Charlene1985

No topless/nude sunbathing on those balconies. I’d never take a SS guarantee on those ships for this exact reason.

Thank you for all the feedback. We booked the Panama Canal transit on the Zaandam. We have a Vista Suite, port side, deck 7. It’s under the Lido overhang so we’ll hopefully get some extra shade (we had a similar location on Veendam).

Hi All, *TLDR- tell me the pros and cons of Koningsdam to Hawaii and Zaandam on full Panama Canal transit. The Grand Dutch Cafe is NOT a factor.* My husband and I are currently planning our next HAL cruise for January 2025 (our vacation is scheduled for that month from work and moving it is not an option at this time). We have narrowed it down to the Jan 11 Koningsdam circle Hawaii and the Jan 3 Zaandam Panama Canal transit. We have not sailed either ship though we have sailed Rotterdam and the late Veendam. We had Vista Suites on both ships and we are looking at Vista Suites for these two sailings. We love HAL for the laid back vibes, good food, and traditional ships. Of all the perks of sailing the Pinnacle Class ships, the only things we are sad about not having on Zaandam are the running track, Tamarind, and NY Pizza. We are MDR fixed seating diners. Shows do nothing for us, but we do like to listen to music- band or solo performer is fine. One thing that does make me nervous about Zaandam is reading reports of poor AC in the hotter climates. We had a similar experience on Veendam and don't wish to repeat the experience- the cabin was stifling and the gym (only place to run) was horrendously hot. For those of you who have sailed both ships and itineraries, which one did you prefer? I'm assuming that sailing a 15 or 17 night cruise in January will attract an older demographic? We will be 39 and 53 and would prefer to avoid the spring breakers we encountered on a recent Nieuw Amsterdam sailing despite the ship being one of my HAL favorites. Which brings up another point- I have heard NA will be replacing Koningsdam in January 2026? Thanks!

We are booked on a 15 day eastbound Panama Canal transit in January. Why would I book the same thing for next year?

Currently on a 7 day NA Caribbean cruise. There are a fair amount of children but I’m finding the worst behavior coming from the adults who seem set on wearing their keycard on a lanyard. Most of them have zero stars and are probably first time cruises. I was literally shoved by a woman during boarding on Saturday. Just an hour ago, someone grabbed my app-ordered pizza as the clerk was handing it to me. I supposedly ruined someone’s family vacation as I didn’t want to move to the starboard side of the sea view pool so a family could sit together in a row of empty chairs. I hate smelling the cigarette smoke. They needed four chairs and three were empty and I was a solo sunbather. I am learning to avoid deck 9 at all costs. We have a signature suite this cruise and I have spent my days lounging on the balcony instead. Even the excursions are not enjoyable because the other passengers and rude. I sailed Carnival about 15 years ago after I graduated college. And that crowd has nothing on this crowd. Even my husband, who is far more tolerant to other people’s obnoxious behavior said we will never ever book a 7 day cruise again. Especially in March. The Dining Room has been fine for breakfast and the upper level at least during dinner has been fine. Ocean Bar and Pinnacle Bar are fine too. The ship and staff have been wonderful. My first time on NA and the decorations are very nice. Though there are still some plumbing issues, especially on the starboard side, lower decks. Half the public restrooms are out of service. The ones that are usable have very strong urine odors.

I am boarding Nieuw Amsterdam this afternoon. I have a sympathy card for the Captain but would like to address it to him by name. Does anyone have that information? Thank you.

I have a 2409HOB offer. Our last cruise onboard spending was $1284 over 10 nights. We also had HIA. The folio charges were crew appreciation, a few extra dollars for drinks that cost over the $11 amount, shore excursions, a massage for husband, and a few bags of laundry. I had a total of 7 offers in 2023 and 2 so far in 2024. One included an offer for the 12 day Rotterdam cruise on March 23rd I'm currently waitlisted for. <Insert petulant child face> Someone above said they logged in and could see the cost of upgrading on the website. How did you find that info?

I think you probably expected a bit too much wining and dining. When one starts to complain about every single aspect of their cruise, I start to wonder who is in the wrong. Were the 100 or so nights you have spent on a Holland America ship over the past half century more recent in nature? Or did you sail heavily from 1976-1996? I wasn't alive in 1976. I was born almost a decade later and am also a 3 star. But I've never received poor service on Rotterdam or any other HAL cruise. But as someone who works in a customer facing industry, I see how staff goes out of their way to please their polite and pleasant customers and are more or less indifferent to the ones who are rude and dismissive or treat them as inferiors.

We had Stryker as our piano player in 2018 on Veendam. He played and sang The Sound of Silence amazingly well.

The red curry chicken is phenomenal.

Good Morning, What are the chances a Vista Suite would open up 5 weeks before sailing on a Pinnacle Class ship? Are unsold rooms "blocked" in an attempt to upsell to already booked passengers? Is there a way to get wait-listed for a cruise in a specific category? We've never booked last minute like this so I'm not familiar with any process there may be. Thank you.

My husband and I are loyal Holland America cruisers. We enjoy the smaller ships, the quiet, laid back onboard atmosphere, and the food. We both work full time so we can't take advantage of the longer itineraries just yet. But for our 15th anniversary, we would like to take Cunard on a Transatlantic crossing. Our price point would put us in a Princess Grill Suite, and that's similar to the Holland America accommodations we normally book (Vista or Signature Suites). We enjoy dressing up and wearing a suit and tie or tux for him, and long gowns for me will not be an issue. My question pertains to how many evenings of each attire should one bring for a 7 night cruise. We certainly don't want to wear the bare minimum. We are typically overdressed on HAL but we both wear ugly uniforms to work so dressing up is something we both look forward to. Do women wear long gowns every night? Or just on gala nights with cocktail dresses the other nights? What is the typical daytime attire for a North Atlantic crossing? For those of you who have sailed both HAL and Cunard before, can you tell me some of the similarities and differences? Thank you.

Bump for friend.

I’d like a round trip cruise to Bermuda with a multi day stay. I don’t care which US city it departs from. An Azores cruise mentioned above would be phenomenal.

Cruise Credits Update! We purchased the Vista Suite so we received the standard 10 cruise credits for the sailing, ten bonus credits for the suite, and because we also purchased HIA, we earned 10 spending credits as well. Our folio charges totaled $1280. So we earned “spending” credits by having HIA above and beyond what we actually spent onboard. I still am waiting on a refund for our cancelled Bonaire excursion booked via HAL prior to boarding. I have called and emailed without success. I will give them until the end of February then I will dispute the charge with my credit card company. The clean up at home continues from the tornado. I am still crying about losing some of my beloved trees.