HAL as an alternative to Carnival?

[mapsmith]

Tried to get the general idea out there. We are one cruise on Carnival away from Platinum but the changes over the past 3 or so years are making us look at alternative lines. I do know that Carnival does include HAL in their family of lines so my Stockholder benefit would be useful.

We found Princess nice but actually kind of boring. The word that seemed to best describe Princess was "sedate". We have been on enough cruises to have heard that HAL is for the "newly wed or nearly dead", reading the HAL boards it seems like this is not quite true anymore.

 

The changes on Carnival that are driving us to look elsewhere are:

 

The Disc Jockey instead live Lido Music.

The removal of live music in the Showroom and Videos to "enhance" the performance.

Food is still good and plentiful, but many things have disappeared and it seems like the MDR has been simplified.

Carnival now allows "tailored Shorts" on Elegant Night. (If it could still even be called "Elegant Night")

 

We are looking for a cruise where on Formal Night, most men still wear at least a tie. Where women know how to wear a dress. We enjoy set meal times. We enjoy variety in the shows. (Give us dancers, singers, Comedians (or clowns) and so on. Give us decent rooms at a normal price. We want to go to ports that are not owned by the Cruise lines and actually give us a chance to interact with the people that live on the islands. (We were in Phillipsburg, St. Maarten with 7 other ships including both Allure and Oasis of the Seas, there were over 19000 cruise passengers in Phillipsburg that day and you only saw the shopkeepers, many of whom are moved to St. Maarten by the shops like Diamonds International.

 

Will we find at least some of the 'traditional' cruise on HAL????

[POA1]

Yes, you will find a more traditional experience. Sadly, there's a severe clown shortage though.

[mapsmith]

Yes, you will find a more traditional experience. Sadly, there's a severe clown shortage though.

 

We have been on a couple of cruises where the Comedian was properly more identified as a Clown. That is not bad. We were on MSC and because of the language, the Comic had to do much more visual stuff than tell jokes. And he was fantastic. A couple of cruises later we ran into him on a Princess cruise.

[Kenito]

I share your preference for what I call the "traditional cruise experience," and I think you will find more of what you are looking for on an HAL cruise.

 

I'm kind of in the same boat, you should pardon the PUN. I've been bouncing back and forth between HAL and Carnival... about to test the waters (again, sorry for the pun) with Princess.

[OVgirl]

If you found Princess 'sedate', then HAL is very similar so you might not enjoy it.

[DFD1]

You will find a good deal of what you're looking for on HAL, but you may very well find it boring as well. The sidewalks sometimes roll up early in the evening on HAL.

 

They certainly are not the "Fun Ships" in the Carnival sense of the phrase.

 

I agree with you about the continued slide in the standards of both the management and the passengers on Carnival. I've seen things there that I thought I'd never see in public.

[0bnxshs]

If you found Princess 'sedate', then HAL is very similar so you might not enjoy it.

 

I agree with this assessment of how HAL would meet your needs; if anything, HAL might be even more 'sedate' than Princess.

 

That said, if you are looking for 'traditional' cruising, HAL might be the line you are looking for. Everyone who's taken more than a couple of cruises can point to cuts in service and amenities. If you carefully choose your cruise you may find the entertainment and elegance you are looking for.

 

Give HAL a try; then, you'll know! :)

[ger_77]

"Tailored Shorts" on Elegant Night, are you serious? Oh my word, next it will be "Clean Tank Tops and Pajama Pants Required".

 

Holland America caters to a different strata of people - those who enjoy a more traditional cruise experience, great service, real lecturers (not just shopping talks), no hairy chest / belly flop / men in lingerie contests, etc. Our family (ranging in ages from 30 - 75) all enjoy the Holland America Lines experience. Try it once, if you don't like it, you will know it's not your cup of tea.

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

[sammiedawg]

Someone mentioned lecturers on HAL. We have not had one in at least three cruises, including two 14 day itineraries in Europe. I think this has been eliminated as cost cutting.

HAL is quite a bit more sedate than Princess.

Caribbean cruises on HAL probably go to the same islands and you will experience port days with many ships in port.

[ger_77]

Someone mentioned lecturers on HAL. We have not had one in at least three cruises, including two 14 day itineraries in Europe. I think this has been eliminated as cost cutting.

 

Well that is disappointing news. The last 14 day cruise we took was 2 yrs ago - a Baltic cruise, and we had a couple of different lecturers onboard. Perhaps it is a cost cutting measure. Sad.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[OCruisers]

If you found Princess 'sedate', then HAL is very similar so you might not enjoy it.

 

Gosh, how true! HAL is waaaaaaaaaaaay more laid back than Princess. :rolleyes:

LuLu

[RuthC]

Someone mentioned lecturers on HAL. We have not had one in at least three cruises, including two 14 day itineraries in Europe. I think this has been eliminated as cost cutting.

I have not found that lecturers have been eliminated---there were several, who gave several lectures each, on my crossing from Sydney to Seattle as recently as April/May.

They are found on cruises with many sea days, which a European cruise is less likely to have.

[KruzPrincess]

It's been a while since I've been on Holland America, but if I recall it's a lot more sedate than Princess. I mostly cruise on princess and I found even Celebrity was more sedate than Princess. I'm going on Holland America soon and I expect it to be more sedate, as well. I think it's a good idea to try a bunch of different cruise lines to find your spot, but Holland America may be a bit slow for you. They do offer a more traditional cruise experience, though.

 

 

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[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

I just returned from a 14 day Alaska cruise on HAL Amsterdam & found myself wishing it was a bit more "Carnival" That said it is elegant, had a lecturer, lots of live music, the shows were varied & good, the food was okay, the CD very visible. I think your requirements would be met, mapsmith & very nicely.

 

Try to get an Explore 4 Deal so you can have drinks (alcoholic, non, water, coffees) worth up to $50 per night for free if that interests you. I didn't really use it but some did.

 

We just had an inside cabin which had a sofa. something we didn't get with a balcony cabin on Princess which I've only cruised once. This was my 3rd time with HAL but 30th cruise overall.

 

You'll also meet some nice people;) Hi ger_77 & RuthC.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[Typhoon1]

The HAL experience is much more subdued without all the glitz and glamour CCL offers. It's a cruising experience without all the hype of a circus.

[Chelly]

HAL is sedate. Some find it boring (I don't)

You will get a more formal experience in the MDR though.

The staff are wonderful!

[Cruise4Sunshine]

Having tried Carnival, Princess, NCL and HAL, I've found my niche with Holland America. I like the subdued interiors, larger staterooms and quiet spots. I travel mainly for the ports, and HAL goes to the less-traveled in many cases. I hope you find your niche.

 

 

 

 

 

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[travel09]

Try Prinsendam, for a Holland America cruise of quality, itinerary's are wonderful, it is a classy ,older ,but well maintained ship, very comfortable, and a great "class" of ship ,being so stable. Holland America is the way cruises should be, sure people may be older, but hopefully wiser...and if it is the itinerary that matters to you, as it is to us, this is the way to go.

If you are looking for shopping malls , climbing walls, and the like, these are not to be seen on H.A.L.

Smaller ships make for ease of travel. The Crows Nest, forsaken on many lines for more cabin space, is something special , enables you to see everything even on inclement days. H.A.L. has never disappointed us.

Prinsendam has adventurous passengers who want to see far flung places. Went to the Polar Ice Cap, this time, far reaches of Spitsbergen , Norway ,many beautiful places ,then Ireland and the Channel Islands, one of the very best cruises ever.

Azamama, Princess, and Holland America, are the cruise lines we have tried,they have all been good, and I think each line offers something slightly different, but from beginning to end the H.A.L. experience is very pleasing, and we cannot wait to go again...

[sammiedawg]

Regarding the previous suggestion to try Prinsendam I would say nooooo way. The Prinsendam was the most underwhelming cruise experience of our lives and we paid a pretty penny to try it out. We enjoy relaxing, we do not have to be on the go all the time but the Prinsendam was boring beyond belief. We've done all classes of HAL ships and this was our only disappointing experience. The OP should try one of the new ships like Eurodam or Niew Amsterdam which we really enjoyed.

[RMLincoln]

HAL has a full day of activities from lectures to deck games. I suggest you look up some of the daily "On Location" examples on the HALfacts.com website that several very dedicated CCers put together.

 

Longer cruises of any line will have an older demographic... we went on Carnival Splendor for 48 days around South America and the passengers were same as would have been on HAL or Princess.

 

The older HAL ships have larger staterooms (e.g., couches in the insides and outsides) than the newer HAL ships, so compare and look into what your preferred category room will have.

 

On Carnival we got tired of what I call "do it yourself" entertainers... passengers doing games shows, dance competitions, talent night, etc. HAL also is reducing live music but in smaller ways that Carnival. Our first Carnival ship had a string quartet... no more on Carnival and now on HAL we'll be lucky to have a classical duo. And HAL has a DJ in the later hours but the dance band in the evenings.

 

I think "traditional" cruising is more sedate in general than Carnival ever was, but I think you will find many nice touches on a HAL ship and a HAL cruise. Order a full breakfast from room service; enjoy a comfortable deck chair, (not those ... excuse me... "butt numbers" that Carnival has on deck and only a handful of them at that); have an elegant dinner in the MDR especially on formal night when they dress up the chairs with white covers; enjoy the presentations by knowledgeable speakers and a good spectrum of entertainers; go to Indonesian Tea; check out the library and maybe a complimentary iPod to hear the 45 minute tour of the ship's art collection; select a complimentary DVD form their list of over a thousand; enjoy the Mariners Embarkation luncheon (you will be a 1 star Mariner based on having cruised with a CCL company) instead of fighting your way through the embarkation buffet; step into your cabin at 11:30, it'll be ready!

 

If you give HAL a try, I hope you can give them a real try with a cruise out of the ordinary 7-nights to the Caribbean but if that's all you can do I think you will still find it enjoyable. m--

[Hlitner]

When I read the OPs post the thing that jumped out was about finding Princess sedate and boring. Based on our experience (which is extensive) if you will usually find that Princess is a wild party ship when compared to HAL. In fact, of all 14 cruise lines we have cruises there has never been another line to even come close to HAL for "sedate." And on HAL they actually do have a "disc jockey" who is about the only person you will find awake after 10pm on many cruises. We will admit that on shorter HAL cruises (less then 14 days) there are sometimes a small group of passengers who do stay awake until nearly midnight...especially if there is a decent piano bar player.

 

Hank

[BSinPNS]

Very similar to HAL, but more active in the evening. Solstice class ships are really great.

[mapsmith]

Thanks all. Still considering HAL.

 

When I said that our Princess Cruise was "Sedate" I was trying to get the impression across that the guest were all acting like if they did something they might get kicked off the ship. The cruise experience was okay, it just seemed like the passengers were not excited about being on a cruise.

 

And HAL makes sense, because I own a Tuxedo (without tailored shorts)

 

Will look at itineraries some more.

[iancal]

If you desire a more sedate cruise experience then HAL will exceed your expectations in this area.

 

But don't assume that the only way to get a refined cruise experience, meet interesting fellow cruisers, or experience a better level of entertainment and service is by selecting the more sedate cruise line. It is just not so.

 

There are some great cruise lines out there...why limit yourself to HAL or to Princess. And within those cruise lines there are differences between ships-most especially on HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

OP

I would suggest that you try one of the Vista class (Westerdam, Oosterdam, Zuiderdam, Noordam) or Signature class (Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam) ships. Newer -- bigger.

We especially like the Signature class ships as they also have the Silk Den for cocktails and the Tamarind Restaurant which none of the other HAL ships have.