Comparing HAL's Statendam with Oceania

[mike35]

We're booked on our first HAL cruise on December 22 - Statendam's New Zealand and Australia holiday cruise. This will be our first experience with Holland America and particularly their Statendam-class ships.

 

We love Oceania, and I would welcome any comments and comparisons from those cruisers who have sailed both Oceania (any of their 3 ships, since they're all identical -- 684 passengers, anytime dining, no formal nights) and HAL's Statendam-class ships.

 

We're particularly interested in such things as cuisine quality, on-board entertainment, numbers of children on board, etc.

 

Many thanks...

 

Mike

[dakrewser]

Can't help but I'd love to hear a comparison also. Our favorite cruises were on the Renaissance "R" boats!

[hgatsawgrs]

We were just on Statendam on a far east cruise last month. The itinerary got us and was wonderful. Ths Statendam is 13 years old and while well maintained shows its age(water leaks on the S class floor created a problem for 5 suites). It is a small mass market class ships- the food is mass market class . I had 4 meals out of 14 that were so wrong (in the Pinnacle specialty-2 of 2) they had to be sent back. The concierge lounge for the S class makes for a nice place and suggest you take an S suite.

We will do Insignia and Regatta this year and while we pick a cruise for the itinerary we also look forward to the ship itself-

Entertainment is mass market. Casino was dull . Getting on and off was a hassle but partly because of the ports are not used to cruise ships.

That being said, HAL ships and Statendam are not like Carnival ships and they try to be upscale and are for that class. The recent upgrade program that Statendam went through make the rooms nicer than a 13 year old ship and the ship is small enough to get around easy- not like O ships however.

Don't expect an O experience, but it will be OK if the itinerary is what you chose. Try to do private tours, getting herded around by the staff on HAL ships is not fun. They are cheaper than O but the crowds are tough to handle.

HAL normally brings an older passenger than most cruises but not much older than O. No kids at all on our cruise last month, but the dates and itinerary drive that like most lines.

[Darrell6t]

I have never been on the Statendam, but have been on many HAL cruises. And we were on the Insignia last November. I think the food, and the service, in the dining room is a step above HAL. The food in the casual buffet is better on HAL. And again the staff does things for you that won't happen on HAL. The speciality restaurants on Oceania are far better than the Pinnacle.

 

The entertainment, on the other hand, is usually better on HAL. But some of the people doing the cruise ship circuit are not that great, no matter which line hires them.

[stebul]

Mike, we have been on Oceania Regatta (12/2004) as well as a Statendam Australia cruise (2/2006). I need to caveat that this was HAL's innagural season in Australia, and that many of HAL's most experienced crew requested assignment to Statendam to visit new ports and be near home in the Phillipines or Indonesia. Everything on our cruise was "spot on". When comparing Oceania with Statendam, you need to look at 14 day cruises not 7 day Alaska cruises which will be a very different. We've found that the HAL experience is completely different on shorter itineraries even though the ships are the same and will likely not go on shorter HAL itineraries in the future.

 

HAL added "Down Under" specials to every dinner menu, so we got to sample Kangaroo, Barramundi, Green Mussels, Lamb Chops, and other local delicacies along with HAL's standard menu. We felt the food and service in the Statendam main dining room was equal to Oceania. The quality of service and food in the Terrace Cafe was better than the Lido, and Oceania's specialty restaurants win over Pinnacle Grill. The "down under" specials made us feel like we were missing something when we ate in Pinnacle Grill, so we only did that twice on the 14 day cruise. Bar service was also about equal.

 

There were fewer than five kids on our Statendam cruise. Keep in mind you have to look at the itinerary, not just the ship, as there will be more kids on a Statendam 7 day Alaska cruise. There were many active passengers in their 40's, 50's, and 60's. Many had been waiting for years to visit Australia and New Zealand.

 

HAL's SOE upgrades freshened up a beautiful ship. We like the walkaround teak Promenade deck that Oceania does not have. Statendam is spacious, and had a similar uncrowded feel as Oceania has.

 

You have made a good choice. I'm not saying that HAL is equal to Oceania, because in general I do not think it is, but on a longer "exotic" itinerary with a good crew HAL can definitely come very close.

[Cruising Illini]

We have had one Regatta cruise and very satisfied -- would do again. Most of the time we take HAL - Suite category and we had a Vista Suite on Regatta so very equal in size and service. Vista very nice with 2 distinct rooms, did not find much use for the butler but he was very nice. Vista had two bathrooms which was nice (1 full - 1 for guests). Cruise staff also acts as entertainers and we were very pleased with them -- individual acts could not compare with HAL. There was very little space for cocktails before dinner -- chairs filled up around the casino area and shop area very early where there was string music or piano music. The cafeteria on Regatta could not compare even close to the Lido on HAL -- very limited selections. Went to the Beef speciality room once and it was fair -- preferred the large dining room. The staff in the dining room, the bars, the room stewards, etc. were outstanding.

 

Of course on HAL our favorite people are the Indonesian and Filipino staff so that would be about equal. Did like the size of the Regatta and overall we were pleased enough to take them again without a doubt -- recommend a Vista or one of the Penthouse rooms, standard rooms are small compared to the HAL standard cabins. The one thing we REALLY missed was the Neptune Lounge and all of the personal service & even love it for cold breakfast in the a.m. -- would trade the butler anyday for a room like the Neptune.

 

The Statendam class ships (Veendam,Ryndam & Maasdam) would compare about equal to the O ships but the Amsterdam and Rotterdam are far superior -- of course just a personal opinion and both would be a great cruise venue.

[stebul]

I have read several reports that the Statendam Asia cruises did not go as smoothly as the Australia / NZ cruises. I think the Captain and the Cruise Director rotated, and possibly other key staff.

 

I do agree with the assessment of the S suite. Complimentary laundry and dry cleaning is a nice perk when you are gone from home for 3 or more weeks, as is having espresso style coffee drinks available at the touch of a button during waking hours. We also saw water leaks in February. Our experience with food was quite different, though, as no one at our table had to send anything back during the entire cruise (we would have done so had we needed to). It is time for a refresh of the Pinnacle concept and menu.

 

The ports in Australia and NZ are mostly working ports, but they get enough cruise ship traffic that they know what to do. Australia and New Zealand are great places for independent tours, although many of the HAL tours were highly commended by passengers. You can read my full port review at:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=310823

 

 

 

We were just on Statendam on a far east cruise last month. The itinerary got us and was wonderful. Ths Statendam is 13 years old and while well maintained shows its age(water leaks on the S class floor created a problem for 5 suites). It is a small mass market class ships- the food is mass market class . I had 4 meals out of 14 that were so wrong (in the Pinnacle specialty-2 of 2) they had to be sent back. The concierge lounge for the S class makes for a nice place and suggest you take an S suite.

We will do Insignia and Regatta this year and while we pick a cruise for the itinerary we also look forward to the ship itself-

Entertainment is mass market. Casino was dull . Getting on and off was a hassle but partly because of the ports are not used to cruise ships.

That being said, HAL ships and Statendam are not like Carnival ships and they try to be upscale and are for that class. The recent upgrade program that Statendam went through make the rooms nicer than a 13 year old ship and the ship is small enough to get around easy- not like O ships however.

Don't expect an O experience, but it will be OK if the itinerary is what you chose. Try to do private tours, getting herded around by the staff on HAL ships is not fun. They are cheaper than O but the crowds are tough to handle.

HAL normally brings an older passenger than most cruises but not much older than O. No kids at all on our cruise last month, but the dates and itinerary drive that like most lines.