Cruise Ship Reviews : Holland America Line Reviews
Aberford saw things this way:
Not what we expected, September 21, 2014
Reviewer: Aberford
Pros: Nice suite and no pressure to buy additional onboard services
Cons: Poor food services, front desk service, entertainment and client consideration
Date of cruise: September 5, 2014
Departure port: Venice
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Suite
Cabin number: 8059
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
We had been told that HAL was a good line for our age group (mid-60s) but we found that with some exceptions (The Pinnacle restaurant), the food and food services were not on par with other lines. For example, one morning at the food station for "English Breakfast", even though there were only eight people in line, it took 20 minutes to get served. There was only one person working the station even though there were three people physically at the station. The person serving did not know how to prepare the items on their menu. In general, the food service in the main dinning room was slow and inconsistent. For example, if you wanted something like an iced tea, you had to remind the staff 2 or 3 times, if you ordered a hot tea in was common for the cup and tea bag to arrive but no hot water, again until you reminded staff 2 or 3 times. Perhaps it was just too few staff to do the work because the staff were very friendly! We found that the front desk was not interested in providing any information or advice on any port services that were not provided by the cruise line. For example, we wanted to know what the taxi fare was from the port into Rome. They said they could book a private car service for us but didn't know what the taxi fare would be. The quality of the ships entertainers was very poor, except for a violinist and the headliners brought onboard for one or two evenings. The consideration for passengers was okay but not as good as the competition. Even though we booked the cruise over a month before we took it, the pre-departure packages were unavailable and we could not arrange for a luggage transfer through HAL so we had to get ourselves and our luggage to the ship on the day of departure. When we arrived at the port in Venice it was a hot day. The drop-off point for the water taxis was over a half a kilometer from the ship. There was nobody from HAL there to direct us and there was no luggage check-in service at the water taxi dock. We had to carry our luggage the half kilometer to the ship ourselves. Why? We were on a very similar routing to the Azamara Quest and saw it frequently in different ports. The services being provided by the two ships was noticeably different. For example, one day we were in a port where tenders were required. The water was choppy. Our ship was at anchor with the bow into the wind and the waves coming down the side of the ship. The Azamara Ccptain held his ship broadside to the wind, creating a calm docking for the tenders. We understand that the Azamara and HAL are not in the same category of cruise line but... Overall we had a very enjoyable trip with great ports but we are unlikely to go back to HAL.
Mallowsteve saw things this way:
Good quality ship with good itinerary, September 3, 2014
Reviewer: Mallowsteve
Pros: Comfortable ship avoiding the crowds and bling of some rivals
Cons: If you want a hectic social life then perhaps not for you
Date of cruise: August 4, 2014
Departure port: Barcelona
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Suite
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: Yes
We have just returned from our third sailing on the Noordam. We find the intinerary suits us and like the size of the ship. The faciliites are good to excellent. The prices for four people are very good as we have two children and they pay a fraction of the main price. The children's facilities aren't brilliant and the people running the clubs seem short of ideas but our children use the clubs to make friends and they then go off and do their own thing. On the last cruise we had a suite. The facilities were excellent and we had the use of a complimentary lounge and facilities including our own concierge. The only problem with the suites being the bed layout wasn't as flexible as some of the balcony rooms. Holland America ships aren't competing with the massive floating hotels one sees but they are comfortable quality ships. The staff are generally excellent and I smile when I see some people bemoaning the fact that security don't smile at them. Does this justify a downgrade? Probably not. The pools aren't massive but do you go on cruises to swim in the pools? If you want a big pool then either go on a very large ship (which is daunting, too many people) or get a hotel onshore. If you want to be on a ship where you feel at home, where you can find your way around and where you generally have a good itinerary in terms of landings then Holland America is hard to beat.
cscc1 saw things this way:
Great!, January 23, 2014
Reviewer: cscc1
Pros: Not to many kids, had pools to ourselves. We had good wait staff and room staff.
Cons: People not cooperating with staff about hand cleaning.
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Southern
Cabin category: Inside
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
We had a great time. We were on a Southern 10-day itinerary which was fabulous. Nice size ship, was not crowded and not a lot of kids. Always conscious of clean hands. Served us the first few days once the risk of norovirus was gone. We would go again.
hezull saw things this way:
Hotel manager and reception staff need remedial training, September 25, 2013
Reviewer: hezull
Pros: The itinerary port calls
Cons: Misleading Information from reception Staff & no follow-up on complaints
Date of cruise: August 26, 2013
Departure port: Istanbul
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: 7025
I believe most everyone looks forward to an enjoyable, relaxing and fun cruise as soon as they have decided on a cruise line, a ship, its itinerary and booked it. Two satisfying previous cruises on Holland America's ships Amsterdam (The World Tour) and Volendam brought us back to select Holland America for our next cruise. Wow - what we didn't expect was staff and service on the Noordam to be unprofessional, poorly trained, rude and frankly uncooperative to remedy concerns and complaints as follows: 1. Our inside cabin 7025 had a single chair. No couch. Where are two passengers supposed to sit to have in-room food service like breakfast and watch TV? This cabin was suitable for one passenger. The first day of the cruise - August 26, 2013 in Istanbul -- we requested a cabin change to an another inside cabin with a couch. We were told the ship was booked solid. None available. Maybe when the ship docks in Athens. No follow-up from Reception Staff after the ship left Athens. So, I followed up only to be told again the ship is booked solid. My wife met another passenger in an inside cabin 6027 who had a problem. She was moved to another cabin with a couch shortly after departing Athens. 2. Our dining room table for two - #67 - was poorly located adjacent to a pole that created a situation where the table and chairs were sticking out in the aisle leaving little space between the next table for six and us. So, we requested a table change the first day of the cruise. No follow-up. We inquired again when the ship docked in Athens. Two days later we were assigned a table for two next to a noisy waiters station. 3. In-room breakfast service always arrived 10 minutes early and not within the designated 1/2-hour delivery service time requested. Almost finishing a shower when service arrives 10 minutes early isn't pleasant. A concern about it made to the room service manager (telephone ext. #92) resulted in all future in-room service being delivered several minutes after the 1/2-hour delivery service requested that is indicated on the breakfast menu card, marked accordingly and placed before midnight on your outside cabin door handle. 4. DVD movies - nothing current in stock. Ship's staff is good at timely delivery of movies to your cabin. Most badly scratched and dirty - not cleaned. We had a maintenance service repair three times for our DVD player. One staff maintenance person told us DVD's are not cleaned after use but should always be. We were mislead by reception staff telling us that the movies we requested, James Bond: From Russia With Love and Jaws, were not available. They accepted a reserve for the two movies. No follow-up. So, we telephone ext. #90 and after asking if the DVD movies are being held by another passenger beyond the allotted time, we were told the two movies are missing and were never returned from a prior cruise. 5. Lido deck self-service cafeteria hot food staff poorly trained and at times rude. 6. Security Staff rude when leaving ship at port calls and especially when returning by rushing you and pulling your small hand held complimentary Holland America tote bag from your hands to put on the conveyor belt for scanning. Many times our personal items came out of the tote bag on the belt. 7. Cabin Privacy violated when a staff person entered our cabin while my wife was taking a shower to remove the breakfast tray. I was outside on deck #3's walking exercise track. We did not telephone #92 to have it removed. 8. Cabin cleaning was very good although hand washing bar soap was hardly replaced (twice during a 22-day cruise). One day we returned from a shore excursion in the evening to find our room wasn't cleaned. We left the ship at 8:30 a.m. and we did not put the privacy card in the outside door slot. The cabin steward apologized. 9. Hotel manager refused to meet with us about our cabin privacy, cabin change and dining room concerns in addition to some suggestions we had concerning the DVD movies, in-room food service delivery and rudeness by some of his staff. We were able to compare the Noordam to The Amsterdam and The Volendam ships we cruised on. Therefore, no gold standard for The Noordam and its hotel manager. Our rating = Poor and Unacceptable.
amitch5168 saw things this way:
Overall experience was very good. Very comfortable ship., June 11, 2013
Reviewer: amitch5168
Pros: Friendly and professional crew
Cons: Intestinal outbreak spread.
Date of cruise: May 17, 2013
Departure port: Istanbul
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: 5059
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
This was our second cruise with HAL and we liked it better than the first. The ship wasn't too cold like the other ship and the staff was even better. We have only two complaints: Although we had been to three Greek islands our passport was never stamped, yet when we got to Athens to disembark no one told us to be sure to get our passports stamped before continuing into the country. Further, although the crew including our stewards were wonderful during the entire cruise, after our luggage was packed and in our room waiting for our time to disembark we went to the Lido to eat. When we returned we were stunned to discover that our room had been cleaned for the next passengers, including the luggage mats on the bed. My toothbrush was even discarded! Clearly we were not finished with the room. This must be a health violation especially given the constant danger of germs spreading from person to person.
kooiker saw things this way:
Overall, a reliably good experience again on HAL. Staff was great., December 12, 2012
Reviewer: kooiker
Pros: Consistently good food, great service. Love the staff on HAL.
Cons: Smaller ship, not many choices for bars and nightlife.
Date of cruise: December 26, 2012
Departure port: FLL
Region visited: Caribbean - Southern
Cabin category: Suite
Cabin number: 6068
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
This is my 14th cruise on Holland America, and all have been wonderful experiences. It is not a glitzy, party ship, but rather quiet and very elegant. Passengers tend to be a bit older. You won't see too many loud and obnoxious drunks on this cruise ship. The artwork is beautiful, very refined. However, the whole cruise industry has changed a great deal in the past 10 years or so, and so has HAL. It has dropped a notch, I think, but I keep returning because I still love cruising with them. Have been on a few others cruise lines, always return to HAL.
dan saw things this way:
I love HAL ships; this is my 6th cruise on HAL and it was great, February 10, 2012
Reviewer: dan
Pros: Clean, peaceful and relaxing ship with nice ports of call
Cons: Coming back to the cold weather after the cruise
Departure port: ft lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Outside
Cabin number: 4061
Good for children: Yes
We were on a 11-day Caribbean cruise on the Noordam. It was a a mature crowd and the ship was booked full. We have been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess and the Holland crowd is more civil as far as hogging seats and deck chairs for imaginary people. The crew are more professional and take pride in their job and the time flies so fast. The ports of call are fun but there are not great shopping deals like there were 10 years ago. Know your prices and if you know nothing about jewelry or electronics, beware. It may be a better buy at home. If you want to escape the winter and relax I highly recommend this cruise.
Rhonda60 saw things this way:
A very pleasant trip except for a persistent noise in our cabin, January 6, 2011
Reviewer: Rhonda60
Pros: The rooms were lovely and the ports were great
Cons: Had a noise in our cabin that kept us awake at least some time each night
Date of cruise: September 18, 2010
Departure port: Civitavecchia
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Outside
Cabin number: 1090
Good for children: No
The ship was lovely, the accommodations were great, the food was quite good, ports were good. The only problem was a noise in our cabin that kept us awake at least part of every night. Holland America was unable to resolve the noise problem. Therefore, I felt that the customer service was unsatisfactory and as a result do not know if I would use this cruise line again.
glensrvws saw things this way:
I loved it, October 3, 2010
Reviewer: glensrvws
Pros: The crew members
Cons: Nothing
Date of cruise: September 16, 2010
Departure port: Civitavechhia
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: 7115
Good for teenagers: No
The ship, service and crew were excellent. I don't have any complaints. Very few children on board.
thomas707 saw things this way:
Had a lot of fun and went with friends to celebrate birthday and anniversary., August 17, 2010
Reviewer: thomas707
Pros: Being away from home and letting the cruise line take care of you!
Cons: Finding the way to the dining room!
Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: dont remember
We had a great cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. It was an added bonus to have friends with us. We were able to play cards during down time. No time for reading! Appreciated that the ship had a church service on Sunday.
ted3000 saw things this way:
Not the Holland America of old, only go if the price is a steal..., June 14, 2010
Reviewer: ted3000
Pros: Can't find anything good to say about the entire cruise.
Cons: Poor food, small balcony stateroom, poor port planning, sad customer service.
Date of cruise: May 14, 2010
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale, FL
Region visited: Transoceanic
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: 5069
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
Took HAL Noordam from Ft Lauderdale to Barcelona departing May 14, 2010. Balcony stateroom is very small, balcony is miniscule. Food is passable but not as good as should be. Specialty restaurant "Pinnacle Grill" served tasteless steak with disinterested wait staff -- not worth the time or the money. At one port, Malaga, the charge to get off the pier was $17 each, at another port they used tenders even though the schedule called for docking. Upon departing the ship at Barcelona I was held aside by crew members as they said I owed them money, even tho I had a receipt from the Pursers office. Very embarrassing and sad. Suggest you all stay off HA, not worth the money or trouble.
karoggra saw things this way:
Best cruise ever!, May 13, 2010
Reviewer: karoggra
Pros: Fantastic entertainment from the staff on Christmas Eve
Cons: Don't have any
Departure port: New York
Region visited: Caribbean - Southern
Cabin category: Balcony
We had a rather unfortunate experience with our luggage being missing after our flight from Europe, but Holland America's staff handled it fantastically! We finally arrived as the last passengers at 4.30 p.m.(the ship was leaving at 4.45). Thank goodness we had checked in from home! The stateroom was lovely and as it was Christmas we had ordered an Christmas tree and flowers and they lasted the full two-week cruise! As we traveled with family we were able to open the wall between our room and next door to make the verandah extra large. The public rooms and the art onboard are absolutely fantastic! Everywhere were signs of the Dutch history of art and some of the sculptures onboard would blow your mind. Our cruise was a Christmas and New Year's Eve cruise. The ship was decorated with all sorts of Christmas trees - even one that was upside down! You could even order Christmas trees for your own room, which we did! Lots of people had put decorations on their doors which was lovely. The Christmas Eve show was given by the staff and they performed a show that showed the holiday traditions in their countries and they performing a singing session which was very touching. The New Year's Eve show was also fantastic and so was the party to follow! A nice touch by Holland America was the serving of canapes in the bars pre-dinner. We had different tidbits every evening! We've been on 14 cruises since 2001 and this one is still the best!!!
Noordam reviews
Average customer rating:
3.98 / 5
3.98 / 5Average Rating based on 12 Reviews:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
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Entertainment
Fitness Center
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4.25
4.00
3.67
3.88
3.67
4.55
4.11
3.67
4.00
4.00
3.67
3.88
3.67
4.55
4.11
3.67
4.00
Aberford saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
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Specialty Restaurant
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Not what we expected, September 21, 2014
Reviewer: Aberford
Pros: Nice suite and no pressure to buy additional onboard services
Cons: Poor food services, front desk service, entertainment and client consideration
Date of cruise: September 5, 2014
Departure port: Venice
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Suite
Cabin number: 8059
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
We had been told that HAL was a good line for our age group (mid-60s) but we found that with some exceptions (The Pinnacle restaurant), the food and food services were not on par with other lines. For example, one morning at the food station for "English Breakfast", even though there were only eight people in line, it took 20 minutes to get served. There was only one person working the station even though there were three people physically at the station. The person serving did not know how to prepare the items on their menu. In general, the food service in the main dinning room was slow and inconsistent. For example, if you wanted something like an iced tea, you had to remind the staff 2 or 3 times, if you ordered a hot tea in was common for the cup and tea bag to arrive but no hot water, again until you reminded staff 2 or 3 times. Perhaps it was just too few staff to do the work because the staff were very friendly! We found that the front desk was not interested in providing any information or advice on any port services that were not provided by the cruise line. For example, we wanted to know what the taxi fare was from the port into Rome. They said they could book a private car service for us but didn't know what the taxi fare would be. The quality of the ships entertainers was very poor, except for a violinist and the headliners brought onboard for one or two evenings. The consideration for passengers was okay but not as good as the competition. Even though we booked the cruise over a month before we took it, the pre-departure packages were unavailable and we could not arrange for a luggage transfer through HAL so we had to get ourselves and our luggage to the ship on the day of departure. When we arrived at the port in Venice it was a hot day. The drop-off point for the water taxis was over a half a kilometer from the ship. There was nobody from HAL there to direct us and there was no luggage check-in service at the water taxi dock. We had to carry our luggage the half kilometer to the ship ourselves. Why? We were on a very similar routing to the Azamara Quest and saw it frequently in different ports. The services being provided by the two ships was noticeably different. For example, one day we were in a port where tenders were required. The water was choppy. Our ship was at anchor with the bow into the wind and the waves coming down the side of the ship. The Azamara Ccptain held his ship broadside to the wind, creating a calm docking for the tenders. We understand that the Azamara and HAL are not in the same category of cruise line but... Overall we had a very enjoyable trip with great ports but we are unlikely to go back to HAL.
Mallowsteve saw things this way:
Value For Money
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Ship Maintenance
Spa
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4
Good quality ship with good itinerary, September 3, 2014
Reviewer: Mallowsteve
Pros: Comfortable ship avoiding the crowds and bling of some rivals
Cons: If you want a hectic social life then perhaps not for you
Date of cruise: August 4, 2014
Departure port: Barcelona
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Suite
Good for children: Yes
Good for teenagers: Yes
We have just returned from our third sailing on the Noordam. We find the intinerary suits us and like the size of the ship. The faciliites are good to excellent. The prices for four people are very good as we have two children and they pay a fraction of the main price. The children's facilities aren't brilliant and the people running the clubs seem short of ideas but our children use the clubs to make friends and they then go off and do their own thing. On the last cruise we had a suite. The facilities were excellent and we had the use of a complimentary lounge and facilities including our own concierge. The only problem with the suites being the bed layout wasn't as flexible as some of the balcony rooms. Holland America ships aren't competing with the massive floating hotels one sees but they are comfortable quality ships. The staff are generally excellent and I smile when I see some people bemoaning the fact that security don't smile at them. Does this justify a downgrade? Probably not. The pools aren't massive but do you go on cruises to swim in the pools? If you want a big pool then either go on a very large ship (which is daunting, too many people) or get a hotel onshore. If you want to be on a ship where you feel at home, where you can find your way around and where you generally have a good itinerary in terms of landings then Holland America is hard to beat.
cscc1 saw things this way:
Value For Money
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Ship Maintenance
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Great!, January 23, 2014
Reviewer: cscc1
Pros: Not to many kids, had pools to ourselves. We had good wait staff and room staff.
Cons: People not cooperating with staff about hand cleaning.
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Southern
Cabin category: Inside
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
We had a great time. We were on a Southern 10-day itinerary which was fabulous. Nice size ship, was not crowded and not a lot of kids. Always conscious of clean hands. Served us the first few days once the risk of norovirus was gone. We would go again.
hezull saw things this way:
Value For Money
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Hotel manager and reception staff need remedial training, September 25, 2013
Reviewer: hezull
Pros: The itinerary port calls
Cons: Misleading Information from reception Staff & no follow-up on complaints
Date of cruise: August 26, 2013
Departure port: Istanbul
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: 7025
I believe most everyone looks forward to an enjoyable, relaxing and fun cruise as soon as they have decided on a cruise line, a ship, its itinerary and booked it. Two satisfying previous cruises on Holland America's ships Amsterdam (The World Tour) and Volendam brought us back to select Holland America for our next cruise. Wow - what we didn't expect was staff and service on the Noordam to be unprofessional, poorly trained, rude and frankly uncooperative to remedy concerns and complaints as follows: 1. Our inside cabin 7025 had a single chair. No couch. Where are two passengers supposed to sit to have in-room food service like breakfast and watch TV? This cabin was suitable for one passenger. The first day of the cruise - August 26, 2013 in Istanbul -- we requested a cabin change to an another inside cabin with a couch. We were told the ship was booked solid. None available. Maybe when the ship docks in Athens. No follow-up from Reception Staff after the ship left Athens. So, I followed up only to be told again the ship is booked solid. My wife met another passenger in an inside cabin 6027 who had a problem. She was moved to another cabin with a couch shortly after departing Athens. 2. Our dining room table for two - #67 - was poorly located adjacent to a pole that created a situation where the table and chairs were sticking out in the aisle leaving little space between the next table for six and us. So, we requested a table change the first day of the cruise. No follow-up. We inquired again when the ship docked in Athens. Two days later we were assigned a table for two next to a noisy waiters station. 3. In-room breakfast service always arrived 10 minutes early and not within the designated 1/2-hour delivery service time requested. Almost finishing a shower when service arrives 10 minutes early isn't pleasant. A concern about it made to the room service manager (telephone ext. #92) resulted in all future in-room service being delivered several minutes after the 1/2-hour delivery service requested that is indicated on the breakfast menu card, marked accordingly and placed before midnight on your outside cabin door handle. 4. DVD movies - nothing current in stock. Ship's staff is good at timely delivery of movies to your cabin. Most badly scratched and dirty - not cleaned. We had a maintenance service repair three times for our DVD player. One staff maintenance person told us DVD's are not cleaned after use but should always be. We were mislead by reception staff telling us that the movies we requested, James Bond: From Russia With Love and Jaws, were not available. They accepted a reserve for the two movies. No follow-up. So, we telephone ext. #90 and after asking if the DVD movies are being held by another passenger beyond the allotted time, we were told the two movies are missing and were never returned from a prior cruise. 5. Lido deck self-service cafeteria hot food staff poorly trained and at times rude. 6. Security Staff rude when leaving ship at port calls and especially when returning by rushing you and pulling your small hand held complimentary Holland America tote bag from your hands to put on the conveyor belt for scanning. Many times our personal items came out of the tote bag on the belt. 7. Cabin Privacy violated when a staff person entered our cabin while my wife was taking a shower to remove the breakfast tray. I was outside on deck #3's walking exercise track. We did not telephone #92 to have it removed. 8. Cabin cleaning was very good although hand washing bar soap was hardly replaced (twice during a 22-day cruise). One day we returned from a shore excursion in the evening to find our room wasn't cleaned. We left the ship at 8:30 a.m. and we did not put the privacy card in the outside door slot. The cabin steward apologized. 9. Hotel manager refused to meet with us about our cabin privacy, cabin change and dining room concerns in addition to some suggestions we had concerning the DVD movies, in-room food service delivery and rudeness by some of his staff. We were able to compare the Noordam to The Amsterdam and The Volendam ships we cruised on. Therefore, no gold standard for The Noordam and its hotel manager. Our rating = Poor and Unacceptable.
amitch5168 saw things this way:
Value For Money
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Overall experience was very good. Very comfortable ship., June 11, 2013
Reviewer: amitch5168
Pros: Friendly and professional crew
Cons: Intestinal outbreak spread.
Date of cruise: May 17, 2013
Departure port: Istanbul
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: 5059
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
This was our second cruise with HAL and we liked it better than the first. The ship wasn't too cold like the other ship and the staff was even better. We have only two complaints: Although we had been to three Greek islands our passport was never stamped, yet when we got to Athens to disembark no one told us to be sure to get our passports stamped before continuing into the country. Further, although the crew including our stewards were wonderful during the entire cruise, after our luggage was packed and in our room waiting for our time to disembark we went to the Lido to eat. When we returned we were stunned to discover that our room had been cleaned for the next passengers, including the luggage mats on the bed. My toothbrush was even discarded! Clearly we were not finished with the room. This must be a health violation especially given the constant danger of germs spreading from person to person.
kooiker saw things this way:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
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Ship Maintenance
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Staff and Service
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Overall, a reliably good experience again on HAL. Staff was great., December 12, 2012
Reviewer: kooiker
Pros: Consistently good food, great service. Love the staff on HAL.
Cons: Smaller ship, not many choices for bars and nightlife.
Date of cruise: December 26, 2012
Departure port: FLL
Region visited: Caribbean - Southern
Cabin category: Suite
Cabin number: 6068
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
This is my 14th cruise on Holland America, and all have been wonderful experiences. It is not a glitzy, party ship, but rather quiet and very elegant. Passengers tend to be a bit older. You won't see too many loud and obnoxious drunks on this cruise ship. The artwork is beautiful, very refined. However, the whole cruise industry has changed a great deal in the past 10 years or so, and so has HAL. It has dropped a notch, I think, but I keep returning because I still love cruising with them. Have been on a few others cruise lines, always return to HAL.
dan saw things this way:
Value For Money
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I love HAL ships; this is my 6th cruise on HAL and it was great, February 10, 2012
Reviewer: dan
Pros: Clean, peaceful and relaxing ship with nice ports of call
Cons: Coming back to the cold weather after the cruise
Departure port: ft lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Outside
Cabin number: 4061
Good for children: Yes
We were on a 11-day Caribbean cruise on the Noordam. It was a a mature crowd and the ship was booked full. We have been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess and the Holland crowd is more civil as far as hogging seats and deck chairs for imaginary people. The crew are more professional and take pride in their job and the time flies so fast. The ports of call are fun but there are not great shopping deals like there were 10 years ago. Know your prices and if you know nothing about jewelry or electronics, beware. It may be a better buy at home. If you want to escape the winter and relax I highly recommend this cruise.
Rhonda60 saw things this way:
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4
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A very pleasant trip except for a persistent noise in our cabin, January 6, 2011
Reviewer: Rhonda60
Pros: The rooms were lovely and the ports were great
Cons: Had a noise in our cabin that kept us awake at least some time each night
Date of cruise: September 18, 2010
Departure port: Civitavecchia
Region visited: Europe
Cabin category: Outside
Cabin number: 1090
Good for children: No
The ship was lovely, the accommodations were great, the food was quite good, ports were good. The only problem was a noise in our cabin that kept us awake at least part of every night. Holland America was unable to resolve the noise problem. Therefore, I felt that the customer service was unsatisfactory and as a result do not know if I would use this cruise line again.
glensrvws saw things this way:
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I loved it, October 3, 2010
Reviewer: glensrvws
Pros: The crew members
Cons: Nothing
Date of cruise: September 16, 2010
Departure port: Civitavechhia
Region visited: Mediterranean
Cabin category: Inside
Cabin number: 7115
Good for teenagers: No
The ship, service and crew were excellent. I don't have any complaints. Very few children on board.
thomas707 saw things this way:
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Had a lot of fun and went with friends to celebrate birthday and anniversary., August 17, 2010
Reviewer: thomas707
Pros: Being away from home and letting the cruise line take care of you!
Cons: Finding the way to the dining room!
Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale
Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: dont remember
We had a great cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. It was an added bonus to have friends with us. We were able to play cards during down time. No time for reading! Appreciated that the ship had a church service on Sunday.
ted3000 saw things this way:
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Not the Holland America of old, only go if the price is a steal..., June 14, 2010
Reviewer: ted3000
Pros: Can't find anything good to say about the entire cruise.
Cons: Poor food, small balcony stateroom, poor port planning, sad customer service.
Date of cruise: May 14, 2010
Departure port: Ft Lauderdale, FL
Region visited: Transoceanic
Cabin category: Balcony
Cabin number: 5069
Good for children: No
Good for teenagers: No
Took HAL Noordam from Ft Lauderdale to Barcelona departing May 14, 2010. Balcony stateroom is very small, balcony is miniscule. Food is passable but not as good as should be. Specialty restaurant "Pinnacle Grill" served tasteless steak with disinterested wait staff -- not worth the time or the money. At one port, Malaga, the charge to get off the pier was $17 each, at another port they used tenders even though the schedule called for docking. Upon departing the ship at Barcelona I was held aside by crew members as they said I owed them money, even tho I had a receipt from the Pursers office. Very embarrassing and sad. Suggest you all stay off HA, not worth the money or trouble.
karoggra saw things this way:
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Best cruise ever!, May 13, 2010
Reviewer: karoggra
Pros: Fantastic entertainment from the staff on Christmas Eve
Cons: Don't have any
Departure port: New York
Region visited: Caribbean - Southern
Cabin category: Balcony
We had a rather unfortunate experience with our luggage being missing after our flight from Europe, but Holland America's staff handled it fantastically! We finally arrived as the last passengers at 4.30 p.m.(the ship was leaving at 4.45). Thank goodness we had checked in from home! The stateroom was lovely and as it was Christmas we had ordered an Christmas tree and flowers and they lasted the full two-week cruise! As we traveled with family we were able to open the wall between our room and next door to make the verandah extra large. The public rooms and the art onboard are absolutely fantastic! Everywhere were signs of the Dutch history of art and some of the sculptures onboard would blow your mind. Our cruise was a Christmas and New Year's Eve cruise. The ship was decorated with all sorts of Christmas trees - even one that was upside down! You could even order Christmas trees for your own room, which we did! Lots of people had put decorations on their doors which was lovely. The Christmas Eve show was given by the staff and they performed a show that showed the holiday traditions in their countries and they performing a singing session which was very touching. The New Year's Eve show was also fantastic and so was the party to follow! A nice touch by Holland America was the serving of canapes in the bars pre-dinner. We had different tidbits every evening! We've been on 14 cruises since 2001 and this one is still the best!!!
