Some questions about Holland-America.

[VCameron]

Hello all,

So far I have travelled on the Cunard Queens, but hearing only praises to Holland-America has made me curious about it (the Queens on the other hand always attract a degree of criticism). Using a nice service (not travel agent) which many of you surely know , *****, I found a bargain on MS Rotterdam's May 14 cruise (incidentally, one of the best cruise itineraries I have ever seen, bearing honour to the Line), and I would like to ask you some questions about her.

1) How's the ambiance onboard? Will it look strange if I wear tuxedo at formal nights? On Cunard this seemed to be the norm.

2) On Queen Mary 2 we could have salmon and shrimp coctail every night, although it was not mentioned at the menu. Is it the same at La Fontaine Dining Room?

3) Is Pinnacle Grill a must? Do you know if it compares to the Grills on Cunard?

4) How do the soda cards work here? In Cunard for $3.75 per day we could have unlimited pounches. Are fruit juices included in such cards? (On the Queen Elizabeth 2 they were included, but not on the Mary.)

5) Are there similar cards for wines?

6) On Cunard there was a nice sale at the shops on the last day of the cruise. Does something similar happen in Holland-America?

7) And last, but not least, could you compare the two onboard experiences, Holland-America and Cunard, in general? What a poor Cunarder could expect aboard HAL?

Thank you heartily in advance for saving me searching time,

VCameron

[RuthC]

It's been many a year since I've sailed Cunard, and I was much too young to appreciate her charms, but I have sailed HAL extensively, so shall try to answer a couple of your questions.

First, about the ambiance. HAL is one of the "traditional" lines, and you will find her ships to be quiet elegance. There are fresh flowers all around the public areas. There are cloth hand towels in the public rest rooms. Lovely artwork abounds. There are small areas where you may have a quiet conversation with friends old and new.

There is a wrap-around teak deck for walking, and teak deck chairs on which to sit and watch the sea go by.

You should find yourself in good company wearing your tux on formal night. After all, a tux is formal! Many men will be in suits or sport coats, though, as they meet the code.

Second, about the soda cards. No, there are no unlimited cards any longer. You may purchase a card that's good for 20 sodas. By my math it works out about the same as purchasing by the can, but there's no purchase slips to keep track of, either.

Well, that's a start for you. I'm sure others will be along to help with some of your other questions.

Good luck in your decision-making!

[jtl513]

... but that doesn't stop me from answering a couple more of your questions. :)

2) Some people ask for shrimp cocktail every night, and if they've got it, you'll get it. But sometimes they simply run out.

3) Not a must for me. The food is marginally better in the Pinnacle Grill than in the dining room on some nights, but IMO definitely not worth a surcharge of $30 pp added to the cost of the food that I'm not eating in the dining room that night.

5) Yes. $41.40 for ten glasses of house white, red, rose, or champagne. There's also a 20 glass card for $70-something. You can order in advance or purchase on board.

6) Yes, there's mark-downs on many things, particularly on "regional" goods on a late-season cruise.

[RetiredMustang]

VCameron,

 

I will try my best. I've not sailed on Rotterdam, but have sailed on many of HAL's ships. And, I've also sailed on QM2, so I have at least somewhat of a basis for comparison between the two lines.

 

1. Ambiance on board. HAL is much more intimate and actively tries to create smaller spaces out of larger ones. The main gallery (I have seen Homer and he is d'oh!) and the entrance to the dining room on QM2 are quite grand, and the Golden Lion is much larger than some London pubs I love. HAL breaks up its public spaces, except for the show lounge of course, into smaller spaces using table and chair groupings, screens, etc.

Tuxes. My HAL experience is all in the Caribbean, which probably is less formal than Europe cruises. Still, tuxes were worn by many -- not as much as in the past, but still a significant proportion. Your tux will not all all be out of place. I know HAL does not have Ascot Nights, but occasionally does black and white, depending on the route, and a Europe route is more likely to have it.

 

2, Nightly food options. I have seen on HAL that a steak is always a dinner option, but am not certain about the shrimp and salmon. On our last cruises on Westerdam, there was gravlax available all days on the Lido.

 

3. Pinnacle Grill IS a must. I've not been so fortunate to eat in the Queen's or Princess Grills on QM2, but the Pinnacle is a must at least once. There is a charge (currently $30 US per person), The cuisine is Northwest at its best (think Seattle WA and Vancouver BC) with Dungeness crab cakes, salmon, prime beef, etc. The wines are generally from Washington state, which are quite good.

 

4. Yes, but I'm sorry, I don't know the details.

 

5. Yes, but again, we bought wine by the bottle, so I'm not familiar with the details.

 

6. Yes, although not necessarily on the last day. Similar range of quality (generally tacky, but that's what I want in a T-shirt and ball cap).

 

7. The experience. Ah, now we are into pure subjective thought. As to service, I think QM2 had absolutely first-class, white glove service. But, even on the last day of our 6-day crossing from Southampton to New York, almost no one knew our names or preferences. On HAL, you may notice a lapse here or there over QM2, but the service is so friendly and eager to please that I find it preferable. They knew us and our preferences and foibles after 24 hours.

 

Size. HAL ships are smaller than QM2, and I think most are even smaller than QE2. Rotterdam may be analgous to QV. There is no Todd English or Veuve Cliquot, or even a separate Sir (I forget the name) wine bar. But, there are sufficient public spaces for the number of passenger, perhaps even a greater average square footage per person than QM2.

 

I could ramble for pages, but will try to sum up. Cunard and HAL are different lines, but they are of a type. If you enjoy Cunard, I believe you will enjoy HAL and vice versa. If it helps, think of HAL as Cunard light, but with friendlier service.

[Bramcruiser]

Hello, I will add my 2 cents in as much as possible. I fell in love with cruising with HAL in 2005 and recently have tried out Cunard and doing my second Cunard cruise later this year.

 

1. The ambience on HAL is probably similar to Cunard in that its more cultured and tasteful than a "party line". HAL is known for art and fresh flowers everywhere. I think someone experienced with Cunard will not feel out of place on HAL. The crowd is very similar in that the culture is tailored towards a more mature crowd which prefers a relaxed vacation experience. A tuxedo on a man will not look out of place on formal nights although I give the nod to Cunard to make it even more normal than anywhere else.

 

2. Can't help with question 2 unfortunately.

 

3. The Pinnacle Grills are okay (best for steaks) and there has been a lot of debate here whether or not its worth the extra money. I think it is. Its NOT comparable to the Grill experience on the Cunard ships but rather is more like HAL's version of Todd English. Given that, I think Todd English was much, much better even at the higher price. Still I think the Pinnacle was still good for a one night try.

 

4. Can't help with the Soda cards either.

 

5. I don't think there are wine cards. Are there any on Cunard?

 

6. Sale at the shops? Oh yeah you can even guarantee that on Carnival. Its an industry wide phenomenon.So go crazy in the shops. The shops on Cunard are more upscale but there are nice choices also on HAL.

 

7. Frankly, I would say there are probably a lot of experiences that are quite similar between the two which puts them at the top of my list. Must be the European touches. HAL has the best beds on the seas, Cunard has the better food of the two. Some will go as far as calling HAL's food bland but I like it. I found HAL's touches at personal service slightly better. Cunard had better entertainment. I found the onboard experience overall similar though.

 

Enjoy.

 

David

[jtl513]

4. Can't help with the Soda cards either.

5. I don't think there are wine cards. Are there any on Cunard?

The house wine card is $41.40 for 10 glasses or $77.63 for 20

The soda card is $20.70 for 20 sodas

The signature cocktail card is $64.69 for 10 cocktails

[VCameron]

Thank you very much for your kind help! This forum is a treasure. And from what I see, I think I have already started falling in love with Holland-America:) .

VCameron

[serendipity1499]

The house wine card is $41.40 for 10 glasses or $77.63 for 20

The soda card is $20.70 for 20 sodas

The signature cocktail card is $64.69 for 10 cocktails

 

This must be something we've missed all along..Have purchased the 3 Bottled Wine Package but never realized they had Wine cards...

 

Also does this have to be purchased prior to boarding from Ship's services or can they be purchased on board?

 

thanks..:) Betty

[jtl513]

This must be something we've missed all along..Have purchased the 3 Bottled Wine Package but never realized they had Wine cards...

It's a fairly recent thing. We tried to buy one on board the Veendam in Dec, and our wine steward didn't know anything about them. By now they should be available on board all ships, or you can order one at HAL's guests, "Order Bon Voyage Gifts", beverage cards. You'll have to register a username if you haven't already.

 

p.s. the prices quoted include the 15% service charge!

[serendipity1499]

It's a fairly recent thing. We tried to buy one on board the Veendam in Dec, and our wine steward didn't know anything about them. By now they should be available on board all ships, or you can order one at HAL's guests, "Order Bon Voyage Gifts", beverage cards. You'll have to register a username if you haven't already.p.s. the prices quoted include the 15% service charge!

 

Thanks JTL for the info..Sounds good...Much better than the 3 bottles of wine..I like red & DH likes whte, so it's easier this way..Just downloaded the info. for our next HAL cruise..

 

Happy cruising all..:) Betty