first cruise in a longggg time

[boston27]

So the last time i was on a cruise i think i was 14. I wasn't a huge fan but figured i'd give it another try now that i'm older (27 years old) I was thinking of booking a 7-night Caribbean cruise the first week in December on the Eurodam. reading up on it the ship sounds fantastic! I just have a few questions and concerns. Is there enough to stay entertained while at sea? I'm worried about being bored. Also some of the restaurant require reservations, how does that work? Do we just go to the restaurant and make the reservation for that night? Are they difficult to get reservations at? the private cabanas look nice, where they expensive to rent and worth it? Is there only one pool or are the cabanas at a different one? I think that's enough questions for my first post lol thanks everyone for the help! :D

[Scrapnana]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

On a Caribbean cruise you will not have but a couple of sea days and there will be many activities planned (or you can sit, relax, and smell the salt air).

 

You do not have to go to the restaurants that require reservations (they are extra cost) but can eat in the main dining room every day.

 

Hope you enjoy your second cruise!

[RuthC]

There are two swimming pools on the E-dam. The aft pool is open to the air; the Lido pool is under a covered dome which can be opened or closed as the weather requires. There are some cabanas at the Lido pool. There are also some cabanas in a more secluded area a couple of decks up from, and forward of, the Lido pool.

Some restaurants require reservations, and cost extra; those are the Pinnacle, Tamarind, and Canaletto. Reservations can, and probably should, be made in advance.

The main dining room has either fixed seating or open seating. If you choose open seating, you may make a reservation for dinner, or just come whenever you please. Reservations can be made that day, or up to 2-3 days in advance.

Yes, there will be plenty to do on sea days. That "to do" includes (but is certainly not limited to) sitting, relaxing, and watching the sea.

Enjoy your first cruise in a long time! :)

[jtl513]

Since only two ships have the Tamarind, I suggest you try it at least once as your next ship may not offer it.

[Two@Sea]

Ruth, you always manage to educate in a clear, "uncluttered" manner. I wish I had that ability! :)

[comfortcove]

I do not think you will be bored on a 7 day cruise. You will have fun just exploring the ship one day, since you are new to cruising. There are many activities to choose from. If none offered interest you, read a good book. If you are not a reader, there are lots of movies you can check out and watch. There is no additional fee for them. Also, I think you will meet lots of people if you are the sociable type. Try it, you will like it. We have three kids who are younger than you,but the same generation, and they love to go on a cruise with us. We are leaving them ashore when we go in December, heehee.

 

One thing our son's take full advantage of is the room service. They eat a lot! I don't know what kind of cabin you are thinking of booking, but I hope you will try a veranda to have the full experience.

 

I hope you have fun! I have a younger friend who says "if you are bored you are boring"!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

These are the prices of the specialty restaurants if you are interested in dining in one of them. You can pre-book them online on HAL's site.

Tamarind Restaurant (Pan- Asian) -- $15 per person for dinner (we love the dinners here). They are also open for lunch on some days - fixed menu and it is free. Lunch can only be booked once you are on the ship.

Pinnacle Grill -- $25 per person for dinner -- and again you can pre-book online. It is also open for lunch some days -- $10 per person -- can only book once you are on the ship.

There is also the Canaletto -- Italian -- $10 per person and is open only for dinner.

[Typhoon1]

Welcome to CC.

 

There are more than enough activities on the Eurodam to occupy your time.

[RuthC]

Ruth, you always manage to educate in a clear, "uncluttered" manner. I wish I had that ability! :)

Thanks for saying so, Marsha.

I trained to be a teacher, then spent most of my career supervising staff (every facet was some sort of training), and ended my career as statewide trainer for my agency.

By now, explaining is second nature.

[mamaofami]

You can make your dinner reservations for the specialty restaurants on line or you can call ship's services. Your credit card will be charged when you make your reservation so keep a print out of your receipt and take it with you . You will not be charged again on board.

 

Do try Tamarind for lunch and dinner. Different menus and both are great.

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks for saying so, Marsha.

 

I trained to be a teacher, then spent most of my career supervising staff (every facet was some sort of training), and ended my career as statewide trainer for my agency.

 

By now, explaining is second nature.

 

That is so interesting to know, Ruth!

 

Clear, concise and thoughtful: I have to admit I thought I detected a "teacher mode" in your posts sometimes.

 

Hope you are gearing up for your T.A. Just think of all those sea days out in the open ocean and it will be cool!

[HALFans]

And here I was thinking 6 months off ship is a long time. ;)

[sevenseasnomad]

So the last time i was on a cruise i think i was 14. I wasn't a huge fan but figured i'd give it another try now that i'm older (27 years old) I was thinking of booking a 7-night Caribbean cruise the first week in December on the Eurodam. reading up on it the ship sounds fantastic! I just have a few questions and concerns. Is there enough to stay entertained while at sea? I'm worried about being bored. Also some of the restaurant require reservations, how does that work? Do we just go to the restaurant and make the reservation for that night? Are they difficult to get reservations at? the private cabanas look nice, where they expensive to rent and worth it? Is there only one pool or are the cabanas at a different one? I think that's enough questions for my first post lol thanks everyone for the help! :D

Being on a ship as an adult is w-a-a-y different than being on a ship as a child (and, yes, anyone under age 18 is still a child!) as DS discovered. He was hesitant to cruise again. Like you, he was 14 when he last cruised. In 2010, we took him with us on a Panama Canal cruise. He was 24. Now, he cruises at least once a year and loves it. HA is his line of choice.

 

Last April we rented a family cabana on Eurodam and paid $499. The retreat area overlooks the main pool. There are a number of cabanas by the pool, but they were noisy, IMO. Lots of traffic. We enjoyed the relative quiet and service of the retreat cabanas. If you're considering this, order before sailing to avoid disappointment.

 

We've never had problems getting reservations at the specialty restaurants because we book before we leave home. Paying for as much as possible before embarking helps us to budget better. Also, we aren't disappointed that we don't get the excursion or restaurant nights we've planned. If you're on Eurodam, by all means enjoy the Silk Den & Tamarind one evening. Very special.

 

Have a fabulous time. Come back & tell us about your cruise, please.

[sevenseasnomad]

Thanks for saying so, Marsha.

 

I trained to be a teacher, then spent most of my career supervising staff (every facet was some sort of training), and ended my career as statewide trainer for my agency.

 

By now, explaining is second nature.

 

Gosh, I knew there was a reason I felt a kindred spirit in your posts. I teach as well---at a juvenile detention center. Love it. Especially rewarding when my kids earn their GED as many did last week.

[FredT]

Well, my first thought was: "27... you SURE you want Holland America?"

 

I guess the real question should be: "What are YOUR expectations?"

 

I know my kids (23 and 26, both experienced cruisers) would be bored silly on a HAL ship. They love the "after hours" action with clubs, disco (Or whatever it's called now, I'm dating myself) and a LOT of party minded young people. Every time I bitch to them about the music levels around the pool they roll their eyes at me, and every time I wake up before 10 they threaten me... :D I could go on and on, but you get the point. Reality is, if they would get some decent itineraries they'd never get off a Carnival ship... (But then as experienced travelers, they look at those same Carnival itineraries and shudder.)

 

So it's really up to you. If you are traveling with a significant other and are planning early evenings... great. If solo, or party animals, look elsewhere. JMHO...

[comfortcove]

Honestly, do not go on Carnival. Try Royal Caribbean or Princess, they would both be good !

I think for a 7 day cruise you will be fine, but if you want a younger social scene and some more sports activities go with RCI.

[Yodalicious]

Our first cruise was a HAL cruise to Alaska, very port intensive, we were in our 30's. I thought we would be bored to tears on a "regular" carribean cruise. But whenwe tried it 20 years later we love it. It may be a function of age or REALLY high stress jobs, but it is wonderful. I cant wait to just veg out

[boston27]

thanks everyone for all the great information!! Can you buy some kind of drink package for alcoholic drinks?

[boulders]

There are several alcoholic packages available. You can find them under indulgences in your reservation on the HAL site. There are individual bottles of wine and liquor that can be delivered to your cabin. There are wine packages of 3, 5 or 7 bottles. There are alcoholic drink packages that allow to have up to 15 ($7 or less) drinks per day. There are beverage cards that allow you to prepay for your drinks. There are wine tastings.

[Rusty Scupper]

Honestly, do not go on Carnival. Try Royal Caribbean or Princess, they would both be good !

I think for a 7 day cruise you will be fine, but if you want a younger social scene and some more sports activities go with RCI.

 

This is good advice. If you had parents who were choosing a cruise, Holland would be the top choice. But a lot of younger cruisers are disappointed. Check the reviews. Good luck.

[RJ2002]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Everyone else has already been giving good advice. Just wanted to chime in that I was in your shoes once, as you can see from my cruise history. Went on a cruise with my parents when I was in my teens, then not again for a long time. It will be a really different experience for you as an adult. I think you'll really enjoy yourself, and don't worry about being bored.

 

Have fun!

[MR NW GUY]

Being on a ship as an adult is w-a-a-y different than being on a ship as a child (and, yes, anyone under age 18 is still a child!) as DS discovered. He was hesitant to cruise again. Like you, he was 14 when he last cruised. In 2010, we took him with us on a Panama Canal cruise. He was 24. Now, he cruises at least once a year and loves it. HA is his line of choice.

 

Last April we rented a family cabana on Eurodam and paid $499. The retreat area overlooks the main pool. There are a number of cabanas by the pool, but they were noisy, IMO. Lots of traffic. We enjoyed the relative quiet and service of the retreat cabanas. If you're considering this, order before sailing to avoid disappointment.

 

We've never had problems getting reservations at the specialty restaurants because we book before we leave home. Paying for as much as possible before embarking helps us to budget better. Also, we aren't disappointed that we don't get the excursion or restaurant nights we've planned. If you're on Eurodam, by all means enjoy the Silk Den & Tamarind one evening. Very special.

 

Have a fabulous time. Come back & tell us about your cruise, please.

My DD is 24 and has 20-sailings under her belt. She will take RCL hands down any day over HAL. The RCL brand has sooooooo much more to offer a younger active cruiser.

This past year she has been on HAL, RCL and NCL and prefers RCL, but when Dad is paying... they all seem fine. Interesting how that works.

[nana51]

Even when I was younger I wasn't much of a club person. I was very social but not into drinking. My husband on the other hand hasn't changed in over 40 years. He doesn't drink, dance, or stay up late. He LOVES those shows on the ships, eats early, goes to sleep by 10:00. I am a night owl but not a party person. I like the little nooks and crannies with piano players, or whatever, for a drink and a chat.

[solocanadian]

Thanks for saying so, Marsha.

I trained to be a teacher, then spent most of my career supervising staff (every facet was some sort of training), and ended my career as statewide trainer for my agency.

By now, explaining is second nature.

 

Well you sure do a bang up job of it, Ruth.:D

[Modern_Viking]

I don't think it was mentioned, but if you select open dining, you can make reservations for the main dining room for dinner (with limited choices, mind you, such as ~6pm or ~8pm), on board from your cabin phone. Reservations can be made same day and possibly the day before. Also, there is often someone at a podium outside the Lido restaurant at lunch who will accept dinner reservations.

 

There is a nearly unlimited drinks package newly being offered. It costs $50 per person per day and you must buy it for the full cruise length and for every adult in a cabin. The break even point is about 8 alcoholic cocktails in a day (more if you drink beer). You can also order a bottle of distilled alcohol or a beer package (I think it is 6) via room service for your room.

 

During the day, HAL has cooking demos, at least one daily trivia game, maybe one simple sport-like activity (putting, chipping, basketball shooting, etc.), maybe some movies (in a small theater and also on your stateroom TV). Many people pay extra for a spa treatment, go to the gym, read out on deck, pay for internet minutes (note: think dial-up speeds or worse), pay for cocktail making/drinking classes. If you like beach resorts where you mostly hang out at the pool all day, HAL may have more than you are accustomed to. If you want a theme park or constant sporting vacation, I think you will be disappointed.

 

Your thought of early December is good in terms of lower prices and crowds and being after hurricane season. But, most young people with children won't be on board since it isn't a school holiday. Don't expect lots of night-life, but many people will be up early in the morning.

 

I would not immediately go to a different cruise line just because of your age, but do think about what is most important to you.

 

Also, HAL ships are smaller than average, so you are more likely to bump into the same people many times. It is good if you want to meet some people and have conversations with them, but not as good if you want to be anonymous in large crowds.

 

BTW, most HAL 7 night Caribbean cruises only have 2 sea days. On many other lines, it is a mix of itineraries with either 3 or 2 sea days (with Eastern Caribbean cruises most likely to have 3 sea days). As of late, unfortunately many of the HAL stops have been less than a full day of late (in order to save fuel and to allow 4 port stops vs. 3), so it is a bit of a trade off.