On the February/March 14-day B2B cruise, we had four sea days. On the 22-day cruise in April, we had 10 sea days. On sea days, you can be as busy as you want to be. Or not.
Everything is open all day – the bars, the spa, the gym, the casino, the shops (clothing, sundries, souvenirs, liquor, jewelry, and art), the library and the photo gallery.
Sports – sun rise stretch, tai chi classes, pickleball (and lessons), ping pong, cornhole and basketball. These are all free. They do have some classes such as Pilates and Cycling for a fee. My exercise consisted of walking 40 minutes around the promenade deck (and going to the gym once-pitiful).
Shopping – There are art auctions, jewelry shows and raffles, liquor tastings, and a Poolside Marketplace that lets you browse some (relatively) low-cost items. The photography department is also always happy to have you browse and purchase photos, photo gifts, cameras, and binoculars. I have bought several HAL t-shirts in the past but didn’t buy anything either trip this time. Please be aware that if you need sundries (aspirin, cold medicines, suntan lotion, etc. you will pay a premium price for very small packages on the ship).
Seminars/Classes – Coffee chats (the cruise director interviews different ship personnel) cooking shows, origami classes, bridge classes, mahjong classes, painting classes, health seminars, calligraphy classes, line dancing classes, dance classes (salsa, tango, etc), technology for traveler classes, art seminars, wine tastings, mixology classes, beer tastings, and flower arranging. Most are free but some have a fee.
These classes are usually held in small venues such as the conference rooms or lounges. If there is something you want to do, I suggest getting there early. Seats fill up fast. I attended a couple of the technology for traveler classes and was pleased to discover some interesting travel apps. In the past, I have attended coffee chats, wine tastings, and flower arranging.
World Stage Events – This venue is used for activities that will draw large crowds – port talks (general info about upcoming ports) shore excursions presentations (focused on HAL shore excursions at ports), guest speaker presentations – a variety of topics, future cruise presentations, HAL presentations: ex – “A City on the Sea,” and “History of Holland America.”
Again, get there early if you want a good seat. On the 22-day cruise, the port talks were Standing Room Only. They finally recorded the sessions so that you could watch them in your stateroom which helped with the over-crowding.
Trivia/Games – The Crows Nest has a large supply of board games that you can check-out and play. You will also see people all over the ship playing card or dice games. I get annoyed when I see people playing cards or games in the Lido during peak lunch and dinner times. It is hard enough to find a seat in there with all the people eating. So much harder when you add in the people in there not eating.
Some ships offer a scavenger hunt – fun for families. Bingo is another popular game on the ships. There is a fee for playing. Deal or No Deal has been introduced. It seems popular and, again, a fee for playing.
Then there is trivia – we found out early on in our cruising experiences that people are very serious about their trivia. The topics vary: pop culture, history, geography, travel, general knowledge, music, etc. Chuck and I, if we play (which is rarely), usually just make our own team.
On the 14-day cruise, our Canadian friends, who are trivia masters, talked us into teaming up for music trivia one day. Our team actually won but only because of them. We each received a HAL pin. I don’t think it is the prizes people covet as much as bragging rights although there was much tusseling over the wooden tulips at one time.
Special group meetings – you can usually find these group meetings on every HAL ship – PRIDE, single and solo, military, Friends of Bill W, bridge players, and mahjong players. If you belong to a Facebook and/or Cruise Critic group dedicated to that particular sailing, and someone in the group takes charge of arranging a room and time with HAL, you can meet the people you have been chatting with online for the months prior to the cruise.
Pools/Hot tubs – There are hot tubs and a pool in the middle of the ship on the Lido deck. That area has a ceiling that can be opened or closed depending on the weather. Those pools are open to all. The pool and hot tubs in the Sea View area are heated but there is no ceiling. Most of the time, this pool area is reserved for adults only. For both cruises, if I wasn’t on the balcony or at a random seminar/class, I spent most of my time in this area.
However, one of the best activities Chuck and I attended was on the 22-day cruise. It was the crew talent show held one afternoon. Crew members from different areas of the ship showcased their personal singing, dancing, or musical instrument talents. We thought some of them were better than some of the paid performers we saw in the evenings. There was no crew talent show on the February/March cruise.
I also enjoy the Towel-Animal invasion which is typically held once per cruise. The housekeeping staff go all out with their creations.
Whatever you decide to do, get in the habit of checking the HAL app or the daily program so you don’t miss anything. Here are a couple of sample Sea Day program front pages.
Next up: Evening Activities
