Old verses young

[gardengirl2011]

Not to start an argument, but reading these boards it seems to be an older crowd on HAL. Have sailed on prisendam (Europe) we were definitely the youngest on that cruise. Was really thinking about switching to HAL but reading about ballroom dancing and social classes really has me wondering if perhaps another line might be a better fit for the younger cruiser. Please don't take this as an insult as none was intended. Just asking for future reference.

[sail7seas]

We don't get insulted with the questions about 'old' cruisers here.

Since cruise bulletin boards have existed, not a week goes by we don't get the 'old' questions.

 

If you take a lengthy cruise, you will have many senior people as fellow pax. They are mostly the ones who have the time.

 

If you take a seven day Caribbean cruise, your fellow cruisers will be the same demographic as you would find on Princess and Celebrity, for example.

 

If children are in school, you will have fewer children aboard.

If kids are out for vacation, you are apt to find many family groups. Around the holidays, you will find multiple generations sailing together and it's great to see IMO

 

Hopes this is the info you are seeking.

[KirkNC]

Young and old is a bit of a loose definition. Someone 75 can be young in some ways. To your point, we have never found HAL to be a party ship, much more subdued. That is part of what we like about it.

[sapper1]

Not to start an argument, but reading these boards it seems to be an older crowd on HAL. Have sailed on prisendam (Europe) we were definitely the youngest on that cruise. Was really thinking about switching to HAL but reading about ballroom dancing and social classes really has me wondering if perhaps another line might be a better fit for the younger cruiser. Please don't take this as an insult as none was intended. Just asking for future reference.

 

If you are bothered by us oldies then only you can make the decision on whether to cruise with us or not. I'm not insulted but I really don't understand the point of the question.

[IRL_Joanie]

Not to start an argument, but reading these boards it seems to be an older crowd on HAL. Have sailed on prisendam (Europe) we were definitely the youngest on that cruise. Was really thinking about switching to HAL but reading about ballroom dancing and social classes really has me wondering if perhaps another line might be a better fit for the younger cruiser. Please don't take this as an insult as none was intended. Just asking for future reference.

.....no offense was taken:) BUT, before you decide to look at another cruise line, might I suggest that you read VallyD's latest reviews and comments?

 

Here is a direct link where you can click on all of her posts/responses and see what she and her hubby think. They are quite young (20's and I think she can ease your concerns more than any of us old folks can:) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=38633447

 

There are even more young people who cruise on HAL but they do not post often. One of my all time favorite posters is only 16 years old. He and his family live in a South American country and they cruise at least once a year on HAL.

 

Joanie

[sail7seas]

Sorry, I meant to add comment about ballroom dancing.

 

I have seen the sort of dancing described here in a currently running thread about 3 times on HAL ships out of about 80+ HAL cruises. It does not happen often but it has happened.

 

Now with DWTS being so popular, it is bound to be appearing on other cruise lines. This will not be/is not unique to HAL.

 

Afterall, SOME of those 'old people' that are expected to be found on HAL ships, probably have their best dancing years behind them. ;) SOME are far more active than might be expected.

 

If you want to use a treadmill in the gym, you might have to sign up on the sheet and wait your turn. Some of those old people are running/walking the treadmills daily. :D

 

[Sea42]

Not to start an argument, but reading these boards it seems to be an older crowd on HAL. Have sailed on prisendam (Europe) we were definitely the youngest on that cruise. Was really thinking about switching to HAL but reading about ballroom dancing and social classes really has me wondering if perhaps another line might be a better fit for the younger cruiser. Please don't take this as an insult as none was intended. Just asking for future reference.

While the age of our fellow cruisers has never been an issue, I did find the entertainment on HAL geared to a much older crowd. And I'm almost 50! I had no problem during the day, hanging out on our balcony or by the pool, reading and relaxing but I found the nighttime entertainment very dated. We went to the piano bar, and while I did have a good time, most of the songs were well before my time. My mom would have loved it though!

[cruisetrail]

We don't get insulted with the questions about 'old' cruisers here.

Since cruise bulletin boards have existed, not a week goes by we don't get the 'old' questions.

 

If you take a lengthy cruise, you will have many senior people as fellow pax. They are mostly the ones who have the time.

 

If you take a seven day Caribbean cruise, your fellow cruisers will be the same demographic as you would find on Princess and Celebrity, for example.

 

If children are in school, you will have fewer children aboard.

If kids are out for vacation, you are apt to find many family groups. Around the holidays, you will find multiple generations sailing together and it's great to see IMO

 

Hopes this is the info you are seeking.

 

A very good answer.

[pepsigirl64]

Young and old is a bit of a loose definition. Someone 75 can be young in some ways. To your point, we have never found HAL to be a party ship, much more subdued. That is part of what we like about it.

 

:D I agree with you 150%, I am 48 and my DH is 50 after the cruise that we board next week, we will be 4 star mariners. Some days I feel 97 and other days I am 32, so like you said young and old is a very loose definition. HAL is our cruise line!!!

[VallyD]

.....no offense was taken:) BUT, before you decide to look at another cruise line, might I suggest that you read VallyD's latest reviews and comments?

 

Here is a direct link where you can click on all of her posts/responses and see what she and her hubby think. They are quite young (20's and I think she can ease your concerns more than any of us old folks can:) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=38633447

 

There are even more young people who cruise on HAL but they do not post often. One of my all time favorite posters is only 16 years old. He and his family live in a South American country and they cruise at least once a year on HAL.

 

Joanie

 

Bless your heart Joanie! You took the words right out of my mouth. I never saw age as a problem, and I don't think I ever would. I had more fun with the 40+ crowd than I did with the people our age, have an open mind an open heart. There were plenty of people our age on the ship, but I didn't spend time with them. There were a lot of children too, but because of where I spent my time I never saw more than 6 of them at most. I am 27 husband is 34, I am an outgoing person and find the SUPPOSED older crowd to be much more relaxed, outgoing, hilarious, and enjoyable than a ship full of 20 year olds (been there done that). Don't worry. Try it. I was totally put off cruising until I cruised with HAL.

 

Link to my story again: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1823314

 

this cliche about HAL is ridiculous. The Prisendam is a special ship in that it carries just over 800 people (if I am correct) and some members on this board who have 5 Star Mariner Status have never even sailed her. Because of her itineraries and size you may find an older crowd I believe she does much longer cruises (Hey Im new to this too, correct me if I am wrong) bringing in people retired or just plain wealthy who can afford that and have the time off to experience it. I suggest trying the Eurodam or the Nieuw Amsterdam before giving up on HAL. Personally I am taking a step down to a smaller ship for our next cruise :)

[VallyD]

Oh and by smaller ship I mean a ship still within the HAL fleet :D

 

Trust me I researched all other cruiselines, before and after, you cannot beat the itineraries and how in the world can you possibly walk away from those blue hulls? :-D

[cranethie]

Trust me I researched all other cruiselines, before and after, you cannot beat the itineraries and how in the world can you possibly walk away from those blue hulls? :-D

 

Or the fabulous wrap around decks!:)

[lovetocruise2020]

Oh and by smaller ship I mean a ship still within the HAL fleet :D

 

Trust me I researched all other cruiselines, before and after, you cannot beat the itineraries and how in the world can you possibly walk away from those blue hulls? :-D

 

Or the bathtubs and sofas where other lines have none,

the hot room service from MDR!

 

Woot!

[callmehalia]

I'm 33, and last year my husband and I (he's a year younger) did our first ever cruise, Inside Passage on the Volendam.

 

We weren't the youngest on the ship but pretty near to it. I did notice a group of about 10 people our age/younger who were always at the bar. They seemed to be having a great time (at the expense of those of us around them, but that's a different post...!)

 

I think if you're the kind of person who wants to socialise by drinking a lot of alcohol, or want a club-type atmosphere, then HAL probably isn't going to cut it. HAL's entertainment just isn't suited for the average person under 50, in my opinion.

 

However, if you cruise because of the ports, or you want a classy ship and good food, then HAL is a great choice. Personally, I don't think that, at this point in my life, doing a HAL trip that was full of sea days would be right for me. But for a 7 or 14 day port-intensive trip? It's great. The beds are lovely, the crew are amazing, and while the PAX might be on the older side, they're generally well-traveled friendly people with lots to talk about!

[Hflors]

Not to start an argument, but reading these boards it seems to be an older crowd on HAL. Have sailed on prisendam (Europe) we were definitely the youngest on that cruise. Was really thinking about switching to HAL but reading about ballroom dancing and social classes really has me wondering if perhaps another line might be a better fit for the younger cruiser. Please don't take this as an insult as none was intended. Just asking for future reference.

 

None taken, but if you are expecting to see hairy chest contests at the pool, buckets of beer, drinking until you drop or blaring music until late at night you may be a bit disappointed. If you are more interested in wonderful ports of call, quiet relaxing music, dining is a beautiful dining room with good food, wonderful crew, very agreeable passengers (for the most part) HAL is for you.

 

I will say (and this is my opinion only and I am sure others will disagree with me) that if you had children, I have not and would not choose HAL. When we sail with our grand son we sail RCCL. All the extras on their ship are what young people want so thats what he gets.

 

Good luck and I hope you find the cruiseline that is just right for you.

 

Helen

[Mar56]

None taken, but if you are expecting to see hairy chest contests at the pool, buckets of beer, drinking until you drop or blaring music until late at night you may be a bit disappointed. If you are more interested in wonderful ports of call, quiet relaxing music, dining is a beautiful dining room with good food, wonderful crew, very agreeable passengers (for the most part) HAL is for you.

 

I will say (and this is my opinion only and I am sure others will disagree with me) that if you had children, I have not and would not choose HAL. When we sail with our grand son we sail RCCL. All the extras on their ship are what young people want so thats what he gets.

 

Good luck and I hope you find the cruiseline that is just right for you.

 

Helen

 

Well actually on our first cruise on HAL there WERE buckets of beer and a hairy chest contest! There was also a wide range of ages on the ship but very few childrEn. We met some wonderful people of all ages and had our most interesting conversations with those in their mid 70s to 80s. DH and I danced until at least 1 am most nights and had a wonderful time.

[Twinkstarr]

We don't get insulted with the questions about 'old' cruisers here.

Since cruise bulletin boards have existed, not a week goes by we don't get the 'old' questions.

 

The "old" cruisers on HAL dates back to pre-internet. Back in 1980, when my mom booked our 1st cruise(Alaska and back then it was Princess, HAL and Sitmar) our travel agent at the time brought up the HAL demographics.

 

To be honest, I will be 50 this year and when I cruise I tend to go solo and I am really intrigued by a lot of HAL's intineraries, especially the Canada/NE, Europe and Alaska. Would love to get back to Sitka again.

 

I would consider a HAL cruise, but I know what to expect.

[HamOp]

Well actually on our first cruise on HAL there WERE buckets of beer and a hairy chest contest! There was also a wide range of ages on the ship but very few childrEn. We met some wonderful people of all ages and had our most interesting conversations with those in their mid 70s to 80s. DH and I danced until at least 1 am most nights and had a wonderful time.

 

Yep, back in the day, HAL did have a lot of fun pool contests.

One was the girls vs the guys to see who could stuff the most yellow balls from the bottom of the pool into their swimsuits and the other was a belly flop contest.

 

[sail7seas]

Bless your heart Joanie! You took the words right out of my mouth. I never saw age as a problem, and I don't think I ever would. I had more fun with the 40+ crowd than I did with the people our age, have an open mind an open heart. There were plenty of people our age on the ship, but I didn't spend time with them. There were a lot of children too, but because of where I spent my time I never saw more than 6 of them at most. I am 27 husband is 34, I am an outgoing person and find the SUPPOSED older crowd to be much more relaxed, outgoing, hilarious, and enjoyable than a ship full of 20 year olds (been there done that). Don't worry. Try it. I was totally put off cruising until I cruised with HAL.

 

Link to my story again: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1823314

 

this cliche about HAL is ridiculous. The Prisendam is a special ship in that it carries just over 800 people (if I am correct) and some members on this board who have 5 Star Mariner Status have never even sailed her. Because of her itineraries and size you may find an older crowd I believe she does much longer cruises (Hey Im new to this too, correct me if I am wrong) bringing in people retired or just plain wealthy who can afford that and have the time off to experience it. I suggest trying the Eurodam or the Nieuw Amsterdam before giving up on HAL. Personally I am taking a step down to a smaller ship for our next cruise :)

 

Nice post, ValleyD. :)

 

 

 

 

The "old" cruisers on HAL dates back to pre-internet. Back in 1980, when my mom booked our 1st cruise(Alaska and back then it was Princess, HAL and Sitmar) our travel agent at the time brought up the HAL demographics.

 

To be honest, I will be 50 this year and when I cruise I tend to go solo and I am really intrigued by a lot of HAL's intineraries, especially the Canada/NE, Europe and Alaska. Would love to get back to Sitka again.

 

I would consider a HAL cruise, but I know what to expect.

 

 

DH and I started cruising in about 1990 and we had done a great deal of 'other' travel prior. We had no internet and knew almost no one who had cruised. Amazing how we managed to get to the ship, board, and enjoy without all the pre-information we now can gather. Our first cruise also was on Princess. Our second cruise RCI (where we never returned) and our third was HAL. When we sailed HAL, we knew we had found our 'cruise home'. We sailed "X" subsequently about 5 or 6 times and Princess about 5 more times (Carnival 1 time, sort of, but that's a long story). We have sailed HAL exclusively for about our last 60+ cruises.

 

 

We aren't your mother's age :) but we cruised per-internet.... at least pre-internet for us. :D

 

[Rock_Dr]

I am 55 my mother is 81. If you want to party go out with her and her friends. They wear me out. Age is state of mind. I feel very old when I am out with them and I can't keep up.

[foodgirl]

My first cruise on HAL I was 33 and I was told before I went that I was going on a floating nursing home. This was when HAL still had ships in the Caribbean during the summer. We went in June and there were all ages. We did a ship excursion in Cozumel and lets just say people had a great time and the drinks were flowing. I think the points made about time of year and length of cruise are good because it does make a difference. We love HAL because we don't want a bunch of kids around and most of the time that is not a problem. I will also add that I don't get what the deal is with older cruisers. I love to talk to them and hear about their experiences and travels. I guess some people like to be with their own age group but I am an old soul of sorts and enjoy my elders! And hope I am still cruising when I get older.

[George C]

Many lines have a large group of older passengers, we have meet people of all ages on our 3 recent Hal cruises. Some people like the size of the Hal ships some do not.

[Hflors]

Well actually on our first cruise on HAL there WERE buckets of beer and a hairy chest contest! There was also a wide range of ages on the ship but very few childrEn. We met some wonderful people of all ages and had our most interesting conversations with those in their mid 70s to 80s. DH and I danced until at least 1 am most nights and had a wonderful time.

 

Well I do stand corrected. I have never seen "hairy chest contests" on HAL or buckets of beer on any of my HAL cruises.

 

Thanks for updating me.

 

Helen

[summersigh]

Well I do stand corrected. I have never seen "hairy chest contests" on HAL or buckets of beer on any of my HAL cruises.

 

Welcome to "Carnival Life" if you're feeling deprived by missing the above:D:D:D (heheheee ... I didn't think so)

We sailed Carnival last time because of the home port Tampa (to visit family while there), the ports (Belize), the price (big sale) ....

We definately missed HAL and RCC and won't be going back to Carnival. The staff was very good but the whole atmosphere is different. For those seeking that partying atmosphere it is a good value for the $$ ... but it just wasn't us.

[VallyD]

I will also add that I don't get what the deal is with older cruisers. I love to talk to them and hear about their experiences and travels. I guess some people like to be with their own age group but I am an old soul of sorts and enjoy my elders! And hope I am still cruising when I get older.

 

My feelings exactly. I am an old soul of sorts as well and I had many conversations on our cruise with women who had "been there done that" with some rights of passage I am dealing with at my age. Their advice was priceless, and their hindsight eye-opening.

 

Well I do stand corrected. I have never seen "hairy chest contests" on HAL or buckets of beer on any of my HAL cruises.

 

Then Husband and I hid our bucket of beer very well on the Eurodam because we certainly had one lmbo!!!