We picked this cruise because of the itinery and dates matched our local school holidays, In hind site it was a mistake, and we probably should have gone on another ship that was closer to our demographic. Most of the passengers on this cruise were elderly, we are in our early 40's with two kids.
Its hard to articulate my feelings on this cruise, the ship was nice, the food was nice, if a ...
Where to start. Embarkation - Pouring rain when we got to the port. No cover we were soaked through dropping our bags. Then watched our bags moved to the trollies which were also without cover, by the time we got them they were soaked as well. Great Start.
HAL need to remember that not all their passengers are from the US. Everything on board was aimed at a US market. The quizzes, the ...
We embarked in Sydney fron the new White Bay cruise terminal, which was ok but disappointed not to be in Circular Quay. Was not allocated a cabin till checking in despite asking for a good cabin when booking a year earlier. We were on deck one , near the bow, but the cabin was ok. We were on anytime dining, the food was not great, there was only 3 nights out of 14 that we could say we really ...
Before I begin, I want to make it clear that Holland America is an above average cruise company which I have travelled with before without incident and with all my expectations being met or exceeded. Normally we travel with Cunard.
We booked a Neptune class suite on the Oosterdam for the Sydney to Auckland cruise last year expecting a great holiday on fine ship with a premium stateroom.
We ...
This was our 9th cruise to date, all on Holland America. The weather was very nice, the ports were lovely & all in all we had a great time. We had a Signature Suite stateroom, on the starboard side of the ship. It was lovely and we were very happy with it. I'll start with the positives:
- excellent service, from our stateroom stewards and from the staff in the dining room. A special ...
This was meant to be a special trip but it did not turn out that way, nothing like the 'excellence' promised. The combination of the ship condition and some aspects being well below the marketing statements was disappointing and only offset by good staff service and a great itinerary.
The entertainment was below par, all overstated show and poor quality entertainers.
Food in the Lido buffet ...
This was my first cruise with Holland America Line and must say a very disappointing experience in comparison to other companies.
Oosterdam ship is aging, and unfortunately this is not balanced with the service which I would quote as very poor for a cruise experience.
Thanksfully, you'll find some friendly staff onboard, but overall the level of service is poor. Staff reflect a low level of ...
This is our 6th cruise with HAL and as always a wonderful experience. The quality of service on this cruise line is next to none. Stateroom attendants are in a class all by themselves always smiling, service oriented, quick and efficient. Many thanks to our attendants Suni and Kumar. Neptune lounge concierges Roxy and Kristin were a pleasure to travel with. Always helpful, efficient and ...
While I have read mixed reviews about the Oosterdam and this particular cruise in November in New Zealand and Australia, my wife and I can only say we enjoyed the trip.
We flew from Sydney (our home) to Auckland the day before and enjoyed the city ahead of embarking on the 14 nights cruise on the Oosterdam. HAL offered us a paid upgrade to a Neptune Suite which we took to experience the larger ...
This review is for the cruise from Auckland NZ to Sydney, embarking on November 7, 2014.
First, the embarkation process was an organizational nightmare. Long lines (embarkation took over two hours) and long times standing in what can only be described as a dillapidated pier. Walking surface was uneven, which was a challenge for any passengers with mobility issues. We had booked a Neptune suite, ...
