Ship Reviews
Based on 59 reviews
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Holland does a great job. Need a different port
June
Pros: Service, Service, Service!
Cons: Water leaks, stained carpet and mildew smells
Recommended: Yes
Holland does a great job making you feel special. Dining Hall food could have been better. Amsterdam port was shoddy. Our luggage got soaked from rain due to the suitcases sitting out in the open without any cover. My suit coat was soaked inside my suitcase. We had to stand outside waiting for our taxis and the traffic for pickup was terrible. I dont recommend this port.
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Holland America brought their A game
January
Pros: Officers and Staff, The Entertainment and Guest Speakers make this cruise an enjoyable experience.
Cons: Food in the Lido Market could be hotter. More storage in the stateroom
Recommended: No
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2024 World cruise/Holland America Zuiderdam
March
Pros: The crew are the BEST in the industry. They work hard to remember you and your preferences, your name and to make the voyage as special as they can. The ship was not full which made it even easier to find your own space and enjoy the activities or spend quiet time.
Cons: Menus are substantial but food is not consistently hot or cooked as you prefer. Live entertainment (from off the ship) is four nights a week plus the singers/dancers on the main stage = five nights a week - then a movie and it may be dark one night or a cultural show. Entertainment was good to very good (there is also the Rolling Stone Lounge, the Billboard/piano players, Explorers Lounge and Ocean Bar trio). This ship was not built for a world cruise so closet space is limited. When you ask, they provide portable drawers and clothing racks.
Recommended: No
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1st time sailing with Holland America
October
Pros: The Itinerary, scheduled activities and the Staff
Cons: Food in the Lido Market could be hotter.
Recommended: No
When you cruise this many days, you get to know the staff well. This is where Holland America shines. All the ships staff, starting with the Dining Staff that met us the first evening and remembered and greeted us each day by name, to the beverage staff who smiled and knew our favorite beverages, to all the Friendly Guest Service staff who also remembered our names, room number and ready for whatever question or request that was thrown at them. Last by not least our cabin stewards, maybe I'm biased but ours were the best. We enjoyed the choices of food in the Main Dining Room and the Lido Market. In the Main Dining Room, you can choose to have fixed dining or open dining. We preferred to do open dining and share tables with others doing the same. The specialty dining includes the Canaletto and Pinnacle. Going back to the question on what do you do on Sea Days? Every day you have a full list of activities to choose from. Port talks, Pickleball, various exercise classes, Guest Presenters from the Grand Voyage Lecture Series, Bridge Lessons, Creative Writing Class, Art and Crafts, How to Paint with Watercolor and Trivia, to name a few. Add that with meeting with new friends to play games/cards/chess or puzzles in the Crow's Nest. At night, you can choose nightly entertainment on the World Stage, Dueling Piano players singing to your requests at the Billboard, and listening to a band at the Rolling Stones Lounge or The Ocean Bar. The Itinerary/ports were simply amazing and some more than others. Each place had something different to offer and it was all part of the experience. The excursions or tours were well organized and offered exciting adventures. Most ports included a shuttle service. Guest services and those behind the scenes made sure that we had all the proper documentation to visit these countries, kept us organized for Face-to-Face Immigrations, etc. Captain Friso would do an announcement at noon, starting each one with "Good Afternoon, It's Me", briefing us for each port, potential problems or concerns, telling us of the reasons behind canceled ports. You could tell that he and Holland America did not take these things lightly and that the safety of the passengers came 1st. This is the smallest ship we have sailed on but a perfect size for this voyage. It is an older ship in the fleet but well cared for. A beautiful, classy ship. On port days, the banner hanging from the promenade railing in big bold letters said WELCOME HOME. And that sums up how we felt, we were home.
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Fall trip
October
Pros: The staff did an excellent job
Cons: Due to size of ship it doesn’t have as many restaurants as larger ships
Recommended: Yes
Our porters treated us like royalty. The servers were very friendly and helpful.
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Holland America Mariners
September
Pros: Great food, great entertainment, good service, good selection of ports
Cons: none
Recommended: Yes
Have traveled with Holland America several times, always well satisfied with this Cruise Line. Needed additional help on the last day and received that help immediately - fell needed help getting up, needed a wheelchair which was obtained immediately.
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Nice Cruise
September
Pros: Lido food was awesome. Entertainment was fantastic. Piano bar and main theater!
Cons: need more choices at dinner for food. staff to speak better english.need newer ships.
Recommended: Yes
Really loved the entertainment. Piano bar and main theater. Staff was good. Need newer ships.
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