I just got back from the 9 night Holiday cruise to the Caribbean on the Nieuw Amsterdam ship. The overall experience was good, but I will tell you the good, the bad and the downright ugly.
First, the great. Embarkation was smooth as silk, and we were very impressed that it went so smoothly. We arrived before the crowds, so that helped. The food on this cruise was exceptionally good, even ...
I loved all of the port excursions, dining, the cabin we had (a room on the verandah),and the service was amazing. The only thing that I have a complaint about is the activities. I have a 10 year old girl and she didn't really like Club HAL, the kids club onboard. So we tried to find activities that would be suitable for all of us to go to. But there was hardly anything on the daily schedule that ...
We selected Holland America for the food and service (our second cruise ever). We're in our early thirties and we're joined by both sets of parents and an 18 year old sister with a total of 7 in our group. We had a really nice Christmas on this cruise and would recommend it to others.
Disembarkation: We flew in the night before to ensure no flight delays. We aimed to be at the cruise port at ...
We always take a holiday cruise and this fit our schedule. This is our 6th cruise on Holland America and our 25th overall. Nobody beats them for Pizza and Hamburgers and HotDogs on the Lido deck. Fresh and made to order. The BB King All Stars make the trip worthwhile even if you saw nothing else. The Production show, however, leaves a lot to be desired and they could certainly use some enrichment ...
Embarkation was smooth and check in friendly, the ship is very nice and we loved the "Crows Nest" which was a library, bar, and Cafe area at the front of the ship above the bridge. We also liked the movie theater with comfortable chairs and great sound quality. The number, speed and location of the elevators was well thought out and there was rarely a wait. The pool areas were clean with ...
I like Holland more now that I am older. We have cruised over 40 times and this is our 4th Holland cruise. The quieter, more refined atmosphere is a pleasure now. The decorations, fresh flowers, and classical music was a nice alternative to some other lines.
I wish the Carnival Family of Cruise lines would give credit for overall cruises the way that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity does, We ...
This was our 21st cruise, but only the 2nd on HAL. But only after two cruises on HAL, I can honestly say that they are becoming my favorite cruise line.
When we cruise we like low key, quiet, "left alone" cruising. Does that mean there is nothing to do on the Nieuw Amsterdam? Of course not! There's plenty to do. But if you like to do nothing, it much easier to do so on this cruise line!
On ...
5 min boarding and 15 min. disembark(with Global Alliance). '
Grand Turk was fun, though we only stayed @ Margartiaville.
San Juan is always interesting, though much prefer an early AM arrival vs Noon.
St Marteen was entertaining, though the Viator Tour almost caused us to miss the ship.
Half Moon's always relaxing.
Outside cabin, 1113 was well worth the $$. Quiet ,stable, ...
Smoking Policy. The pre-cruise literature, website, and the Welcome booklet each proclaim (promise) “all … verandahs are non-smoking.” Our friend’s verandah was totally unusable because of incessant cigar and cigarette smoking from another nearby verandah. HA offered my friends another stateroom, but it was much smaller and had a verandah that had no privacy. This was not acceptable. Then ...
The service and food was up to Holland Americas standard. The shows in the Theater, had alot to be desired. For a 14 day cruise,I expected more from this cruiseline. Mediocre productions repeated the second week. Majicians and comedians twice both weeks. The most outstanding entertainment was The BB Kings Band in the Queens lounge. On Wed, when they would have a night off, it was truly dead on the ...