so was 12. He HATED the kids activities because he wanted to do his own thing, but they made him sit in a circle with 10-12 year olds and played a game where they put face paint on him. It made us laugh but he didn't see the humor in it. I don't think my children are precocious, I just think the activities they had would have been appreciated by a younger group.

 

I am hoping the Oasis will be the perfect thing for him to come and go as he pleases once he meets up with other kids his age. I looked at the reviews here, and I didn't see any reviews of the kid's activities, which may not be a good sign as to the age of the travelers.

 

We tended to stay away from all the hub-bub of the goings on when we cruised with NCL anyway, so this might not be so bad. We did enjoy the freestyle experience dining and dress code-wise. I keep thinking how bad can it be for just ONE DAY? The extra time in Bermuda, the proximity to transportation... I am truly torn.

[luv2travel06]

Luvtotravel I agree with you that they are very lucky to be included in such a nice trip, I'm just trying to get some ideas for the days at sea on the Vummiteendam to compare with what they offer on the Summit. Not having been on HAL before myself let alone with the family, but I agree that once there we'll have plenty to do especially being docked in Hamilton.

You are probably worrying unnecessarily. It is just one day there and one day back at sea. At their ages, they should be able to entertain themselves. They are not like little children that have to be entertained every minute and can't sit still.

 

If they don't care to sit in the sun (at least we hope for sun), they can read, play video games, take a nap, walk around, go to a presentation or other scheduled activity on the ship, go to the gym, snack, carry on conversations with other people they meet...at least that's what we and other adults do. Videos should be available to borrow on the ship. If not, have them bring a few along or download some onto one of their electronic devices. On our last Maasdam cruise, one woman brought some art supplies and was painting.

 

I guess it would be up to them. If they will be unhappy, bored, or otherwise miserable for 2 sea days, maybe it isn't for them and they should stay home. They shouldn't have to depend on someone else to entertain them for the 2 sea days.

 

I'm not trying to be snarky; in fact, I'm trying not to be snarky. But they are adults.

 

Have a good time! Enjoy the trip!