Considering Holland America

[Ilovesailaway]

Looking at Nieuw Amsterdamand Nieuw Statendam out of Port Everglades in December for DW birthday. 

We are in our early 50's and have cruised the mass market lines. DW has waited to resume cruising because she didn't want to deal with the restrictions. After several cancelations and changes I had to burn through a lot of FCC and OBC I had with Carnival so DW didn't cruise with me on Legend and Sunrise recently.

We have a Med cruise on Celebrity booked that we have delayed till next year to give more time for restrictions to be lifted.

We are pretty laid back and don't need a loud atmosphere to be entertained. We appreciate good service which honestly was missing recently on Carnival. The HA cruises I am looking at are a good value and with "Have It All"  it would cost the same as RCCL, Carnival, or NCL if I included those amenities.

Now that we (I) have begun cruising without our kids we are looking for an experience that a little less amusement park and a little more elegant. 

Any advise as I begin to look at HA as a possible choice? Out of the 2 cruises I listed do you prefer one ship over the other? Both cruises do Curacao, Aruba, and HMC. Also should I consider an obstructed view balcony for this cruise or is it not a good idea on these ships?

Again any advice on HA and these choices that you can provide would be appreciated.

[jhannah]

HAL is our first choice in cruise lines. The ships are classic and dignified, and their crews are outstanding. Give them a try. I think you'll like it very much.

[Rlandrigan]

I love HAL, and they have a sense of doing things the proper way about them. Both ships are very nice, with the Statendam having more modern touches, but lacking the full wrap around Promenade, if that matters. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

1 hour ago, Ilovesailaway said:

Looking at Nieuw Amsterdamand Nieuw Statendam out of Port Everglades in December for DW birthday. 

We are in our early 50's and have cruised the mass market lines. DW has waited to resume cruising because she didn't want to deal with the restrictions. After several cancelations and changes I had to burn through a lot of FCC and OBC I had with Carnival so DW didn't cruise with me on Legend and Sunrise recently.

We have a Med cruise on Celebrity booked that we have delayed till next year to give more time for restrictions to be lifted.

We are pretty laid back and don't need a loud atmosphere to be entertained. We appreciate good service which honestly was missing recently on Carnival. The HA cruises I am looking at are a good value and with "Have It All"  it would cost the same as RCCL, Carnival, or NCL if I included those amenities.

Now that we (I) have begun cruising without our kids we are looking for an experience that a little less amusement park and a little more elegant. 

Any advise as I begin to look at HA as a possible choice? Out of the 2 cruises I listed do you prefer one ship over the other? Both cruises do Curacao, Aruba, and HMC. Also should I consider an obstructed view balcony for this cruise or is it not a good idea on these ships?

Again any advice on HA and these choices that you can provide would be appreciated.

I think you would enjoy the Pinnacle class ships.   Koningsdam, nieuw Statendsm or Rotterdam.     They have the same fabulous crew as all HAL ships but with the most extensive venues all geared toward adults.   

[AFNavigator]

1 hour ago, Ilovesailaway said:

Any advise as I begin to look at HA as a possible choice? Out of the 2 cruises I listed do you prefer one ship over the other? Both cruises do Curacao, Aruba, and HMC.

 Port times might help in your decision. If I'm looking at the two cruises you noted, the Nieuw Statendam is in Curacao 16 hours, Aruba 8 hours and HMC 6 hours.  The Nieuw Amsterdam is in Curacao 9 hours, Aruba 10 hours and HMC 7 hours.  Obviously, the biggest difference is in Curacao where you get 7 hours more there with the NS itinerary.

 

Regarding HAL vs Carnival, our Dec Eurodam was first time on HAL after coming off Carnival.  We felt it was night and day different in terms of service and appearance.  HAL was great and really made us feel comfortable and welcome...a real class act.  Carnival is, well, Carnival.  Fun party boat atmosphere but more for the "I'm here to get loaded" crowd or bring along the stroller crowd.  If you don't need a water park, go cart track, surfing simulator, skydiving simulator, ice rink, etc., and don't need to be entertained every minute of the day, HAL is probably a great fit for you.  We felt HAL's live entertainment on the Music Walk was great--what a variety of really good musicians.  The only thing we were a bit disappointed in was the limited use of the main stage.  They had a great dance troop perform there 4-5 nights, a couple of just OK comedians and some nice BBC Earth videos...not much else otherwise.

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, Ilovesailaway said:

Any advise as I begin to look at HA as a possible choice? Out of the 2 cruises I listed do you prefer one ship over the other? Both cruises do Curacao, Aruba, and HMC. Also should I consider an obstructed view balcony for this cruise or is it not a good idea on these ships?

I am very much into hidden bargains on any ship. I had booked N.Statendam 2 obstructed balconies for January 2021 (I think, whenever it was cancelled for me). Now I have similar booking on the K'dam for Mex.Riviera/Hawaii back-to-back (sold as a Collector's Cruise for even better pricing). 

 

But our next booking is Nieuw Amsterdam from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale through Panama Canal. So equal opportunity sailor!

 

After our next HAL cruise we will be 4* so you can tell I recommend them highly!

[DaveOKC]

We were on the NS in Dec and really liked her (we have been on the NA in the past as well as most of the HAL ships).  The NS has a fresh and modern feel to it, especially since she has been laid up for so long due to Covid pause.  Many more dining options than the NA plus the music walk is great IMO.

 

I do think that the cabins on the NA are a bit larger, but more update on the NS.  We had a Neptune on the NS in Dec and loved it, especially the spacious bathroom.

 

IMO, the best part of HAL is the great crew on all the ships.  So kind. pleasant and helpful.  We also like that they have a Catholic Priest onboard and we can have Mass daily.

Edited March 4, 2022 by DaveOKC

[fkfad]

We've cruised on all of the major lines, including many cruises on Carnival.  We have booked our fourth HAL cruise, approaching 3-star Mariner.  As previous posters have written, HAL is a class act!  The service is excellent, the food is excellent, and the overall ambiance is relaxing.  It is definitely opposite of Carnival in many aspects -- no constant music playing around the pools, no big screen over the pools, no hairy chest game at the pool, etc.  Instead, you get a relaxing, enjoyable cruise with a great crew taking care of you.  We are sold on HAL, regardless of the excellent offers we receive from Carnival and NCL!

[Homala]

Does the N. Statendam lack a wrap around promenade?  I thought it still had the full promenade, although tight in some areas. We love walking around the promenade, so this would be so disappointing for us. (Booked on the N.S. In September.)

 

And to the original poster, we have sailed on HAL four times and love it. Great food, wonderful staff, beautiful ships. Enjoy!

[doone]

I love all the HAL ships, but I will say I am partial to the Pinnacle Class because of the music venues onboard, love, love Rolling Rock Room............BBKings has a nice big open venue.  BBKings are an excellent addition to HAL ships, but on the smaller ships, the venue they are in, IMHO, don't do them justice, the venue is just small and too loud to appreciate.............if I were you, I'd chose Nieuw Statendam over Nieuw Amsterdam for those reasons only...........both are great ships and you will enjoy either one.

[jayhawk66]

The Pinnacle class ships all have full walk around promenade decks, but are narrow going around the bow. They have a few benches but do not have deck loungers on the promenade.

[Homala]

13 minutes ago, jayhawk66 said:

The Pinnacle class ships all have full walk around promenade decks, but are narrow going around the bow

Great!  Thanks!

[albingirl]

2 hours ago, Homala said:

Does the N. Statendam lack a wrap around promenade?  I thought it still had the full promenade, although tight in some areas. We love walking around the promenade, so this would be so disappointing for us. (Booked on the N.S. In September.)

 

And to the original poster, we have sailed on HAL four times and love it. Great food, wonderful staff, beautiful ships. Enjoy!

It has a wrap.  Tight, but you can walk all around the ship.

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, albingirl said:

It has a wrap.  Tight, but you can walk all around the ship.

Promenade Deck:

Corners

 

End

 

Side

 

[Kay S]

We have cruised Princess for years, but now that they seem to be going the way of the megaship for the masses, we have turned to HAL.  Great food, wonderful entertainment, respect for cruising traditions, we are so much happier with HAL.  If I didn't have a bunch of future credit to use up on Princess (thanks, covid) I would never get on another Princess ship again.  

[jkrislc]

We've settled on Holland America as our preferred cruise line, but itinerary still comes first for us. While we've cruised Royal Caribbean more, we find the Holland America offers a better value overall. We also enjoy the included movies, better main dining room food, and more reasonably priced specialty restaurants. The lido buffet is also superior. That said, there's also less to do onboard as you won't find ice skating, water slides, or the like, but that's not of interest to us. We also find that it's often cheaper for us as our son often cruises at a greatly reduced fare on Holland America. For example, on our next cruise, we only had to pay taxes and fees for him as the base fare was $0.

[PROCRUISE]

I think everyone has summed it up nicely.

Started cruising in 2022 and yes, did 12 cruises with CCL including the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. Then I tried other cruise lines during the 37 previous cruises I've taken up to now, even on Windstar and Viking Ocean. I find HAL and Celebrity to be my favorite. HAL has some great itineraries, excellent service and food and I can choose my own pace with regards to activities or just relax on my balcony. Leaving 3/8 on the Eurodam and I already know it will be great. Come join us on 12/10 -12/17 on the Nieuw Statendam for a nice trip just down to Aruba, Curacao and private island. Ship will be nicely decorated for the Christmas Season and it's much more fun than holiday shopping!

[nanlaur]

One reason that I tend to steer clear of the NA is that we had a bad experience with a very large group on the ship affecting the availability of the MDR. For whatever reason, that ship tends to book large groups. If you want to make sure you don't book a cruise like that, keep an eye on the list maintained by VMax1700: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2834513-march-2022-update-hal-dry-docks-charters-and-groups-onboard/

[Mary229]

My DH loves the quiet ambience and friendly service of HAL.  I have sailed on many lines in the Caribbean and my considerations are size of ship, itinerary and time in port.  There are many great options, have you considered Windstar?

[DENIE]

Great thread!  We have mostly sailed Celebrity recently, and in June are going on a "splurge" cruise on Oceania, which I know we are going to love.  We sailed on the Oosterdam in @ 2010 and had a great time, and now have been invited to join a large group of about 15 friends on a Koningsdam December 2022 cruise.  It has been fun getting "reacquainted" with HAL, and seeing that we will probably like as much as we do Celebrity.  Could see alternating between them both!

[REOVA]

Been on most of the HAL ships (5 star Mariner). Don't care about casinos, amusements rides, or loud party games. Prefer the smaller ships (ode to the Prinsendam) where you feel like a cruiser and not so much modern hotel. Most of those are sold off for the more efficient, more updated and more profitable larger ships. (Sailed CCL, NCL, Princess as well - not going back). We enjoy the slower pace. I would choose NA over the newer as I like the Promenade deck and meeting people sitting on the lounge chairs. Been on K'dam (Pinnacle Class) and didn't appeal to us due to tight Promenade deck, although more band venues but too close together (cross sound), no library and pre COVID on a full ship the crew had a hard time handling the crowd in the loud dining room. NA will have more issues due to age of the ship (leaks, repairs, limited venues). But we have not sailed since the defunct World Cruise ending 2 years ago (this month) so don't know what is happening on either currently. Tender ports may be different on each depending on number of passengers so check times at those ports. We be on Zaandam in Summer and will be trying Rotterdam in Fall. I don't think you will be disappointed on either just know from responses the differences. Maybe sail NA before they sell it and then compare on one of the newer ships. Oh the places you'll go. 

[AFNavigator]

On 3/4/2022 at 12:11 AM, AFNavigator said:

 Port times might help in your decision. If I'm looking at the two cruises you noted, the Nieuw Statendam is in Curacao 16 hours, Aruba 8 hours and HMC 6 hours.  The Nieuw Amsterdam is in Curacao 9 hours, Aruba 10 hours and HMC 7 hours.  Obviously, the biggest difference is in Curacao where you get 7 hours more there with the NS itinerary.

 

Regarding HAL vs Carnival, our Dec Eurodam was first time on HAL after coming off Carnival.  We felt it was night and day different in terms of service and appearance.  HAL was great and really made us feel comfortable and welcome...a real class act.  Carnival is, well, Carnival.  Fun party boat atmosphere but more for the "I'm here to get loaded" crowd or bring along the stroller crowd.  If you don't need a water park, go cart track, surfing simulator, skydiving simulator, ice rink, etc., and don't need to be entertained every minute of the day, HAL is probably a great fit for you.  We felt HAL's live entertainment on the Music Walk was great--what a variety of really good musicians.  The only thing we were a bit disappointed in was the limited use of the main stage.  They had a great dance troop perform there 4-5 nights, a couple of just OK comedians and some nice BBC Earth videos...not much else otherwise.

Some other on-ship differences that might help you decide:

- NS has large walk in showers in cabins.  NA has tub/shower combo

- NS has Rolling Stone Rock Room, NA doesn't

- NA has dedicated Lincoln Center Stage in quiet area; NS has combined Lincoln Center and BB King Blues Club stage. 

- NS has Dutch Cafe, Gelato, and New York Pizza & Deli.  NA has NY Pizza (not deli) but no Dutch Cafe or Gelato.

- NS has large screen video board in Lido Pool for evening movies, NA doesn't have that screen

- NA has wide outside promenade with great views and lots of padded teak loungers...classic ocean liner promenade look.  NS still has a promenade but it is much narrower, has no loungers or chairs (just a few hard benches) and view is more obstructed due to life boats being lower than on NA.

- NS has dedicated Club Orange restaurant, NA has Club Orange priority access in main dining room.  Club Orange is a "priority" service free to Neptune Suite/Pinnacle Suite guests and available at cost for a limited number of other guests.  Typical cost is $25-$35/person/day.  Biggest cost benefit of Club Orange is free upgrade to best cabin category in your "Meta category".  For example, that means you can book a lowest cost balcony cabin and if you purchase Club Orange, they will upgrade you to the highest category balcony cabin available for no cost beyond the Club Orange Cost. 

 

[Aquahound]

On 3/3/2022 at 8:11 PM, Ilovesailaway said:

We are pretty laid back and don't need a loud atmosphere to be entertained. We appreciate good service which honestly was missing recently on Carnival.

 

Now that we (I) have begun cruising without our kids we are looking for an experience that a little less amusement park and a little more elegant. 

 

 

IMO, because of these couple lines you posted, HAL seems like a good fit for you.  I'm not sure I would call HAL "elegant" due to the fact they eliminated toned-down live lounge music, but it definitely is a more elegant atmosphere than Carnival.  

 

If you enjoy Celebrity, I recommend Nieuw Statendam.  My last HAL cruise was on Nieuw Amsterdam's sister ship and while I used to enjoy those ships, the live entertainment cutbacks (aforementioned lounge music) was just too much for me.  

[daisy-mae]

Because we are not frequent cruisers (average of 1 cruise or less per year), the only way to truly benefit from a loyalty program is to choose one cruise line and stick with it. We have tried other lines, but have cruised most often on HAL, mainly because of the itineraries, the crew, and the ships.

 

One of the great perks is the ability to play pickleball on the sports deck with like-mined passengers. As far as I know, HAL was one of the first cruise lines to actively offer pickleball as a daily activity on port days (although we have played when underway on calm seas).

Edited March 5, 2022 by daisy-mae
punctuation

[Ilovesailaway]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I love planning for travel and the information you have provided has gotten my off to a promising start. It sounds like the NS would be the better choice for us. I should add that I enjoy visiting the gym and spa facilities on board. Can anyone comment on those amenities on NS? More specifically does she have separate men's and women's saunas and steam rooms? Do they charge an additional cost to enter those areas? Thank you again for your help.