Holland America Line Gourmet Food Cruises Reviews

12 years ago we started our first cruise with this line (to Norway) and we loved it , after few cruises with other lines we decided to go back to Holland America , because of our first good experience with them. This time we were unpleasantly surprised that for 12 years the standards have dropped significantly , instead of improving. On the first minute of the cruise we were very disappointed to ...

Let me first start off with the good: The crew was very nice on the ship (except the guest services). They pamper you like you are a Saint, even if you do not want it. The ship was clean and neat. They communicated very well with the guests on all activities and upcoming shows. There were plenty of elevators and the ship was not overly crowded. The rooms were good size and the internet was decent. ...

On the positive side, the crew are excellent. Cabin stewards, waiters, food servers and front desk attendants are patient, polite and helpful. The food is Ok but not as good as pre-Covid. The lecture/education part of the cruise seems to have been abandoned by Holland America. We used to see it as university-of-the-seas but no longer. Entertainment is also OK but well reduced in quality. One ...

Cruising is a game of expectations as with most things in life. Having previously sailed on freestyle ships, that are often looked down on, we expected a little more from our first Holland America experience. So this review is more related to how we were disillusioned with “traditional old school” cruising. Embarkation in Hong Kong. Not a drop of water or morsel of a snack for guests waiting ...

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 ...

I'm not normally someone to complain and I generally try to approach things with empathy but I was so disappointed by this cruise. First of all, we booked my parents (aged 65-70) an accessibility room which was not at all accessible. The cruise line refused any type of compensation even though one of the staff suggested they fight for it. At 6'5 My father couldn't even fit on the bed and my ...

I always tell people to take reviews with a grain of salt - some people are just complainers ... and some see everything with rose-colored glasses. But when the same complaints come up again and again, do not ignore the warnings. The negative comments regarding this ship - are accurate. 1. Noordam is OLD, tired, and worn out. It deserves a major overhaul. Not only is the furniture, art, ...

The good... the food and the wonderful staff at the restaurants and Lido. The room is nice and the room stewards are amazing. The boat was generally pretty clean for as many sneezing, coughing, and dirty people there were. The hot tubs were clean. Laundry service is well worth the cost. The bartenders and wait staff around the outdoor pool area are the hardest working people I've seen on the boat. ...

We wanted to do a Holiday Cruise and since we are avid cruisers and really enjoy Holland America ships this cruise fit the bill. We have enjoyed all our previous Holland cruises very much. Holland has been our primary cruise line for almost 30 years. Past service and food quality has always been impeccable. We have enjoyed the ships and always look forward to cruising with Holland. We have ...

Couple 60s, 26 cruises with various cruiselines worldwide. This 10/12/23 cruise was our 3rd HAL cruise and our first since mid 2019. Previously we cruised on the old Statendam and in 2019, Maasdam. Both were excellent, entertaining, enriching, educational overall fabulous cruises. We had such high hopes for returning to HAL on the Noordam December 10 2023 round trip Sydney-NZ-Sydney cruise. ...