Cruise Ship Reviews : Holland America Line Reviews
dmdickens saw things this way:
Disappointing - Lots of little 'extras' now not offerred., May 4, 2012
Reviewer: dmdickens
Pros: The destination
Cons: Possible rough weather betweem San Diego and Vancouver.
Date of cruise: March 31, 2012
Departure port: San Diego
Region visited: Hawaii
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: 6075
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: No
This cruise was very disappointing. Ship's interior is starting to show its age. Food portions in the main dining room are minuscule and vegetables are almost non-existent. When we tried eating in the Lido we found that the only really hot food was an omelette. 3 mornings running I tried breakfast potatoes with my omelette and they were stone cold every morning. When we tried breakfast in the main dining room, the wrong main dish was delivered and on asking the server what it was he merely asked ' What's missing?'. Luckily the maitre'd, Willy Constantinescu, was extremely helpful and made sure that we had the correct order delivered the next morning. We were given a form for disembarkation and asked to indicate what time we wanted to disembark.We noted '9.00 am' but then received notification that disembarkation would be between 7.30am and 7.45 am and so we set our alarm accordingly. On checking the TV next morning it indicated that our group was scheduled for 10.00 am and so I decided to get a newspaper from the Exploration Cafe. As I was entering the elevator our group was announced as next to disembark - time was now 8.15 am. On checking our final bill we discovered that instead of being charged per bag for laundry service that we had been charged per item. A call to the Front Office produced a promise of a call back but that was never received before disembarkation and we had to contact HAL on returning home to obtain a reversal of the charges. Best food was in the Canaletto Restaurant but we were frustrated at continually being told it was fully booked and then when we went to look found that at least half the tables were unoccupied. Their policy seems to be to book one couple per half hour. We took a Gray Line tour to Haleakala and on boarding the bus found maps of the trip on every seat. Places that we were to visit were highlighted in yellow marker and on the bottom of the map someone had typed the following message 'Usual busdriver's gratuity is not included in your tour price' and had also highlighted that in yellow!
nmlover saw things this way:
A good ship made excellent by the outstanding crew., October 25, 2011
Reviewer: nmlover
Pros: The crew from the captain down! Specials such as visiting jewelry designers.
Cons: The entertainment left lots to be desired most of the time.
Date of cruise: January 5, 2011
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale
Region visited: World
Cabin category: Inside
This World Cruise was a delight. Being a medium size ship made the crew and passengers seem very cohesive and open. By the end of the cruise- 110 days, I recognized most of the passengers enough to say hello, and had many new friends. There were many activities each day, although most were physical rather than culture related. Often I wished for more history and cultural information about the fascinating places we were visiting. Most of the speakers that were on board were good, but there were not enough of them. The ongoing classes on the use of Windows 7 was very informative. It would be nice, however, if the textpert was also able to help with a wider range of computer issues other than only those connected to windows 7. As usual the food was good, but not at the level the line had a few years ago. It seemed as if the number of choices for dinner in the dining room has become the important thing. I'd like to see fewer choices- often there were 6 or 7 choices- and 4 or 5 choices done to perfection. The music available was wonderful. One could choose to enjoy whatever type of music you wanted, from active dance to calm listening. The Amsterdam orchestra was outstanding and always seemed to enjoy what they were doing. The entertainment each night was uneven in quality. Unfortunately the Amsterdam singers and dancers were usually not very good and by mid cruise I simply stopped going if they were on. Perhaps they could be dropped? The rest of the entertainment was certainly designed to please a wide range if interests and I suppose it did that, but I did not find much of it worth the time to go. Facilities on board were mostly very good. The library was very well stocked and the crew there very helpful and upbeat. My main concern with the large room for entertainment was the seats. Not only were they uncomfortable, but there was a great difference in the height of the seating, making it impossible to see much if the row in front of you was higher than your row. Most likely this was because the seating was movable to be able to use the room for a variety of activities, but... Overall this was a very pleasant comfortable ship with a wonderful crew and I would certainly recommend it to all.
ecuspider1 saw things this way:
All HAL Ships have the friendliest staff! Rooms are bigger, really clean., July 3, 2010
Reviewer: ecuspider1
Pros: Big rooms
Cons: Coffee not hot enough
Date of cruise: June 24, 2010
Departure port: Seattle, WA
Region visited: Alaska
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: 6221
We have been on six HAL ships and they have all been fabulous. The rooms are bigger, food is excellent with several choices for dining. Staff is super friendly. Everyone speaks all over the ship. The beds are heavenly! Towels are huge and robes are such a nice perk.
Amsterdam reviews
Average customer rating:
4.09 / 5
4.09 / 5Average Rating based on 3 Reviews:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
3.67
4.00
3.50
4.00
3.33
4.00
5.00
4.67
5.00
4.00
3.50
4.00
3.33
4.00
5.00
4.67
5.00
dmdickens saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
2
3
1
2
4
5
3
1
2
4
5
Disappointing - Lots of little 'extras' now not offerred., May 4, 2012
Reviewer: dmdickens
Pros: The destination
Cons: Possible rough weather betweem San Diego and Vancouver.
Date of cruise: March 31, 2012
Departure port: San Diego
Region visited: Hawaii
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: 6075
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: No
This cruise was very disappointing. Ship's interior is starting to show its age. Food portions in the main dining room are minuscule and vegetables are almost non-existent. When we tried eating in the Lido we found that the only really hot food was an omelette. 3 mornings running I tried breakfast potatoes with my omelette and they were stone cold every morning. When we tried breakfast in the main dining room, the wrong main dish was delivered and on asking the server what it was he merely asked ' What's missing?'. Luckily the maitre'd, Willy Constantinescu, was extremely helpful and made sure that we had the correct order delivered the next morning. We were given a form for disembarkation and asked to indicate what time we wanted to disembark.We noted '9.00 am' but then received notification that disembarkation would be between 7.30am and 7.45 am and so we set our alarm accordingly. On checking the TV next morning it indicated that our group was scheduled for 10.00 am and so I decided to get a newspaper from the Exploration Cafe. As I was entering the elevator our group was announced as next to disembark - time was now 8.15 am. On checking our final bill we discovered that instead of being charged per bag for laundry service that we had been charged per item. A call to the Front Office produced a promise of a call back but that was never received before disembarkation and we had to contact HAL on returning home to obtain a reversal of the charges. Best food was in the Canaletto Restaurant but we were frustrated at continually being told it was fully booked and then when we went to look found that at least half the tables were unoccupied. Their policy seems to be to book one couple per half hour. We took a Gray Line tour to Haleakala and on boarding the bus found maps of the trip on every seat. Places that we were to visit were highlighted in yellow marker and on the bottom of the map someone had typed the following message 'Usual busdriver's gratuity is not included in your tour price' and had also highlighted that in yellow!
nmlover saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
5
4
2
4
5
5
5
4
2
4
5
5
5
A good ship made excellent by the outstanding crew., October 25, 2011
Reviewer: nmlover
Pros: The crew from the captain down! Specials such as visiting jewelry designers.
Cons: The entertainment left lots to be desired most of the time.
Date of cruise: January 5, 2011
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale
Region visited: World
Cabin category: Inside
This World Cruise was a delight. Being a medium size ship made the crew and passengers seem very cohesive and open. By the end of the cruise- 110 days, I recognized most of the passengers enough to say hello, and had many new friends. There were many activities each day, although most were physical rather than culture related. Often I wished for more history and cultural information about the fascinating places we were visiting. Most of the speakers that were on board were good, but there were not enough of them. The ongoing classes on the use of Windows 7 was very informative. It would be nice, however, if the textpert was also able to help with a wider range of computer issues other than only those connected to windows 7. As usual the food was good, but not at the level the line had a few years ago. It seemed as if the number of choices for dinner in the dining room has become the important thing. I'd like to see fewer choices- often there were 6 or 7 choices- and 4 or 5 choices done to perfection. The music available was wonderful. One could choose to enjoy whatever type of music you wanted, from active dance to calm listening. The Amsterdam orchestra was outstanding and always seemed to enjoy what they were doing. The entertainment each night was uneven in quality. Unfortunately the Amsterdam singers and dancers were usually not very good and by mid cruise I simply stopped going if they were on. Perhaps they could be dropped? The rest of the entertainment was certainly designed to please a wide range if interests and I suppose it did that, but I did not find much of it worth the time to go. Facilities on board were mostly very good. The library was very well stocked and the crew there very helpful and upbeat. My main concern with the large room for entertainment was the seats. Not only were they uncomfortable, but there was a great difference in the height of the seating, making it impossible to see much if the row in front of you was higher than your row. Most likely this was because the seating was movable to be able to use the room for a variety of activities, but... Overall this was a very pleasant comfortable ship with a wonderful crew and I would certainly recommend it to all.
ecuspider1 saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
4
5
5
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
5
5
5
5
5
All HAL Ships have the friendliest staff! Rooms are bigger, really clean., July 3, 2010
Reviewer: ecuspider1
Pros: Big rooms
Cons: Coffee not hot enough
Date of cruise: June 24, 2010
Departure port: Seattle, WA
Region visited: Alaska
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: 6221
We have been on six HAL ships and they have all been fabulous. The rooms are bigger, food is excellent with several choices for dining. Staff is super friendly. Everyone speaks all over the ship. The beds are heavenly! Towels are huge and robes are such a nice perk.
