How does Holland America treat solo cruisers? (Cross-Posted)

[bottomfeeder]

HI, I posted this on the solo cruisers board but then figured I might get more feedback if I also posted on this one, so apologies if that is against forum rules!

 

I'm once again considering booking a solo cruise--I keep chickening out! This year I'm considering the Nieuw Amsterdam TA cruise in late October/early November.

 

I'm curious about how you experienced solo cruisers feel HAL is for solos, and also how a TA crossing works for solos. I must admit I'm a little bit worried about being bored out of my skull during the at-sea week--but I've read that HAL has lots of enrichment activities so hopefully I could always find something interesting to do.

 

How are they with dinner seating? I've always preferred the anytime dining option, but wonder if by choosing fixed seating I'd be placed with other solos? If so, that might be preferable.

 

I've looked through the roll call thread and see what appears to be a few other solos on this cruise, so hoping I can "buddy up" with some of them.

 

Also, I'm in my early 50s and while I'm definitely not a party person (pretty quiet and keep to myself a lot) I know that HAL and TAs both have reps of having a very senior crowd...would there likely be other people within my general age range?

 

Oh, and is a guarantee balcony cabin okay or are there a lot of undesirable balcony cabins that I'd be likely to end up in? I'm really not too picky!

 

Thanks for any feedback! I know different people will have different likes/dislikes/opinions, so I'd like to hear yours!

[CtheW0rld]

the 2 worst thing about how hal treats solos:

• 100% single supplement on most sailings
  
• some sailings do not allow solos at all (book a fake 2nd who turns up as a no-show in this case)
  

other than that, hal is very good for solos - especially is you can get fixed seating. you need to book early to do that, however.

 

as for TAs, i love them, but i like to just relax on sea days. there are plenty of activities if you like to stay busy.

[MEtraveler48]

I was on the World Cruise 2012 for 112 days as a solo and had a wonderful time. On the WC there is fixed dining seating only and had a table with 6 other solos that were most congenial. Sea days were filled with enrichment lectures and some culinary demonstrations as well as usual cruise type entertainments - bingo, trivia, etc. In addition the Roll Call Meet and Greet is a wonderful way to connect with people. I enjoyed meeting people from age 45 to 90 that were all interesting. Don't get hung up on age.

 

Go and have a great time.

[rafinmd]

I hope I can make a reasonable stab at this. I've done about a dozen transatlantics with the 3 most recent being Rotterdam, QM2, and Solstice.

 

I'll start with activities, which may be HAL's weakest point with regard to enrichment. Usually there isn't much in the way of enrichment lectures like you get on QM2 (best) or Celebrity.

 

What there is in the way of enrichment is grouped under 4 areas with a coordinator for each (a) World (b) Food/Entertainment (3) Technology, and (4) well being. World-A travel guide gives pretty unbiased information on ports of call (may not be much on a transatlantic) (b) Food - there is a kitchen in the Theater with pretty much daily cooking demonstrations © - there is a computer lab with free computer classes sponsored by Microsoft (d) Wellness activities are centered in the fitness center. There is generally a morning "coffee chat" on sea days with the CD interviewing members of the crew and entertainment team on all things maritime, and the usual activities like team trivia. Where HAL really shines on enrichment is all their ships have excellent libraries. The smallest ship (Prinsendam) had a MUCH better library than I saw on Solstice. I scanned and posted the explorers from my Rotterdam transatlantic here:

 

http://arctictriple.wordpress.com/rotterdam/

 

For dining, if you like anytime dining I'd recommend you do that. I prefer fixed but it was not available on one of my HAL cruises. In anytime I went into the dining room pretty much the same time every day, and tended to be seated very quickly at a table of 6 or so, often with pretty much the same people.

In fixed dining I've had somewhat haphazard luck. I've been paired with a mix of solos and couples. The biggest concern with fixed dining is that with the lido serving the full menu and lots of specialty restaurants there tend to be a lot of empty spaces at the tables. I've had some good tables and some not so good.

 

While my preference is Crystal (and it's fantastic for solos) in a mainstream environment I think HAL is a very good choice.

 

Hope this helps some.

 

Roy

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

 

I have done last two Hal to Alaska 14 days on Amsterdam. The first one a friend got sick a ywo weeks before cruise So I went alone.

I loved being alone I went back again this year. I made some mistakes last year and was alone most of the cruise. MY fault.

 

This year I had a very good cc friends. I still can improve. I had fixed seating and late night seating.

 

I did some tours and spent every night up at the happy hour before dinner. Also the happy hour at 11.

 

Make sure you join the roll call you can find a tour and if there is room

or do something to do with someone and not alone. You will find people as you travel off ship and walking the decks. Take some classes. I also loved the wine tasting.

 

Mary

[lka1012]

First, HAL does not always charge 100% extra for solos. The most I have been charged is 50%, but I always stay inside. They also offer the Single Share program and I have never been refused booking because I was traveling solo.

 

I found my cabin stewards looked out for me when they discovered I was traveling solo as did the Dining Hall stewards, and the staff in Lido and around the pool.

 

I also travel the smaller sized ships (R & S class). Maybe that makes a difference also.

 

So give it a whirl, I love traveling solo and will probably not travel on any other line than HAL.

[cruisemom42]

I've sailed solo on a few different lines. HAL has its pluses and minuses for solos, like they all do, but overall I'd say there are more pluses than minuses.

 

On the plus side, the service is very good on HAL and servers tend to remember you more than most other lines. I felt more comfortable as a solo going into a bar to have a cocktail on my own because I knew the server would remember me, and I would get good service even as a solo.

 

I also happen to like Anytime dining (or whatever the proper name is on HAL) on ships. I prefer meeting a wide variety of people over dinner, rather than dining with the same folks every night. It gives me more chances of running into someone I've met at other times on board.

 

HAL's onboard activities are not the most robust. I am fine with taking HAL for a post intensive cruise, but might have second thoughts on doing a TA on HAL. Also, I am a bit of a night owl and don't find as many entertainment options as on, for example, Princess. I do enjoy their culinary demonstrations.

 

I have yet to experience a great HAL lecturer (port or enrichment), although I hear they exist -- maybe only on longer cruises. I only know that on my two HAL cruises the port lecturer did not provide much information other than to sell the ship excursions, and there were no other lecturers onboard.

 

HAL's cabins are quite nice and the beds are wonderful. The ships have good libraries, and good places to hang out on board ship. (My experiences have been on Vista class only.) I am not picky about cabin location, and have done fine with two Guarantee ocean view cabins.

[bottomfeeder]

Thanks, all. I've cruised a number of times already on Princess and Celebrity and enjoy both those lines and it seemed like HAL would be similar. And given the work-related stuff I need to fit my vacation around this one seemed like it might work, but I"m also considering a shorter Carnival Caribbean cruise (never been on Carnival either.)

 

I appreciate hearing about all your experiences! :)

[BassettMom]

My very first cruise ever was solo on HAL and I fell in love with cruising. I really wasn't sure what to expect cruising solo, but did find Cruise Critic a couple of months before I embarked and at least had some idea of what to expect on the cruise.

 

I had traditional seating and my TA suggested we ask for a large table, preferrably with other solo travellers (so if there was someone I didn't really like at the table, there would be others to talk to), and it worked out great. The crew were wonderful and when they found out I was travelling alone and had recently lost my husband, they went out of their way to take care of me.

 

Half of my cruises have been solo and each time I had a wonderful time and I've made friends that I still keep in touch with. It probably helps that I'm not at all shy, and I've found that a smile really does go a long way.

 

Maybe I'm a little bit selfish, but I enjoy having the cabin all to myself and the freedom to do what I want, when I want....or not do anything at all if that's what I want. I'm also an avid reader and load up my Kindle before I go. I've never been bored on a cruise.

 

Solo cruising isn't for everyone, but I found that it is definitely something I enjoy.

[callmedeb]

I enjoy having the cabin all to myself and the freedom to do what I want, when I want....or not do anything at all if that's what I want. I'm also an avid reader and load up my Kindle before I go. I've never been bored on a cruise.

 

Solo cruising isn't for everyone, but I found that it is definitely something I enjoy.

 

I can second BassettMom's sentiments. I did my first solo cruise this past February on the Niew Amsterdam. It will NOT be my last.

 

I made friends on the CC Roll Call (we even put together our trivia team) and had a wonderful time getting to know them, I even ate with them at their fixed seating when one of the couples at their table were dining elsewere (I had anytime dining).

 

I did choose the cruise carefully though. It was an eastern caribbean cruise, similar to the one I had done before on the Eurodam - so the ports were already familiar to me (except St. Maartin) and I was familiar with that class of ship.

 

If there had been a trans-atlantic that fit my schedule I would have done that! I love sea days.

 

Best of luck with your future cruising! Be sure to come back and let us know what you decided.

 

Cheers,

 

Deb

[Watson's aunt]

When I went to Alaska on HAL Amsterdam I had to pay 100 more for traveling solo. I even had to pay the double fare for the upggrade.

 

If you travel solo they do not give you the sale price.

 

 

Mary

[igraf]

My experience with HAL is that there really is not a lot in the way of organized activities during the day. There are some activities, but often with severe limits on capacity. For example, the might be a dozen spots in a cooking or computer lesson for 1500 passengers. Likewise, the dedicated movie theaters (not the Queen's lounge) have very few seats. Be prepared to entertain yourself for large portions of a sea day.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

Be prepared to

 

....i like to just relax on sea days. there are plenty of activities if you like to stay busy.

[maxie99]

when i found myself single at 45--i went on 4 hal cruises in 2 years, because they treated me like family, it was the best therapy--im thinking about another one for after the 24th

[rafinmd]

When I went to Alaska on HAL Amsterdam I had to pay 100 more for traveling solo. I even had to pay the double fare for the upggrade.

 

If you travel solo they do not give you the sale price.

 

 

Mary

 

While this is true it is pretty much today's standard for cruise lines. Crystal has a much lower supplement for a higher quality and base fare. Whether the better experience is worth the higher bottom line is an individual choice, but there are very few options where the supplement is much less than 100%. I base my decisions on a combination of quality, itinerary, and bottom line, and look at each itinerary individually.

 

Roy

[mick41]

I have cruised multiple times with HAL both as a single and with a travel companion. I have enjoyed both types of cruising. The only real drawback with traveling single is the cost which is generally double the cost of sharing. In fact the only cruise line that gave me any break at all was Disney which charged me a 25% increase. When I travel as a single I almost always connect up with singles of both sexes. HAL usually has get acquainted nights on the first night as well as on other nights if there is enough interest. I almost always meet many people both single and couples. Happy Hours are good for this. So far I have requested and received a table for 2 for the 8:00PM fixed seating. This allowed me to either dine alone or dine with a woman or man that I met on the cruise. I have also invited employees to join me which was fun and informative. I found many things to do daily. Even when I travel with a travel companion, we do not alway do everything together. We do some things together and other times just meet for meals together. The best cruise line for singles was Disney which always kept a large table open at lunch for the singles and where we were often joined by the entertainers.

Ralph

[lka1012]

A lot of how much more you pay solo depends on where and when you are cruising. I generally cruise in the off season in the Caribbean. (between thanksgiving and the holidays) The supplement I have had to pay ranges from 25% to 50%. I also stay in inside cabins. If you wish and outside you will pay more and if you want a balcony you will pay double.

 

If you are not set on a particular date, itinerary or ship, check several sailing and crunch the numbers.

[CtheW0rld]

if you look around, there is a travel website where the single supp is listed. it is a great site. unfortunately, we are not allowed to share it.