How is the Holiday?

[majosa]

My husband and I are looking to take a cruise next year on the Holiday. I have heard both good and bad things about this ship. My TA said that they will not book anyone on that ship because everytime they do the customers always return complaining about how awful it was. But why was it bad? We are new to crusing and will be taking our first cruise this year on the Fantasy. But i want to know more about the Holiday. Can ya'll help?:)

[briankinley2004]

Dont know why your TA says that but we went on the Holiday and loved it. No its not a flashy new ship with alot of frills but you will find a friendly crew and plenty to do. This has got to be the best cruise for the money. If your looking for a new ship with alot of upscale features you probably want to do something else. I personally would go back on Holiday in a heartbeat.

[Montycruiser]

We have been on Holiday twice and LOVED it both times. The staff is wonderful, food is great, ship is in great condition, for it to be as old as she is. We sailed on the Glory in February, which is the Conquest class of ships the largest in Carnivals fleet, it was great but we still like the small Holiday, much easier to get around on and learn where everything is. Go and enjoy.:)

[krazy4cruise]

Well the Holiday was the first cruise I went on....Where to begin with the bad, First we lost power and ran ashore and were stuck there for the first 8 hours of our cruise which put us behind scedule so then they tell us that we are going to Florida Keys instead of Cozumel. Before making it to the florida Keys they had to put up the stabilizers because its a smaller ship and cant handle storms very well and that slowed us down so that put us getting to the Keys 2 hours late so we didnt have a lot of time off the ship, then on last day at sea we ran into a really bad storm and the ship was rocking so hard people were falling out of their showers and the pool water all came out of the pool and came through the casino ceiling. There was broken dishes in all areas that had dishes because they fell into the floor. Nobody was allowed on the decks because it was so bad but of course I made my way out there because I am a thrill seaker and let me tell ya, it was rough and I didnt stay out there long. As far as the ship goes, it is old, not very clean but the bed on that ship was way more comfortable then the new ones. I have heard that this ship has ran ashore more than once.

[majosa]

Dont know why your TA says that but we went on the Holiday and loved it. No its not a flashy new ship with alot of frills but you will find a friendly crew and plenty to do. This has got to be the best cruise for the money. If your looking for a new ship with alot of upscale features you probably want to do something else. I personally would go back on Holiday in a heartbeat.

 

 

Okay thank you! No my husband and I are really laid back and dont care much for the clubs or things like that. We want to hit the casino and shop a little on the boat and hang out by the pool relaxing. No fancy frills or anything. I just heard the rooms looked bad like the carpet and that the rooms had a smell that no air freshner could get out.

[futaba951]

Okay thank you! No my husband and I are really laid back and dont care much for the clubs or things like that. We want to hit the casino and shop a little on the boat and hang out by the pool relaxing. No fancy frills or anything. I just heard the rooms looked bad like the carpet and that the rooms had a smell that no air freshner could get out.

 

The Holiday just had a major refurb last April and the word is that it looks great. Cotton will probably be here in a bit to tell you all about the Holiday. I think she is the Holiday's unofficial godmother. :)

[BlessedBeingMom]

Okay thank you! No my husband and I are really laid back and dont care much for the clubs or things like that. We want to hit the casino and shop a little on the boat and hang out by the pool relaxing. No fancy frills or anything. I just heard the rooms looked bad like the carpet and that the rooms had a smell that no air freshner could get out.

 

We were on the holiday last month and had a great time. It was our first cruise and we would love to go back on this ship again. We did have some rough seas one night but that wasn't the ship's fault. It was due to an earthquake somewhere else. There are pictures of my cruise in my profile here.

[crooz1]

I cruised on Holiday in September 2006 (in the middle of hurricane season!!!) and absolutely loved her! No, she is not huge, not new, not overly fancy, and doesn't have things larger ships have....BUT I didn't miss any of that at all. In fact, I prefer the smaller size. The crew members I dealt with were very friendly and did their jobs extremely well. The room was fine....very comfortable beds. There can be vibration in the back part and some people staying in that section have been bothered by it. Our cabin was mid-ship and we felt no vibration there.

 

If you decide to go on Holiday, I hope you have as great a time as I did. I'd go again in a heartbeat if I could!:)

[volman22]

We have been on all sizes of ships from RCCl Freedom of the Seas to this past Jan. on the Holiday. While not as big we had a great time on the Holiday and the food in the main dining room was as good as any we have had on a cruise. My family and my wife's family are going to sail on the Holiday again next Jan.

[LRene]

First of all, you need a new travel agent. I wouldn't appreciate someone who had never been on a ship telling me they don't sell it because people complain. Have you been around Cruise Critic long enough to see that people complain about some really STUPID things? :rolleyes:

 

Holiday is the oldest and the smallest. Is she a good ship for a first cruise. YES. The crew is great and there is plenty to do and certainly sounds like what you like to do would fit the bill. We've been on the newest, the oldest and many in between. I've been on Holiday twice and thought I would not be satisfied the second time after many balcony cabins on newer ships. Not so. I enjoyed every minute of it.

 

The Holiday does not have an atrium so if that's important to you....

Fantasy does have an atrium. If you like Fantasy, you will like Holiday. Other than the atrium, I don't see much difference other than the fact that Fantasy is almost twice the size but still considered a smaller ship. Sometimes you can't beat the pricing (Sept./Oct.). Go, have fun, report back!

[jakesplace]

The Holiday is a GREAT ship, I guess you could say its the Little ship that could. The crew is the best and friendliest of all the crews I have met on all my cruises. The food is great with the new menu.

She Mayn't have all the thrills and whistles of a newer ship, but her size is perfect for a quick cruise.

Less crowded and easy to get around on.

Plus she is clean, the crew are always working keeping things up.

[VolzCruiser]

The Holiday is an okay ship. For my wife she will never sail on the Holiday again. To me being on any cruise is better than being at work. The Holiday is and old and tired ship. She has a vibration that can be felt from the bottom of the ship to the disco. I would advise you to get a room in the front and avoid any that are midship to the aft. The staff is a nice but I didn't find it all that much better than I have gotten on any other Carnival cruise ship.

[ILUVCRUZEN]

I love the Holiday

[Yazoo cruiser]

Having sailed the Holiday 5 times out of our 35 cruises, we are big fans. We have been on the larger ships of Carnival, RCCL, Norwegian and Princess,and would not hesitate to cruise the Holiday again. If you want large atriums, sculptures and art in every corner then the Holiday will not be for you. If you want a nice clean ship, food and entertainment every bit as good as the larger ships, then the Holiday will be fine. Plus, every time we have been on the cruise, my wife and I agreed the crew and the service is the best we have ever had. We were on in December and are planning another very soon. Not knowing where you live, but it is also about a 4 hour drive from our home and the terminal is extremely easy to get to. Whatever you choose, hope you have a great cruise.

[tiff54]

We're going to be on the Holiday in Sept and I'm glad to read this post. I've read all kinds of reviews, some good, some bad, but you just have to chalk it up to you can't please everybody...

I'm glad so many people enjoyed it. I will be cruising with my girlfriends.... no men , or kids allowed, so we are planning on enjoying ourselves :)

[ILUVCRUZEN]

I will be cruising with my girlfriends.... no men , or kids allowed, so we are planning on enjoying ourselves :)

 

We did a cruise with 6 ladies and 3 little girls (5,8,8) on the Holiday and we had a blast. It is more fun to leave the husbands at home:p

[wisefamily4]

We cruised on the Holiday years ago when she was based in California. If the she was still local, we would book her for our short cruises for sure.

We like to take short weekend cruises in between our regular 8 day sailings. I really like the feel of the smaller ships.

[poptart]

Just got off the Holiday on Monday--wish I was still there! We loved it. We are considering the exact same cruise in September for dh's birthday.

 

The Holiday is definately the little ship that could. I plan to write a reveiw soon and of course I'll post it here.

 

The service and food were way better than we what we had on the Glory just 5 months ago.

 

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the larger ships--but we like laying in a lounger on the Lido deck during the day. The casino, the shows and karoke at night--we had all we needed and more :D

 

Happy Sails!

[tiff54]

Just got off the Holiday on Monday--wish I was still there! We loved it. We are considering the exact same cruise in September for dh's birthday.

 

The Holiday is definately the little ship that could. I plan to write a reveiw soon and of course I'll post it here.

 

The service and food were way better than we what we had on the Glory just 5 months ago.

 

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the larger ships--but we like laying in a lounger on the Lido deck during the day. The casino, the shows and karoke at night--we had all we needed and more :D

 

Happy Sails!

 

Thanks for sharing... I would love to see any pictures that you have...

 

 

We did a cruise with 6 ladies and 3 little girls (5,8,8) on the Holiday and we had a blast. It is more fun to leave the husbands at home:p

 

That sounds like fun... I'm divorced, so I don't have to worry about the men, but I've talked my girlfriends into leaving theirs at home ;) The whole family is going on the Holiday again in January, so that will be our "family" vacation. That's going to be an experience, considering I'm the only one that has cruised before. LOL. They will soon be addicted like me.

 

I've only been on one other cruise, which was the Conquest in 03. That was a great ship... I hope I have as much fun this go around.

[Cruzman]

I have sailed on her 4 times and am booked again this summer. Hard to add to what the others have said, but as to the negatives addressed, I have never found any of them. Cabins are exceptionally clean, fantastic bedding, any odors that some may have experienced is likely a lingering sewer smell associated with off loading sewage into tanker trucks at the pier prior to sailing (hey, it's gotta be done, lol); it doesn't last very long. Never felt any vibrations except one night during dinner; lasted about 5 or 10 minutes. Ship stability has never been an issue, even though seas have been quite rough at times when I was aboard. Food and service have always been exceptional, and the entertainment is outstanding. If you decide to sail on this wonderful lady, be sure to see the "Extreme Country" show; it's fantastic!

[Kellismom]

The Holiday was my 2nd cruise and my hubby and I loved it. Older ship but was clean. I liked the size of the Holiday. The Casino staff were so friendly. By the first day they knew me by my first name. We loved the holiday and would book it again in a heartbeat.

[luckycruzer]

since Nov '06...meets all my needs and I loce the TP folded in the point! not a bad thing to my personal taste. We even missed PDC/Calica due to Tornadic winds to Alabama...my 1st missed port in 22 cruises. was ok by me...looking to make Platinum by Dec!..more than 1/2 way there. The staff supercedes any I've ever had. Getting my frox in the box allllready.

[Kurbanfan]

The Holiday is an okay ship. For my wife she will never sail on the Holiday again. To me being on any cruise is better than being at work. The Holiday is and old and tired ship. She has a vibration that can be felt from the bottom of the ship to the disco. I would advise you to get a room in the front and avoid any that are midship to the aft. The staff is a nice but I didn't find it all that much better than I have gotten on any other Carnival cruise ship.

 

I agree once is enough for me LOL! But hey if you never sailed her you gotta give it a try....

[Twoplusfour]

When are you sailing in Sept? We are booked again on the holiday for 20 Sept 07. We really enjoyed our first cruise, and are looking forward to the next one!

[tiff54]

When are you sailing in Sept? We are booked again on the holiday for 20 Sept 07. We really enjoyed our first cruise, and are looking forward to the next one!

 

 

Darn... we're booked for Sept 6th. I've been watching the roll call board but no one is there yet for our sailing... Hopefully others will be able to join us...

On my last cruise, which was on the Conquest, I met several people from this board... and we had a blast.