My friend and I were on Rotterdam last February and loved it. We want the "mature" passengers of Holland so this itinerary looked perfect for this year's birthday cruise.
We originally booked a verandah on deck 4. We were offered an upgrade about 3 weeks out which we did not take, again the next week, and finally we were offered a third upgrade and we took it ($559 per person to upgrade to a ...
Delbert McClinton's Sandy Beaches Cruise XXVII....really enjoyed this ship! Boarding was a breeze, as was our debark on the last day. Our cabin was only an ocean view and on Deck 1, but OMG, it was really roomy and comfy. We usually get balconies and really don't use them, so just the window was perfect. Our cabin stewards, Putu and Tri were awesome! So friendly, efficient and took care of us all ...
After several cruises on other lines and a long time with no cruises at all, we were so happy to be back on a 'dam ship again. Just as we remembered, Holland America Line is the best. We had a wonderful cruise, in large part due to the excellent staff on board. We were pampered at every step and treated like long lost friends. The food has always been good on HAL and this cruise it was better than ...
This was a chartered cruise. We went for the entertainers. I believe there were 1600 passengers and 850 crew. No one got sick. Ship was spotless.staff was excellent. The food which is usually sumptuous was not that great. It was OK but not up to HAL standards. Embarking and getting off was smooth for us. We were docked at pier 26. Nice terminal and very well organized. Still don't approve of ...
First of all, if you are cruising during this time you need to be flexible. Itineraries and protocols change regularly. We are experienced cruisers (10+) in our early 40s with a 6 year old. This was our first time on HA but one of our best cruises yet. We picked HAL because of its fairly strict Covid measures (almost no vax exemptions, masking, testing etc). We originally booked a balcony on ...
Our group of 17 had a delightful cruise aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam last week.
The ship was very clean and well maintained. I had been on her before and knew I was a fan, and this trip confirmed it. Easy layout and just the right size. There are some places with wear, but nothing major (the old carpet in the spa area comes to mind). The ship was less than half full, and boy does this spoil you! ...
We booked this cruise through a tour website thinking, by December, we would be in better shape regarding covid. This is not the case but we proceeded to take the cruise anyway. HAL handled boarding really well. Boarding was scheduled so no crowding. We were on board in less than 10 minutes and our luggage wasn’t far behind. There was plenty of storage, a roomy shower/bath combination and the ...
This was our third cruise, and first on a Holland Ship. It was awesome...from the weather, entertainment (you must book a Malt Shop if you are in that age group), the crew, and the food. The buffet and regular dining could not have been better. In addition we ate at the Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto Restaurants, which in my opinion were a bit disappointing. A special shout out to the crew...always ...
We sailed on HA from San Diego through the Panama Canal departing on 10/06/21 on Nieuw Amsterdam which was the continuation of the ship's Alaska cruises that marked HA return to North American cruises after pandemic. While the cruise was certainly a decent value there were some issues that made it less so than the same trip on HA in 2018. Most notably are the surcharges on food in the dining room ...
First a little background. We have cruised many times and sail with various mainstream cruise lines, although Holland America has come to be our favorite. We were really missing being at sea and were excited when we heard that Holland America would resume sailing in Alaska. Of course, we were also nervous about mask and test requirements and just in general nervous about getting out there ...