Comments Needed for New Book

[Nasmas]

Why did we choose our last cruise? It was the Mexican Riveria out of San Diego. The port was the main reason for choosing it. I'd never been to San Diego and we've done the Caribbean so much, we wanted a change.

 

My favorite cruise line is Holland America. I've never cruised with anyone else and when we start thinking about booking we another line, the question always comes up, if we're happy why switch and risk getting something that is less than what we're accustomed to. HAL in my opinion is wonderful and I can't imagine anything another cruise line could do to make the better or worth more than HAL cruises.

 

The best thing about cruising is just rolling with the flow. You don't have to worry about, where are we eating tonight, or what are we doing today. Very relaxing

[Islandbuoy]

Why did you pick your last cruise?

The Holland America's Ryndam 1-22-2006 was chosen for the ports it visisted which included Bonnaire and the shore excursion to the No Name Beach (one of our favorites) and the sail and catamaran excursion on Aruba.

 

Favorite cruiseline.

 

Holland America wins hands down. They know how to make you feel special. The staff is fantastic and remembers you from your last cruise ship to your next encounter even if it is on another ship. They also remember what your beverage is and always have a few minutes to chat with you. The patrons on HAL are more into the elegance of a cruise and the ships are never rowdy. We have always found excellent dinner companions and have made lifelong friends on some of our voyages.

 

What one thing influenced your choice.

In most cases we start with the intinary but price could be a deciding factor when two different lines go to basically the same routes. HAL is alwyas one of the two finalists.

 

One last footnote--we sail on the Constellation T/A this Sept. We chose this one because of time of year and itinary. We also booked the Prinsendam on Dec. 2, 2006. This was chosen for itinary as well as the ship. This ship is the most talked about ship by the staffers on all the other HAL ships we have sailed. It is their feelings that it is by far the best sailing experience one can receive on HAL's line and we are so looking forward to being pampered by our favorite staffers.

[Sage]

We picked the last cruise we were on, just back from 25 days on the Volendam, Hawaii/Alaska, because of the Officers and the crew. We feel the Volendam is a very well run ship with a happy crew that translates well in the form of great service. We also chose HAL's Volendam because we enjoy the larger staterooms and balcony size. We also enjoy the free laundry, pressing and dry cleaning service the comes along with the suites as well as the Neptune Lounge.

 

Although we would normally say that HAL is our favorite cruise line, we are conflicted, as Crystal has won us over with their additional touches, no charge for non alcholic beverages, the alternative restaurants with reasonable charges, and the ambiance and service. We also find that Crystal has wonderful enrichment speakers and incredible entertainment.

 

Our next two sailings are on Crystal, as despite the higher price than HAL, we find the overall experience to be more satisfying. We enjoy the smaller passenger ratio, the ambiance, and the attention to customer service. We also like the merchandise that is carried in the Crystal onboard shops and the service that is offered there, such as a tailor to adjust hems.

[luv2cruise450]

The last cruise we were on was last November's transatlantic crossing on HAL's MS Prinsendam from Lisbon to Ft. Lauderdale. I had read so much about this ship that I really felt that I had to sail with her somewhere along the way. A few years back...we almost booked passage to sail with her from HK to Vancouver but then this sailing was cancelled due to concerns about the avian flu. So I knew that as soon as I could...I needed to book passage on this ship!

We enjoy the longer sailings whenever possible and so when I saw that she would be doing a transatlantic...we decided to book. Other than the riverboat sailings on the Yangtze and the Nile...she is the smallest ship that we have sailed with and we loved the ambiance and more intimate atmosphere.

Our next sailing will be on an even smaller ship...the Paul Gauguin sailing in French Polynesia! Not sure which was the bigger factor there...the ship or the destination! (HAL did not have a sailing there other than a 30 day voyage that starts and ends in CA with stops in Hawaii and then Tahiti...but since we both still work...we could not do a 30 day sailing at this time).

 

Our very favorite cruiseline is HAL...her ships are just the right size and her crew and staff are second to none! They have the wonderful wrap around teak decks with comfy wooden lounge chairs that invite you to linger awhile and enjoy the sea air! The fresh floral arrangements everywhere just adds to the ambience. Whenever we board an HAL ship...we always feel like 'we've come home'...and tho we've enjoyed sailing 2X each with Celebrity, Carnival and NCL...we've never gotten that same feeling of 'coming home' like we do on the HAL ships.

 

Tho price is a partial factor in our bookings...itinerary is a bigger factor...and HAL has an extensive choice of itineraries. We've been to the Caribbean a bunch of times and at this point in time...we look for newer areas of the world to explore. Hoping to sail to South America with HAL in the near future. My 'dream' cruise would be to do a 'world cruise' one day with HAL! But unless we win the lottery...that might not be realistic.

Anyway...thanks for asking for our thoughts about cruising.

[Aussie Gal]

Why did you pick the last cruise you were on?

 

We picked our last cruise for the itinerary. We wanted to go to Antarctica and South America but we wanted to leave from Rio and finish in Valpariso. We also wanted to start the cruise after Christmas. Very few cruises go to Antarctica so we were limited in our selection. We went with Princess as the Regal Princess was departing from Rio on the 4th January which suited us.

 

Which is your favorite cruise line?

 

Our favourite cruise line is Holland America at the moment though we haven't tried Crystal, Oceania and Silverseas to name a few of the more upmarket lines. I daresay when we do try them our allegiance may change to one of those. We like the size of the ships and cabins on HAL, the friendliness of the staff and crew, the layout of the ships, the Lido for the good buffet lunches and the lovely Crows nest up top. We also like the laid back way of cruising on HAL, with very few loud announcements.

 

Was there any one thing (pricing, advertising slogan, or the ship itself?) that most influenced your decision?

 

I like the itineraries that HAL offers and we always choose the unusual sailings.

[duck tune]

Last cruise was to Mexico in March of this year on the Oosterdam. We chose to cruise again with HAL on the Zaandam (to Alaska) June 2, 2006.

 

We enjoy all of the "Dam" ships and wanted to check out the upgraded, musically-themed Zaandam. Our favorite cruise line is HAL, simply because they are friendly with a manageable passenger size, which translates to top quality service.

 

Decisions are made on the basis of timing, price & stateroom availability.

[Alexborngal]

Thanks Laura for gathering information for Andy and Bob's new book.

 

- Why did you pick the last cruise you were on?

 

I chose HAL's Circle Hawaii last December because I wanted to go to Hawii without flying.

 

- Which is your favorite cruise line?

 

I've cruised on NCL, Cunard, Princess and Royal Caribbean. Since my December 2005 HAL cruise, Holland America is now my favorite cruise line. My first HAL cruise was on the Amsterdam December 2005 Circle Hawaii. There were so many things that delighted us: Large cabin, comfortable bed, bathtub, great food, fantastic shows - the orchestra and singers and dancers on the Amsterdam were the best of any cruise we've been on - not much cigarette smoke, beautiful ship, fresh fruit in our cabin, flowers every where, excellent service with a smile from the crew, cleanliness of the ship, no drink hustling, are but a few of the things we enjoyed most. We subsequently booked two more cruises with HAL.

 

- Was there any one thing (pricing, advertising slogan, or the ship itself?) that most influenced your decision?

 

Since we'd never been on HAL before, it was the itinerary that influenced our decision.

[agathasmum]

Our last cruise was on the Westerdam, Thanksgiving 2005.

 

We chose this cruise as we had friends who were first time cruisers who had already booked on it. We often cruise at Thanksgiving, and had always cruised Celebrity, but last year they didn't have any 7 day Caribbean trips over Thanksgiving (and it's the same again this year - I guess 40/50 somethings with teenage kids who can't be out of school too long are no longer a target market!). The cruise also had 3 new ports we hadn't visited before - Tortola, St maarten and Half Moon Cay.

 

My favourite cruiseline is still Celebrity, although my HAL cruise was very enjoyable. Celebrity has the edge on sophistication, entertainment and food. The cabin on HAL far exceeded our expectations, the crew were incredibly friendly and HMC was amazing.

 

What influences my decision to cruise?

 

1. The cruise has to fit in with school schedules. We only have 2 days off at Thanksgiving, so we pull the children out of school for 3 days. The 3 days before Thanksgiving are low key days as so many children are out of town.

 

2. I would love to do a longer cruise but the kids can't miss too much school so we are limited to 7 day cruises during term time.

 

3. Itinerary. We don't particularly care for Nassau or St Thomas, so avoid them when possible. We like to visit new destinations.

 

4. Price. We like a balcony for the adults and an inside for the kids so price is definitely a factor.

 

5. Ship size. I like the 70-90000 ton size ship. Can't imagine going larger. Don't like crowds and hate to stand in line for things!

 

Hope this helps!

 

Susan

[Suite 16]

1. Our last cruise....we selected the Oosterdam Mexican Riviera cruise during last Thanksgiving week for a number of reasons. We knew that selecting HAL would mean both the adults and youngsters in our family of 13 would be happy; the cruise was leaving from San Diego, a favorite city, and we could spend a few extra days introducing the attractions of that beautiful city to everyone - plus San Diego offers such an easy, excellent cruise ship environment; the grandchildren were off school, so it was convenient. We made the right decision - everyone had a wonderful time, loved the Oosterdam, which we had sailed on previously, lucked out on weather, and our self-arranged excursions didn't disappoint. (Most of us did the Los Veranos Canopy tour privately - a highlight.) Everyone agreed we had never had better food or service on any of our many, many cruises! Our covered aft suite on Deck 8 was perfect for our family gatherings, and sightseeing.

 

2. Favorite cruise line... Our first cruise many years ago was on the QEII, and we were so sure it would be our one and only, we went first class, all the way, so no complaints whatsoever. (We will soon be on the QMII - will be making comparisons, I'm sure.) If Home Lines and Sitmar were still sailing, I am sure we would be calling them our favorites - those Italian Lines were fabulous, especially in the dining rooms. We started taking our family on cruises, back in the 80's, and they still remember every detail of food and service, even the names of the great staff on the Oceanic, Homeric and Fairsky. Since those days, we have been on more lines than I will remember - Crystal, Costa, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Cunard - never Carnival, but most of our cruises have been on HAL. At this point HAL is our favorite, and I think it's because of the hard-working and competent, friendly crew. The suites and cabins are well-appointed, large, with the exception of the aft suites which are more balcony than cabin. The childrens' programs for our four grandchildren have been well-planned, and in fact, their parents complain they hardly get to see the kids!

 

3. What influenced our decisions..... Actually, we make up our own minds about when and where we want to go, and then look for the cruise line that can accommodate us. We try to plan to travel to a part of the world that's new to us, but when we find a winner - like Alaska for family - we have done that three times. As our family has grown and multiplied, we no longer put them in "steerage" while we get a suite to gather in, so we look for prices that will allow us to get the most for our dollar. In all of our many cruises, inspired by that first QEII experience, we have only had a few disappointments, usually the result of equipment failures aboard ship. We have been in everything from hurricane conditions to just plain storms, so we are most concerned about equipment problems, which have occurred during storm conditions finding ourselves stopped at sea, eg. But we have been gratified to receive responses to our "constructive criticism," especially in the case of HAL.

 

I hope this isn't much more than was requested. When it comes to cruising, our favorite vacations, we tend to go on a bit.

[CruisinGrams]

Why we picked our last cruise: We picked our last cruise a -day Alaska cruise on the Westerdam, because of an advertising campaign to past passengers advising of a special offer 3rd & 4th passengers free. This gave us an opportunity to spend the money we saved on cruise fare to upgrade our room and take along our daughter and grandson for their first cruise experience. We chose HAL because we were past passengers and were not disappointed. HAL offers first class service all the way. We love to experience the elegance and grandeur of a Holland American Line cruise it just can not be compared to the artificial glitz of the mass market junkets Carnival and Royal Caribbean offer. We have also cruised Princess and found them to have great service and good value as well, but this was about 10 years ago.

 

Favorite Cruise Line: Holland America I would recommend HAL and cruising in general to anyone. Cruising is the perfect vacation for all people. As much activity or lack of activity as you personally want. Ports of call offer something for everyone and you get to experience new countries and cultures while staying at a five star floating resort, with staff waiting to cater to your every need. Everyday is is new adventure, an opportunity to meet great friends from all over the globe.

 

What Influenced our decisions: Price and ports of call is the main thing we look for when we are looking for a cruise. Service is also a component that we consider as well as the cabin size.

[InPhoto]

I book cruises mainly for the ports.

In November 2005, I took Silverseas to the Amazon. When we arrived at Macapa Brazil I saw the Swan Hellenic Ship Minerva II waiting to be cleared by the government of Brazil. I was curious about her South American itineraries and checked their website. I found their March 8-25,2006 which was a logical follow on to my Amazon cruise. So I booked it. This was an excellent cruise. I loved the ports and taveling on Swan Hellenic. Sadly Swan's will lose the Minerva II in April 2007. I hope the company will find a replacement ship. Two weeks after I came back from that cruise I sailed on the Holland American Volendam through the Panama Canal. Again I book this for the ports. Swan's offered much more than HAL. I was happy to get off the Volendam.

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

Why did you pick the last cruise you were on?

We wanted to do an Alaskan cruisetour, so it was pretty much between HAL and Princess. We had a 9 y.o. and a 13 y.o. at the time and wanted to all be in a large suite. Princess would not put us in one, but would cram all four of us in a mini-suite for some reason. So we went with HAL, Statendam S category, and had the most perfect vacation.

 

Which is your favorite cruise line?

My previous cruises before the Alaskan cruisetour were so long ago, I could not even compare them. So far HAL is a favorite as it seemed to suit us all the way around. My husband and I are 49 and don't want the party ship experience. We also enjoyed the size of the Statendam. There was enough for all to be happy without being overwhelmed or worrying about the kids' safety. Having said that, we are going to do a spring break cruise out of Galveston (we live in the Houston area) on the Grand Princess.

 

Was there any one thing (pricing, advertising slogan, or the ship itself?) that most influenced your decision?

As above, it was the suite issue for our Alaskan cruisetour, and for the next cruise it is simply being able to sail from Galveston. We grew up in Texas and have been to various places in the Caribbean and Mexico many times. Kids wanted a break from skiing, and it seemed like a fun, easy trip. And this time Princess is putting all four of us in a big suite (OS)!

[hammybee]

Generally speaking I pick the intinerary first as I prefer port intensive cruises. From there, my preference is usually HAL but it sometimes comes down to price and depends upon who I/we are cruising with and what their agenda is.

 

I am one of the fortunate few that has never had a bad cruise and prefer to look at the positives of each experience. HAL is consistent and the little touches make a difference. Princess is not consistent. Celebrity has the wonderful thermal pools. The new Carnival is simply fun. RCCL is too commercial for me. I like the freestyle thing on NCL and resort casual works well in Hawaii. The Orient is like one big family. And one of these days I will try Costa because I am running out of new ports. And lastly, I am going to take a longer cruise just to see what I can do to entertain myself, besides eating, at endless sea days, just becasue I should.

[karen&kevin]

We picked our last cruise (HAL Westerdam) based on the price, recommendation from family members, itinerary and timing. We booked the cruise because we were tempted by the excellent price, but, it was truly the perfect itinerary that decided it for us.

 

Our favorite lines are HAL and Celebrity, although we would happily sail on any line, with perhaps, the exception of NCL. The various members of our family have sailed on the following lines: Celebrity, HAL, Princess, Costa, RCCL, Carnival, Radisson, Swan Hellenic, Disney, NCL, Seabourn, Clipper, Crystal, Orient, and a few now defunct lines.

 

HAL and Celebrity both provide the excellent service and amenities that we like but HAL wins by a hair - I don't know how the crew can remember so many passengers names! Both lines have incredibly caring, and empowered staff, and provide excellent value for our vacation dollars.

[mariettalady2]

I oicked my last cruise (So.Carribbean) Tampa l4 days because the ship would be leaving from Tampa and returning to Tampa in early December which would be easiest for me to fly into and returning since it was close to the Christmas holidays and I did not want to be in a foreign port trying to get home for the holidays. Also it was recommended by another cruiser who had done this same one the year before. It was the Veendam, and Holland America is now my favorite cruise line for the past 11 years. Before that my favorite was Royal Cruise Line- went out of business in early l996. I cruised with them l4 times and picked them because of the "Gentlemen Host" program since I like to ballroom dance. My decision to go on Veendam this last time was due to price, itinerary and being l4 days which means you do not get too many "families and children"-- and Holland America also is good for people in their 70s and 80s as I am. We do not need "rock climbing walls" and many of the things that young people like - just good food, good ports and excellent service and staff who appreciate us! Mariettalady2