Georgeny Posted November 13, 2017 #26 Share Posted November 13, 2017 This was just our second HAL cruise and we just loved it. The HAL service really is as great as everyone claims. It was so nice to see the staff constantly smiling and appearing to be very happy in their work lives. Mike, Back in the day I did a web page for The Mining Company later to become About.com as the Cruise Guide. I am proud to say it was highly rated, noted both in Washington and LA Post travel sections. Well all I can say is that I am very glad I did not have you as my competition, you are tremendous at doing your reviews and your style is fantastic. I wish I had known, we were both on this cruise and we would have loved to meet up with you and your wife. Heck even our cabins were not that far apart, we were in aft 8168. I just finished my far shorter and less concise review here in the review section and included just a few snaps. For those here don't bother with it, all you need is Mikes. I agree with all he said for most part. We had a great cruise! This was our third HAL cruise through the years and our fourth will be the Rotterdam Christmas sailing. WE live in NY but have recently started combining road trip with cruises. The Nieuw cruise was supposed to be with friends to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. We had met them on the Celebrity Zenith in 1992 and stood up for them when they were married on Paradise Point in St. Thomas. We have been fast friends and fellow cruisers ever since. Unfortunately circumstances forced them to cancel at last minute. They now live in NC so we stayed with our plans to drive there and then fly from RDU to FLL. Returned and stayed a few days visiting then drove back to NY. For December we will make slow leisurely drives to Tampa. cruise, then back. Probably stopping in Savannah for a day or two etc. We have been a little off about cruising as the non-service penny grabbing of the lines increases, hence the road trip portions to see if that suits us better than cruising at this point. A sad thing since we had been increasing our sea time to 30 or more days a year until recently. The original plan was to spend winter on ships rather than buying or renting southern property for getting out of the cold. We are torn about that now. This is why we are sailing HAL, find so far closest thing to real past cruising pleasure, the smiles the service the friendliness, than most other lines. Darn! Really wish I had known we were both onboard. That will teach me not to do the get meet and greets anymore :( George in NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richandkathynaplesfl Posted November 16, 2017 #27 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Absolutely, Unequivocally, the best review I have seen on these boards since I have been a member. While I greatly admire many of the LIVE reviews, your photography and descriptions are without a doubt the best so far. We are leaving Saturday on the NA and this review has "wetted" our palate unconditionally. Thank you so much for the time and effort which is so evident. As you mentioned Tennis Courts on Amber Cove, were there in fact separate courts from the posted photo of a Basketball Court? Kathy and I are avid players and would love to play. Just wondering if we should pack our racquets, or not. Thanks again for your insightful review. Rich richandkathynaplesfl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richandkathynaplesfl Posted November 16, 2017 #28 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Oops, evidently I mistook took the photo from Half Moon Cay to be Amber Cove. All other accolades still apply, but the Tennis Court question would be for Half Moon Cay, not Amber Cove as I originally posted....sorry for the mix-up, but the question remains...:eek: Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MVPinBoynton Posted November 16, 2017 Author #29 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Oops, evidently I mistook took the photo from Half Moon Cay to be Amber Cove.All other accolades still apply, but the Tennis Court question would be for Half Moon Cay, not Amber Cove as I originally posted....sorry for the mix-up, but the question remains...:eek: Rich Well, your mix up wasn't as bad as mine. I just typed tennis instead of basketball; which I have now corrected. Thank you for finding this error. I am sorry that I got you excited over something that isn't there; but there is still lots to be excited about on HMC. I am so glad you enjoyed the review and hope that it helps to make your NA cruise experience a little better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richandkathynaplesfl Posted November 16, 2017 #30 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Thanks again Mike. No worries, as we are still looking for a place to play when we go on cruises. Have not found any yet. Peace and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Niagarawine Posted November 19, 2017 #31 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Thank you all for such nice comments. We really appreciate them. These responses to our reviews make the many hours spent on creating the reviews even more worthwhile. I am so glad they can help in reminding you of your past cruises and for planning your future ones. Thank,you for the terrific review. It really helped me get excited for my cruise next weekend, especially the food pics,lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisun Posted November 19, 2017 #32 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Great pictures! Does anyone know what exactly is being done during her drydock in December? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bUU Posted November 19, 2017 #33 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Great pictures!Does anyone know what exactly is being done during her drydock in December? Thanks This:Affirm; Lincoln Center Stage instead of Explorers Lounge; “Billboard Onboard” “Dueling pianos” instead of Piano Bar and part of the Casino; Gallery (Arts) Bar instead of Northern Lights; Suite upgrades and improvements incl. new furniture, modern fixtures and new carpeting; Spa and PG upgrade This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted November 19, 2017 #34 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Your review is fabulous Mike, as always. A real pleasure and the photography is so lovely. Thanks for sharing with us and welcome home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MVPinBoynton Posted November 19, 2017 Author #35 Share Posted November 19, 2017 I was a bit disappointed that our cruise was just before the drydock; since I would have liked to be able to show the drydock changes. So instead, I was able to be able to help everyone remember what she used to be like in the spaces that are being changed. I now have a reason to cruise on her again, as if I needed a reason. :D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyneastbay Posted November 19, 2017 #36 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Just got off the NA. What a great review of photos. We missed Cap Cana due to weather but it was great to see your pictures. Also enjoyed your review of Amber Cove. I will have to check out that port next time I cruise. We have just posted a review to our website with lots of photos of our recently completed Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam. Also included are menus from all the bars and eating venues. This was just our second HAL cruise and we just loved it. The HAL service really is as great as everyone claims. It was so nice to see the staff constantly smiling and appearing to be very happy in their work lives. With some lines, they are friendly to guests; but don’t appear as happy when not guest facing. Although the Signature Class ships are very similar to the Vista Class, we enjoyed the Nieuw Amsterdam more than the Westerdam we were on three years ago. With us cruising on the Zaandam in just 2 months, we will soon be able to compare the R Class to the others. I am sure we will enjoy it too. The itinerary was significantly changed due to damage in the planned ports caused by this year’s hurricanes. We still had a great time and enjoyed the three ports we were able to stop at. I will say that I fell in love with Half Moon Cay. Just a gorgeous place. I look forward to returning in the future. How can you not love a place that looks like this? The review is located at www.thepreismans.com. I hope it is helpful for those of you that are planning a cruise; and that it brings back some fond memories to those of you who have been able to visit these ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zounds Posted November 19, 2017 #37 Share Posted November 19, 2017 Beautiful !! The most comprehensive and well-written review ever ! I can't thank you enough. steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Nic Posted November 20, 2017 #38 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Beautiful !! The most comprehensive and well-written review ever ! I can't thank you enough. steve Taking our family on the NA at the end of Feb. Just got off of the Celebrity Summit on Saturday and were worried that switching lines was a dumb idea. Your review set my fears to rest....my family will enjoy the hell out of their time on this ship. Thank you thank you and thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MVPinBoynton Posted November 20, 2017 Author #39 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Taking our family on the NA at the end of Feb. Just got off of the Celebrity Summit on Saturday and were worried that switching lines was a dumb idea. Your review set my fears to rest....my family will enjoy the hell out of their time on this ship. Thank you thank you and thank you! Well, you certainly have the right attitude! You will have a great time. Glad I could change your worry to anticipation. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie68 Posted November 20, 2017 #40 Share Posted November 20, 2017 I spent 4 weeks on the NA earlier this year, but I have to say your photos are fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed those and reading your review. Yours is a great website. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutensteve Posted November 20, 2017 #41 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Just finished reading your excellent review and enjoying your beautiful pictures. Than you for sharing with all of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbecker6469 Posted December 17, 2017 #42 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Awesome review and pics! I believe this is the best review of a ship and cruise I have seen, on any site. Thank you for your hard work and sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAPinBoynton Posted December 17, 2017 #43 Share Posted December 17, 2017 On behalf of my husband, thank you all for your kind words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MVPinBoynton Posted December 17, 2017 Author #44 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Thank you all for the very nice messages. They are appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ski ww Posted December 17, 2017 #45 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Really enjoyed reading your review and looking at all your pictures brought back many good memories of HMC & Amber Cove. We also cruised on the NA in July to Alaska. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KroozNut Posted December 17, 2017 #46 Share Posted December 17, 2017 Thanks for the great review. We sail on her sister ship (Eurodam) next year and are even more excited now!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totheworld Posted February 7, 2018 #47 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Thank you. We are going on our first cruise on the NA in August and this review has been so helpful. Wonderful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbecker6469 Posted February 7, 2018 #48 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Well Done! Very professional review. We will be sailing on her Nov 2018, and will be looking forward to seeing how the drydock, I think done right after your cruise, updated her. Thank you for all the time you spent on this. From the look of your website, it is obvious that you love doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MVPinBoynton Posted February 7, 2018 Author #49 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Thank you. We are going on our first cruise on the NA in August and this review has been so helpful. Wonderful! I am so glad that it has been helpful for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MVPinBoynton Posted February 7, 2018 Author #50 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Well Done! Very professional review. We will be sailing on her Nov 2018, and will be looking forward to seeing how the drydock, I think done right after your cruise, updated her. Thank you for all the time you spent on this. From the look of your website, it is obvious that you love doing this. Oh I do indeed! It helps us to remember all the wonderful vacations we have been able to take; plus it lets us help others in their planning. I am currently working on the review of our 22 day Zaandam South America/Antarctica cruise. Now that was an amazing cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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