Hi. We are pretty seasoned HAL cruisers, and often treat ourselves to the easy one night repositioning cruises that HAL offer in the Northwest. This time we went from Victoria to Seattle and it was a huge disappointment.
In Victoria, we were scheduled to embark at 1pm but waited unto well after 2:30. A line outside the cruise terminal. A line for security. A line waiting for keys. Then at about ...
Having cruised mostly on NCL over the past 10 years,we wanted to try different cruise lines to see for ourself's how they compare. HAL is the last cruise line for us to try. We enjoyed all our cruises and find things we like and things we don't like with all the cruise lines. This HAL cruise was on the Zuiderdam. It was chose based on the minimum days off and that it arrived back at our home port ...
Having sailed Norwegian, Princess, and Royal Caribbean, wanted to try Holland America and the one night cruise fit into our schedule. We had booked an interior, but after prices dropped they allowed us to upgrade to a verandah suite for only $20 more, which I appreciated.
Embarkation was quick as the ship was half empty. The stateroom was large and comfortable with a great bathroom with tub and ...
I'm posting this review to give people an idea of what to expect on HAL cruises to nowhere, which are rare for the line. I took the cruise as simply a special way to celebrate my 40th birthday. I took the train from Seattle, spent two days at the Vancouver Westin being pampered in luxury and booked the Zaandam to return to Seattle. The ship was not full, in fact there were only about 300 pax ...
With vacation time at a premium this year, we decided to splurge on a 3-night introduction cruise for this brand-new ship for Labor Day weekend, and were excited to try a new cruise line. The good:
Sailaway from New York This experience alone was worth the entire price of admission. Since it was the first journey for the ship, we received police helicopter escorts and a special fireboat tribute, ...
This was our seventh cruise. My first cruise was a Bay of Fundy crossing to Nova Scotia in the 70's when I was a teenager. First cruise as an adult was RCI's Song of America NY to Bermuda 7/98. Second was Carnival's Sensation Western Caribbean, 2/99. Third was the Regal Empress, NY to nowhere, also Labor Day, 8/99. Fourth was the Enchanted Isle, Western Caribbean, 4/00. Fifth was the Carnival's ...
My husband and I eagerly embarked on our cruise to nowhere on HAL's brand new ship, for it's maiden U.S. voyage. The embarkation process was the smoothest yet of my 14 cruises, with pleasant staff and efficiency. Our cabin was attractive, but quite small for a standard veranda. HAL seeks to make up for space reduction with cabin design features, ie. storage inside desk seat/ottamon and adjustable ...
Embarkation: It was interesting. We were not supposed to be able to board until 3 PM, but there was speculation it would be earlier. We took a chance (and earlier train) by arriving early, and were onboard just before 1:30. That was a nice start. Everyone was being sent to the Lido (Deck 9) to eat lunch, but we walked up the 2 decks to Deck 4 and went to our aft Veranda cabin. We met our cabin ...
LET'S START WITH THE SKINNY ON THE FUN NEW EURODAM Frequently Asked Cruise Questions How's the morning coffee? --Good, and served in china mugs. How does the e-mail/internet connection work? --It's well-organized, veeeery slow, but functional. What about Wi-Fi? --It's available throughout the ship, although some problems were reported with using it in cabins. Do the rooms have safes? --Absolutely, ...
I was invited by the nice guys at Holland America to sample their new launch 'Eurodam'. It was to be a 1 night pre inaugural event.
I flew to Southampton from Ireland and then made my way to the port. Everything went smoothly and by 1230 I was walking up the gangway onto the ship. I was allocated a Deluxe Veranda stateroom no 6173. As I opened the door I fell in love with it right away. The ...