17 of us took this cruise together to celebrate my brother's 50th. While I have traveled (and even lived) all over the world and I love to travel, I had never been on a cruise and was a little nervous. I LOVED it! It was so much fun!
I was in a balcony cabin (smallest one) and it was perfect for me and with one other person at times. I was the only one in my room, but thought it was very roomy ...
It has been several years, cruises and cruise lines since we were on board a HAL ship, 2016 to be exact. We chose this trip primarily because of the time frame, pricing and lazy itinerary. Had not been on the Oosterdam, and it did have Key West in the itinerary, always a favorite stop for us. We departed from Port Everglades, utilizing a nearby parking lot not directly on port property to save a ...
My husband and I have cruised on Holland America a few times. The last two were to the Caribbean although our previous trip was on a different ship. This cruise was wonderful. We loved the ports, the excursions, the crew, the other passengers, and the relaxing atmosphere.
We remember the food being much tastier and more exotic in the past. This cruise had good food, but not fantastic food ...
We chose this cruise because the itinerary fit our spring break schedule. The ship was very nice and well maintained. Customer service was excellent. The food was very good and dining staff were excellent! The waiter was very accommodating to our 8 year old grandson and even made him an origami animal each night, showed him magic tricks and made sure he had something to eat from the kids menu ...
Our family (children and grandchildren) & friends eagerly anticipated HAL with its elegant charm and service for us oldies. HAL did extremely well on service, food, cabins, and efficiency on board. Our group enjoyed the cruise and our expectations were exceeded. We had a wonderful table and staff on Deck3 and Rudy's Fish premium dining to celebrate our 52 Wedding Anniversary. Compared to ...
This was out first cruise so we were not sure what to expect. We had heard from our friends that Holland America was a very elegant and relaxing cruise line... and they were right! We loved having a relaxing atmosphere. The staff around the ship was extremely friendly and polite. Our stateroom stewards would greet us by name, even when they saw us out and about on the ship! They always asked how ...
Main Dining: food only poor to average. Always sauced up. Not very tasty. Not enough fresh fruit desert options or healthy entrees. Husband found the food poor. The only place to get a decent steak is to pay for the extra restaurants. Breakfast was pretty predictable, and closed early (9:00). I miss the smoked fish appetizers, fresh vegetables, and nice portion of fish or chicken for an ...
Ship was dated and not attractive. Very crowded because it was spring break so lesson for me don't cruise the Caribbean during the March/April time frame. Cabin was verandah on the 8th deck and noise came from decks above and below us. Complained to HAL since I asked if this would be noisy and was assured no prior to booking - gave me a $150 credit when I complained. Cabin was not cleaned ...
We booked this cruise with 2 other couples to celebrate 2 Birthdays and for the itinerary which included 4 port days. This is our 7th cruise on Holland America. We had praised up our previous cruises and the quality of service, cuisine and attention to detail with our friends. It soon became apparent, that this cruise was not going to compare in any way with our previous experiences.
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My wife and I are 3* HAL loyalists. We have gone a winter Caribbean cruise every year for the last 25 years or so. Over the last 15 years we have only sailed on HAL as we enjoy the traditional cruising style of HAL as opposed to the mega-ship vibe.
We chose the Oosterdam western cruise this year. Have not been on the Oosterdam previously but have been on Zuiderdam and most classes of ...