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 ...
Lets start with the good: The staff and service level was top notch, both cabin attendants, as well as maitre'ds especially of Club Orange.
Here's the bad:
I'm unconvinced koningsdam is an appropriate vessel for mexican riviera due to it's inability in handling swells.
I actually paid to downgrade from my aft balcony to a midship balcony due to the horrendous shuddering of the cabin that ...
Embarkation went fine .
The ship was clean and fresh.
Our cabin was comfortable.
Our cabin attendants were great. They got you anything you wanted or needed.
We opted for anytime dining and were usually seared within 15 minutes.
The food was very good with a good selection. If you don’t want to try anything there is always the classic menu available with steak, chicken or fish. all ...
Hub and I booked a balcony cabin rather last-minute -- back surgery on his part necessitated us letting go a steal of a deal on Empress of the Seas and rebooking a different trip. We were looking forward to sailing on HAL again, as we appreciate the relative calm on board (we drop the average cruiser age by 20 years when we embark) and had not been on a Dam ship in four years.
(As background: ...
I am missing a single day to become a *** three star mariner with HAL. I crossed the Atlantic twice: once on the Noordam and once on the Koningsdam from and to Civitavecchia, plus three weeks on the New Amsterdam (which is still my favorite vessel in terms of decor and style). Firstly, the ship voyage was often unexplainably rocky - even when there was not particularly rough seas. This made me ...
We chose the Zuiderdam for a romantic, relaxing cruise. We were very disappointed with many things about the Zuiderdam and Holland America as a company. First, let me start by saying the Holland America has some serious operational and procedural issues which need an outside consultant to fix.
Embarkation: You know you are in trouble when getting on the ship is the best thing you can say about ...
This year my family and I returned to sail with HAL on a ship we had previously loved cruising on. We were very disappointed and concerned to learn that the vessel was sailing on one azipod (having experienced electrical issues two weeks prior), and that no acknowledgement of the failure or explanation by the vessels officers was given as to the passengers. All we were informed of was a change in ...
As I am for sure one of very few german users of this cruise forum I should like to apologize in advance for my english. Anyway I would like to report of my experiences with HAL Nieuw Amsterdam from January 4th till January 11th as in my opinion a company only will change their policy or will amend procedures if enough people give critical feedback to potential new cruisers.
First of all we ...
We chose this sailing and ship because of good reviews. Big mistake. We also paid more for Club Orange and the Signature Suite. These are both a waste of your hard earned money, no priority or extra services as promised.
Once boarded, we were informed the ship was sailing with only one engine/propeller, and this caused a change in the itinerary because the ship would be moving slow. Holland ...
Seems like this ship has problems and can't reach the ports on the itinerary. No notification from Holland America before departure even when the problem has been know for weeks. See other reviews. Then the captain doesn't try to avoid bad weather instead chooses to fake a port call which he knows is not staffed because tenders and the supply staff didn't even show up on their private island. A ...