We had considered Celebrity (for more upscale), but I'm told Holland America may be more to my liking -- gourmet food, pampered service, not a party boat, but lots of interesting things to do, good cabins (with balconies) -- can anyone who's been on this line comment. Thanks

I guess the best you can say about HAL is it's full of nice people. The cruisers &amp; employees are first class. Most are repeat cruisers that know that small problems are better there than any other line.<BR><BR>The worst would be the &quot;nursing home&quot; set. They could not save themselves in an emergency, but have great stories and are not intrusive if you want quiet time. But the 40's, 50's and 60's are represented, too.<BR><BR>Maybe they are changing their marketing strategy but it will take awhile.<BR><BR>We like HAL for the privacy and quiet (you can party if you wish), but we like the early morning better than the late night.<BR><BR>We'll be going on the Maasdamnthis year for 28 days and could put up with no other line <BR>for that amount of time.<BR><BR>If you don't want the quiet, good life HAL is not for you.<BR><BR>Go to have your own fun and meet some interesting people.

The main thing I like about HAL is consistency. The attitude of the crew is consistently friendly...maybe they're working for tips but who cares. They remember your name, and many times your favorite drink.<BR><BR>The ships [with the exception of the Zuiderdam] are consistently subdued in decor...more museum-like than Las Vegas.<BR><BR>Food does have its ups and downs. Some cruises are wonderful, some are just so-so, but none as bad as on mass-market lines.<BR><BR>Accommodations are comfortable...even the dreaded inside on the bottom deck. Stewards are attentive, although this does vary from cruise to cruise. The difference is superb vs. acceptable. However, they don't make towel animals, which to my way of thinking, is a good thing.<BR><BR>The majority of passengers tend to be older, but depending on itinerary and time of year, you may have many families. My 30-year-old children have liked it. There, of course, is a possibility of running into an ol' grump who thinks they deserve priority due to their age...but not frequently.<BR><BR>Also, the majority of passengers are well traveled, well heeled, and do not appear, even during the day, with T-shirts hollering obscene expressions.<BR><BR>Btw, I do like HAL. Started with them in 1951, and now have 205 days under my belt. Adding another 10 this week-end.

Which of their newer ships has large cabins with verandahs that are affordable.<BR><BR>Also, do they have great shows in the evening. We usually enjoy wonderful food, and nice entertainment.<BR><BR>Do they have casinos?<BR><BR>We are mid-50's -- not the party types, but we like interesting things to do like classes, shopping, etc. -- we're just not the drinking, loud party type.<BR><BR>I don't want to be with mainly people ready for assisted living type situations.

There are many great cruise lines, all different because there are so many different tastes among cruise travelers. Holland America was wonderful - it is true that they remember your favorite drink, how you like your steak prepared. There are fresh tropical flower arrangements at every turn, beautiful art and sculpture throughout the ship, classical music in the evenings. It is more elegant and sophisticated than the other lines - the guests are well-educated and well-traveled. Even though, I was a bit younger than the average HAL guest, (I am in my early 30's , I have a Master's degree, speak 3 languages, and I have traveled all over the world) I thoroughly enjoyed the people on the cruise. Holland America is seeing a lot more younger, well-educated professionals, and families on their ships - HAL has been known in the past for being tailored toward older guests, but I didn't find that at all on my cruise. <BR><BR>As a final note, I blew out my knee on their ship outside of Stockholm and they took wonderful, pampering care of me. I had a member of the guest services staff and a room steward who took care of me and got me, by wheelchair, to the ship medical facility. Another room steward went to get my mother in our cabin. The doctor and medical staff were excellent and caring with a very well-equipped area. When I got back to my stateroom, there were beautiful flowers and a get well card waiting for me. I had room stewards, dining stewards and other crewmembers taking very attentive care of me. <BR><BR>If it sounds like the kind of experience that you had in mind, I encourage you to give Holland America a try. It isn't for everyone, but if the experience sounds appealing, I would encourage you to go and see how you like it.<BR><BR>Best of luck to you -

I sailed on the Maasdam and was MORE than impressed. The crew, food, service and yes, the large balcony cabin (B catagory mini-suite)was perfect for us. We did go to the shows most evenings then usually spent another hour (or more) after that in the casino. We usually topped it off at the piano bar for some fun music and a night cap, then to bed around midnight. We're both 40 and it was perfect for us. There were no more &quot;old&quot; people than other cruises and those that were older seemed healthy and certainly young at heart. Many passengers were well travelled and educated. The average passenger had better manners and social graces than any other cruise we've been on. We still correspond with 2 sisters from Australia that we met. We cruised in Europe, I believe all the itineraries in the Caribbean are more of a partying crowd, regardless of the ship. It was our favorite cruise of the 12 we've taken!! Connie

You said, “I don't want to be with mainly people ready for assisted living type situations.”<BR><BR>I come away with two thoughts after reading your parting comment.<BR><BR>The first is you really want a party ship [irrespective of what you said] populated by youth wearing T-shirts embossed with nasty sayings…. To worry about people ready for assisted living situations is nonsense. I have seen guests on HAL in their 90s with more energy than most 40 year olds. <BR><BR>The second is you are not mature enough to appreciate those with world experiences.<BR><BR>Now, to your questions:<BR><BR>Of course there is a casino. No cruise ship sail without one as the revenue is immense.<BR><BR>Entertainment is not geared toward the Las Vegas crowd.<BR><BR>The Vista class ships [Zuiderdam and Oosterdam, Spirit class on Carnival] have numerous outside veranda accommodations. This class of ship is geared more to the younger group than the traditional HAL passenger. These ships do the Caribbean, which fits with your desire for “interesting things to do like classes, shopping, etc.”<BR><BR>Based upon your follow-up question and concern for affordability, as HAL people tend not to pinch pennies, I think you would be happier elsewhere.

I got to agree with Lew's comments.<BR><BR>It also seems like you have a &quot;mind set&quot; about elderly people. <BR><BR>Forget Hal. <BR>

Sorry to say but it does appear that HAL is entering into the fray with Carnival, Royal Caribbean , etc. trying to get the young families business. It won't be long that you don't have to worry about which cruise line you select, they will all be about the same.<BR>Celebrity used to be an &quot;upscale&quot; line, but have you read the reviews on some of the other boards re/the canal cruises around the holidays? Seems several people were put off the ship at some of the ports. Doesn't sound like the old Celebrity line.

Extremely reasonable prices for all categories on the Maasdam and Zuiderdam.<BR><BR>Prices for Celebrity have dropped well below those of Royal Caribbean and Carnival on quite a few sailings. Strange, but they are getting more like Royal Caribbean lately.<BR><BR>Paul

Lew,<BR>I couldn't help replying to your reply. I'm still laughing about the towel animals. We tried a RCL weeks cruise out of Galvaston last September, just to see....and, well, we saw.<BR>It is certainly worth the money (cheap, cheap), but not what we want most of the time. But, they certainly have the most extravagant towel animals imaginable!!! I suspect they'd win in that category.<BR>Linda

To Lew:<BR><BR>I think you misunderstood my comments. For starters we just finished caring for both of my elderly parents with my mom dying first and my dad just this past July. I love older people and live by many where I am now, but we just didn't want there to be constant reminders to deal with if the crowds was mainly much much older.<BR><BR>We do not want a &quot;party boat&quot; of the type you suggest. But we want enough to do in addition to just sitting around relaxing - I get bored too easily.<BR><BR>And we do not pinch pennies, but we do want a good value for our hard earned dollars. We've eaten at the finest restaurants everywhere, but we don't want to pay a lot for service or products that don't measure up.<BR><BR>So I'm trying to do my homework in advance so that our cruise will be a memorable experience not plagued with unexpected problems, and hope that it will be the first of many.

Hey Lew - I heard the slots were extremely tight on the new NCL Star. Any comments?

Holland America has got a nice niche working. The biggest increase in population in the U.S. is the 85+ age category and many are still in reasonably good health--at least good enough to sit in a lounge chair. <BR><BR>Yes, Holland America slants to the elderly market. But that's okay as long as you know what you're getting into before you book a trip.

Lois--I have told you my experiences on HAL. As the cruise length becomes shorter [except for Alaska] the younger the crowd. There are even some 5 day cruises.<BR><BR>It is your decision of how you want to proceed.

I LOVE Holland America. The friendliest crew and passengers we've experienced in our Caribbean cruises. Maybe it depends on the sailing date and destination but I didn't notice these &quot;old people&quot; you mention that HAL is catering too??? Maybe they're going to Alaska or Panama Canal. We sailed in December (last month) and loved every moment! I turn 40 in February...I hope we're not the &quot;old&quot; people you're referring to! 40 and turning older sure beats the alternative!

Lois,are you wanting to cruise or just sweat over what may be some minor differences in half dozen cruise lines?<BR>

The wonderful thing about HAL is its consistency -- all the interiors of the ships look exactly the same, I guess it's because the elderly like consistency!!! The food is bland -- their idea of italian is egg noodles and chopped tomatoes. We've been on several HAL cruises and the entire ship settles in before midnight -- walking through the halls after midnight you feel like you're on a ghost ship!!!

The new ships of HAL look the same on the outside but the interior decor is sooooo much diferent. Brighter and lighter colors, contemporary designs and artworks that mix traditional with contemporary are a dramatic change.<BR><BR>I am sure the staid HAL Mariner Society members, who make up of over 40% of HAL's passengers might need a little time to adjust.<BR><BR>Paul

I'm really confused. The items posted here appear to describe two different cruise lines instead of the one I've been on. I'm in my 40s. I've taken two cruises on HAL. I found many people older and younger than me on each of the cruises. I did not think that older people dominated the passengers on the ships. In fact, the proportions were not much different than the two Raddison cruises I went on. The food on Hal was equally good and the ambiance and service was even better. To answer Lois' original question, from the way you describe yourself, I am sure you would enjoy a HAL cruise.