Cruising for 14 days or longer

[silver.bullet]

We plan to get on a ship next year. Most cruise lines are only for 7 to 10 days but if we am sitting in a plane for 8 plus hours each way, the longer the better. I see where Holland has several but have never cruised with them. Any opinions?

[kathyspear]

HAL is a nice line, higher end (more expensive, generally) than, say, Royal Caribbean. Mostly an older clientele. Like any cruise line, some ships are newer/nicer/larger than others. If you are not on the CruiseCritic [dot] com forum, definitely sign up. Lots of good advise re: cruise lines, specific ships, ports of call, etc. Cruisers create a thread for each sailing so you can chat with others who will be on your ship. Great site.

kathy

[Stu from NYC]

If we have to fly our cruises are typically 14 days or more.

Never been on HA but they have rep of older crowd everyone in bed by 9.

If the opportunity came up we would try them but these days primarily fan of Princess.

[kathyspear]

Do you have a specific location in mind?

k.

[Kidsmith77]

HAL is one of the best. We have cruised on them several times; my parents took their cruise around the world for 120 days upon my father's retirement in 1996 and did the roundtrip Hawaii cruise for 14 days from San Diego CA to the islands 3-4 times per year. We did the HAL Caribbean cruise in 2019 for 14 days out of Ft. Lauderdale. It was two 7 day roundtrips but the only spot we were to hit twice was their private Cay. Loved it. The clientele are older than Carnival. The food is outstanding. Their dining room food is equivalent to the finer dining restaurants on Carnival and Celebrity. The two restaurants we ate at were exceptional: one steak and the other Oriental (served Japanese, Dim Sum, Cantonese and more). Norweigan Cruiselines has a great deal on now with free everything including free airfare for the second person traveling. HAL is offering discounts and free dining, excursions, etc. We miss cruising and can't wait to return.

[Arctic Fox]

We plan to get on a ship next year. Most cruise lines are only for 7 to 10 days but if we am sitting in a plane for 8 plus hours each way, the longer the better. I see where Holland has several but have never cruised with them. Any opinions?

I echo the comments above that HAL is a great line - good food and very friendly, efficient service throughout.

Just be wary of the HAL tours which are overpriced and under deliver.

[Blackbird45]

My wife and I took a cruise out of Spain, but before we boarded we spend a week in Spain. The last stop before the ship returned to the original port was Sicily, we jumped off and spent a week there. If you have the time this might be the way to go, no matter what your destination. That will make the time spent on the flight worth it.

[drgoofy]

We had previously cruised only on Oceania (don't like screaming kids running around). Friends persuaded us to try HAL. We sailed on one of the newer ones, New Statendam, and were very pleasantly surprised. We have since taken another sailing with them. They had blues and rock bands each night in addition to the standard music. Also, they have pickleball courts! I would now rank them: 1) Oceania 2) HAL 3) CelebrityX as we prefer "smaller" ships that are less crowded. We don't like Celebrity always hawking junk goods.

[GRACEALLEMAN]

We used to work on H American cruise line as the florist for many years. I would suggest going on them come on you do know you have to have your vaccine now to get on a cruise line? We liked HAL because you could have a formal night in everyone had to dress up. The only time you ever dress up today is at a funeral or at a wedding.

[safelsen]

People we know have booked back to back cruises...pick up another one at same or nearby port.

[stevecmo]

If you've never been to Alaska, I would highly recommend HAL. Such beautiful scenery and wonderful ports to explore.

You could take a seven day northbound and seven southbound. Or you might want to add a week in between so you can visit Denali. Wonderful trip!

[Bridget Staunton]

Great advice on cruises, thanks

[Footer]

You could consider a Viking Amsterdam to Prague river cruise. That's longer than 14 days and you can spend time in Amsterdam and/or Prague.

[rjn5656]

Did the Viking. Fantastic.

[charlie1]

Holland is one of our favorite lines. We have cruised with them well over 300 days. We combine cruises with Holland on the same ship as they have some ships that travel and are not based in the same port for long periods of time. Usually can go up to 56 days before they start repeating ports. Almost 4 years ago now, we left Ft Lauderdale to the Med, sailed around the Med and then went around Europe up to Norway. Ended the cruise in Amsterdam, where the ship started to repeat destinations. We then flew to England and sailed back to US on the Queen Mary. Just before the pandemic, we had planned a cruise that ended in Singapore that started with a cruise through Alaskan and then down to Japan and the asia countries. it was also about 60 days. Even though it is multiple cruises, we had the same room throughout. Ports that were the end of the smaller
individual cruises were no different than all the other ports for us other than there was a bunch of new passengers that came on board. We could enjoy the port or stay on the ship, our choice! By the way, if you like Princess, Princess is part of the Holland American Group of Carnival Cruise lines. Many similarities!

[dtennent]

We are also fans of HAL. Having sailed for on several different cruise lines, we kept coming back to HAL. Their service is one of the best in the price range. We were on back to back cruises starting in January, 2020 on the Westerdam boarding in Singapore. Covid exploded around the world at that point. While there was never any evidence of the virus being on board (we had frequent temperature checks and finally a Covid test), our ship was denied entry to almost all of the ports on the second cruise. HAL refunded our cruise fare for that cruise and gave us a future cruise credit for an equal amount. The efforts they made to get everyone home was extraordinary. Throughout it all, the staff was very professional, courteous, and friendly.

While we like the main dining room, we also liked The Pinnacle. If the ship you are on a ship that has The Tamarind, it is a great restaurant - fusion Asian cuisine. If you are going to use their excursions, check the reviews carefully. If you are traveling to more common ports, you can often get a local company to give you a great experience at a reasonable cost. However, I would be more cautious in less visited third world ports. Good Luck and have fun!

[IRISHGIRL3US]

We are taking a 23 day cruise September 27, 2021. Sliver Seas cruise line. Expensive . Top of the line everything plus your own butler. Starting in the UK. Can't wait as we had to postpone from 2020. Enjoy

[Fisherman]

It all depends on your budget. Been cruising all over the world for many years. Started with Carnival, too many drunks, moved to Princess, never again, Holland American, a step above, nothing to write home about, Norwegian, worst ever, moved quickly to Royal Caribbean, great for 7-10 day Caribbean cruises, family oriented, good value, then upgraded to Celebrity, which sailed many International cruises and loved their service and ships, spa driven, relaxing, 60-75 year old crowds, great itineraries, my favorite was nine countries in Asia, recently moved to luxury lines, Viking, and Oceania, smaller ships, great cuisine, unique ports, white glove service, expensive. Best cruise line to meet all my check marks is Celebrity. Beautiful ships, great entertainment, wonderful service and food, medium price, great value with their all in one pricing that includes no tips, drink package, free wi-fi and generous onboard credit for excursions. Once your board, nothing to worry about with the what I call housekeeping expenses. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time and be sure to check out their COVID and cancellation policies.

[Brondrisek]

I have cruised for 2-3 weeks and it’s a great experience.
I would look at Oceania. Their package includes air and trips off the ship. And they are smaller and more personal. Enjoy!

[Brondrisek]

I have cruised for 2-3 weeks and it’s a great experience. I would not do it if anyone has sea sickness.
I would look at Oceania. Their package includes air and trips off the ship. And they are smaller and more personal.
And a river cruise in Europe. I use Grand circle. Enjoy!

[Charlie'sDad]

We have been cruising for years on most of the cruise lines. The first and only time onboard Celebrity was the worst cruise we ever had. Large tear in carpeting in our stateroom. Almost tripped on my way to balcony. Arm rest of the sofa had a slit exposing the stuffing. In the dining room the service & food was cold and terrible, and the sides on most of the chairs were peeling. I took photos and sent them to Celebrity explaining how disappointed I was because every one raved about the Celebrity Line. I got a call from headquarters where they offered us $200 on our next Celebrity cruise. I said NO. We will never sail on Celebrity again. About 10 minutes later I got another call saying I can use the $200 on our next Royal Caribbean cruise, their parent company.

[spofford]

Hal is a great line and strong in customer service. Same experience as dtennent above with Covid 2020 in the South China Sea. Antartica, via Panama Canal around South America and the Amazon great cruise. Smaller ship allows better views in Antartica. Most HAL ships asleep bye 11.

[lawgolfer]

HA provides a relaxing and peaceful experience, consistent with the age of its passengers. The music is, usually, appropriate for dancing. The food is consistent and above average. The entire atmosphere is directed towards an age-group of 65+ (if not 75+).

HA's ships are, generally, smaller. They lack the rah-rah attractions of waterslides etc. We got a chuckle from "dodging" the electric scooters in the hallways. The dress of the passengers is more conventional (no wife-beater T shirts). You'll have a better chance of finding a regular bridge game than a loud disco!

If you want a relaxing cruise of 14 or so days, look into the "repositioning" transatlantic cruises in the Spring and Fall. This is when the lines move their ships between Europe and the Caribbean. The number of ports you visit will be limited. The upside is that you don't have to hurry off the ship to get on a bus or hire a taxi to visit some attraction you don't really car about for a few hours. If on the ship's bus, you'll spend hours waiting at restroom stops. To top it off, the prices on the repositioning cruises are the lowest and, if you are a frequent customer of the line, you will often receive upgrades.

[waltonnya]

I also recommend checking out cruise critic dot com. There is so much information there! Also, on a longer cruise, it's fun to communicate with others on your cruise. Some might be arranging private tours that you'd like to take advantage of. Our longest cruise was 28 days around South America. We met others from TV who were going on the cruise, so that made it more fun. Also, if there are enough people on the thread, they arrange a get together on the ship so you can find the people you've been talking to online. If you like to get acquainted on a cruise, it's an added advantage.

[jakers]

Viking River cruises are fantastic!

[tophcfa]

Don’t worry, there is a high probability you will be on the boat for much longer than 14 days once it goes into quarantine.

[Garywt]

If you are in Florida you should not need an 8 hour plane ride for many cruises.

Have never been on HAL as I have never felt old enough. Started with Royal for a few then went to Carnival for a few more, both were great although be like the food on Carnival better. After a long time without cruising we are booked next year on Norwegian to Alaska.

[FenneyGuy]

I've been on Royal, Celebrity, Carnival and HAL. I rank Carnival at the bottom of my preferences.

[silver.bullet]

Tx, Great tips, we are ready to go with the back to back cruises from different cities!!

[renpan]

]Did the Viking. Fantastic.






We love Viking have rebooked our 15 day cruise 3 x, plan April :2022 from Amsterdam to Budapest only 180 people on board no kids. We also did an ocean cruise in 2019 Venice to Barcelona fantastic food and service wonderful. we're hoping we can go 2022

[Stu from NYC]

Don’t worry, there is a high probability you will be on the boat for much longer than 14 days once it goes into quarantine.

Optomistic huh

[kkingston57]

We have traveled on all of the mid priced ships and once on an upscale(Crystal). Holland seemed to offer more lecturers, classes(including cooking), larger libraries than others such as Royal and Norwegian. On a Royal Carib ship felt like they were more busy trying to sell you something on the ship. Lastly Holland ships are older, but still in good shape, ships.