Our family (my wife, me, 3 adult children, daughter-in-law) choose Holland America because while we had wonderful experiences on Princess, Royal Caribbean, and NCL, we were looking for a little more service and luxury on Holland American. In particular, we wanted something a little less hustle-and-bustle, and great food. We got half of what we were looking for, and a few pleasant and one very unpleasant surprise.

First the good. The ship was beautiful - tastefully decorated and spotless. Room layouts were beautiful. Easy embarkation and disembarkation. We found the front-line service people (stewards, waiters, etc.) to be accommodating and very friendly. Food was wonderful, and actually exceeded our expectations. Excursions were life experiences (although I'd note that the Juneau dog sledding is very frequently cancelled due to weather).

Sounds wonderful, and these aspects were. Not withstanding this, we'd NEVER go on a Holland American cruise again. Read more