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Holland America Line

Family Cruises

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Romantic Cruises

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Venice

Barcelona

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

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Europe - All

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Europe - Eastern Mediterranean

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Excellent

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Terrible

Nieuw Amsterdam

Oosterdam

Eurodam

Westerdam

Zuiderdam

Noordam

Rostock (Warnemunde)

Venice was nice hotel good location, thought the ship was gorgeous food lovely sometimes cold , waiters great and room attendants too we went Holland America because it was our 38 yrs anniversary and loved the itinerary we had been to Florence, Rome, piza,before but wanted to go to Dubrovnik which we did and had a great day we were looking forward to Corfu,kotor,lovorna we did not get to see them ports mind you our ship was moured next to the oceana p/0 and our friends text us and said they had got to lovorna ,the captain said they were storms,yes they were storms in kotor but not in Corfu and lovorna we understood he made a dicision not to go because of storms,the captain went at 3 30am if he had gone his normal time of 8am he would of got in these ports,we were fuming and angry and others from Australia Canada and America were also angry they had come half way round the world to see these ports food in the lido was just ok but we could not get our own food either they served you I like to get wot I want on a cruise and not keep asking. Can I have more food on my plate,it wasn't on it was our first time on Holland n America and our last, I also think it's wrong you can't get rid of paying tips we like to give people they tips who have give us great service like our room attendants also our waiters and bar service we put money in envelopes and give them it on the last nite.geting back to entertainment it was a laugh we saw the dancers three times and were rubbish,we went in blues bar and they were just ok then we went in one bar and we had a pre dinner drink he had charged us twice we were only in 20 mins so we we got that sorted off our bill,the matae Dee they called him Afton,and the two waiters who served us called Kember,Ackmad were fantastic they cudnt do enough for us thanks guys,also our room attendants Kandal,Poni fabulous not forgetting beauti. ,fully bar girl called Belinha always smiling n joking thanks very much I really don't think this ship can go through storms this was our 10 th cruise pls don't book this cruise that's all I have to say.

Disappointing

Yes, we lost three ports early in the cruise, but most people understood that the captain was doing what he thought was correct for our and the crews safety. I'm sure that HAL would much rather go to a port and increase revenue through excursions, give crew a chance to rest and not have everyone onboard and try to entertain them while fighting the weather. Negative reviewers should also attest that HAL issued everyone a generous future cruise credit because of the situation.

Now for a review of the ship, amenities and crew. The decor is a little understated for sure, but welcome over some of the over the top design of other ships. We thought overall the food was good to very good. The Lido Buffet had good selection for lunch and the Dive-In section for hamburgers and hot dogs was well received. Dinner in the Main Dining Room had a decent but not great selection each night, the food was always well presented and prepared.

The Pinnacle Grill was excellent as was the Tamarind, we ate in these multiple times. The Canaletto restaurant, really shouldn't be considered a specialty restaurant. It is actually a small glassed in section of the Lido buffet. The meal there was our least enjoyable of the cruise.

Having sailed with many cruise lines, mostly Celebrity (Elite Status), I can absolutely say that the crew on the Nieuw Amsterdam was in the top 3 of all our cruises. to the person they always smiled, greeted you and in many cases remembered our names.

We did not go to the showroom much but enjoyed the singers in BB Kings revue very much.

After our early disappointments we very much enjoyed the rest of the trip, with stops in Palma Mallorca, Alicante and Cartagena Spain and Gibraltar.

Every cruise is what you make of it and a chance to meet new people and learn different cultures. 

Overall seeing an itinerary that interests us, we would definitely sail with HAL again.

Disappointed, but Still Good Time

This was our 1st Holland America Cruise.  The Nieuw Amsterdam was a very nice ship and not too glitzy. The communal rooms and bars were all very nice but in general walking around the ship was cold and we required a sweater or cardigan. The stateroom was a reasonable size, plenty of storage with extra drawers under the bottom of the bed and plenty of room for the suitcases under there too.  It was great having a bath and overhead shower and if I could take that and put it in a Princess Cruise ship that would be perfect. 

We missed having the small café area where at lunchtime you could have a filled croissant or a small sandwich plus a nice cake. There were some available at the Library but on a much smaller scale. Our stateroom overlooked the top of the lifeboats and I would avoid the 5th floor verandah deck midship because of that. The service  was good and the staff extremely mannerly and friendly, always a "Good Morning" etc as they passed you.  

The entertainment programme was poor compared to Princess with only a three individual entertainers during the 12 days we went to see, and had it not been for Jeremy in the piano bar most nights would have been dull.  The ships entertainment team were very loud and not suitable for the majority of guests. Embarkation/disembarkation was straightforward. The food in the Manhattan dining room was very good most of the time, not always as hot as it should have been but well cooked and presented. We used the Lido self service at lunchtime and there was always a good selection of salads and hot meals etc. We did not go to any speciality restaurants as they cost extra as did most things onboard.  ie A tour of the ship was $119 dollars which was extortionate. That was a complaint among many guests we dined with that everything additional was very expensive. We did enjoy the cruise but to date Princess Cruises offer better value for money.

We only booked one shore excursion with HAL as they are very expensive and hop-off,hop-on buses in Athens and Istanbul were more suitable, allowing you to get off and on as you pleased. 

The main reason we would not choose HAL in future is their SMOKING POLICY. GUESTS ARE ALLOWED TO SMOKE ON THEIR STATEROOM VERANDAH. Not good if you happen to be sitting out at the same time and totally dislike the smell of smoke.

Venice, Greece,Turkey

Having only cruised with Celebrity Cruise Line before we were a little apprehensive sailing with Holland America.  We needn't have worried.  Overall I would say that I just about preferred it to Celebrity but accept this may in some way be due to the fact that having sailed on the same class of ship for four years perhaps I'm just a bit bored with the same look, style etc. 

The ship was smart and well maintained, embarkation and debarkation both went well.  The food, in my opinion, was slightly better on the HAL although I would have liked to have seen more variety.  There didn't appear to be as much selection at breakfast than you get on the Celebrity but it was still more than adequate.  Some reviewers have complained that as you cannot help yourself that the portions you get served are small.  This is true however I found that you just ask for more and they give it to you so it really isn't a problem.  One other area where Celebrity are better is that they have a coffee bar that serves different types of coffee in proper cups and glasses right up to midnight.  I used this facility at the end of virtually every night.  HAL have a bar that sells coffee in paper cups but only until 10pm which means if you want a coffee before going to bed you had to go back to your room and order room service.

Stateroom was good with plenty of storage and the stateroom attendant was like a Ninja.  If you left the room, walked to the lift, realised you had forgotten something and returned to the room, it had been cleaned !!!!!

Demographic was a bit old but that may have been due to the time of year, we have never been on holiday at the end of September before.  It wasn't exactly like "The march of the living dead", in fact most were quite spritely however I'm 54 which, let's face it, isn't young but I felt like a teenager compared to most of the other passengers.

The overall age group on board may also have been the reason why in the evening the main bars were empty and laking in any atmosphere at all.  It was as if we were the only people on board at times.  There were exceptions however.  The BB King Bar was great, fantastic music and singers, my favourite bar.  The piano bar also had some good nights as well.  Entertainment was poor.  On introducing the comedian they mentioned that he had written for the BBC, I think they meant to say that he had written TO the BBC.  He was poor unless you like material from the 70's.  The only funny jokes we're recycled Tommy Cooper classics.  But like the dancers and singers in the shows you can understand why they are working on cruise ships.  But good luck to them, they are making a living.

The quality of the tours were the same as on the Celebrity, probably because they all use the same shore organisations.  What I didn't like about HAL is that if you cancelled your tour you were charged a 10% cancellation fee however if you cancelled less than three days in advance you had a 100% cancellation fee.  On Celebrity you could cancel without charge unto 24 hours before the tour.

Drinks package is not worth it.  This was the first time we didn't take it and we saved money and still had a drink when ever we wanted.

Transfers if your port is Venice - DON'T BUY THE HAL TRANSFERS.  The transfers cost £126 per person, so £252.  We bought them as we were told that this was "door to door" - yer right !! When we arrived in Venice we had to walk with our cases for about 15 minutes to reach the coach.  We later found out that a taxi would have cost 45 Euro total each way, a saving of around £180 probably.

Despite any negative comments I have made above, we did enjoy the cruise and overall I would say that our experience was just slightly better than that we have had on the Celebrity Line but only by the smallest of margins, not a lot in it at all.

Mediterranean Empires

I was led to believe I was going on a 5* ship so was hugely disappointed when I boarded.  Our Signature Suite was nothing more than a very large cabin with no proper seating area.  In order to watch TV one had to perch on the bed as the giant screen was on the wall above the sofa.  It was drab - everything was brown or beige, no flowers or bottle of wine to welcome us as we've had on other lines.

It was very informal which may suit some people but not us, we like a bit of formality and do not like being addressed by our first names by the staff.  Formal nights need to be abolished.  only a very few men wore DJ's, some wore a jacket and tie, the rest very casual, some in jeans and T shirt.

The food was pretty awful and the entertainment poor.  Daytime activities seemed to revolve around the spa, the computer workshop and the gym or Bridge organised by the passengers themselves.

I have taken over 30 cruises usually with P&O or Cunard and I thought it would be nice to try something new.  No, I'll stick to my old favourites in future

Underwhelmed

We have travelled on a variety of cruise lines Ncl, Princess, Rcl and P&O and thought we would try a new line. We were very excited to be travelling on a 5 star line...what a disappointment!

The good

 Large inside cabin, ports of call and the length of the stops. BB Blues singers and musicians were magnificient high energy and talented. Formula one tour was good. Drink prices were average and take advantage of the happy hours. Very efficient boarding and disembarkation. Arrived and departed ports on time and a smooth sail for the duration of the cruise.

The bad

Terrible food cold, under or overcooked and repetitive. Buffet serving areas were closed before the listed times. if you came back to the ship around 3pm following a day ashore or wanted a late night snack after 11pm the only thing to eat was room service or tortillas,  burger or pizza every day this becomes very repetitive and unhealthy. Definitely not a five star experience.

Entertainment does not compare with any other ship we have travelled on. Dire with the exception of the afore mentioned musicians. Most guest acts were 20 years out of date in particular the comedian. Very little entertainment activities during the day. The port shuttles offered by the ship were overpriced at 16 dollars for a 10-15 min journey. 

I wouldn't recommend this ship to travellers under the age of 55 as very little to do thank goodness we could spend most the time off the ship.

Far Away from Five Star

We had not been on HAL since 2008 and this cruise exceeded our expectations.  Most of our comments are based on comparison with a number of recent RCL cruises. Booked this cruise because it hit a number of ports we had not visited.  Pre cruise stayed at the Westin Europa & Regina, Venice (see review on tripadvisor)

HAL has an older demographic of passengers although there were some young European families on board that seemed to be enjoying themselves. 

The Good:

Arriving at the ship in a water taxi

Very friendly crew, always greeted with a smile.

Buffet, we liked the fact that you are served at the buffet.

Buffet food generally good selection.

Dive in Burger Bar GREAT burgers, hot dogs and fries (no extra charge....are you listening RCL)

Dinning Room open sitting well organized very little wait for table.

Guest Entertainer Toni Warne

Adagio, a 2 piece classical music group

BB King Blues Club

Ocean View cabin was spotless and cabin steward very attentive.

Very little nickel and dimeing like on some other lines.

Priest onboard

Ports of call

Very Clean Ship

Did we mention Dive in Burger Bar GREAT burgers, hot dogs and fries (it is that good, no extra charge....are you listening RCL)

The Average:

Dining room food selection.  Food was good but a couple of the menus selection were not to our taste.  Appetizer portions were sometimes more like canapes.

Shows

Cruise Director

Could be improved:

Poor white wine selection (under $40) for our taste

Orange juice and coffee service was poor on back deck of ship at breakfast

Slow cleaning of tables on back deck

As usual shore excursions very expensive(we booked our own tours, see reviews Rome and Florence on tripadvisor)

Based on this cruise we will be back on HAL in the future.

Venice to Barcelona, 12 Days

Embarkation was very muddled . The standard of food was extremely poor, portion size small. Often food was cold and under cooked or over cooked. the overall appearance was that a cost reduction exercise was taking place.  

The service from the reception desk was outstanding. The staff were generally very good with the exception of the self service restaurant who often were reticent in increasing the portion size. Gluten and dairy free was difficult to obtain or non existent.  

Entertainment was generally ok but I have experienced better on other lines. Excursions were good . 

I would not prioritise this company for future cruises .

The hotel (2 Days) at the end of the cruise was very good and the location excellent.

The good:

- service was pleasing and top-notch throughout the ship, but I felt that pool staff was considerably slow in removing empty plates/glasses; some individuals were better than others, just like on any other cruise line; our cabin stewards were superb, but this is always hit-or-miss;

- food was well above average, but portions have been substantially downsized; some of the appetizers in the main dining room were almost laughable (two dime-sized scallops one evening); build-your-own pizza kitchen by the adults' pool was really excellent;

- cleanliness throughout the ship, especially in public restrooms; unlike previous cruises, I never saw a single used room-service tray waiting to be picked up on hallways;

- Spa was decent -- nothing fancy, but the thermal rooms were nice enough;

- Jeremy, on-board pianist at the Piano Bar, is a truly gifted entertainer

The bad and the ugly:

- we've always read about the predominance of older passenges on HAL, but had never truly experienced this issue in our previous cruises; this was most definitely a problem this time around, in what appeared to be the 80-80 cruise (80% of passengers in the 80-year old range); by and large these elderly passengers have a distinct sense of entitlement, move slowly and occupy tons of space, cut in front of lines;

- The so-called cruise director; one rarely comes across such a useless individual occupying this type of position; well, unless you count "learming to use your Microsoft Office calendar" and "Salsa with host Sabine" as interesting activities at sea;

- tenders: one of the most irritating systems ever devised in a cruise ship; you line up like cattle in a looooong hallway, just to receive a numbered card; after that you take a seat at a dancing hall with zero amenities and wait for your number to be called; no priority for Mariner-status or suite-level cruisers, no way to reserve a time-slot in advance; this must have been the idea of a Soviet-era planner;

- let me emphasize that Jeremy the piano man was the only exception -- entertainment on the Nieuw Amsterdam varies from pitiful to non-existent; what an eyesore it was to see a bunch of ladies "learning belly dancing" at the Crow's Nest on at least three occasions. I felt bad for the hapless barman watching the scene and hearing the dreadful soundtrack.  At night, all bars on deck 3 looked like ghost towns after 9:00pm; not a single source of music (not even Muzak) was available to entertain us on deck 3 after dinner; on two occasions the ship's "major" attraction was a musical show featuring... the Philippino crew. Seriously, who comes up with something like this and chalks it up as entertainment?!? How to please an audience with tastes predominantly adapted to a nursing home routine;

- shore excrusions: waaaaaay over-priced and most definitely underwhelming; the interests and peeves of the elderly passengers just made them worse;

on board shopping: not sure if it's a matter of laughing or crying; maybe both, unless you reeeeeaaaally like "replica sunglasses" or the sort of tawdry items that Bijoux Terner sells at airports;

- little things, like the fact that Nieuw Amsterdam consistently docked at the farthest possible pier, even when larger ships took prime spots at every single port we visited; I didn't even bother asking about this because there would surely be some kind of lame and murky excuse along the lines of "berth depth" or "operational reasons";  in Santorini HAL clearly gave us the short end of the stick, with a late arrival of 9:00am and early departure at 3:30pm, then shamelessly blaming this on "Greek authorities", which for some reason appeared to be much more flexible with other cruise ships visiting the island on that day; our Captain then generously apologized for this "minor inconvenience" by offering each adult guest... a free glass of sparkling wine at dinner. Wow, how generous...tsc, tsc, tsc.

- scheduling: what kind of cruise line manages to bring its passangers to Santorini on a constrained schedule (9:00am - 3:30pm) on the same day when four other major ships are visiting the island?!? I checked port-of-call website and learned that there were 13,000 cruisers visiting Santorini on that day, so you can imagine what a nightmare the island was -- not to mention the cable car lines. On the following day just a single ship was going to visit the island.  It begs the question of what kind of useless staffer creates and manages itineraries at HAL (which changed a couple of times after we purchased the cruise);

last but not least: by far (and I really mean by far) the worst and most disorganized emergency drill we ever experienced on a cruise; cruise drills are naturally annoying but this went several notches above (or below, if you prefer); if drills are a reasonable measure of survival in case of a real emergency, our odds of survival would be marginal, at best;

My biggest regret? Having chosen HAL over Celebrity for this particular cruise, only because HAL's itinerary featured one additional day (12 over Celebrity's 11). Celebrity is not perfect, but it would have certainly offered us a better ship and a more interesting crowd to travel with.  

Bottom line? I don't think HAL will see us on board its ships any time soon.  Never say never, because one day we'll turn 70 and then match HAL's prevailing demographics.

My wife and me sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam from May 4th to May 16th 2015. We went from Venice to Istambul and back to Venice. The ship was absolutly perfect. Very comfortable and we specially appreciated that there was lot of space everywhere on the ship (ex: hot tubs, pools, restaurants.  The food was very, very good at buffet, at dining room and specially at Pinnacle Grill. 2 nights with Turkish BBQ at the lido pool and again, it was perfect. Service was impeccable any where on the ship but we specially enjoyed having our first morning coffey at the Explorations Café on deck 11. In overall, the cruise was way above our expectations. We were looking for a cruise not too crowdy and we were absolutely enchanted by truise.

A Wonderful Cruise

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