Your First Cruise on HAL

We will be sailing HAL for the first time in March. Please share with me what stood out for you and what are some of the reasons you continue to sail HAL.

Our first cruise with HAL was a Western CC on the old Nieuw Amsterdam in 1986. I served in the USCG and spent 18 months on a ship in Alaska and have a love for the water whether it be on it or near to it. We were amazed with the ship and it's surroundings, never believed it would be that wonderful.

Now 28 years later and being retired we are about to go on our 29th cruise with HAL. We did three others with Carnival but our opinion there is nothing like a HAL cruise.

We have sailed on 13 HAL ships to date and loved them all.

One big point to us is that they are not the "mega" ships.

There have been ups and downs with some of our trips but by far more ups than downs. Most cruise lines have changed over the years due to economic conditions which we totally understand.

You will enjoy HAL

Good Luck

Our first cruise was on the Volendam, Inside Passage to Alaska from Vancouver.

We loved the wonderful crew, friendly passengers, size of the ship with lots of viewing areas (we had an inside cabin), food and decor. I love the bread pudding and afternoon teas.

We have cruised on 3 other dam ships, and look forward to a cruise on the Ryndam next year.

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

I started cruising in 1991 with Princess and loved some of the then traditional touches and small ships we first sailed like the Dawn with it's marble and teak. We later sailed Royal Caribbean and Princess equally. We have sailed Carnival mainly because we sail from West Coast ports only. If my husband gets stronger after two serious back surgeries we may be able to travel further distances to ports.

Our first cruise on HAL was in 1996 on the Maasdam doing the Baltic. We already had many other cruises on other cruise lines and had already done the Baltic. We had seen a HAL ship the year before when we were in Vancouver waiting to board a different ship. We were at Canada Place and there was a couple standing out on their verandah and we yelled over to them and asked how they liked the ship. They said they loved it. Once we got home, we booked the Maasdam.

Once on the ship we fell in love with the friendly crew and the larger cabins.

We have also had our ups and downs with HAL. But we still cruise on them.

On HAL when the crew member greets you with "good morning" it is because they really mean it - not because it is the thing they are suppose to do.

Real Teak Decks to walk around:)

We will be sailing HAL for the first time in March. Please share with me what stood out for you and what are some of the reasons you continue to sail HAL.

Besides the ambiance being calm, quiet and friendly (felt like home right away), as we approached our cabin for the first time (we'd splurged on a suite) ... our room steward was standing outside the door and, as we got closer, addressing my wife he said, "Welcome aboard Mrs. Native". She was amazed that he knew her name the first time (yes, we now know how that was possible) and that he addressed us like old friends each time we saw him. The rest of the crew was also quite friendly and they all seem to be welcoming you into their own home.

Cheers!

We will be sailing HAL for the first time in March. Please share with me what stood out for you and what are some of the reasons you continue to sail HAL.

I could never get my husband to go anywhere with me. We sailed on the Maasdam and have been on 6 more cruises since then and another one coming up in April. He can't get enough of HAL cruises.

The reasons are:

Small to Medium size ships. Even their biggest ships aren't those MEGA monsters.

Easy to get around and find things.

Beds that so comfortable

One of the main reasons we sail with HAL, Priest on board every ship.

If you are Catholic there is mass every day, Jewish there is a Rabbi on board for the high holy days, Protestant they have services too.

Friendly crew and hard working too. They know your name from day 1 and are only too happy to do anything for you.

You will love HAL too after your first cruise

Enjoy your cruise.

Our first cruise was in 1995 with HAL and fell in love with the Teak decks and the wonderful crew. We primarily sail with HAL due to these two things and the intineraries.

The 1st HAL cruise experience was in the 80's and was wonderful. Took that cruise because of the price and the port-packed itinerary in the Caribbean. We sailed just about every year as we were escaping the MN winter. Over the many years, we have sailed many other cruise lines and many different ships but we always come back to HAL and now we are entrenched! The main reasons are: 1 (far and away our #1 reason) is that the service we have experienced as the staff is awesome at all levels from officers to deck hands, 2) the itineraries are wonderful, 3) food is varied and very good, 4) HAL has many choices for longer cruises which we can now enjoy due to retirement.

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Our first cruise on HAl was on the old Noordam in 1989. The thing that impressed us most was the exquisite decor. We felt like we were living in a European castle/art museum.

Two specific things that were very impressive and unfortunately no longer done on HAL were #1 being greeted by a girl in Dutch costume who introduced us to the ships officers in a receiving line upon entering the ship. #2 the Baked Alaska parade on the final night with the entire serving staff marching completely around the dining room followed by the entire kitchen staff waiving sparklers then the head of the bakery carrying the Baked Alaska with large candles on it and and four fireman carrying fire extinguishers bring up the rear. All this while stirring music was being played by the musicians...unfortunately we can't remember the name of the march they played.

The reason we keep returning to HAL is the decor, the itinerary's, the small ships and the wonderful crew.

Our first cruise was HAL's first Prinsendam to Alaska in 1978. We loved everything about that voyage. But for the next 20 or so years, we did land based vacations only to Hawaii, Europe, and Australia. after retiring, we began cruising first on Princess then found HAL's Sea of Cortez cruise in 2005 and we became hooked on HAL for the small ships, the friendly crew, the exceptional service, and the wonderful itineraries. We now have 23 cruise on HAL with 2 more booked.

My first HAL cruise was on Noordam III which was the predecessor to the current Noordam IV. It was either 1991 or 1992. DH and I had sailed two other cruise lines prior and within a few hours of boarding Noordam, we knew we had found our cruise line of choice. It was all about the people of HAL. We immediately appreciated the graceful and professional yet friendly service of HAL crews. We thought so highly of them then and still do today.

I'm loving each and every post about your own HAL experience. March seems so far away. :(

Our first HAL cruise was on the Volendam on a Caribbean itinerary. Like KK we saw a HAL ship while tendering back to our Princess ship (in Mexico) and my husband looked at that blue hull and noted that it was one classy looking ship and we need to try HAL.

As soon as we got back I booked the Volendam over spring break and two weeks later booked a June B2B Alaska also on the Volendam. We've since been on the Amsterdam, Zaandam, Westerdam and the Oosterdam. We love the crew, the food, the cabin size, bathrooms with the mini tub, covered Lido pool, and that fantastic wrap around deck.

It was hard to book another cruise line for our January cruise as the Maasdam is doing a similar itinerary but this time we felt Celebrity was a better fit now that our daughter is 19 and thought a different "scene" would be better. San Francisco (closest port) is also a big draw for us for the other two, but husband retiring soon and already looking at HAL's longer itineraries!

This past August we went on our first cruise, which was on the HAL Veendam. We loved it for the refined atmosphere, lovely art in the public areas, comfortable bed, very friendly crew, excellent food and good entertainment.

Admittedly we have nothing else to compare it to. It's possible that other cruise ship lines offer something just as good. But we have absolutely no hesitation on sailing with HAL again (and are booked on the Noordam for a cruise to Alaska next August).

First Cruise was on the Eurodam in the Mediterranean. I must admit that it took a lot of convincing on my wife's part for me to go on a cruise ship. That was in 2010. Since that time, we have been on the Zuiderdam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam and the Ryndam.We will be on The Noordam in November. I like the service, the food and the crew are very professional. HAL up to this point has met my expectations which is why we keep coming back.

Ps. I think the wrap around deck Suites Rock! 😊

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Compared to others, we're just "newbies" - our first was in 2008. Alaska on the Veendam (Captain Albert). What keeps us going back? Well, we loved the service - but I'm sure other lines are just as good. We're not crazy foodies, so good food is certainly usually good enough for us (though we DO have beloved delicious favorites). And I admit I'm a self-entertainer - I don't need to be amused by games / shows / etc.

But for me, the "always coming back to HAL" issues are ... well, OK, the comfort (the "known") factor - I admit, ....but also the smaller size, in which we can continue to feel like we're actually on a ship (rather than a floating resort)..... and that teak/promenade deck.... I've been suckered by all those old movies that always show people in their fancy duds on the lovely teak deck.

Our first Holland cruise was a 21 day Hawaii to Vancouver cruise on the Zaandam in 2010. We found the staff friendly and helpful. The smaller ship fells like home. Have sailed four more times and will continue to sail Holland.

Our first cruise was in 2004 on the Amsterdam, Alaska. I had never had an interest in taking a cruise, so my DH nearly fell over from shock the day I told him I saw an ad in the paper about HAL and I wanted to take a cruise.

The minute we boarded that ship I wished we hadn't waited so long. I really had no idea what to expect, this was way before I found Cruise Critic. :D

The first thing that impressed me was the service, and how they remembered our names. That really struck me somehow. :p

We have sailed Celebrity twice and enjoy that line also, but HAL always feels like coming home.

Our first cruise was in August 2008 to Alaska, disembarked at Seward.

After booking a guided salmon fishing trip in Cordova, we had to find out how we would get there from New Zealand. Somewhere along the line, I came up with flying to Vancouver then taking an Alaska cruise. I am so pleased we did, we knew nothing about cruises but HAL came up in a search and we booked the Veendam MM cabin!! It was a fantastic cruise and would not sail with anyone other than HAL now. Our 2nd Alaska coming up in 2015, yeah!

Thank you to everyone who is sharing memories of their first cruise on HAL. Love reading every one of them!

My first 4 cruises were:

Carnival Fantasy - 1993

Regent Sun - 1994

Crystal Symphony - 1996

Rotterdam V-1997

My motivation for the Rotterdam was it's iconic status and the end of it's lifetime. I had been blown away by Crystal and strayed little from them while I was working. I have some positive and negative memories from the Rotterdam. On the down side was more announcements than I liked and what seemed to be a push at the end of the cruise for ratings and for tips (then advertised as not needed). The good things I remember were the crew shows and the boat building contest. When I first sailed Windstar (shortly after their divorce from HAL) those features has a significant feeling of home.

My only other pre-retirement experience with HAL was 4 days on the Zaandam as part of a 3rd party land tour.

Since retirement I want to cruise more than I can afford on Crystal. Pre-retirement I had perhaps a 10-day cruise every other year; now I average about 30 days a year with Crystal and about 70 with others; certainly the biggest "other" is HAL.

It was primarily the Prinsendam that brought me back and she has exceeded my expectations. I've also sailed or booked all the R&S class ships except the Volendam. What I really love are a dignified quality experience, very good value, and fascinating itineraries.

Roy

Our first cruise on HAL was nearly ten years ago (actually a southbound Alaskan cruise tour) on the Ryndam. Our youngest daughter, who at the time was nearly 14, got to be a part of the Loft program, which HAL had recently started. The crew treated us wonderfully, and was particularly nice to our daughter, helping her through some seasickness issues. I will never forget that the day we got off the ship, she was crying because she had had such a good time (we hardly saw her) and had made some friends. More recently, we went on a repositioning cruise a couple of weeks ago on the Statendam (just the DW and me) and had a memorable time. And we will be sailing on the Noordam next summer.

As others have already said, there is something about the size of the ships, teak decks and the friendly crews.

She was amazed that he knew her name the first time (yes, we now know how that was possible)

Cheers!

How does the crew know who you are? I have always wondered that.