"Wish we had just canceled our tickets and stayed on the ship but who knows if we’ll ever find ourselves back in Norway again so we decided to just go ahead with the train trip – but really the view was no better than what we saw in other ports and the train passes through many tunnels so no view at that time – the whole novelty for us would have been the bike ride.We were so happy that one new Step One show was done in our 2nd week of sailing – a total of 4 unique shows they put on during our cruise...."Read More
This was our first time on HAL; our cruising has otherwise been on Norwegian and Royal C. We chose this ship for the itinerary--Norway fjords--and for the price, which included the drink package, internet, and credits for shore excursions and specialty dining, along with an $800 flight credit.
We left from Copenhagen--if you haven't been, seriously consider spending 3-4 days there before ...
Buckle in, this is a long one. I'll also be posting it to the cruise reviews section.
BACKGROUND
This is coming from the perspective of a couple in their sixties who used to cruise quite a bit (Royal Caribbean, Princess, even 1 Carnival cruise (ugh), up until we caught norovirus during a Princess cruise which included Egypt back in 2011 and swore we would never cruise again. This is a ...
We sailed the 14-day Best of Norway itinerary that left July 26 out of Copenhagen and overall we really enjoyed it. The itinerary was terrific and priced very competitively compared to other cruises taking place this summer. Traveling was myself, my husband (both in our 50s) and our 11-year-old daughter.
Our sailing was also being sold as two 7-day cruise offerings. It didn't occur to us ...
Embarkation was fairly quick and easy from Copenhagen.
Itinerary was very nice and included excellent ports including the change to Gothenburg Sweden.
Cabin service was excellent for our aft view balcony.
Food quality was very good and the Pinnacle Grill is outstanding. MDR food was very good. I am still baffled at how cruise lines continue to create such poorly designed lido dining ...
Seeing Norway was always on our bucket list, but delayed because of the pandemic. Thankfully, we were able to take this cruise in May 2023 on the Nieuw Statendam. Holland America did not disappoint as the ship was gorgeous, the staff were excellent as always, the food was delicious, and the ports were beautiful. We decided to take quite a few excursions with the ship and also with Shore ...
OK, right. This is my first ever in depth review of a cruise ship experience.
Bit of back-story starting with a bit of a confession. We’re a married couple from London, and admittedly not particularly well-seasoned cruisers. This, on Holland America Line (HAL) is only our third such adventure and the one with most stops / fewest sea days. We love sea days.
Our first cruise was a ...
We have chosen this cruise because of the attractive destinations in Norway a country which we both my wife and myself had never visited before. We were fascinated about the landscapes in this country.
Specially kind and service oriented was the stateroom staff Sugeng and Albert as well as the service staff in the restaurants. Holland America Line can be more than proud of this staff.
The ...
We chose this cruise for the Norwegian Fjord itinerary. We chose the cruise line and ship due to the fact that the ship was essentially brand new (launched December '18) and we were interested in the culinary arts offering through the advertised America's Test Kitchen. Several weeks prior to embarkation we received an email listing some of the possible demonstrations that we would see in the ...
My 19 yr old daughter and I were late additions to a large group of family and friends on a cruise from Amsterdam to the Norwegian fjords. This was our first cruise on HAL and our first in this part of the world. We very much enjoyed our spontaneous vacation.
Embarkation was simple, our cabins were ready as soon as we boarded. There are no flashy waterslides or shopping atriums etc - two ...
Nieuw Statendam Review, Land of the Midnight Sun, Departure on 7/7/19
For a little bit of background, we are mid-40’s cruisers that have sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity & Disney with almost 20 cruises under our belt. This was our first Holland America experience and we chose this cruise due to the itinerary to the Artic Circle.
We left a few days early so we could have ...