GlennG

Thank you Fouremco, FOPMan, and Copper 10-8. I appreciate your responses to my concerns re: perceived overcrowding at Port Everglades.

I want to take this opportunity to thank people for the information and contributions that have been made in response to the OPs question. I have checked the various sites that have been recommended and have learned that there are 6 ships scheduled to dock in Port Everglades on January 13, 2019. I cannot say that I'm a seasoned cruiser, but this seems to be a very large number of ships departing Port Everglades. Can Port Everglades handle the amount of congestion and crowding that inevitably occurs when these large ships converge on a single port on the same date? Should I be allowing extra time to arrive at the pier? Any other recommendations will be sincerely appreciated.

I remember those days as well -- we even sat at tables for 4 and 6 people back then. Then we noticed the demographics of people assigned to tables was changing. We stopped sharing bottles of wine when no one else reciprocated. And finally we just asked for tables for 2.

Can you explain, "the demographics of people assigned to tables was changing?"

Thank you, Mister 67 for your question. Since my wife and I will be travelling on this ship in January, I was curious about the design of this new ship. Thanks, also, for the thoughtful responses to your question. As an infrequent visitor to this site, I am very pleased when I don't have to "wade through" stuff that has been discussed in the past. It's a real kindness to provide good information (and easily accessible) to folks like me.

If you live long enough, you will see everything.

Thanks to all of you who have provided information on the Koningsdam Ship. My wife and I are scheduled to cruise on this ship during the month of January 2019. We have booked a veranda stateroom. While we are not seasoned cruisers, we are familiar with the Vista Class of Ships. My wife liked the combination Shower/Bathtub arrangement in the bathrooms. Here's the question, "Is there a similar arrangement in the Koningsdam ship?" (We are finding it extremely difficult to find accurate information on HAL's website.)

Providing easily accessible information to website visitors is, not only, courteous, it is imperative in today's information environment. My wife's mobility is really challenged by the use of tenders, and we relied on the information that used to be provided by Holland America Line. Needless to say, the "new" Holland America Line website has become of serious source of frustration for us. I can cope with change, providing that change is perceived as being superior to the status quo. That hasn't happened with the so called "new and improved" website.

Glenn, Thank you for posting that question, That is a concern of ours, especially at the various ports. Is yours a Jan.23 cruise out of Fort Lauderdale?

Yes, we are booked for this cruise. We have never sailed on large ships before, so we were a little concerned about crowding and congestion.

My wife and I have booked a Caribbean Cruise on the K'dam in January 2019. It's a very "port intensive" cruise. Given the increased size of this ship, can any of you comment on the embarkation and de-embarkation process? Crowding and congestion have been mentioned on a number of posts and we are concerned about overly crowded waiting and staging areas. Please let us know your recent experiences.

The Vista Class Ships, including the Oosterdam, are getting old, and maintenance costs are likely becoming more costly. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've seen the best and the worst of the Oosterdam on two different cruises. Here's my concern, however. With the Oosterdam showing its age, it becomes more challenging and costly to keep this ship in A-1 condition. We've seen similar scenarios with HAL's smaller and older vessels. As time marches by, HAL will want to continue to build newer, modern, and larger vessels. Eventually the Oosterdam and her sister ships will be sold and taken from the current inventory of ships. Before that happens, however, we are likely to experience more problems with maintenance, renovation, and modernization.

I made 15 cruises on different cruise lines (MSC, Costa, RCL, Seabourn, Oceania, etc), but I have never seen a ship in such an awful condition. Disembarked two days ago in Seattle from the cruise on the HAL Oosterdam (Alaska - 16th to 23th of july 2017). Here are the pros and cons:

 

Pro:

- First time in Alaska was wonderfull

- Good food (sometimes in the Lido Market is was not very warm)

- friendly and fast service in the Bars and the Cafe

- Neptune Suite with a large veranda

- non-alcoholic-drinks not too expensive

- nice piano-players and a good band in the B.B.King-Venue

 

Cons:

- extrem worn out ship (take a look at the pictures)

- Lido Market extremly crowded - you have to stay in line nearly at every station

- 25 minutes waiting time for a burger is a joke (then it was cold)

- dirty cabin at embarkation (hairs everywhere, letter from the past cruiser in the safe, in the bathroom it smelt like urine, veranda was dirty too, we found cigarette ends on the veranda, and so on)

- even as a suite guest, you have to pay for every specialty restaurant visit

- AC in the cabin was a joke (either it blows warm oder cold and directly on the bed)

 

Here are a few photos of the condition of the ship

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhC_Kl3PLPX42AUIv0SoiW3d-wBz

 

I was really happy at disembarkation to leave the ship. I would not go back on the ship (even it is free) and would not recommend such a dump place. Maybe in Western Europe there is an other "unterstanding" about "cleaning" and "condition of a ship".

 

And best of all, we had a few people getting the Noro Virus! Maybe it is because of the missing cleanness!

 

best wishes

I can certainly empathize with the OP and his recent experiences on board the Oosterdam. My wife and I have traveled on the Oosterdam on two previous occasions. To be brief, I could write a small novel entitled, "A Tale of Two Ships!" On one journey, we observed the ship to be in outstanding physical condition. On another journey, we observed non-functioning elevators, cracked glass in the Crowsnest, worn carpets in the public areas, dirty and poor-functioning toilets in the public restrooms, and worn-out furniture in the library area.

To be fair, I should mention that the above problems were observed a couple of weeks prior to scheduled maintenance to be done during a "dry-dock." As far as I know, the problems which we observed were corrected with the scheduled maintenance and renovation.

When traveling, I've learned that you experience "the roll of the dice." Sometimes you win. Sometimes you don't.

My wife leaves the "real stuff" at home. Given the sentimental and financial value of her jewelry, she does not feel comfortable wearing the "real stuff" while on a cruise vacation. The elevated risks with theft and loss creates too much anxiety and uncertainty. Hence, she feels better leaving expensive jewelry at home. The only exceptions are her wedding rings.

We cruised out of San Diego last November (2016) with two ships embarking on the same day. The impact of two ships amounted to a 20-30 minute queue through security. The second part where we were processed by HAL was just a few minutes as the security queue was the bottleneck. So for us it wasn't worse than most other embarkation ports, though we did take the edge off by arriving at the port after 1pm.

 

The San Diego Port cruise calendar is currently showing port activity through June 2018:

 

https://www.portofsandiego.org/document/cruise/7763-2016-2017-san-diego-cruise-calendar/file.html

 

It appears that the January 17, 2018 Oosterdam departure to Hawaii is a single-ship day.

 

igraf

Thank you, igraf. This is really good information for us. By the way, we have heard from travel agents that the embarkation process in San Diego can be quite slow compared to Port Everglades. I have one question for you. While waiting in the security queue, did you have to stand outdoors or indoors?

Thank you for providing your observations, insights, and information about San Diego and its cruise terminal. We appreciate your willingness to help us prepare for this 2018 cruise.

My wife and I have just booked a Hawaiian cruise for January 2018. The cruise begins and ends in San Diego. My wife and I are not very familiar with the San Diego cruise terminal or the city. Our experience with embarkation and disembarkation has been almost exclusively in Port Everglades. While we are looking forward to our cruise, we became quite comfortable with Port Everglades and the processes used at that port. Can experienced cruisers give us any advice and observations about the San Diego Cruise Port? In addition, we will have a full day to explore the City of San Diego prior to our cruise. Are there any recommendations that you can give us regarding any tours or "points of interest" that can be scheduled for a single day? (As an aside, we have booked a hotel for downtown San Diego.) Any suggestions, recommendations, and observations will be very much appreciated.

We are 3 Star on HAL. I mention that so that the reader can understand that we know HAL. But, we are thinking of bookinga veranda on the Nieuw Amsterdam for a 1 week Caribbean Cruise. We have never been on her.

We will be traveling with another couple who have only been on 1 cruise (on another line) so I feel responsible for them.

We love the Westerdam - Konigsdam was OK.

I have been looking all about for recent reviews of the Nieuw Amsterdam and just can not seem to find any.

Have any of you been on her recently - and how was your cruise - ie: food, entertainment, service?

Thank you so much for any assistance.

My wife and I were aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam for a three week Caribbean cruise during the month of January 2017. Like you, I'm a three-star Mariner and I'm familiar with the Vista Class of ships. The Vista ships are smaller than the Nieuw Amsterdam, and carry fewer passengers. We found the Nieuw Amsterdam to be more crowded that the Vista ships. More specifically, the Lido Deck seemed quite crowded, particularly on sea days. The Lido Deck Cabanas, as well as the "deck sales" really add to the feeling of congestion and crowding. Having said this, however, we found the rest of the ship and its public areas to be more than adequate for our personal enjoyment.

As for food, we enjoyed eating in the Main Dining Room. As long as you don't have overly high expectations, I think you will enjoy the experience. It's not gourmet food, but it's excellent banquet food. The food in the Lido is also good, but you can no longer make your own salads or sandwiches. This didn't pose a problem for us. I enjoyed the "Dive In" burgers, but I would recommend avoidance of the Pizza on this ship. We found the Pizza to be more agreeable on the Vista ships. We ate lunch in the Pinnacle Grill on one occasion. We experienced excellent food and service.

We enjoyed the Adiago Strings. There was only a pianist and violinist, but they were outstanding young musicians. As for the main theater entertainment, it's quite mediocre. We don't expect much from HAL's main entertainment. One other observation: - my wife really enjoyed America's Test Kitchen. You might want to check this out.

As for overall service, it was outstanding. We have never had poor service on a Holland America Ship.

Is chewing tobacco/snuff allowed onboard? Is it better to bring your own or is there a duty free sale on board that is a better deal?

 

I know it disgusts many people but my boyfriend is respectful about it and keeps it discrete. If necessary he can keep it to just our stateroom. But I'm assuming its probably ok on deck where smoking is allowed. We will be sailing on the Eurodam if that makes a difference.

 

 

 

Thank you for any help or advice. Just dont want to get sent to the naughty room for him bringing his preferred brand with him. Also, should it go in his carry-on or his checked bag?

Snuff and chewing tobacco are legal substances. You won't have a problem in carrying these products aboard. As a former "spitter", however, I highly recommend that your boyfriend confine his habit to your stateroom. Most people really do believe that this habit is gross and disgusting. Even baseball players avoid using these products in great quantities. In short, don't spit in public and never, ever spit overboard into the ocean.

Thank you for your detailed review of a lanai cabin on the Maasdam. My wife and I were seriously considering to book one of these cabins for a 2018 Incan Empires Cruise. When making inquiries on this forum, we received feedback on these lanai cabins. The feedback was generally positive. Your review (and subsequent replies) indicate that we need to look at other options. The Vista Suites, which we have booked in the past, are very desirable and comfortable, but the price tag for this particular cruise is quite prohibitive. We may have to look at other cruise and vacation options. Thank you, again, for your detailed review. You may have saved us a lot of money and grief.

Thanks to all of you for your replies. I appreciate your observations and advice. It would appear that guests have encountered very few problems with the lanai staterooms. Is there any problem with the rooms that are in the immediate vicinity of the self-laundry?

My wife and I are seriously considering a 2018 Incan Empires Cruise aboard the Maasdam. In the past we have either booked Vista Suites (aboard the Maasdam) or Veranda Staterooms on HAL's larger ships. Unfortunately, for this particular cruise, we feel that we cannot afford to travel in a Vista Suite. The price of a Lanai stateroom is significantly cheaper. We are looking for some advice from those cruisers who have traveled in a Lanai stateroom. Were your experiences positive or negative? Is privacy a big issue? Do the bathrooms include a shower and bathtub like most other staterooms? Would you consider these rooms to be in excessively noisy areas of the ship? Any other advice or recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

"Tough times don't last. Tough people do." You are an inspiration to all of us, Sail. All the best to you!

This should help - from the site about HAL facts that shall remain nameless due to CC regulations:

Thank you. This is exactly the information that I was looking for. Much appreciated.

Thanks for all of your advice and information regarding dry-cleaning services on-board Holland America's ships. This kind of information is not easily accessed via the HAL website, and I appreciate the above replies.

My wife and I will be travelling on the Nieuw Amsterdam in January. Does anyone have any up-to-date pricing on the costs of dry-cleaning? Specifically, how much can I expect to pay for the cleaning of a two-piece man's suit? Also, could you comment on any experiences that you have had in using this service? I, certainly, don't want my clothing being ruined by bad process or inexperience of employees.

We spent 19 days on the NA this month, so I'll chime in here. We booked this cruise after benching HAL for several years because of the declining service and quality. We chose this one not because it was HAL, but because the timing, departure port and itinerary was what we were looking for, so we decided to take a chance on HAL again. I was hoping for an improvement in HAL's product, but unfortunately we found it no better.

 

The NA is built on the same hull as the Vista ships, but they have stuffed in a few dozen more cabins and up to 190 more passengers without expanding the public areas or dining facilities. On our cruise the private cabanas were rarely used, which meant there was even less real estate available to accommodate the extra passengers.

 

We also had the Phantom Captain - heard but not seen.

 

The food overall was passable, but not much better. We found the Lido food a bit better than the MDR. We had the open dining option, and found that we had to go at around 7:45-8:00 pm to avoid waiting. This was okay because we like to eat late anyway. However, by that time things were starting to thin out, and on a couple of nights it was apparent that they wanted us out of there so they could clean up and close down. The MDR service was actually better than what we've had before, even though the waiters do not work with an assistant any more.

 

The Lido does not have enough tables for the number of passengers. Tables were not cleared promptly when vacated, which made the problem worse. We also had trouble finding a table and almost always ended up outside. Even then I usually had to clear a table and set it myself. Most mornings there were no coffee cups available at the coffee station. When I asked the head waiter to have the cups replenished he said they don't stock them at the coffee station because they serve coffee at the tables. Doesn't work if there are no tables cleared. Almost every morning I had to search for a simple coffee cup! Ridiculous!

 

The Tamarind was excellent. The Canaletto was very good. Didn't try the Pinnacle, but were shocked by the upcharges, and the upcharges on the upcharges.

 

The entertainment was mediocre at best. Not even close to what we've had before on HAL.

 

Embarkation in Vancouver was slow. Disembarkation in Fort Lauderdale was a complete clusterfumble, but not by HAL. US CBP was causing mega delays. Some people stood in line for up to three hours. It took us almost an hour to get through and that was with Nexus.

 

My overall impression: HAL is now a full-fledged mass market line. If you want a cheap cruise this is the place to be. If you are more experienced and discriminating, there are better options out there. Yes, they're more money, but for some of us it's a better match.

 

We won't be cruising with HAL again. Sorry, but them's the straight goods.

We have only sailed once on the Nieuw Amsterdam, and that was several years ago. While the overall experience was satisfactory, we, too, noticed the crowding on the Lido Deck. Compared to the Vista class ships, there are more people chasing too few resources (i.e. serving stations, tables, loungers, etc.). The congestion is partly caused by cabanas that have been placed on the Lido Deck. In short, we prefer the Vista class ships to the Nieuw Amsterdam. I guess we value the more generous space on the Vista class ships.