Holland America Line Western Caribbean Cruise Reviews

We took this cruise as a "back-to-back" cruise with a 15 Day Panama Canal cruise on the same ship. We changed cabins from aft port hole to aft interior. This was to try out these types of cabins, and see what the experience is like without a balcony of our own - and honestly, to see if these far less expensive cabins would serve us as well as the balcony / suite cabins. We found that the two ...

My wife and I have sailed on about 25 cruises over the past 20 years, but never on Holland America Line, so this was a new cruise for us in many ways. Overall, the 7-day cruise from Port Everglades was very good, not outstanding, and I will provide our thoughts of the pros and cons. First, we elected an obstructed view balcony cabin on the 4th floor, and the view was indeed obstructed by the ...

Embarkation: We chose to leave our car at “Park and Go” and it was a great decision. Quick and easy transit to the ship and a very short line and short wait to get on board. Ship’s Overall Appearance: No complaints, but not quite as “elegant” as the HAL ships of 25 years ago. Not a lot of “glitz” which to us was a good thing. Adult oriented with no water slides or kids parks. Our ...

This is my 12th cruise and was excited to cruise Holland America as we had heard and read positive things. Ship: Average decor. The ship interior is very dark except in the crows nest. Cabin was nice with plenty of storage. Cabin stewards were excellent. I don't know much about stabilization, but this ship had a lot of movement. At night it felt like someone was jumping on the bed ...

The Eurodam and the Jewel of the seas are almost identical in size. The Jewel has a more customer friendly central area that can be used to host music and dance events, too. It has a larger outdoor pool with far more sunbeds than the Eurodam. The Eurodam has a more enclosed, covered pool area as if it was designed for overcast, chilly North Sea sailings. The Jewel also has a solarium type warm ...

I swear that cruise lines encourage (or at least allow) employees to slack off, or more likely, weaponize incompetence on the first and last days of the cruise. After a smooth embarkation we were aghast that not only was the maître d’ not available to fix the incorrect dining assignment we had been given, but we were told to stand in two long lines that were both the wrong line. It turns out ...

The Eurodam is a stately, well-kept ship. We very much enjoyed its classic ambiance and lovely public spaces. Embarkation was quick and flawless. Our rear verandah stateroom was immaculately appointed and our room stewards were top notch. The main dining room and Tamarind restaurant offered impressive fare. But our experience included three major disappointments, and as such this was the ...

This was my first cruise since COVID, and all cruise ships may now be the same, but I really missed all the small niceties on this ship. We sailed with a group of 10 and were not able to secure any kind of set dining time, despite having a 2 year old in our group. This made each dinner time unnecessarily stressful, standing in line for "open dining" and hoping for a table within the next couple ...

I'd avoid Holland America line if you are not an old age/white person. You will be ignored at bars, restaurants, will be seated at undesirable seats and get bad service if you do not fit their expected profile above. Took us 45 minutes to get a glass of wine. They'd flatly refuse to seat you at a window in a walk-in dining place to keep the seating just in case somebody more desirable shows up. ...

The original itinerary was changed two months prior to departure for three ports and we were not allowed to exchange or get a refund. The embarkation was a nightmare. Long, long lines with people in walkers and wheelchairs waiting over an hour. The food quality in the main dining room was horrible. The Lido buffet constantly had long lines and wait times. The theatre entertainment consisted of ...