Is Holland America a good fit for us?

[KroozNut]

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I was not just referring to movies.  But here is some honestly.  DW and I seldom to ever watch movies on a cruise, even very long cruises.  Why?  Why on earth would we sit in our cabin watching a small TV screen (with lousy sound system) when we can watch movies, anytime, at home on a large OLED TV with a decent multi-speaker sound system?    Put simply, we do not go on cruises to sit in our cabin watching TV or going to a lounge (or theater) to watch movies.

 

Hank

 

Oh, okay.. Since you quoted my comment about the movie selection on HAL ships being 'relatively new', I mistakenly assumed you were also referring to the movie selections. My bad..

[sofietucker]

43 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I was not just referring to movies.  But here is some honestly.  DW and I seldom to ever watch movies on a cruise, even very long cruises.  Why?  Why on earth would we sit in our cabin watching a small TV screen (with lousy sound system) when we can watch movies, anytime, at home on a large OLED TV with a decent multi-speaker sound system?    Put simply, we do not go on cruises to sit in our cabin watching TV or going to a lounge (or theater) to watch movies.

 

Hank

Ditto--we never even turn on the TV except to check a menu or our bill. The only times I have watched movies: once when I was seasick (rain, high winds, high swells) and laid in bed all day, I watched Where'd You Go, Bernadette? A great movie, and educational: the scenes at sea in Drake's Passage told me to never go that route... And on a port day where my companions did an excursion and I stayed on board, I watched Ocean's Eight in a secluded outdoor theater (aft, top of the ship on Celebrity). Fun!

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, sofietucker said:

Ditto--we never even turn on the TV except to check a menu or our bill. The only times I have watched movies: once when I was seasick (rain, high winds, high swells) and laid in bed all day, I watched Where'd You Go, Bernadette? A great movie, and educational: the scenes at sea in Drake's Passage told me to never go that route... And on a port day where my companions did an excursion and I stayed on board, I watched Ocean's Eight in a secluded outdoor theater (aft, top of the ship on Celebrity). Fun!

I will admit that Princess can be fun with their Movies Under the Stars, when they show something decent at night.  They set up loungers/chairs and have covers and blankets.  You can lay out under the Stars, watch something on the huge screen (we will sometimes go for a football game) where they have a decent sound system.  Popcorn and some snacks are available as is the bar.  Kind of reminds me of the ole days when we would go to a "Drive In" movie :).  

 

Hank

[Florida_gal_50]

52 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I was not just referring to movies.  But here is some honestly.  DW and I seldom to ever watch movies on a cruise, even very long cruises.  Why?  Why on earth would we sit in our cabin watching a small TV screen (with lousy sound system) when we can watch movies, anytime, at home on a large OLED TV with a decent multi-speaker sound system?    Put simply, we do not go on cruises to sit in our cabin watching TV or going to a lounge (or theater) to watch movies.

 

Hank

Why be so judgmental?  It’s a nightmare for me to be around a ton of people, pre Covid and now.  I’m so incredibly tired because work consumes my life for 11 hours every day.  I rarely sleep well on top of it.  While I sleep marginally better now for years I averaged about 5 hours of sleep a night.  Its  an absolute treat to sit on my balcony drinking wine or to get under the covers and watch a movie.  I really tire of the comments about watching TV or movies, and those that choose this.  It seems to come from people who forget how much work takes out of you and just wanting to be.  

[jeff74]

We’ve definitely watched a few movies on our cruises with our son who doesn’t necessarily like the kids area.  HAL has smaller ships than some other lines with less to do and especially on cruises with several days at sea it’s nice to unwind a bit.  I think this debate falls along similar lines as whether or not you just go purchasing an inside room with the mindset that you’ll only be in your room to sleep and shower or do you get a nicer room and maybe be able to relax a bit more.  Vegas seems to be the prime destination spot for this debate as well lol.

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Why be so judgmental?  It’s a nightmare for me to be around a ton of people, pre Covid and now.  I’m so incredibly tired because work consumes my life for 11 hours every day.  I rarely sleep well on top of it.  While I sleep marginally better now for years I averaged about 5 hours of sleep a night.  Its  an absolute treat to sit on my balcony drinking wine or to get under the covers and watch a movie.  I really tire of the comments about watching TV or movies, and those that choose this.  It seems to come from people who forget how much work takes out of you and just wanting to be.  

The term "Critic" in Cruise Critic is defined as: "One who forms and expresses judgments of the merits, faults, value, or truth of a matter."    So we are simply keeping to the spirit of CC.  

 

Hank

[*Miss G*]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I will admit that Princess can be fun with their Movies Under the Stars, when they show something decent at night.  They set up loungers/chairs and have covers and blankets.  You can lay out under the Stars, watch something on the huge screen (we will sometimes go for a football game) where they have a decent sound system.  Popcorn and some snacks are available as is the bar.  Kind of reminds me of the ole days when we would go to a "Drive In" movie :).  

 

Hank

 

Princess’ MUTS is limited in that the weather will impact availability since there is no retractable roof like they have on HAL’s Pinnacle-class ships. 

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Princess’ MUTS is limited in that the weather will impact availability since there is no retractable roof like they have on HAL’s Pinnacle-class ships. 

Hmmm.  And does HAL have a large outdoor screen (and decent sound system) that they use at the pool when the roof is closed?

 

Hank.  

[*Miss G*]

52 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Hmmm.  And does HAL have a large outdoor screen (and decent sound system) that they use at the pool when the roof is closed?

 

Hank.  

 

Yes.  Pics are on HALfacts.  Size and sound are exactly as Princess but with a retractable roof for inclement weather.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Why be so judgmental?  It’s a nightmare for me to be around a ton of people, pre Covid and now.  I’m so incredibly tired because work consumes my life for 11 hours every day.  I rarely sleep well on top of it.  While I sleep marginally better now for years I averaged about 5 hours of sleep a night.  Its  an absolute treat to sit on my balcony drinking wine or to get under the covers and watch a movie.  I really tire of the comments about watching TV or movies, and those that choose this.  It seems to come from people who forget how much work takes out of you and just wanting to be.  

 

Almost every opinion expressed could be opposed to someone else's. However, I think it's good to give people an idea of what to expect on various cruise lines (and/or individual ships since with HAL they tend to vary so much by class).

 

Whether or not I like to watch TV on vacation -- and I don't, even though I also have a very stressful, all-consuming job) -- it's very useful to know that on HAL watching TV is sometimes not a choice among many others but the only real alternative to packing it in and going to bed.

 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Yes.  Pics are on HALfacts.  Size and sound are exactly as Princess but with a retractable roof for inclement weather.

You got me thinking that the outdoor screens on Princess and Carnival are much to large to put under the normal retractable roofs.  And the sound system on Princess would probably blow off any roof (not to mention ear drums) if in a closed area.

 

Hank

[jaspersmommy]

We were just on the Zuiderdam last week. It was our first time on HAL.  We have sailed mostly with Celebrity (but not RCI or MSC) in the past and haven’t cruised since the pandemic started. So, I have no idea if we would find things still as good on Celebrity ships. 
 

The Zuiderdam is in great shape everywhere we went, inside and out. We stayed in a corner aft Neptune Suite and it looked almost brand new inside. The common areas of the ship and our stateroom were kept sparkling clean. We never waited for elevators which was really nice.
 

The service around the ship was pretty good for the most part. I can’t say it differed from most other cruises we’ve taken. Our stateroom attendants were awesome.  
 

I was surprised at the number of kids on board, yet it was still the oldest crowd we’d seen on a cruise. Evening entertainment is definitely lacking, although not terribly important to us. We don’t like big production shows but we normally attend a couple of evening things during a one week cruise  - e.g. a comedian or something along those lines.  We missed that a little. Billboard Onboard was OK on occasion, depending on what was on. A couple of things at Lincoln Centre Stage were of interest but there honestly wasn’t much else. 

 

Stateroom TVs certainly won’t keep you entertained. Free choices were few.  Most of the pay-per-view content wasn’t great either. That’s no different than other cruises we’ve taken. However, if a cruise line has made a deliberate decision not to compete in the entertainment department, then why not allow people to connect their mobile devices to the TV to watch their own preloaded content? I would even be happy to pay a fee to connect my device and have something to watch at night. This would be especially helpful with kids.   

 

Although I was a little bored at times, it wasn’t really a big issue overall.  I’m usually happy to read a book or just sit out on the deck and watch the scenery.  The big issue for us on this cruise was the food.

 

Our MDR meals on Zuiderdam were abysmal. We ate dinner there four times. I left my dinner on the plate three times.  I’ve never had that happen before on any cruise. The food was very low quality and one meal was also undercooked.
 

The Lido Market was a sad place IMO. The first time we went there I was wondering where the rest of the food was. The selection isn’t great. The only good meals I had there were the cold foods - salads, sandwiches, meat/cheese, etc. and made-to-order breakfast items like omelettes.  Desserts were awful.  I was surprised to see a big portion of Lido serving stations shut down for long periods during the afternoon and evenings leaving very little food available. One of two drink machines in the Lido was out of commission frequently. 
 

Food at the extra-pay venues was quite good, despite comments I’d seen on this forum. Rudy’s especially was excellent. Unfortunately, on Zuiderdam, Canaletto is a partitioned section of the Lido.  It is not a stand-alone restaurant. 

 

The location of the cafe was an issue for us. It’s great for views as it’s forward on Deck 10 in the observation lounge. However, if your cabin is aft it’s inconvenient. If you want a latte or cappucino when you get up in the morning, or when your feet hurt after walking around a port all day, it’s a 20-minute round trip.  Marketing literature states “coffee and pastries” are available. There were tiny biscotti there sometimes but we never once saw anything else or anything remotely resembling pastries.  The coffee there was OK. 
 

With three sea days on a seven day itinerary, the small number of dining options and the disappointing food quality really stood out.  I would sail again with HAL, but likely only on a Pinnacle-class ship where there are more dining choices and more to do. I would only sail on a Signature-class ship again if the price was exceptionally good and it was a port-intensive cruise (plus I would book specialty dining for each night).  For our next cruise, it’s back to Celebrity where it will be interesting to see how much cost-cutting affects our experience there. 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

54 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Almost every opinion expressed could be opposed to someone else's. However, I think it's good to give people an idea of what to expect on various cruise lines (and/or individual ships since with HAL they tend to vary so much by class).

 

Whether or not I like to watch TV on vacation -- and I don't, even though I also have a very stressful, all-consuming job) -- it's very useful to know that on HAL watching TV is sometimes not a choice among many others but the only real alternative to packing it in and going to bed.

 

Really, there seems to be lots of entertainment on the new ships. Have you been on one?  Every time someone says they watch TV on a cruise someone has to say something about it?  Why? You do you and I'll do me.  I don't say anything about people that stay up all night and sleep until noon. I really don't care.

[sofietucker]

One funny thing about TV/movie-watching judgments: how come nobody ever says that about reading a book? Same content, different medium. Sitting in one's stateroom or on a deck chair reading a book is an expected cruise activity, while watching TV is not? Books are not necessarily highbrow subject matter: one could just as easily be reading porn, but somehow the medium (paper or e-reader) is more acceptable than a screen. And what about watching TV/movies on your tablet or laptop, by the pool? (I say all this as a retired English professor, btw.)

Edited August 21, 2022 by sofietucker

[Petrocelli]

1 hour ago, jaspersmommy said:

Our MDR meals on Zuiderdam were abysmal. We ate dinner there four times. I left my dinner on the plate three times.  I’ve never had that happen before on any cruise. The food was very low quality and one meal was also undercooked.
 

***

 

With three sea days on a seven day itinerary, the small number of dining options and the disappointing food quality really stood out.  I would sail again with HAL, but likely only on a Pinnacle-class ship where there are more dining choices and more to do."

 

We just went on our first cruise ever, and it was on the Koningsdam.  My wife and I had a similar experience.  We ate MDR food the first two nights of the cruise, and it was fair to good.  But the next two nights, we ate at Tamarind, and then Rudi's.  Those meals were outstanding, and in the remaining 3 days, we ate at Canaletto once, and Pinnacle Grill twice.  We have decided that when we travel again with HAL, we will eat only in specialty restaurants for dinner and lunch (when possible).

 

I agree 100% that the Pinnacle class ships are the way to go.  There are 5 specialty dining options, and the nights on Music Walk were among the best time we have had on a vacation for nightlife.

 

Regarding TV, the Pinnacle class ships have big TVS with a good choice of movies.  We would put one on when we got back from music walk, and both fall asleep about ten minutes into the movie.  

 

As for the OP, I would not take a trip with kids on a HAL ship that is not Pinnacle class.  

[Florida_gal_50]

2 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

One funny thing about TV/movie-watching judgments: how come nobody ever says that about reading a book? Same content, different medium. Sitting in one's stateroom or on a deck chair reading a book is an expected cruise activity, while watching TV is not? Books are not necessarily highbrow subject matter: one could just as easily be reading porn, but somehow the medium (paper or e-reader) is more acceptable than a screen. (I say all this as a retired English professor, btw.)

Love that.  I do have to wonder a little though when someone says entertainment is so important then picks hal. It’s kinda like me picking Disney and complaining about kids 😉.

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

You got me thinking that the outdoor screens on Princess and Carnival are much to large to put under the normal retractable roofs.  And the sound system on Princess would probably blow off any roof (not to mention ear drums) if in a closed area.

 

Hank

 

Yes, they do love to blast their movies and music.

[Petrocelli]

1 minute ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Love that.  I do have to wonder a little though when someone says entertainment is so important then picks hal. It’s kinda like me picking Disney and complaining about kids 😉.

I may be in the minority, but entertainment is extremely important to me, and I picked HAL for our first cruise specifically because of the entertainment.  I love live music, an HAL's Music Walk was wonderful.  I also thought the dance show was pretty entertaining the one night we went to it.

[Florida_gal_50]

@jaspersmommyactually Canaletto is a part of the lido on every ship.  There are no stand alone Canaletto restaurants on any of the ships.  On the pinnacle ships it’s a little more blocked off for lack on a better word.  I haven’t heard great things about the food on the zuiderdam.  It’s too bad that it hasn’t gotten better.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, jaspersmommy said:

Stateroom TVs certainly won’t keep you entertained. Free choices were few.  Most of the pay-per-view content wasn’t great either.

 

Pay per view?  I have never seen pay per view on a HAL ship.  Can anyone else confirm this?  (Last HAL cruise was December; next is in two weeks.)

[Florida_gal_50]

4 minutes ago, Petrocelli said:

I may be in the minority, but entertainment is extremely important to me, and I picked HAL for our first cruise specifically because of the entertainment.  I love live music, an HAL's Music Walk was wonderful.  I also thought the dance show was pretty entertaining the one night we went to it.

I think that the entertainment is so much better on the pinnacle ships then the old ships in the fleet.  It’s been a few years since I’ve been on any other class so I tend to think of the pinnacle class as an absolute. I’d be happy to only sail on this class.

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, jaspersmommy said:

Marketing literature states “coffee and pastries” are available. There were tiny biscotti there sometimes but we never once saw anything else or anything remotely resembling pastries.  The coffee there was OK. 

 

Before the excursions desk took over the Explorations Cafe space, not only could you get coffee and pastries, you could also get sandwiches, crudités, shrimp, etc.  Combining the coffee bar with the drinks bar not only destroyed a great venue, it practically made it disappear.  I would love for them to bring that back.

[Florida_gal_50]

47 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Pay per view?  I have never seen pay per view on a HAL ship.  Can anyone else confirm this?  (Last HAL cruise was December; next is in two weeks.)

I was wondering about that too.  I haven’t seen it.  My last cruise was on the koningsdam in March.

[0106]

The OP was asking specific questions about a brief holiday cruise on the Zuiderdam.

 

There are many messages in this thread that would confuse someone who had not previously sailed HAL and does not understand the different classes of ships in the fleet.    The Zuiderdam is a Vista class ship and does not have some of the amenities of the   Signature and Pinnacle class ships.  
 

Based on my experience sailing  the Zuiderdam this year, there are no outdoor movies and there are no pay per view movies in the cabin.  Also, there is no New York Deli & Pizza bar or Tamarind  restaurant.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Really, there seems to be lots of entertainment on the new ships. Have you been on one?  Every time someone says they watch TV on a cruise someone has to say something about it?  Why? You do you and I'll do me.  I don't say anything about people that stay up all night and sleep until noon. I really don't care.

 

?????

 

I did say in my post (which you quoted) that HAL, more than most lines, varies by ship. 

 

Also, the OP is looking at the Zuiderdam, not one of the newer ships.