New to this board, is the Zaandam nice?

[moofus]

We just booked Alaska on this ship. Is it a great ship?

Have mostly traveled RCCI,,, is HAL better? and how

[arzz]

First, I prefer the size of the Holland America ships to those of Royal Caribbean. Second, I do not think that Holland America is quite as "commercial" as RCL in the way they nickle and dime you, though all lines do some of that these days in order to stay competitive on the cruise prices -- for instance: On HAL the deck stewards come around and ask you what you want to drink and then bring it to you -- on RCL they push trays full of the "drink of the day" that is usually very expensive and the one offerred has typically been prepared who knows how long ago -- my spa experience on RCL (even tho both are Steiner operations) was that my treatment ended 15-20 minutes early so that the Steiners could spend the rest of the time pushing their over priced products -- on HAL they push the product to some extent but I have never had treatment time shortened nor have I ever been given pressure to buy once I said no. On HAL you do not need a ticket to attend the show --

 

The staff on HAL are wonderful and always have a smile. The ships are large enough to offer a good range of activities but small enough that it is possible to meet and socialize with the same folks more than once. In my experience I have found HAL to be a lot more personal in what they offer and it is currently my favorite cruise line (so, of course, there is no bias here......)