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We sailed with HAL in 2019 and again in 2022 and did notice some minor changes as others have mentioned… slimmed down MDR menus, extra fee for items on the menu that used to be free, no wine stewards, etc. However, we still had a fabulous time in 2022, and I didn’t find that any of the changes had an impact on my enjoyment. As a matter of fact, I really didn’t miss the wine steward as I found there was always a wait for them to make it over to our table anyway. I remember thinking in 2019 that I wished our waiter could go ahead and take our drink order. I’ve learned the safest thing to do if you want a cocktail before your food arrives, bring it into the MDR yourself.😊

When using HAL’s Have It All package on our last cruise, we didn’t spend one extra dime except for playing bingo/gambling (the daily gratuities were included at the time we booked.). When researching NCL’s Free At Sea, I find that water, Starbucks, tips on the drink package and tips on specialty dining are not included. That adds up quickly which kind of negates the “all-inclusive” concept. One of the main reasons I always choose the Have It All package is so that I don’t experience any surprises when receiving my final statement.

We were on Rotterdam last year, and I was able to book reservations in the MDR via the Navigator app well in advance of our cruise.

We cruise Holland America in a verandah cabin with the Have It All package and add on Club Orange, which means we rarely, if ever, have a wait to dine. CO guests also receive priority embarkation and debarkation. The HIA package is a great deal, and CO allows you to choose a less expensive cabin and upgrade to the cabin of your choosing within the same meta-category, e.g. obstructed verandah to a non-obstructed verandah. The pool situation may be another story depending on how crowded the ship is. There were times in April 2022 on Rotterdam when we couldn’t get a seat by the pool. We have also sailed on the smaller Eurodam, but that was in Alaska where there wasn’t much demand for sun bathing. We are in our 50’s and like the vibe on HAL, relaxing but with great music venues at night. We have no desire to cruise on “resorts at sea”.

Maalaea Harbor is actually between Lahaina and Kihei, closer to Kihei, so it is south of Lahaina.

From someone who has sailed on both HAL Eurodam and Rotterdam ships, I have to say that we enjoyed the music in BB Kings much more on the Eurodam than on the Rotterdam. Yes, the Rotterdam also has the Rolling Stone Rock Room, but we could rarely find a seat. We could always find a seat at BB Kings on Eurodam (could be Alaska itinerary vs. Caribbean) and the band was much better. It sounds like there has also been a band added, or will be, to the Ocean bar on the several of the ships that don’t have the RSRR. That should be a great addition.

HAL made the following announcement in January. It would be nice to hear about someone’s experience. New Live Band on 6 Ships Six of the cruise line’s vessels will be getting an entirely new live band experience in Ocean Bar, where a contemporary trio will now play pop arrangements showcasing top hits from the 1960s through today. This will create a richly musical ambience in the bar, as well as another opportunity for guests to dance to their favorite hits. The new Ocean Bar band will be introduced on Zuiderdam, Westerdam, Oosterdam, Noordam, Eurodam, and Nieuw Amsterdam beginning in February, though the complete rollout is expected to take until early summer.

DH and I were also on this cruise. We loved Vincent in the Ocean bar and Bryan in the Tamarind bar.

On an April 2022 Caribbean cruise on Rotterdam, I found it very difficult to snag a chair at either pool and not even on the upper deck above the pool, except when returning to the ship early while in port. Although I haven’t cruised on other lines, I assume that’s always the case on warm weather cruises and imagine it would be even worse on larger ships. The crew members did try to make it a festive atmosphere at the aft pool on sea days, but I wouldn’t call it a party atmosphere in the Carnival sense (based on what I’ve heard and read about Carnival).

We were CO on Rotterdam cruising from Ft Lauderdale last year with a 1:00 assigned boarding time. I don't recall exactly what time we arrived (it was earlier than assigned time), but we zipped right through the priority line and were some of the first passengers in the MDR for lunch. We were stopped by someone as we headed up the escalator for priority boarding, but we mentioned CO and they waived us on. We spent much more time in our Uber sitting in the long line of traffic making our way to the ship. It sounds like the experience varies from port to port.

7140 appears to also be an adjoining room. We stayed in 6179 on Rotterdam last year (same proximity to the elevator bank as 7143/7144) and experienced no noise that I can recall.

Here’s the thing about the cost cutting. I had a 7-day Caribbean cruise out of San Juan booked on Celebrity Summit in March 2020 (canceled, of course). The total cost of that cruise including concierge, drinks, tips, etc… $2,000. The cost of that same cruise now… at least $3,600. I went on HAL Rotterdam in March 2022 for $2,400, a year later over $3,200. With those kinds of price increases, you expect to have at least the same experience as before and certainly not a worse experience.

Thank you for the information about Tamarind.

What were the cutbacks in Tamarind? We’ll be on Koningsdam in May 2024 and were thinking about Tamarind for our HIA specialty dinner. I know there have been cutbacks since we dined there in 2019 (different menu), but I was hoping there hadn’t been further cuts😩.

I’ve experienced CO in both pinnacle and non-pinnacle class ships and find CO of value for the dedicated MDR line on non-pinnacle ships. Had CO on Eurodam in 2019 and could walk in and get a table at any time. I do think, however, the program might have been fairly new at that time since I was approached about adding it (rather than the other way around) close to the time of sailing. I’m glad I added it right away for our May 2024 trip on Koningsdam!