Are Holland ships nice?

[lbt43]

I am trying to decide between Royal Caribbeans Radience or Hollands Oosterdam. What do you guys think? I dont know much about holland. I am pretty sure the radience is a beautiful ship.

[CtheW0rld]

the first thing you need to ask yourself is the level and types of activities you want. do you want rock climbing, ice skating, roller skating? pick RCI.

 

if you want an elegant, country-club like feeling, pick HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree -- we are not into that rock climbing, parades, etc. that RCI has.

 

We like the refined atmosphere of HAL.

 

Also we do not like those huge Mega ships and mass mobs on RCI.

[catl331]

Yes, they are nice, clean, quiet and friendly!:)

[sparky-elpaso]

I only have 1 HAL cruise under my belt - so far. The Westerdam is a gorgeous ship - very elegant. Beautiful art and fresh flowers everywhere. And the cabins are probably bigger than average - with bathtubs in most except insides.

 

The food was great - and their crew just can't be beat.

[kyriecat]

Radiance is a fabulous ship. Very elegant with lots of glass and open spaces. That is by far my favorite class of ship. It is NOT one of RC's mega ships. There is no ice skating, flow riders, roller skating (:confused:), or mall on Radiance. It is more of a classic cruise ship experience with a few shops onboard. There is a rock-climbing wall and mini-golf course as well as a variety of lounges and quiet nooks.

 

Radiance:

passengers - 2500

weight - 90 t

length - 962 ft

width - 105 ft

 

Oosterdam:

passengers - 1900

weight - 82 t

length - 936 ft

width - 105 ft

 

The true test (for me) is the itinerary and price. If the price and itinerary are the same/similar, I'd go with Radiance. If Oosterdam costs less or had a better itinerary, I'd go with it.

[fann1sh]

I'd like to add a few more statistics to the ones Kyriecat has posted:

 

Radiance was built in 2001, and refurbished in 2006. She is considered a 4.5* ship. She has a space ratio of 43 (the larger that number, the better). There is both fixed time/table and open seating in the main dining room. In a week, there will be 4 casual, 1 smart casual and 2 formal nights. The dress codes per Royal Caribbean website:

 

Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women

 

Oosterdam was built in 2003, and is considered a 5* ship. She has a space ratio of 46. She also has both open and fixed time/table dining. With regard to dress code:

 

"Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: Formal or Smart Casual. Smart Casual can be defined as slacks and collared shirts for men and casual dresses, slacks and informal evening wear for women. T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours. On festive Formal evenings, ladies usually wear a suit, cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week.

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening."

 

 

So, as Kyriecat implies, there are really more similarities than differences between these 2 ships.

 

Are you planning an Alaska cruise? There is a HUGE difference in itinerary between a Vancouver/Seward one way and a Seattle round trip. The debate between "Which is better? Hubbard or Glacier Bay?" isn't likely to be settled soon.

 

It's my experience Royal Caribbean schedules more activities during the day than HAL, but on an Alaskan cruise, you might be too busy in port to notice. Holland America tends to get the best places to dock in most ports, maybe because HAL has been cruising Alaska so long.

[Himself]

The HAL ships have been described as beatiful and elegant. I would say the R Class ships and the Ryndam and Statendam are Beautiful and Elegant. I would say the Zuiderdam is beautiful and so is the OOSTERDAM. THE Westerdam is Beautiful and Elegant. I have not been on the Noordam yet but I hear she is the best of the Vista class. I hope this helps.

[jhannah]

I would add that to me Holland America ships look like ships ... not grocery carts or floating 'Vegas resorts. Their nautical lines are attractive. Inside, they feature elegant woods and polished brass instead of the neon and chrome some other lines have. This is part of HAL's appeal to me.

[SwissMyst]

I find the stateroom comforts, decor and beds of HAL ships to have no equal for the price. You will be spending more time in your room than any other place on the ship.

 

Walking into any HAL cabin now that we have been on three different HAL ships (Maasdam, Rottterdam and Oosterdam) is a warm, inviting and welcome embrace.

 

For us, the smaller the ship the better the choice. The fewer people disgorged at each port stop, the better the experience will be and where the ship is able to dock is another material benefit.

[lbt43]

I am planning a mexican rivera. They are the same length, same itinerary. Holland is about 30 bucks pp cheaper. But, I am 31, would I have fun on holland?

[SwissMyst]

I am planning a mexican rivera. They are the same length, same itinerary. Holland is about 30 bucks pp cheaper. But, I am 31, would I have fun on holland?

 

The Mexican Riviera is as much a port-stop trip as it is an at-sea trip. Your ship "fun" days most likely will be the few at sea days.

 

HAL's virtue is that it is a more sedate formal ship and the nights are typically quiet. This may not be the better choice for a 30 something depending on what your ship board life expectations are.

 

The port stops are lively (and very interesting each in its own way) and you can have fun there. A 7 day trip is really a very short time so which ship you take may not make that much difference depending on whether you want to be with older, quieter passengers or ......... slightly less older passengers. I think the younger, more raucous Mexican Riviera trips are the much shorter ones to Ensenada.

 

Be sure to eat at "Te Amo Lucy" in Mazatlan, off the main square on Av Constitution if you visit the wonderfully restored Centro Historico, which is walkable from the ship.

 

You can easily take the local bus to downtown Puerto Vallarta and mix with its very lively and younger crowd of tourists, bars and restaurants. And Cabo is easy to do on your own too using the ship tender to get to shore and again finding a lively and younger tourist scene.

[ShipsAreTheBest]

Haven't cruised RCI in years (both ships (for 3 cruises)) are long gone from their fleet. Having said that, the other posters are correct in descrbing the differences. HAL ships look and act like ships - more like what you would imagine and ocean liner (rather than cruise ship) would be like. The interiors are elegant, warm, and classy on HAL.

 

As for your age, it's also hard to say. Depends on the cruise and the itinerary. 14 days to Alaska last summer on the Veendam - mixed crowd, and the Crows Nest (nightclub) was farily active in the late evening. Longer cruises, older crowd. The Oosterdam (and others in her class) were designed to attract younger cruisers and I think they do, to some extent.

 

But in the strictest answer to your question (are they nice?), by just about everyone's definition the answer would be most definitely YES.

[CowPrincess]

I am planning a mexican rivera. They are the same length, same itinerary. Holland is about 30 bucks pp cheaper. But, I am 31, would I have fun on holland?

 

Not trying to be smart here, but.... I think it really depends on your idea of fun. If you prefer a ship that provides a fair amount of raucous entertainment, and party-hearty till 2 a.m., HAL probably will be a disappointment to you. If, however, your idea of fun is getting away from it all, lots of time to unwind, read, chat with fellow passengers, and chill, then IMHO you'd enjoy what HAL has to offer.

 

HAL ships are beautiful, subdued, elegant -- not flashy, not especially cutting-edge decor.

[AlanAllyn]

I am doing my first HAL cruise this summer. I have been on three cruises on sister ships to the Radiance. These are classy ships with more glass to view the ocean than most others. There is a lot going on sea days and every evening (until well past midnight) if you want it and there are a lot of nice quiet spaces.

 

I can't comment on HAL yet but am looking forward to two weeks on the Amsterdam in Alaska this June.

 

To correct kriecat, the double occupancy of the Radiance is 2100 (not 2500) and thus only slightly larger than the do 1926 on the Oosterdam.

[kyriecat]

. . .To correct kriecat, the double occupancy of the Radiance is 2100 (not 2500) and thus only slightly larger than the do 1926 on the Oosterdam.

I copied the passenger capacity directly from RC's website (although it actually says 2501). The same passenger capacity is listed for all the Radiance class ships (Brilliance, Jewel, Serenade, and Radiance). Apologies if RC has their capacity listed incorrectly. I was on Serenade a couple of months ago, but I didn't count the passengers. ;)

[DENIE]

We just sailed the 3/13/10 Mexican Riviera on Oosterdam.

 

I think the demographics may have been skewed a bit due to Spring Break (we were told there about 240 kids in the HAL kids program). But, overall still belive HAL delivered a very classy and elegent experience compared to what I have read about other lines. My wife and I are in the 45-50 category, but think a bit "younger", and still felt perfect on the Oosterdam. The lido pools have no water slides, etc., but that is exactly as we preferred. Even better, the aft pool is for adults only, and we found ample time to relax, have wine or margarita's, talk to other pax and read without interruption of noisy pool activities. It's very subjective, but it perfectly met our expectations.

 

As others have said, it all depends on your activity level and desires. We found plenty of satisfying options on HAL.

[iancal]

I think that Hal has very nice ships but it depends on what you want. I would not characterize RCI as being raucus but I would say that there is certainly more activity than on HAL....as a matter of fact that would probably be a true statement for most lines when compared to HAL. We liked our RCI cruise just as much as Hal. It really boils down to what your personal preferences are. You will not go wrong with either. The notion that HAL is a floating retirement home is just as incorrect as saying that RCI is a party boat. But, at 31 you probably be half the age of the average HAL passenger.

[Boytjie]

I copied the passenger capacity directly from RC's website (although it actually says 2501). The same passenger capacity is listed for all the Radiance class ships (Brilliance, Jewel, Serenade, and Radiance). Apologies if RC has their capacity listed incorrectly. I was on Serenade a couple of months ago, but I didn't count the passengers. ;)

 

From the Radiance Fact Sheet:

'2,112 guests (double occupancy) ● 2,501 guests (total)'

[alpal1993]

I can always find something to love on a cruise ship,each ship has its own greatness.This will be our first time on HAL Amsterdam I must have watched the video at least 10 times.I am certain I will love the ship.This cruise was chosen for the itinerary as it was the best offered for our needs of any other line.Just wish I can get my preferred tour for Anchorage.

[KAYEF]

To correct kriecat, the double occupancy of the Radiance is 2100 (not 2500) and thus only slightly larger than the do 1926 on the Oosterdam.

 

We just got off the "O" :( and had another fantastic cruise on her. We had 2,179 passengers.............lots and lots of kids and young families having FUN. It was wonderful. The LIDO was a bit busier because of so many extra passengers (think all the 3 and 4 passenger cabins must have been full;)) and the pool was always full of joyful people.

I believe food and service are better on HAL ships and you may want to check cabin size as well.

We were shocked at the small cabin we had when we tried another line.

Have a wonderful time.:)

[apollobeach]

We traveled on Holland-America; the ship was dirty and very tired.

[Pokeynose]

We traveled on Holland-America; the ship was dirty and very tired.

 

 

I'm sorry about your experience. We have traveled on the Westerdam 3 times and our suite was spotless. I'm a clean freak and could not find anything dirty in our room. Our stewards, Widi and Danang kept our room clean, the bathroom was always clean and towels, etc. replaced daily, twice if we needed them. I don't know what ship you were on but the Westerdam is an elegant ship. I'm counting the months, days and hours until next Feb. when we cruise again. I guess HAL is not for you.

[PathfinderEss]

I have not been on the Radiance but have been on the Legend of the Sea and also the Oosterdam. My opinion is if you like cheap glitzy decor, go with the Radiance. If you don't care for good food, go for the Radiance. If smaller cabins are your thing, go with the Radiance. If your looking for lots of silly games on sea days go for the Radiance, but if you like elegance, great food, quiet ambience, larger cabins, great crew, then go with the Oosterdam.

.

[Cambrensis]

First post on HA Board ... we have cruised Carnival x3 and HA once (3rd cruise, March 2009). Just got off Carnival Pride last week. HOWEVER -- now that we have a better comparison -- we will probably book HA next time (and our TA wants us to try Celebrity). We found the clientle on Westerdam a little more our style than Carnival (no more comment lest my Carnival board friends flame me ...:)). We are in early 50s, so maybe its a demographic thing. Spirit class suites are nicer, though, based on the cabins we had (though Westerdam suite was very pleasant). I realize OP was not asking re Carnival, just thought I'd share our experience.