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Zaandam

Our 3rd cruise with HAL has us a bit concerned

Mykonos

We have only cruised 3 times with HAL, however each was 14+ days.  We were on the last Asia cruise before Covid, and the 1st one since Covid (ports in Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan).  Both on Westerdam.  However HAL is down trending for us.  

Preface:  Let me just say that running a cruise is a very difficult thing.  Nearly every guest on board has a unique need or request.  Staffing turn over has to be challenging.  Obtaining permits for entry in to countries, and making sure everyone makes it back to the ship, has to be hard.  Fixing broken things and overcoming unfortunate events (such as cancelled shore tours) has to be done.  Hiring talent to conduct shore adventures in all lands is probably hard.  Refunds, complaints, changes and the like all have to be handled.  Dealing with sick people, or those with medical conditions is a real thing.  They really want the voyage to be a memorable one.  But some times sacrifices have to be made.  Some times cuts have to be made in order to make it financially feasible.

Note:  Each time we have stayed in a "VA" Verandah (deck 6) cabin, which is only 1 upgrade below "Verandah Suite" level, which actually costs more than many suites.  Dead in the middle of the ship (fore/aft, top/bottom), this greatly effects the ride quality in rough seas (and there are many).

Advice:  If any part of your HAL cruise involves Japan, do not do it.  Yet (March 2023).  This alone created so many issues, delays, inconveniences, long lines, documentation pains, that I am putting it in it's own category.  HAL should not have sailed to Japan, especially these days as the country itself is still fighting off a major Covid problem.

THE VERY GOOD-

---- The whole ship works great.  Our room works great.  We hardly saw as much as a coffee machine malfunction the whole trip.  They put a lot of effort in to maintenance and it shows.  The Westerdam (a bit outdated by modern standards), they give the whole ship regular updates (long ship port maintenance stops).  Elevators, railings, doors, windows, panels, carpets, pools, hot tubs, tables, chairs, and every deck we spent time on.  All in ship shape.

---- The HAL phone app works great.  And it is getting better.  They are putting more time in software upgrades and updates, and it is a whole generation smarter than only 3 years ago.  You hardly need paper any longer.  Tickets, Daily planner, updates, special events, Internet management, even party-party communications.  All done electronically now.  We were constantly in the app doing everything, and it works perfectly.

---- The Staff.  These hard working men and women are the most curious, friendly, helpful and skilled people that you can imagine.  Room stewards, waiters, porters, room service, bar stewards, drink servers, and Lido deck table stewards and short order cooks.  All of them are very trained, and very good at doing their jobs.  The customer is #1.  It is a class act.  In our 3 tours, we have only seen 1 single issue and it was promptly handled with class by the deck manager.  On a whole, you are going to feel special on board, for sure.

---- The Cabin is a very functional space.  We had 2 huge suitecases and 2 large backpacks and somehow the Cabin space is so functional that we could have brought almost twice that due to under bed storage, and huge (modular) closets.  The bathroom space is perfect.  We have never had so much as a toilet or faucet malfunction.  Real hot water, real fast.  Nice beds (not soft) with good bedding and pillows.  The cabins have been improved.

---- The captain is still with the ship.  We have had the same captain over the past 6 years with HAL and he pilots a great ship.  He is always on top of things with daily announcements and providing information about the voyage that we wouldn't have otherwise known.  Such as informing us of Japan's highly ridiculous demands on our ships crew and passengers to wear Masks 100% of the time, etc.  Plus, it is nice knowing that we will probably not hit a rock!

---- The Internet package(s) are getting better.  Only 10 years ago, the internet on cruise ships was so slow you couldn't even surf, even with a package.  We found that the Premier package was good enough for us, even only having 1, and switching users.  It is cheaper than it used to be by about 40% in price too.  Also, some places (such as Captains lounge (Crows nest) work better than your actual room internet will.  I think they even offer internet for free now, although I can't tell you how good that works.  We always buy the medium one or Premier since we both do work off our laptops.

THE GOOD-

---- Shore Excursions are mostly great.  And they used to be better too.  They usually contract great busses, charters, tour guides, and book excellent locals which you would have great difficulty seeing on your own.  Still the case, we had a number of shore excursion let downs on this trip (detail below).  The EXC Central staff is usually great.  This tour our staff was mediocre at best.  But they have figured out 'tender' boats and how to disembark 500 patrons for various shore excursions very well.  

---- The food is good in the main dining room.  And some of the Lido food is edible too.  They still have 'Tea Time', which is not only tasty, but fun.  Their MDR 'Lunch' is some times better than their 'Dinner' menu.  The MDR enjoyment level is very high due to great floor staff and creative food entree's.  But they no longer have any Wine Sommeliers.  And we honestly both had stomach problems from MDR food on this trip (detail below).  The Burger bar (a In-N-Out Burger knock off) is good.  The Pho noodle bar is usually real good.  Snacks at Crows Nest are good, and the coffee there is even better.   We didn't eat the Pinnacle grill or Canaletto.  Still the food is good.  And sometimes variety is good too.  But the food is not what it was only 6 or 7 years ago.  You are going to have to pay extra for it.

---- The entertainment could be better.  They used to have more music lounges going at night (BB King, etc), however they only have one or two now.  Also they used to have the classical music performers (Lincoln Center) most all of the  time, however on this cruise they got on the boat mid-trip.  They used to have World Stage shows, and I am not sure they have any now.  

---- Still not a crowded boat.  We have never seen more than 2500 people on board during any cruise and this makes for a less crowded boat.  Not much lines for Main Dining Room, even though they still hand out a buzzer if you come at 7:00ish.  Most sign-up attractions (painting, origami, Dr. Kam's port orientations or Tai Chi lessons, cooking tips.  Never an issue getting a seat.  They don't have the "Culinary Council" any more, who used to hold cooking classes with tips for how to make better meals.  Even the pool area was never too packed, and pools and hot tubs were almost always available.  

THE NOT SO GOOD-

---- Tips.  Used to be only 10 dollars (per person), per day, mandatory tip to staff (Cabins, all stations, dining, etc).  Then it was $12.00, and this time it was $16.00.  That is 32.00 USD a day to tip.  On top of that they still have the sign off tab for all drinks (any of the bars) that still contain "Tip" spots to add more.  Plus, you will definitely be tipping tour guides for shore excursions, etc.  It adds up.  Coffee shops, Spa tips, etc.  It just goes up and up.

---- Dress Code.  It is going down hill.  Depending on how you look at this, however.  But people used to like packing a suite for dress up nights (pictures, dinners, special events, etc).  Not any longer.  It is so lax that you can see cut off T-Shirts and Flip Flops sitting the Main Dining Room, for "Captains Dinner".  The element is not pervasive, but it is getting more relaxed every time we cruise.  And they are allowing it in the MDR.  It might offend some.  We are seniors, but we still like to dress up. 

---- Drinks.  They way they handle drink packages (or any non-water/tea drink in general) is getting expensive.  Not only that, but you have to buy 2 of them, if there are two people staying in your cabin.  This could mean (for a 16 day cruise) a bill of $580.00 USD just for coffee and soft drinks.  Bump that up to $740.00 if you want alcohol.  And there are daily caps.  You probably won't cap out, but you might if you are extra thirsty.  Things like some Waters, chocolates, used to be free in Cabin.  Now there are $6.00 charges associated with these former free-bies.  And there is no warning.  You find out after you drink the water.  That is new.  Some of the beers (IPA's) were old.  I know, as I drink beer a good deal.  I know old beer.  And you can tell when an IPA has been sitting a year or two.

---- Costly or Underwhelming shore excursions.  HAL honestly makes hundred(s) per person on some shore excursions.  And even the simple ones (shuttle drops in town) are getting more costly.  We book the long excursions, and are often spending 150 - 250 or more per person on these.  And some (lately) are plain not worth it.  Bad busses, bad guides, or boring destinations.  Honestly we have had some of the most awesome excursions in the past with HAL.  These trips can often be memories for a lifetime.  However on this cruise, only 2 or 3 port excursions were truly memorable.  This has changed the way we look at shore excursions.

---- Towel Animals / Chocolates.  Used to show up in the room every evening.  Not any longer.  We only got 2 animals, and 4 chocolates on this entire last cruise (17 days).  They even used to hold Towel folding classes, so you could learn how to make all of the animals yourself.  Luckily I videotaped those old lessons.  Was part of the fun for us.

---- Queues Queues, and more Queues.  We only used to spend a couple of hours in various lines for things during the cruise.  This cruise we spent probably a combined 12 hours or more, standing in queues or filling out online paperwork.  No kidding.  Time we would rather have been doing something fun instead.

THE UGLY-

---- Japan.  Not the country or the people.  But how HAL handled this entire cruise, based solely on JAPAN.  This is not a complete list.  Just a summary of many things.  But in short, Japan apparently told HAL that if any passengers (or staff) caught Covid during the journey to Japan (17 days), then the ship would not be allowed to port at all.  This is what we were told.  What ensued was chaos...

..1)  Cannot board the ship without a proof negative test of Covid (per passenger) only 24 hours before embarkation.  This meant carrying Covid tests, and following a really messy app called (Verifly) to upload Passport and Covid shot history, with facial scanning, and a super strict Covid test proof photos, right before the cruise.  We spent hours on this.  And no one even looked at this before we boarded.  I can tell you that there was no way everyone did this prior to boarding.

..2)  Confiscated passports.  Because they didn't want anyone who "might" contract Covid, actually getting off the ship on their own, they took away everyone's passports.  Guess what?  We needed to fill out all kinds of detailed Passport and Covid certification forms and documentation for ports of Philippines, Taiway, and Japan, during the cruise, and nobody had their own passports!  Massive lines and confusion ensued.  This clogged up Guest Central for days on end.  Some lines went 1/4 down the length of the ship.  We didn't get our actual passports back until Japan.

..3)  Documentation.  Oh my Lord!  There was so much documentation needed for every single port.  There were huge lines all day long in World Stage to handle every single passenger (about 2500) and all STAFF, to have pictures, fingerprinting, interviews with each countries' shore agency, and documentation on Covid, personal info, and Passports the whole time.  Online apps (JapanWeb, and another), with long, complicated documentation and proof of citizenship and Covid shots).  One was for a port of Borocay, where nobody ended up even being allowed to leave the ship, due to large waves, and the Tender boats not being able to make it.  Plus, in ALL ports (Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan) nobody even looked at the proof of the documentation we filled out!  We spent 6-8 hours filling out documentation.

..4)  Masks!  The entire cruise.  You needed to wear a mask at all times on the ship.  The only time not, was eating and drinking.  I forgot my mask maybe a dozen times, and had to go back to get one, mostly due to changing my mask often.  Also Masks on all Busses and Shuttles!  For all excursions!  Mask ON Mask OFF.  Imagine wearing one, getting off a buss for a quick 200 meter climb up some stairs to a monument, coming right back to the bus exhausted, and needing to wear a mask at all times.  Suffocating.  Yes, 90% of all people in Tokyo wore masks.  But that is not the case in other Asian countries visited, nor is this what it is like in pretty much any other country in the world right now.

..5)  Japan Immigration.  Major delays at all Japan ports (Ishigaki, Okinawa, Yokohama) due to all kinds of documentation.  We went through 3 backpack scanners, and 3 passport checks in Okinawa (both ways) due to extra secure measures.  We are old, flabby, balding tourists, not terrorists.  Delaying tours, or shore plans even more.  We spent 2 hours trying to get off the ship in Ishigaki.  It was our first Japan port.  I guess they were extra nervous.

>>>>  Lax check in policy.  Instead of handing out room keys to passengers (as in years past), they just let everyone head right up to their room, grab their keys and docs, and set up shop themselves with luggage, etc.  The only problem?  Someone else took our room.  And so we SAT in a hallway on day 1, while another couple checked in (seeing our name on all of the documentation) to our room, moved in completely, and then went away to dance in some bar.  Fun.

>>>>  Double booking excursion(s).  Triple booking in our case.  They cancelled an excursion, and emailed everyone prior to the embark, allowing us to choose another excursion.  So we did.  Then, on the day of embark they obtained permission to have the excursion, and just auto-signed everyone that formerly booked on that excursion, up for it again.  Meaning us (and likely a hundred or two) others were now double booked for shore excursions that day.  Not only that, they kept charging is for the fiasco, and it took 4 trips and 3 hours to clear this up, since EXC Central (Julianne), and Guest Central couldn't figure this mess out.

>>>> Renting a 20 year old bus, with no windows in the back (20% of the bus seats), when conducting an expensive ($269.00 per person) and 2 hour long bus drive through the Japan countryside.  20% of the passengers didn't even have a window.  Imagine the tour guide saying, "now look left to see this..." or "now, on your right, see this..", as cameras hoisted up all over the bus as people struggle to get shots.  Imagine sitting in the back of this bus, where you cannot see ANYTHING.  Chaos ensued.  Passenger in-fighting, name calling, yelling, and angry mob really.  Not necessary.  For comparison sake, the busses used to shuttle cruise passengers in and out of town were almost brand new busses.  Why would HAL do this?

>>>> Dinners spiked with laxatives.  They had to be.  Even on a day where I almost ate nothing, after dinner (eating Hot and Sour Soup with some other Asian main course), I basically had no digestive system for the next 5 days.  My wife also had issues off and on the whole time too.  It's not like we were eating challenging street food at ports.  We were insanely careful with disinfecting our hands too.  We went through a CASE of wet-wipes, and used the hand sanitation ports at all places on the ship.  Still we both got sick on foods.  Stomach flu like I hadn't seen in 30 years.  Eating at the MDR.  All of this went away once we got to Japan and starting eating regular food there (like spicy 5-alarm ramen, chilis, and other great local Tokyo fare) for the next few days.  

I want to inform here.  I don't want to give the wrong idea.  But more actually went wrong.  I am just not listing it all.  It is a more fair question to ask about this latest cruise, "What went right on your cruise?".  But we are not totally phased.  Mostly because of how many hoops we had to jump through, in order to actually fly to Singapore early, and meet the ship to begin with. 

We will cruise with HAL again.  But they have a bunch of things to iron out, now that the Covid era is pretty much over with.  And they have some upcharge policies and extra charge features now, which used to be more "free".  There is less included now, than their used to be.  Maybe we need to spend $70.00 per person additionally and eat in the Pinnacle Grill more nights in order to get good, safe food.  Not sure.  They have time to work some of this stuff out.  Cruising is hard.  And there are lot of different people to try to satisfy during the voyage.

But we will be back.  We just won't look at things the same way next time.  

I apologize for the long read, but I hope this might help at least one person understand more about cruising with the Holland America Line

This was a special birthday gift for my husband it was bad no organisation after 2 hrs in Singapore immigration and booking in we got to ship to find another queue to hand in passports after another hr we were free they said they needed them for immigration to Phuket which was 2 days away dinner that night took 3hrs. 
In Phuket we were landed in an industrial area by tender very choppy and long when ashore taxi was 100 aud which we shared to get to civilisation, when we returned we waited 2 and a half hrs for a tender with about 500 people hot and sticky no water or ventilation or seats crew just stood chatting on phone. 
Dinner was a wait to be seated 1hr then told another hr went to buffet choice of stirfry or stirfry it closed at 8pm. 
We didn’t leave to Phuket next day neither did 85% of of the rest of people. 
We were tendered to other industrial ports with only penang anywhere decent. 
One port was an oil terminal they provided a shuttle to the port gate then there were 6 taxis charging 200aud each that’s just a snapshot of how bad it was entertainment was dire ballet, concert pianist, 3rd rate magician and 2nd rate singers no live music and lectures 2 nights. 
The piano players were not so good but the Rolling Stones bar was ok but after 11 nights samey. 
The food was bad hardly any choice and at dinner take a drink with you as no sommelier and it can take 45min to arrive if they get it right, I overheard does she know what she wants I cannot describe my feelings about this cruise the staff were 45%new by their admission and it shows. 
I could go on and on BAD

Worst cruise ever don’t waste your money 

Holland America changed the itinerary several times and the final one was not at all interesting.  The food was mostly mediocre and not up to the quality on Azamara, Princess, Cunard or Celebrity.  I was looking forward to America's Test Kitchen, but, alas, it was not on board.  There were no professional lectures and the man who did the Thailand history lesson was very poor.  The tender experience in Phuket was awful.  The ship kept running out of things during the short (11-day) cruise:  Nathan's hot dogs (the website promotes Nathan's and I was extremely disappointed that by day three of the cruise they were gone), Coke Zero, tonic water.  We booked the Italian dinner at Canaletto, but when we arrived for our reservation, the food was pan-Asian.  There should have been a notice that they were changing cuisines (I was quite unhappy, paying for an Italian meal and not receiving one).  There were far too many PA announcements. Why do they have to do generator tests TWICE during an 11-day cruise?  Why do all the announcements for the three crew safety drills have to be made in our cabins--it's very disturbing.  The ship is rather dated and could use some updating.

On the positive side, the Signature Suite cabin I booked was great.  The crew were friendly and very helpful.  The Lincoln Center Stage quartet was very good indeed.

Disappointing

To resume pre-Covid travel, we decided to take up an attractive 2 week fly/cruise package departing Singapore. Having previously sailed on Cunard and Celebrity we sought out a different cruise line,HAL, which was scheduled to visit approx 6 interesting Asian ports. This proved to be a huge mistake.

Amongst the few positive aspects of the line's Westerdam ship is it quirky, modern art deco interior. Most of its physical facilities (main theatre, dining room, 2 pools, gym etc) are fit for purpose, although the sauna is tiny. Our cabin attendants were helpful and, once seated, the serving staff in the dining areas (MDR and Lido) were generally responsive, if a little slow (or over-worked) at times. The (included) wifi worked most of the time and the basic drinks package provided (barely) adequate choice of average quality wines, although draft beer was hard to find.

However, our cruise experience was affected by many shortcomings and disappointments:

1) The initial itinerary was shortened by 2 sets of changes (including the 2nd only a few days from embarkation) which resulted in several fewer stops.

2) Embarkation involved 3 hours of queuing - including a 1 hour line on board to drop off your passport!

3) Again, the Westerdam's obsession with making passengers queue was in evidence during the first few nights when if you arrived at the Main Dining Room around 7 pm you were told to wait until called and then given a buzzer. You soon learnt to arrive either early (6 pm)  or late (8pm)!

4) And if you became tired of waiting (and hungry), you could always resort to eating upstairs in the Lido buffet which (not so conveniently) closed every evening at 8.15 pm. Unbelievable.

5) The evening, and indeed daily, entertainment were limited - unless you like Bingo, gambling, dance classes, classical music performances and other dreary nursing-home type activities. The R&B group playing loud in the "Rolling Stones Lounge" was the only musical highlight, although their set list of blues and soul became a bit repetitive. We attended 3 evening shows in the World Theatre which were ininspiring - a clasical pianist, a musicology performance and a magician doing tricks suitable for a kids birthday party.

6) Few enrichment activities and virtually no in-house movies were offered. The port presentations by the Cruise Director provided only basic information about the upcoming destinations and few details about domestic transport options (eg taxis) and sightseeing.

7) Tendering to the first 2 ports (Phuket and Langkawi) were a nightmare - Guests had to wait 1 to 2 hours  to access one of the only 4 tenders operating, both from and back to the ship. Therefore, many hours were wasted in each of these 2 ports simply with the logistics of getting off/on the ship. The natives were getting restless!

8) If you become sick, as I did, be aware of the exorbitant charges for basic pharmaceuticals dispensed in the Medical Centre.

Finally, as other recent guests have commented - the number of hospitality and entertainment staff on the ageing Westerdam appear to have been heavily pared back eg no specialist wine waiters are available, there is only 1 staff member allocated to make breakfast toast on a faulty toaster and only 1 or 2 staff to cook eggs etc.

In short, this was probably our worst cruise experience during the past decade.

Our First and Last Cruise on HAL Westerdam

I love Holland America more than ever! 

The first two weeks of the journey visiting Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam were spectacular! 

Then the (Coronavirus) hit the fan - and changed everything. 

We became a ship without a port after leaving Hong Kong. It was a terrible situation for our ship's captain and crew, and all of us travelers onboard, especially first time cruisers. 

They did everything possible to help us eventually disembark in Cambodia, the only country that would let us in. Personally I loved our 11 days or so at sea, and actually felt we were kept safe from exposure to the Corona virus.  The entire crew and staff on the ship and then in Cambodia were awesome.  We became a floating global village at sea.  The crew went above and beyond the call of duty as did the entertainers (except for one disgruntled comedian) 

I have done many many media interviews since disembarking in Cambodia, being put up in a 4 star hotel all expenses paid and being tested for the dreaded COVID-19 virus.  

Orlando Ashford, president of HAL, flew out to Phnom Penh  and then to the port where staff and some passengers were still awaiting test results and reservations to get home. It was an honor to meet him.  

We are very privileged to be able to take such exotic cruises, and being refugees at sea for less than two weeks, hopefully instilled some compassion and understanding of the millions of refugees all over the world that don't have a luxury liner protecting them from harm. 

I cannot say enough about what a great job HAL did under the circumstances.  World travel is unpredictable and real travelers know to expect the unexpected, embrace some uncertainty and roll with the changes. 

I feel blessed to have been part of this experience.  We will never forget.  Maybe someday we will get to visit Japan.  

Many thanks to the Westerdam Staff and Crew! Cheers to my fellow passengers.  

Deep bow- Namaste

We survived and thrived on the Ship without a port odyssey

We booked the first 16 days of the Far East Discovery because of the amazing itinerary and we were not disappointed. From Singapore to Hong Kong, every port had something wonderful to offer. This was our 8th cruise and our first on Holland America.

Unfortunately, the embarkation was horrible.  We had a 12:00 check in but had to wait about two hours in the cruise terminal before we could check in. We were denied access to the Orange Club line because it wasn’t printed on our cruise documents and by the time we checked in and then straightened out the Orange Club situation, it was 3:00 and we were hungry. Luckily, the hamburgers out by the pool are delicious, but we were pretty upset that we spent our first day onboard straightening out problems and waiting for service.  Luckily, the cruise improved after that.

Cabin

Our cabin was 7147, an aft verandah cabin.  It was very spacious with a comfortable bed, a couch with a table, and a desk. The shower was in a small bathtub and was much more roomy than what we’ve experienced on other ships. There was plenty of storage, oodles of hangers, and nice verandah chairs with footstools.  With a large TV, access to a few tv stations and many movies, it was a comfortable place to hang out on sea days or when tired. Our steward kept us well supplied with ice and fresh towels throughout our cruise.

Ship Activities and Entertainment

The public spaces are very comfortable, with nice chairs and comfortable bar areas.  The Gallery Bar is especially pretty. The drinks in the bars were not especially good, even a basic dirty Vodka martini just didn’t taste right and the glasses never matched the drinks appropriately. It was weird. Luckily, we had pre-ordered a bottle of vodka and some tonic so our best drinks were those we mixed in our cabin for the first week of the cruise. During the second week, we took advantage of Happy Hour when you can get two identical drinks by paying for the first and just $2 for the second.  

We were disappointed with the activities and entertainment aboard.  It seems that Holland caters to an older crowd than we are used to and the only “fresh” entertainment every night was the chamber music in the Lincoln Center, which was always well attended. We hoped to find BB King’s Blues Club to be a regular stop, but after a few nights it seemed the program didn’t vary much and since each set was only a half hour, we found ourselves going there less and less. 

We did enjoy the wine tastings and were disappointed when the third wine tasting that had the best wines was cancelled due to a low turnout caused by conflicting popular activities. The port talks were very good but you had to arrive early because the theater was filled every time. We wanted to experience the test kitchen where the chef was preparing local dishes, but never could find a seat. It was immensely popular. I was hoping for a little more destination related travel and we did enjoy the Thai dancing, even though it was only a half hour.

One of our favorite days was the day we booked a cabana. We arrived after breakfast to find that the cabana attendant would have served us that too!  We were able to enjoy the heat of the day while lounging around reading and playing on the internet. The attendant brought us lunch and also some fruit and Prosecco in the afternoon. Only about four cabanas were booked so we had the deck almost to ourselves. It was very relaxing.

Dining

We ate most of our meals in the Main Dining Room. Each meal was beautifully presented and there was always a choice of fish, chicken, red meat, and pasta, with two or three choices of some on many nights. Most dinners were prepared with sauces and by the end of the cruise, I was yearning for some simpler fare. The breads were especially delicious. We took advantage of the Cellar Packages and found #1 to have enough good wines to meet our needs at a wonderfully reduced price compared to buying a bottle at a time.

We had one meal at the Pinnacle Grill on the Rudi’s Sel de Mer night. The food was very good, but honestly, the service in the MDR was much more attentive.  We enjoyed our special night and decided to stick with the dining room after that.

We ate a few lunches and breakfasts in the buffet. There was a huge selection and everything we ate was very tasty. It was hard to keep a full cup of coffee in the morning and a lot of tables sat empty with dirty dishes. The atmosphere just wasn’t that great.

Our favorite thing was room service breakfast. The menu was very large and we had to stop ourselves from overeating! As part of the Orange Club, the choices included mimosas and smoothies and we took advantage of both several times.

Orange Club

We were offered a discount on the Orange Club the week before the cruise and we decided to try it.  As already mentioned, it was a bit of a trial to get the recognition and appropriate key card. The first night we did not get the Orange Menu in the dining room. (I think a lot of the crew were new.) We didn’t have robes in our room. No one seemed to know about the welcome glass of bubbly.  It seemed like no one knew what the Orange Club was all about and we had to advocate pretty heavily for ourselves. 

But after the first day we enjoyed our in-room breakfast choices, ate in our Orange Club robes, used the Orange Club priority lines at Guest Services and the MDR, and were treated very well. Most nights we were seated at a window and the host remembered us by name and room number within three days. We only tried one or two of the Orange Club dinners because the choices on the main menu were so good. We were also treated to a tour of the galleys and store rooms which were amazing. For a first time Holland Guest, it gave us a few of the perks more frequent cruisers enjoy. It was nice.

Ports and Excursions

Singapore

We arrived three days before the cruise which gave us some time to adjust to the time change. We stayed at the Amoy Hotel near Chinatown which offered an airport pickup. It was just across the street from an MRT station and was the perfect spot to explore Singapore. Glad we took the three days.

Nathon (Koh Samui), Thailand

We booked the EXC Explore Buddhist Temples tour which included four different stops at Buddhist temples, each quite different. At the Big Buddha there was an opportunity for some shopping, some of the best of the whole trip. It was a great introduction to Buddhism in Thailand.

Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand

We were here for two days and quite a few people took advantage of the opportunity to stay overnight in Bangkok, which is nearly two hours from the port. We did not.  The first day we took the EXC Hidden Treasures with Tuk Tuk tour because I wanted to see the large reclining Buddha. We also visited other temples and Elizabeth Hall. The tuk tuk ride was surprisingly fun. The tour included a lunch of pad thai and other Thai foods. Delicious!

The second day we booked the EXC Footsteps of Pad Thai tour that took us into the Nam Tan Sat village, a sugar palm plantation where we watched the farmer scale the palm tree, the Golden Temple with a Standing Buddha, the Wat Pho Bang Kla temple with bats, an organic Botanical Garden with delicious Thai snacks (practically a meal), and a cooking demonstration for Pad Thai and Papaya Salad. It was a super busy day which also included a ride in a long tail boat from the Golden Temple to Wat Pho Bang Kla. We really felt like we saw some authentic Thai life on this tour and were happy to support the local businesses.

Tip: Carry toilet paper. The bathrooms do not have it.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

This top was both the best and the worst. We took a cooking class I found on TripAdvisor and with only two of us in the class, we had four hours to talk with the chef and learn all about life in Cambodia in a very intimate way.  On the other hand, Sihanoukville as a city is a mess and the tuk tuk ride to the class was bumpy and very uncomfortable. I wouldn’t do anything in Sihanoukville without a tour. 

Phu My (Saigon), Vietnam

We booked a private tour with ITourVietnam and it was fantastic. Part Foodie Tour and part History Tour, we were treated to sights, sounds, and tastes all day long. It was a chance to really get into the market and check “eating pho in Vietnam” off the bucket list.

Nha Trang, Vietnam

We took the EXC Cooking Class in Nha Trang which included a chance to learn to make spring rolls, banana flower salad, and cabbage package soup before we ate the chef prepared lunch of the same dishes.  In addition, we got to walk through a dry and wet market (very quickly!) and see some Cham art at the resort where the class was held. 

DaNang, Vietnam

This was a two day stop so the first day I booked a tour from TripAdvisor that included My Son, the Marble Mountain, and the Lady Buddha.  It was a lot of walking and climbing, probably our most intensely physical day. We stopped for noodles at a local shop and they were delicious. 

The second day we joined a Cruise Critic group for Hoi An, the Marble Mountain, and the Cham Museum. Hoi An was primarily an opportunity for shopping and we skipped going into the Marble Mountain since our thighs were still sore from the day before.  The Cham Museum was incredibly interesting and really added to our understanding of what we had seen the first day.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

This was our favorite port. We joined a Cruise Critic group and spent the entire day cruising the beautiful karsts. We also saw a remote fishing village and a pearl farm which were both very interesting.  After the hustle and bustle of all the surprisingly large cities of the Far East, this opportunity for relaxation and nature was a real treat.

Hong Kong

I had booked a hotel near the airport so we took advantage of the EXC Hong Kong Tour with Airport Transfer.  Disembarkation was very easy and well organized. The tour itself wasn’t really very good, but it did give us a chance to see Victoria Peak and Aberdeen. The fishing village was really just a marina around the Jumbo restaurant and the jewelry factory was a jewelry store where we were trapped for about a half hour.

After being dropped at the airport, we took the Novotel Citygate shuttle to the hotel, which was great. The hotel is connected to the Citygate mall and also provided easy access to the transportation hub of Lantau Island. We stayed two nights and made the trip up to Tian Tan (Big Buddha), which made for a perfect final day.

Summary

Our first cruise with Holland was a success, primarily because the itinerary was so interesting. The service aboard was fantastic and we were able to name several of our favorites in our survey because they provided such great service. The rooms were comfortable; the food was good. Even still, we probably we wait a few years before we cruise Holland again so that we can age into what they offer. For now, we still like a ship with a little more vibrancy.

Great itinerary, wonderful service

We chose this Asian cruise due to the itinerary (Ha!!)and visiting Vietnam was on our bucket list.  Despite the Coronavirus situation, we thought the cruise was awesome.The Captain, cruise director, hotel director..and the entire crew were amazing.  The passengers were kept informed of the ongoing changing situation and everyone ( passengers, as well as crew) became one big family supported each other.  Holland America handled the situation in a very caring, professional manner. I have cruised over 50 times with various cruise lines, but after this experience with Holland America, I will be loyal to Holland A.  Our cabin attendants, dining room waiters, dining room host were very attentive.  The Entertainment in the main showroom was fine, BBKing lounge routine got very repetitious( same sets every evening).  The cruise director, Jamie, was the best we have ever had.  Holland America followed up with passengers due to the virus situation after passengers were back home which was a great policy.

Holland America was awesome despite a very difficult situation.

This was the 3rd HAL cruise we had taken, and an excellent experience. All ship's amenities were beyond expectation. Any mechanical issue, such as a banging door on the veranda, were taken care of immediately. Our cabin steward, Gede, was superbly attentive to our requests and needs. The dining room staff which included our waiter, Antoni, his assistant waiter, Ferry, and our wine steward, Joseph, were professional and not obsequious. Very knowledgeable and helpful with regards to our individual eating habits and requirements. The Neptune Lounge was an added perk, and one worth the money. Sarah and John were always ready to lend a hand. They were a joy to work with. Our only complaint would be the unnecessary need to stop and shop at gem and jewelry shops at the end of an excursion. The added excursion to Angkor Wat, Cambodia, was the most spectacular addition to our cruise. The accommodations were excellent and the guide, Savi, could not have been better. Easy to understand, knowledgeable, and most helpful.

HAL Far East Discovery was excellent discovery

Booked this cruise for its itinerary to asia. Rooms are bigger than usual but Westerdam is smaller than other ships we have sailed with so we felt more rocking at sea. Service was excellent, our safe stopped working and they sent someone to fix it within 5 minutes. Food in the dining room was very good and much better than the Lido buffet. Pizza was good but pasta and lasagna were terrible in the Lido buffet. Entertainment and activities were geared towards an older crowd. The Westerdam's shore excursions in Halong Bay and Da Nang were very good but expensive. We did taxi tours in other ports because they were half the price of Westerdam's shore excursions. We also pre-booked a tour in Phu My port going to Vung Tau and Minh Dam mountain with Zoom from dungzoom@gmail.com which turned out to be way better than any of Westerdam's shore excursions and at less than half the price. Not only did Zoom provide free bottled water , but his tour was flexible and did not stop at any unwanted jewelry/art shops. Westerdam's shore excursions did not provide free bottled water (ship charged $5USD for a bottle of water), and made unwanted stops at overpriced jewelry/art shops. Zoom's tour was the best of all the tours we went on. The worst tour that we went on was the Hong Kong tour and airport transfer offered by Westerdam. It only made two stops at tourist sites for less than half an hour each. At the second site, we were told that we would have to pay extra for the taxi boat ride. Then it made a stop at an overpriced jewelry store for an hour. That was our whole tour! We weren't too happy that we paid $99USD per person to be forced to waste an hour of our time at an overpriced jewelry store. We spent more time at the jewelry store than we did at any tourist site. We would've done much better had we taken a taxi.

Spacious ship

Have been on HAL cruises before and wanted to see some Asian ports. Would not recommend cabin 4166 if you are inclined to suffer seasickness. This ship was very clean and staff were cheerful and helpful. Our cabin stewards were outstanding and the well trained dining room staff always make sure your dining is enjoyable. Also,The Pinnacle is well worth the extra expense for at least one night. Didn't have one meal that wasn't of a high standard and am missing being spoiled now that we are home!

We thought the entertainment was very good, especially the singers and dancers. Didn't expect the comedian to be as good as he was...a very pleasant surprise.Billboard on Board had two very talented people and BB King's Blues Club has a great band of eight.  On port days there wasn't as much entertainment but we were tired after excursions so didn't really mind. Disappointed there is no longer a decent library on board.

Jeremy's presentations of what to do in the ports, along with the history of the area, is very informative. We did some HAL tours and some independently organised  tours. There are for and against for both, but the ship's tours are more expensive than they should be, so check out other options before you book.

Our embarkation time was well after lunch so we were not happy with that and once on board we had the emergency drill so it felt like the day was wasted. This cruise we used the gym and participated in the stretching classes as well. Other interesting activities included flower arranging and of course the very popular America's Test Kitchen.

We are already looking at where we would like to cruise to next, and yes, it will be on HAL.

 Staff really made the cruise enjoyable

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