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The Pride of America's Deluxe Owner's Suite (Grand Suite 12006), largest suite on the ship, made our vacation memorable. We sailed on March 21, 2015. Here's our review:

The Suite: Beautiful large living room with baby grand piano and huge dining table, which we used for breakfast every morning. The sofa bed opened into a large kind size sleeper. 2 refrigerators in the suite, which our butler stocked (complimentary) as we wished. We opted for three very nice Greg Norman Estate bottles of wine in lieu of hard liquor.

The separate bedroom was large and comfortable as was the bathroom with separate shower and tub, and two sinks. Every room, including the bathroom face out onto the one of the largest balconies at sea. Used the jacuzzi on the balcony every day. Three large loungers with nice cushions on the balcony as well as mid-size round table with four chairs on the balcony.

The Service:

Service was the best we have experienced with one small exception. Peter, from Kenya, was our butler and we found him to be the best ever. He came by every morning to check on what we needed. We asked that he bring breakfast from Cagney's, which arrived promptly every single day. He stocked the refrigerators daily always checking on what we were consuming so that he could replenish it. On top his terrific service, he has the greatest attitude which was only rivaled by Thomas, our concierge. Thomas is the most knowledgeable concierge we have found. Although we had booked cars in advance, he helped us plan our daily adventures and even saved me a car rental in Kona, where the airport was far away from the cruise port and we really did not need a car. Thomas told us about the botanical gardens in Hilo, which were outstanding and gave us a plan to combine the gardens with Volcano National Park. Thomas also helped us with specialty restaurant reservations, especially at Cagney's where the lady Maitre'D was less than hospitable. Our cabin steward, Jonathan, completed the trifecta of outstanding service we received. We are Platinum status on NCL and Jonathan made sure to tell us he knew that and would be taking great care of us, which he did. I cannot say enough great things about Peter, Thomas, and Jonathan except that they are the best in the cruise industry.

The only small negative with service was the Maitre'D at Cagney's who had no clue what she was doing. She had us wait in the lounge for 20 minutes past our reservation time while she took others who came much later than us. She made no effort to try to accommodate reservation requests (time changes) from Suite passengers. I eventually bypassed her by going through Thomas, who knew how to get things done.

Overall, the service and perks Norwegian provides to its suite passengers is far superior to those offered by other lines. We travel frequently in HAL Neptune Suites and can say NCL has them beat by a mile. The service on NCL Suites is far more personal than those offered by other lines. I wish we could always travel in the Haven, which sometimes is too expensive especially on the newer ships.

The Food:

Only ate at specialty restaurants and found them to be outstanding. One special treat, which is not advertised anywhere, is the lobster that is offered on Kona night only in the Bistro and Cagney's only. Although there is $20 surcharge, it is the freshest and best lobster we have ever had. They bring them in live in Kona and prepare them on the spot. You have to try this.

The Ports were great as everyone else has posted. Easy self-debarkation at the end of the cruise.

If you ever get chance to go on the Deluxe Owner's Suite on the POA, do not pass it up as it will be memorable.

After we got home, we booked the Escape for New Year's. Can't wait to ring in the new year.

I would avoid the Noordam at all costs. We recently experienced the worst cruise of our lives on the Noordam a/k/a Disasterdam. Noordam is not being kept up as she should have been.

As has been posted by many, NCL is continuing to make all the right moves. Now they add two great luxury lines to their brand. Oceania is a coup for NCL. I bet they learn how the Carnivalization of HAL is driving loyal HAL customers away. So far, IMHO Carnival and HAL are making all the bad moves and NCL and RCCL are doing very well.

Remember, the Suite product offered by NCL has not been negatively affected and continues to draw people like us.

Unless HAL gets its act together, it won't be around in ten years. I truly hope that is not the case. Most of us here have truly loved HAL for many years and don't want it to keep it slipping into oblivion. I hope the good folks in Seattle realize what's going on and how they need to stop the bleeding.

Instead they will have to travel along a new channel, known as the Contorta Sant’Angelo, which will give a wide berth to Venice’s historic centre.

I take that to mean the larger ships will still be able to visit Venice just not travel the canal in front of St. Mark's Square. This would affect HAL's new 99,000 ton ship in the works.

I've been on both and found them to be excellent. The only significant difference I found was in the kids club. The NA has a bigger more expansive kids club for 8-12 year olds. The Eurodam kids club was very small and confined for 8-12 year olds.

Personally, these are the only 2 HAL ships I would sail on. When you get used to having a movie venue on board every evening, you miss it horribly on the other ships. Tamarind is also a major plus. After a horrible cruise on the Noordam, I would never sail on a Vista class ship again. We also found the Maasdam too old for our tastes.

You will not go wrong with either the NA or the Eurodam IMHO.

Chelly is right on, ten years from now, HAL will not be in existence. Former HAL loyalists like me will be moving to Oceania, Crystal, or Celebrity and NCL is currently offering a better product for suite passengers than HAL. I'm currently booked on an NCL suite in March and think their use of butlers and breakfast and lunch at Cagney's is far superior to HAL's offerings. Notice on the boards how many people are being upsold to Neptune Suites. That means fewer and fewer passengers are paying for the suites. If I ever go on HAL again, I will only travel in non-suites as the suite prices do not reflect the mediocre service currently offered. That is recipe that will not keep HAL in business.

The carpeting in public areas is shameful. Not since I started cruising in the 1980's have I seen the dirty and worn carpets and the stained, faded, and old cushions on the Noordam. I posted about and was run off the boards by posters apparently working for HAL. I hope they enjoy the Noordam as little as I did.

I have never seen so many people having negative experiences with HAL. Everything from poor entertainment, lack of service, to the aging fleet is causing formerly loyal HAL passengers to start to look elsewhere. Seems to me that the folks in Seattle are not taking our concerns seriously because otherwise you would see positive changes from HAL. I for one would like to keep cruising with HAL the way it used to be. Why don't they get it? I don't mind paying more since Celebrity typically costs a little more than HAL. I hope someone in Seattle reads what passengers are saying. Here are some suggestions:

1. Maintain the aging fleet up to HAL standards. Replace old and dirty carpeting (such as that on the Noordam now). Change old and stained cushions or not have them at all. Bath towels should be replaced when they are 3 star hotel standards.

2. Focus on customer service that finds a way to satisfy reasonable requests.

3. Stop changing the Pinnacle Grill for the worse. Add menu items rather than delete them. Onion soup and lobster come to mind. This should be the premier upscale dining venue on the ship and HAL should make sure it is. IMHO, it is nowhere near where it was 3-4 years ago.

4. Stop the promotions and focus on your core values. Explore 4 and Signature Beverage Package are gimmicks that won't keep loyal HAL passengers when you cut services in other areas.

5. Improve the main theater entertainment. While some of the production shows are OK, bring in good entertainment on other nights. Much of the entertainment is pathetic, especially for a premium line.

Please feel free to add others or disagree. I hope they listening at HAL.

There was a time that HAL and Carnival did not look at all alike. Now, Carnival buys in bulk for both lines and, with each passing year, HAL are Carnival are looking more and more like each other. HAL used to have the best customer service in the industry but I think it is losing that. I may try one more HAL cruise but my patience is running thin with them. I definitely will never book a Neptune Suite. Better to buy the cheapest cabin and enjoy the ship and the food. Not worth paying a premium for upscale service that always disappoints..

Speaking as a loyal HAL customer for many years, I would not leave Celebrity to go with HAL. HAL has been steadily declining in service each year. That's why many of us are now disenchanted with HAL. The only positive with HAL is the quality of the food. Everything else (entertainment, service, onboard activities) has gone downhill. My guess people are moving from HAL to Celebrity and not vice-versa.

I have never seen more unhappy passengers in a Neptune Suite than our past 22 day Noordam cruise. We spoke with three other Neptuners with similar experiences, including a very nice lady who had booked 30 plus cruises on HAL who said the July 12 Noordam collectors cruise in a Neptune Suite was the worst she had been on. Although I can't mention the employee's name, we spoke to someone who (while trying to address the problems we experiences) explained he/she had worked on the Noordam six years ago, returned this year, and confided to us that he/she was shocked how much the ship had deteriorated.

Nobody pays as much as we have and go into a cruise with a negative outlook. I had read several posts before our cruise about bad experiences on the Noordam. Like most with an upcoming cruise, I hoped it was one person's bad experience and that ours would be different. That was our hope. You may read my prior posts about excellent experiences in Neptune Suites on the NA, the Westy, and the Noordam years earlier. We never expected to, much less desired, to have a poor experience on Holland America.

The lesson for us is that one bad review may be an anomaly while numerous bad experiences on a particular ship is a trend. There is definitely something wrong with the Noordam. For example, in addition to the many problems we already posted about, on the two tender days, there were no cool towels or cold water on the long return tender to the ship. We saw plenty of cool towels and cold water for Celebrity passengers while we had none. On several occasions, the daily program showed scheduled events, such as a movie, that did not take place or not list that there was a show in the Vista Showroom when there was a show. No one seemed to be in charge of ship operations and service on the Noordam.

The food in the MDR was good but it did not make up for the many other shortcomings.

In the final analysis, HAL is going to lose a lot of business and revenue from their regular Neptune customers. The Neptune Suites will be filled but only via upsells and unsuspecting customers. That is the inevitable result of poor service. After booking Neptune Suites for the past five years in a row, I will never pay full price for a Neptune Suite again. Our conversations with others on the same cruise confirmed we are not alone.

For the naysayers, I urge you to book a Neptune Suite on the Noordam at full fare and see how much you enjoy being ripped off. Then you will have an idea what we experienced.

Our 22 day cruise on the Noordam in a Neptune Suite has been a disaster from start to finish. The ship is old, beaten, worn down, and dirty. The carpet should have been changed years ago. This is the worst kept ship we have been on to date on any cruise line.

Last year, we had multiple cocktail receptions for Suite and Collector Voyage passengers-- this year only 1 at the beginning of the cruise and not a very good one at that.

This cruise caters to those who paid the least and they are the only ones who will enjoy this ship. The ship is full of Europeans that were offered cut-rate deals to fill the boat. The typical HAL crowd is not one board, perhaps they are on Celebrity. On the two ports we tendered, no wet towels or cold water upon returning-- just a nice hot tender with no air.

Despite our repeated concerns to customer service supervisors, very little gets corrected because there is no attention to customer service on this boat. Not even customer service in Seattle addresses the many problems we encountered over the past 22 days. Broken coffee machines in The Pinnacle Grill for the vast majority of days and broken coffee machine the Neptune Lounge. We did not have breakfast in the PG because of the poor service and attitude of the staff.

We will never sail on the Noordam again. It has been the worst cruise of our lives.

My family paid over $17,000 for a Neptune Suite for 22 days on the Noordam in the Mediterranean. We are on day 17 or so and this is by far the worst cruise we have ever been on. The ship is tired and beaten as is the crew. Service is failing everywhere on the ship. The espresso machine in the Pinnacle Grill has been broken for 15 days and no effort is made by the staff to get a specialty coffee elsewhere. The Maitre D has been absent on two of only 4 visits we have been made to the PG. We have found the PG staff to be among the least responsive anyhwhere and with an attitude to boost. The coffee machine in the Neptune Lounge also broke down for 5 days. Laundry is returned with the same stains that ther were sent with. Getting our Signature Beverage Package Card took 4 days because we were told they were very expensive. After spending as much as we have on a Neptune Suite, the response was insulting.

The ship is full of Europeans that have been offered cut-rate deals to sail because there are not enough Americans, Canadians or Australians to fill the ship. This is not a luxury line by anyone's measure. The pool cushions are old and stained. The carpet throughout all areas is in dire need of replacement. The Noordam has seen better days. Cutbacks are evident since most passengers are locals who paid reduced rates. Pity those of us who paid full freight.

Personal items left on the pool deck and in the dining room have never been found.

We do not recommend the Noordam and especially the Neptune Suites there to anyone anymore. After booking Neptune Suites for the past six years on HAL, we have seen service gradually decline to the point that it is downright awful on this ship. We are taking our business to Oceania or Celebrity.

Easy choice. The NA is the best ship in the fleet. Book her or the Eurodam anytime you can. Never again, on the Massdam or any S class ship. Vista class or higher IMHO.

Those SCs are a short walk down the hall from the Neptune Lounge. They are far better than the SBs a floor below. Remember a few months ago, those SCs were SAs. I booked the SC and cancelled my travel agent's upgrade request for fear they might put me in an SB.

The truth is the SCs are used by HAL to "lower" the Neptune Suite pricing because there are only four SCs available on the whole ship. It is a marketing tool or pricing point to get people interested in Neptune Suites.

Although I love HAL because of all the great things it offers, I have now come to expect that their entertainment program is awful. Their productions shows are the worst I have seen. I have seen many people give standing ovations to these and am often perplexed. My guess is that they are being polite. The comedians and magicians are not bad.

Still, I would not trade their cuisine, service, neptune suites, and itineraries for anyone else's. I do we wish HAL's production shows were better.

I choose a cruise based on itineraries, ship, food, and service. Entertainment is a plus but not as important for me. I also check to see if my kids can be in the same agree group in the kids club. I also enjoy smoking 1 fine cigar every now and then on my neptune suite balcony (when neighbors are not on balcony) and would never go on a line that doesn't let me do this.

The food on HAL is comparable to X but the service in the Neptune Lounge puts HAL in a league of its own. I must say I enjoyed the butler service on NCL's owner suite. Celebrity's service is just OK IMHO. I also think HAL's itineraries are so much better than anyone else's.

I enjoyed your review of Celebrity. It reminded me of how much we liked Celebrity until we fell in love with HAL. Happy cruising.

I agree. I was in the Owner's Suite on the Dawn and loved every minute of it. Entertainment is better on the Dawn but everything else is better on HAL ships (dining, service, pool area, passenger crowding). That being said, the non-suite cabins on the Dawn are small and very basic. The Dawn is a mainstream ship with a mainstream crowd. I'm not a fan of the Ryndam-size ships on HAL, so this is a closer call than most HAL vs. NCL comparisons. Still, HAL is a cut above with a more refined crowd.

I would never choose NCL over HAL unless I were considering a suite on NCL (not mini-suites as these are glorified balcony cabins).

BTW, I'm Platinum on NCL and 3 Star Mariner on HAL.