1st Time HAL Cruisers: What can we expect?

[Radiomark]

This will be our first HAL cruise. We've been on Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. If you've been on either NCL or RCL, what's new and different that we can expect from Holland America? We're really looking forward to our May cruise to Alaska on Statendam.

 

Mark

Parker, CO

[TrojanCruiser]

Radiomark- My wife & I were on the Ryndam for a 7-day Alaska cruise this past May- we both wished it could have been longer! Our cruising experience prior to this first cruise with HAL was mostly with NCL and once with Royal Caribbean. We had HAL/Ryndam withdrawals on our NCL Jewel cruise this past week. We loved the "feel" of the Ryndam & it wasn't just the ship itself but the entire HAL crew and experience. It seemed like a more "elegant", "traditional" cruise- the pace seemed more leisurely and not frenetic as some of the cruises we have been on with the larger NCL ships. Our cabin was on the main promenade deck and we didn't miss having our own balcony- we had the biggest "balcony" on the ship just steps from our cabin door. The teak decks and deck chairs added to the ambience & charm. The cabin was roomy and the bathroom had a bathtub! Our cabin steward was always attentive to our needs and made sure that our room was clean & comfortable. The meals on the Ryndam were the best out of all our cruises- not to say that NCL was bad- just that the Ryndam meals seemed to be a cut-above. For dinner, we had a table for two at the late seating and had the best waiter, asst. waiter, & wine steward (Sugit, Catur, Ronald)- it was great to see them every evening and sometimes even for breakfast and/or lunch depending on their schedule. We had dinner once at the Pinnacle Grill and we still rave about it. We loved to have breakfast & lunch whenever possible in the main dining room. The few times we ate at the Lido, we enjoyed the variety and quality of the food. There seemed plenty to do on the Ryndam- movies, culinary demonstrations, the library, casino... I would whole-heartedly recommend the Ryndam! We won the cruise lottery on this trip so we've got a $20 (cost of the raffle tickets) HAL Caribbean cruise later this year! :) Gene & Pauline

[Chivalrygirl]

This will be our first HAL cruise. We've been on Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. If you've been on either NCL or RCL, what's new and different that we can expect from Holland America? We're really looking forward to our May cruise to Alaska on Statendam.

 

Mark

Parker, CO

 

You will love the Statendam, the crew are really great.

[sab490]

We were on HAL (Noordam) for the first time in December. I guess the best way to sum it up is that on other lines we often felt like commodities. On HAL the crew really made us feel special and we sensed that they really enjoyed providing efficient and personal service. When they greeted us by name with a big smile, we got the feeling that they really were glad to see us. And what really amazed us was that this was consistant throughout the entire ship, from the Captain right down to the guys who were scrubbing the deck.

 

IMO RCCL is all about facilities and activities. HAL is all about the total cruise experience. We have always enjoyed our RCCL cruises, but the HAL cruise was truly special.

[agabbymama]

You can expect to see fresh flower arrangements all around the ship, teak wood promenade deck all around the ship (HAL is the only one that still has this), with teak wood deck lounge chairs, deck boys (in Phillip Morris uniforms) to make sure you have everything you need while on deck, chimes ring to announce dinner time, hot chocolate and split pea soup on deck the glacier viewing day, I believe HAL still does the photo with the Captain at the Welcome Dinner (which Celebrity didn't do, they had formal night photos, but not with the Captain), and lots of wood and brass all around the ship (more like the old ocean liners). The pool area also has a cover that closes in inclement weather. Just an overall elegant ambiance that has been missing on my Carnival, RCCL, NCL and Celebrity cruises. And somehow HAL makes you feel like a guest, not just a paying passenger.

 

You'll have a wonderful cruise, and Alaska is absolutely beautiful. Have fun.:)

[happy1]

Thanks for the great posts everyone. This will be our first time on HAL (traveling to Alaska on the Amsterdam) and the experience sounds delightful.

[Radiomark]

On NCL the bow was off limits to passengers. On RCL there were times that passengers were allowed access to the bow.

 

What's the story with HAL?

 

Mark

[jimmy2x]

Have not been on the Vista class, but on the S and R class ships access to the bow is obtained through stairs located at the forward part of the promanade deck. It is closed off infrequently. As I recall, RevNeal did a posting a year or so ago which gave precise directions. It is not marked, so explore.