How did you find out about Holland America???

[PEB]

Technically I haven't cruised on HAL yet but I am booked on the Westerdam and the Statendam for this year. I have cruised many times and I have always liked the looks of HAL ships. I have done a lot of research on ships and always wanted to try HAL. I try to go on many cruise lines because I really don't know what is the best line for me unless I have tried them all.

[jaguarstyper]

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place? My wife at the time was looking for CE credit oppurtunities and came across a conference on the Zuiderdam back in 2002. We had been on a couple other cruises, but not HAL and really didn't know much about them. We booked the cruise/conference with almost no information about HAL. I'm glad we did, we enjoyed it immensely and sold on HAL.

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL? Yes, I have been on Seabourn, Norwegian and Carnival. I keep coming back to HAL for the good service, good itineraries and outstanding accomodations for a very reasonable price.

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back? The aft corner suites on the Vista and Signature ships. I love those verandahs.

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose? That's a tough question. Probably Norwegian as I think their suites are very nice. I would also seriously consider Oceania.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

DH and my first cruise together was back in 1978 on the 1st Prinsendam to Alaska as part of a Westtours Tour with friends. We didn't cruise much after that because of DH's issue of motion AFTER getting off a ship. We started cruising again after retirement in 2000 (after finding the seabands) first with friends on NCL and RCCL followed by Princess and found HAL again in 2005 because of the Sea of Cortez itinerary on the Ryndam with Captain Consen. I was hooked on HAL after that cruise. Although we cruise HAL more than all other cruise lines because of all the reasons others have given, we do cruise other lines from time to time based the itinerary especially the West Coast cruises which Princess offers.

[NMLady]

HAL seems to have a very loyal following. We all enjoy a better level of service than cruisers on other lines. So, my questions are:

 

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place?

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL?

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back?

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose?

 

We choose our cruises by itinerary, then by price, regardless of cruise line.

In 2006 I was on a discount cruise website looking at various cruises and liked HAL's Hawaiian cruise from San Diego on the Zaandam so we contacted our TA and booked it. Except for our cabin steward, the service was outstanding. We really enjoyed everything.

 

In 2010 we were on the first of the Amsterdam's 14 day Alaska cruises. The May weather was sunshine every day. The scenery made memories for a lifetime. The service of course was outstanding.

 

We are hoping to someday do the Voyage of the Vikings and also a South Pacific cruise on HAL if they still offer it.

[bellebaby]

We found a great price on the Zuiderdam for an S suite when the ship was relatively new. Had a great Caribbean experience and returned to HAL several times. However, our best sailings have been on the Volendam to Alaska.

 

HAL is a great line, but we also like several others. Our favorite, right now, is a Haven suite on NCL. Itinerary and pricing are the determining factors.

 

B

[gelo7]

Online TA.

[George C]

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place?, wanted to leave from NYC in 1977 and only 2 lines doing 7 day cruises at the time Hal and Home lines

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL? about 8 or so a few are no longer sailing, the ones that are Costa/NCL/RCCL/Celeberity/Princess

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back? Got a good deal

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose? RCCL , almost booked it for next cruise

[OCruisers]

Many years ago with our girls were still young and cruising with us, we were seated at dinner with a very nice older couple on a Princess 10 day New Year's cruise. HAL was their favorite cruise line. They taked us into taking a 7 day with them on HAL (no children this time) ... mainly to just get away and play bridge with them.

 

We had a great time and still cruise on HAL every once and a while.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[yj_eugene]

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place?

 

In 1998 DW and I wanted to take my MIL on an Alaskan cruisetour, and was told by a TA that HAL would probably be the best fit for her.

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL?

 

Tried several other lines, wouldn't say we've 'come back' to HAL. More like HAL is among the lines we consider. Itinerary and cost matter more to us than being loyal to one line.

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back?

 

Itineraries. Since our first HAL cruise, when we've chosen HAL, it's been because it went 1) where we wanted, 2) when we wanted and 3) at a price we wanted.

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose?

 

RCL, our usual line. Not better or worse than HAL to us, just a different cruise experience.

[Johanna7]

My parents, 2 sisters and brother and I (the oldest child, age 12) decided to immigrate to Canada. It took 2 years of trying and in May 1952 we went on the Veendam from Rotterdam to Halifax and after that, 2 horrible days of trains. The crossing was wonderful, food was fantastic, things to do were great.

 

In the 1980s we took several one week Caribbean cruises with cruise lines that cost around $1,000 per person per week everything included as well as Air fare and transfer to and from the ship and the reverse. They were good and worth the money. Of course they went out of business after a few years and one of our first cruises on HAL for the 2 of us were on the old Noordam in Alaska. We loved it and now have over 200 cruise days. We have also sailed on Princess and Celebrity. We loved those as well.

 

For the time being, due to ongoing medical appointments, we cannot book any cruises until they are finished. Should be done by fall. Takes time.

 

Naturally we will be traveling again. Have not done NCL as we have no status with them. My craft cruises have been on Royal Caribbean and we are Diamond with them and on our last cruise with Celebrity we became instant Elite, having numerous benifits, free laundry, dry Cleaning, 45 minutes each of internet and Michaels Club every evening. We loved that.

 

HAL & Celebrity and Princess are my favorite cruise lines.

[NoobCruise]

We decided we wanted to go to Alaska. Our first cruise was with Carnival and we knew we didn't want to do that again. Did a search on one of the big online booking sites and discovered there were a number of cruise lines sailing Alaska, including HAL, and a number of different itineraries. I use Trip Advisor a lot, so I went on there to research the different ports and found a link to CC. So I researched itieraries first and decided we wanted to see Glacier Bay, so that narrowed it down to NCL, Princess and HAL. I did quite a bit of research on the cruise line boards here, and we narrowed it down to Princess and HAL. From there, we compared cabins for the price. While comparing the cabins, DH spotted a corner aft wrap on the Westerdam and that immediately ended the search as he impulsively clicked book. We really enjoyed the Westerdam.

 

We sail for the ports so itinerary is most important to us. I'd be happy to sail HAL again, but we're looking at Celebrity and Royal Caribbean right now for another Alaska Cruise because they have similar itineraries that include Icy Strait Point and Hubbard Glacier, which HAL does not. I'm leaning towards Celebrity now because of their more restrictive smoking policies because I have asthma. I'm sure we'll cruise with HAL again in the future though.

[kyriecat]

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place?

 

My husband and I had booked a B2B Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean for April 2008 because that is our preferred time to cruise and we wanted two weeks on the ship. At that time, Royal Caribbean was our preferred cruiseline. One cruise week got chartered and the ship was repositioning after that. We switched to a Med cruise for 2008 and booked the same Caribbean B2B itinerary for 2009. The day before we were flying to Rome for our Med cruise, I got a call from RC's customer service rep to say that my cruise was cancelled. She kept saying it was our Med booking but it was really the Caribbean one for 2009 that was cancelled. She said RC was only offering a refund of our payment for the cancellation - no switching to another itinerary, no airfare refund, nothing. I was about in tears when I asked what we were supposed to do because we were scheduled to fly to Rome in the morning to meet the ship. She actually said that if she were me, she wouldn't get on the plane. I insisted on speaking to a manager at that point and eventually got it straightened out, but I was angry and cancelled everything I had booked with RC, even though I lost my future cruise deposits.

 

We looked for another cruiseline with a 10-14 night Caribbean itinerary that was approximately the same dates in April 2009 as the cancelled RC cruise. We narrowed it down to Princess and HAL but decided HAL's itinerary was slightly better.

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL?

 

I find the itinerary that works best for me and book with the cruiseline that offers it. I enjoyed Celebrity and have another booked with them then I'm going to give Silversea a try. I actually didn't enjoy my first cruise on HAL due to several mechanical problems in our cabin (Maasdam - no working AC for the whole cruise, no hot water for three days, leaking water pipe in wall for 11 days). We almost didn't give HAL another try but we liked the partial Panama Canal itinerary on Zuiderdam better than the other offerings. We had a much better time the second HAL cruise.

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back?

 

HAL has some wonderful itineraries. Once my husband has more vacation time, I would like to take advantage of them. Right now we can only take 2 weeks off at a time.

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose?

 

I'll pick the cruiseline that offers the best itinerary for my needs. I'm thinking of giving Paul Gauguin or Princess a try in a couple years when we want to do a Tahiti cruise.

[kakalina]

We had never even known anyone who had cruised. We came into some unexpected largesse and decided to go to Hawaii. We did some on line research and got in touch with an on line travel agent.

 

We have never looked back and after 495 days can say we are very satisfied with our choice. We have not tried any other lines yet.

 

We would consider Silverseas, Seabourne, Raddison.

[metairiegal]

Back in 1986 (!!) our travel agent recommended HAL when we were booking our Alaska trip. There weren't as many ships back then and they were about the best sailing to Alaska.

[Linda&Vern]

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place?

 

In 2004 we decided we wanted to take a cruise over the Christmas/New Year holidays. At the time that was the best time to be away for more than a few days. I researched the internet and discovered that HAL’s Maasdam was sailing out of Norfolk – a morning drive for us – no flying! (I hate flying! Had to do too many trips on those tiny corp jets.) I then research the ship and for whatever reason selected a cabin on the Lower Promenade deck. I knew nothing about cabin selection at the time … just figured at our price point a cabin on the deck you could walk to easily for fresh air sounded nice.

 

The next day I stopped at a local travel agency and asked for someone who could book the cruise for us. The agent did not know much about HAL (I knew more I’m sure) … but she booked it for us and we started our 6 months of anticipation. We LOVED our 11-day cruise. Note that “if” HAL had not had a ship in Norfolk I don’t know what ship/line we could have ended up on.

 

The next year we again drove to Norfolk, this time at Thanksgiving, for 10-days on the Maasdam. The following year we drove to DM’s and cruised at Christmas with her on the Veendam out of Tampa. (She is a loyal RCCL cruiser … :rolleyes: and thought HAL was “okay.”)

 

Somewhere along the line the unthinkable happened. HAL left Norfolk. :eek: I was heartbroken.

 

When we decided to cruise the Panama Canal and then Alaska, there was no doubt we would choose a HAL ship. So I put on my big girl panties :D and booked flights. We are now just a few days away from a Caribbean cruise for 14 days and looking forward to returning to HAL again.

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL?

 

No – we have only cruised HAL.

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back?

 

We are happy on a HAL ship – no reason to change at this time. We know what we are “buying.” We like low-key and quiet places on HAL ships.

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose?

 

Wow … would have to research lines and ships before making that decision.

[lazey1]

1. ta recommended for cruise/tour in Alaska with parents then in their 80's.

 

2. yes, NCL for the Hawaii itinerary. It was like a floating Motel 6. also RCI on Allure of the Seas,

good service, terrible food, to big, to busy and far to loud for us.

 

3. like the initerarys, like the smaller ships, overall the perfect fit

 

4. maybe Princess?

[Northshorecruisers]

I love reading all these stories!!

 

For us, HAL was our first cruise. I had always wanted to take a cruise but my husband was reluctant because he felt he'd be bored, he'd get seasick, etc, etc.

 

My mother had passed away in March, and with that, my stepdad had new found freedom. He had been her constant caretaker for years as cancer took over her body. He joined a group at church, a group at the community center, bought a laptop and took classes to learn to use it.

 

When he came to visit in May for our son's college graduation, he said that he was going on a cruise with his group from church. Being Dutch, he was excited that it was on HAL. The more he talked about his upcoming cruise, the more interested my husband was. So, DH told me to check into what it would cost. By the time DH got home from work we were booked on the cruise, flights were booked, hotel was booked and I was already looking at shore excursions :eek:

 

After the cruise, my husband declared it was the best vacation ever. Next we booked on Princess thinking our youngest son would enjoy it more, plus we let him bring a friend. He didn't, and neither did we. So, at least for now, we're loyal to HAL.

[RuthC]

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place?

The radio DJ who woke me up every morning was organizing a group cruise, on the old Statendam. I was interested, so booked it. I was immediately hooked.

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL?

After that first cruise I sailed Cunard (much too young at the time to appreciate Cunard), Carnival (what a fun time!), Chandris (remember them?), Royal Caribbean, and Royal Viking, before I returned to HAL when they had an itinerary I wanted.

I've stayed with HAL ever since.

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back?

The sense when I embark that I have come home.

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose?

I'm trying Oceania later this year. I would also consider Saga, Fred. Olsen, and am very interested in the new Viking Ocean Cruises that will be starting in a couple of years. All sound similar to that first HAL cruise.

Thanks for asking an interesting question.

[nana51]

We had good friends who cruised once or twice a year. So when it came time to take a cruise we tried HAL. My husband won't even try another line. He has aspergers so that may have something to do with it. I like the understated elegance of HAL.

[jaspersmycat]

In 1983, at the ripe old age of 34, my husband and I took our first cruise on the previous version of the Nieuw Amsterdam from Acapulco to San Francisco. It was one of its first cruises and they had an oil leak. We were unable to stop at any docks and had to deadhead to SF.

 

We took our next cruise on HAL the next year using the credit we received from the first cruise. On that cruise I won $1500 at bingo which we used the next year for cruise #3.

 

Now jump forward to 2007 - we have retired and a Baltic cruise sounds good. So we look up HAL and off we go on cruise #4.

 

Why did we stay with HAL? It always made us feel like grownups. We didn't have children so we enjoyed off-season and longer cruises. Now that I passed 100 days, my goal is 200 days for free laundry.

[Barrheadlass]

We asked our travel agent for recommendations for our first cruise, one to Alaska. (Actually, we'd already taken 2 river cruises, which are still our favorite). She gave us brochures for Celebrity and HAL. I remembered my brother had gone to AK with HAL, so that's what we chose. As it turn out, my memory was faulty, he'd gone with Celebrity! We're soon to take our third HAL cruise, our first was Sept. 2011. We enjoy HAL, but have 2 cruises in 2014 booked with Oceania...yes, it is pricier, but there are absolutely no complaints about cutbacks, etc on the O. I'm sure we'll cruise with HAL again, though.

[JDinWA]

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place?

 

When my mother retired from the State Dept, we were at the Seattle Home Show and came across a booth from Ocean Shores (a tiny town on the coast) that was offering a "free cruise" as an incentive to come look at properties there. She ended up buying a house there. The "free cruise" was on Holland America. We'd never been interested in cruising but thought why not? We picked a cruise to Alaska and applied the coupon (I forget the exact value, but it would just have covered the cheapest inside cabin) toward an oceanview cabin. When we checked in, they had upgraded us to a verandah. Between Alaska and the verandah and the HAL experience, we were hooked. :)

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL?

 

Not yet. I am going on MSC next month for a special theme cruise, and that will be my first chance to compare another cruiseline to HAL. We are considering Princess next year for Alaska, because Princess out of Seattle goes to Skagway, and in the absence of the 14-day Alaska cruises, we thought a change of line might liven up the 7-day cruise which we've done a number of times already. (But if the 14-day are offered again, we're back to HAL!)

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back?

 

We know we like HAL - the ships, the crew, the ambiance, the experience. Any other line is a gamble.

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose?

 

Probably Princess or Norwegian. No mega-ships, no party cruiselines.

[Himself]

I saw the old Nieuw Amsterdam docked in New Orleans in April of 1996 and decided to try HAL.

I did the following Novemer and now over 30 voyages later and many HAL ships later, I am still with HAL! If I were to try another line it would be either Norwegian or Celebrity!

[MariettaWay]

Thirty-one years ago, we thought that a cruise would make for a great honeymoon. Our travel agent gave us a few options and we settled on a HAL cruise to Bermuda. And we've been on our honeymoon every since.

 

Yes, we've tried other lines. Mostly because we were tied to fixed dates for vacations and the times when our kids were able to join us. But, for some reason we're romantically attached to going on HAL cruises. We have more time to cruise now. We have trouble considering other lines.

 

The one thing that keeps us coming back are the long walks on the promenade deck.

 

We've tried Princess and Celebrity cruise lines quite a few years ago. They are very nice too. Good alternatives to HAL. I'm just a sap for HAL.

[cruisetrail]

HAL seems to have a very loyal following. We all enjoy a better level of service than cruisers on other lines.

What is service?

If service is just "hands on" service provided by stewards, waiters, etc. - it is the same on all major lines from MSC to Cunard.

If your definition of service is broader, as it should be (all conveniences available on the ship + hands on service) - yes, HAL is definitely among two or three best cruise lines.

So, my questions are:

 

What prompted you to pick HAL in the first place?

Cunard is obviously in the first place overall.

HAL Sinature Class ships are probably the closest to Cunard.

 

Have you tried other cruise lines and come back to HAL?

Yes, of course. It's so boring to cruise on the same cruise line all the time.

It's always a pleasure to return to HAL Signature Class ships from time to time.

 

What is the one thing (only 1 allowed) that keeps you coming back?

The quality of their product.

 

If HAL wasn't available, which line would you choose?

I would choose a ship that provides comparable quality of sea travel and it does not matter what cruise line it belongs to.

 

How did you find out about Holland America???

 

Books.

The main attraction - the glorious liner Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

Thank you for your questions.