Just Back..Holland is now in a very close tie with Princess

[Marmarjudy]

Hi,

We just returned yesterday from our Westerdam cruise and I will post a much longer review/comparison when I get my wits together after the shock of being back in the real world...I'm sure you can understand. I had to go to work today and I kept looking at the clock, thinking I should be on my balcony, reading (I read 5 1/2 books) with a bloody Mary close at hand :-)

This was my first on Holland (25th cruise) and also my husband's first on Holland (15th cruise) and we were very pleasantly surprised. We really weren't expecting anything special, because always in our minds there is no such thing as a bad cruise, (even though the last two cruises were on Carnival---that's another story) but we LOVED this Holland cruise!

We discovered Princess 5 years ago, and after 6 cruises, that was our cruiseline of choice. Now we have another option and that is a very wonderful thing.

The service was SO good, all the little things were there, and, overall, it was great. The dining room food, for us, was not memorable, but that was okay because we had our table for two late seating as requested.

I will post a much longer review, I promise.

Much thanks to all that gave me such great info beforehand!

Judy

[RuthC]

Welcome home. Glad you had a good time and like HAL! :) Now, get yourself settled in, laundry done, groceries restocked, whatever.
We'll be looking forward to your review when you can get to it.

[dakrewser]

We're really glad you loved the cruise and now that you're a veteran, come close and let me whisper in your ear....


...just between us, it's not "Holland", it's "Holland-America" or (usually) "HAL"...

Wouldn't want anyone to think you were a rookie!

:)

[Marmarjudy]

We're really glad you loved the cruise and now that you're a veteran, come close and let me whisper in your ear....


...just between us, it's not "Holland", it's "Holland-America" or (usually) "HAL"...

Wouldn't want anyone to think you were a rookie!

:)




But a HAL rookie! Okay, so now maybe my post turned HAL regulars off...that's the last thing I wanted to do!!! I want to join the group! I'm now a fan! I've cruised 25 times, 24 on other lines, but now I'm a convert!! Can I blame "cruise lag," old age, sea legs, whatever, on my wrong terminology?

Lesson learned, promise, but I'm still too much in shock from life back in the real world, including work, to post an intelligent review...of my first HAL cruise.

Thanks for the whisper.....
Judy

[garydm]

Judy-we have been considering Princess and would be interested in your comparison of cabins between the two lines. Thanks.

Gary

[Cruising-along]

Judy we also are thinking of taking a Princess cruise (NB Alaska) and I'd be very interested to hear your comparisons between the lines too.

SO glad you loved HAL :D

[Atomica]

So glad to hear you enjoyed your first trip on HAL!

We sort of did the opposite and discovered Princess after HAL, and we love both lines equally :) There's just one thing you should know about HAL: once you've sailed them, it's hard not to sail them again!

[dakrewser]

But a HAL rookie!

Nope, you're a full fledged "Mariner" now, with all the rights and privileges of that exalted calling! (which mostly amounts to a so-so glass of champagne during one evening on your next cruise while the captain wonders through and says "hello" in a dutch accent :rolleyes:)

[MrsMuir]

A Captain with a Dutch accent is fine with me! Here's a story about a Dutchman (Nederlander) that I'd like to share with you all:

My late Aunt Rusty often stayed at a B&B in Dorset, England, that was run by a Dutch couple. The husband was tall and dignified and very proper. Early one morning, as Rusty was headed down the hall to the WC, who should come strolling towards her but her host, totally starkers. She thought fast, and decided to react as if this was a perfectly normal situation. He must have had the same thought, because he returned her nod and said in his Dutch accent, "Good morning!" as he passed by. Later, at breakfast, they made no mention of their close encounter.

Mrs M

[Islandbuoy]

Dave--actually many of the HAL captains are British (ala Peter Harris on the Westie last week)

Was disappointed in the Captain"s reception, which had been pared down, apparently to save money. Mariner's reception was also was also crammed into a small time slot.

I did find lifeboat #16. ( I did not kiss it per Greg's suggestion-as I'm not tall enough) I do wonder tho, how 150 people could fit in it. They limited it to 80 people(for safety reasons) on tender duty, and it was full.

All in all quiet, but nice trip.
Jerry C.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home - will patiently wait for your review.

[Jade13]

Hi,

We just returned yesterday from our Westerdam cruise and I will post a much longer review/comparison when I get my wits together after the shock of being back in the real world...I'm sure you can understand. I had to go to work today and I kept looking at the clock, thinking I should be on my balcony, reading (I read 5 1/2 books) with a bloody Mary close at hand :-)

This was my first on Holland (25th cruise) and also my husband's first on Holland (15th cruise) and we were very pleasantly surprised. We really weren't expecting anything special, because always in our minds there is no such thing as a bad cruise, (even though the last two cruises were on Carnival---that's another story) but we LOVED this Holland cruise!

We discovered Princess 5 years ago, and after 6 cruises, that was our cruiseline of choice. Now we have another option and that is a very wonderful thing.

The service was SO good, all the little things were there, and, overall, it was great. The dining room food, for us, was not memorable, but that was okay because we had our table for two late seating as requested.

I will post a much longer review, I promise.

Much thanks to all that gave me such great info beforehand!

Judy

Judy, I will be looking forward to your comparison. We love HAL but are looking into Princess for a future Panama Canal cruise because they offer a 10 day full transit. I have heard the food is great on Princess but my biggest turn off is that they do not offer a full hot breakfast in the cabin. I understand you can pay extra for this service.

[mamaofami]

Judy, Welcome home. Glad you had a good cruise and liked HAL. I'm looking for some good books to read on my upcoming cruise. What did you read that you would recommend ?:D

[momofmeg]

We cruise the Westerdam in April and we just booked this! you have me excited!

I really enjoyed Princess but I liked Celebrity better-but Celebrity is so much more expensive-HAL is a little more reasonable in price-just slightly more then Princess-maybe I have found my nitch!

I too, am not crazy about Carnival. It is an "okay" cruiseline and you get what you pay for-but in my mind that is not a negative-I see it as I got a good value for what I paid. On RCI (another "okay" cruisline) I felt like I overpaid-I did NOT get my money's worth. Not interested in crusing that line ever again.

but I do not mind spending a little more if it is worth it! so maybe HAL will be my nitch!

[dakrewser]

Dave--actually many of the HAL captains are British (ala Peter Harris on the Westie last week)

True - but they still think they need to have a Dutch accent :rolleyes:

I did find lifeboat #16. ( I did not kiss it per Greg's suggestion-as I'm not tall enough) I do wonder tho, how 150 people could fit in it. They limited it to 80 people(for safety reasons) on tender duty, and it was full.

With 80 it's "comfortable," but not really full. You need to get a lot friendlier with your benchmates! ;)

[Coral]

Hi,

I posted my comments comparing Princess to HAL on the Princess board - here is a link to those interested:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=678502&highlight=Princess+cruiser+HAL

I really enjoyed my HAL cruise.

Theresa