Holland America or NCL?
 

Hello,
I am considering taking a cruise to Spain from Barcelona in the Fall.
How does Holland America compare to NCL:?
Typical demographic of passengers?
Balcony cabins?
Food quality in no charge included dining ?
Food quality in extra charge Specialty restaurants?
Production and music shows?
Shipboard activities?
Thank you.

Do you mean to the Mediterranean from Barcelona as it’s in Spain of course.

I’ve never taken HAL though in general they are considered more conservative and appeal to an older clientele. Service and food are well reviewed.

NCL has promotions which include gratuities, free WiFi, (we just had 300 minutes each recently) discount’s on excursions and up to three speciality restaurants included plus discounts on air fare.

So much depends on the ship too. We were recently on the NCL Viva, which is one of their newer ships. We had a great time, the food in the main dining room was fine and the service was outstanding. The food that we had in specialty restaurants was also just fine.

Again, I have not been on Holland America, but I’ve been on three cruises with NCL and I really like them. NCL does not have formal nights if that matters to you.

It would help to know what ships you are considering.

Thanks for your reply.
Wife and I are in our mid/70’s. Retired. We do not drink alcohol but enjoy fine dining. Looking to round trip from Barcelona , Spain or Barcelona to Lisbon, Portugal. Fly back to Los Angeles, California. Prefer a quiet cruise with minimal children aboard. Looking early spring or fall 2926. No preference of ship.

Do you actually mean a cruise for 2926 or 2026?

Assuming 2026 - check out Oceania Cruise Lines, They have several different Mediterranian sailings that begin in Barcelona and end in Lisbon on their schedule for 2026. They have medium size ships (between 670 and 1250 passengers) and generally cater to couples in the 55+ age group. You'll find plenty of people in their 70's and very few, if any children. Oceania has a some of the best fine dining in the industry. In addition to their regular dining venues each ship has several different specialty restaurant options for dinner and even in-room dining at no additional cost. They offer a variety of staterooms from small interior cabins all the way up to multi-bedroom master suites. Most exterior staterooms and suites have private balconies. There are different shows every night and entertainment nightly in several of the many lounges throughout the ship. There are also plenty of on board activities throughout the day such as lectures, cooking and art classes, games, trivia contests, etc. In short, Oceania has everything on your wish list.

Oceania is a good option for what you want. Another line to consider is Azamara.

I think you would have few kids if you avoid summer months. Consider cruising when school are in session.

Your user name is “new2cruising” I don’t know if you have cruise before or how many you have taken. That being said the ship does make a difference. I’m not sure if you’re interested in that or not but believe me newer ships are pretty amazing.

That being said if that still doesn’t matter to you, then I would look into Holland America or Oceania or Azamara.

Good luck and enjoy!

Larry

As soon as I read what you are looking for I thought of Oceania Cruise Line.
They have smaller ships and fantastic food. They cater to an older crowd so there are seldom any children on board. Top notch service.

Oceania it will be👍
 

Thanks to all who replied.
Yes, cruise in Spring or Fall 2026 (my fat fingers made a typo 2926 😄). Yes, we are looking to go on our very first cruise. Yes, we will look at Oceania as it might suit us well.
And Oceania seems to be what we are looking for in a cruise. Will look at a standard balcony stateroom category. We are light sleepers., any recommendation best location for us? Aft, midship, forward?
Thanks again!

good choice I think.

The general rule in terms of less motion sensation is to have a cabin in the middle of the ship. As you want a balcony, then try to get a balcony in the middle of the ship. You would like to see the deck plan to be sure that there are passenger cabins above and below you. I mean, you don’t want a nightclub above you or somewhere where there’s machinery above you or below you that can disturb your sleep.

Bon Voyage!

We love Oceania.
As jacketwatch said, look at the deck plan for whatever ship you choose and make sure you are not below the theater, night club, restaurant, pool, etc.
I am a very light sleeper and never heard any noise in our cabin on Oceania.

I would also strongly urge you to get travel insurance. If you need help with this, I’d be glad to help you with it, but it’s a must in my opinion.