The Nieuw Statendam just came out of dry dock, so this was an opportunity to see what a newish ship was like as well as a transatlantic; the holiday time sailing was an added bonus. The dates allowed us to spend some time in Rome before departure, so we were able to do a land cruise. Returning to FLL helped minimize flight costs.
The food was overall very good; Club Orange dining room service ...
We chose this cruise because a Transatlantic cruise has been on our bucket list, we liked the itinerary, and we had two previous enjoyable cruises on HAL (one on Oosterdam and one on Zaandam). We have been fortunate that all three HAL cruises have been in a Neptune Suite, which is a special experience.
This cruise didn't go as planned, because a large storm caused an itinerary change. We had ...
My husband and I are in our 40's. This was our 5th HAL cruise, but it was our first time back with them since the pandemic. Our last HAL cruise was on the Koningsdam in the Caribbean, and we loved it! We were excited to try out her sister ship in European waters.
PRE-CRUISE
We spent 4 nights at an Airbnb near Termini in Rome. This was our 4th time in the Eternal City, so we skipped the major ...
We chose this cruise with our friends because the ports of call were pretty close to where we wanted to visit in the Mediterranean. Also the pricing seemed to be pretty competitive.
As with everything when we go on holidays, there are good and bad, pros and cons, highs and lows and this cruise was no exception.
Firstly, the highs ...
- the ports of call were a definite attraction
- ...
Barcelona ~ Trieste (Venice) in September was the perfect time to go.
We arrived in Barcelona stayed a few days before our cruise to check out the sights and gastronomy Barcelona had to offer. It doesn’t disappoint! We stayed up on a hill in a renovated hospital turned 5* La Floridia. It overlooked the sea, had gentle breezes and amazing pool with outdoor patio seating.
But this is not ...
We made a cruise from Venice to Barcelona. Since ships are not permitted in Venice anymore , we stayed 3 days to visit Venice first, then took a train to Trieste the departure port, 2 hours away, where we stayed at the Best Western hotel. Very nice city, visited with hop on, hop off.
Taxi from hotel to port was 15 euros.
Embarcation was most easy.
Cruise in the Adriatic sea with Dubrovnik ...
This is our first time sailing on Holland America. We did Disney, Carnival, Princess, Norwegian, and Celebrity before. Comparing to other cruise lines, the most impressive point on HAL was their services. We liked their food. We required a fixed table in the dinning room. Our waiter/waitress are very friendly and provided exceptional services. The room stewards also did an excellent ...
It's not the same old Holland America since COVID-19.
We do understand that Carnival Corporation was just burning through money during Covid 19 and you can see it in their drastic cuts.
As a 3 star Mariner I must admit that it may be time to switch cruise lines.
The lack of onboard entertainment is very noticeable. Now instead of production shows we watch a comedian play with a Rubik's ...
Going to Europe worst experience we ever had cruising will never use this cruise line again. Bought the all inclusive package and that's all they care about. Their tours were a complete joke. You are being hearded into buses like cattle. With people who were obviously sick for hours at a time. We attempted to speak to an officer to voice our complaint and were denied. Everything as far as the ...
Fortunately the Oosterdam is one of the older HAL ships (from before the Pinnacle class). That means: bigger staterooms, more space around the pool, less noise in the pool area and more space (in hight) in the main dining room. We are no fans of the new Pinnacle class ships although those ships (Koningsdam, New Statendam, Rotterdam 7) also have a lot to offer.
It was therefore a great pleasure ...