I should preface this review by saying that even a bad cruise isn't totally bad. On the other hand, I haven't done a Carnival Cruise in a while (ha).
4 out of my last 5 cruises have been on Holland America but this Zaandam cruise was (by far) the worst.
My first cabin was 1882 on the Dolphin deck. On the first night of the cruise the seas became a bit rough and we began to hear this loud ...
After many years of travelling to exciting destinations to celebrate special occasions, we were challenged to come up with a really special trip to celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary. We have sailed on Holland America many times, so our first thought was to explore possible itineraries on one of their ships. It didn't take us long to settle on a 14 day cruise to Hawaii from San Diego. ...
SO much to tell after two weeks! I'll try not to be ridiculously verbose...
We sailed out of San Diego. This is a great port to cruise in and out of. The airport and the cruise terminal are so close together, and many hotels between the two have free shuttles. We stayed at both the Hampton Inn (Downtown) and the Holiday Inn on the Bay. Both were great, with the only exception being the ...
Embarkation: We boarded the Zaandam in San Diego. Boarding was fast and efficient. We arrived at the pier around noon and were in our cabin by 12:30. The staff both on shore and on board were very helpful.
Stateroom:
We were in cabin 2603 (center, starboard side). As with previous HAL ships, the stateroom was roomy and comfortable. Our cabin was not particularly clean.. This was ...
We chose this cruise because of all the days at sea. Titled "Hawaii Circle Cruise" the emphasis is definitely on cruise rather than Hawaii. Though we enjoyed our time in the islands, we spent more time getting there (and back) than touring. We knew this going in and were ready for the relaxation cruising affords-- no phones, no internet (unless you want it) and no TV. No access to work ...
My husband and I went on a cruise in late March 2011 with Holland America from San Diego, California to Hawaii and back to San Diego. The cruise was great, very relaxing, great food and great entertainment. The ship was clean and it continued to be cleaned throughout the cruise. Our room was clean, spacious and with plenty of drawers and closet space. Our ship crew was always polite and ...
As a seasoned cruiser, never again on Holland America.Huge banging all through the night. We were told at the end of the cruise the whole front hull was buckling and banging. Room service was always late and wrong, toast came bread not toasted.Formal dinning rm food bland and tasteless. Entertainment not entertaining, seen better acts at high school.New entertainment director was constantly asking ...
Embarkation was a breeze; arrived at terminal before 11:30 a.m. and was on board by noon. The cabin was available by 1:00 p.m. We had an ocean view cabin on deck 1. It was clean, comfortable and well maintained. The only problem (toilet failed to flush one morning) was taken care of promptly. Being on the lower deck does have some drawbacks when it comes to accessing the public areas. We got a lot ...
A relative drove us to the port and our bags were collected. We entered the terminal, filled out a form, and waited for our number to be called before boarding. It took about one-half hour.
We boarded the ship and had lunch in the Lido. We ate breakfast and lunch at the Lido every day except for the "Mariner" special lunch in the Rotterdam dining room one day. We liked sitting "outside". The ...
This was our third HAL cruise. We went into San Diego one night early. We stayed at the Bay Club Hotel & Marina, which is on Shelter Island. December is an especially nice time to stay at the here because of the marina and many of the boats are decorated for Christmas. The Bay Club has a lovely view anytime, but especially nice in December. They also provide a complimentary full breakfast buffet, ...