Thinking about a Holland America cruise? I tried Holland America cruise line & there was so much I didn’t expect! This video is an honest review of our cruise on Holland America Nieuw Statendam – from cruise food, entertainment, service, other cruise passengers and more!
Whether you’re a first time cruiser or have cruised before on other cruise lines, this Holland America vlog is full of helpful information and real cruise tips!
We were hosted on this cruise by Holland America as a press trip. However, all opinions in this cruise review are my own. Thanks to Holland America for inviting us and the opportunity to cruise onboard the gorgeous Nieuw Statendam!
If you enjoy cruising with Princess Cruises or Celebrity Cruises and want to compare cruise lines, this Holland America cruise review will be especially interesting
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ABOUT ME
Hi! I’m Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!
Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
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22 Comments
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Done 12 cruises with Holland and they are the best!
Holland America is our favorite line, and we've sailed on 5 different lines. We originally avoided HAL because we'd heard that it might not be for a family with young kids (12, 9, and 7 at the time), but our kids absolutely loved it! In fact, they enjoyed that the ship wasn't full of kids. Instead, they met just a few at the kids club where they had very personalized attention from the staff. They loved the fine dining room with a kid's menu, the amazing service, and the ease of getting access to the ping pong tables, the basketball court, etc. Ever since that first sailing in 2017, HAL is the line they always request. All the other lines we've sailed have not provided anywhere near the very high level of service that HAL does. We also love the food and HAL's BBC Earth programming.
on the ship, what food was extra (except for the specialty restaurants of course). for example, is the food in the Dutch coffee shop you mentioned included?
We are taking our first Holland America cruise, I went on it with my kids years ago but first time for husband.
"Bean Bag Toss" is a sport known as Cornhole. It has a professional tour.
We just returned from a 10 day Caribbean Cruise on the Rotterdam. We loved it. The meet the captain and meet the chef talk was very informative. Also, the food was fantastic. All the entertainment was outstanding.
The age of the passengers on Nieuw Statendam maybe depend on the itenarry? We spent 18 days on this ship last year, Debamark ,Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Canada and USA. There was a mix of ages but it mostly turned to the older generation. Long trip, no Caribean sea to swim in…. maybe not designated to young familys. By the way, we loved it! We loved the ship , we loved the scenery we came to see, the port of calls… At this trip the crows nest was a popular place to sit and do som whalewatching. We also absolutely loved the music entertainment. We had no trouble with the wifi .
We did an Alaska cruise with Holland America and it mirrored yours. We are scheduled for a 34 day south pacific cruise with them and really hope they have more varied theater entertainment.
The Dutch Café was definitely our go to lunch stop. Pea soup and a Dutch panekote ( pancake ) great pastries in the morning too and great coffee.
My sister-in-law and I took Holland America to Alaska, and had a fabulous time. She took a window cabin (actually envied her bathroom), and I took a suite where we hung out for room service breakfast, and when the viewing from the extra large balcony was fantastic, under cozy cashmere blankets on individual lounge chairs. We loved the food, and took more pictures of the gorgeous presentations than we did of the incredible landscape (almost). The entertainment was generally fun, but on other cruise lines, priority seating was included with a suite, but it was first come, first served at the shows. My friend is a very accomplished chef (her family thinks so!) and we both really enjoyed the 3 Cooking shows that we attended. If this is no longer offered, what a shame. It was a highlight for us. I had more fun on Holland America than I have had on Celebrity, Norwegian, or Royal Caribbean. It may have been that Alaska was one of the most gorgeous places on earth, cruising the Inside Passage (trying to drag my husband there currently), but it was by far the best cruise I’ve taken. My very first cruise was on Carnival, and it was unruly, but about right for my high school graduate daughter, and we did have fun regardless. I would recommend Holland America, and especially, Alaska! Thanks for these videos and your experience, you are darling!
We are about to take our third HAL cruise in 14 days. We were on the inaugural cruise of the Nieuw Statendam. Not familiar with that chocolate eclair, but you can bet I will look for it! Thanks for telling me. I have also been trying to find out if they still have the Orange Party, got my outfit ready! I always enjoy your videos!
All these positive comments on what makes Holland so great are what is going to cause chaos for future cruises because now everyone will give them a try. Sometimes people need to keep their damn mouths shut and stop trying to ruin things for people.
Holland Holland America Cruise is my favorite cruise line, we tried other cruise lines but HAL staff and crew is just exceptional. We will be cruising in May (Alaska), June (Northern Isles – on Nieuw Statendam my first time) and September (2-week cruise – Alaska again) ALL we booked through Holland America Line. That is how much we like cruising with them.😉
I’m considering going on my first cruise. My husband has gone on holland 7 times. Curious how is the seasickness? Only thing I’m worried about.
I have cruised with Holland America Line in the past and am sailing again in May over to Europe. I am looking forward to the food as they usually theme it on where they are sailing. I have not had the chocolate dessert you had but I hope they have it as we are finishing in Rotterdam.
We’re sailing with HAL for a 3rd time next week! We really enjoy the classy laid back vibe.
I would love to see a video about HAL food. We just booked our first cruise with them for 2024. Thanks.
We are Diamond members on RCCL. We've taken one HAL cruise, but we have 2 more booked for this year, the first is less than 4 weeks away! For me, the main difference seems to be intent. On RCCL, it seems to be about the journey. While you are on the ship, you have this to do, that to do, and lots of forced frivolity. On HAL, it seems to be about the destination. You will get from port to port in style, with great food and service. But it is about the destinations. We really enjoy that about HAL. Of course, that is my impression after just one cruise. I may have a different opinion after our upcoming cruise.
Agree
There is hardly any activities during the day on Sea days,and more appropriate for older people wanting very quiet journeys
What are the ala cart pricing for onboard gratuities and WIFI? Is it similar to the other cruise lines like RCCL?
We are taking our fifth cruise with Hal this December. We love the service, the food, the decor, and the itineraries.. The Alaska cruise was THE best! I think they are longest running Alaska cruise company and they have it down pat.