11 nt Zuiderdam v. 7 nt. Anthem over NYE with young adult children

[KKB]

OK, children are 23, 20 & 18--they have cruised DCL, RCCL, Princess, Celebrity & NCL.

We all LOVE cruising. We truly aren't picky travelers--we have loved all our cruises, somethings are better than others on various lines/ships but overall we find ships to be more alike than different.

Our kids enjoy meeting similar aged friends but they enjoy hanging with us & with each other.

When on the ship we like some sun time, trivia, game shows, gambling, comedians, dancing.

 

Anthem is out of New Jersey 12/29 for 8 nights to Orlando (??), Bahamas & private island. (OOPS--sorry I put 7 nights in title!)

Pros: confident RCCL will be good fit; flights/dates a little more comfortable with break, larger newer ship

Cons: flying in/out of NJ in Dec; cruising out of NJ in Dec. (assuming all 4 sea days are cold); Orlando as a port seems odd

DH & I get balcony; kids get interior. (rooms are not deal breakers for us--rarely in a room. And balcony might be waste on this trip, but it's only $200 total more than interior for DH & I)

 

Zuiderdam is out of FLL 12/26 for 11 nights to 7 Southern Caribbean islands.

Pros: 11 nights (pro if we like the ship/line!) & it is the Southern Caribbean (5/7 new stops for us)

Cons: smaller older ship; our return flight is LATE Sunday...and DH & I are supposed to work Monday and DS18 has class (we are teachers)

Unknown: will we like Holland? Is 11 days OK with young adults--thinking over New Years it is OK.

We all get OV.

 

Zuiderdam is only $1250 more than the Anthem--which speaks to value (big fan of value).

 

(was looking at a B2B on Holland for 2 weeks but the flights JUMPED while I was researching so that is off the table as it was a chunk more than either of these already)

 

My online TA starts a huge sale tomorrow; probably more perks than anything, we shall see.

 

Thoughts anyone??!!

[OlsSalt]

I'd pick the Zuiderdam - less impact on the ports you will be visiting if seeing new places matters more or at least as much as being onboard the ship itself. Zuiderdam and Holland America is a great value travel choice.

[POA1]

I'd choose the Southern Caribbean itinerary in a heartbeat. In fact, we did and we're on the Zuiderdam the cruise before yours.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Here is another vote for the Zuiderdam and the southern Caribbean.

Have sailed on the Zuiderdam quite a few times.

You will like the new ports.

[dee2673]

The only concern I have is that you listed a newer, larger ship as a pro. HAL is different from RCCL in that it is not a non stop action packed line. Passengers are generally a little older( like me,[emoji16]) and the ships do not have water slides or mini golf an stuff like that. It’s kind of quiet which suits many. I love to read and attend some of the lectures and we like the food. With that said , I vote for the Zuiderdam. It’s for relaxation, right? Just wanted you to be aware. Have a great time whichever you choose.

 

 

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[schusterj]

The ships are so different but the zuiderdam itinerary is so much better. I love RCI and Holland America both but this is December. Unless you need slides and a wild New Years Eve party then go do the Zuiderdam. The ports are better, it will be warm the whole time and during holidays there will be many more families and young people. Also for an extra fee is the wonderful hydro pool and heated ceramic loungers. Let us know what you choose.

 

 

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[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I'd pick the Zuiderdam - less impact on the ports you will be visiting if seeing new places matters more or at least as much as being onboard the ship itself. Zuiderdam and Holland America is a great value travel choice.

I agree the kids will be happier

 

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[cruisemom42]

This doesn't involve HAL but I wanted to share a similar experience.

 

A few years ago my young adult son (then 22) and I went on a Celebrity NYE cruise in the Caribbean. The itinerary was only so-so but I've done the Caribbean many, many times. We absolutely LOVED it. Celebrity went the extra mile for the holiday sailing, and while it's far from a child-friendly line, there were a lot of things that appealed to us, including late-night comedy shows in a special venue, good variety shows, and an excellent NYE party. We also found the food and service to be very good.

 

Two years later, we opted for a longer itinerary on the Regal Princess for NYE. I thought it would be a shoe-in since Princess was a go-to favorite for my son since childhood, and I really liked the Southern Caribbean10-day itinerary. WRONG. The ship suffered badly in comparison with the Silhouette: the MDR was nowhere near as good in terms of either food or service. We liked the buffet area less. Evening shows were short and repetitive. (Because space in Princess' main show room always seems to be too limited, my son commented that we had to get there and wait for longer than the show itself actually lasted.)

 

The NYE party was also a disappointment. The itinerary was very nice, but we left the cruise feeling that we wouldn't likely sail Princess again for that kind of cruise.

 

Of course, your choices are different and your family may well be different too. Just wanted to point out how the choice of a ship can really impact the vacation.

[epixx]

Just wanted to point out how the choice of a ship can really impact the vacation.

 

I agree with above.

 

As I responded to the OP's other question, we've sailed HAL 5 times with our "kids" who are now 24 and 20, but never in the Caribbean. We selected HAL for the 5 cruises almost entirely on the basis of itinerary, and we understood that the entertainment would be lacking (which it was). For those other locations (Alaska, Europe, Canada/New England) the itinerary trumped all other considerations. I doubt that I would sail HAL with young people in the Caribbean, as the itinerary makes little difference to us there. I would go with Royal Caribbean for this one and spend most of the time on the ship.

[dznymom]

If itinerary matters at all to you, absolutely go with the Zuiderdam. I have cruised out of NY in winter, and it was snowing and cold, and honestly on the last 2 sail days it felt like the cruise was already over . And the Orlando/Bahamas itinerary is just not terribly interesting, whereas the Zuiderdam itinerary is fabulous! Even HAL's private island blows away RCCL's.

 

We cruised the Zuiderdam and liked it very much, although we are far from young adults! It is a quieter ship in general than the others you have sailed, but I would expect a younger more vibrant group of passengers on a New Year's sailing.

 

Whichever you choose, being with your family for the holiday will surely make wonderful memories!

[sprockie]

Most definitely the Zuiderdam choice.

The first few days and last few days will be cold on the Anthem and you never reach a very southern point to escape the cold weather and you'll have to turn back. I think the only reasonable cruise out of NY or NJ in winter is a longer itinerary when you can justify the 3-4 days of cold weather in order to spend 7 days in the heat of the Caribbean.

Orlando - yes, peculiar. It will require a car or bus excursion to get you to Orlando and then what - a 6 hour day at Disney or Universal - worthless. And, besides, a day at any of the parks during Xmas/New Years - horrendous crowds!

You'll enjoy HAL.Your adult kids will get in the groove of relaxation and all will be fine. Those ports are fantastic. What a great family experience. Half Moon Cay is unbelievable. If the ship left me there for a week I'd be happy.

It doesn't matter about the "older" ship. We always travel with out kids and have been on most HAL ships and have found that we never notice any difference between older vs. new - at least anything that matters to us. Newer HAL ships might be a bit glitzier, but they're all lovely and everything is very well kept and service and food is exceptional on all of them. You won't be disappointed.

[sprockie]

I agree with above.

 

As I responded to the OP's other question, we've sailed HAL 5 times with our "kids" who are now 24 and 20, but never in the Caribbean. We selected HAL for the 5 cruises almost entirely on the basis of itinerary, and we understood that the entertainment would be lacking (which it was). For those other locations (Alaska, Europe, Canada/New England) the itinerary trumped all other considerations. I doubt that I would sail HAL with young people in the Caribbean, as the itinerary makes little difference to us there. I would go with Royal Caribbean for this one and spend most of the time on the ship.

 

Ew, disagree wholeheartedly on this. A vacation where you spend most of the time on ship is not something I'd look forward to for a special holiday family trip. We've cruised every year with our kids who are now 12 and 16, almost always on HAL and Celebrity and all in the Caribbean and a Canada and New England. We've loved them all and have some wonderful trip memories.