I asked cruisers what they thought about Holland America Line and they had 3 big issues with the cruise line. So, I cruised with them again to find out of these 3 criticisms were valid. This is what I found out, along with a surprising fall out from the trip
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00:00 Start
00:52 For Old People?
06:43 It’s Boring?
09:35 Food Is Terrible?
31 Comments
We cruise on Princess, Celebrity and HA and while the HA are lovely ships I find I have a bit more fun on Celebrity.
I refuse to watch this video… I am tired of the Youtube trend to show unhappy people (in the thumbnail) to draw in viewers. You are better than this!!!
I absolutely love Hal. I am 41 now and started cruising on Hal ships by myself much of the time when I was 29. What can I say, Hal is my vibe. I love a classic and elegant style cruise ship, excellent food, entertaining but not over the top.
Gary … I have to say I thoroughly enjoy all your reviews…. So informative… and I guess so in tune with our preferences of cruise line experiences etc. I look forward to every review you publish.. thank you 💗
I cannot believe any of these complaints. I'm getting ready for my 3rd HA cruise & can't wait. The age of people (mainly 50+) is the main attraction – no screaming snotty kids, mature conversations & friendships. Food is wonderful, every taste catered for, & service is A+. I'll always be loyal to them.
Just returned from an Alaska trip on the Holland America Eurodam. The “dish up and hand you a plate” was cumbersome because if you wanted bread or other items with your dinner, you had to make extra trips. The servers also dished up a very small amounts…had to keep requesting more. The Eurodam had a complete refurbishment some years ago but we noticed in the bars/entertainment areas that there were many dings, scuffs, scratches and marks on surfaces. In the Billiards Bar, exterior navy paint was smeared on the window glass edges. The double pained windows had what looked like rotted foam inside the bottom of the window glass. Just 2 servers and a lot of people…waited 20 minutes to get a cocktail a server forgot. We were on the 10th level and the hall to our room had some kind of stench at all times. There were few children on this cruise and it was not dominated by elderly people. People dressed comfortably as they would on any trip. “Dressy” night was not observed by many.
I had a different idea of what this 1st cruise on Holland America would be like….
My only 2 complaints about the HA itineraries were: (1) the time they spent in port was really short – much shorter than other ships; and, (2) the food was all good quality, but really bland. One great feature was the lunch made by the crew for the passengers in the suites. In our case, it was Indonesian and even my 8-year old found it better than the dining room. In fact, we had to walk through the crew cafeteria on our way to the dining room, and we saw that there was Indonesian food on offer. We had a lot of time before we had to be in the dining room so we asked if our daughter could eat there because she begged, so they let her eat there. Our dinner in the dining room was not impressive compared to the food in the crew cafeteria.
Thank you for this! i am looking forward to a cruise on Rotterdam in a few months and this review validates my decision and increases the anticipation. really value your thoughtful analysis.
When you have been on this earth for more years than you have left. You are old! Suprise.
Great & thorough review. Thank you.
I think your video is quite accurate. I just got off the Nieuw Statendam and I was happy with all of the music offerings and the food quality. But one thing I really enjoyed, which you mentioned, is the quirky and creative art displayed in all of the common areas. It really was impressive and I felt it elevated the aesthetic of the ship quite a lot.
Can you talk about Norwegian Cruise Line
Hello, I am a first time cruiser that is planning a land and cruise tour to Alaska and was wondering would you recommend Holland America or Princess Cruises for myself and my husband? We are in our 50's, are very casual people, want something low key and quiet., and will want a room with a balcony. I have watched several of your videos about cabin choices which have been helpful. I am just unsure which cruise line to choose for our first experience. Also would you recommend do the land or cruise first?
We recently completed our first post Covid cruise to the Norwegian Fjords(not on Holland America but equally big and as well known) and were very disappointed how standards have dropped, particularly the food.The lowlight of our food experience was their version of Chili Con Carne. I've never been in jail but I imagine it was similar to that served to jailbirds. I can't see us going on another cruise anytime soon. The rest of the cuisine wasn't much better
I like kids just fine (ours is older now), but all the other features sound great.
How is their attention to food allergies/restrictions ? In our experience Disney has been +++ and RoyC hmm, not as good.
And how about a "Soho" music club for 1970's-1980's Punk/NewWave for us 60-somethings?
I will sum everything up in as few words as possible. HAL is catered towards a mature and sophisticated crowd. For the Walmart and college crowds, please check out Royal or Carnival.
I was talking about the idea of a first cruise and Cunard being tempting but probably too much. They recommended Holland America.
Is this a good ship
They have a good 14 day caribbean sale on the voldam
What it sounds like to me is people should research the line before booking to avoid being disappointed
I'm tech savvy, but I refuse to use a smart phone again, ever!!!! Flip phones forever.
Was on the zuiderdam in feb 2020 just before everything closed down, went to Panama Canal, great ports. Shows fair, enjoyed Lincoln center and piano bars. Older crowd I was in late 60’s and still younger lol but I enjoyed it. I love celebrity so usually go between both lines depends on itinerary
I really enjoy My cruise experience experience with Holland America.
I don't want water parks or games. I want to relax on my holiday
I prefer this kind of cruise. I don’t want millions of screaming kids & drunks running around. I go to relax, not to witness drama
When we went on a carnival cruise 🚢 ,was not the best ,but the people we met and set with everyday made is very memorable. We had fun time because who we enjoyed their company,dinners were good too.. Whenever I think of that cruise , I only think of the beautiful families we met .
I have cruised many lines and Princess was my favorite line. The first cruise we took on Holland America was a total disaster however after that cruise we were booked on another Holland America cruise that started the day after our first cruise on a different ship and that one was great. This made us try another Holland America cruise and it happened to be on the same ship we had a bad cruise on. We gave it a good try because we booked it for 54 days. Every time we have cruised Holland America it has gotten better and better. It is now my favorite cruise line. I like the size of the ships and the crew is some of the best I have ever seen. I do enjoy the music venues and I have made some good friends both passengers and crew. I am not a big fan of the food but I never go hungry.
I went on an Alaskan cruise on HA with my husband, we're both in our twenties so we were definitely one of the youngest couples. We weren't looking for "entertainment" on the ship, we were interested in a comfortable way to tour Alaska. We had a great time – we even got upgraded to a balcony room at the back of the ship. That being said, we were never bored while on board!
We have done seven cruiese on Holland America, on the Volendam (just at the limit of being too big), the Oesterdam and the Noordam (both a bit too big) the last one being a few weeks before the first Covid lockdowns. For old people? That's us! Or I should say, that's we! Boring? Only for people who are themselves boring. Even without the various entertainmnent venues and experiences there are rooms to nap in. decks to walk on, read on, sleep on, chat on, watch the sea on…and on and on…other places to "hang out", and so on. There are big TV screens in the cabins. We have found the food to be good. If it has improved that is a plus. I don't see why people would have complained about the food, at least since 2008 when we first cruised. The only problem with afternoon tea is fitting it in to the stomach with the three good meals of the day.
Thank you for your videos! As a result of this video my wife,73 and I,77 have booked a cruise on HAL Eurodam Panama Canal cruise January 2023. You have answered many of my questions before I even asked for them. You are very knowledgeable and erudite.