Pros and Cons of the HAL fleet

Over the last year or so there have been opinions voiced here on the HAL board about the pros and cons of some of the ships. Some posters have voiced a clear preference for one ship or class over others in the HAL fleet. I am wondering if this is personal preference or are there design flaws in certain ships for certain people? Of course now that I am thinking about this I can't remember any of them.

Care to share what you like and what you don’t about specific ships? I am going on the Westerdam and it will be my first in this class. We have always thought the smaller ships “fit” us better so I am curious what other think. Please don't restrict your views to the Westerdam. I am looking for what draws people to certain ships...and what turns people off.

I think it is more of a personal preference. I feel if you have had a good cruise on a ship ofcourse you like that ship, if you have had a miserable time on another ship then you don't. We like the 'R' class ships, we like their size and the layout. Just a personal preference, though we have had some great times on both the Westerdam and Oosterdam, I think they would have be our second favorites. Amsterdam and Zaandam our favorites.

I prefer the unmodified S- and R-Class ships, for the size. I really like the smaller ships. I don't really care too much about the decor, but I do not like the layout of the Vista Class ships. I find the rooms are not arranged to make the best use of the space, and I find the public rooms especially, long, narrow, dark, and confining. I know the deck plans are very similar to the Signature Class, but the use of the space, which is not necessarily depicted on the deck plans, is SO MUCH better in the Signature Class than the Vista Class.

I prefer ocean-view rooms over balcony rooms -- I do not use the balcony enough to make the cost worth it. Though I always book my cabin on the lowest deck and fairly far forward, it feels as though the smaller ships don't view ocean-view cabins as a afterthought or less desirable than the balcony rooms.

Additionally, I'd much rather watch the world go by with my book from a couch in one of the public lounges than a deck chair; I am not an outside person at all. And I find the S- and R-Class ships have better areas for reading than the larger ships, and I find them to be a bit quieter than the larger ones, though I really have not found a loud HAL ship.

We are about to take our first HAL cruise - on the Ryndam. The smaller size was a high priority to us after sailing on large ships - and a very small one - which really helped us understand what works better for us. We sail a smaller ship than Ryndam next year - but as I said it is our preferred style. The next person may feel just the opposite.

We are about to take our first HAL cruise - on the Ryndam. The smaller size was a high priority to us after sailing on large ships - and a very small one - which really helped us understand what works better for us. We sail a smaller ship than Ryndam next year - but as I said it is our preferred style. The next person may feel just the opposite.

We enjoyed the Ryndam and loved the size. We did a New Years cruise on her this year and the week didn't seem long enough. We embarked on the Disney Magic the next day after leaving the Ryndam and the 4 days seemed way too long. :rolleyes::)

I think it is more of a personal preference. I feel if you have had a good cruise on a ship ofcourse you like that ship, if you have had a miserable time on another ship then you don't. We like the 'R' class ships, we like their size and the layout. Just a personal preference, though we have had some great times on both the Westerdam and Oosterdam, I think they would have be our second favorites. Amsterdam and Zaandam our favorites.

That is what I was trying to ask...why does one ship suit you better than another. You are right though, hopefully nobody has had a miserable cruise but that would, of course, flavour your view.

Our first HAL ship was the Volendam and we loved it after sailing on the Golden Princess. That was our comparison and we chose the smaller size to suit us better.

I guess I am asking as we are preparing to go on the Westerdam and it is one of the larger ones but the itinerary is what we wanted.

I prefer the unmodified S- and R-Class ships, for the size. I really like the smaller ships. I don't really care too much about the decor, but I do not like the layout of the Vista Class ships. I find the rooms are not arranged to make the best use of the space, and I find the public rooms especially, long, narrow, dark, and confining. I know the deck plans are very similar to the Signature Class, but the use of the space, which is not necessarily depicted on the deck plans, is SO MUCH better in the Signature Class than the Vista Class.

 

I prefer ocean-view rooms over balcony rooms --

And I find the S- and R-Class ships have better areas for reading than the larger ships, and I find them to be a bit quieter than the larger ones, though I really have not found a loud HAL ship.

Thanks for this. I guess I will find out myself about the layout of the Vista class. But we love the R and S size too.

I love S class ships as well as the Prinsendam.

That being said, I've had great cruises on the Westerdam and the Zuiderdam.

I have to say that the service was so good on the Westerdam last time that I couldn't resist returning to her.

We hadn't been on a Vista for a number of years when we went on the Westerdam and we had a great time.

Each class has it's pros and cons as you said. I'll happily sail the Westerdam again;)

For what it's worth, after the Prinsendam, (the last time I heard), the Westerdam has the highest repeat passenger ratio of the fleet.:D

For me it's:

Prinsendam

R-Class

S-Class

Vista/Signature

In truth, I haven't yet been on the Vista/Signature ships but have been on their Cunard twins and feel comfortable putting the smaller ships ahead of them based on that experience.

The R and S Class are pretty similar, but the center staircase on the R-class makes a difference to me, especially on the galley deck where there's a real dead end around the Hudson Room.

I love the size, the service, and the itineraries on the Prinsendam.

Roy

When we first sailing on HAL we loved the "S" class ships. Sailed on them quite a bit.

Then we moved onto the "R" class ships. Lots of great cruises on them as well.

We really did not think that we would like the Vista class ships -- we found them great.

And then came along the Signature class ships.

Yup -- now we love the larger ships much better.

For me, a ship like/love or vice versus is "a Feeling" most of the time.

In order of Preference, followed by synopsis of each (we have been on more cruises than listed immediately below, but these are the order in which we were first on them)

1. Zuiderdam - 5th cruise

2. Westerdam -2nd cruise

3. Oosterdam - 1st cruise

4. Noordam - 3rd cruise

5. Nieuw Amsterdam 4th cruise

I Loved the Oosterdam because she was my first real cruise (an Island cruise between Athens and 3 small Greek Islands is not the same as a real cruise ship:) ) I loved Oosterdam becaus she was my first and because of Hunky Dory. They, the crew, and the ship, set my standards for all my cruising:)

I LOVE the Westerdam because it just seems like everyone, from Captain down was happy all of the time, with huge smiles and glints in their eyes that showed when they talked about the ship and fellow crew, in their eyes and tones of voice. They were truly happy:) I also loved the layout, the design, the size and just about everything on her, to include our 1st Aft Wrap Verandah, which made it nigh unto impossible to cruise in any other stateroom that is not an aft wrap and enjoy it. Those of you who know me know that to me an Aft Wrap Stateroom is "MY PENTHOUSE!!!" If it aint an Aft Wrap it is 2nd best, in my opinion, though hubby sees it differently. He sees an aft wrap as me being a happy person to be on a cruise with, but he prefers an SA or PH due to the stateroom size, since that is where he spends most of our cruise, while I prefer to be out on the verandah 95% of the time.

Noordam is OK, I like her but do not Love her. For me she was not the same as the other Vista Ships because of her layout and style, both interior and exterior. Her aft wraps are not tiered as the others Vistas and Deck 5 is not covered, AND to me an important aspect is the safety of her on our Deck 6 aft wrap. The normal verandah connecting aft wrap door is a solid door. Unlike all the other ships the door from our stateroom to the aft stateroom beside us was not there, it was, never there and in order for a crew member to clean the verandah he had to go over the top of the verandah divider. This to me is a severe safety issue. The atmosphere was not quite right on her........Just off a tiny bit, that I believe is what made her my 4th choice. I will cruise on her again, duh obviously, but only as a near last resort.

Nieuw Amsterdam........Too freaking garish!!! I want ambiance and Old World feel to a cruise ship. I want to feel as if I am on a cruise ship that is meant to be a relaxed atmosphere and as if I was wealthy like the 1st class passengers on the Titanic (hope that makes sense?). The 2nd and possibly the main reason I intensely dislike her is the teeny tiny (in my eyes) aft wrap verandah we had on her. It is less than 1/3 the width (of the Vista Class Aft Wraps), from verandah door to railing and made me feel cramped. The garishness, the New York City Art Deco interior style and the verandah size made this my least favorite ship, to date. Yes I will cruise on her again, but only if she is basically the last resort due to time frame, cheapness of the cruise, and itinerary.

Zuiderdam............OH MY GOSH...........The moment I crossed over the threshold of the gangway onto her this immense sense of being at home came over me. I am having a hard time trying to put into words the way I felt as I crossed over that threshold and just cannot find those words........... She was EVERYTHING I wanted, from the feeling of Peace, of belonging, of being at home and in love with everything and everybody in the world just made her "MY SHIP." And then to top it off, the Sheer size of my aft wrap deck 5 verandah!!!! Cannot beat it:)

I hope this makes sense to you? It is/was how I feel and how we choose our cruises:) That Gut feel wins every time:)

Joanie

I also prefer the smaller ships - I have cruised on the Veendam, Ryndam, Zaandam and Volendam (this one being my favourite), as well as Vista ships. I agree with an earlier poster the the cabins on the these are larger than on the Vista. I love them all, but there is something about the smaller ones that grab me more. Sorry I can't be more specific.:o

For me, a ship like/love or vice versus is "a Feeling" most of the time.

 

In order of Preference, followed by synopsis of each (we have been on more cruises than listed immediately below, but these are the order in which we were first on them)

 

1. Zuiderdam - 5th cruise

2. Westerdam -2nd cruise

3. Oosterdam - 1st cruise

4. Noordam - 3rd cruise

5. Nieuw Amsterdam 4th cruise

I Loved the Oosterdam because she was my first real cruise (an Island cruise between Athens and 3 small Greek Islands is not the same as a real cruise ship:) ) I loved Oosterdam becaus she was my first and because of Hunky Dory. They, the crew, and the ship, set my standards for all my cruising:)

 

I LOVE the Westerdam because it just seems like everyone, from Captain down was happy all of the time, with huge smiles and glints in their eyes that showed when they talked about the ship and fellow crew, in their eyes and tones of voice. They were truly happy:) I also loved the layout, the design, the size and just about everything on her, to include our 1st Aft Wrap Verandah, which made it nigh unto impossible to cruise in any other stateroom that is not an aft wrap and enjoy it. Those of you who know me know that to me an Aft Wrap Stateroom is "MY PENTHOUSE!!!" If it aint an Aft Wrap it is 2nd best, in my opinion, though hubby sees it differently. He sees an aft wrap as me being a happy person to be on a cruise with, but he prefers an SA or PH due to the stateroom size, since that is where he spends most of our cruise, while I prefer to be out on the verandah 95% of the time.

 

Noordam is OK, I like her but do not Love her. For me she was not the same as the other Vista Ships because of her layout and style, both interior and exterior. Her aft wraps are not tiered as the others Vistas and Deck 5 is not covered, AND to me an important aspect is the safety of her on our Deck 6 aft wrap. The normal verandah connecting aft wrap door is a solid door. Unlike all the other ships the door from our stateroom to the aft stateroom beside us was not there, it was, never there and in order for a crew member to clean the verandah he had to go over the top of the verandah divider. This to me is a severe safety issue. The atmosphere was not quite right on her........Just off a tiny bit, that I believe is what made her my 4th choice. I will cruise on her again, duh obviously, but only as a near last resort.

 

Nieuw Amsterdam........Too freaking garish!!! I want ambiance and Old World feel to a cruise ship. I want to feel as if I am on a cruise ship that is meant to be a relaxed atmosphere and as if I was wealthy like the 1st class passengers on the Titanic (hope that makes sense?). The 2nd and possibly the main reason I intensely dislike her is the teeny tiny (in my eyes) aft wrap verandah we had on her. It is less than 1/3 the width (of the Vista Class Aft Wraps), from verandah door to railing and made me feel cramped. The garishness, the New York City Art Deco interior style and the verandah size made this my least favorite ship, to date. Yes I will cruise on her again, but only if she is basically the last resort due to time frame, cheapness of the cruise, and itinerary.

 

Zuiderdam............OH MY GOSH...........The moment I crossed over the threshold of the gangway onto her this immense sense of being at home came over me. I am having a hard time trying to put into words the way I felt as I crossed over that threshold and just cannot find those words........... She was EVERYTHING I wanted, from the feeling of Peace, of belonging, of being at home and in love with everything and everybody in the world just made her "MY SHIP." And then to top it off, the Sheer size of my aft wrap deck 5 verandah!!!! Cannot beat it:)

 

Joanie

Joanie - you sure make me glad I just booked a deck 5 aft wrap on the Zuiderdam for my partial Panama Canal cruise. Now I cannot wait to go!

DaveOKC

I love S class ships as well as the Prinsendam.

 

 

 

That being said, I've had great cruises on the Westerdam and the Zuiderdam.

 

 

 

I have to say that the service was so good on the Westerdam last time that I couldn't resist returning to her.

 

 

 

We hadn't been on a Vista for a number of years when we went on the Westerdam and we had a great time.

 

 

 

Each class has it's pros and cons as you said. I'll happily sail the Westerdam again;)

 

 

 

For what it's worth, after the Prinsendam, (the last time I heard), the Westerdam has the highest repeat passenger ratio of the fleet.:D

I have heard that about the Westerdam as well too. DW and I have sailed on Westerdam twicec she's one of our favorite HAL ships.

FWIW, any idea which ship has the lowest repeat pax ratio (aside from Veendam)?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

My preference is the R class ships. Like the fact there are 3 banks of elevators. Decor wise I prefer the Amsterdam. Love that ship. Much prefer it to the Zaandam. I also like the S class. Both R & S have lots of drawer space especially at the desk. Have sailed on the Statendam, Ryndam and Veendam. Have sailed Zuiderdam and Oosterdam. Hate their cabins - no drawers except those hard to reach things under the bed. Sometimes you will find a cupboard above a sofa bed but it must be a sofa bed. It's the lack of drawers that drives me nuts. Even a Neptune suite on a Vista does not have many drawers. All cabins in R & S class have been Ocean View. Have always had a balcony on the Vistas. The only reason I am sailing on the Westerdam next April is because of the CC members who are also going. That is the only reason. It will be my 6th time though the Canal. Can't wait to meet everyone. The other Gail.:):D:)

Interesting reading from the perspective of somebody interested in HAL, but hasn't (yet) pulled the switch. I might enjoy sailing any HAL ship (and the Maasdam has called my name for many years), but the sporadic reports of plumbing and air conditioning issues is a real turnoff, and one I can't get past. Well, that and the fact that HAL cruises are much more expensive than I'm used to.

:) Really like Prinsendam as well as most of the R & S class ships. Rotterdam was one of the nicest in the fleet until they took out the aft pool. :confused:Veendam also had the aft pool removed. I will not sail on them as my favorite thing to do is lounge around the aft pool and also swim a couple times a day.

One of our favorites is ship size. Whether it is 1,200 or 2,100, we'll take that anytime over the 3,000 plus ships of other cruise lines.

Of course, the Pinnacle class ship will soon be joining the fleet.

While the Prinsendam is my least favorite ship in the fleet I acknowledge many frequent posters love it. But I accidentally discovered a new rating system here on cruise critic when I was looking for a friend's review. This relative ranking indicates Prinsendam is the least favorite ship in the fleet. The member review section now gives a percentage on how many liked holland America as a cruise line, plus a breakdown of l who liked each individual ship. I was not surprised to see the Prinsendam had the lowest rating of 66 percent while the new Amsterdam had the highest loved it rating of 81 percent. Remember this is a summary of member reviews on cruise critic.

I didn't write a review of the Prinsendam so my opinion does not influence this ranking.

I cannot post the link from my mobile device but it is a interesting comparison. Go to reviews, member reviews, then select a cruise line.

I've been on the Niew Amsterdam twice and I really like the fact that it has the Tamarind and the Silk Den, I think this sets it apart from the rest of the fleet these are both excellent venues and give you a sense of tranquility from the rest of the ship. The Signatures also offer the most balconies and Suites which helps with the cost when booking one.

I've enjoyed all of the ships I've been on including the S class but I just feel like the Signatures are the best overall ships in the fleet. We've had really great service and cruises on the Masdam and Westerdam.

Looking forward to the Pinnacle class and hoping it feels special enough without seeming too big.

-Paul

Noordam was our favorite when she was new and we loved sailing out of NYC.

Unfortunately a few years later Noordam seemed tired and not a "happy" ship anymore:(

We then tried Zaandam and did not care for her at all, worst cruise food ever! I know these things can vary by sailing.

Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam then became our favorites and we enjoyed many cruises on both ships, they are very similar IMHO and we enjoyed the art deco decor on NA. Love Tamirand!!

Longing to revisit Noordam we gave her another chance only to find we felt she had gotten even more tired and less happy than a few years prior.

We have moved away from HAL to Oceania and Crystal but we often talk of sailing on one of the signature ships again in the future.

I agree with Joanie that much of one persons perception of a particular ship on a particular sailing can just be a "feeling", that said, our last Noordam sailing diminished our desire to sail HAL at this time.

I've been on

Volendam

Zaandam

Westerdam

Veendam

Statendam

Maasdam 2x

Amsterdam

Noordam

Loved all of them. If I had to pick it would probably be the Amsterdam

There's a reason they do the world voyages on this ship.

We only sailed Zaandam and Maasdam and both ships were lovely and staff was very friendly.

The only minor negative (if there is such a thing as negative being on a cruise and getting spoilt every day :D) in my opinion is, there is not enough staff in the MDR which resulted on some evenings in long waiting times to be served. We loved the Pinnacle Grill! :)

. Go to reviews, member reviews, then select a cruise line.

Thanks for this. I will look it up.

I've been on the Niew Amsterdam twice and I really like the fact that it has the Tamarind and the Silk Den, I think this sets it apart from the rest of the fleet these are both excellent venues and give you a sense of tranquility from the rest of the ship.

-Paul

 

Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam then became our favorites and we enjoyed many cruises on both ships, they are very similar IMHO and we enjoyed the art deco decor on NA. Love Tamirand!!

 

Agree about the Tamarind. Have sailed on both the Eurodam and the Nieuw Amsterdam and dined most nights in either the Tamarind or Pinnacle Grill.

While the Signature ships are the largest current ships in the HAL fleet, they are smaller than most mainstream ships.

I found the NA interior to be delightful.