My wife and I have wanted to do a cruise for sometime. The ports of call were mostly what we wanted to do so picked this cruise.
Liked most of the shore tours but would do less full day tours and spend more around the towns visited. Overall really enjoyed the experience.
As we wanted to have a fine dining experience went to Pinnacle and Pop up 3 star dining, food was great. However, was ...
This is our third HAL cruise. We like the atmosphere and the service on HAL.
The Westerdam is very nice, recently refreshed. The cabin was comfy, and big enough for the two of us. There is a small safe in a closet, plenty of hangers, and bathrobes, which I was happy to use. The bathroom was big enough, the tub and shower were easy to regulate, and there were plenty of towels.
We had open ...
This was our first official cruise (other was a get on-get off style), so we just went with friends' recommendation they'd never been disappointed with HAL.
Overall, it was a good experience. I cannot commend the staff enough. From our room stewards, to the food and bar service folks--basically, all those people keeping things tidy, filled, emptied, or whatever--we haven't a single complaint or ...
This was my first ever cruise so I do not have any reference to another ship.
The ship to me was in great shape, everything was clean and new looking. The crew was fantastic always smiling and very helpful. they all seemed to remember our names and what we needed. See my Cabin Review for my thoughts on the cabin.
The food options to me where very good. I am not a foodie so i am not going ...
This cruise was planned 2 years in advance with some relatives. The Westerdam was in excellent condition, the crew friendly, in fact everyone was friendly. I would recommend the ship and crew anytime. There was a little sickness on board, the crew handled it, making sure all these people that don't wash their hands use the anti-bacterial spray before entering the buffet, dining room, etc. Even ...
We chose this ship because of the itinerary: 24 days of Mediterranean allowed us to see all there is to see in that part of the world. Port host Tom from Seattle did an outstanding job of highlighting the upcoming ports and had one of the better attended daly activities in the vessel.
Embarkation and disembarkation are perfected down to the science and you can wait in your room till your ...
We wanted a long holiday in Europe and the idea of only unpacking once is such a bonus as you get older, we are in our 60's. We stayed in Venice for 2 nights before departure and 2 nights in Barcelona at the end of the cruise, everything went smoothly. We were offered an upgrade to a suite from a balcony cabin a couple of weeks before sailing at 50% discount which we took as it was so much more ...
The Itinerary was just what we wanted.
Holland America does a good job of highlighting the ports and their history and culture.
The ship had just been renovated and I did love the new 'Music Walk' which was one deck with a duel piano bar (Billboard Onboard), a BB King Blues Club venue and a Lincoln Center Stage venue. All of the performers were very talented and we enjoyed all of the venues ...
Loved this cruise and Holland did not disappoint, except for Tom and his assistant who were no help at all in questions and clarifications concerning an area( in how to get there ) in Naples which HE recommended in his talk.
We met so many fun, nice, interesting people on the ship which I hope we will be able to sail with again, especially the Aussies!!!!
We loved the ports of call, each ...
I chose this cruise because of the itinerary and the quality of the food/service on Holland America. The itinerary was wonderful! We did not choose to do any of the ship excursions, but we did a lot of excursions with fellow travelers.
The ship was nice and fresh from drydock. I do think that some of the new decor is a bit modern for the style of the ship, but that could just be me.
I ...