Just Off Eurodam Alaska-Never Again

Of course the whole cruise was about Alaska and that was fantastic. Minor frustrations on the ship did not diminish the glory of Alaska at all. In fact having the naturalist on board in Glacier Bay was very nice. They said other cruise lines don;t do that so kudos to HAL for that great experience.

Hi

Sorry you didn't enjoy the HAL experience that much. We were on the Veendam for our first (only, so far) HAL cruise last summer, for the Boston to Montreal cruise. I was very happy with the buffet selections and actually surprised how quiet it was whenever we went there for meals or snacks. I would imagine that that aspect of your cruise might be hit miss depending on the itinerary and passengers.

I did want to mention that we were on a Carnival cruise to Alaska last spring and there was a naturalist that was on the cruise for the whole trip and gave lectures. Also there were a number of park rangers that boarded as we entered the Glacier Bay National Park while cruising to answer questions and give lectures and stayed for the entire time we were in the park waters.

I have to admit that HAL is definitely one of those cruise lines that people who want a more senior group would choose. Celebrity would be another, I wouldn't expect them to have the most robust children's programs, but again I would have to think it was only chance that you may not have felt that those in charge of the children were doing their best. I say this because I have seen criticisms about other lines as well in the cruise critics posts, so it might be simply a matter of specific personnel that were lacking somewhat in their efforts.

Certainly there would have been few among us (cruise critic forum) that would have recommended a HAL cruise as the best option for a trip intended to keep your children well entertained.

So we just finished a spectacular Alaska cruise on the Eurodam however I have learned Holland America is not for us. We are too young and we have children. After many cruises on various lines we were really disappointed with the Holland America format. I don't want to come across too negative because we enjoyed the cruise but I hope this review will help future cruisers decide.

 

* The HAL Club for Kids.. No GPS tracking bracelet for the child. Also our 10 year old was lumped in with 6 year olds. The big activity for one night was watching a movie. Twice we went to collect our child and there was no attendant at the desk. She was in back doing something. That is very poor security.

 

* The Lido Buffet.. Lines, Lines and more lines. You have to wait to be served the buffet items and handed your plate at that time. So if you just want to sneak in and get some mashed potatoes... no can do. You must wait in the line with everyone picking and choosing their food. Can take 10 minutes to get an item with this silly system. Seating is limited. When everyone hits the buffet between 5 and 7 good luck finding a table. Some folks "staked out" a table at 4:45pm before the buffet opened. Sad to waste vacation time to get a table to eat. Also the "Canaletto" pay restaurant is just a section of the Lido buffet area that has some glass partitions. No ambiance at all and you can see it is an afterthought. Food was good but atmosphere is the same as Lido buffet.

 

* Neptune Lounge. No free alcoholic beverages and appetizers straight from the Lido buffet. I am trying to figure out what is the function of the Neptune lounge? On Other cruise lines they have cocktail hours and nice food. Not here. But staff was very helpful when needed.

 

* On/Off ship at ports" ONE Gangway! Are you kidding? ONE gangway for both departing and boarding guests! Use your imagination how well that system works. Especially near departure time!

 

* Very limited food after 9pm. You must rely on room service. Almost all bars are closed after 9 pm. The typical demographics of Holland must be in bed at 9pm.

 

* Specialty Food: Excellent!

 

* Entertainment: Excellent

 

* Kids Activities: Little to none.

 

* Internet: Think 1990's 56k telephone modem speed.

 

* Staff: No longer Philippine only. Mostly Indonesian and Chinese but very friendly and helpful. A++

 

Thats about it for now but I am sure I will remember more later. In summary, Holland is a senior cruiser line. They need to just own that and market it and stop with the "we have gotten more family friendly" Let their other Carnaval Corp lines market to the family crowd. If I had no kids and was retired I would love HA!

We too just returned (a month ago) from a cruise on the Noordam. The cruise was awesome (should I say Alaska was aewsome) but we too came back saying that HAL is not for us. Our kids are grown and they did not come but at 48/47 the DW and I felt like youngsters on the ship. The 70+ crowd did not bother us in anyway but with so many on board HAL definitely catered most aspects of the ship towards this demographic (and rightfully so),

We picked HAL because of Glacier Bay and if I had to do it over we would have checked out Princess or Celebrity or defaulted to RCI. The service was fine and the food was a notch above RCI but only by a smidge.

The weather (it was perfect the entire 13 days) combined with the beauty of Alaska were the crucial variables to our cruise. The ship was boring and just a vessel for our journey.

Agree about the Lido. The Lido hours of operation and availability of dinner has to be one of the most limiting of any of the mass market cruise lines that we have experienced. Not certain why this is. I think the limited hours makes the Lido busier than it should be at certain times.

Those of us who have cruised for many years have probably noticed the transformation from the main dining room being the principal venue for dining to less formal venues such as the Lido. Whether desiring to dress casually, not wanting to sit 1-2 hours+ for a meal, having flexible meal times, etc., the trend is clearly swinging towards the informal venue. Indeed, I have met fellow cruisers who take all their meals in the Lido including a couple on a 75 day Grand Asia cruise. It is a rare occurrence today to see the main dining room on any cruise line filled to capacity. As these ships were designed on the premise that most guests would take their meals in the MDR, alternative dining venues have become overly crowded.

We are just off the Nieuw Amsterdam and there WAS a children's menu......our grandkids were offered it every night in the Dining Room.

crayons were not available' date=' but we had brought our own to keep the kids happy while waiting.

 

We (Gram and Grandpa) traveled with our three adult children, their spouses, and eight grandchildren, aged 12 down to 2. We found service in the MDR was excellent and much easier than going to the Lido. We had 2 large tables and wonderful service.....the kids loved it. The MDR was fairly empty at 5:30, so our wait staff was able to really pay attention to us.

 

Club HAL.....our 12 year old grandson and 5 year old grandsons had to be dragged out every evening. Our 3 girl cousins preferred to be their own company, but everyone enjoyed the trip.

 

Grandpa and I had an aft wrap balcony, and the younger ones had 6 cabins in a row, 2 adjoining ones per family. They had the dividers opened so they had one long balcony for cousinly visits, and our room was the gathering place as it was so much larger. It was wonderful, and a very good time was had by all.[/quote']

 

 

 

Hi Avery's Gram,

We will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2 weeks with our kids, ages 11 and 13. We picked the cruise because we liked the itinerary (especially wanted to see Glacier Bay) and because the dates and prices worked for us. Just wondering if you might have any suggestions of any activities/shows onboard that your grandkids especially enjoyed (in addition to the amazing scenery and the naturalists on board which is the main draw) that you might recommend to us to keep on our radar? We've booked excursions that we're all excited about, have binoculars and cameras for the kids, and some great books and movies ready for the trip too as our travel agent had told us that HAL may have much less activities for the kids than other cruise lines. Thank you in advance for any advice :)

 

 

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I'm totally intrigued by the attention to the availability of Childrens' menus. Our kids rarely ordered from the kids' menus in restaurants at home, as the offerings were rather mundane mac & cheese, chicken fingers, chips & burgers.

On a cruise, wherein the dining is INCLUDED, I'd be so happy to let my kids order whatever they want from the menu. Including, just a plate of mashed potatoes and steamed veg. :)

At this point, kids are now fully self-sufficient adults. #noproblem

I'm totally intrigued by the attention to the availability of Childrens' menus. Our kids rarely ordered from the kids' menus in restaurants at home, as the offerings were rather mundane mac & cheese, chicken fingers, chips & burgers.

On a cruise, wherein the dining is INCLUDED, I'd be so happy to let my kids order whatever they want from the menu. Including, just a plate of mashed potatoes and steamed veg. :)

At this point, kids are now fully self-sufficient adults. #noproblem

Different strokes for different folks, as always.....our adult kids have different parenting styles. One family's kids ordered from the adult menu, and were challenged to try at least one new thing every day. Another family's philosophy is that "we're all on vacation, so relax the food norms."" Their youngest (5) ate mac and cheese for dinner everyday and several lunches as well. Sometimes they mixed and matched: appetizer from the kids menu, entree from the adult menu. Everyone was happy and no one starved.

One night they were offered a second dessert by the steward and the "responsible adult" at their table (Grandpa!) said "Sure" and joined them!

It's interesting how experiences vary on the same ship.

I consider us 'younger' (early 40's - perhaps not so young anymore, lol) and we really enjoyed our Eurodam cruise this Spring, one of my favourites ever!

I am quite certain we drank every night after 9PM in various locations!! (Lido / Casino / BB Kings / mid ship bar / main lounge).

About the kids menu though - one night I asked if I could see the kids dessert menu since nothing tempted me on the regular (I was hoping for a brownie!) - but my waiter asked a couple people and no one knew anything about a kids menu, though I felt certain I had seen one on CC. I didn't push it and jut got ice cream instead.

Jenn

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glad you are moving to another line --

Hi Avery's Gram,

We will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2 weeks with our kids, ages 11 and 13. We picked the cruise because we liked the itinerary (especially wanted to see Glacier Bay) and because the dates and prices worked for us. Just wondering if you might have any suggestions of any activities/shows onboard that your grandkids especially enjoyed (in addition to the amazing scenery and the naturalists on board which is the main draw) that you might recommend to us to keep on our radar? We've booked excursions that we're all excited about, have binoculars and cameras for the kids, and some great books and movies ready for the trip too as our travel agent had told us that HAL may have much less activities for the kids than other cruise lines. Thank you in advance for any advice :)

 

 

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Hi......well, as I said, our kids had each other to entertain them. We live in 3 different states, so don't get together often and cousin time together is always special. We had a 12 year old boy, 3 girls aged 11, 9, and 9, a 5 year old boy, 2 girl cousins aged 4 who most people thought were twins, and a 2 year old girl. They entertained each other pretty well!

We brought card games and some art projects for "the bigs". And paper dolls, crayons, wikistix and art supplies for "the littles." We found the big kids loved the New York pizza near the aft pool. There were games and jigsaws in the cafe near the crows nest, but we never ended up there as everyone brought books to read during down time. The older girls loved the production shows with the singers and dancers. And everyone except the youngest (not yet potty trained so not allowed) spent time in the pool!

The NA had a lot of movies available on the TV that were kid friendly. Lots about Alaska and wildlife for big kids.

I think your kids will have a great time. We ate most meals in the MDR so we could spend time with each grandchild. It was wonderful! Even on rainy days, Alaska is wonderful!

The challenge is that there can be significant differences between ships in the same cruise line, between same ship/same cruise line sailings. From excellent to less than perfect.

Even on the same ship, same sailing there can be vast differences in customer satisfaction-most especially on older ships with know HVAC issues.

I believe that one thing that the mass market lines have in common is inconsistency. Part of it brought on by cuts to staff, provisioning, and ship board expense areas.

HAL is no exception, notwithstanding what the cheerleaders may claim. Customer experiences can, and do, vary widely.

I can appreciate your comments but I disagree with you when you say HAL is for older people. My husband and I first sailed HAL when I was 39 and he was 37. That was seven years ago. We absolutely love HAL. We've sailed RCCL and still prefer HAL. It could be because we have no children but I found that RCCl had way more older people than I have ever seen on HAL. We were on the Koningsdam last December and I spoke with the manager of the Tamarind while I was out and about one day. HAL is indeed moving to more of a family style of sailing and they are making major efforts to make it more "kid" friendly. HAL might not be the right fit for you now, but maybe in a few years it might be. Best of luck to you!

.....

 

HAL is no exception, notwithstanding what the cheerleaders may claim. Customer experiences can, and do, vary widely.

"Cheerleaders" understand this. Who goes into any mass market cruise line and expects "consistency" across the board? Consistency in concept - room, board, transportation -- but never consistency in details. "Cheerleaders" are forgiving by nature.

Those of us who have cruised for many years have probably noticed the transformation from the main dining room being the principal venue for dining to less formal venues such as the Lido. Whether desiring to dress casually, not wanting to sit 1-2 hours+ for a meal, having flexible meal times, etc., the trend is clearly swinging towards the informal venue. Indeed, I have met fellow cruisers who take all their meals in the Lido including a couple on a 75 day Grand Asia cruise. It is a rare occurrence today to see the main dining room on any cruise line filled to capacity. As these ships were designed on the premise that most guests would take their meals in the MDR, alternative dining venues have become overly crowded.

On the K in June they were actively marketing the Lido. There were little cards placed on the Lido tables at lunch promoting the Lido evening meal. These same cards were also placed on the MDR tables at breakfast and lunch promoting the Lido evening meal.

On the K in June they were actively marketing the Lido. There were little cards placed on the Lido tables at lunch promoting the Lido evening meal. These same cards were also placed on the MDR tables at breakfast and lunch promoting the Lido evening meal.

I'm sure the cruise lines would like to do away with main dining rooms altogether. They could certainly reduce staff and associated costs by going to an all "cafeteria" concept.

I had a problem with the Lido as well......thinking specifically of the pasta station. They do a fresh pasta with whatever you want, and they have pasta dishes of the day. The daily specials are individually valeted....behind the servers. You have to wait in line as each person gets a dish created just for them, to ask for a mac and cheese where they had you the plate. Why not have those dishes on the line for folks just to pick up. That was silly.

Then next time, don't wait in line, but kindly ask if they are waiting to order a to-be -prepared dish and ask politely if you can get The item you need.

People often wait in line for no reason at all on HAL, it is not butting in, it is being efficient.

Example: at breakfast, people wait in line to order omelettes. The fritatas however are already made. No need to wait 10 minutes for those, just ask for the fritata to the serving crew.

Problem starts when people make statements like "the plumbing did not work" - do not go on the XXXdam. Then others who have cruised on the XXXdam can very reasonably report - the plumbing was fine.

No need to jump to the conclusion that contrary reality reports means the OP was lying. They are simply stating this was not a universal problem, not that the problem did not occur for the OP..

"Cheerleaders" are forgiving by nature.

Not sure at all about that.... but okay..:rolleyes::)

Problem starts when people make statements like "the plumbing did not work" - do not go on the XXXdam. Then others who have cruised on the XXXdam can very reasonably report - the plumbing was fine.

 

No need to jump to the conclusion that contrary reality reports means the OP was lying. They are simply stating this was not a universal problem, not that the problem did not occur for the OP..

Please clarify - so when one passenger reports that their passenger's plumbing was defective that starts a problem? And when someone else says theirs worked fine that's a reasonable report? Hmm.

I think we are all aware that on a ship passengers can have a totally opposite experience, as has been reported many times. The "problem" does not lie in the report of plumbing not working, but in the reaction of others who refuse to believe it and instantly assume they are lying. I do recall being called a :"petulant troll" once when I posted about non-working toilet. An amusing term, I must admit.

I do recall being called a :"petulant troll" once when I posted about non-working toilet. An amusing term, I must admit.

I remember that and instantly fell in love with the term. It has become somewhat of a catch phrase. :D

Please clarify - so when one passenger reports that their passenger's plumbing was defective that starts a problem? And when someone else says theirs worked fine that's a reasonable report? Hmm.

 

 

I think we are all aware that on a ship passengers can have a totally opposite experience, as has been reported many times. The "problem" does not lie in the report of plumbing not working, but in the reaction of others who refuse to believe it and instantly assume they are lying. I do recall being called a :"petulant troll" once when I posted about non-working toilet. An amusing term, I must admit.

I think you are reading too much into this and reaching the types of conclusions one hoped to avoid. Just take the two statements for face value.

Agree, my original statement was awkwardly phrased - the initial report does not start the problem - the initial report just is. The same as the response that states a contrary position - it just is too. No one is lying.

Certainly there seems to be variation from one ship to another which is normal. I was only commenting my my cruise on the Eurodam. A lot of folks said "enjoy Disney" however we don't do Disney anymore. Too expensive for what you get. NCL is our favorite but we will continue to try other lines and ships and post feedback. But so far the Haven suites on NCL are the best in my book. The whole Haven experience leaves most of the other lines in the dust. If you haven't tried it, please do just once. :)

Certainly there seems to be variation from one ship to another which is normal. I was only commenting my my cruise on the Eurodam. A lot of folks said "enjoy Disney" however we don't do Disney anymore. Too expensive for what you get. NCL is our favorite but we will continue to try other lines and ships and post feedback. But so far the Haven suites on NCL are the best in my book. The whole Haven experience leaves most of the other lines in the dust. If you haven't tried it, please do just once. :)

You're right. HAL is not the line for you. Enjoy Disney.

 

 

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ha ha ha, exactly.

cbr663, marketing the Lido for dinner was included in another review for the "K", do you think this is unique to the "K"? Have not read that trend on reviews about other HAL ships.

So we just finished a spectacular Alaska cruise on the Eurodam however I have learned Holland America is not for us. We are too young and we have children. After many cruises on various lines we were really disappointed with the Holland America format. I don't want to come across too negative because we enjoyed the cruise but I hope this review will help future cruisers decide.

 

* The HAL Club for Kids.. No GPS tracking bracelet for the child. Also our 10 year old was lumped in with 6 year olds. The big activity for one night was watching a movie. Twice we went to collect our child and there was no attendant at the desk. She was in back doing something. That is very poor security.

 

* The Lido Buffet.. Lines, Lines and more lines. You have to wait to be served the buffet items and handed your plate at that time. So if you just want to sneak in and get some mashed potatoes... no can do. You must wait in the line with everyone picking and choosing their food. Can take 10 minutes to get an item with this silly system. Seating is limited. When everyone hits the buffet between 5 and 7 good luck finding a table. Some folks "staked out" a table at 4:45pm before the buffet opened. Sad to waste vacation time to get a table to eat. Also the "Canaletto" pay restaurant is just a section of the Lido buffet area that has some glass partitions. No ambiance at all and you can see it is an afterthought. Food was good but atmosphere is the same as Lido buffet.

 

* Neptune Lounge. No free alcoholic beverages and appetizers straight from the Lido buffet. I am trying to figure out what is the function of the Neptune lounge? On Other cruise lines they have cocktail hours and nice food. Not here. But staff was very helpful when needed.

 

* On/Off ship at ports" ONE Gangway! Are you kidding? ONE gangway for both departing and boarding guests! Use your imagination how well that system works. Especially near departure time!

 

* Very limited food after 9pm. You must rely on room service. Almost all bars are closed after 9 pm. The typical demographics of Holland must be in bed at 9pm.

 

* Specialty Food: Excellent!

 

* Entertainment: Excellent

 

* Kids Activities: Little to none.

 

* Internet: Think 1990's 56k telephone modem speed.

 

* Staff: No longer Philippine only. Mostly Indonesian and Chinese but very friendly and helpful. A++

 

Thats about it for now but I am sure I will remember more later. In summary, Holland is a senior cruiser line. They need to just own that and market it and stop with the "we have gotten more family friendly" Let their other Carnaval Corp lines market to the family crowd. If I had no kids and was retired I would love HA!

HAL - The cruise line of the newlyweds and nearly deads (their words, not mine).