Is Holland America a good fit for us?

[Florida_gal_50]

13 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

?????

 

I did say in my post (which you quoted) that HAL, more than most lines, varies by ship. 

 

Also, the OP is looking at the Zuiderdam, not one of the newer ships.

 

You said there is nothing to do but pack it in and go to bed.  I find that very, very hard to believe whether on the zuiderdam or the pinnacle ships.  Sorry that confused you.  Also I never said I had an all consuming job.  I’m out of the house every day for 11 hours.  Once I get to work it’s head down, no sitting or replying on cruise critic except for lunch time.  I don’t take any breaks other than lunch because I’m super busy.

[canadarocks]

You know how you ignore someone, and then every once in a while you figure what the heck and you go ahead and read one of their posts?

 

Ya.... don't do that. 😆 

[askworldtraveler]

On 8/18/2022 at 8:56 AM, Reds4life said:

Disney is about 4X more expensive for this particular window. Can't do that one lol. 

We took 3 of our grand children (no parents) on a 7 day Disney cruise - family suite  - club access - and thought for those 7 days we would never see them except meals.  They only wanted to be with us! Always, everything,  The stops did little other then the private island - basically the ship could have left port - gone 20 miles out to sea, did big circles -and they would have been just as happy.  If you have had a sip of the Disney coolaid - it's fantastic they know exactly who their customer is.  We enjoy our disney experiences - at the California Parks - this is a cruise brand you have to 'get' and know what to expect imo.  and yes.... expensive,  We are next on the 5 day HAL Zuiderdam - can't wait for the schedule - relax, relax, bingo maybe followed by relax, sun goes down - ....   No go cart track.  

[Florida_gal_50]

12 minutes ago, canadarocks said:

You know how you ignore someone, and then every once in a while you figure what the heck and you go ahead and read one of their posts?

 

Ya.... don't do that. 😆 

Is that ever true.  You’d hate to miss that riveting can I get orange juice or milkshakes on a beverage package.  That some really good reading. 

[KroozNut]

3 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I haven’t heard great things about the food on the zuiderdam.  It’s too bad that it hasn’t gotten better. 

We were on Zuiderdam in April and thought the food in the MDR and all the specialty restaurants was great!

[rj59]

I was on the Zuiderdam on a Baltic cruise and loved it, except when we were trapped by German ecoprotesters. HAL has replaced production shows with 2 dance shows and a nature documentary, so now they emphasize an evening music area, with classical, blues or rock, and piano duo. Their Dive-In burger place is very good, and room service is always free and has a good adult and kids menu. For kids, there's a few ping pong tables. The tvs have 100 or so on-demand movies to choose from. HAL has a dessert station with scoop ice cream and cookies that's very good. Zuiderdam is small and easy to get around on, so there can be less stress than a big family-oriented ship, so I never worried about my nieces on a HAL cruise since there are mainly just 3 public decks, plus a crow's nest and sports court on the upper deck.

[Florida_gal_50]

7 hours ago, KroozNut said:

We were on Zuiderdam in April and thought the food in the MDR and all the specialty restaurants was great!

Yes I wouldn’t expect you to say anything else. A few people I know and trust cited multiple situations of the food that was not good.  Clearly they saved the good food for you. 

[KroozNut]

3 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

 Clearly they saved the good food for you. 

 

Yes, and please thank them for us, because we thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Reds4life]

Just want to say thanks to everyone who provided information. I honestly have to say I have my reservations about HAL. I am ok with something different, but it seems like they don't really put much effort into basic things like entertaining their guests. We like to feel like we are getting something special for our money when we travel. We enjoy just the basics of relaxing in a lounger and enjoying the sun, but also like to know that there are some other activities to do. Seems like HAL comes across as lazy or just not caring to try in this area. Some of you mentioned that my 82 year old mother would enjoy this ship. May I ask why you feel that way? 

[Mary229]

44 minutes ago, Reds4life said:

Seems like HAL comes across as lazy or just not caring to try in this area.

Because they don’t offer the entertainment package you seek doesn’t mean they are lazy.  You won’t find a better crew or better service on a mass market cruise. 
 

it is a different style of cruising.  

[vicd1969]

1 hour ago, Reds4life said:

Just want to say thanks to everyone who provided information. I honestly have to say I have my reservations about HAL. I am ok with something different, but it seems like they don't really put much effort into basic things like entertaining their guests. We like to feel like we are getting something special for our money when we travel. We enjoy just the basics of relaxing in a lounger and enjoying the sun, but also like to know that there are some other activities to do. Seems like HAL comes across as lazy or just not caring to try in this area. Some of you mentioned that my 82 year old mother would enjoy this ship. May I ask why you feel that way? 

While I'm a fan of HAL, I wouldn't want to go on the Zuiderdam 5-day either. HAL doesn't really focus on short Caribbean cruises, the one you are asking about is basically so that HAL can have all its ships sail during the highest peak fare pricing day of the year (New Year's). There are probably better New Year cruises if you wish to have more shipboard activities packed for 5 days. Key thing to note - the Zuiderdam is going on a 128-day world cruise right afterwards, so I imagine it will be a challenge for crew and ship operations to be intense and focused during the 5 days preceding.

[*Miss G*]

58 minutes ago, Reds4life said:

Some of you mentioned that my 82 year old mother would enjoy this ship. May I ask why you feel that way? 

 

There are a few members who like to come on the HAL board to post derogatory comments, thinking they are hilarious.  The only useful information they provide is about themselves.  

 

Look for LIVE threads with a similar itinerary and timeframe.  Short cruises (especially during the holidays) are very different from HAL’s longer port-intensive itineraries.  HAL is a high-quality line with a happy and hard-working crew.  As mentioned, you won’t get broadway production shows but you will always get value for money.

[ontheweb]

38 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Because they don’t offer the entertainment package you seek doesn’t mean they are lazy.  You won’t find a better crew or better service on a mass market cruise. 
 

it is a different style of cruising.  

We've been on 5 different cruise lines, and I will say that the stewards have always been wonderful, but those on HAL have been the best.

[*Miss G*]

@Crew News has a good site to see an example of the When & Where’s for a similar itinerary but a different class ship.  It will give you an idea of what to expect with regard to entertainment:

 

CARIBBEAN DAILY ACTIVITIES

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, Reds4life said:

We like to feel like we are getting something special for our money when we travel. We enjoy just the basics of relaxing in a lounger and enjoying the sun, but also like to know that there are some other activities to do. Seems like HAL comes across as lazy or just not caring to try in this area.

 

I read many of the responses you've gotten as various ways of saying that HAL has a different model -- and perhaps a different target demographic -- than the other lines you've sailed with. They have great itineraries, good service (though I've not found it superior to other lines), and smaller ships. 

 

In terms of their budget, HAL doesn't put a large percentage toward onboard entertainment activities. Many HAL posters say they'd rather read a book, walk the promenade deck or watch the ocean go by than watch game-show take-offs or pool contests.  

 

In recent years HAL went in a new direction with their music venues onboard ship. On the ships where they are fully realized (the newer ones), they do provide some entertainment options. But they may not hit the sweet spot for kids or teens as the music is not generally anything from the 21st century....  

 

As already stated, enrichment really only occurs on longer cruises. Evening entertainment other than the music venues seems to be very hit-or-miss. Perhaps they generally plan to do more over the holidays.

 

In short, HAL isn't "lazy", they are a line for folks who prefer a more quiet, laid-back experience and are willing to entertain themselves to an extent during the day (and possibly even at night).

 

Personally I like a bit more of an evening buzz than I've experienced on HAL, but for some of their good itineraries, it's not a deal-breaker for me; I can put up with it.  Not sure that a short cruise on HAL with your particular family grouping would be my choice, however.

[vswan]

A bit of a different prospective. Although many years ago when we took out kids on their first cruise - on HAL - it was great for the kids. They did attend the kids club the first day or so to meet others their age, but with so few kids on board they had an easy time meeting kids from all over the world and were exposed to a lot of different cultures. I'm not sure that is still the case. But if you want a smaller group of kids to meet this is a good cruise line. They had fun activities for them also.

 

Been on 3 HAL cruises this year. They had 4 dance shows with music on a 7 day. They also had the male/female piano duo and BB Kings has some really great jazz music. If you like classical they have that too.

 

We are not joiners. We like to spend our time together on vacation. The movies in the cabin are fine when we don't want to go out or wind down after a full day.

 

My 2 cents. If you have a lot of port stops you won't have many days on ship to participate in activities anyway. Food is generally better than some and the atmosphere is laid back. I wouldn't discount HAL as a choice if the price is good and the itinerary is somewhere you would like to go.

[willoL]

Just stepped off Nieuw Statendam with my family (2 teens; one college, one in high school) today. My kids really like HAL and have since they were in grade school, but we are a group of people that easily entertains itself. I felt like the ship had more options than I needed to have a good time, but I know I'm low maintenance in this regard.

 

Have you shown the options to your own kids and asked if they have thoughts about which features matter to them?

 

We spent a lot of time in our family Cabana in the Retreat area. Getting food delivered from anywhere on the ship was a perk of that extra charge option that my teens really liked. My husband liked that the hot tub in that area was less crowded than the pool deck ones.

 

My youngest spent some time in the music venues with me, but Zuiderdam has fewer of those than the Nieuw Statendam does. Using the beverage package to get mocktails in every bar might be his favorite aspect of cruising. 😄

[Reds4life]

We are still considering Zuiderdam. Again, my kids absolutely do NOT want to meet other kids or attend a glorified babysitting kids club. They HATE the kids clubs. That is not what they are looking for at all. I think they are going to be fine with the daily activities as we tend to do things together and enjoy the outside. I was happy to see some of the itineraries have the cooking shows available and comedians. That is a very good thing for us to attend. I think our problem is that we want to see some evening entertainment that we can do together. Again, NOT kids clubs or sitting around drinking listening to classical music. We don't drink nor listen to classical music. Just an evening show of some type in the main theater should be a minimum. 

 

We very much always communicate extensively with our kids. We are educators and very much understand child development. They are very independent and do not like going on vacation to meet other kids. We go to enjoy our time together doing something different. The "different" is what I am looking for from Holland

Edited September 1, 2022 by Reds4life

[KroozNut]

2 hours ago, Reds4life said:

We are still considering Zuiderdam. Again, my kids absolutely do NOT want to meet other kids or attend a glorified babysitting kids club. They HATE the kids clubs. That is not what they are looking for at all. I think they are going to be fine with the daily activities as we tend to do things together and enjoy the outside. I was happy to see some of the itineraries have the cooking shows available and comedians. That is a very good thing for us to attend. I think our problem is that we want to see some evening entertainment that we can do together. Again, NOT kids clubs or sitting around drinking listening to classical music. We don't drink nor listen to classical music. Just an evening show of some type in the main theater should be a minimum. 

 

We very much always communicate extensively with our kids. We are educators and very much understand child development. They are very independent and do not like going on vacation to meet other kids. We go to enjoy our time together doing something different. The "different" is what I am looking for from Holland

 

Make no mistake, HAL will definitely be 'different' than the other mainstream cruise lines. But probably NOT in the way that you and your family are looking for.

[*Miss G*]

Will have to disagree with the previous poster.  My kids sound like your kids, @Reds4life.  Their first ship was also the Zuiderdam and they loved it.  This was a number of years ago but our focus was more on family and port time than them finding friends or being entertained by amusement park features.  They only way you’re going to know if it’s a good fit is to try it.  As everyone knows, reality is all perspective.

[PACD_JG]

3 hours ago, Reds4life said:

We are still considering Zuiderdam. Again, my kids absolutely do NOT want to meet other kids or attend a glorified babysitting kids club. They HATE the kids clubs. That is not what they are looking for at all. I think they are going to be fine with the daily activities as we tend to do things together and enjoy the outside. I was happy to see some of the itineraries have the cooking shows available and comedians. That is a very good thing for us to attend. I think our problem is that we want to see some evening entertainment that we can do together. Again, NOT kids clubs or sitting around drinking listening to classical music. We don't drink nor listen to classical music. Just an evening show of some type in the main theater should be a minimum. 

 

We very much always communicate extensively with our kids. We are educators and very much understand child development. They are very independent and do not like going on vacation to meet other kids. We go to enjoy our time together doing something different. The "different" is what I am looking for from Holland

Crazy...but if you want to go on this cruise, then go.  And perhaps in the future, don't solicit opinions if you don't want to hear it (proof that you only came here seeking confirmation, not advice).  But as an "educator," you already knew that...

[Reds4life]

On 9/1/2022 at 3:46 PM, PACD_JG said:

Crazy...but if you want to go on this cruise, then go.  And perhaps in the future, don't solicit opinions if you don't want to hear it (proof that you only came here seeking confirmation, not advice).  But as an "educator," you already knew that...

As an educator, I encourage students to listen to others questions and try and formulate an answer to the question given and try and contribute to any discussion. Many on here did not read the details about our family and our preferences and ignored our questions. They gave opinions on non-relevant topics which were not applicable to any of the items I asked advice on. I have no idea why you would get on this thread and spout off about "seeking confirmation, not advice" when you don't know our family. The advice we are seeking is specific and the advice which is irrelevant is not useful. Also as an educator, I stress that if you don't have anything important to say other than attack others then you keep quiet. Try it. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Reds4life

[Mary229]

Forum alerts can evoke a Pavlovian response. Go to your settings and manage followed content.  Remove the alert for this thread then you won’t have to be aggravated. If I find a thread testy I quit visiting that thread.  
 

now I am off to turn this one off

[Roz]

@Reds4life, if you're going to post in an online forum and ask for advice, you're going to get opinions all over the map.  Take what's relevant and ignore the rest.  I think you're taking some of the posts too personally.

[Reds4life]

1 minute ago, Roz said:

@Reds4life, if you're going to post in an online forum and ask for advice, you're going to get opinions all over the map.  Take what's relevant and ignore the rest.  I think you're taking some of the posts too personally.

You are correct. Sorry. I agree with you. Thanks to those that have offered very meaningful content, suggestions, and descriptions of the onboard experience.