We love to cruise! We chose this 14 day cruise with HAL because of the number of days at sea and the closer proximity to where we live. The ports of call were great--the Sea of Cortez, San Diego Santa Barbara, Victoria and Vancouver. I dislike writing negative reviews. We will always make the most of our cruises, and generally make our own fun. Here is what I wrote on the survey to HAL. ...
We had a bit of a problem dealing with the 48 hour COVID Test required to board ship. We followed the HAL recommendation and ordered tests online 20 days prion to cruise. On Saturday before leaving home we went online and took the test via zoom with eMeD company, who immediately sent a e-mail to each of us, which we printed out and hand carried to the ship to expedite boarding. The EMED process ...
This is the time to cruise while prices and capacity are low-it won't last! On day two of our cruise the mask mandate was lifted for all areas except the casino, theater and health center-YAY!!! With low capacity there was never an issue finding a lounger by the pool, a seat in a lounge or a table in the Lido Market. The menus in the Dining Room were great-lots of options every meal, food was all ...
Koningsdam 2022 - Reality Check
We just returned from a seven-day cruise from San Diego to Mexico on the newer Koningsdam cruise ship. Accompanied by twenty-two highly experienced travel friends from San Diego, this was our last-minute plan for New Year’s Eve 2022.
• Ship Cleanliness: Two previous Cruise Critic reviews state the ship smelled of cigarette smoke and urine...which is not the ...
After more than a ten year hiatus from a Holland America cruise, we decided to travel on a seven day cruise to Mexico. From the start of our first evening dinner in the dining room, there was a definite lack of service. Not only did we wait to get into the dining room, but after being seated, we often waited for another half an hour. One night we waited one hour for a drink with our dinner. ...
Positive experiences:
-Beautiful modern decor in public areas and staterooms.
-We love the Retreat Cabanas, a great value at $300 for the week.
-Speciality restaurants are very good. The burger and hot dog bar stocks vegan meat substitutes, which was a big pleasant surprise for us. The pizza place, Dutch Cafe (order the triple berry), and Canaletto (try the risotto) were especially ...
We packed for the Mexican west coast destinations. I even checked the weather in each port beforehand.
What I didn't expect, nor was I advised by Holland America is their policy on the current Covid outbreak.
They did not test daily (as did Viking 2 months beforehand), but did require the negative Covid 48 hour testing before boarding.
Their idea was to keep public areas, hallways, ...
We chose this cruise for convenience. Direct flights from Vancouver, British Columbia, been to all the ports so not worried if ship was denied docking, familiar with Holland America historical “no touch” buffet. It ticked our boxes including vaccination requirements. We enjoyed our cruise but there is definitely a difference in what a British Columbian thinks are safe Covid protocols and what was ...
We took this holiday cruise with my elderly parents both of whom were using scooters while onboard. The crew was wonderful and can't say enough good things about our dinning room waiter and his assistant. We were disappointed in the lack of holiday festivities onboard during the cruise as there was 1 deck party during the entire cruise on New Years Eve but nothing on Christmas Eve. My biggest ...
We received a great deal on a Christmas cruise r/t San Diego. We stayed in an obstructed balcony cabin and had no problems due to the obstruction. It is still a very nice view. Our beds were comfortable and there is a nice (though small) shower in the nice (though small) bathroom. This was a Christmas cruise, so perhaps that is why Holland served lobster on the final formal night. It is true ...