Which were your 3 favorite Holland America cruises and why ? Please post photos .

[scubacruiserx2]

We have just been reviewing some of our photos and wondered what have been your favorite HAL cruises?

[highscar]

Absolutely trans pacific from Sydney to Vancouver 2016. Wonderful to experience the islands on our way,  the celebrations crossing the date line and equator.  Unfortunately un known at the time our final cruise together. But so many happy. memories

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

We have just been reviewing some of our photos and wondered what have been your favorite HAL cruises?

Hawaii/Tahiti 28 nights

Panama Canal 21 nights

Alaska Cruise/Tour 19 nights

[BSinPNS]

Antarctica (Santiago>Buenos Aires) 22 nights

Voyage of the Midnight Sun (Norway) 14 nights

Indonesia Discover R/T Singapore 14 nights

[ottahand7]

Grand South America  2023

Iberian Adventure  2018  Amsterdam to Civitavecchia

Panama Canal 2017 San Diego to FL 

 

Photos - Ballestas Islands Pisco, Peru - Fjordo Glacier Chilean Fjords,  Duoro and Eiffel Bridge Porto Portugal,  Malaga, Spain,  Gatun Lock Panama   Corinto, Nicaragua 

 

[Nickelpenny]

I would have to say my first cruise on the Rotterdam 6 day Caribbean Jan 2022  

 

2nd and 3rd were my Alaska Cruises (actually did a side by side)  

 

[cruisin'teach]

Antartica - have done it 4 times 

 

Statendam final cruise from Seattle to Singapore visiting many WW2 battle sites and islands on the journey

 

Any cruise to Norway or northern Europe

Edited April 30, 2023 by cruisin'teach

[Radbooks]

I would say our 17 day cruise to Australia and New Zealand on the Maasdam in 2016. Our 21 day Alaska cruise from San Francisco on the Maasdam in 2019. And, our 18 day crossing from Copenhagen to Boston via Iceland and Greenland on the Nieuw Statendam in 2022. Just some wonderful cruises to amazing places.

 

Rhonda

[Mary229]

I could do the Boston to Montreal run every year. Love that cruise. 

[bennybear]

Circumnavigation of Japan during cherry blossoms

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by bennybear

[Ineke]

Sorry, no pictures. But our favourite HAL cruises were 

1. Eastern Meditteranean Noordam

2. Southern Caribbean - 14 days - Eurodam

3. Inca Empires and South America - 35 days - Amsterdam

[scubacruiserx2]

 Thanks everybody , we're loving it !

[CurlerRob]

1. Circle Hawaii, Tahiti and the Marquesas - 2014 - Statendam - (pic - Bora Bora)

2. Norway, Svalbard and Iceland - 2015 - Prinsendam - (pics - 700 miles from N. pole and Ny Alesund)

3. Vancouver - Sydney - circle Oz - New Zealand - 2016 - Maasdam - (pic - Sydney Harbour)

 

🍺🥌

 

 

 

 

[oakridger]

If I posted my favorite one, all my other cruises will get jealous!

😉

~Nancy

[JoC2024]

all are favourites in their own way, with our last cruise being on the final cruise of the Princendam, a real favourite (all the photos have been converted to video and uploaded to YouTube, so I can't show them here).  ...if I can only pick three (of our (only) seven), these would be them:
- our first cruise in 2008 on the Oosterdam, 7 day Seattle to Alaska (Hubbard Glacier and Sitka photos)
- our 2012 14 day Sydney to Sydney via NZ, again on the Oosterdam (the sunset departure from Sydney was spectacular as well as the Bay of Islands photos)
- lastly, our 2018 14 day French Polynesian Voyage on the Maasdam (Maasdam panorama at Uturoa, Raiatea and Taiohae, Nuku Hiva photos)

[Susanmaz]

20 years of sailing HAL, 97% with a camera, so not many pics available. Loved all cruises except for out last cruise on the Kdam in November 

[sciencewonk]

Out of the three cruises I've been on, here are my favorite three:

 

Alaska, Amsterdam, 7 days

Mexican Riviera, Zaandam, 10 days

San Diego to Sydney, Noordam, 34 days. 

 

Here are some pictures from the Alaska and transpacific cruises.

[Rubyfisch]

On 4/30/2023 at 4:47 PM, Mary229 said:

I could do the Boston to Montreal run every year. Love that cruise. 

Anything in particular about it? We're doing Boston to Quebec City at the end of August, so curious about what you like about it. It's my first on HAL and my girlfriend's first cruise.

[iflyrc5]

Grand South America 2020 - 4 days in Antarctica

[Mary229]

9 hours ago, Rubyfisch said:

Anything in particular about it? We're doing Boston to Quebec City at the end of August, so curious about what you like about it. It's my first on HAL and my girlfriend's first cruise.

1. Maple syrup taffy

2. old Quebec City, a European town on the frontier ditto Montreal

3 anything that far north

4. I am French Acadian by heritage - it feels right

5.  Fascinating maritime history of the Canadian maritimes

6. Bay of Fundy

7. Mussels in PEI

8. add Newfoundland and Labrador - you are in for a treat, those lands are as exotic as anything in the world .  Yes, I know exotic is not the first word people think of when discussing eastern Canada but they are remote, scenic and take a special people to call home

9. Lobster

If only they would find something other than Sydney I would go every year

[rodndonna]

15 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

1. Maple syrup taffy

2. old Quebec City, a European town on the frontier ditto Montreal

3 anything that far north

4. I am French Acadian by heritage - it feels right

5.  Fascinating maritime history of the Canadian maritimes

6. Bay of Fundy

7. Mussels in PEI

8. add Newfoundland and Labrador - you are in for a treat, those lands are as exotic as anything in the world .  Yes, I know exotic is not the first word people think of when discussing eastern Canada but they are remote, scenic and take a special people to call home

9. Lobster

If only they would find something other than Sydney I would go every year

 

Yikes - my husband is from Sydney, I won't let him read this 🫣  

 

Oddly, it's one of the main reasons we would do this itinerary, because it would be fun to sail in and out of home. His mother enjoys walking the boardwalk to see the ships.

[Rubyfisch]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

1. Maple syrup taffy

2. old Quebec City, a European town on the frontier ditto Montreal

3 anything that far north

4. I am French Acadian by heritage - it feels right

5.  Fascinating maritime history of the Canadian maritimes

6. Bay of Fundy

7. Mussels in PEI

8. add Newfoundland and Labrador - you are in for a treat, those lands are as exotic as anything in the world .  Yes, I know exotic is not the first word people think of when discussing eastern Canada but they are remote, scenic and take a special people to call home

9. Lobster

If only they would find something other than Sydney I would go every year

Thanks for the detailed reply. My girlfriend is part French Canadian going back to the 1600s - I think it's super cool we are doing an overnight in Quebec City.

 

My great grandparents on my paternal grandmother's side came from Sweden, and it felt quite profound to get off a ship in Stockholm with my father. So I can totally understand that.

[OlsSalt]

On 4/30/2023 at 1:38 PM, Radbooks said:

I would say our 17 day cruise to Australia and New Zealand on the Maasdam in 2016. Our 21 day Alaska cruise from San Francisco on the Maasdam in 2019. And, our 18 day crossing from Copenhagen to Boston via Iceland and Greenland on the Nieuw Statendam in 2022. Just some wonderful cruises to amazing places.

 

Rhonda

 

 

Hobbiton in New Zealand. Yes! Caught us by surprise how much we enjoyed that crazy little site.  We had been to NZ before and had seen the more obvious highlights so picking Hobbiton was a throw away choice. What a dear winner that turned out  to be.

 

We were their shortly after it opened, a bit rough around the edges with limited offering other than walking tours through the original movie site and a cup of tea and cake in a rather modest tourist center up the hill..

[OlsSalt]

17 hours ago, Rubyfisch said:

Anything in particular about it? We're doing Boston to Quebec City at the end of August, so curious about what you like about it. It's my first on HAL and my girlfriend's first cruise.

 

Quebec: Chez Ashton for poutine - done right. No one did it as well. We got hooked on the stuff,  but this was the only place where it properly squeaked and was super fresh:   https://chezashton.order-online.ai/#/

 

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by OlsSalt

[Radbooks]

7 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Hobbiton in New Zealand. Yes! Caught us by surprise how much we enjoyed that crazy little site.  We had been to NZ before and had seen the more obvious highlights so picking Hobbiton was a throw away choice. What a dear winner that turned out  to be.

 

We were their shortly after it opened, a bit rough around the edges with limited offering other than walking tours through the original movie site and a cup of tea and cake in a rather modest tourist center up the hill..

I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan and so going to Hobbiton was like stepping into my favorite book which I first read more than 45 years ago! It was a wonderful day but I wish I'd had even more time to explore. 🙂