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New to Holland America Lines ~~ Please help

LOVE CRUISING

By LOVE CRUISING,
in Holland America Line

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wwinfl91

wwinfl91

Posted
Posted

I see from your signature that you have taken many cruises with other cruise lines. My own opinion is HAL, Princess and Celebrity have a lot in common and if you like one of them you will like the other two.

 

We have been on 7 HAL cruises, 2 Princess cruises and 1 Celebrity cruise. We are scheduled for another RCI cruise in the spring and a Celebrity one in the Fall.

 

The new improvements that HAL has made in the mattresses and bedding made our last cruise on the Maasdam last spring a real pleasure. Generally we have always liked the way the HAL cruise employees treated us. The staff usually consists of Dutch officers, Indonesian crewmen, some Indonesian waiters (used to be all of them were), Philipino bar tenders and waitresses and a variety of other nationalities in other postions.

 

We have always found HAL ships well run, clean and enjoyed their layout especially the full outside promenade. We like the variety and quality of food that they serve in the dining room although the buffet could use a little help (but I would say that about Princess and Celebrity also).

 

We were not very happy with the shore excursion staff on our last HAL cruise but that may have been because it was a cruise they only do once a year.

 

Generally we have felt that the HAL captains seem to be more concerned with safety and make sure that things like the lifeboat drill means something. Hopefully we will never have to use them but it was a good feeling that the crew seemed to really know what they were doing on all our HAL cruises.

 

Try one and see if you like it. If you don't go back to one of the other cruise lines you do like.

 

Have a great next cruise.

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jhannah

jhannah

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What can you expect from Holland America? Beautiful ships tastefully decorated and filled with fine artwork and fresh flowers. A staff anxious to please. A more "laid back" ambiance compared with other lines. (But don't think this means "dead." There will be much or little to do depending on your cruising style.) We simply find HAL a notch above.

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Water Logger

Water Logger

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We sailed on the Amsterdam last August and were fortunate enough to have the Penthouse Suite. The ship is really beautiful, no neon or bright lights. Everyone could not have been nicer or more accomidating. We felt the food in the Pinnacle is definetly worth the extra $20. We also had spa services that we were very happy with. I didn't notice alot of children on board. This was a cruise to Alaska so I was surprised that there were not more families. It was only my second cruise, but I was very impressed!

 

Our next cruise will a repositioning cruise in May on the Norwegian Sun.

has anyone cruised with NCL? I know it's not in the same class, but any info would great.

 

Ally :)

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LOVE CRUISING

LOVE CRUISING

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Thank you wwinfl91, jhannah, and waterlogger for the very useful information about HAL.

 

Wwinfl91 your glowing report of HAL is making me anxious to book. :) I know a cruise is what you make it, but you always want to know something about a new experience. Thank you all so very much. Anything else you think of, please let me know.

 

Waterlogger, about NCL, we cruised a repositioning on the Dream out of New Orleans. The ship was one of the older ships, but in excellent condition. The staff was wonderful, all eager to please.

We enjoyed the Freestyle Dinning. It afforded you the opportunity to eat in either dinning room, and when you wanted to eat. However, I missed having regular table mates, and the friendships that are cultivated over the dinner table. We had the same waiter only twice. So the wait staff does not get to know your like and dislikes. The dinning room menus included Lobster, Prime Rib, Rack of Lamb, etc. The food was excellent. LeBristo, the specialty restaurant was well worth the $25.00 cover charge.

 

We purchased the Anniversary package, which included a bottle of champagne, and chocolate covered strawberries upon your arrival. Canapés one night, the cover charge for two in Le Bristo with a bottle of house wine, a reception with cake and champagne, a photo and souvenir glasses. Well worth the price also.

Hand sanitizers are placed outside each eating venue. Very, very nice.

There is an Internet café. The charge is 75cents per minute. Or, you can purchase a package for $55.00 to $100.00. They will provide you with wireless cards for your laptop for a fee.

I hope this helps.

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Sage

Sage

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I agree with the other posters concerning the ambiance and service on HAL. I too have cruised on the Dream, and I think you will find the passenger flow much better on HAL. We were in suite 1100 on the Dream, and if you are interested in a balcony, then you will find HAL's to be much larger than NCL's. The Volendam is my favorite ship. The decor, service and crew are outstanding. The alternative restaurant is also fabulous and IMHO is better than the Le Bistro.

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voyageur

voyageur

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The Volendam seems like it would be smaller than alot of the ships you've been on. It's a beautiful ship and the food and service is consistantly good as with all ships in HAL's fleet.

You didn't mention your age, but I find the passengers a little older than on Carnival or Norwegian. I personally don't like Norwegian, maybe I just had a bad experience. I found the rooms small and the food not that great. And I still like to have assigned seating and times rather than personal choice on such a large boat... it's much more organized.

 

I've cruised twice with HAL and would definitely go again. The Volendam is my parents favourite ship so far.

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Candlemaker

Candlemaker

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We sailed on the Amsterdam last August and were fortunate enough to have the Penthouse Suite. The ship is really beautiful, no neon or bright lights. Everyone could not have been nicer or more accomidating. We felt the food in the Pinnacle is definetly worth the extra $20. We also had spa services that we were very happy with. I didn't notice alot of children on board. This was a cruise to Alaska so I was surprised that there were not more families. It was only my second cruise, but I was very impressed!

 

Our next cruise will a repositioning cruise in May on the Norwegian Sun.

has anyone cruised with NCL? I know it's not in the same class, but any info would great.

 

Ally :)

 

 

Just got back from the NCL Spirit. Have only ever been on NCL. I have always been extremely satisfied. I can't imagine a cruising experience being any better but I will find out in Oct. 8th when my wife and I go on the Oosterdam to the Mex. Riviera. I think you will love the Freestyle Dining.

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mycarona

mycarona

Posted
Posted

This was a great post that found it's way to the top a few weeks ago. For anyone who has never experienced HAL, it's a great insight.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=50922

 

We have been on two NCL cruises. The Sea was okay but the Sun, being a newer ship that was designed for free-style cruising, was awesome. It was the first time DH went with us and he enjoyed it immensely. I'm not sure he would have enjoyed HAL as much with the assigned dinner time and strict dress code. He didn't even bring a jacket and refused to wear a tie on formal night. (All our formal pictures are with him with an open collar.)

 

My favorite state: anticipating a cruise.

 

Kim

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