Please answer asap - Holland America (Eurodam) okay for people in their 40's?

[mechaiah]

I would like to book an Alaskan cruise on Holland America (Eurodam) in June. My husband is worried that the ship won't be right for us because we are younger than the average passenger (or so I'm told). I am 47 and my husband is 43. He asked if the excursions will be at all geared to more younger people who might be a bit more active. I personally don't think it will be a problem but I promised him I'd post about this to see what everyone thinks. Overall, we are pretty quiet people and don't do a lot of "nightlife" stuff - we just want to relax and see beautiful Alaska so I think overall we would be just fine on this cruise. Does anyone have any opinions about this?

 

Also, has anyone had an aft balcony cabin on the Eurodam? On one hand I think I might get seasick if I'm at the very,very end of the ship but on the other hand the view looks like it would be amazing - and for Alaska it would be even more incredible.

 

Thank you in advance for your help!!

[ExpatBride]

DH and I were 41 last year when we sailed the Baltics on Zuiderdam. We were definitely some of the youngest people onboard, but we loved the onboard experience, which was more elegant and traditional than what we've experienced on NCL and RCCL. We're cruising the fjords on NCL in June only because HAL didn't have the itinerary we wanted. The only thing we didn't like about HAL were the long days in port, we cruise for the ship, not the ports... that's why we like sailing the fjords, beautiful scenery even on port days.

 

We had an aft balcony in the Western Med. and I was seasick the whole time, and the thrusters woke us up every morning when the ship was docking. I was tempted to book an aft balcony for our June cruise, but decided against it. On the getting woken up point, on HAL, we were woken up every morning without fail by the in-room dining crew knocking and announcing themselves up and down the hallway from about 7am.

[Crew News]

Alaska is about the scenery and not being entertained by your fellow passengers. The summer season in Alaska has lots of families and a small number of children. Excursions are available for all ages: zip lining, whale watching, hiking, dog sledding, and just feasting.

 

HAL age averages go up during the longer cruises because younger families cannot take off work for several weeks at a time. When schools are out, the average age drops significantly.

 

I have never been on the Eurodam but have been in aft balcony staterooms on her sister ship, Nieuw Amsterdam. I sail exclusively in aft stateroom because of the view and the the gentle sound of the wake that is perfect for a restful nights sleep Your aft stateroom will allow you to dine on your veranda and enjoy the amazing views without being exposed to all of the wind that others will feel. Your stateroom will be a two-minute elevator ride from both the Lido Market buffet and the Main Dining Room. You made a great stateroom choice.

 

It is my experience that seasickness may hit on your first evening at sea until your body adjusts and then you will be fine. I wear sea bands on my wrists the first evening and some passengers take mescalin tablets that first afternoon before sailing.

 

Make sure that you make reservations for the Tamarind Restaurant to enjoy amazing Asian cuisine.

 

Enjoy your planning and your aft balcony stateroom.

 

Here is a link to my photo review of the Nieuw Amsterdam which should be very similar to the Eurodam:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/ms-nieuw-amsterdam-on-board-images/

[ozcruizer]

I can tell you about an aft cabin on the Eurodam. We had one on a cruise of Northern Europe and loved the cabin and the view of where we'd been. The only downside was that it was on Deck 8 under the Seaview pool and occasionally we heard the scraping of furniture on the deck by the crew late at night. However, we did report it to the Front Office and there were no further problems. If your cabin is lower you should not have any issues. We had no problems with seasickness and going to Alaska it should be quite calm as much of the sailing is close to the coast or in inlets. Have a great cruise.

[GUT2407]

You will be "The Youg'uns" but if you're OK with that (I am) nothing wrong.

[Herfnerd]

 

It is my experience that seasickness may hit on your first evening at sea until your body adjusts and then you will be fine. I wear sea bands on my wrists the first evening and some passengers take mescalin tablets that first afternoon before sailing.

 

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Sorry - had to laugh! Think you mean Meclizine - Mescaline is a hallucinogenic from the peyote cactus but you probably won't notice any sea sickness on that either!!

 

 

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[doone]

I have been sailing HAL since my early 30's and have enjoyed every cruise. Will you be some of the youngest onboard, maybe, but you won't have 700 kids onboard, and like many have said here that HAL has some of the best cruise ambiance, give it a try, go look at some of their tours they offer. I loved HAL in my 30's, 40's and 50's and know I will love them into my 60's!!

[debsjc]

I have also been sailing HAL since my 30's. It really depends on what you want from a cruise. The ships are usually fairly quiet in the evenings, especially after 10pm, but there are still things on if you look for them. There are advantages, you don't tend to get people running up and down & yelling whilst you are trying to sleep! The excursions cover active, and less active options, but you can always arrange your own activities in port anyway.

 

We had an aft corner suite on the Eurodam (we don't usually have suites, but this was a good offer!) You do get a little more movement at the back, but for us the view made it worth it. I would definitely go for an aft balcony f you can.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You won't be the only young ones on an Alaska cruise. We have done quite a few Alaskan cruises and there were quite a few younger people on board as well as many families.

As Crew News listed -- lots of excursions for all ages.

As to an aft cabin -- don't book one if you tend to get sea sick. Select a cabin in the middle of the ship.

[denatravels]

Being 42, I have a slightly different take on this-- if it's going to bother you that you are too young (and you may be) and there wouldn't be too many others your age-- then book a different cruise.

I did NCL in February purely for the ship and some sun. I'm doing HAL this summer for the ports-- I know I will likely be the youngest on board, but I honestly don't care! If I was interested in the ship and the on-board experience, HAL possibly wouldn't be the right fit.

 

 

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[mechaiah]

Thank you all so much for your kindness and information - we're going to do it! I'm now trying to figure out cabin number and will write a new post to ask about that - I hope that's okay in terms of how the boards work. Again, thank you!

[Winters in NZ]

In the 1980's, when we began cruising, I was a 'youngster' approaching my 40th birthday.

 

I had some trepidation about encountering older folks, particularly if I foresaw that there were going to be possibilities of actually ( GASP !! ) being seated next to one, or sharing a table with an old fossil.

 

As I discovered, most of the older crowd possessed a wealth of oral history, and as it turned out, the majority was a lot of fun to be with.

 

So I will be 70 this summer and as time has shown me, a book can sometimes be judged by its cover, but reading the 1st Chapter, rather than flipping through the pages, always gives more insight.

[esimon]

You might find that us older 60 year olds can have fun -- If you want rock walls, flow riders, lots of kids, a mall and and a city feel - HAL will suck. If you want a great vaca with lots of people who want a classy peaceful (but fun) vaca you will be fine. We had an aft room on one cruise and I loved it.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It will work out.

[Linaeve]

You will fully enjoy it. The first time I cruised on HAL I was 23 and I loved every moment of it. I'm now 31 and about to go again. There are plenty of excursions that require a higher activity level, plenty of things on board to enjoy. What I liked is that it wasn't a 'party' boat like Carnival tends to be. Not a ton of kids but I felt like there were still plenty of people in their 20s and 30s on the ship. So you won't be the youngest on the ship and I think you would fully enjoy it! Have a great cruise!

[RuthC]

Whether or not Holland America is right for you, especially in Alaska, depends less on age, and more on what you are looking for in a cruise. In Alaska, the ports and sea days are everything, so people are up early to enjoy to the fullest, and are in bed fairly early so tomorrow they can get up and do it again.

There is evening activity, but there is also less need for it than on some less active itineraries.

If you are at all concerned about an aft cabin, then book something more mid-ship. You won't be sorry. You should not restrict yourself to a balcony in Alaska, and should plan to spend more time outdoors, and moving around the ship to get more expansive views.

Have a great time in The Great Land.

[OlsSalt]

The Eurodam is large enough of a ship that you will be able to choose what you want to do, or not do. The ports are accessible enough that again you can choose what you want to do, or not want to do on your own. This is seven days? And you like a quieter ship for a week traveling to a scenic area. I think you will do just fine.

 

If you said you wanted to pick up chicks at the bars or do rock climbing while at sea, or watch Ice Capades on deck then I would tell you to look elsewhere. Please do come back however and tell us how you found the experience if you do chose the Eurodam. This is a very nice ship.

 

One caveat however - be sure the Eurodam is not getting used for a large group or "theme" cruise for the week you choose. Then it could be a very different experience. There is another ongoing thread that identifies which ships have large groups and some tips how learn this up front before you book.

[mechaiah]

I want to thank everyone again for this very helpful advice! And I hope I didn't sound "ageist" - I love hanging out with folks who have had a long lifetime of adventures and are continuing to do so!! :)

[COMBOY]

In general Alaskan cruise tend to attracted older retired people because it cooler, scenic and can be more expensive due to the short cruising period from May thru Sep. HAL also tends to get an older crowd due to the onboard atmosphere and entertainment. That being said...there will be some younger folks (like yourselves), families, singles and groups. You just need to understanding you will probably be the youngest on board. Alaska is very port intensives with maybe only one or two full sea days so you will be off the ship a lot on tours or sightseeing. Alaskan cruises tend to pretty much early to rise; early to day with nightlife pretty quiet after 10PM; but you should find a bar or lounge open with music and of course there will be full production shows and activities through out the day. You go to Alaska for the scenery, (which is simply spectacular), unique ports and wildlife and not necessary for the on board experience. When I did my Alaskan cruise the weather varied from cold, rain and windy to mild and sunny. Clearly it wasn't a fun and sun drinking pina coladas around the pool type of cruise. I enjoyed my Alaskan cruise, but I'm not sure I'd do it again since I prefer a warm weather cruise.

[Charlie1422]

I took my first HAL cruise when I was in my early 40's. I,like your husband, was concerned about what the ages of my fellow passengers would be. As a Vietnam era Marine I had the great Honor and good fortune to be seated at a table in the MDR with a WWII Marine. Every dinner on our 10 day cruise became an experience I will never forget. We became friends for the rest of his life. I say all this to say age is just a number. Enjoy, have a wonderful cruise.

 

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[Tampa Girl]

In general Alaskan cruise tend to attracted older retired people because it cooler, scenic and can be more expensive due to the short cruising period from May thru Sep. HAL also tends to get an older crowd due to the onboard atmosphere and entertainment. That being said...there will be some younger folks (like yourselves), families, singles and groups. You just need to understanding you will probably be the youngest on board. Alaska is very port intensives with maybe only one or two full sea days so you will be off the ship a lot on tours or sightseeing. Alaskan cruises tend to pretty much early to rise; early to day with nightlife pretty quiet after 10PM; but you should find a bar or lounge open with music and of course there will be full production shows and activities through out the day. You go to Alaska for the scenery, (which is simply spectacular), unique ports and wildlife and not necessary for the on board experience. When I did my Alaskan cruise the weather varied from cold, rain and windy to mild and sunny. Clearly it wasn't a fun and sun drinking pina coladas around the pool type of cruise. I enjoyed my Alaskan cruise, but I'm not sure I'd do it again since I prefer a warm weather cruise.

 

Never having been to Alaska (and not particularly interested in going since my dream is Antarctica), I do question your theory that Alaska attracts the "older, retired" crowd more so than other cruises. Alaska cruises may be more expensive, but they are also shorter, and it seems to me that the retired crowd (of which I am one), prefer the longer cruises because they now have the time and money. Also, aren't the Alaska excursions more physically challenging than, say the Caribbean cruises? Again, questions from someone who knows nothing about Alaska.

[vicd1969]

Being in my 40s and having sailed both on the Eurodam and to Alaska (although on a different HAL ship), you'll be fine. Glad to see you have decided to book the cruise. I really liked the Eurodam, and as others previously have said, Alaska is a port-intensive cruise and if you just want to relax when you're back on the ship between ports, HAL is an excellent choice. The 7-day Alaska Round-Trip cruises do have more under-50 passengers. While still in the minority, you're not going to look or feel out of place. I do highly recommend that you do a bit of legwork to research excursions that are more active in nature if you want to avoid sitting through most of the tour.

[OlsSalt]

Port tips to be more active: Be sure to hike out to the old cemetery at the far end of Skagway and up to the waterfall, after learning about the Yukon Gold Rush. You will get a kick out of seeing the headstones one you learn about the characters. And taking the White Pass RR trip.

 

Another active cruise tip: prepare to run back and forth and back and forth from each side of the ship, when visiting Glacier Bay. Awesome.

[Straitlover]

OP, these are the groups listed in CJcruzer's thread on the Eurodam for June 2017:

 

Eurodam : 27 May 2017 - 03 June 2017 : Alaska : Chumley's Bear cruises group

Eurodam : 17 June 2017 - 24 June 2017 : Alaska : NW Anesthesia seminar group

Eurodam : 24 June 2017 - 01 July 2017 : Alaska : Heritage Singers, Inspiration cruises group

[styles27]

I was 44 and my DH was 46 when we went on our first and only HAL cruise on Veendam to Bermuda.

 

Yes, we were amongst the youngest on board but it didn't hamper our cruise at all. We loved it.

 

We have been on RCCL, NCL, Princess, Carnival and the old Majesty cruise line and we enjoyed all of them for different reasons.

 

It's hard to not have a good time when you wake up on a cruise ship! We enjoy relaxing while at sea and doing some great hikes, kayaking, snorkeling etc. while in port.

 

The nightlife did end earlier on our HAL cruise compared to the others (except Princess, that was about the same as HAL).

 

I'll be sailing on the second ever Eurodam to Alaska cruise 2 weeks from Saturday so I will be sure to report back to you about our experience. We are now 50 and 52 (with a lot more aches and pains HA!) ;)