Very nice ship, with lots of space per passenger, and quiet places to sit with views of the water. Very good service in cabin and restaurants. Disappointing entertainment; Lincoln Center no longer offered, and main stage entertainment was mediocre. Boarding process was uncomfortable, due to 2 ships at pier in San Diego, forcing us to wait 1.5-2.5 hours in the cold, rainy weather until we ...
We had a great cruise! This was our second time on Holland America, we've been on several cruise lines including one of those "6 star luxury" lines and Holland is our top 2. The crew is absolutely the best, they are so friendly and always happy and taking care of the passengers. The food overall is very good and even after 31 days we were still enjoying it. We mainly had meals in the main dining ...
Good crew, great route, good excursions, good food, but HAL does not protect the health of its passengers. So many sick people by the time we reached the middle of our 31-day cruise. Packed into the mainstage theatre shoulder to shoulder, it was a chorus of sick people coughing and hacking. Both of us got sick for over a week and most of the people we met on the ship were also sick with the ...
Our cruise was good. This was the longest cruise we've taken, 31 days. Our stateroom was nice. The bed was comfortable, although we did have it joined and there was a line down the middle. It wasn’t annoying though. Maybe if they put a mattress pad on then that would conceal it. We might have been able to get one but I didn’t ask. The pillows were really comfortable. There was plenty of room in ...
Warning, if you are one of the “IheartHAL” clan and constantly excusing any service issues to protect your diminishing loyalty benefits , please don't read on. You wont like it!
Like to share a recent experience on HAL Koningsdam. For balance we are in our early sixties, well travelled and cruised ( 30 plus sailings) but first time on HAL.
We wanted to visit South Pacific and unlike most ...
This was a fantastic 35 day cruise. Everything was not perfect but nothing in life ever is.
We flew into San Diego a day early and stayed at the Wyndham Bayside hotel that is right across the street from the pier.
The next morning we went right across the street to board the cruise. They were calling 4 and 5 star mariners first. Since we were 4 star we went right in. We had to wait ...
To be fair the choice of this cruise was mine, to celebrate a significant birthday and then explore a part of the world I have always wanted to see. The itinerary was very attractive, as was the price when we booked. I was also drawn to the size of Westerdam, being a small ship. First things first, the lead up to the cruise was a daily argument with Holland America over needing visa's for some of ...
HAL does the Panama Canal very well. The day before the transit, there were presentations on the history and the building of canals in general, and the Panama Canal specifically. The day of transit, all ship schedules were adjusted for the transit. All deck areas were opened for people to view the locks, special foods (Panama Rolls, etc) were made and served on deck areas. The cruise ...
Weakest link in our cruise has been the excursions, not as described, bus broke down in Costa Rica w a 2 hr delay. Tour Cartagena Columbia listed as 3.5 hrs lasted over 4.5 hours w no food or cafe stops available. Onboard bars running out of my favorite beer and 12oz waters is disappointing. Despite purchasing Have It All package my account has been charged incorrectly for drinks several times. ...
COVID UPTDATE: a friend traveling with us got Covid, Her symptoms appeared the 2nd day of the cruise, so she got in Ohio before got on cruise (3-5 day incubation period). Medical staff saw and put on meds to prevent needing hospitalization later, She has multiple risk factors to have a bad outcome if not on meds for Covid.
She was put on 3 day isolation and 2 more days to mask then do ...