We have only cruised 3 times with HAL, however each was 14+ days. We were on the last Asia cruise before Covid, and the 1st one since Covid (ports in Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan). Both on Westerdam. However HAL is down trending for us.
Preface: Let me just say that running a cruise is a very difficult thing. Nearly every guest on board has a unique need or request. Staffing turn over ...
Holland America changed the itinerary several times and the final one was not at all interesting. The food was mostly mediocre and not up to the quality on Azamara, Princess, Cunard or Celebrity. I was looking forward to America's Test Kitchen, but, alas, it was not on board. There were no professional lectures and the man who did the Thailand history lesson was very poor. The tender ...
We chose this cruise because the itinerary was what we were looking for and the dates suited us.
Let's start with the positives. The ship was clean and the staff were generally very good; some of them gave us exceptional service. The cabin was very good as was the food on board. We ate in the both the Pinnacle and the Italian speciality restaurants and they were well worth the additional ...
We've been on Holland American several times over the years. It was a far better cruise line before being acquired by Carnival. We were onthe old Niew Amsterdam and the newer one. We also cruised on Zandaam.
Anyway, it seems to me that most of the industry is dumbing downCruising is not what it used to be.
Boarding was slow but OK. Our luggage arrived fairly quickly. Our cabin (8115) was ...
minus
- lower F&B quality than usual at HAL. no fresh OJ, dry / overcooked salmon, coffee quality, etc
- below HAL standard service level. less than usual service with a smile.
- boring entertainment except for music walk
- traditional ship. not comparable to fresh looking HAL Koningsdam.
plus
- music walk with BB King’s club
- cooking classes onboard with America’s test ...
We chose this cruise as it went to spots in Indonesia that would be difficult to arrange by air. We also like round trip vice lineal itineraries, The staff did not provide us with a tile at the Mariners luncheon, however guest services was happy to give them when we requested at their counter, and also seemed surprised they had not been distributed, Missed seeing a ships log cruise summary that ...
I was attracted to the itinerary which had 9 ports: Singapore, Thailand [2], Cambodia [1], Vietnam [4] and Hong Kong. The voyage was 16 days: January 16 - February 1, 2018.
This would normally be the dry season for southeast Asia but at least half the days were overcast but fortunately with minimal rain. Our veranda stateroom was roomy with recently updated bathroom with high quality ...
We chose this 28 day back to back for the itinerary. Overall, the cruise was good but not outstanding in any aspect really. The ship had just come out of another dry dock. It still looks aged in many areas but is very clean.
The public areas were kept clean and polished. The crow's nest is a nice place to relax, especially during the daily happy hour. The daily team trivia was in the ...
Holland America is our 1st choice for cruising but the Volendam didn't meet expectations. As usual the service employees were attentive and friendly. The itinerary and the excursions were also excellent. The problems on this cruise were all ship related. The ship had been in dry dock supposedly being refurbished. They didn't stay in dry dock long enough as there were numerous problems. Numerous ...
For many passengers this was a cruise from hell. The following are most of the problems I was told by fellow passengers-- lots of problems-flooded rooms, pipes breaking, toilets overflowing or not working, water leaking from ceiling in dining room, lower promenade deck even number cabin side with bad smells, air conditioning not working.
I was fortunate that my cabin did not experience any of ...