JeffElizabeth

Going cheap on the surf and turf, too much pasta, and nothing that really wowed us. It is possible we are getting more jaded, but we didn't have the same issues on Oceania six months before.

We were on Emerald Princess in September and Konigsdam in October. Worst food in twenty years of cruising. Our next cruise is 28 days in July and August on Zuiderdam, hope the food gets better by then.

Interesting. My brother has studied most games and he thinks video poker nets you the best returns. Continued good luck.

We eat out a lot back home and we have noticed quality slipping there too, so maybe it is just the new normal all around, but if I don't like my neighborhood restaurant I can find another one. I don't want to be stuck on a 28 day cruise where the steak cuts like leather.

We were blown away by how good Red Ginger was on our first Oceania cruise 5 years ago, better than our Asian restaurants back home. Our cruise in April 2022? Mediocre.

Agree. One of our favorite features of the Prinsendam was the places it could get into. Bucolic British towns, docking in the center of Antwerp, cruising the Kiel Canal. The big boats drop you off at commercial ports. Some cruise lines are introducing small, expedition ships. We might have to give them a try.

We had a great cruise last March and April on this boat. Food was awesome but I am very worried about budget cutbacks. Norwegian predicts a couple tough quarters coming up.

Actually transatlantic flights created the cruise industry. The passenger shipping lines had to transform themselves into cruise lines. Attended a Captain Albert presentation where he laid this out.

Makes sense. I think there will be more shakeout in the cruise industry. I expect a couple more lines to fail as interest rates rise and they have to refinance. Norwegian looks like it will have a couple tough quarters coming up. Why build a new boat at 8% interest when you could buy a fire sale Norwegian ship.

Exactly! I think their next ship will be Konigsdam scale. They will probably lose us as customers. We are doing our last big 28 day cruise on the Zuiderdam, Boston to Boston, but after that our next two cruises are booked on 1200 passenger Viking and Oceania ships. We are tired of the giant industrial ports, no walkable access to the towns.

LOL, free laundry is why we are still cruising on Holland America.

We took the Konsingdam to Hawaii in October. If you arrive in Vancouver early, the hotels near the ship will help deliver your luggage to your stateroom. That was a nice feature. One caveat we found, book your excursions early! They filled up fast and they were unable to add new ones. On Maui, we could get a cab away from the ship but not back to the ship. Had to hire a private citizen to get us back on board.

Great idea! We took my SIL around the British Isles for her 60th birthday and we bought her a sash and tiara to wear for her dinner. It was the Emerald Princess and the crew decorated her suite while we were touring Belfast.

We have no problem with that and love trying out the cuisine of the ports we visit. One of our big complaints lately is that Holland doesn't change their menus to reflect the nation's we visit. Princess didn't either.

Our cruise to Hawaii on the Konsingdam was that way, menu started recycling after one week.

Great point. My dad's senior living community is like that. Many of the residents only visit the cafeteria one meal a day because they get bored of the fare.

Any guesses on if you think this will work? We like cruising but we also love time at home. I am guessing it won't work, but this might be the time to get it going when so many older cruise ships are being retired. I do wonder what happens if there is another pandemic.

Trivia, a nice dinner with great conversation. We like the eight person tables. Maybe trivia after dinner or hang out at the piano bar. My wife is a night owl, but she prefers to spend her late evenings comfortably in the cabin.

We only got to attend one crew show, but now that they are no more, we wish we had seen more.

Agree. In 25 years of cruising on Holland, we have only seen a handful of shows. Just not our thing.

We have been with Holland since 1997, and have never had issues with understaffed ships. Our last cruise in October of 2022 did have cutbacks with food quality and serving size I found to be disappointing, but they had no problem getting me another appetizer or entree if I wanted it.

Agree. We were on the Konigsdam to Hawaii in October and our top level cabin wasn't nearly as nice as top level cabins on the Prinsendam or the Amsterdam. They claimed to be suites but there wasn't even a curtin between the bed and sitting area. Plus the desk was in the bedroom area so if was very cramped. But, the big ships do have more energy at night, and more things to do. Plus more restaurants. So what do you prefer? On our next cruise, we are in one of the smallest ships Holland has left. Going from Boston to Bergen to Boston.

Great news! Thanks. Now we just booked a New England cruise to Montreal in 2024. Our first cruise with Viking.

We were always willing to pay the premium to sail on the Prinsendam. But now we are looking at Viking or Oceania for our next cruises. Hate parking at the huge commercial ports and miss the neater itineraries like Antwerp and the Kiel Canal.

Does the cruise line offer laundry services? I don't want to do laundry on vacation. My brother? He always spends the last day of the trip doing laundry. He can't stand smelly/dirty clothes in his luggage.