We were very excited to once again travel on HAL. It had been a few years so were really looking forward to stopping off a several ports in NZ as well as Hobart and Melbourne. Boarding in Auckland was a breeze, everything was well planned and executed by port staff. It was all downhill from there. The weather was on most days terrible but that is what can happen in summer in NZ so we were ...
We are New Zealanders and chose this cruise as it left from Auckland and we had cruise credits to utilise. We have travelled on several cruise lines and this was our first Holland America cruise and our last.
Embarkation was at 2.40 pm and with the Verifly app was very quick we were on the ship in 15 minutes. A Negative Pre boarding COVID test was a requirement.
Our first impressions of ...
I am a 5 star Mariner and have more than 20 cruises on Holland America This cruise was the pits and our last on Hal.There were Minimal activities or lectures on board .The standard of the food was dismal compare to the cruise I did on the Noordam three years ago which I rated 10 -this Cruise I would rate a 1.The standard of the entertainment was dismal except for the on-board Singers and ...
We we chose this trip because the dates fit perfectly. the price seemed justfiedbut then on bord, the cheapest wine 9 $ the cocktail 10$ always +15% Service. The The wine in the glas was manageable and the alcohol in the Cocktails barely noticeable. None of the tours offered by HAL was acceptable. For a Train ride in Port Chambers charges HAL 390 $, when booking direktly in the station, the same ...
We received an email that boarding would be delayed at the start due to illnesses on the previous cruise. Only a couple of hours so no big deal and we wanted a clean ship. For the first 48 hours the LIDO market food service was limited to being served by crew and no self service. We have been through this on other cruises so we know the drill. The lines were incredible and everything was ...
I was on a 12 night cruise from New Zealand via Tasmania finishing up at Sydney Australia.
The cruise was to include New Zealand North Island, New Zealand South Island, Tasmania, Melbourne and Sydney Australia.
Embarkation in Auckland was bad. Their boarding ramp broke and this added a few hours to the ordeal. Not a great start.
The room (see below for cabin description) was very poor, ...
This review is for an Atlantis Events cruise from Auckland to Sydney with six stops on a Holland America ship, Noordam (built circa 2006). This was my first cruise. We chose this cruise because many of our friends have done them and speak highly of their experiences.
We spent two days in Auckland before departing to Gisborne, Wellington, Akaroa (Christchurch), Hobart (Tasmania), Melbourne and ...
Ship was chose for us as a charter cause i would not have picked it myself. While the crew were overall very nice and glad to see us, the ship itself was extremely dated and not worth the money. The furniture was worn and torn, half the rooms had blasting a/c and the other half were saunas. Constant plumbing issues, power issues, and the fact that the maintenance staff were either so overworked ...
Having been with HAL before we where very dissapointed with this cruise no music or dancing before dinner.In fact the ship was like a ghost ship most of the time except meal times when everybody appeard.First two nights dine as you wish took three hours from turning up to leaving, the service was poor, waiters surly,the food was only average.We ate most of the time in the lido the food there was ...
Repositioning cruises are a wonderful way to avoid tedious air travel. Noordam had a great itinerary and the timing was perfect.
Noordam was scheduled for a refit in 2015 but it still hasn't happened and its looking a bit tired. The soft furnishings are worn in the staterooms and some public areas. Although the colors in the bathroom are dismal, the size of the bathroom is good with a lovely ...