Cruising is a game of expectations as with most things in life. Having previously sailed on freestyle ships, that are often looked down on, we expected a little more from our first Holland America experience. So this review is more related to how we were disillusioned with “traditional old school” cruising.
Embarkation in Hong Kong. Not a drop of water or morsel of a snack for guests waiting ...
We cruise a lot and travelled on the Holland America line before covid and it was fine. However this most recent trip was disappointing and an exercise in money-grabbing. The menu did not change the entire trip, that is to say French onion soup was the ONLY soup on offer for the duration - how difficult is it to make another type of soup? On the first day I asked for the herring but was told it ...
We always bring our fun so.......
Anyway, here are some thoughts on this adventure. Ship is 20 years old and showing her age. Didn't stop the fun. Beds were comfortable, water was hot and toilets flushed. Food in main dining room was excellent - I've always found the upcharge restaurants on HAL to miss the mark - the Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto's just aren't what they should - buffet was ...
What a delightful cruise.
Excellent crew/staff on the cruise ship, wonderful excursions. The ship was small and ready for a refurb, but it made good use of the space. I highly recommend Alligators by Night and Rubber Planation and Indigenous Village in Manaus, as well as Piranha Fishing in Santarem. Trinidad was a great port, the friendliest one we visited in Caribean.
Tamarind pop-up ...
Amazing time!
Great food in all places
Great service all around
Ports, we love the Aqua Trax at Halfmoon Cay. We appreciated the clean up and move of clam shells down the beach.
Grand Turks- Margaritaville stay- their is a beach at Port. John Glenn exhibit to the right is cool then a smaller beach behind it.
Amber Cove - did a bus City tour. Tour guy Homberto was great. Stopped ...
Here’s what I wish I knew before I went. Excellent location for access to the front of the ship, spa, wet steam, dry sauna, hydro pool, gym, kid-free sundeck on deck 12. The food was excellent everyday except the first day in the Lido. On that day I got the lasagna from the buffet that was not very good. However I was told the lasagna in the dining room was much much better. In fact the lasagna ...
We took this cruise as a "back-to-back" cruise with a 15 Day Panama Canal cruise on the same ship. We changed cabins from aft port hole to aft interior. This was to try out these types of cabins, and see what the experience is like without a balcony of our own - and honestly, to see if these far less expensive cabins would serve us as well as the balcony / suite cabins. We found that the two ...
To be fair the choice of this cruise was mine, to celebrate a significant birthday and then explore a part of the world I have always wanted to see. The itinerary was very attractive, as was the price when we booked. I was also drawn to the size of Westerdam, being a small ship. First things first, the lead up to the cruise was a daily argument with Holland America over needing visa's for some of ...
Visa Services: told to get a Chinese visa by Holland at a cost of $1000; ship offered them for free while underway. Guest Services barely apologized and offered no compensation. Excursions: over half the guides didn't speak English well enough to answer questions or give commentary, visited sites were repetitive and boring. It was clear Holland had done no quality control on their excursions or ...
HAL does the Panama Canal very well. The day before the transit, there were presentations on the history and the building of canals in general, and the Panama Canal specifically. The day of transit, all ship schedules were adjusted for the transit. All deck areas were opened for people to view the locks, special foods (Panama Rolls, etc) were made and served on deck areas. The cruise ...