We were in a veranda stateroom on deck 5, and our cabin steward could not do enough for us. The dining room servers were top notch as well - always calling us by name, knowing what our choices would be, and so on.
The entertainment, however, was mediocre. The ship's dancers were just OK, and the singers fell flat. The Cruise Director (Kearan) was great but there were, including himself, only 3 ...
Just been on the southern Caribbean 10 day cruise and it was awesome. The ship is catered for the old folks and the food is better than other Cruises, but entertainment not as great. HAL allows smoking on the cabins which is the prime reason I like HAL. Excursions are plentiful but pricy if you book from Hal. On most ports you are better off just going to peer and there is lots of tour operators ...
This was our first cruise on Holland America. We have been on Celebrity and Princess enough to earn top status. The cabins stewards, waiters and all the crew were excellent. Overall we felt the food was good in both the dining room and the buffet. We had no complaints. Some reviews indicated the entertainment was not up to par but we felt that the entertainment was on a par with other cruise ...
Embarkation, information about the new Muster Drill requirements, service throughout the ship, food served in the Lido Restaurant as well as the Dining Room, and most of the entertainment available was excellent. Hot soups served in the Dining Room often were steaming and were delicious.
My Wine Steward was Anthony: a more joyfull and knowledgable one I have ever had.
Good Cabin Stewards and an ...
I traveled alone for this cruise and it was my first one. I enjoyed every minute of my time in the Caribbean, so much so that I am traveling with my boyfriend in January on the Koningsdam to the Caribbean. Looking forward to the new ship and am sure that we won't be disappointed! I had a balcony cabin and have one booked for this trip as well. The extra that is does cost is more than worth ...
This was the 11th cruise for my husband and I, the 9th with Holland America; we are 3-star Mariners.
We had a good time, but there were things missing from this cruise that have been normal on previous HAL cruises. Our last cruise was a year and a half before this one, maybe all HAL cruises have changed in that 18-month period. If so, that is unfortunate.
1. There was no Chocolate ...
Stayed at FL Embassy Suites precruise. Always stay there because we like the way all the stores and many restaurants are within 3 blocks each way of the hotel. We learned not to take the huge transfer bus to the port. People sit around the lobby just waiting to be herded on this large tour bus with luggage piled all over the parking lot - takes forever. We take a taxi or a small transport van ($8 ...
While the Noordam feels behind in her maintenance and refurbishment, the same level of outstanding cabin and Vista service remains. Issues upon embarkation regarding luggage delivery were resolved after several attempts (including personal visit to Front Office where misleading information was claimed as the reason for the delay, followed by phone call to Corporate HQ in Seattle which brought ...
(Please note I put this full review in the HAL boards with many photos.) Mom is a four star Mariner who had cruised for decades. She hadn't been for the last two years due to various health issues that make it difficult for her to travel alone. So I volunteered to go with her (twist my arm) , picked HAL because that was her favorite line, and chose the 10 day Southern Caribbean Seafarer because ...
Just back from a 10 day voyage aboard the ms Noordam. The ship went from Ft. Lauderdale and back. We had stops in Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, and the ABC Islands with 3 sea days. Over all my husband and I were pleased with the ship. We think the Holland ships are classy. Not to start off with a negative....BUT, the one negative we found (and we knew this going in) was people ...