At 67, am I too young for Holland America?

[grandgeezer]

You'll be ok on HAL as long as you don't hit all the buttons on the elevator before you get off, like all the other kids do.

[summersigh]

Hi

I'm 61 and OH is 69. We're not party animals, like good food and friendly service, not into shows, we're happy sitting with a glass of wine/cocktail in a bar listening to a piano/string quartet/jazz or just sometimes want to put on our dancing shoes.

 

We do enjoy Celebrity but have spotted an itinerary on Hal that appeals to us. How do you think we'll fit in?

 

Thanks.

I think you'll find HAL a good fit for you based on what you said. We love it and your description of yourselves sounds very much like us.

[happygran]

Thanks for the replies & thanks to grandgeezer:) I think we'll fit in fine!

[Chelly]

No, you are not.

[RocketMan275]

I had just about convinced myself to book our next cruise on Holland. But at dinner tonight a good friend and his wife were very negative about Holland because the age of the average Holland cruiser.

 

I had done a lot of research and had concluded the more sedate and impeccable service found on Holland might be a good match for the wife and I. Now I'm having second thoughts.

 

Can anyone help me here?

 

Based upon everyone's considered and insightful responses, I've decided to compromise, and have booked a cruise on Westerdam. The cruise doesn't depart until 21 March 2015. I maybe only 67 now, but I'll be two years older then. Should work just fine.

 

I appreciate those taking the time to share their opinions on Holland and my youth.

 

RocketMan

[zackiedawg]

Sounds like you're going to be fine, RocketMan. Having read through this post and replies, I didn't initially get to reply to this thread because I was onboard the Westerdam for a 7-day cruise when you posted. I'm 44 years old, and my cruising is what I'd consider very similar to yours - getting away, relaxing, exploring, and getting good service and nice surroundings. I don't cruise to have the ship 'entertain' me and don't do ship tours, shows, etc...much of my time aboard are reading and relaxing, or just walking all around the ship, taking photos, enjoying views, etc. At ports, I like to take self-guided walking tours - anywhere from a few miles to 10-15 miles if the time provides. HAL fits be beautifully - while I can have just as much enjoyment aboard RCCL, Celebrity, Princess, etc., and have, I find HAL a just-right combination of luxury and good service, not-too-crowded ships that can provide plenty of alone time, great cabins with good space, good itineraries, and not too much noise and interference filling every room and lounge onboard. I think you'll probably love the combination...and starting with the larger ships is probably a good idea as they are still generally less crowded and noisy compared to some other lines' comparable sized ships, but also a more gentle introduction to the HAL style, age, etc. than the smaller ships - it will feel close enough to other cruise lines and cruises you've taken, but give you a nice taste of HALs overall style and feel.

[repo-cruiser]

I think you will really enjoy HAL. One warning , be careful when walking on the HAL ship not to trip over all the oxygen tanks being wheeled around.;)

[sunsetbeachgal]

We are 50's and just got back from a HAL cruise...had a great time and either I am getting older or the crowd is getting younger, ;). But that bring said, there were a lot of scooters and walkers!! There was a very nice mix of passengers,

Edited November 18, 2013 by sunsetbeachgal

[KirkNC]

We started cruising on HAL iin our forties and I will be 56 next month.

[RocketMan275]

Sounds like you're going to be fine, RocketMan. Having read through this post and replies, I didn't initially get to reply to this thread because I was onboard the Westerdam for a 7-day cruise when you posted. I'm 44 years old, and my cruising is what I'd consider very similar to yours - getting away, relaxing, exploring, and getting good service and nice surroundings. I don't cruise to have the ship 'entertain' me and don't do ship tours, shows, etc...much of my time aboard are reading and relaxing, or just walking all around the ship, taking photos, enjoying views, etc. At ports, I like to take self-guided walking tours - anywhere from a few miles to 10-15 miles if the time provides. HAL fits be beautifully - while I can have just as much enjoyment aboard RCCL, Celebrity, Princess, etc., and have, I find HAL a just-right combination of luxury and good service, not-too-crowded ships that can provide plenty of alone time, great cabins with good space, good itineraries, and not too much noise and interference filling every room and lounge onboard. I think you'll probably love the combination...and starting with the larger ships is probably a good idea as they are still generally less crowded and noisy compared to some other lines' comparable sized ships, but also a more gentle introduction to the HAL style, age, etc. than the smaller ships - it will feel close enough to other cruise lines and cruises you've taken, but give you a nice taste of HALs overall style and feel.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I would like to complement you on your photography. I followed your link and was amazed at the fine work you do.

 

It does sound like Westerdam might be a very good match. My wife is already looking forward to the promenade. We try to get in five/six miles walking each day. Any other special places we should be sure to try on Westerdam?

[MermaidWatcher]

My wife and I (57/62) have been on HAL twice and enjoyed it. While there are more older folks than on some other lines, I think the perceptions that they dominate the passengers is something that is partly form the fact that they are usually more visible than the younger passengers due to their slower movements or the fact that some have physical limitations. While we have not seen a lot of young kids on board, there is a complete representation of adult ages. One thing that is noticeable is the much more laid back, quite atmosphere, in all areas of the ship, especially the pools. There is music poolside, but if you are looking for constant blaringly loud, boom boom boom music, and frequent screaming announcements for belly flop and sexy legs contests, you will be disappointed. The atmosphere is geared more towards relaxing and quiet socializing than in your face canned entertainment.

[doublebzz]

I maybe only 67 now, but I'll be two years older then.

 

RocketMan

 

So will everyone else.

[trixiee]

So will everyone else.

 

With Luck! :p :D

 

 

says the early fifties HAL cruiser! :p:cool:

[runnergirl71]

I hope not! I'll be 43 when I cruise the Westie to Alaska in July! :)

[RocketMan275]

My wife and I (57/62) have been on HAL twice and enjoyed it. ... There is music poolside, but if you are looking for constant blaringly loud, boom boom boom music, and frequent screaming announcements for belly flop and sexy legs contests, you will be disappointed. The atmosphere is geared more towards relaxing and quiet socializing than in your face canned entertainment.

 

What would be perfect would be to skip the 'boom boom boom music' and the 'belly flop' and keep the 'sexy legs'.

 

RocketMan.

[RocketMan275]

I sort of envy you. My wife and I have been cruising for over 34 years now..80+ cruises...and we still enjoy the excitement and anticipation of an upcoming cruise. BUT there is nothing like being new to cruising! We brought friends and family with us on B2B cruises on Celebrity just a couple weeks ago. None of them had EVER been on a cruise. It was fun experiencing the cruise vicariously through them! Little things (that we have begun to take for granted) were amazing to them. So enjoy HAL, but try other ships as well. They all have a slightly different feel to them. By the way: 1.AFT CABINS ROCK!! I am not referring to the motion of the ship!

2. The Caribbean Princess is a LOVELY ship....Make sure you check out Adagios for happy hour!

3. Sabatini's is worth the extra money

4. If you like Princess, you will like HAL and Celebrity...all pretty comparable.

 

I hope my wife and I are as lucky as you and yours. You're truly fortunate to find an activity that you can enjoy for so long.

 

And, thank you for reminding me that my wife and I are fortunate too in having the world of cruising to explore. I try to make things too complicated rather than just enjoying the experience.

 

Aft Cabins do Rock. I think our first cruise on Freedom of the Seas may have spoiled us. We had an aft cabin with a huge balcony (almost 12 x 12). Not a suite, just a normal balcony. We had breakfast there every morning. The dinner the last night we raided the buffet for cheese, bread, and fruit and had a picnic with a bottle of chardonnay. What do you do when that is your standard?

 

So what we're doing now is trying multiple lines. We've done RCI. Princess and HAL are scheduled. Probably try Celebrity too. Looks like fun.

[snbr]

I'm about to go on my 3rd cruise on Holland. One cruise was a week, one was 10 days and this one is going to be a week. I've sailed Norwegian 2 times (1 9 day cruise, 1 transatlantic) and a 5 day cruise on Carnival (last minute whim). I'm 38 (fit, active, etc), my sweetie is 48 and we started cruising 5 years ago which makes me young for this vacation hobby.

 

I like Holland because I think they provide value for price. It depends on what you are looking for. I'm not a party girl, and I was turned off with Carnival (even tho it better fit my demographic). I've met some really lovely ppl on Norwegian and Holland, but look at my cruises - a bit less traditional itineraries. I think that's what you are ultimately looking for - slightly longer cruises (more than 7 days) change the demos away from families to people who are more geared to casual relaxation. Holland has some really lovely itineraries that I hope to one day have the money and time to be able to do. Anyway, not just for the old, in my (youngish) opinion. I don't really need a bowling alley or rock climbing wall. I can get those on land everywhere.

[RocketMan275]

I'm about to go on my 3rd cruise on Holland. One cruise was a week, one was 10 days and this one is going to be a week. I've sailed Norwegian 2 times (1 9 day cruise, 1 transatlantic) and a 5 day cruise on Carnival (last minute whim). I'm 38 (fit, active, etc), my sweetie is 48 and we started cruising 5 years ago which makes me young for this vacation hobby.

 

I like Holland because I think they provide value for price. It depends on what you are looking for. I'm not a party girl, and I was turned off with Carnival (even tho it better fit my demographic). I've met some really lovely ppl on Norwegian and Holland, but look at my cruises - a bit less traditional itineraries. I think that's what you are ultimately looking for - slightly longer cruises (more than 7 days) change the demos away from families to people who are more geared to casual relaxation. Holland has some really lovely itineraries that I hope to one day have the money and time to be able to do. Anyway, not just for the old, in my (youngish) opinion. I don't really need a bowling alley or rock climbing wall. I can get those on land everywhere.

 

You maybe 'young' but you have much more experience than we. Your youth and experience provides a lot of assurance that we will be happy on Holland.

 

I'm glad you mentioned the longer itineraries. One of our objectives is to find a cruise line that does provide an experience away from the families, relaxation, and a varied itinerary. Right now we're upgrading an older home and we're not comfortable boarding our two dogs for long periods of time. But there will come a time when we can do the longer cruises. Meanwhile, we can take some shorter trips, accrue some experience, and explore our cruise line options.

[fuzzywuzzy]

Sounds like a perfect match to me. HAL has always won us over on their itineraries too. We can't seem to leave them now.

 

Lol. My DH and o also. We started cruising with HAL when we were in our early 50's and now we're 62. We still feel like the "babies" on the ship excep for a handful of younger people. We just returned from a TA cruise onboard the Noordam. Many walkers, etc.

 

We always enjoy HAL's itineraries and the quieter atmosphere and the food of course. One interesting thing I might add is that if you didn't take dancing lessons you might feel intimidated about getting up to dance. Everybody looked as if they were ballroom dancers! Some were excellent and provided a good show. But my husband wouldn't get up to dance because of this.

[existentialtraveler]

We are very late 20's and enjoy HAL so it really has nothing to do with age IMO. We like the food, the relaxing and the staff. Sure we have been confused for crew numerous times because we didn't fit the demographic, but we don't care, we just sail for the itinerary and the wonderful vacation they provide.

 

I agree.

[existentialtraveler]

I hope my wife and I are as lucky as you and yours. You're truly fortunate to find an activity that you can enjoy for so long.

 

And, thank you for reminding me that my wife and I are fortunate too in having the world of cruising to explore. I try to make things too complicated rather than just enjoying the experience.

 

Aft Cabins do Rock. I think our first cruise on Freedom of the Seas may have spoiled us. We had an aft cabin with a huge balcony (almost 12 x 12). Not a suite, just a normal balcony. We had breakfast there every morning. The dinner the last night we raided the buffet for cheese, bread, and fruit and had a picnic with a bottle of chardonnay. What do you do when that is your standard?

 

So what we're doing now is trying multiple lines. We've done RCI. Princess and HAL are scheduled. Probably try Celebrity too. Looks like fun.

We just got off the Celebrity Summit, B2B. Here is a youtube video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBsIQadfAyA

Our first cruise was our honeymoon.We thought we would take the once in a lifetime vacation. We paid $1300 a person for that trip, which was a LOT of money in 1984. The ship we were on..The Song of Norway, RCCL..had ONE pool, ONE restaurant, ONE bar/lounge. It seems pretty pathetic by today's standard cruise ship which has multiple pools /bars/restaurants, but we loved it, and still look at old photos and smile and laugh. It is kinda cool. Every year since we have gone on another "honeymoon." And something even better,I think my wife is even prettier today than she was 34 years ago. Am I one of the luckiest guys in the world or what?:)

Edited November 19, 2013 by existentialtraveler

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Simple answer is no - with the exception of Carnival, we find the age spread on the other lines - HAL, Celebrity, Princess, and NCL about the same. Of course, the longer the cruise, the probability of a higher age level.

[fuzzywuzzy]

We just got off the Celebrity Summit, B2B. Here is a youtube video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBsIQadfAyA

Our first cruise was our honeymoon.We thought we would take the once in a lifetime vacation

Every year since we have gone on another "honeymoon." And something even better,I think my wife is even prettier today than she was 34 years ago. Am I one of the luckiest guys in the world or what?:)

 

Awwwwwe....what a lovely thing to say.