We did this same cruise on Volendam 14 years ago with kids and friends. It was our first cruise ever. But goes to show you can’t relive things twice….
What worked?
-great weather and scenery
-calm seas
-overall very friendly crew
-consistently clean cabin, cabin steward made silk from a sows ear
-performers and dancers entertained with passion and enthusiasm. Grace in the piano ...
Well....I figured Holland was on the upper end of the cruise lines so we booked a 7 day to Alaska on the Eurodam. I gotta tell you, I go on cruises to enjoy the hell out of the food. This was a MAJOR disappointment! I will say that the "sit down" Dining Room food overall was pretty good, but we like to do the buffet mostly. Holland (at least on this ship) has one of the crew "serving" ...
We chose this cruise because our local AAA office hosted a Holland America‘s presentation. One of the benefits they claim of booking with Holland America was that they were the only ship that actually docked at port, without having to tender passengers to land. This was actually not true, many other cruise ships were able to dock without tendering their passengers.
My first negative experience ...
We wanted to try Holland America after a four year pause. Short cruise in Alaska.
We booked a Neptune suite. The cabin is typical for a Neptune; well maintained, clean, and serviced by an experienced pair of cabin attendants. The Neptune Lounge was as well. On boarding we had only one lunch option, the Lido. It was overcrowded, seating was non-existent, and the food looked unappetizing. ...
When looking at Alaska cruising, everyone we spoke to said there was really just one option: Holland America. We found an itinerary that looked promising and we really enjoyed the itinerary. We arrived in Vancouver the day before embarkation and stayed at a hotel in Richmond, and took a ride share app to the terminal in Canada Place.
Embarkation was an extremely easy process; although two in ...
Having been on several other Holland America cruises, this one was a great disappointment. There was a distinct lack of activities during the day, bingo & trivia were the only ones available other than fitness. The cooking & computer classes from the past were no longer offered. Food (other than Pinnacle Restaurant) was average, however the service was still excellent by the wait staff, with the ...
Splurged and took my wife on her first cruise and try and pamper her some with a bamboo spa massage as well as a mani-pedi, which were paid in advance t our sailing. After both treatments, my wife was bruised on the back of her legs from the massage and her hands and feet were slightly bruised as well. While walking on different deck while the crew were working to keep the ship clean, the solvent ...
Our choice of Holland America was based on their reputation, itinerary, park rangers on board, age of passengers and size of ship. Alaska was amazing and the excursions in each port added to our overall enjoyment of Alaska. We wanted to experience a smaller ship with passengers that were seniors. Because it was a June sailing, we expected some children and multi generational families. ...
I had just sailed this exact ship with the exact itinerary 9 months earlier, and noticed quite a few changes for the worse. As expected, the price of cruise\ing has increased dramatically in a very short period of time, which I could sorta live with, if I was still given the same product as before. This was not the case. In the pay restaurants (Pinnacle) you are limited to just one appetizer ...
We took this cruise to Alaska because it was an outlier in price. The exact same cruise was 2x the price the rest of the year... so heck, why not? We went in with this in mind.
First off, ship is smallest one we have ever been on. It's still bigger than all heck, but keep that in mind. It has less stuff to do. It has nothing fancy. The TV didn't even have a kids channel, only news, History ...