Tell me about HAL vs. Royal Caribbean

[emory2001]

I'm a long-time Royal Caribbean cruiser, but I'm starting to venture out and try other brands. We're in the early planning of a northern Europe cruise, and I'm exploring itineraries on several cruise lines. What are the most significant pros and cons, or things you really like, about HAL?

 

To give you some background, we are professionals in our 40's, have 2 pre-teens, and our 18 yr old former exchange student still vacations with us sometimes. My kids have never liked the kids' club on Royal Caribbean and we're not Flowriders, so those kinds of kids' activities aren't important to us. We're not gamblers or big drinkers. My kids are well-behaved and enjoy the pool, food, excursions, and shows, just like we do, so I have no issues with taking them on a cruise line that people may not think of first for families, unless the general consensus is, "No really, they will be totally bored and you'll regret it." I'm mostly interested in room size and comfort, bathroom and shower size, food, pool/slides, excursions, and shows.

[Kreader]

Hi, I have been on 3 RCCL cruises. I enjoyed them,but Holland America Line is still my favorite cruise line. I will be going on my 9th HAL cruise in November. I usually get an inside cabin. I have even had inside cabins with a loveseat and coffee table. Bathrooms are larger than RCCL. Showers definitely larger,and sink area too. Food I think is better than RCCL's. Burgers at Dive-In Grill are great! You get to order the doneness of the burger when you order. Fries there too great! Also if you and your family like hot dogs-they have Nathan's hot dogs there too. Decent pizza at the pizza place. Good food at the lido buffet and the main dining room. Note dinner entrees are small,I just order 2 of them. Oh-free actual ice cream at the buffet in the afternoons. Made to order omelets and waffles at lido breaklfast. Nice afternoon teas. Lots of flowers around the ship. Cloth towels in the public bathrooms. I can't tell you about kid's programs. Generally an older crowd on the ships usually. Usually not a lot of children on the ship. Nightlife,ok production shows,nice piano bar,and a disco. Some ships have music walk-live band lounge,duelling piano players,and classical music. Usually trivia 2 times a day. Generally a classy,low-key cruise. If you have any other questions,let me know,Kendra P.S. HAL has a soda card for $25.00-good for $50.00 of fountain sodas.

[oaktreerb]

We sailed a 20+ day Northern Europe itinerary on the Eurodam a few years ago. The beds are great, the showers and bathrooms would depend on your cabin category but the shower we had on the RCI Liberty (veranda) was smaller than any HAL shower. The pool has a retractible roof, nice for cold weather and rainy days. Pools on the Eurodam don’t have any big slides for kids. Food in the dining room is good and the Eurodam has specialty restaurants (Pinnacle, Tamarind, Canalleto). Lido buffet has servers filling plates which I much prefer to the crowded freewheeling buffet on the Liberty. Dress code in the MDR is smart casual. Excursions offered are well organized but you may prefer to use smaller private vendors. You can find excursion information online without actually booking a cruise.

 

Choose a port intensive itinerary and the kids probably won’t be bored.

[MajMom96]

I’ve cruised both RCI and Holland America, and Holland is still my favorite for all the reasons noted by previous responses to your post. But one of the main differences I found is that RCI has a lot of upcharges on the menu in the MDR. Holland America doesn’t do that. High quality, good variety, incredible food is still served in the MDR as part of your cruise fare. Holland saves the upcharging for the specialty restaurants. HAL ships are also mid-sized, so even on a full ship, it never feels crowded and you don’t have to reserve seats for entertainment. Also since HAL isn’t known for families, your children will have plenty of room in the pools depending on time of year and itinerary.

[AncientWanderer]

Traveling with pre-teens, I honestly don't think HAL is a good fit. The food is some of the best for mainstream cruise lines, but there is an atmosphere of maturity onboard HAL's ships, IMHO.

 

Have you looked at Princess? They are a bit more lively, but not quite as "exuberant" as RCI. We've cruised on all the mainstream cruise lines many times. When our kids were preteens and teens, Princess worked for us.

 

Edit to add I notice you're looking at Northern Europe. We took our kids on Emerald Princess to Northern Europe (Russia) etc., and it was great.

[iancal]

HAL ships and HAL environment is very different. And there are very large differences between ships in the HAL fleet. Age, size, and condition of ship varies in the fleet. As do the amenities-especially the dining venues and hours.

 

Frankly, I would not take pre- teens on a HAL cruise in favour of RCI. We did once when they were pre-teens/ teenagers We only did it once and it was on Westerdam. Would not even consider taking them on a smaller HAL ship. They enjoyed the ship environment far more on their RCI LOS cruise. The Kdam may be different now, I do not know.

[IluvZ]

I disagree that pre-teens are not going to like HAL. We took our then 11 DS on HAL to Alaska on the Amsterdam and he declared it the best kids club he had been in - including Disney, NCL, and MSC. Because there aren’t a ton of kids the conselors were very hand-on with the kids and the clubs were never crowded. In addition, they allowed pre-teens to sign in and out if the parents approved, which Disney also allowed but NCL made him be check in an our until he was 13. The staff was amazing with all the kids and most of the passengers were really sweet as they were reminded of their own grandkids.

 

We think the food and service is better on HAL than RCI and NCL. But choices will be driven by the ship. Ours had only two alternatives- and dive-in closed EARLY. And the buffet times were a lot shorter than we had found on other lines. We often ended up ordering room service for dinner because we eat late. But that was the Amsterdam. This year we are doing the K-Dam and we are looking forward to all the food choices. So look closely at the ship and services.

 

The other quirky issue we had on the Amsterdam is they closed the sports equipment check out for the sports court during breakfast and lunch hours in the buffet. The court was above the buffet and I am guess people didn’t like hearing basketballs bouncing. That was a bummer for an active kid, but a purchased nerf football in port solved the issue because the court was open. Probally only an issue on the small Amsterdam.

 

And if you pick a ship with the covered pool the kids can swim even in the cold weather cruise. The best thing is there won’t be a ton of other people in the water like the sea of human bodies you see in RCI and Disney.

 

Any specific questions, just ask. My son isn’t a ropes course or water slide kid either (mainly because most of the ships water slides are lame so we don’t even bother looking for those anymore). I think HAL could be a nice fit.

[emory2001]

Thank you for all the thoughtful and detailed responses. I think we may lean toward Norwegian for this Europe cruise because they have some big slides for the kids (which my kids do love), but HAL would be a good option for the next one that Husband and I take without the kids.

[JT1962]

We have primarily cruised Royal Caribbean and Carnival and prefer either of them to our one cruise with HAL on the Rotterdam this past January. We chose it primarily for the itinerary and it fit our time schedule.

 

The one plus to HAL was the rooms and shower were larger. The fries at the Dive-in were also good. There was nothing horrible, other than the pizza, but we found the food and service on Royal and Carnival both to be better than what we experienced on HAL. I also did not like the fact that they have people serving you in the buffet. There was never a set direction that people seemed to go in the line and it took much longer than self-serve buffets.

 

The entertainment on our cruise was lacking compared to Royal and Carnival. Shows were so-so at best, no live music poolside, no venue with upbeat music, not many activities during the day, etc. If you prefer entertaining yourself by reading, jigsaw puzzles, etc., which many do, you will be fine. We preferred the option of more activities offered on other lines.

 

 

 

 

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[avian777]

... What are the most significant pros and cons, or things you really like, about HAL?...

 

There are many differences between RCI and HAL but IMHO only one significant difference between them - only HAL has a Roman Catholic priest (who celebrates daily Mass) on board every one of its cruises. Since spiritual renewal is an important component of our vacation experience, HAL is our hands-down choice.

[iancal]

That is great however given the choice between a boring HAL cruise with a priest on board and an RCI cruise more attuned to younger folks and more things to keep them busy I strongly suspect that most pre teens would select the RCI cruise in a New York minute. Mine certainly would have, and did.

[MajMom96]

That is great however given the choice between a boring HAL cruise with a priest on board and an RCI cruise more attuned to younger folks and more things to keep them busy I strongly suspect that most pre teens would select the RCI cruise in a New York minute. Mine certainly would have, and did.

 

 

 

I don’t think HAL cruises are boring! And I certainly don’t need the gimmicks of an RCI Cruise to have a fantastic time! And why would you mock the fact that someone appreciates having a priest on board? If that’s what they appreciate, who are you to judge?

[fishin' musician]

I think NCL could be a good fit. I've done several of the 3 brands you cite. RCL has a big "let's get this party started" vibe, with lots of announcements and family activities. NCL is perhaps a bit more subdued, with less family activies, but the newer ships have killer water slides. I would call the Holland America vibe tranquil, mature, educational, and relaxing.

 

 

FWIW, Princess or Celebrity would fall somewhere between NCL/RCL and HAL.

 

I can find decent food on all lines.

[Spunky946]

We’ve done 4 cruises with our kids and while they were great, it’s time for us to move on.

 

We were on the Eurodam last Christmas and while we had a great time, there was definitely a decrease in activities, especially in the evening. A couple of nights dh and I ended up sitting on our veranda with nothing to do at 8:30 at night.

 

We are trying royal this Christmas on navigator and can’t wait.

 

 

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[IluvZ]

Thank you for all the thoughtful and detailed responses. I think we may lean toward Norwegian for this Europe cruise because they have some big slides for the kids (which my kids do love), but HAL would be a good option for the next one that Husband and I take without the kids.

 

As a previously very loyal NCL cruisers, I would just advise you to pay attention to the changes the line has made under the new leadership. We haven’t been happy with the cuts and that is why even though we have historically liked our NCL cruises, we refuse to sail the line right now. One of the biggest for those with kids is the inability to bring ANY beverages onboard. No water, soda, etc. I have a lot of other issues with their policies now but you might have no concerns there as it is all personal preference.

 

And if you are booking for the slides make sure to read the slide reviews. Two of the ships we did with slides, they were so slow people kept getting stuck on the way down. It was funny to watch but not fun to ride. The Disney water roller coaster was the only one that was amazing, but it was so windy the week we went that the slide was only open twice.

[emory2001]

As a previously very loyal NCL cruisers, I would just advise you to pay attention to the changes the line has made under the new leadership. We haven’t been happy with the cuts and that is why even though we have historically liked our NCL cruises, we refuse to sail the line right now. One of the biggest for those with kids is the inability to bring ANY beverages onboard. No water, soda, etc. I have a lot of other issues with their policies now but you might have no concerns there as it is all personal preference.

 

And if you are booking for the slides make sure to read the slide reviews. Two of the ships we did with slides, they were so slow people kept getting stuck on the way down. It was funny to watch but not fun to ride. The Disney water roller coaster was the only one that was amazing, but it was so windy the week we went that the slide was only open twice.

 

RCI has made a lot of cuts too. I suspect it's industry-wide except maybe at the luxury level. I have wondered about those "roller coaster slides" and what happens if you do get suck at the bottom. :o

[DeepWaterMariner]

I wouldn't plan on spending much time in the pool, slides or not, on a northern European cruise unless you're from a cooler climate.

[Fouremco]

I don’t think HAL cruises are boring! And I certainly don’t need the gimmicks of an RCI Cruise to have a fantastic time! And why would you mock the fact that someone appreciates having a priest on board? If that’s what they appreciate, who are you to judge?

Sorry, but you can't have it both ways. You can't denigrate RCI's offerings as "gimmicks", just because you don't appreciate them, then turn around and criticize someone for being judgemental when they express no interest in having a priest onboard.

[iancal]

My comment was that HAL is boring for pre-teens/teens. At least it was for ours and for several friends that have experienced HAL with their children.

 

What I was saying that to pre teens, and to mine in particular, HAL was and is probably still boring. They much preferred their RCI LOS cruise. Religious services? Mine could care less. They were there for seven days of fun, sun, and meeting new friends.

 

Why? Simple. Far more pre-teens and young teens aboard. Many more interesting (to them) activities, not to mention ability to head to the the Windjammer buffet at 10 or 11 at night for a snack, but more often a meal. And no, they did not want room service.

 

Let's face it. These kids think their parents are fossils. On HAL, they would probably ask about carbon dating for the rest of the cruisers. And that, through the passage of time, now includes DW and me. Despite HAL's confusing marketing messages the reality is that HAL has a very long way to go before it will be accepted as a family vacation destination. Nothing wrong with that. They simply seem to be focused on a different market segment. They cannot be all things to all people.

[IluvZ]

RCI has made a lot of cuts too. I suspect it's industry-wide except maybe at the luxury level. I have wondered about those "roller coaster slides" and what happens if you do get suck at the bottom. :o

 

I agree cuts have happened across the board but it seems NCL has lead the charge in deep changes. HAL charges me approx $40 for a liter of alcohol in my cabin, and NCL charges $110 for the same bottle. Just one example.

 

We watched the cruises get stuck on the slides one year because our room had a view of the pool. It was hilarious watching people try to be graceful at first to unstick themselves and then basically start to try anything to get moving again. It provided a lot of entertainment for us.

[sammiedawg]

The question asked by the OP is very broad. Holland America has ships of varying size and age.

There is no way I would take kids of any age on the old ships of HAL. They are dark, dreary, uninviting , boring. I myself wouldn’t sail on them again, I would rather stay home.

(We love some small ships from other cruise lines that have less tonnage and or fewer passengers).

Kids would be OK on ships from the Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam and newer era but it wouldn’t be my first choice for preteens.

Haven’t sailed NCL and never would.

Royal is the best option for kids. These ships command high per diems for a reason. Second best mass market option for families is Princess.

[madera1]

When our adult children were pre teens we took them on several Royal Caribbean cruises and they enjoyed the kids club activities. We too continue to sail on both lines but now much prefer Holland America ships and service.

 

 

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[aljo66]

Our son is 13 and will take his 3rd cruise in July on HAL. We have been on N.A. and Koningsdam and will cruise again on Koningsdam to Norway. He loves Club HAL, has great fun in the pool and always finds friends. Anyone who has not had children on a cruise with them really does not understand how much is available for children on the newer ships. The crew are also fantastic with the younger passengers. Would our son like water slides -for sure, but that would be a bonus and not a reason to choose a whole cruise. He is so excited for our cruise that we have no problem recommending HAL