Will we feel out of place?

[Laszlo]

My wife and I are thinking about booking the ms Nieuw Amsterdam for a February 2015. We like the itinerary and Ft Lauderdale is easy to fly into from PA. We have done 4 NCL cruises and really like the freestyle dining and the dress or or not atmosphere.

 

About the most dressed up I want to be on a cruise is a pair of kakis and a polo shirt. We are both 51 and extremely active. I remember seeing one of the HAL cruise ships in Bermuda a few years ago, the youngest person looked to be about 75. Just wondering if HAL will fit be a good fit for my wife and I.

[BumperII]

When we started cruising twelve years ago, (Princess) there were two formal nights, Tuxedo, two semi formal nights, Jacket and tie,, and three smart casual, sans necktie.

 

Needless to say, that is gone. Now there are two nights when at least a jacket and tie is the order of the day, but many choose to dine in the Lido Buffet those nights.

 

You certainly will not be out of place because of your age.

[cruz chic]

Hal is quiet. I like that. I ask people "are you self entertaining”?if the answer is no than Hal might not be for you. I'm 53 and usually the baby on board. I'm an old soul. I'd rather be around 60 pr 70 year olds than 30 year olds. I also like that the gym isn't overly busy so it no problem to get my workout in.

[POA1]

To be perfectly honest, I'd wave you off. With the possible exception of a 7 day itinerary, I don't think it would be what you're looking for. This is just an educated guess based on the experiences of friends of ours.

 

FLL to MIA is an easy ride by shuttle or hired car and one of Norwegian's newer ships sails from Miami.

Edited April 5, 2014 by POA1

[Yodalicious]

We are late 50's just 60, and have been cruising HAL since our mid 30's. We want a relaxing time, and this is perfect. Give me a balcony and a cabana, and load up my Kindle and i am a happy camper! :):). We will do our skivacation

, that is our "active" vacation, but "veg" time is precious:)

[PatriciaF]

It may not be a good fit; we like Princess (and sailing HAL in May for the itinerary) and did not like NCL due to it being too casual.

[cruisetrail]

My wife and I are thinking about booking the ms Nieuw Amsterdam for a February 2015. We like the itinerary and Ft Lauderdale is easy to fly into from PA. We have done 4 NCL cruises and really like the freestyle dining and the dress or or not atmosphere.

 

About the most dressed up I want to be on a cruise is a pair of kakis and a polo shirt. We are both 51 and extremely active. I remember seeing one of the HAL cruise ships in Bermuda a few years ago, the youngest person looked to be about 75. Just wondering if HAL will fit be a good fit for my wife and I.

 

You couldn't see MS Nieuw Amsterdam in Bermuda.

That's why it's important to call ships by names. This HAL can be very different from that HAL.

 

You are making the right choice - Nieuw Amsterdam or Eurodam.

Both are freestyle dining - choose anytime dining option to dine where, when and with whom you want.

Dress code is different from NCL.

How different?

For two formal nights in MDR you'll need a simple blazer that will securely cover the difference. That's it. The rest of "dress code" during the cruise is simply civilized behavior. Same as anywhere else.

 

Watch my video (the link in my signature). You'll get the picture.

I've seen frat parties on NCL, drunk men wearing bras.....

 

The ships you are going to cruise are the most comfortable resort ships in the Caribbean.

The context and ships design is closest to ocean liners of the past.

 

Try the Eurodam.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited April 5, 2014 by cruisetrail

[mudscraper]

Try to keep the noise down from 1pm to 3pm. Nap time.

[jtl513]

You couldn't see MS Nieuw Amsterdam in Bermuda.

They didn't say that. They're "thinking about booking" the N.A. and "remember seeing one of the HAL cruise ships in Bermuda a few years ago".

.

Edited April 5, 2014 by jtl513

[Boytjie]

You are making the right choice - Nieuw Amsterdam or Eurodam.

Both are freestyle dining - choose anytime dining option to dine where, when and with whom you want.

 

What are you talking about?! :confused: :eek:

 

All HAL ships have the same As You Wish Dining option which includes both open dining or two set dining times in the main dining room. Then there are the other options of buffet and specialty restaurants.

Edited April 5, 2014 by Boytjie

[FredT]

We have done three HAL trips over the past 2 years. Antarctica, Far east and a trans atlantic. In out mid 50's we were smack dab in the middle of the age demographic. The biggest difference is the whole entertainment thing mentioned above. HAL counts on you to entertain yourself, they are not going to spoon feed you. "Are you self entertaining" is a GREAT line/question. Fits HAL perfectly.

 

The other big thing you will notice about HAL is that the vast majority of passengers are VERY experienced travelers. Not snooty, not aloof, but they know what they want and what to expect.

[travelnap]

My wife and I are thinking about booking the ms Nieuw Amsterdam for a February 2015. We like the itinerary and Ft Lauderdale is easy to fly into from PA. We have done 4 NCL cruises and really like the freestyle dining and the dress or or not atmosphere.

 

About the most dressed up I want to be on a cruise is a pair of kakis and a polo shirt. We are both 51 and extremely active. I remember seeing one of the HAL cruise ships in Bermuda a few years ago, the youngest person looked to be about 75. Just wondering if HAL will fit be a good fit for my wife and I.

 

I think you should give HAL a try and see if you like it. I am similar in age to you and your wife and I also enjoy the freestyle type of cruising. I have tried most of the mass market lines and have done more cruises on NCL than the others combined, but my second favorite is HAL as I have enjoyed their cruises. I would rate the entertainment better on NCL, but the food would be a little better on HAL in my experience. HAL also has the best libraries at sea in my opinion.

 

As far as the formal nights, I just dine at the lido that night, as I don't care to dress for dinner either, but I do want to respect the other guests who do enjoy that. Usually the buffet menu has several items that are the same as in the MDR, so the quality of the food is quite good.

 

Although N.A is one of HAL's larger ships, it is not a mega ship, so if you are looking for the mega ship type atmosphere then you will not find it on HAL. It would be more like a Jewel class on NCL. As others have mentioned, HAL does have a more traveled clientele and although the demographics are older than NCL, you can meet some very interesting people. Service is excellent on both, and I think HAL and NCL have the friendliest crews at sea.

[mame42]

I think you should give HAL a try and see if you like it. I am similar in age to you and your wife and I also enjoy the freestyle type of cruising. I have tried most of the mass market lines and have done more cruises on NCL than the others combined, but my second favorite is HAL as I have enjoyed their cruises. I would rate the entertainment better on NCL, but the food would be a little better on HAL in my experience. HAL also has the best libraries at sea in my opinion.

 

As far as the formal nights, I just dine at the lido that night, as I don't care to dress for dinner either, but I do want to respect the other guests who do enjoy that. Usually the buffet menu has several items that are the same as in the MDR, so the quality of the food is quite good.

 

Although N.A is one of HAL's larger ships, it is not a mega ship, so if you are looking for the mega ship type atmosphere then you will not find it on HAL. It would be more like a Jewel class on NCL. As others have mentioned, HAL does have a more traveled clientele and although the demographics are older than NCL, you can meet some very interesting people. Service is excellent on both, and I think HAL and NCL have the friendliest crews at sea.

 

Agreed. As a solo traveler, I prefer NCL's older, smaller ships for trips with many sea days, but HAL for port-centric itineraries. The level of experience and sophistication of fellow passengers on HAL adds a whole new dimension to the cruise.

[Laszlo]

Thanks all for taking the time to answer my question. Yes, my wife and I both like a fairly quiet ship. We can also fully entertain ourselves. I guess I can bring a sports jacket.:D The only reason we looked at Holland was we liked the itinerary. We might just go ahead and book the cruise. At the moment its a toss of between Holland and the NCL Sun going to Roatan, Costa Maya and Belize. We did it last year on the Dawn and really enjoyed it. Actually looking forward to a smaller ship

 

And yes we saw the ms Veendam in Bermuda.

[catl331]

We, the older than 70 crowd, haven taken a liking to the smaller, older ships and you may have seen us in Bermuda! We were at the sea glass beach!!:)

[nana51]

Thanks all for taking the time to answer my question. Yes, my wife and I both like a fairly quiet ship. We can also fully entertain ourselves. I guess I can bring a sports jacket.:D The only reason we looked at Holland was we liked the itinerary. We might just go ahead and book the cruise. At the moment its a toss of between Holland and the NCL Sun going to Roatan, Costa Maya and Belize. We did it last year on the Dawn and really enjoyed it. Actually looking forward to a smaller ship

 

And yes we saw the ms Veendam in Bermuda.

 

OT but I like your signature. :D

[iancal]

If you like a quiet ship, then HAL is definitely a match for you.

 

No issue on casual clothes. This is what we do on HAL and other cruise lines.

 

Simply eat in the Lido buffet. But don't leave it too late as the Lido closes early.

[RJ2002]

My wife and I are thinking about booking the ms Nieuw Amsterdam for a February 2015. We like the itinerary and Ft Lauderdale is easy to fly into from PA. We have done 4 NCL cruises and really like the freestyle dining and the dress or or not atmosphere.

 

About the most dressed up I want to be on a cruise is a pair of kakis and a polo shirt. We are both 51 and extremely active. I remember seeing one of the HAL cruise ships in Bermuda a few years ago, the youngest person looked to be about 75. Just wondering if HAL will fit be a good fit for my wife and I.

 

Thanks all for taking the time to answer my question. Yes, my wife and I both like a fairly quiet ship. We can also fully entertain ourselves. I guess I can bring a sports jacket.:D The only reason we looked at Holland was we liked the itinerary. We might just go ahead and book the cruise. At the moment its a toss of between Holland and the NCL Sun going to Roatan, Costa Maya and Belize. We did it last year on the Dawn and really enjoyed it. Actually looking forward to a smaller ship

 

And yes we saw the ms Veendam in Bermuda.

 

First of all, I don't think you will be out of place on HAL.

 

We are just a couple of years older than you. We were exclusive Princess cruisers for many, many years. We then went on a HAL cruise for the unique itinerary, and loved it. We've been on many HAL cruises now. In the past couple of years, we've worked in a couple of NCL cruises, for itinerary and timing. Our last NCL cruise was in an Aft Penthouse. Loved the NCL suite experience.

 

Having sailed on both HAL and NCL, I will say there are pluses and minuses, depending on your perspective and expectations. If you are willing to take a jacket and tie, that will solve the formal night issue. In our opinion, the food quality in the MDR is better on HAL than NCL. However, on HAL you won't have the same variety of specialty dining options. We like NCL's specialty restaurants a lot. The NA will have a steakhouse, an Asian restaurant and an Italian restaurant housed in a converted section of the Lido each night. HAL does not have the equivalent of the Blue Lagoon either. NCL wins on the entertainment front, but as you say, you are self-entertaining, so that won't be so much of a concern for you on HAL. We think service is equally good on both lines, as well as the overall maintenance and condition of the ships.

 

The demographics on a HAL 7 day Caribbean cruise will not be significantly different than NCL, so again, you won't be out of place age-wise, or in any other respect IMO.

 

Give HAL a try! I think you'll like it. :)

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I'm not sure how well an active NCL freestyle cruiser who doesn't like to dress up is going to like HAL, which I'm sure he/she is referring to MDR dress code rather than casually around the ship.

 

At the same time, if itineraries are important to you, why not dip your feet in the water with a unique sailing that goes to places nearly no one else goes to? For instance there's land tours in Alaska, Western Caribbean cruises to Costa Maya and Guatemala, unique routes in Scandinavia, and so on. Mix that with great personalized service, and it might just be a win-win even if HAL isn't as active as you would otherwise prefer.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Stateroom_Sailor

[RuthC]

I'm not sure how well an active NCL freestyle cruiser who doesn't like to dress up is going to like HAL, which I'm sure he/she is referring to MDR dress code rather than casually around the ship.

Agreed. The two cruising styles offered by NCL and HAL couldn't be more different.

[iancal]

We cruise on both cruise lines.

 

We pack the same way for NCL as we would for HAL or Celebrity, etc. We just pass on the MDR on formal evenings and remain in our casual clothes.

We see more and more people doing this on all of the mainstream lines.

[RJ2002]

I'm not sure how well an active NCL freestyle cruiser who doesn't like to dress up is going to like HAL, which I'm sure he/she is referring to MDR dress code rather than casually around the ship.

 

Agreed. The two cruising styles offered by NCL and HAL couldn't be more different.

 

We were on a Canary Islands NCL cruise in 2012 and a Baltic NCL cruise in 2013. Based on my observations on those cruises, attire during the day was the same as on HAL. In the evenings on NCL, most passengers dressed in HAL's smart casual style, except on NCL's "Dress Up or Not" nights, where a fair amount of passengers would be dressed more formally, up to and including some tuxedos and gowns. The rear MDR on NCL has a smart casual dress code every evening. Only the midship MDR on NCL has a more relaxed dress code (i.e., shorts are permitted). All in all, we really just didn't sense that much of a difference in shipboard dress, except for the fewer number of people dressed formally on the "formal optional" nights on NCL vs. HAL's "formal nights".

 

Since the OP has stated he could take a sport coat on the HAL cruise, I think he'd be just fine and within the dress code requirement for the likely two formal nights on a 7 day cruise.

[Laszlo]

Thanks all again for the info. My wife reminded me we have cruise credit with NCL. With that said we are going to do the Sun in February 2015 and will try Holland in the fall of 2015.

 

Thanks for the comments and suggestions

[RJ2002]

Thanks all again for the info. My wife reminded me we have cruise credit with NCL. With that said we are going to do the Sun in February 2015 and will try Holland in the fall of 2015.

 

Thanks for the comments and suggestions

 

Thanks for checking back. Do give HAL a try at some point. I think you would enjoy it.

[Laszlo]

Thanks for checking back. Do give HAL a try at some point. I think you would enjoy it.

 

We will, thanks