Why should I try Holland America

[jburp]

I am looking into booking a cruise for March of 2011. We have sailed with RCCL, Celebrity and Princess. They all were very nice but we prefer RCCL. Can anyone tell me why we should try Holland America and what is your favorite thing with this cruise line? Thanks:D

[navybankerteacher]

I am looking into booking a cruise for March of 2011. We have sailed with RCCL, Celebrity and Princess. They all were very nice but we prefer RCCL. Can anyone tell me why we should try Holland America and what is your favorite thing with this cruise line? Thanks:D

To my way of thinking, HAL is superior to Celebrity and Princess - but that reflects personal taste. I think the food, service and accomodations on HAL are better - but entertainment is more limited. HAL ships are smaller - my preference; they do not have things like flow-rider or endless buffets (unimportant in my book). They are not as flashy as Princess, being more of a classic design. You need to decide what you like, and then research different lines.

[Taxguy77]

We have sailed =X= but not Princess. HAL has smaller, more beautifly appointed ships, with larger rooms and MUCH better beds!

[Hawaiidan]

:rolleyes:
For me it is the following
1. smaller ships with half the passengers and way more space
2. less children
3. larger cabins
4. a more experienced traveler who is more well mannered and considerate of others... quiet atmosphere
5. a staff that is not pushy and hype.

[AlanAllyn]

I have sailed HAL, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Personally, I rank Celebrity a notch above HAL and would choose Royal over HAL, everything else being equal. That is not to say I wouldn't sail HAL again if the itinerary was good.

[world~citizen]

Why shouldn't you?

Its the only way to really find out if its a good match for you.

Smooth sailing...

[Tailskid]

I have done most of them except RCCL. Celebrity and Princess no complaints but I would agree with the points made by Hawaiidan. The main difference is definitely the clientel. Much better on HAL than most of the others but you need to be on the twilight side of 60 to appreciate it. Try it - you wont find much to complain about.
Tailskid

[PaulMCO]

We have done RCL 4 times.




HAL Smaller ships - less crowded, easier tendering
HAL Much better food
Better upscale Steak House -- Pinnacle much better than RCL's
HAL Service -- Always good. RCL has been spotty
Cabins about same -- but much better beds on HAL
RCL has the edge on entertainment
RCL's cruises tend to be shorter - I prefer longer ones otherwise it feels like no vacation


Of course for us its Itinerary first then cruise line

[agabbymama]

HAL Vista class is about the same as Celebrity Millennium class are pretty close in size. And similar age demographics.

That said, HAL has teak wood promenade deck that completely encircles the ship, with teak deck chairs, fresh flowers all over the ship, on every table even outside by the pool (orchids on our Alaska cruise), a little larger staterooms, Elemis products in the bathroom, really comfy beds, and the friendliest crew (not just your cabin steward & waitstaff) but everyone says good morning, and smiles. And lets not forget the Yum Yum man with his chimes and sweets at the MDR. Lots of wood and brass around the ship reflecting a sailing vessel.

I think you made an excellent choice.

[SwissMyst]

Scanning the RCCL website, it looks like their smallest ship is similar to one of HAL's largest. Try one of HAL's smaller ships and see if you like the difference. We do. A lot. More sense of sea travel. Less hassle and does not overwhelm in port. Fewer add-on artificial entertainment activities that take away from the sheer wonder of being at sea. HAL ships take you to travel destinations. It appears RCCL ships are the travel destination. That would be the biggest difference I could see. And this could make a big difference for you if you are used to the high level of activity RCCL ships themselves provide.

[Cruizer Bill]

In addition to the excellent wraparound teak decks, HAL has amazing libraries on their ships with leather chairs and picture windows. They are a wonderful place to relax and are better than the libraries on the other cruise lines you mentioned. HAL also has superb piano bars and every night "Name that Tune" draws a fun crowd!
The Celebrity Millenium Class ships have an incredible T-Pool atrium in their favor.

[kyriecat]

For me, there are only two reasons to try a cruiseline: 1) Do I like the itinerary and 2) Do I like the price.

If either answer is no, keep looking. I'm not that picky about the ship or amenities. My primary reason for cruising is the ports.

[SwissMyst]

For me, there are only two reasons to try a cruiseline: 1) Do I like the itinerary and 2) Do I like the price.

If either answer is no, keep looking. I'm not that picky about the ship or amenities. My primary reason for cruising is the ports.

This is what finally brought us to HAL initially when I didn't know the difference. There was always one more port or a more interesting combination with HAL ships when I had scraps of paper all over the place trying to sort out Princess and Celebrity cruises for one particular January. We just chose HAL randomly for that trip over the other two because of the itinerary since they were all fairly similar in price. It was the Maasdam Southern Caribbean and what a great choice that was on all counts. And now we have never looked back. HAL won us over and we consider ourselves lucky to have dropped into this by sheer chance.

And every trip so far, they have offered the best itineraries. Northern Strongholds on the Rotterdam which I gather is a re-positioning before its summer Baltic runs is another example of a perfectly wonderful and unduplicated HAL itinerary. Oosterdam Mexican Riviera is quick and easy and so well priced it beat staying home for a week. And leaving on the Zuiderdam from Vancouver on HAL ships is great for Alaska to cut out the rough sea passage from Seattle. And now off to the Panama Canal on the Statendam -- back to our favorite smallest size ship and again just the itinerary we wanted with some unique stops along the way.

Warning, this is what happens after your first HAL ship - they are like trying to eat just one potato chip. Can't do it. Gotta have more.

[DFD1]

OP, because HAL is a better cruise line.

They've been at it for almost 130 years.They usually do a better job, give better value and have more repeat customers than any other cruise line in the world.

But, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Try it. I believe you'll like it.

[kyriecat]

. . . Warning, this is what happens after your first HAL ship - they are like trying to eat just one potato chip. Can't do it. Gotta have more.My husband wouldn't agree with you. After our first HAL ship, he said NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!! We were in one of the Maasdam no A/C cabins for 14-nt Caribbean sailing last year. The itinerary was fabulous but the heat was a killer! Fortunately it was only April and not July! It took me several months and lots of persuation to get hubby to agree to another cruise on HAL. He only gave in because 1) he liked the itinerary better than the one Princess offered, 2) Zuiderdam is a vista class not another S-class, and 3) I promised to work some OT so we could book a suite this time instead of just a balcony. We'll have to see how this cruise goes before we decide whether to try a 3rd cruise with HAL. I've found several itineraries that I'd like to try but hubby won't let me book another HAL cruise until after April.

[SwissMyst]

My husband wouldn't agree with you. After our first HAL ship, he said NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!.

No A/C would be a deal killer too for me. Hope it was not caused by someone else leaving their balcony door open that screws things up for everyone else on their ventilation circuit. This is a real tragedy.

Please people -- do not even think of forcing your balcony doors to stay open, especially at night when you might want to sleep with fresh air, since this ruins it for everyone else.

A number of people with A/C problems said it was fine during the day, but then ......every evening when it was time to go to bed ......... what do you think? Was it the ship's A/C fault or the passenger who did not know what would happen to others if their balcony door was propped open.

However, your claim is you never had A/C. That is another matter entirely and I am sorry this was your HAL Maasdam experience. Don't blame you for being wary. Wish it could have been better for you. And I am glad I learned here to never even think about leaving a balcony door open because I too have been tempted at the thought. Now I know better. Never, ever will even think about this now.