montythecat

Avoid chairs above you and entertainment underneath. We always choose cabins above and below. We also like to be a reasonable distance away from the elevators/lifts.

One of the reasons we have moved to HAL from Celebrity (Elite Plus) is the entertainment offered on Music Row/Walk. We have not been disappointed. It fits our musical tastes perfectly. The Pinnacle Class ships offer the widest variety.

Interesting. Norway is such a spectacular destination. A B2B is a good way to make the most of it. Your experience of the entertainment staff and their lazy approach to trivia quizzes is exactly the same as we found on our last two X cruises on Apex and Silhouette. It is one of the contributory factors which has led to us booking with Holland America. We are Elite Plus but I doubt very much whether we will return.

We have sailed with Princess and are Elite Plus on Celebrity but tried HAL a couple of years ago and loved the whole experience. We certainly won’t be going back to either X or Princess. I agree with all of FlaMariner’s comments so don’t need to say much more other than to emphasise how much we enjoy the entertainment on Holland America.

Three Baltic cruises and no special wildlife sightings. It is, nevertheless a wonderful experience. Loads of history, culture, landscape and plenty of great towns and cities.

I agree completely with the comments of “cruisestich” and the many others who are critical of the design of the Edge Class ships. S and M class ships are more open to the wonderful outside world. E class do seem to be very inward looking. I would, however, avoid Infinity and Constellation which have not been refurbished.

Ken, nice comments. I’m 75 and would like to think that I fall within your definition of “younger crowd” !!

Please define “younger crowd” who you believe are being attracted by HAL to Music Walk. We have become regulars on HAL’s Pinnacle Class ships because of this current strategy. The pianists, the rock bands in The Rolling Stone Lounge and the Soul/Motown bands in BB Kings give us everything we could wish for. I can only thank HAL for providing the music we grew up listening to. In expressing this opinion I do readily accept, of course, that, inevitably, Music Walk will not be everybody’s cup of tea.

It worked very well for us. Off the ship in Fort Lauderdale. Tour of The Everglades and got off the bus in Miami for our flight back to the UK. Not too expensive and it was a good way of using up the day.

Exhibition ship. What nonsense. Sorry, Expedition.

If you decide on not visiting Antarctica on an exhibition ship I reckon the choice is pretty simple. As previously said X go for a couple of days and others for four days. We will be on Holland America this winter for four days. It wasn’t a difficult decision which was aided by our preference for HAL over Celebrity.

Our cruising life has changed completely since our first HAL cruise a couple of years ago. We have now been with them four times with two more booked for this year. Staff are outstanding and food is so much better with more imaginative menus than other medium range cruise lines. The entertainment is another compelling reason for us seeing the world with Holland America. It may not suit everybody but on Nieuw Statendam you will get a rock band, pianists and a blues/soul band. Each of them will play three 45 minute sets every night six days a week. They each have a night off once a week. We rarely go to the theatre. I am not keen on the type of productions which Celebrity provide. HAL are the only company which provides a different approach with its musical offerings and we are very grateful for these innovations.

We are also Elite Plus but no X cruises currently booked because we have discovered the many advantages of Holland America. Four cruises in the last two years and two booked for 2024. I agree with Edinburghgirl1 about the quality of the food compared to Celebrity The theatre entertainment doesn’t interest us because we are very happy with The Rolling Stone Rock Room, the two pianos and BB Kings Blues Club which give us all the variety we could possibly wish for. Of the two ships under consideration on this thread Koningsdam is a much newer ship which is usually an advantage.

Cruisemom42 gives you a very helpful guide to the ports you will visit. The local transport at Katakolon to get you to Olympia is a very convenient train service. The station is a gentle 10/15 minute stroll from the ship. HAL’s Pinnacle Class ships are our favourites. They are of a size, design and quality which appeals to us. We also love the entertainment. We have enjoyed Nieuw Statendam twice post COVID and will be looking forward to being on the ship again in November.

Tricky one. So many criteria and opinions. All I can contribute is a very definite preference for HAL based on three Celebrity and four Holland America cruises in the last two and a bit years.

I couldn’t agree more with Chisoxfan. Holland America are most certainly unique in their approach to providing music on their ships. Our experience is limited to Pinnacle and Vista Class ships and we love their loud rock bands. No other cruise line even makes an attempt to provide any competition which is why we travel with HAL as often as possible.

You have got a very useful and comprehensive collection of comments. I tend to be with the perhaps not worth it crowd but there are certainly pros and cons.

Agree with The Pools . No more opinions ! As for talking during performances. I reckon that is just rather rude.

Yup !!!

Maybe. Each to his or her own but I prefer having two pianists interacting with their audience.

Well, what a sad picture that was. The one with a single piano on Rotterdam. I genuinely do hope HAL have a re-think. This isn’t just a musical issue but an entertainment one deriving from the interaction between the two pianists. I really can’t believe that HAL’s finances are such that this type of penny pinching is necessary.

Thank you very much to all of you for your contributions, they are much appreciated. “She who must be obeyed” at home got the casting vote so we have paid up. I was tempted to go with the VMax1700 last minute approach but at least we know exactly how much we are in for. It does seem a lot which means we will certainly make the most of the drinks component of the package.

Is it better (ie cheaper) to buy the “Have It All” package when booking the cruise or on board on the first day ? We have previously paid for it at the time of the initial booking but the recent significant increase in price is causing us to have second thoughts. Will the price come down between now and our departure in December ? I know it is all guesswork but any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

With music, as always, some you win and some you lose. We have, generally, thoroughly enjoyed the dual piano concept with Meghan and Gabe being the standout performers. Gosh, we loved them. We have only had one couple who were slightly below par. We will be very very miffed if HAL introduce solo performers. It won’t be the same, however good they may be. Why, oh why, has HAL put together a brilliant combination of music for us to enjoy every night (including a classical quartet ) and now seem to be intent on dismantling it ? I despair.

I really do hope the two pianos format isn’t removed from the other ships where it currently exists. The rapport between the two is usually part of the joy of the experience. Anybody who has seen the wonderful Meghan and Gabe will know what I mean. Surely HAL can afford to pay for two pianists ? Our evenings will not be the same if this happens.