New to Holland America? This is for you...AKA "HAL For Dummies"

[Beach Nut]

I've given up searching. I have a few questions:

1.  How does the food on HAL compare with the food on Celebrity now? We'e been only cruising Celebrity and really like their food.

2.  How good are the beds for a person with a back that can "go out" on a too soft mattress? I now travel with Flexeril, but I'd rather not have to use it for 21 days!

3.  Are the pools with the moveable roofs heated and are these areas quiet solariums/ adults only restful spots, a la Celebrity

4.  How easy is it to get a table for two at open dinner (or even at the set dinner times, with a reservation)?  

I've got my eye on a HAL cruise.  Any info is appreciated.  Thank you!

[jonyboy]

10 hours ago, Beach Nut said:

I've given up searching. I have a few questions:

1.  How does the food on HAL compare with the food on Celebrity now? We'e been only cruising Celebrity and really like their food.

2.  How good are the beds for a person with a back that can "go out" on a too soft mattress? I now travel with Flexeril, but I'd rather not have to use it for 21 days!

3.  Are the pools with the moveable roofs heated and are these areas quiet solariums/ adults only restful spots, a la Celebrity

4.  How easy is it to get a table for two at open dinner (or even at the set dinner times, with a reservation)?  

I've got my eye on a HAL cruise.  Any info is appreciated.  Thank you!

I prefer Celebrity for dining.  HAL is okay but for us a set dinner time is not always convenient and there were times we had to wait for up to 30 minutes if we wanted to dine at a different time than our reserved seating time.  I did find the beds comfortable and I also have some back issues

[terrydtx]

13 hours ago, Beach Nut said:

I've given up searching. I have a few questions:

1.  How does the food on HAL compare with the food on Celebrity now? We'e been only cruising Celebrity and really like their food.

2.  How good are the beds for a person with a back that can "go out" on a too soft mattress? I now travel with Flexeril, but I'd rather not have to use it for 21 days!

3.  Are the pools with the moveable roofs heated and are these areas quiet solariums/ adults only restful spots, a la Celebrity

4.  How easy is it to get a table for two at open dinner (or even at the set dinner times, with a reservation)?  

I've got my eye on a HAL cruise.  Any info is appreciated.  Thank you!

1) Last year we followed a Celebrity reflection cruise from Rome with a HAL Oosterdam cruise from Venice. We are also primarily a Celebrity cruiser, but last year IMO the food on the Oosterdam was a lot better than the Reflection. More entree choices and just better quality overall on the Oosterdam. The HAL Lido buffets have more choices and at night they offer most of the entrees from the MDR. Room service is still free on HAL while Celebrity now charges non suites a delivery and gratuity charge. Specialty restaurants are a lot less in cost on HAL and just as good as Celebrity. There have been many discussions on CC about how the food quality has gone downhill since Covid restarts.

 

2) I saw no difference in bed quality between the two lines both were very firm and comfortable. I wish my bed at home was as good as theirs. 

 

3) We never use the pools, so I can't comment.

 

4) we only chose anytime dinning with both lines, we prefer to have dinner when we want not when the cruise ship tells us to. On Oosterdam we would show up between 6:30 and 7:00pm and not once did we have to wait to be seated on a 14 day cruise.

 

My DW and I are in our early 70's and we are to the point that we no longer care about loyalty status. We now choose a cruise by the Itinerary that is best between the 3 cruise lines we will cruise with, Celebrity HAL and Oceania. We have 6 future cruises booked with all 3 in the next two years, each one was chosen because of the itinerary. 

 

I hope my comments help and all I can say is try HAL for yourselves and see what you think. You do not mention which cruise or ship you are considering, but the new HAL Pinnacle class ships are really beautiful and they still have traditional open balconies, unlike the IV cabins in the newer Celebrity E Class ships. We will only cruise on the E Class ships in a Sky Suite with real balconies, because we tried an IV cabin once and it was too much like an Ocean view window cabin and we hated it.

Edited July 24, 2023 by terrydtx

[Fouremco]

HAL and Celebrity are our preferred cruise lines. While we have cruised more often with HAL, we rate them more or less equal and find that there is a bigger difference from ship to ship than there is from line to line. Our choice of which to book is based on the itinerary, not the ship or cruise line.

 

1. Food is very comparable and I'd never be able to pick one over the other. Of course, individual tastes and preferences vary. We sailed the Nieuw Statendam in 2019 and were very pleased with the food.

 

2. Excellent firm beds that I'd be quite happy with at home.

 

3. HAL pools are heated. With the roof closed, usually due to inclement or cool weather, a HAL pool area remains the same. I prefer HAL's main pools to Celebrity's regular pools as they tend to be larger and less crowded, but if you are looking for peace and quiet and no kids, HAL has no pool area comparable to the Solarium. That said, HAL ships sailing 21-night itineraries in Northern Europe do not attract many kids. We did the 14-night Voyage of the Midnight Sun aboard the Nieuw Statendam in 2019 and I don't recall seeing any kids at all. 

 

4. Again, wait times seem to very from ship to ship and cruise to cruise on both lines. DW and I normally get a table for two and haven't had long waits on either line. A non-issue in our books.

 

Here are a couple of photos of the pool with roof open and closed:

 

 

 

[0106]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

Here are a couple of photos of the pool with roof open and closed

These pools are on the Pinnacle class ships(Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam) The other ships don’t have the second level seating area. 

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, 0106 said:

These pools are on the Pinnacle class ships(Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam) The other ships don’t have the second level seating area. 

Correct. But as @Beach Nut is contemplating a cruise on the Nieuw Statendam, it made more sense to show him photos of that ship instead of random photos of a ship belonging to one of the other classes.

[0106]

@Fouremco The ship was not identified in the @Beach Nut post so I did not realize they were on the NS.  I do think it is important for cruisers new to HAL to understand the different classes of ships.

 

With regards to #4 dining question, my DH and I enjoy fixed dining because we like having the same waiter every night who quickly learns are likes and dislikes( no bread, extra vegetables, tea after dinner…) Also, the Nieuw Statendam (& other Pinnacle ships) have several additional restaurants: Rudis Sel de Mar, Tamarind, Grand Dutch Cafe, NY Pizza & Deli.

Edited July 24, 2023 by 0106

[islandwoman]

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

@Fouremco The ship was not identified in the @Beach Nut post so I did not realize they were on the NS.  I do think it is important for cruisers new to HAL to understand the different classes of ships.

And to understand the abbreviations.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

@Fouremco The ship was not identified in the @Beach Nut post so I did not realize they were on the NS.

True, @Beach Nut didn't mention it, which is why I referred to the Nieuw Statendam by name a couple of times as well as posting the photos.  I apologize for any lack of clarity.

[0106]

@Fouremco I think your pictures of the pools are an excellent resource.  I knew from your post they were from the Nieuw Statendam (NS).  I didn’t realize that the original poster (OP) was asking questions specific to the NS.  My dear husband (DH) and I are looking forward to a 14 day Taste of Norway cruise on the Rotterdam in 2024.
 

13 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

And to understand the abbreviations.

I apologize for the lack of clarity by using unfamiliar abbreviations.  

[Beach Nut]

Wow!  I am SO overwhelmed by the generosity of those who took the time to answer my questions!

Super helpful.  Thank you all so much!  Your warmth and willingness to help reminds me of why I love cruising so much:  We always meet such wonderful people!   I hope I get to meet you guys on a future cruise. 

 

And, yes, it is a cruise on the Nieuw Statendam I am considering:  the 21 day August 3, 2024 sailing.

Kudos to the sleuthing and/or ESP skills of those who figured it out that it was that ship.

 

Thank you again to all of you.  Many blessings be upon you all.

Susan

 

  

 

 

[Fouremco]

58 minutes ago, Beach Nut said:

Kudos to the sleuthing and/or ESP skills of those who figured it out that it was that ship.

LOL. The information was a single mouse click away. Clicking on your name or avatar brings up your profile and recent posts. The latter included your Roll Call post for this cruise on the Nieuw Statendam.

 

I hope that you decide to book this cruise. We did HAL's 14-night Voyage of the Midnight Sun on the Nieuw Statendam in 2019 and loved both the ship and the cruise.

[islandwoman]

How many Barclay's Holland America visa points must I redeem to receive the 2.50% redemption value?  I see that Barclays says "Holland America Line Purchases within the last 180 days:  ...$4001 and up", but how many points is that?  Does this mean that I can get a 2.50% redemption value for any number of points, if I make a $4100 HAL purchase, or do I have to redeem points worth $4100?   And how many would that be? 200,00? 400,000? something else?

[FlaMariner]

1 hour ago, islandwoman said:

How many Barclay's Holland America visa points must I redeem to receive the 2.50% redemption value?  I see that Barclays says "Holland America Line Purchases within the last 180 days:  ...$4001 and up", but how many points is that?  Does this mean that I can get a 2.50% redemption value for any number of points, if I make a $4100 HAL purchase, or do I have to redeem points worth $4100?   And how many would that be? 200,00? 400,000? something else?

 

By my math and understanding......and it is very complicated and gives me a headache (probably on purpose) so I'll be repetitive and try to explain the way I figured it out......

 

You reach the top tier redemption rate of 2.5% towards a HAL cruise if you are able to redeem points that are worth $4,100 towards a HAL cruise.

 

To get to the top tier redemption rate of 2.5% and earn $4,100 off a HAL cruise, you would need to do the following.....

 

......Earn 164,000 points.......

 

you will reach the top tier rate of 2.5% redemption and that would equate to $4,100 off a Holland America cruise.

 

(164,000 x .025 = $4,100)

 

To obtain 164,000 points you would earn one point for each dollar spent except for HAL purchases......HAL purchases would get you 2 points for every dollar spent w/HAL.

 

I hope that makes sense.  For us, we have the Barclay's HAL card but no longer use it because even the top tier redemption rate (2.5%) is less than what we get in cash back from our Bank of America Premium Rewards VISA....Also the travel insurance is not as good.  It does have a zero annual fee so that keeps it in our wallet for now.  I hope HAL will dust off the benefits and make it more lucrative.

 

Here is a link to the terms and conditions and the nitty gritty of the redemption scheme.....

 

https://www.barclaycardus.com/applycontent/TnCs.jsp?tc45188

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by FlaMariner

[SSBrickNJ]

Wed. will be my first time on an HAL ship. Nieuw Statendam will depart from Copenhagen on the 2nd of August.

My frame of reference is Royal Caribbean. On their ships (pre covid) once onboard we were expected to get a card that reflected our My Time Dining reservation and bring it with us the first time we arrived at the MDR.

When I booked this upcoming HAL reservation, I arranged for a 5:30pm dinner reservation...the same table each night on the upper MDR level. I know that....but with HAL / Nieuw Statendam do I have to get something documenting that...or...just show up and give my stateroom number?

Thank you! 🙂

Steve (NJ/USA)

[HAL4NOW]

2 hours ago, SSBrickNJ said:

Wed. will be my first time on an HAL ship. Nieuw Statendam will depart from Copenhagen on the 2nd of August.

My frame of reference is Royal Caribbean. On their ships (pre covid) once onboard we were expected to get a card that reflected our My Time Dining reservation and bring it with us the first time we arrived at the MDR.

When I booked this upcoming HAL reservation, I arranged for a 5:30pm dinner reservation...the same table each night on the upper MDR level. I know that....but with HAL / Nieuw Statendam do I have to get something documenting that...or...just show up and give my stateroom number?

Thank you! 🙂

Steve (NJ/USA)

The time and table number should be on your key card when you receive it upon boarding.

[SSBrickNJ]

6 hours ago, HAL4NOW said:

The time and table number should be on your key card when you receive it upon boarding.

That's great. Thanks for sharing that information.

Next MDR topic....

Many times I will wear dockers or slacks to the Main Dining Room.

I have also packed my one set of clothes for Formal Night.

Yet, I read that "nice jeans" can be acceptable on cruises in the MDR on NON formal nights.

I have solid colored off white jeans and solid color blue jeans.

With both colors there are no holes...no patches...even as I compose my question my instinct is telling me: "forget the nice blue jeans in the MDR"....but the white jeans with a button down shirt would be fine?

Agreed? Thoughts on this topic anyone?

Edited July 28, 2023 by SSBrickNJ

[Cruise Suzy]

8 hours ago, SSBrickNJ said:

but with HAL / Nieuw Statendam do I have to get something documenting that...or...just show up and give my stateroom number?

 

It will be indicated on your keycard which will be in the mailslot by your stateroom.

[Cruise Suzy]

1 minute ago, SSBrickNJ said:

I have also packed my one set of clothes for Formal Night.

Yet, I read that "nice jeans" can be acceptable in the MDR on non formal nights.

I have solid colored off white jeans and solid color blue jeans.

 

"Dressy" night attire requires only a minimum of slacks (no jeans) and a collared shirt for men in dining venues with table service. But you can be as formal as you like. Jeans without holes are acceptable on non-dressy night.

[islandwoman]

1 hour ago, Cruise Suzy said:

 

"Dressy" night attire requires only a minimum of slacks (no jeans) and a collared shirt for men in dining venues with table service. But you can be as formal as you like. Jeans without holes are acceptable on non-dressy night.

How about for women?  In my experience, women tend to dress up more than men - except me!  I'd rather eat room service or in the buffet than have to buy and pack "dressy" clothing.  Still, I'd hate to miss an especially good MDR meal.

[Dismomx5]

1 hour ago, islandwoman said:

How about for women?  In my experience, women tend to dress up more than men - except me!  I'd rather eat room service or in the buffet than have to buy and pack "dressy" clothing.  Still, I'd hate to miss an especially good MDR meal.

I have worn a nice pair of black slacks with a "dressy" (er) blouse. I did not feel out of place at all. That said, I now have a dress that travels, wears and washes like a rag that I take with me.

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, Dismomx5 said:

I have worn a nice pair of black slacks with a "dressy" (er) blouse. I did not feel out of place at all. That said, I now have a dress that travels, wears and washes like a rag that I take with me.

I do too. Generally prefer pants, but they do wrinkle during travel, do I've started packing a black stretchy dress that I throw a light jacket or scarf over and slip on black shoes and I'm good to go. The dress doesn't wrinkle and I only need to pack 1 no matter how long the cruise - it washes well & I use laundry service. I take 2 "covers" for it - 1 jacket & 1 scarf plus just 1 pair of black shoes, so packing is much easier than when we were "formal."

Safe travels  - enjoy your cruise!

[Aloha3]

7 hours ago, islandwoman said:

How about for women?  In my experience, women tend to dress up more than men - except me!  I'd rather eat room service or in the buffet than have to buy and pack "dressy" clothing.  Still, I'd hate to miss an especially good MDR meal.

tidy jeans are fine too on non dressy nights

[KroozNut]

51 minutes ago, Aloha3 said:

tidy jeans are fine too on non dressy nights

 

"Tidy jeans"? 🤔

[kazu]

25 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

"Tidy jeans"? 🤔

 

Jeans that look nice - not ripped, ragged, etc.